Chapter 386: Phone call

Soon, Liu Canzhi and Li Qi arrived at Shangyuan.

Along the way, both of them were very happy, constantly discussing their views on their future Dao paths and methods for improving the Shamanic Silkworm Artifact.

The Shamanic Silkworm Artifact still had many areas for improvement; Li Qi had only solved the practical issues.

The two walked side by side on the street, a very common sight in Shangyuan. There were scholars, travelers, and students walking like this everywhere, so it wasn't noticeable at all.

Soon, they arrived at the place where Lingxiao Flower Goddess resided.

They knocked on the door from outside.

A clear, cold voice came from inside: “Who?”

“Flower Goddess, it’s us, Li Qi, and… Liu Canzhi,” Li Qi said.

In Baiyue, such a door would offer no obstruction, but this was Chang'an, and specifically Shangyuan, a scenic area. The entire Shangyuan was a complete Formation, embedded with hundreds of Grotto-Heavens.

Here, not only was fighting prohibited, but even techniques like clairvoyance couldn't be used. Besides differences in status, the disparities in ‘human rights’ between a Fifth Grade and a Ninth Grade were truly not significant.

Let alone a Fifth Grade, in the face of laws and rules, even the Human Emperor had to bow his head. This was the Dao foundation of the entire humanity. To defy this point was to defy the entire humanity.

Several grandmasters among the Hundred Arts of Humanity were built upon rules.

The Confucian ‘Rituals’ emphasized, “Establishing rituals and righteousness to differentiate and divide, to nourish human desires and provide for human needs.”

The Legalist ‘Law’ supported, “Without distinguishing between closeness or distance, without differentiating between noble or humble, all are judged by law.”

The Mohist ‘Will of Heaven’, the Mozi said: I have the Will of Heaven, like a wheelwright has his compass, and a carpenter has his square. Wheelwrights and carpenters hold their compasses and squares to measure the squares and circles of the world.

The Yin and Yang School’s ‘Rhythm’, the Huainanzi said: Govern the rhythm of the sun and moon, govern the Qi of Yin and Yang, correct the numbers of rhythm and calendar, equalize the noble and the humble, so that the strong do not oppress the weak, the many do not bully the few, the seasons ripen without misfortune, all officials are upright and impartial, the upper and lower are harmonious without fault, the sun and moon are bright, the stars do not deviate from their course, wind and rain are timely, and the five grains ripen.

Even other minor streams, such as the Military School of Thought’s military law and the Farmer Family’s solar terms, were based on this.

It should be known that Tang Nation’s solar terms and seasons were set at the beginning of each year. Weather forecasts were released as a single table for the entire year, with no surprises. All agricultural production was strictly planned, all pushed by the Farmer Family behind the scenes.

The separation of humans and witches in ancient times was primarily due to this difference in concepts.

It was precisely because of this consensus that they were among the Hundred Arts and Hundred Schools of ‘Humanity’, sharing a common goal, rather than being a separate Dao Orthodoxy.

So Li Qi was not worried about any accidents at all.

There would be no accidents at all, unless the incoming person was of the level of a Heavenly Demon.

A Heavenly Demon had only arrived half a month ago; it was impossible for two First Grade to descend upon Chang'an within a month.

If that were truly the case, humanity would likely go berserk. Given their nature, they would most likely launch a full-scale war, and probably no one would want to court disaster.

Except for the Heavenly Demon.

As he thought about this, with a creak, the door was pulled open.

Li Qi was startled!

How could Lingxiao Flower Goddess look like she had been beaten? Her miniature heaven and earth even showed cracks!

Although there seemed to be no external injuries, under True Knowledge Dao Resonance and Information Stream Vision, this person was seriously injured, wasn't she?

Just now, he was thinking that Chang'an was very safe and nothing would happen, but as soon as the door opened, he saw an injured person!

“Flower Goddess, your injury is…?” Li Qi asked in astonishment.

“I stayed in Baiyue for too long and somewhat forgot the rules, so I just received a small lesson, nothing to worry about,” Lingxiao Flower Goddess said, shaking her head slightly.

Then, she looked at Liu Canzhi in front of her, bowed to Liu Canzhi, and asked, “This must be Young Master Liu.”

“It is I, it is I.” Liu Canzhi nodded repeatedly and returned the greeting, “It is truly impolite that I did not bring a proper name card upon our first meeting, Flower Goddess. I hope you will forgive me.”

“No need for such formalities, Young Master. May I ask, is this in your hand from your esteemed father…?” Lingxiao Flower Goddess looked somewhat eagerly at the paper Liu Canzhi held in his hand.

This was taken out when they knocked on the door earlier.

Liu Canzhi nodded and presented it with both hands: “My father admires the integrity of the Flower Goddess, and thus wrote this essay. However, he is busy with affairs and arduous work and could not come in person, so he sent me to deliver it. I hope the Flower Goddess will accept it.”

These words were pleasing to the ear. Although everyone knew what ‘admires the integrity of the Flower Goddess’ was nonsense and how this essay truly came about, pleasantries still had to be exchanged.

Upon hearing this, Lingxiao Flower Goddess took a deep breath, her fingers trembling slightly. She lowered her head, bent down, and respectfully accepted the light as a feather page.

Liu Canzhi straightened his back and calmly accepted the bow.

This respect was not given to Liu Canzhi, but to Liu Donghe.

Lingxiao Flower Goddess tremblingly picked up this piece of paper, light as a feather, yet heavy as Mount Tai.

Holding this page, she began to read softly.

“On the nineteenth of July, I visited White Horse Temple, standing alone on the empty mountain, the new rain gently moistening…”

She read this magnificent essay softly.

However, the more she read, the more solemn her expression became, and the aura around her began to change even more.

Literary Qi gradually emerged from her body, proving that she was completely immersed in the essay.

As she read, Li Qi was surprised to find that her cultivation was actually increasing!

The injuries on her body, which had just been caused by the rules of humanity, gradually healed, and the aura around her became more elevated, even her expression conveyed joy.

Li Qi felt the aura of joy from hearing the Dao on her, a feeling he often encountered.

Until the entire essay was read, a certain charm seemed to bless her.

Her miniature heaven and earth also opened accordingly, presenting various strange phenomena within the small room.

A cluster of lingxiao flowers was seen spreading upwards along her body, as if her own body was an ancient tree, and the lingxiao flower vines climbed along it, with blossoms unfurling and branches spreading leaves and shade.

Then, the flowers bloomed, but the stamens gradually withered, bearing fruit.

However, what the fruit brought forth was a sun and moon.

The setting sun traverses the mountain, holding the azure sky, the east reveals the moon, filling the Chan Palace.

In the morning, I gaze at the twin peaks above the azure, from the small building, I hear only the wind through the pines and cypresses.

“Reflected light illuminates, drawing the sun and moon…” Li Qi, standing beside her, couldn't help but utter the name of this phenomenon.

There are myriad phenomena in the world, but they are always of a certain number. Moreover, phenomena caused by cultivation advancement can generally be classified, although there are quite a few types.

However, as long as there is a number, then with so many cultivators, there must be those who study this. Li Qi had read some books summarizing phenomena and knew what Lingxiao Flower Goddess’s phenomenon represented.

Her words were like exquisite paintings, drawing the light of the sun and moon, shining throughout the universe. This meant she had gathered the literary Qi that Liu Donghe had written into the essay and formed a fruit.

And this fruit was in the shape of the sun and moon, its essence being the charm of Liu Donghe’s essay, which said: The sun and moon are like a perfectly matched jade, the sun and moon are the true and bright ones.

In other words, this phenomenon was a result brought by ‘brightness,’ and brightness also meant understanding, knowing, and seeing through.

Therefore, any phenomenon that arises from enlightenment gained through learning, leading to cultivation advancement, often contains elements of the dual brightness of the sun and moon. This is a conclusion reached by many scholars who study phenomena.

In this world, those who constantly fight, destroy families, steal treasures, and kill people are ultimately a minority. The majority are those who do various jobs, using cultivation methods as tools and means of production.

Li Qi identified the source of this phenomenon and immediately understood Lingxiao Flower Goddess’s situation.

As for Lingxiao Flower Goddess, after a long while, these phenomena completely disappeared.

She sighed softly and murmured, “Spring orchids and autumn chrysanthemums, each with their own fragrance, birds chirping and flowers falling, all with Divine Ability…”

As she spoke, the surging aura around them completely calmed down.

Li Qi and Liu Canzhi could both see that her injuries had completely vanished, and that piece of paper… had lost most of its charm.

The words were still the same words, the paper was still the same paper, but the charm that Liu Donghe had imbued within it had dissipated. Even if another injured Lingxiao Flower Goddess appeared and read this essay again, she would not achieve the same effect.

The concept of charm is difficult to explain.

Although this magnificent essay was well-written, if someone were to transcribe it, and that transcriber was a Mortal with poor calligraphy, then the transcribed copy would only be an essay of excellent literary talent, full of allusions. Although it might have some pure Qi, suitable for aiding sleep if placed by the bed, it could not compare to the original.

Even the feeling of reading it would be different. When reading the original with its charm, one could feel the pressure of the divine intent within it, making one feel as if they were there, personally experiencing the author's state of mind when writing the essay, and might even become completely immersed in it, oblivious to the outside world.

In this way, one would naturally comprehend more deeply, and even learn something extraordinary from it.

If it were transcribed, unless by a calligrapher or someone with a similar cultivation method, it would be difficult to record the charm along with it.

This is similar to the divine intent in cultivation methods, but cultivation methods emphasize this more, so the divine intent in cultivation methods is difficult to lose and can be reused.

However, the essay in front of them was, after all, just a piece of paper. Reading it once produced an effect once, and most of its charm had already been lost.

Nevertheless, what remained was enough to identify it as an authentic work and to discern some of its spirit.

Lingxiao Flower Goddess looked at Liu Canzhi: “Mr. Donghe’s kindness, I’m afraid I can never repay it in this life, but please convey to him that Lingxiao will always remember it.”

“I will definitely convey it,” Liu Canzhi nodded in reply.

“Then please wait a few days, both of you. This literary gathering will probably take four days to prepare. You can just come directly then,” Lingxiao Flower Goddess said.

Li Qi and Liu Canzhi nodded, and then the two did not linger, leaving just like that.

After leaving, everyone said their goodbyes.

There were still four days, no need to stick together; they could do their own things. It was a good time for the Shamanic Silkworm Artifact project to conclude, so a vacation was perfect.

After saying goodbye, Li Qi finally had some free time. He had also been suspended from Imperial Academy for investigation.

So, he simply stayed in his room and began a long-awaited period of contemplation.

He pondered about the Demonic Clone.

He reflected on his past mistakes.

He considered what he would do in the future.

Of course, most importantly, he had to call the Rabbit.

After returning to the small courtyard, Li Qi opened the window, reached out, and drew a dust-clearing talisman in the air. Then he infused Spiritual Qi into it and sent it forward.

The floating talisman disintegrated, transforming into a gentle breeze that swept away the accumulated dust in the room, blowing it out through the window.

Then, lying on the bed, he took out his terminal and dialed the Rabbit's number.

It connected quickly.

Although there was a slight delay due to the difference in space-time, it was acceptable.

As soon as they connected, the Rabbit leaned in, her face full of concern: “Li Qi, are you alright?”

“It’s already resolved, nothing serious,” Li Qi waved his hand and said with a smile.

The Rabbit, hearing this, showed an unhappy expression, seemingly agitated and wanting to say something.

To be honest, this expression was quite rare, as she usually had no emotional fluctuations.

However, before she could speak, the Rabbit herself calmed down.

She wasn't the kind of person who would be swayed by emotions either.

After just a moment of excitement, she calmed down and said in her usual faint tone: “Your Senior Brothers, Bo Yue and Yan Ke, they all told me that you were urgently recalled by Shaman God Mountain, and even two Grand Shamanes came to Chang'an for this. I knew something must have happened. What exactly was it?”

Seeing this, Li Qi spread his hands: “No matter what happened, I’m back safely. Don’t ask about the rest; it’s really hard to say.”

He couldn't say. The incident with the Heavenly Demon and the Shaman God on Mount Luofu had already warned him. It was best to keep such matters secret.

“…Can’t you say?” The Rabbit showed a thoughtful expression.

Then, she murmured: “If you can’t say, then it’s a matter above the High Grade. To be able to dispatch two Third Grade Grand Shamanes, it must be a person above Ordained Invoker.”

“No, this is a mission involving Chang'an. Even Ordained Invoker couldn’t easily make the decision. Furthermore, you are involved with the Celestial Pole Golden Elixir Method; essentially, you are a hostage. It would be impossible for a hostage to return easily without the Three Dukes’ approval in Chang'an.”

“Shaman God, is that it? Were you recalled by the Shaman God?” The Rabbit looked at Li Qi and asked.

Li Qi smiled wryly: “I can’t say.”

“I understand, then I won’t ask,” the Rabbit nodded, decisively skipping the topic.

Regarding the existence of High Grade, she knew more than Li Qi, so she was even more cautious than Li Qi.

Not only could she not speak of it, she couldn't even think of it. She directly cut off that thought in her Spirit Soul.

“Let’s talk about something we can discuss, Yu’er. How is the situation in Holy Flame World?” Li Qi asked.

“About a year has passed on my end. That Child of Destiny is almost at Breakthrough to Eighth Grade and has already made a name for himself in this world.”

“Moreover, under some of my arrangements, he has also begun to come into contact with many of Holy Flame World’s own Dao Orthodoxy. He should be able to integrate them soon. And he has already gathered some forces. I estimate that in another two or three years, he can start contending for supremacy in a chaotic world. I’ve given him some methods for refining Dao soldiers, and he already has the capital to form an armed force.”

Li Qi listened, nodding constantly.

Fortunately, at least everything in Holy Flame World was proceeding normally.

“However… calculating the time, Lu Mountain God, and the others behind him, should also be arriving soon,” the Rabbit said.