Hidden moth

Chapter 316 Dust and Smoke Scenery in Phoenix Village
The two, young and old, didn't leave the cave entrance until around 5:30 a.m. When they came out, He Kao heard Wei Luo snort coldly. It sounded like she was angry, but it was more like she was being coquettish. She was obviously unhappy that her master had been chatting with He Kao behind her back.

After descending the steep mountain path and arriving at a flat area outside Jinghua Village, Jiang Daozhen surprisingly pulled out a world-famous three-wheeled vehicle from the bushes.

These tricycles are very common around the Pugang Farmers Market. In the past, they had a more common name, "Tong Tong Tong," which describes their sound. At that time, most of them used diesel engines.

However, in recent years, many three-wheeled vehicles have been converted into electric vehicles, which have reduced noise levels considerably and are exported overseas. They also feature a distinctive electronic voice prompt in Donggoku (Japanese) – “Please be careful when reversing!”
Deep in the mountains and forests, He Kao heard that familiar voice prompt again. He wondered, "Are we going to take this?"

Jiang Daozhen: "You were just complaining about walking too slowly, but now you don't want a car?"

Inside the cart was a long-handled bamboo broom and a large willow basket, so He Kao had to sit down next to the basket. The road wasn't very smooth; if He Kao hadn't possessed cultivation, he probably would have been thrown off.

Fortunately, once we entered the village, there was a smooth paved road. It was already dawn, and many villagers, especially the elderly, had gotten up early and were already out with hoes and baskets on their backs. They would greet Old Man Jiang when they met him on the road.

The three-wheeled vehicle passed through Jinghua Village in the morning light and drove onto a mountain road. This was a village-to-village road built in accordance with national policy requirements. The minimum standard required by the state is a paved road surface 3.5 meters wide, and the funding comes from government appropriations and local self-raised funds.

Fengwei Township is clearly relatively wealthy. They raised funds to widen the road by another 1.5 meters, reaching a width of five meters, enough for two large vehicles to pass each other. A stepped pool-style drainage ditch was built on one side, and a sidewalk was built on the other side.

Building such a standard highway in the deep mountains is no easy feat. It is a seemingly ordinary miracle of the industrial age. At this moment, there are no other vehicles on the road except for Old Jiang's three-wheeled vehicle.

Jiang Daozhen actually sped up in a three-wheeled vehicle, exceeding 30 kilometers per hour. It didn't sound fast, but it was a winding mountain road, and it was an open-top three-wheeled vehicle, which even blew He Kao's hairstyle to one side.

After leaving Jinghua Village, we drove for more than ten miles through the winding mountains, passing through a tunnel about nine hundred meters long, and then entered another basin.

This is already within the territory of Pijing Village, and not far behind the village is the entrance to Guanshenmen Pijing Cave.

On the way to Pijing Village, we finally saw a car coming towards us. It was a school bus with a yellow sedan chair, heading to Jinghua Village to pick up the children there to go to school in the township.

In addition to the town where the township government is located, Fengwei Township also administers eight natural villages. Except for Caiping Village, which is located at the mountain pass, the other seven villages and the township are all located in the mountains and are connected by tunnels—all of which were opened in the new century.

The houses in the village are all beautifully built. Some have a simple and rustic style but do not look old. They are distributed in a staggered manner due to the terrain, but they do not appear cluttered. The overall planning can be described as the work of a master designer.

Many sorcerers reside here, including several high-ranking ones. The entire Phoenix Tail Township has a permanent population of over 11,000, including more than 800 registered sorcerers and over 4,000 sorcerers who have found their way to the right path.

Besides sorcerers and those seeking divination, there are many ordinary people in the area who are not very clear about the inside story of sorcerers, sorcery sects, and magic, but have only heard some ancient legends.

How sorcerers can avoid revealing their identities and magical abilities, and live harmoniously with the local people who are unaware of their existence, is a daily requirement that the sorcerer sect sets for its disciples. Many of these habits are cultivated in this way.

After traveling several dozen miles along the winding mountain road, we passed Pijing Village and entered another tunnel about one kilometer long. After passing through this second tunnel and traveling another five or six miles, we arrived at Fengwei Township.

By the time we entered the town, it was already broad daylight, and there was even a traffic jam on a stretch of road ahead! That was the entrance to Fengwei Township Elementary School.

The most obvious difference between this place and many other mountain villages across the country is its young population structure.

In many remote mountain villages, young people have gone out to work and choose to buy houses and settle down in the city. Their children also go to school in the city. Almost all those left in the mountain villages are elderly people. Even many schools that were newly built at the end of the last century have been closed or merged.

However, there are many young people in Fengwei Township, and many local children. Except for the lack of a university, there is a complete range of education from kindergarten to high school.

Each village has a kindergarten, located in the village activity center. As for the twelve grades from primary school to high school, they are all concentrated in the township.

Interestingly, several elders of the Zongfa Hall and many deacons of various sects have taught at local schools.

There is even a high school here, which usually only accepts local students. Nowadays, there are only two classes per grade, but the facilities are very complete and the teaching staff is excellent. Every year, the average score of the college entrance examination ranks among the top in the city, and often even the first.

The city's top high schools can select the best students from across the city, while Fengwei Township High School only admits students from its own township, making this achievement seem even more outrageous.

The county and city governments have tried several times to shut down Fengwei Township High School and transfer its teachers to other key high schools, but for various reasons, none of these attempts have been successful.

If Fengwei Township High School is indeed closed, the children here will have to go to the distant county town to live at school.

Some of the above information was provided by Old Jiang using his divine sense while he was speeding along the tricycle, while the rest was based on He Kao's observations along the way. Although the tricycle was traveling very fast, it was already seven o'clock in the morning when they arrived at the ancestral hall.

The sky was already bright, and looking around, one was surrounded by mountains. The terrain was almost exactly the same as what one saw in the cave, giving one a sense of time travel.

But turning your gaze back to the present, you see a vibrant town, and you return to the bustling world full of life.

The architectural style of the clan hall is similar to that of the ancestral hall of various sects, except that the words "ancestral hall of sages" are engraved on the lintel. There is a large open space in front of the gate, which is the village market.

The first and fifteenth days of each lunar month are market days in all villages of Fengwei Township. If there is rain or snow, the market days will be postponed. The specific dates will be notified to each village by the township government.

The Shrine of Sages hadn't opened yet, so Jiang Daozhen didn't knock on the door. He simply sent a message through his mind, and someone immediately opened the door and let them in.

A landscape screen is set up between the entrance hall and the main courtyard, and in the center of the screen is a large floor mirror that reflects the figure and face of the visitors.

The guide's name was quite amusing; he was Lu Xiaoji. He was a fourth-rank yamen runner of the Wangqi Sect, a student and direct disciple of Elder Zong, and was currently on duty at the Zongfa Hall. Lu Xiaoji smiled and introduced the mirror to He Kao, explaining that it had been placed here since ancient times and was a legendary magic treasure called the Demon-Revealing Mirror.

The Demon-Revealing Mirror has no other wondrous uses. As its name suggests, it can expose all illusions and disguises in the world. Theoretically, it can also reveal the true form of a demon that has transformed into a human.

He Kao also asked with a smile, "Then how many monsters' whereabouts has it revealed?"

Lu Xiaoji: "There are no demons or monsters in this world."

He Kao: "Then why did the patriarch leave this mirror behind?"

Lu Xiaoji whispered, "The patriarch's intention is beyond my comprehension. He probably just wanted to see if there are any demons in this world... Anyway, if there are, he can reveal them."

At this moment, Jiang Daozhen thought to himself, "This mirror is not only for reflecting monsters, but it can also see through all kinds of disguises. For example, your Hidden Moon Veil is not effective here. Even if you transform into someone else, the mirror will still show your true face."

So that's how it is. This also serves as a reminder to He Kao that Yin E Sha's illusionary abilities are not omnipotent; for example, they don't work well in front of the ancestral hall.

That way, it would be impossible for anyone to impersonate He Kao to come here and collect the Pure Yang Pill... Of course, even without this Demon-Revealing Mirror, no one should be able to exploit this loophole.

Instead of going to the main hall of the second courtyard, the group turned and went to the left side courtyard of the first courtyard. He Kao roughly scanned it with his divine sense and found that the flowers and plants here were almost all kinds of rare spiritual plants, and the entire ancestral hall was also shrouded in a protective array.

In a building in the side courtyard, there was a sign that read "Qiwu Zhai". Li Xiuyuan was sitting inside, with an elderly man with a white face and no beard, wearing glasses, who looked like an old scholar.

Upon seeing them, Li Xiuyuan stood up with a smile and said, "Xiao Kao, you've finally arrived!"

He Kao quickly stepped forward to pay his respects. Li Xiuyuan then introduced the old man beside him, who was Zong Zheng, the current head of the Wangqi Sect, an elder of the Zongfa Hall, the village head of Caiping Village outside the mountains, the former township head of Fengwei Township, and the former principal of the middle school.

This Elder Zong once served as a township head, and later surprisingly became a village head. Could his official rank really have declined so drastically? The actions of such a remarkable person truly defy conventional wisdom…

He Kao quickly stepped forward and bowed to Elder Zong. Zong Zheng adjusted his glasses with his finger, looked him over with interest, and said with a smile, "I've heard your name often these past two years, and today I finally get to see you in person!"

Jiang Daozhen said in a serious tone, "The wandering Jianghu man He Kao has come to the Zongfa Hall to collect the Pure Yang Pill, along with the matching peony and instructions for taking it. I just brought him here to familiarize himself with the place."

Zongzheng's lips twitched as he listened, and he almost lost his composure. Even He Kao was stunned for a moment before he reacted.

Old Jiang pronounced the words "wandering martial arts master" very clearly, making He Kao realize that his current public identity was not yet that of a disciple of the martial arts sect. If he had no cultivation, he would be a disciple of the sect; if he had cultivation, he would be a wandering cultivator.

He Kao's lineage of martial arts skills mainly came from Jiang Daozhen, with Gu Chun and Li Xiuyuan also involved. Now, the three elders all regard him as a secret disciple, with official records archived in their respective sects.

This also serves as a cover for He Kao. If He Kao is truly involved in some unexpected event that is difficult to explain, an elder can simply open the save file and vouch for He Kao's identity, proving that he has long been their secret disciple.

But before this happened, strictly speaking, He Kao was indeed a wandering swordsman.

Jiang Daozhen and Li Xiuyuan were both present today, which served as a testament to He Kao's identity, proving that he was not an imposter. He Kao successfully received a Pure Yang Pill and a peony, and also received a divine thought from Elder Zong, who explained in detail how to take it.

Elder Zong asked with concern, "I wonder if young friend He's cultivation has broken through to the fifth level? Does he need someone to help him take the pill? If so, perhaps..."

Jiang Daozhen waved his hand to interrupt, saying, "Teacher, you don't need to worry about that. I've arranged everything."

As they were talking, another person came to knock on the door to pay his respects. It was Zheng Yisi, who looked middle-aged but was actually seventy years old. He had heard that Elder Jiang had brought He Kao with him, so he quickly came to inquire about the situation.

Punishing Zhao Ci requires getting past Jiang Daozhen and He Kao, so communication is essential.

Upon entering, Zheng Yisi introduced himself and expressed his apologies to Jiang Daozhen and He Kao, admitting his failure to properly discipline his disciples and promising to strictly control their behavior in the future. He also stated that Zhao Ci had sincerely repented.

Elder Zong then stated, "Since Elder Jiang has arrived, let's hold a closed-door meeting to discuss how to punish Zhao Ci. We should have a result before lunchtime. Just wait for our notification."

Zheng Yisi: "Didn't we say we'd wait until all the elders were present before making a decision?"

Elder Zong said, "The other elders can vote online." Then he asked He Kao, "Young friend He, this matter concerns you. Do you have any opinions?"

He Kao had already met Zhao Sanjin and knew what was going on. He lowered his head and said, "I have no other opinion. I leave it entirely to the Clan Court to make a decision according to the rules."

So it turns out that it's not really necessary to gather all the elders together; an online vote is fine too? Elder Zong waved his hand again and said, "Young friend He is visiting Phoenix Tail Township for the first time. Junior Brother Zheng, why don't you accompany him outside for a stroll, have a meal, and buy some local specialties?"

The old man thought for a moment and then added, "He Kao still has the Pure Yang Pill he just received in his pocket. Keep an eye on it for him and make sure no one steals or robs it."

Zheng Yisi's face twitched as he listened. This was the main gate of Fengwei Township and the Clan Court. Who would dare to steal or rob He Kao's Pure Yang Pill? Did they have a death wish?

**
(End of this chapter)