Hidden Moth

A person, drowsy and muddled, struggles to get up in the morning and heads out to work. Suddenly, a gust of cold wind hits, jolting them wide awake!

Upon hearing the girl's words, He Kao had this exact feeling.

He automatically assumed that the old man running the chess stall had the surname Qi since childhood; it had become a fixed cognitive perception. There's no particular reason for this notion—perhaps he casually heard others call him that, and it just lingered in his subconscious, becoming ingrained over time.

Qi might just be a mistaken rendition of "chess", and the old man who runs the stall is indeed Boss Qi, right? Who'd have thought he actually had the surname Jiang and was from Xiaowan Village...

This aligns perfectly with the situation Elder Lin Qingshuang described about Elder Jiang!

Once the floodgates of memory unlocked, many fragments surged forth, automatically assembling and filling the gaps. He Kao "remembered" even more things.

When he was very young, he seemed to have heard from his grandfather that two hoodlums tried to trouble the old chess guy, but he stopped them... and his grandfather even played a game of chess with the old man, amazingly winning.

His grandfather's exact words were "chess old man," possibly a shorthand for "chess stall old man." It's informal; when casually spoken, this might have been the source of He Kao's longstanding belief that the old man was surnamed Qi.

He recalls wearing the pendant since he was three years old; his grandfather wasn't that old at the time but was already over fifty, yet referred to the man as "old man."

This suggests that the description of the chess-old-man back then was evidently much older compared to his grandfather. As He Kao reminisces with more focus, he perceives the peculiarity surrounding the old man.

Over twenty years, he's met the old gentleman many times, yet the old man's appearance hasn't changed much, and those around seemed to neglect this fact inadvertently.

If he were a child, sure, he'd grow up. But as an old man, he'd always remain the same. But without realizing, he was a little old man who barely aged.

For the higher-ups of the Magic Sect, especially the elder-level experts, He Kao instinctively avoided interaction.

The reason is straightforward. Firstly, even if he had good relationships with individual sorcerers, his overall impression of the Magic Sect was quite mediocre.

The day he was kidnapped, there were over a dozen sorcerers involved, with disciples from every major Magic Sect present. In the past, those who plotted against his father and those troubling him now also had connections to the Magic Sect.

Most importantly, as his identity was Hidden Moth, ordinary people couldn't detect or confront him. Yet in front of elder-level masters, his current abilities were inadequate, and he was concerned they would see through him.

He once yearned for the wonders of sorcery and wanted to apprentice his way into the practice, but now there's no need. He'd already obtained the Hidden Moth Art transmission through the Hidden Moth Space, and even became a Tier Two Assassin of the Hidden Moth Sect.

Theoretically, he was even the Sect Leader of the Hidden Moth Sect!

Still, He Kao was deeply grateful to Elder Jiang Daozhen, and since his identity had been revealed, he had to pay his respects to him, as the old man had once given him such a precious magical artifact when he was young.

He Kao knew little about the Sect Law Hall Elders, except for an extraordinary admiration for this Elder Jiang, even considering him a marvel.

Because when Elder Lin Qingshuang sent him the second set of technique notes, he specifically mentioned it was written by Elder Jiang.

That technique was something He Kao crafted with artificial intelligence, whereas Elder Jiang, drawing from scattered ancient texts and relying on his cultivation, was able to enhance, modify, and complete it thoroughly.

The result He Kao received was the Foundation Establishment of the Insect Concealment Skill and the Tier One Technique, barely enough to cultivate to breakthrough Tier Two.

This meant that even if He Kao hadn't gained the Hidden Moth transmission, he could still learn the Hidden E Technique at entry level and become a Tier Two Assassin, albeit lacking unique application techniques and subsequent technique manuals.

Elder Jiang sent the modified and annotated technique through Elder Lin Qingshuang, hinting for him to visit.

Unfortunately, He Kao never remembered who the elder was, so Elder Jiang finally sent someone to find him.

The girl claimed to have been sent by Elder Jiang, and finding him so accurately at a place like the square in front of the station... That wasn't asking for directions; clearly, she came to guide him!

Coming to his senses, He Kao hurriedly said, "You're looking for him, huh? I know that place well; I happen to plan on going there, can drive you... Oh no, my car!"

As he turned his head to look towards the roadside, he saw some uniformed individuals standing near his parked car, with a tow truck in front preparing to tow his car away for illegal parking.

"Officer, Uncle Officer! That's my car, I'm right here... I was wrong, I admit my mistake, I accept the fine, I'll move it right away, no need for all the trouble with the towing..."

After much persuasion and a round of criticism and education, He Kao managed to get a ticket from the police and kept the car. The fine for illegal parking was just two hundred, but if the car were to be towed away, along with towing fees, parking storage fees, and so on, the loss would have been significant.

The police were efficient too, as the tow truck couldn't leave empty-handed; it ended up towing another illegally parked car nearby instead.

By the time He Kao handled the situation and turned back, the girl had vanished.

She should have been sent by Elder Jiang and left after completing her task, right? No way she really went to the subway station? He Kao didn't have much time to think and immediately drove straight to Pugang Town, remembering to call President E on the way to request a half-day leave.

He had come out during his lunch break to send off a mate and had even treated them to a simple lunch. If not for encountering the girl, he would have gone back to work in the afternoon.

Of course, if the girl hadn't stopped him to ask for directions, his car wouldn't have almost been towed away either...

The road was slightly congested, and He Kao felt a bit anxious. His only worry was if Elder Jiang would actually set up his stall that day, not knowing where the elder lived.

The weather was nice, so the old man should be out, right? He wouldn't pack up so early, would he?

He Kao arrived under the parasol tree quite early, not yet three in the afternoon. Old Man Jiang, from afar, saw him park the car and walk over quickly, deliberately getting up as if preparing to pack up.

He Kao came forward and stood still, bowing before speaking: "Uncle Jiang…"

Old Man Jiang was tidying up the chess pieces, interrupting him without looking up: "My surname is not Jiang, it's Qi!"

He Kao smiled apologetically: "It's my mistake."

Old Man Jiang paused his actions and looked up: "Oh, tell me, what exactly did you get wrong?"

He Kao: "I've always remembered wrong since I was little. I heard others call you Boss Qi or something, so I thought your surname was Qi."

Old Man Jiang's expression softened a bit: "What Boss Qi, they all call me Old Chessman... What are you doing here during the day instead of going to work?"

He Kao: "I'm here to thank you, sir! Twenty-two years ago, no, twenty-three years ago, you helped my grandfather craft an anti-evil pendant. I only now realize that it was a precious magical artifact.

Also, I randomly sorted out a technique manual myself, Elder Lin Qingshuang told me that it was you who specifically annotated and modified it…"

Jiang Daozhen interrupted him again: "Don't tell me these things, I'm just an old man from the countryside selling chess!"

These words were a bit peevish and slightly pretentious. If he doesn't want him to say these things, then why did he let He Kao come? He Kao had to quickly change his thinking: "Since you have a chess stand here, may I have a game with you, sir?"

With a "pa" sound, Old Man Jiang tossed over a small stool he had just put away, which unfolded steadily upon landing.

"At my chess stand, there's a custom for wins and losses. If you can beat me in a game of chess, you can make a request. If you lose, then today was in vain, hurry back to work!"

He Kao sat properly: "Alright, please guide me, sir."

Jiang Daozhen also sat down slowly and said: "Don't be like those young folks who don't learn properly, peek at their phones while playing chess, and rely on artificial intelligence to bully me, this old man!"

He Kao: "Of course not, I'll rely on my own abilities, and honestly play with you."

Jiang Daozhen: "You're young, make the first move."

He Kao: "You're the elder, please move first… I also placed the red pieces on your side."

Jiang Daozhen: "Ah, you understand, then I'll proceed."

The old and the young started playing chess, after about a dozen moves, precisely eight moves by old man Jiang and seven by He Kao, Jiang Daozhen realized a serious issue.

If they played seriously, He Kao was no match at all! He Kao could play chess, but only knew how to play without formal learning - how could he defeat this elder?

If he deliberately lost, it would be too obvious. Was Elder Jiang supposed to just let it be? But if they truly played, He Kao would definitely lose… Would they really let this kid come for nothing?

Realizing this, Jiang Daozhen, truly an expert, acted swiftly without hesitation, and subtly applied force with his toe.

The small table holding the chessboard wasn't stable, possibly due to loosened bricks under the table's leg, it suddenly tilted sideways, causing the chessboard to slide down and the pieces to scatter all around.

He Kao was startled and hurriedly started tidying up while asking, "Oh dear, what do we do about this?"

Jiang Daozhen snorted coldly: "Hmph, consider yourself lucky! A stalemate due to a scattered chessboard, let's call it a draw."

He Kao: "Actually, actually, I've memorized the board's layout just now…"

With efficient movements, he quickly restored the chessboard's original state and found a stone to securely prop the table again.

Jiang Daozhen glared: "What do you mean? Are you questioning my integrity in chess? A draw means a draw, I wouldn't cheat a junior like you!"

He Kao nodded obediently: "You're right, sir. I'm fortunate to draw a match, thank you, sir, for showing mercy."

Jiang Daozhen finally relaxed, sitting comfortably: "Given my status, drawing this game means you won. As per the rules we stated earlier, you may put forth your request now."

He Kao: "I wouldn't dare make any requests, I only came to express my gratitude and admiration for you. If I've done anything wrong, please advise me."

Jiang Daozhen: "Oh, you're here to seek instruction? Then I must first ask you, after Lin Qingshuang passed my annotated technique to you, have you successfully practiced it?"

He Kao replied respectfully: "I've cultivated it to the entry level."

Jiang Daozhen: "My annotations made it clear, getting started is hard, and advancing after entry is even harder. A Tier One cultivation must break through quickly."

He Kao: "I've managed to break through, I can now consider myself a Tier Two Assassin of the Hidden Moth Sect."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Daozhen was actually stunned! Moments later, he laughed heartily. The laughter seemed to shake the entire ancient parasol tree, yet He Kao didn't find it deafening.

Amidst the laughter, the surrounding scene suddenly changed, with numerous lush green parasol branches drooping down and seed pods gaping open. He found himself amidst a forest of tree shadows.

**