Chapter 391: Setting a trap

Li Qi was completely unaware of this and returned home.

However, nothing happened.

Soon, a night passed, and the second day arrived.

Li Qi tidied up his affairs early, putting all matters out of his mind, temporarily not thinking about them.

He felt that he had been a bit obsessed recently, a little too focused.

It was better to relax and watch the Lingxiao Flower Goddess’s performance, and while he was at it, promote his Shamanic Silkworm Artifact; after all, that was money.

Li Qi had enough money for himself because he could now easily produce Qi Orbs in his personal Small World.

The Shaman’s ability to ‘create something from nothing’ was truly terrifying; it was genuine creation out of thin air, though these Qi Orbs weren't even enough for his daily Cultivation, they were enough to maintain his body’s youth.

But these were all for paying off the rabbit’s debt, so he certainly wouldn’t mind having more.

He got up and walked towards Shangyuan.

Along the way, he could see scholars, Confucian Cultivators, and various onlookers hurrying there.

Today, Shangyuan was exceptionally crowded.

Hmm… Li Qi saw the situation and opened his terminal.

Sure enough, there was also promotion on the terminal, and quite a large display; they must have spent a lot of money on advertising space.

Such a dramatic literary gathering was truly a must-see.

However, this kind of thing was like a celebrity’s concert; it was a big buzz in the news and a huge crowd at the venue, but for the life of the whole world, it was just a small matter, so there weren’t too many ripples.

But that was already enough; this was probably what the Lingxiao Flower Goddess wanted.

Li Qi walked through the crowd into Shangyuan.

At this moment, Shangyuan was very lively; not only the Flower Goddess, but other entertainers also began to perform here.

There were Qin women playing flutes, their sounds enchanting the醉楼.

There were dances with red silk, met with thunderous applause.

There were magic tricks like clouds, eliciting gasps of admiration.

And there were many small vendors, seizing the opportunity, clutching their mustard bags to sell fresh flowers, wine, and food, looking shabby, but most of them were actually First Grade demon beast meat or spirit wine, or at the very least, Ganoderma lucidum or Immortal Plant, which would normally sell for a good price outside, but in Shangyuan, they were hawking them like street vendors, and the prices were even higher, but more people bought them.

Fragrant carriages came and went, tourists were like clouds, and the sounds of calling for wine and seeing off guests were incessant.

Carriages and horses came and went all around, people were like gathering ants, but it didn't seem cramped because Shangyuan covered a very large area, and everyone had a path to walk, so they wouldn't be squeezed or jostled.

Li Qi walked amidst the crowd, looking around, and felt:

Tourists in the fragrant flower forest, flowers delighting the guests’ hearts.

The gentle breeze carried clear sounds, fresh clouds hung with a faint shade.

However, these were all on the periphery; further inside, one could see people other than tourists.

Li Qi went deeper, past the Tumi trellis, into the honeysuckle shed, over the peony pavilion, through the peony garden, past the rose courtyard, and then stopped at Lingxiao Garden, looking inside.

This place was the true venue for the literary gathering, and also the Lingxiao Flower Goddess’s former courtyard in Shangyuan.

The long-sealed garden was finally opened.

Inside, almost all the Cultivators were of Seventh Rank and above; these were the people truly participating in the literary gathering.

There were about several hundred people.

Most of them were Confucian Cultivators, all talking loudly, discussing the Lingxiao Flower Goddess’s fate and merits, and how Liu Donghe’s new essay for this literary gathering was a magnificent piece.

But one could also often see some calligraphers who had already prepared paper and brushes, eagerly waiting to copy Liu Donghe’s true work; although they didn’t know how much of the essence they could capture, witnessing a Third Rank true work with their own eyes was truly a once-in-a-millennium opportunity, and this time, having this chance, they absolutely couldn’t let it pass.

As for other factions, they were basically there to watch the show, make up the numbers, or freeload.

The Lingxiao Flower Goddess hosting the literary gathering naturally wouldn’t make everyone pay for their own food, so the banquets were all arranged by her, which must have cost a fortune.

Because the ingredients for the flowing feast before them were all uniformly Eighth Rank and above, the wine was Daoist Immortal Chennian imported from Hulu Liang, and Li Qi even saw Monkey Wine, favored by Daoist hermits.

He didn’t know when she bought them.

However, besides these normal attendees, Li Qi also noticed a group of people.

There were doctors, diviners, scholars, and warriors, and even many Cultivators from niche schools, such as those who practiced chess, but among them, several distinguished Confucian Cultivators led the group.

Li Qi nodded slightly, thinking that these must be the Hanlin, the Emperor’s personal advisors; although they held no official positions, their status was not low.

However, they shouldn’t be official Hanlin; after all, the Emperor was First Grade, and to be an advisor to the Emperor, even for a small matter, Fifth Rank and above was a basic requirement, or even higher.

These, with an average level of Seventh Rank, were mostly Hanlin apprentices, gaining experience by following their elders, and currently learning.

They gathered together, not making noise like the others, but doing their own things.

Li Qi looked at the few leaders…

Indeed, there were Fifth Rank ones, tough to deal with; these Fifth Rank ones were probably going to challenge the Lingxiao Flower Goddess.

Chang’an was not a barbaric place, so direct confrontation was unlikely, but not directly confronting was actually more troublesome; tripping you up from behind would cause greater losses and be harder to resolve.

For example, obstructing the literary gathering from behind, using their connections to prevent the gathering from starting, cutting off resource channels, not allowing the Lingxiao Flower Goddess to buy resources for the gathering, and so on.

If these Hanlin joined forces, it wouldn’t be difficult to achieve such things.

It’s just… it seems they disdain to cause trouble in this regard; even the Lingxiao Flower Goddess isn’t worried about this.

Hmm… yes.

Those who can Cultivate to a high Rank, one can see their character from their Dao path; Confucian Cultivators at the Fifth Rank level cannot have never done bad things, but ‘having a clear conscience’ is certainly true.

Questioning their Dao Heart, asking themselves whether what they did conformed to their Dao path, whether they had followed the ‘Dao’ they recognized? This self-reflection was common for high-Rank Cultivators, so even the Lingxiao Flower Goddess wasn’t worried that these Hanlin would play dirty tricks; they would only openly refute the Lingxiao Flower Goddess at the literary gathering and force her to retreat to Baiyue.

To say how despicable these people were… that’s not entirely true; in their eyes, what they were doing was good, it was expelling bad currency, driving out bad people from Chang’an, and instead, it was the Lingxiao Flower Goddess, who was immodest and clung to power, defiling the purity of Shangyuan.

And the Lingxiao Flower Goddess, on her part, felt that they were slandering and fabricating rumors, tarnishing her reputation.

How to put it…

Different standpoints, perhaps; even between two good people, there can be conflicts.

As for Li Qi…

Actually, he didn’t care.

Li Qi actually didn't care much whether the Lingxiao Flower Goddess could return to Shangyuan; Li Qi was only for his own purposes, he just wanted to sell the Sacred Flame and Shamanic Silkworm Artifact for a good price.

The Lingxiao Flower Goddess’s grievances had nothing to do with him; he didn't care, and it wasn't his job to distinguish right from wrong.

Li Qi sat aside, waiting for the literary gathering to begin, when he heard a voice from behind: “Li Qi, you’re finally here; really, I thought you weren’t coming.”

The voice sounded a bit shaky; it was clearly Liu Canzhi.

Li Qi turned around and saw Liu Canzhi walking over, rubbing his hands.

He was still dressed ostentatiously, in a pink robe, with a lingxiao flower tucked into his hair, but he completely lacked his usual demeanor, instead appearing very nervous.

“Why so reserved? Today’s matter has nothing to do with us, what are you afraid of? By the way, have you made your preliminary preparations?” Li Qi asked.

“What if the Lingxiao Flower Goddess fails and is publicly criticized… then won’t we also take a tumble? After working so hard for so long, I don’t want to fall here today.” Shaking his head, Liu Canzhi took a deep breath, calming himself.

Then, he looked at the Hanlin over there.

Fifth Rank…

He was scared to death; today, he could only watch the Lingxiao Flower Goddess perform.

Li Qi followed his gaze and immediately understood.

Not everyone was like Li Qi, constantly facing high-Rank existences and chatting and laughing with Heavenly Demons and Shaman Gods; clearly, Liu Canzhi was only Eighth Rank, and facing several Fifth Rank existences working together was too much pressure for him.

Although Liu Donghe’s Cultivation was very high, Liu Donghe wouldn’t deliberately show pressure to his son, so honestly, there wasn’t much feeling.

And now, in this entire venue, the average Cultivation was Seventh Rank and above, and everyone occasionally leaked a trace of Qi, which was enough to make Eighth Rank Liu Canzhi feel great pressure.

“If she fails, she fails, what does that have to do with us?” Li Qi found it strange.

He had only known the Lingxiao Flower Goddess for a little over ten days; in reality, Li Qi didn't care about her at all. Success or failure, as long as it didn’t hinder his promotion of the Shamanic Silkworm Artifact, it was fine.

“No… For the best promotional effect today, I gave the Lingxiao Flower Goddess a Magic Robe made of Shamanic Silkworm Artifact; she will wear this outfit when she appears today, and I think this will certainly be effective when introducing it…” Liu Canzhi whispered to Li Qi.

Li Qi was dumbfounded.

“Holy crap, then our clothes are tied to the Lingxiao Flower Goddess’s performance?” Li Qi immediately realized that things were not good.

The Magic Robe made of Shamanic Silkworm Artifact was worn by the Lingxiao Flower Goddess, which meant that if the Lingxiao Flower Goddess was in high spirits, they could naturally seize the opportunity to promote it.

But if the Lingxiao Flower Goddess was humiliated, then it was equivalent to them being humiliated as well.

Li Qi only wanted to use the literary gathering as a platform; he never intended to tie himself to the Lingxiao Flower Goddess.

While this could certainly produce greater results, it also came with more risks.

“Are you an idiot? Can we produce Magic Robes of Fifth Rank and above? The strongest creation is only Seventh Rank?” Li Qi became anxious, pulling Liu Canzhi down to sit: “How could you think of tying the chariot to her?!”

Yes, this was the reason for Li Qi’s urgency.

The Shamanic Silkworm Artifact could at most produce Seventh Rank, mass-producing Spiritual Artifacts of Eighth Rank and above.

Such Magic Robes, in battles of Fifth Rank and above, were no different from paper; when both sides confronted each other, the scene would be very unsightly!

Liu Canzhi, however, reassured Li Qi, saying, “Don’t worry, I also have my own considerations. Look, this is a literary gathering after all, how could they resort to physical confrontation?”

“Our Seventh Rank Magic Robe, you know the style; because I’m not Eighth Rank, most of the coding was done by you, so it has a strong Shaman Dao aura. Plus, with the Lingxiao Flower Goddess’s identity as the Baiyue Kingdom Lord, wearing it naturally imbues it with a Shaman Dao charm, making it more eye-catching than the common luxurious clothes in Chang’an.”

“At that time, it will surely shine brightly, and someone will definitely ask where it came from. We can then promote it further on the terminal, and we will definitely achieve greater results. Perhaps this time we can directly buy a Sixth Rank operator, and the precision of the Shamanic Silkworm Artifact can be greatly improved.”

Liu Canzhi said so.

But Li Qi’s expression was strange; Liu Canzhi’s reasoning wasn’t without merit, but he clearly didn’t understand the Lingxiao Flower Goddess’s predicament very well.

The Lingxiao Flower Goddess had returned by risking everything; how could she truly treat this literary gathering as an ordinary one?

So, he looked at Liu Canzhi and asked, “These words of yours… By the way, was this suggestion discussed with you by the Lingxiao Flower Goddess?”

Liu Canzhi nodded: “Indeed, she proactively sent me a letter, saying that to thank my father for his kindness, she would certainly help wholeheartedly. Since we wanted to promote it, she might as well personally wear this outfit, and then it would be in the spotlight. I thought so too and agreed.”

Li Qi slapped his forehead, sighing deeply: “Brother Liu, you’re not a fool, are you? How could you just agree to her like that?”

“This does make a lot of sense. Besides, if she loses, she loses, what does that have to do with our Spiritual Artifact? How could it even be linked to the Shamanic Silkworm Artifact? On the contrary, no matter her success or failure, the quality of the Shamanic Silkworm Artifact will be noticed by people.” Liu Canzhi said indifferently.

Li Qi sighed: “Under normal circumstances, that’s how it is; your consideration isn’t wrong. But have you ever thought that she might deliberately make our things look bad?”

“Deliberately? Why? She has no grudge against us; on the contrary, we are benefactors to her, aren’t we?” Liu Canzhi was puzzled.

“Because she has no way out! This literary gathering is the result of her going all in. She’s reminding… no, she’s hinting to me, warning me that she now has the ability to cut off our Shamanic Silkworm Artifact business.” Li Qi covered his head, a terrible headache throbbing.

Clearly, in Li Qi’s view, the Lingxiao Flower Goddess definitely knew the importance of the Shamanic Silkworm Artifact.

After all, Li Qi had actually invited the Lingxiao Flower Goddess back for this item, and Liu Canzhi had also moved Liu Donghe, which was enough to show that this matter was very important. The Lingxiao Flower Goddess was not a fool; she must have guessed.

Clearly, Liu Canzhi was no fool either; after Li Qi filled in the missing information, his eyes immediately widened: “She wants to deliberately make the Shamanic Silkworm Artifact seem very inferior?!”

“If she’s going to lose, then that’s probably what will happen.” Li Qi nodded, his face full of helplessness.

She was dragging the two of them in, making them put more effort into the literary gathering for the sake of their Shamanic Silkworm Artifact business.

“This rotten—” Liu Canzhi was about to curse, but his last bit of composure stopped him; however, his expression also darkened.

“It’s no use trying to settle scores with her now; that’s the most urgent matter.” Liu Canzhi looked at Li Qi, responding calmly.

“Yes, let’s find a way to make her win. Settling scores is for later.” Li Qi nodded.