Laying a Trap

Li Qi, completely unaware of what was happening, returned home.

However, nothing happened.

Soon, the night passed, and the next day arrived.

Li Qi quickly sorted things out, putting everything else out of his mind and temporarily putting them aside.

He felt he had become somewhat obsessed lately, a little too focused.

Let's relax and go watch the performance of the Trumpet Flower God, and while we're at it, let's promote our Witchcraft Silkworm – they're all money-making machines!

Li Qi has more than enough money for himself, because he can now easily produce Qi bead in his own microcosm.

The Shaman's ability to Creation from Nothing is truly terrifying. It is a genuine Creation from Nothing, appearing out of thin air. Although these Qi bead are not even enough for his daily cultivation, they are enough to maintain his youthful appearance.

But these are all for the rabbit to pay off its debts, so there's definitely no reason not to have more.

I got up and walked towards the Upper Garden.

Along the way, one could see scholars, Confucian monks, and onlookers from all walks of life rushing to the scene.

Today, Shangyuan is unusually crowded.

Hmm... Upon seeing this, Li Qi opened his terminal.

Sure enough, there was also advertising on the terminals, and it was quite a large-scale campaign, so they must have spent a lot of money on advertising space.

Such a dramatic literary gathering is definitely worth seeing!

However, just like a celebrity's concert, this kind of thing makes a big fuss in the news and attracts huge crowds, but it's just a small thing in the grand scheme of things, so it doesn't cause much of a stir.

But that's enough; this is probably what the Trumpet Flower God wanted.

Li Qi walked into the Shangyuan Garden amidst the crowd.

At this moment, the Shangyuan Garden was very lively. Not only the Flower Goddess, but also other entertainment workers had begun to perform here.

A woman from Qin played the flute, her voice pleasing the drunken mansion.

There was a dance performance with Hong Luo, and the applause was thunderous.

There were so many magic tricks that people exclaimed in amazement and admiration.

There were also many vendors who took this opportunity to sell flowers, wine, and food in their Mustard Seed Bag. They looked shabby, but most of their products were actually high-grade Demon Beast meat or spirit wine, or at the very least, Lingzhi mushroom plants. Normally, these would sell for a high price outside, but in Shangyuan, they were sold just like street vendors, and the prices were even higher, yet more people bought them.

Luxury cars lined the streets, tourists thronged the area, and calls for drinks and farewells were constant.

The area was bustling with carriages and people, but it did not feel cramped because the garden was very large and everyone had a path to walk on, so it was not crowded or crowded.

Li Qi walked through the crowd, looked around, and felt only:

Visitors stroll through the fragrant flower grove, where the blossoms delight their hearts.

A gentle breeze carries clear sounds, and fresh clouds cast a thin shadow.

However, these are all on the periphery. If you go further in, you'll see people other than tourists.

Li Qi went deeper into the garden, passing the rose trellis, entering the oak grove, crossing the peony pavilion, passing the peony garden, walking through the rose garden, and then stopping at the Lingxiao Garden to look inside.

This place is the real venue for the literary gathering, and it was also the courtyard of the Trumpet Flower God in the Upper Garden.

The garden, which had been sealed off for so long, has finally been opened.

Almost all the people here are cultivators of the seventh rank or above; these are the real participants in the literary gathering.

The number of people is approximately several hundred.

Most of them were Confucian scholars, who were talking at length about the fate and merits of the Trumpet Flower God, as well as how magnificent Liu Donghe's new article was at this literary gathering.

However, one can often see calligraphers who have already prepared paper and brush, eagerly waiting to copy Liu Donghe's original works. Although they don't know how much of the spirit they can capture, witnessing a masterpiece in person is a once-in-a-millennium opportunity, and they absolutely cannot let this chance pass.

The other factions were basically just there to watch the fun, join the crowd, or freeload.

Since the Trumpet Flower God was hosting a literary gathering, she naturally wouldn't let everyone pay for their own meals. So she took care of all the banquet arrangements herself, which must have cost her a fortune.

Because the ingredients at the banquet in front of him were all of the highest quality, and the wines were imported from Huliang, a Daoist hermit's aged wine, Li Qi even saw monkey wine, which was a favorite of Daoist hermits.

I don't know when she bought it.

However, besides the regular attendees of the literary gathering, Li Qi also noticed a group of people.

There are doctors and diviners, scholars and martial artists, and even many niche schools of cultivators, such as those who practice chess. Among them are also a few distinguished Confucian cultivators who take the lead.

Li Qi nodded slightly, presumably these were the Hanlin scholars, the emperor's private advisors. Although they held no official positions, their status was not low.

However, it shouldn't be a formal Hanlin scholar. After all, the Emperor is a first-rank official, and to become an advisor to the Emperor, even for a minor matter, one would need to be at least a fifth-rank official, or even higher.

Most of those who are of the seventh rank or above are Hanlin trainees, following their seniors to establish their qualifications and are currently learning.

They gathered together, but instead of making a ruckus like the others, they went about their own business.

Li Qi looked at the leaders...

Yes, there are indeed five ranks, which is difficult to handle. I guess these five ranks are targeting the Trumpet Flower God.

Chang'an is not a barbaric place, so it is unlikely that we will take direct action. However, it would be more difficult to deal with if we did not take direct action. If they try to trip us up from behind, the losses will be greater and the problem will be harder to solve.

For example, they might obstruct the literary gathering from behind the scenes, use their connections to prevent the gathering from taking place in the first place, cut off resource channels, or prevent the Trumpet Flower God from purchasing resources for the literary gathering.

If these scholars joined forces, it wouldn't be difficult for them to accomplish this.

However... it seems they disdain causing trouble in this regard, something even the Trumpet Flower God isn't worried about.

Hmm... that's true.

Those who can cultivate to a high level can be judged by their Dao Path cultivation. It is impossible for a Confucian cultivator to reach the fifth level without having done bad things, but it is certain that he has a clear conscience.

Examine your own Dao heart, ask yourself if what you are doing is in line with your own Dao Path, and whether you are walking the 'Tao' that you believe in.

This kind of self-reflection is the norm for high-ranking cultivators, so even the Trumpet Flower God is not worried that these scholars will use underhanded tricks to trip her up. They will only openly refute the Trumpet Flower God at the literary gathering and force her to return to Baiyue.

To say that these people are despicable... that's not quite right. In their eyes, what they did was a good thing, driving out the bad and banishing the rotten people from Chang'an. On the contrary, it was the Trumpet Flower God was shameless, currying favor with the powerful and tainting the purity of this imperial garden.

The Trumpet Flower God also felt that they were slandering and spreading rumors, defaming people's reputations.

Well...

It's probably because of differing perspectives. Even two good people can have conflicts.

As for Li Qi...

Actually, he didn't care.

Li Qi didn't really care whether the Trumpet Flower God could return to the Upper Garden. Li Qi was only after his own interests; he just wanted to sell the Sacred Flame and the Witchcraft Silkworm for a good price.

The grudges of the Trumpet Flower God are none of his concern; he doesn't care, and distinguishing right from wrong is not his business.

Li Qi sat to the side waiting for the literary gathering to begin when he heard a voice behind him. "Li Qi, you've finally arrived. Really, I thought you weren't coming."

The voice sounded trembling; it was clearly Liu Shenzhi.

Li Qi turned his head and saw Liu Shenzhi rubbing his hands as he walked over.

He was still dressed in a flashy outfit, a pink robe, and a Trumpet Flower in his hair, but he didn't have his usual demeanor at all; instead, he seemed very nervous.

"Why are you so reserved? This matter has nothing to do with us, what are you afraid of? By the way, have you finished your preparations?" Li Qi asked.

"What if the Trumpet Flower God fails and is publicly criticized... wouldn't we also suffer a setback? I've worked so hard for so long, I don't want to fail here today." Shaking his head, Liu Shenzhi took a deep breath to calm himself down.

Then, he looked at the Hanlin scholars over there.

Fifth rank...

I was terrified. Today, all I can do is watch the performance of the Trumpet Flower God.

Li Qi followed his gaze and immediately understood.

Not everyone is like Li Qi, who faces high-ranking beings every day and chats with the Heavenly Demon and the Witch God with ease. Clearly, Liu Shenzhi is only an eighth-rank being, and facing several fifth-rank beings working together is too much pressure for him.

Although Liu Donghe's cultivation level was very high, Liu Donghe didn't deliberately put pressure on his son, so to be honest, he didn't feel much pressure.

Now, the average cultivation level in this entire arena is above the seventh rank, and the occasional leak of a trace of their aura is enough to make Liu Shenzhi, who is at the eighth rank, feel a lot of pressure.

"Her failure is her failure, what does it have to do with us?" Li Qi asked, puzzled.

Li Qi had only known the Trumpet Flower God for a little over ten days. In reality, he didn't care about her at all. As long as it didn't interfere with his sales of the Witchcraft Silkworm, he was fine with it.

"No... For the best promotional effect, I gave a robe made of Witchcraft Silkworm to the Trumpet Flower God. She will be wearing this robe today, and I think it will definitely help during the introduction..." Liu Shenzhi said to Li Qi with his head down.

Li Qi was dumbfounded.

"Damn it, does that mean our clothes are tied to the performance of the Trumpet Flower God?" Li Qi immediately realized that things were going badly.

The robes made by the Witchcraft Silkworm were worn by the Trumpet Flower God. In other words, if the Trumpet Flower God was in high spirits, they could naturally take the opportunity to promote themselves.

But if the Trumpet Flower God slaps someone in the face, then she herself has also been slapped in the face.

Li Qi only wanted to use the literary gathering as a platform; he never intended to associate himself with the Trumpet Flower God.

While this may produce greater results, it also carries more risks.

"Are you stupid? Can the two of us produce robes of grade five or higher? Even the strongest creation is only grade seven!" Li Qi said anxiously, pulling Liu Shenzhi down to sit. "How could you have thought of tying the chariot to her!"

Yes, that's why Li Qi was anxious.

The Witchcraft Silkworm can only produce magic weapons of grade seven at most, and mass-produce Law Treasure of grade eight or above.

In battles between those of the fifth rank and above, this kind of robe is no different from paper. When the two sides confront each other, the scene will be very ugly!

Liu Shenzhi reassured Li Qi, saying, "Don't worry, I have my own considerations. You see, this is, after all, a literary gathering. How could we possibly resort to violence?"

"You know the style of our seventh-rank robe. Since I am not yet an eighth-rank, most of the coding was done by you. It has a strong Shaman Path aura. In addition, with the identity of Trumpet Flower God and the Baiyue Sovereign, wearing it naturally has the charm of Shaman Path. It is more eye-catching than the gorgeous clothes commonly seen in Chang'an."

"It will definitely shine brightly at that time, and people will surely ask where it came from. If we give it a boost at the terminal, we will definitely achieve even greater results. Maybe this time we can directly buy a sixth-grade manipulator, and the precision of the Witchcraft Silkworm will be greatly improved."

Liu Shenzhi said this.

But Li Qi's expression was strange. Liu Shenzhi's words were not without reason, but he clearly did not understand the situation of the Trumpet Flower God.

The Trumpet Flower God went all out to come back, how could she really treat this literary gathering as an ordinary literary gathering?

So, he looked at Liu Shenzhi and asked, "What you're saying... By the way, was this suggestion something you discussed with the Trumpet Flower God?"

Liu Shenzhi nodded. "Indeed, she took the initiative to send me a letter, saying that in order to thank my father for his kindness, she would definitely help him wholeheartedly. Since we want to promote it, why don't she wear this outfit herself, so that she can stand in the spotlight? I thought so too, so I agreed."

Li Qi slapped his forehead and sighed, "Brother Liu, you're not stupid, are you? How could you just agree to her like that?"

"That makes a lot of sense. Besides, if she loses, so be it. What does it have to do with our Law Treasure? How could it be related to the Witchcraft Silkworm? Rather, regardless of her success or failure, the quality of the Witchcraft Silkworm will be noticed." Liu Shenzhi said dismissively.

Li Qi sighed, "Normally, that's how it is. Your considerations are correct, but have you ever thought that she might deliberately embarrass our things?"

"Intentionally? Why? She has no grudge against us. In fact, we are her benefactors, aren't we?" Liu Shenzhi, puzzled.

"Because she has no way out! This literary gathering is the result of her desperate gamble. She's reminding... no, she's hinting at me, warning me that she now has the ability to cut off our Witchcraft Silkworm business." Li Qi covered his head, feeling extremely headache-inducing.

Clearly, in Li Qi's view, the Trumpet Flower God definitely knew the importance of the Witchcraft Silkworm.

After all, Li Qi actually invited back the Trumpet Flower God for this thing, and Liu Shenzhi also persuaded Liu Donghe, which shows that this matter is very important. The Trumpet Flower God is not stupid and must be able to guess it.

Clearly, Liu Shenzhi wasn't a fool either. After Li Qi filled in the missing information, he immediately widened his eyes. "She's deliberately pretending that the Witchcraft Silkworm is of very poor quality?!"

"If she loses, this is probably what will happen." Li Qi nodded, his face full of helplessness.

They were drawn into this, making them put more effort into the literary gathering for their Witchcraft Silkworm business.

"This bastard—" Liu Shenzhi was about to utter a curse, but his last bit of self-control stopped him, though his expression darkened.

"It's no use trying to settle scores with her now," Liu Shenzhi said calmly, looking at Li Qi.

"Okay, let's find a way to let her win. Settling scores can wait." Li Qi nodded.