Enlightenment

Ma Shilong felt that the Big Black Pig was his true form, and there was definitely something wrong here.

Even if a normal person had the chance to be reborn as a pig, their thoughts would still be human thoughts, and their values would still be human values, right?

A classic example is Zhu Bajie. Zhu Bajie was the first person reborn as a pig, yet he still couldn't forget Chang'e, loved to talk about his past glory, and often used the title Marshal Tian Peng.

Ma Shilong's mind must have been forcibly changed by Zhou Nan during the process of being reborn as a pig. This involved a certain ability of the Emperor's Hammer: Enlightenment.

Enlightenment, from the "Dunhuang Bianwen Collection: Vimalakirti Sutra Lecture": "May I ask Vimalakirti, hearing his name is like dew entering the heart, and speaking with him is like enlightenment."

Historical records state that there was once an emperor of the Zhou Kingdom who had eloquent speech, possessed all worldly divine powers and dhāranīs, had the power to subdue demons, was skilled in wisdom, had clear thoughts, and understood the desires of all sentient beings. One day, he met the great layman Vimalakirti and had an epiphany, once sighing that the inspiration he received was like enlightenment.

Later, this emperor merged the state of mind, insights, and the process of mental turmoil to firmness he experienced when conversing with Vimalakirti, creating a divine art and attaching it to the Emperor's Hammer. This divine art was called: Enlightenment.

These backgrounds and settings, created by combining real-world allusions with the fictional kingdom, were naturally created by Ma Shilong himself.

Zhou Nan then used Ma Shilong's own created "Enlightenment" to make Ma Shilong accept that he was a pig.

There is no more tragic fate for an author who abandons novels than this.

Qin Luming wanted to sympathize with him, but he wanted to send an emoji even more: Funny.jpg

Actually, it's not that bad. At least Ma Shilong hasn't lost his male characteristics... Hmm, come to think of it, that's not a good thing either. If Ma Shilong's thoughts hadn't been interfered with, he probably would have thought it was better to lose his male characteristics at this time.

"If you want to laugh, just laugh. I know holding back laughter is very painful," Ma Shilong said calmly to Qin Luming.

"I'm not laughing, I can hold it in," Qin Luming shook his head. His self-control was quite strong because he had heard a saying: people who can't hold back laughter often can't hold back other things either.

"I remember when we met that day, you said you were also writing web novels, right?" Ma Shilong looked at Qin Luming and noticed that Qin Luming's lips were pressed tightly together, not revealing the slightest hint of a smile.

"I just signed a contract yesterday," Qin Luming said a little sheepishly, with a hint of satisfaction. After all, the signing rate was only a few percent.

"When I first started writing, I was your age. Seeing you, I feel like I'm seeing my past self," Ma Shilong touched his slightly balding head. "Back then, I was full of passion, three updates a day was normal, and during bursts, five, six, seven, or even ten updates."

"You can't even complete a life-or-death continuation now... Is this the after-effect of habitually abandoning your novel?" Qin Luming couldn't imagine how such a once hardworking and enthusiastic person could become a salted fish who repeatedly abandoned his novels.

"I'm old," Ma Shilong said with some emotion, but his eyes immediately lit up. "Fortunately, I met Zhou Nan and have entered my second spring."

Qin Luming knew that Ma Shilong's "second spring" after meeting Zhou Nan wasn't about love, but because he had become a pig.

He wanted to say something to comment... but he already considered himself a pig, what else could Qin Luming say? He could only interpret it as: "Since you are not me, how can you know what it is like to be a pig?"

"Brother Ma, you just mentioned Zhou Nan's temporary palace... Did she bring a palace with her when she transmigrated?" Qin Luming shifted his attention, no longer trying to understand the psychological journey of Ma Shilong before and after becoming a pig.

"No." Ma Shilong turned and pointed at the dam. "She has already taken the dam, including the entire reservoir, the river channel, and the mountains on both sides. She has set up a powerful magic array there. What you see now is just an illusion. Even if you walk into the area of the magic array, you won't be able to perceive the real situation. Her temporary palace is here."

Qin Luming looked over. The night sky was dark and heavy. The rolling mountains and deep valleys, the looming silhouette of the dam nestled within, and a palace that mortals could not glimpse were hidden within. Perhaps it was nearby, and even if you were inside, you wouldn't be able to sense its existence.

It's truly marvelous... Qin Luming's eyes couldn't help but show a longing. Who wouldn't be curious about such miraculous means?

"By the way, what did she take the dam for?" Qin Luming couldn't understand Zhou Nan's actions – a zinc factory, a large bridge, and a dam.

"She believes that in our world, the distribution of factory work and living areas, as well as the overall design concept, are worth learning from. The double-layered bridge made entirely of metal is also very interesting. As for the dam, she thinks the energy conversion device, energy control system, and transmission system installed within are incredibly ingenious. They can continuously convert water element power into other forms of power without the need for a divine artist's magic array. She also plans to find the largest energy conversion dam in this world and take it back to the Zhou Kingdom," Ma Shilong explained.

"The world's largest energy conversion dam... This, this, she, she, she means she wants to take away the world's largest hydroelectric power station, is that what she means?" Qin Luming had truly underestimated the vision and ambition of a monarch from another world. Qin Luming hadn't considered that Zhou Nan's arrival would cause destruction to the current world, but he had always thought that the "Power of Order" that accompanied Zhou Nan's divine arts would repair the impact.

But if she were to take away the world's largest hydroelectric power station, such an impact would be beyond anything the Power of Order could repair. It would cause doomsday-like disasters, war, and panic.

"That's what it means," Ma Shilong nodded. "But don't worry, after my persuasion, she has temporarily abandoned this idea. After all, she doesn't know when she'll be able to return to the Zhou Kingdom, so taking the world's largest hydroelectric power station now wouldn't be of much use."

Qin Luming breathed a sigh of relief. At this moment, Ma Shilong's image in his eyes became even more glorious. He had become a pig, gained the opportunity to get close to Zhou Nan, and simultaneously saved the world because of it.

"Let's go. You come with me. We need to find a plausible reason to rescue Yang Xiaoyan and her group," Ma Shilong said with some helplessness. "Before Zhou Nan returns, let's quickly handle this matter. Otherwise, when she comes back and sees people searching everywhere, who knows what she might do?"

"Why didn't you just let them go? And why did you turn them into pigs in the first place?" Qin Luming asked, confused.

"They ate the fruit from the tree I fertilized. Eating that kind of fruit has a continuous transformation effect for twenty-four hours. They thought that only by obeying me would they have a chance to turn back into humans," Ma Shilong laughed heartily.

Qin Luming glanced at Ma Shilong and said after some thought, "Then let them come back after they turn back into humans."

"After they turn back into humans, I will make them forget about the time they spent as pigs. Their bodies will also be extremely weak and will need someone to find them in time to prevent them from being harmed by other wild beasts in the mountains," Ma Shilong sneered. "You're quite cautious, aren't you? Are you afraid I'll harm you? I am now a Black Rider General under Zhou Nan, and my skills are comparable to Zhu Bajie. If I wanted to deal with you, do you think your entrenching tool would be useful? Let's go, don't you want to see Zhou Nan's temporary palace?"

Saying this, Ma Shilong walked towards the dam without waiting for Qin Luming's agreement.

Qin Luming hesitated. Ma Shilong seemed unaware that Qin Luming was also extraordinary. However, precisely because Ma Shilong didn't do anything to Qin Luming under these circumstances, Qin Luming slightly relaxed his guard and followed Ma Shilong's footsteps. Rescuing people was just a secondary objective; he really wanted to see Zhou Nan's temporary palace.