Again

The meaning behind the words of the Trumpet Flower God is clear and unambiguous.

No matter what nonsense they spout, just go for it.

What you're talking about is nothing but dung, worthless. Its only value is that you will all be trampled under my feet and become my nourishment.

Now that we've laid out the rules, let's proceed normally.

"That's good then, please proceed." The fifth-rank Confucian scholar withdrew, waiting for the Trumpet Flower God to continue the next part of the ceremony.

The Trumpet Flower God nodded. "Then I won't waste any more words. I suppose everyone already knows the main course of this literary gathering, so I won't keep you in suspense any longer."

After speaking, she flicked her sleeve, and a piece of Xuan paper flew up, floating in the air and emitting a refreshing fragrance.

Apart from Liu Shenzhi and Li Qi, everyone else focused their attention and wholeheartedly wanted to experience the essence of the story!

Here comes the main event.

An authentic work by Liu Donghe!

Several hundred calligraphers and monks picked up their brushes at the same time!

They didn't care about any literary feuds; all they wanted was to copy the original manuscript.

But then the Trumpet Flower God let out a soft hum, which sounded like a muffled thunderclap and suddenly swept across the surroundings!

The high clouds float with the air, and the thick ground shakes with the sound.

The murderous aura transforms into the Wood Virtue, chilling like the high autumn!

Those below the fifth rank were immediately blocked from looking at them, and their actions were forced to stop.

As for the other fifth-rank officials...

They didn't make a move from the beginning.

They were just too lazy to make a move; it was pointless. They already knew that the Trumpet Flower God wouldn't easily reveal herself.

Since there were no beings of rank five or above present, the Trumpet Flower God was able to easily block the view of everyone present before the other rank five beings made their move.

As for why the fourth-rank cultivators didn't come...

The reason is actually quite simple: Liu Donghe's handwritten letters no longer hold any appeal for them.

The calligraphy works that Liu Donghe wrote with great effort, or the original books that he spent more than ten years conceiving, are what attract them. Simple handwritten works cannot attract these people.

This was something that Liu Donghe just casually wrote down in a morning.

The grudges and grievances of the Flower Goddess were not a big deal to them; these were all things that the Trumpet Flower God had planned from the beginning.

She had it all planned out.

So, having already made preparations, she said leisurely, "Everyone, there's no need to rush. After all, it's just a handwritten piece, and most of its spirit has already been lost. If we show it to others so easily, by the time you calligraphers finish copying it, it will probably be reduced to a blank sheet of paper. Many more people will then miss the chance to see this piece, which would be a pity."

"Then, what does the Flower Goddess intend to do?" A calligrapher stepped forward from the crowd and said, "We all came here for this reason. The Flower Goddess released the news beforehand, but now she's covering it up. Is she playing us for fools? Calligraphy may be a minor art, but it shouldn't be treated like this!"

The Trumpet Flower God immediately responded, "You flatter me. I have always respected great calligraphers, how could I possibly insult you? It's just that this original work is indeed in poor condition, making it impossible to copy its essence, and it could easily cause irreversible damage."

"I will soon reveal the characters for you all to observe and read. Except for the lack of spirit, nothing will be hidden."

At this point, it's clear that everyone at the literary gathering was somewhat dissatisfied.

Looking at the original handwritten manuscript without its spirit is like drinking cola without sugar or eating scrambled eggs with tomatoes without eggs.

"However, to make up for this, I will select the most skilled calligrapher present and have him copy a version in front of the original, capturing a portion of its essence. Then I will make this copy public, so that although everyone cannot see the whole picture, they can still get a glimpse of it."

"It's not that I'm stingy, but this item is indeed fragile. I hope you will all forgive me." The Trumpet Flower God spread her arms and bowed apologetically.

Her actions also calmed the anger of many people.

If it is indeed badly damaged and prone to accidents, then it really shouldn't be given to too many people to copy.

However, only Li Qi and Liu Shenzhi knew that she was just talking nonsense.

I just wrote it yesterday, how could it be so badly damaged today?

Although there is some wear and tear when calligraphers copy, it is actually very minor. They have many methods to reduce wear and tear, so how could it be ruined like this?

But she wouldn't lie, otherwise anyone with a discerning eye would know at a glance that the Trumpet Flower God is lying.

Therefore, there is only one answer.

She broke it herself, making it completely shattered.

The purpose was probably to conceal the cause and effect, and to prevent people from guessing that the paper was actually written yesterday.

And another reason is to increase one's social standing, right?

If everyone can see it, then it's worthless.

Li Qi guessed that the Trumpet Flower God would probably organize some kind of competition and use this item as a prize.

Sure enough, the Trumpet Flower God said, "Although the calligraphers cannot see this text, I have prepared another master's original work. This is a calligraphy by the eminent monk Bao Gong of the White Horse Temple. Those who can capture its spirit will be able to see the text."

Although it wasn't called a competition, this can be considered a different kind of contest.

Moreover, the competition itself can be considered a prize.

There was Bao Gong, whose origins were unknown. He was ugly in appearance but had a keen mind. He claimed to know the past and future, and could foresee the three lifetimes. His words were like prophecies, incomprehensible until they were proven true after the fact. He composed the "Twelve Earthly Branches Song" to conclude his words.

The monk Bao Gong was also a fourth-rank master. His calligraphy works were very attractive to these calligraphers, and could further increase the value of the original works.

With this back and forth, everyone's attention shifted to the duel between the calligraphers, while the Trumpet Flower God... seemed to have pulled herself out of the center of the picture.

The calligraphers themselves also felt it was alright.

If one cannot replicate Liu Donghe's original works, then replicating Bao Gong's calligraphy is still a good option.

Li Qi watched Trumpet Flower God perform her actions from the side, while also keeping an eye on the other fifth-rank cultivators.

Sure enough, the other fifth-rank officials must have also discovered Trumpet Flower God's tricks, but they didn't expose them.

There's no need to spell it out. She was the one who organized the literary gathering, so she definitely had the final say on the procedures. Why should we, the others, jump out and say no?

That would be too undignified and rude, and it would make it even less likely to achieve the desired result.

Therefore, everyone sat back and watched the performance of the Trumpet Flower God.

Anyway... these are all minor details; the real action is yet to come.

These people have already written their articles and are just waiting to cause trouble. When the articles are presented, if the Trumpet Flower God cannot respond, she will be put on a pedestal by these scholars and made to lose face.

If she can't clear her name of being a social climber, then it doesn't matter if the literary gathering ends. At that time, this return will naturally become a joke, and she herself won't have the face to stay in the Upper Garden.

No one forced her; she simply couldn't stay there any longer.

Everything was respectable; no one got hurt, and there were no open or covert attacks. All that happened was a defeated dog slinking back to Baiyue in disgrace.

Okay?

That's probably not a good idea.

Is it bad? It doesn't seem that bad.

Ultimately, it's just that the two groups don't get along; it's not to the point of life or death.

If it weren't for the Trumpet Flower God holding him back, Li Qi wouldn't have bothered with this mess.

Meanwhile, on the other side, the calligraphers' competition has already begun.

This is the kind of cliché competition where everyone starts copying calligraphy from heaven, like some kind of alchemy contest, with a few people pretending to be judges.

Generally speaking, the protagonist will shine among the contestants, displaying his beautiful calligraphy and writing skills in front of many seniors.

Unfortunately, Li Qi had no interest in this; he was just an onlooker.

As the competition began, the Trumpet Flower God continued to make polite remarks, engaging in verbal battles with those who came to cause trouble, constantly maintaining her 'decency' while diverting everyone's attention.

Li Qi, however, was too lazy to read it.

He's too busy to be in the mood for much work.

After leaving the venue, I found a small garden outside to sit in.

Let's go in another Chen; the calligraphy competition should be over by then.

He began to close his eyes.

I didn't rest my mind; I mainly continued to ponder and think about the answers to many questions.

Only through consistent effort can one achieve results.

However, he hadn't been lost in thought for more than ten minutes when someone suddenly patted him on the shoulder.

Li Qi immediately opened his eyes.

But then he discovered that a pretty little girl was sitting next to him.

"Yu Zao? What's going on?" Li Qi frowned.

He really disliked this woman, just like he hated unruly children; he really wanted to beat her up.

"Um, Li Qi, did you make that dress?" Yu Zao asked, pointing towards the venue.

"I did this with other classmates, it was kind of... a kind of practice. Is there anything I can do for you?" Li Qi asked.

"I see, that's amazing. I just saw that garment. It combines the characteristics of Shaman Path and Human Path, and it borrows the idea of Human Path 'farm', right?"

"Through the cultivation methods of Shaman, combined with the ideas of breeding farms, and then iterative optimization, that's how that outfit came about, right? It's a really good idea," Yu Zao said, sitting next to Li Qi.

Li Qi was very uncomfortable with this attitude.

Previously, Yu Zao had always been flamboyant and unconventional. This was the first time Li Qi had seen her speak so quietly and calmly, which surprised him a little.

"So, Yu Zao just wanted to praise me?" Li Qi asked again.

"No, if it were just empty praise, why would I have come all this way? I'm here to talk about serious business!" Yu Zao pouted angrily.

But she immediately put on a smiling face and said, "Li Qi, you know I'm a polymath, right? Do you know what the polymath's philosophy is?"

"To be inclusive and open to all schools of thought, to be proficient in all the ways of the world, is that it?" Li Qi said.

Yu Zao nodded. "Yes, that's right, that's it. However, the Miscellaneous School doesn't have an orderly lineage. We are pragmatists. As long as it's useful and easy to use, we'll use it. We don't get hung up on which school's ideas we belong to, nor do we care whose Technique Method we use. This group of people who are unscrupulous, who don't care about anything except practicality, and who don't pay attention to the Dao Lineage, come together and that's the Miscellaneous School."

Li Qi was somewhat puzzled upon hearing this.

Why was she telling herself all this? Was she introducing the Dao Lineage?

But Yu Zao continued, "So, we don't care about the conflict between humans and witches, nor do we care about internal strife among the various schools of thought. See, isn't that consistent with what you're doing now?"

"You abandoned the conflict between humans and witches and created this thing. Moreover, you have so many eclectic approaches to Dao Lineage. You are even more eclectic than the eclectic school. At least we have always been within the framework of Human Path, but you seem to not even care about Daoist Dao Lineage. You completely ignore the struggle between Daoist traditions and are willing to risk your life. You are much more extreme than us," Yu Zao said.

Li Qi could only manage a bitter smile after hearing this.

Do you think he wants to?

He didn't want to either; it would have been so much better to just honestly cultivate and practice the Zhu's Path.

But I absolutely have to talk to him about this, there's no other way.

"So... you've come to me for something? Is this just a body?" Li Qi realized something and asked.

He kept using the word "we," which wasn't Yu Zao's tone, and... it was too calm, unlike a child's reaction.

Therefore, Li Qi guessed that the Yu Zao in front of him might just be a body.

Someone else was speaking to him.

"I am Yu Zao, but... not the one you know." Yu Zao said, "That's right. We were just exchanging pleasantries before. I heard that you want to sell the production line behind that robe, right?"

Um?

Li Qi perked up. "You want to buy a set?"

"No, we don't want to buy just one set. We want to buy the entire process, including the core technology. We'll make a one-time offer, and then this item will have nothing to do with you anymore," Yu Zao said.

"Impossible. We've poured our hearts and souls into this. We wouldn't sell it like this even if it were destroyed. I don't need the money." Li Qi shook his head.

Do you think he's a beggar? Li Qi has plenty to eat and wear; only a fool would buy out the copyright all at once.

But Yu Zao said, "You are not short of money, but your wife, the Moonlit True Person, is very short of money, isn't she? The debts of Mount Luofu and Wushen Mountain are a complete mess. You are just a young master, not the Wushen, and cannot make the decision to forgive this debt. Wushen Mountain will not abandon its original plans because of you."

Yu Zao lowered her voice, leaned close to Li Qi, and whispered in his ear:

"Now I'll tell you that although it's a bit of a bad rule, it won't hurt you. The key to the Great Dao Opportunity of the Sun Moon True Lead Cauldron is the 'Sun and Moon Path' of the heavens, which is the principle of the movement of the sun and moon in all the myriad worlds."

"This avenue is currently vacant, and it is of great use to both the Human Path and the Shaman Path. As far as I know, there are three second-rank sect masters and two second- Human Path Yin-Yang School in the human path who are watching the Sun and Moon Path."

"It can be said that when the Sun Moon True Lead Cauldron chose this object as the opportunity for its own Great Dao Opportunity, its Dao Path the Dao was already severed. It had no First Rank behind it. On the Penglai side, the Taiqing Tianzun had already mastered the ultimate principle of Taiji Yin and Yang. Therefore, the Sun and Moon Path was a useless thing and not important to Penglai. It would not cause Penglai to turn against the Tang Kingdom and Wushen Mountain for this reason."

"Therefore, the decline of Mount Luofu is inevitable, and the degrading of the Sun Moon True Lead Cauldron is also a foregone conclusion. You must make plans in advance, right? In order to make the Moonlit True Person live a better life, rebuilding the Mount Luofu gate requires a large one-time investment in the early stages, doesn't it?" Yu Zao said.

Indeed, what she said makes a lot of sense.

However, Li Qi responded, "So what? What does this have to do with me?"