Hidden moth

Chapter 325 A Sliver of Light, Not Much of a Path Left
Shi Erji, Shi being the Buddhist surname and Erji being the Dharma name, is a monk who was ordained at Nanhua Temple in his early years. He traveled to various places to practice and settled down at Jingshe Temple in Qixia Mountain, outside Qiyuan, two years ago.

In January of this year, between New Year's Day and the Spring Festival, his Hidden Emei Technique cultivation officially broke through to the fourth level. According to ancient legends, when he sensed the location of "Hidden Emei".

The so-called "Hidden Emei" refers to the Piaocai Cave Heaven.

The names of the various grotto-heavens were given by later disciples, while the inscriptions on the stone archways within the grotto-heavens were left by the patriarchs. For example, the stone archway in Lingxi Grotto-heavens is inscribed with "Jingmen", Xianhu Grotto-heavens with "Danqiu", and Piaocai Grotto-heavens with "Yin'e".

Did he sense the call of the grotto? We can only say he sensed it.

He could sense the existence of the mysterious grotto-heaven, but he couldn't pinpoint the location of the entrance, or rather, that location wasn't anywhere in the world.

Because He Kao brought the "Tan Xian with a Staff" painting into the grotto, creating an incredible superdimensional structure.

Shi Erji came to Qiyuan to find Yin'e and the painting. Since the painting was switched in Qiyuan, it must have been Yin'e who took it. Combined with certain rumors, Yin'e is very likely in Qiyuan.

He had long since severed ties with the sect and dared not contact his former disciples and friends again. Therefore, his information channels were limited, and much of the information he knew was outdated. He was even unaware that the Zongfa Hall's investigation had clearly ruled out He Kao as Yin E.

This misunderstanding is quite interesting, because the hidden moth at the time was indeed not He Kao but Huang Xiaopang.

Before he broke through to the advanced level of the Hidden Emei Technique, he could still endure it, but after breaking through to the advanced level, he could no longer hold back. That feeling of being able to sense a summons in the dark but not knowing where the portal was was really torturous!

After becoming a fourth-level "scholar" of the Hidden Moth Sect, he mastered the unique supernatural power "Spiritual Travel". So he sneaked to the vicinity of Pugang Town and used his spiritual travel to infiltrate He Kao's house - a small building that had been searched by countless sorcerers in various ways.

This Master Erji did not come away empty-handed. He discovered a secret chamber on the third floor that could isolate one's divine sense. One's primordial spirit could only leave the body within the range of divine sense, and this secret chamber was inaccessible.

So after confirming that no one was home at He Kao's house, he sneaked in in his true form and opened the secret room... He had guessed that the painting might have been rolled up and sealed in the secret room by He Kao, but he did not find it.

An even more serious consequence was that this action attracted an investigation from the Zongfa Hall.

The context at the time was that Mei Guyu came to Qiyuan as bait, attracting the Xiaomeng to make their plans, while the Shumen also took the opportunity to carry out an internal investigation.

Li Xiuyuan, along with Mei Wenhua and a group of members of the Clan Court, arrived at Qiyuan to set up surveillance and uncovered a large number of individuals violating regulations. He Chajue, realizing his small building had been broken into, informed Elder Li.

Elder Li managed to access all the surveillance footage from the Pugang Town area and quickly identified the suspect, who was likely a monk. He then dispatched people to investigate the temples surrounding Qiyuan.

Although Erji disguised himself at the time, his round-toed cloth shoes gave him away, and Elder Li recognized them as the attire of a monk from a temple, which is rarely seen on the market nowadays.

Erji was unaware of these complicated details. He only knew that one night not long afterward, a group of uninvited guests with magical abilities sneaked into Jingshe Temple to investigate the monks.

He remained calm, neither running away nor making any other reaction, and was not noticed by those people. However, he dared not make any further rash moves afterward.

In the following period, he actually sensed the location of the cave entrance several times. Sometimes it was in the Qiyuan area, but in an instant it was thousands of miles away.

The ability to teleport thousands of miles in the blink of an eye is clearly a supernatural power possessed only by the Hidden Moth.

He Kao himself does not need to open the portal of the cave to travel through space or enter and exit the Piaocai Cave Heaven. However, he needs to open the portal and pass through the cave heaven to transfer when he sends Elder Gu from Mount Everest and Elder Li from Qiqiyuan to Fengwei Township. Therefore, Erji sensed it.

However, the time it takes to sense the location is extremely short and fleeting, leaving no time to rush to investigate, which makes Erji feel restless and uneasy.

He has confirmed that both the Hidden Moth and the Hidden Moth Gate Cave Heaven exist, but the entrance to the cave heaven is in a state where it can be moved and hidden at any time.

Until early yesterday morning, he noticed that the portal to the grotto had reappeared, and it was located on the outskirts of Pugang Town. He thought it would be fleeting again, but the portal remained in the same spot without moving.

Out of habitual caution, Erji did not make any rash moves, but the portal to the grotto-heaven waited there quietly, as if it were calling to him, until it disappeared an hour later.

An hour was enough time for him to travel from Jingshe Temple to Pugang Town. The opportunity finally presented itself, but he missed it, and he couldn't help but feel a little regretful.

But then, in the early hours of this morning, the portal to the grotto appeared again at the same time and in the same place. What this meant was self-evident! After a moment's hesitation, he still quietly got up and headed to the outskirts of Pugang Town.

After arriving nearby, Erji found a secluded spot in the White Horse Mountain and first used his primordial spirit to travel and investigate the specific situation.

When his spirit entered the abandoned building, he indeed saw the hanging painting "Tan Xian with a Staff" in the hall... At the same time he saw the painting, He Kao also saw him in the mirror.

As a fourth-level scholar, especially when in a state of Yin spirit, he was particularly sensitive to all kinds of prying. When He Kao "saw" him, he also sensed it and turned his head to look in the direction of the mirror's observation.

That was just the perspective locked by the reflection in the mirror. At this moment, the mirror was not in that position, so Erji naturally did not notice anything. However, he immediately disappeared with alertness—his consciousness returned to his body in an instant.

He hid on the slope of White Horse Mountain outside the amusement park, in the canopy of a large tree. It was about 1.5 kilometers from his target, just within his range of divine sense.

As soon as Erji opened his eyes, he found himself locked on. The feeling of being everywhere was probably some kind of formation. He looked up and saw a person standing on a tree branch not far away!

……

He Kao was very familiar with the supernatural powers of the Hidden Moth Sect. When he saw the phantom, he put away the mirror, took out the chessboard, and activated the Myriad Trees Rejuvenation Formation.

At this moment, the Ten Thousand Trees Rejuvenation Formation was not offensive, but this formation set up by Gu Chun could cover an area of ​​several dozen miles around the Jade Wutong tree.

He Kao was able to use the array to detect various life forms within this area, including the residents, birds, beasts, and plants around Pugang Town... so numerous that they were difficult to distinguish. However, He Kao did not need to distinguish them all; he only needed to pay attention to specific auras, such as the aura of humans.

There were hardly any people around the abandoned amusement park, but in the nearby White Horse Mountain, a person was hiding in a large tree, as conspicuous as a bright light in the darkness.

Erji's attempt to use the Hidden Moth Sect's tricks in front of He Kao was somewhat like showing off his limited skills before an expert, especially since He Kao possessed many magical treasures and this was his home turf.

He Kao randomly activated his ability to hide as a moth, and appeared on a tree branch diagonally above the man...

When Erji's consciousness returned to her body, the mysterious person she saw upon opening her eyes was not the one He Kao had described, but rather the appearance of Feng Zilong. This was He Kao's most habitual disguise when appearing as Yin'e.

Erji asked, "Who are you?" His voice was somewhat hoarse, and as he spoke, he vaguely knew the other party's identity and realized that he could not escape.

He Kao's answer was quite frank and direct, which surprised Er Ji: "I am Yin Moth, the Yin Moth you are looking for, and also the current leader of the Yin Moth Sect."

I sensed that someone had broken through to a higher level in the Hidden Emei Technique and could sense the summons of the grotto-heaven, so I specially displayed the grotto-heaven's portal to guide you here. You can choose to return to your sect or receive a second inheritance.

But before that, you need to truthfully explain the origin and training process of the technique. If you have violated any prohibitions in the past, you will be dealt with according to the sect rules... Zhang Yanfei, do you understand everything?"

Erji was completely stunned when he suddenly heard the other party call out the name "Zhang Yanfei". Without any prior warning, he was shocked.

Without needing to say anything more, He Kao saw his reaction and knew that this person was Zhang Yanfei. He couldn't help but sigh that Grandpa Jiang was indeed a brilliant strategist!
At this time, the sky was beginning to lighten, and He Kao's eyesight was far superior to that of ordinary people, so he was able to see the appearance of the person in front of him clearly. He was a man who looked to be in his fifties or sixties, with a shaved head but not wearing monk's robes, and there was a faint smell of incense on his body.

He Kao had read Zhang Yanfei's profile and found him to be a very refined scholar. However, even his former friends and relatives would not recognize the man in front of him. Only upon close inspection would they notice a faint resemblance between his eyebrows and eyes.

Erji realized that with the keen senses of a high-level sorcerer, his instantaneous reaction had already given him away, and since the other party had already exposed him, there was no point in denying it anymore.

He could only sigh and say, "My Buddhist name is Erji, and I no longer use the name Zhang Yanfei."

"Erji, your Buddhist name is quite interesting. Does it spell out the character 'yin' (隐) when put together?" He Kao actually noticed a pun.

Erji explained, “Erji means ‘near’ and ’ji’ means ‘swift’... May I ask how you know my past identity?”

He Kao did not answer, but shook his head and said, "I have told you everything that needs to be said about the sect's rules. Now it's not your turn to ask me, but to explain your origins..."

After saying that, he thought for a moment, but couldn't help asking again, "Zhang Yanfei, you were summoned here by the Sensing Cave Heaven, so what's the point of hiding your presence?"

Erji lowered his head and said, "Human hearts are unpredictable. I only know that you may be Yin'e, but I don't know your background, let alone that there is still a sect called Yin'e Sect. I just want to find out the situation in secret first."

If I were to suddenly reveal myself to you, and you think I've seen through your identity, you might…

He Kao asked with some surprise, "Are you worried that I'll kill you to cover it up?"

Erji lowered his head and remained silent, clearly acquiescing, leaving He Kao speechless.

It's no wonder that Erji has such concerns. Since Yin'e's identity is so mysterious, it's inevitable that some people will wonder—have all those who know the truth been killed by Yin'e? And Yin'e's abilities are indeed a perfect match for assassination.

There was a problem that He Kao had considered for a long time: what should he do if his identity as Yin'e was accidentally discovered?
If it was truly due to his own carelessness and the fact that he was unfortunately exposed, then he can't blame anyone else. He certainly wouldn't kill someone to cover it up, because it wasn't anyone else's fault; all he could do was politely ask the other party to keep it a secret.

If the other party can keep the secret, he will definitely reward them. Even if the other party accidentally leaks it to the public, as long as it is not done intentionally to ruin his plans, he will not do anything.

The so-called exposure of one's identity, viewed from another perspective, doesn't actually mean the identity of Yin'e was exposed, but rather the identity of He Kao. This is troublesome, but not unsolvable; at worst, one can simply change to another identity.

Just like Zhang Yanfei in front of us, after committing a crime, he gave up his original identity and became the monk Erji.

He Kao hasn't committed any crime, so why change his identity? This is the price to pay for being a Hidden Moth; otherwise, all sorts of people with various motives will come knocking on their door, openly or secretly...

Another possibility is that his identity wasn't accidentally revealed, but rather discovered by someone. However, the other party might not have harbored any ill intentions; people are simply driven by a morbid curiosity, and some just want to know who Yin'e is.

For example, Erji, who is right in front of him, also wants to secretly investigate who Yin'e really is.

This kind of thing is unavoidable, and it's a test he has to face... If he encounters this situation, he will still handle it according to his previous idea and will not do anything like murder to cover it up.

He would not only not do such a thing, but he wouldn't even have such a thought.

He will only take action in one situation: when the other party harbors malicious intent and wants to blackmail or harm him, such as Zhao Huaizhen's group and the sorcerers of the Huiming Shi family...

He Kao recalled all this in a flash, and said, "If no one has done anything to harm me, why would I kill someone to silence them? But Yin'e's identity is a secret of the sect, and disciples are not allowed to inquire about it privately, and those who know it must not reveal it."

Now I only ask you, do you wish to return to your sect?

Erji nodded and said, "Of course!" At this point, he could not make any other choice.

**
(End of this chapter)