Hidden Moth

Old Qian brought back a magical artifact pendant from Elder Lin, which was no longer of much use to He Kao. So He Kao gave it to Gao Xue'e and instructed her to wear it close to her body, trying to hide it within her clothes to avoid letting others see it.

This item has the effect of calming the spirit and settling the qi, and possesses the wonderful ability of malicious detection. It needs to be worn long-term to subtly influence a person.

The so-called calming the spirit and settling the qi is quite mysterious, even if one experiences it, it's hard to describe. Perhaps it's improved sleep quality, increased focus at work, enhanced vitality, and gradually sharper senses...

But the effect of malicious detection is immediate. After wearing the pendant for only a few days, Gao Xue'e privately told He Kao that she felt Director Wang from the finance department had been unfriendly towards her.

There was no reason at all; he always greeted her with a smile when they met. It was just a kind of intuition!

He Kao couldn't help but praise that this intuition was truly accurate. He could guess the reason, but some details he held back from saying.

Over the past month, Gao Xue'e has persisted in cultivating the Eight Pieces of Brocade taught by He Kao, feeling quite effective. He Kao even considered teaching her a secret technique.

He Kao has two sets of secret techniques inherited, his own Insect Concealment Skill, and the Observing Body Skill obtained from Peng Xian.

He Kao was more inclined to teach Gao Xue'e the Insect Concealment Skill, simply due to intuition, as its name seemed fitting. But the requirements for cultivating the Insect Concealment Skill are high, and one must lay a good foundation before entry, so it couldn't be rushed.

As for Huang Xiaopang, He Kao certainly intended to have him practice the Observing Body Skill, and the groundwork was almost done.

On that day while drinking, as he reached with chopsticks and caught a mosquito unintentionally, it made Huang Xiaopang exclaim. This was a fortuitous event that made He Kao realize it could become a narrative.

A few days later, He Kao intentionally brought a pair of chopsticks and left work with Huang Xiaopang. As they passed through the greenbelt, he demonstrated the skill of catching flying insects on-site... astonishing Huang Xiaopang.

He Kao seized the opportunity to mysteriously tell him that he had indeed practiced, possessing superior secret skills, and revealed it to him due to their good relationship. But he asked to keep it secret and not tell anyone!

He Kao completely trusted Huang Xiaopang's discretion. He hadn't noticed any special abilities, or that Huang Xiaopang was a Hidden Moth for all these years!

Even though Huang Xiaopang no longer remembered anything about being a Hidden Moth, he was still himself.

With Huang Xiaopang's demeanor, how could he not want to learn along? Even if he couldn't master it, he had to try it first! He Kao even intimidated him, saying he could see that Huang Xiaopang had hidden deficits in his body, and needed to train to strengthen it.

Surprisingly, Huang Xiaopang didn't doubt it and actually believed!

On one hand, they had known each other since childhood, with so many years of friendship; on the other, He Kao caught so many flying insects with chopsticks at the site, which really amazed him.

If someone witnessed that scene, He Kao would be regarded as a disciple of Jiang Daozhen even if he weren't. Because this was the routine most played by sorcerers of Lingxi Sect, commonly known as "thunder strike," which was also the starting move of many Celestial Ladder Skills and Array Techniques.

Without a certain level of genuine skill as a foundation, this trick wouldn't be achievable.

A so-called thunder strike means to give a surprise. Initially using some techniques that appeared profound to elicit astonishment and praise, then catching them off guard with surprising words, no matter how outrageous, making them half-believe.

Some "surprise" opening lines are well-known to many, like "I observed a hint of ominous aura on your forehead; beware of a bloody disaster soon!" or "In the past two days, you surely suffered a financial loss!"

For He Kao and Huang Xiaopang, it's "I observed your weak body, you must follow me to learn the secret techniques."

Actually, no matter how many flying insects He Kao caught with chopsticks, or whether Huang Xiaopang's body was depleted, there was no logical connection, but the aura of possessing extraordinary skills had been created, making Huang Xiaopang instinctively believe him.

Of course, the most important reason, even if Huang Xiaopang forgot everything about being a Hidden Moth, his subconscious still retained some related cognition and self-suggestion.

He had known for a long time that his body was greatly depleted, and even asked He Kao to help him think of a solution...

First, He Kao taught Xiaopang the Eight Pieces of Brocade, and by Xiaopang's birthday, he had almost completely mastered the essentials, ready to try teaching him the entry-level technique.

The Foundation Establishment Cultivation before entry of the Observing Body Skill was much more "friendly" than the Insect Concealment Skill. Even if it couldn't be mastered, as long as guided properly, there wouldn't be side effects, and it could still have some effect in strengthening the body.

He Kao obtained the Observing Body Skill technique from Peng Xian, which only included the Foundation Establishment Chapter and Tier One content, but it was explained in detail, and Lin Qingshuang's feedback also subtly implied to He Kao—it was fine, it could be practiced!

He Kao discovered that Xiaopang's aptitude was actually quite good, quickly and accurately mastering it, saying a natural genius would be an exaggeration, but he certainly counted as a talent.

After coming back from Pugang Town over the weekend, He Kao had to go to work, leaving his classmates and girlfriend to play in Qi Yuan themselves. He was quite generous, lending them his apartment in Guanliu District for two days, which was far better than staying in a hotel.

Recently, he also bought some supplies, at least there were beds, boxes, tables, and chairs, and kitchen utensils and tableware. Simple cooking wouldn't be a problem... When the classmates took their leave, he also drove them to the high-speed rail station.

Due to the short time, He Kao was lazy, didn't park his car in the underground parking lot. Coming out of the high-speed rail station, passing through the plaza before going to the roadside to get his car, he suddenly felt someone was watching him.

There were quite a few people around the plaza; it was normal for someone to occasionally glance at He Kao, and in such a crowded and chaotic environment, it was usually difficult to make an accurate judgment.

But He Kao recently developed the habit of practicing the Stealth Skill when he's free, causing people around often to instinctively overlook him. Without special reasons, no one would keep staring at him.

Even the black taxi driver soliciting passengers at the exit didn't bother him earlier.

So who could be secretly tracking him? This feeling of being watched was quite distinct, like an airplane being locked by radar; He Kao could even judge the direction—it was from behind.

He Kao turned his head to look, but instinctively staggered backward, taking two steps back before regaining his balance. Because the person had been walking closely behind him since the departure hall, suddenly stopping and turning, the person almost bumped into him.

"Hey handsome, can I ask you for directions?"

Before He Kao could say anything, the person on the other side spoke first. Her voice was soft and gentle, but very pleasant to the ear. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a young woman.

The girl wasn't very old, probably around twenty. She had a small nosed and cherry-shaped mouth with fair, delicate skin that was quite pretty... Wow, the more he looked, the prettier she appeared!

Could she have also practiced the Stealth Skill?

How come such an eye-catching beauty walked in a place like a high-speed rail station without anyone noticing? He Kao, being a Hidden Moth, had sharp senses, yet he almost got bumped into by her, without realizing she was so close.

But on closer inspection, there was actually a reason for this. Although the girl had natural beauty, her attire was just too... He Kao couldn't find a suitable adjective.

Her hair hung loosely in a fluffy mess—not quite like a bird's nest, but as if it had been air-dried without being combed or blown after washing.

She wasn't tall, petite in stature, only reaching He Kao's nose tip. Estimated to be no taller than 1.6 meters, she wore a long coat of patchy black and gray, giving off a dull appearance.

This coat had no buttons, resembling an open cloak, with the hem extending down to the knees. Except for a somewhat tight fit around the shoulders, the rest was loose, hiding her good figure from most angles.

Underneath the coat, her clothes were indeed pretty and distinctive, almost like ancient attire, or rather the modern Eastern Country Hanfu that many girls love to wear when checking in at certain places for photos. And she had a belt that... should be called a silk sash?

Such an exquisite belt was not tied around the coat, but inside, around the waist of her inner shirt.

The silk sash bore various intricate and beautiful patterns, designed with several clasps that hung a lot of small accessories: beaded strings, jade pieces, gourds, carved objects, copper coins...

How is it that someone still has a string of Five Emperors Coins hanging on their body, isn't that meant to hang on walls or doors for protection?

How did He Kao see this so clearly? Because the coat had no buttons! The front was so naturally open that standing close to her was the only way to clearly see her figure.

Her figure wasn't as full and exuberant as Gao Xue'e's, but was still alluring, like the softness of spring hills, hinting at vulnerability like a weak willow swaying in the wind.

Lately, He Kao had been feeling a lot of tension, akin to the Eastern Country idiom "scrambling morning and evening", constantly on guard against people like Yu Shangzhen Wan Zhongle coming to track him.

So he had been quite shocked earlier, unconsciously ready to react, and now felt his overreaction was somewhat amusing.

Why would a spy come up and greet him to ask for directions actively? Even if she was an assassin, there's no reason to make a move on the forecourt of a high-speed rail station!

"Where are you headed?" He Kao paused for a few seconds before asking.

The girl said, "May I ask, how do I get to the Pugang Town Farm and Market?"

This question would have been fine decades ago, but asking it now seemed a bit off. How exactly to get there? From the high-speed rail station, it's at least 40 kilometers!

A few years ago, you could just hail a cab and tell the driver, which was simple. Now it's even more convenient; take out your smartphone, enter the address and order a ride, done.

But He Kao kindly responded, "If you take the subway from here, transfer to Line 3, and head towards Jiangbei and get off at the terminal station, that's Pugang Town.

From there, it's not far to the farm market. If you don't know the way, you can call a rideshare there, use phone navigation too, and walking will only take about two kilometers."

The girl then said something baffling: "I can't use phone navigation."

She said "can't", but He Kao instinctively misheard it as "won't", because what is there to not be able to do with a phone?

Nowadays, young people like her who can't use phone navigation are almost like rare creatures.

He Kao said, "Then when you exit the subway station, ask someone for directions again. Remember to take the A3 exit; it's the closest to the farm market, other exits are a bit further away."

The girl asked, "Are you familiar with that area?"

He Kao replied, "I grew up around there."

The girl continued, "Is there a big parasol tree near the entrance to the farm market?"

He Kao actually thought for a moment before confirming, "Yes, indeed, it's an Eastern Country parasol tree, not the sycamore planted along Qi Yuan street."

The girl asked, "Is there usually an elderly man setting up a chess stall under the tree?"

He Kao was unaware of what extent he had driven Elder Jiang to, having to give him an impromptu exam. If it weren't for Jiang Daozhen's special situation, and some matters were not suitable for him personally to resolve, he would have likely visited He Kao directly by now!

He Kao was simply surprised and asked, "You even know that? Uncle Qi, I just saw him a couple of days ago."

The girl said, "He's not surnamed Qi; his surname is Jiang, Jiang from Great River, and his hometown is Xiaowan Village in that area. He was the one who asked me to come, but I don't know the way, and I've already asked many people, yet none of them knew. Finally, I met you today..."

**