Hidden moth

Chapter 356 Demons and Monsters Perform Witchcraft in the Rain

He Kao quickly stepped forward and bowed. Li Xiuyuan asked, "I just received your message last night, and you came to see me again before dawn. Is there some emergency?"

He Kao: "There's nothing urgent, it's just that I just confirmed that a fifth-tier Love-Stealer from the Free Alliance, Helali, came to Qiyuan and was secretly spying on and investigating me, but I scared him away..."

He recounted what had just happened, without hiding any details.

Li Xiuyuan said with a half-smile, "You woke me up in the middle of the night just for this? You could have just told me during the day... Besides, isn't it normal for someone to be investigating you? You're a very suspicious person!"

He Kao was speechless after Elder Li's words and didn't know how to respond for a moment.

Elder Li then asked, "Is it not even allowed for someone to secretly glance at you?"

He Kao: "Uh, that's not what I meant, I just felt..."

Li Xiuyuan interrupted him, saying, "Think about it from another angle. What if you're a bad person?"

"That's utterly unreasonable!" He Kao retorted. "Whose side are you on? How am I the bad guy?"

Li Xiuyuan: "I didn't say you're a bad person. I'm just thinking from an outsider's perspective. What if there's a possibility?"

Don't forget, you've done your share of spying on others, and ended up uncovering quite a few bad guys... But how do you know someone is a bad guy before you've thoroughly investigated them?

He Kao spread his hands: "If that's how you put it, then I have nothing to say."

Li Xiuyuan laughed again: "I'm just telling you that this is nothing special, it's something you've always faced, and something you'll always have to face."

He Kao: "Are we just going to let this go and allow the experts from the Xiaomeng to infiltrate the Eastern Kingdom and secretly plot against me?"

Li Xiuyuan patted him on the shoulder and said, "Of course we can't forget about it, but to be honest, this is your private matter, at least for now."

No matter who encounters this situation, the first thing to do is to try to solve it themselves. If they cannot solve it, they can explain the situation and ask the sect for help.

Of course, if you suspect something is amiss, it's safer to report it to the sect and inform your fellow disciples immediately... that way, if something goes wrong, at least the sect will have clues to investigate.

He Kao: "Alright, I'll report the situation to the sect now. This person's behavior is very suspicious, and the Sect Law Hall should be on alert."

Li Xiuyuan simply looked at him and smiled without saying a word.

He Kao: "Why are you looking at me like that, old man?"

Li Xiuyuan said with a somewhat exaggerated tone, "Thank you for discovering this situation and informing me in time. A fifth-level Love-Stealing Master! What a terrifying expert! Who did the Sect Law Hall send to Qiyuan to investigate? Could it be me, old man?"

He Kao: "How could I trouble you, sir? I can handle it myself!"

Li Xiuyuan nodded and said, "Hmm, very good! Since you understand the principles, why don't you let me sleep in the middle of the night?"

You should know that the Clan Court only has seven elders. Elder Jiang is currently in seclusion, Mei Guyu is working in Qiyuan, and another elder needs to be stationed in Fengwei Township. At most, only four people can spare the time.

These four people are incredibly busy. Do they really need to send an elder to personally keep an eye on any random fifth-level cultivator who suddenly appears? They don't even know what the person is there for. Do they need an elder to watch over him while he eats and sleeps?
As a Hidden Moth with a fifth-level cultivation, and being in Qiyuan yourself, and being targeted by them, who should be responsible for this?

If you can't handle it and need help, you can go to Mei Wenhua or ask Mei Guyu; they both live in the same area as you!

He Kao said in a low voice, "I just felt I should say hello to you, because there are some things that are not easy to explain to others."

Li Xiuyuan: "It's right to say hello, but there's no need to call me here in the middle of the night." After thinking for a moment, he added, "Xiao Kao, you'll have to prove yourself sooner or later. We're all watching you."

He Kao returned home from Longlinpo and sat there in a daze for a while. The situation just now was somewhat unexpected, and he had been met with two setbacks in a row.

In his judgment, Hu Weidong must care a lot about this matter, otherwise he wouldn't have compiled and sent over Hailar's information so quickly.

Therefore, after confirming Hailali's identity, He Kao immediately notified Hu Weidong, hoping that Hu Weidong would deal with this person. However, although Hu Weidong expressed his gratitude, he had no intention of taking action.

Hu Weidong provided intelligence support to He Kao because of their existing cooperation.

Then He Kao went to Elder Li, only to be met with a sarcastic remark from the elder, who seemed not to be too satisfied with his reaction.

He Kao realized he had made a mistake. When a person is weak, they should learn to leverage their strengths and rely on more powerful forces to better protect themselves.

The elderly people had high expectations of him and took good care of him on a daily basis... Over time, he unconsciously developed a certain path dependence. Whenever he found something was wrong, he would immediately try to call for help, and he could always call for experts at the elder level.

This is a typical victim mentality, a childish mentality. No matter what happens, they always think that a wise person will bail them out.

He Kao's cultivation level is now close to the fifth level of perfection, making him one of the top cultivators below the elders. Moreover, he is also a hidden moth, possessing unpredictable and elusive supernatural abilities.

In addition, he also possesses a host of magical treasures, including the Rain-Drenched Divine Sword, the Flower-Blooming Screen, the Moth Wings, the Reflecting Mirror, the Hidden Moth Veil, and the Myriad Trees Rejuvenating Array Plate. He is well-rounded in both offense and defense, capable of fighting and running away, and skilled in disguise and concealment, making him armed to the teeth.

However, he hasn't adjusted his mindset yet. He still has the same weakling mentality and hasn't truly realized that he is now a strong person who should be able to stand on his own. He shouldn't think about clinging to powerful figures whenever he encounters problems. He himself is a powerful figure that others should cling to.

It is proper to notify the ancestral hall in time when something is wrong, but since it is neither an emergency nor beyond his control, dragging an elder out of bed in the middle of the night is really a bit reckless.

It's just a fifth-level cultivator whose whereabouts are suspicious. Why should I question myself? Am I a useless piece of trash? If I can't even handle something like this, then I'm not worthy of being called Yin'e.

He Kao really wanted to explain that he wasn't cowardly or irresponsible, but just habitually cautious... However, he ultimately said nothing in front of Li Xiuyuan and then came back to reflect on his actions.

Reflecting on Li Xiuyuan's words, the elder had actually reminded him of something else: he must be mindful of propriety. While Yin'e was skilled in assassination, he absolutely must not develop a cruel and bloodthirsty habit, nor should he harbor a reckless and unrestrained mentality. Disciples of the Xiaomeng Alliance also possessed personal freedom; coming to Qiyuan was not illegal, and there was nothing wrong with glancing at him in public. Why couldn't people even look at this living, breathing person, He Kao?
As for Haila's covert investigation of him, and her investigation of suspicious individuals who had private contact with him, that was somewhat taboo. Since He Kao had some secrets that he couldn't let others know, he could handle them himself.

He can't even handle one Hylari within the territory of Qiyuan? It's not like the Supreme Council is sending a whole group to attack!
The National Day Golden Week holiday is just around the corner, and the first phase of the Dongtian construction project is nearing completion. It will be finished in about ten days.

He Kao brought the fishing gear he had bought into Piaocai Cave and spent the Mid-Autumn Festival with the people of Yin'e Sect. Then he secretly went to Gao Xue'e's place to admire the moon.

He Kao also reminded Gao Xue'e that there had been some issues these past two days, with suspicious experts infiltrating Qiyuan, and that she should be extra careful.

During this period of time, He Kao would hold his breath and concentrate to use the Yin Spirit Pursuit Technique to pursue Helari, but he never succeeded, which shows that Helari was not within the range of his divine sense.

It should be noted that He Kao's current spiritual sense can extend to nearly six kilometers, yet he still cannot find Helali. Could it be that this person has already left Qiyuan and chased after Mr. Mi to Xijing?

The Yin Spirit Pursuit is a unique divine ability of the Hidden Moth Sect, not exclusive to the Hidden Moth Sect. For example, Monk Erji, after breaking through to the fourth level of the Hidden Moth Technique, also mastered the Yin Spirit Travel Divine Ability. If he were to break through to the fifth level in the future, he would also be able to master the Yin Spirit Pursuit Divine Ability.

This magical tool is used to find people, both secretly and quickly. No wonder the disciples of the Hidden Moth Sect have been skilled in tracking and assassination since ancient times.

On the last day of the long holiday, it was still raining in Qiyuan. The rain was sometimes heavy and sometimes light but never stopped, which is rare in early October. It is clear that this year's rainfall is significantly more than in previous years.

The travels of the Yin spirits are also limited by the environment. For example, under the scorching sun, there will be a burning sensation as if being penetrated. Although it is not absolutely impossible to travel, there will be some damage and it will be difficult to stay for long. The feeling is much better on rainy days.

Rainy days also pose a major threat: thunder and lightning. If one is unlucky, the spirits can even be struck down by lightning. Therefore, the founders of the Hidden Moth Sect have long warned against the spirits venturing out during thunderstorms.

The most suitable environment for the wandering spirits is actually a clear, windless moonlit night.

Although it was raining today, there was no thunder, so He Kao decided to give it a try anyway. He didn't expect to succeed, but the next moment, Yin Shen flew out and actually found the target.

Helali appeared within He Kao's spiritual sense range, and her aura was detected. To He Kao's even greater surprise, this place was very familiar to him; it was actually the Bishu Renjia residential complex where Gao Xue'e lived!
Bishu Renjia is a residential community completed ten years ago. When it was first launched, it was touted as a garden-style living environment. In reality, it was just that the landscaping was pretty good, with some flowers, trees and shrubs planted in front of and behind the buildings, and some small landscape features added.

Many of the saplings have now grown quite tall and lush, truly resembling a scene of verdant trees and idyllic homes.

In the green belt between the two buildings, there was a long corridor and a small pavilion. He Kao found Hela Li sitting in the pavilion, idly scrolling through her phone, as if she was taking shelter from the rain. Due to the surrounding flowers and trees, she could not see very clearly.

Helali had a head of fluffy, brownish, tousled hair, and appeared to be in her thirties. She was in very good shape and nearly 1.9 meters tall.

He Kao's spirit floated in the rain curtain in mid-air, but the first thing it noticed wasn't him, but Gao Xue'e. This place was right in front of the building where Gao Xue'e lived, a place He Kao frequently passed by.

The project team has been very busy lately, and many employees, including He Kao, have been working overtime at the company.

But General Manager Gao hadn't gone to the company yet. Leaders always have some privileges, and they don't clock in like they usually do on holidays... She would be in the office in the afternoon to handle work, and there were many business processes that required her signature.

Why would Hailar be here? He's most likely after Gao Xue'e!
These bad guys are bad in their own unique ways, but they're all similar in their evil methods. Why are they targeting Gao Xue'e again? He Kao still remembers that back then, Zhao Huanzhen and his gang of scoundrels from the martial arts world kidnapped Gao Xue'e in an attempt to find out clues about Yin'e's identity.

He Kao then thought that he should try to think from the other party's perspective. If he were Helley, how would he try to spy on him?
With Mei Guyu in charge of the company, Hailali certainly wouldn't dare to show herself directly to spy, otherwise she might get herself into trouble. Moreover, there are still some people in the Qiyuan branch that need to be watched.

General Manager Qian is a fourth-level yamen runner of the Qi Observation Sect, and not easy to deal with. Huang Si of the Digital Life Project Team also has a background in the Arts Sect; he is Lin Qingshuang's disciple.

Although Huang Si himself is not highly skilled, he is not someone to be trifled with. To do so would provoke Lin Qingshuang, and provoking Lin Qingshuang would most likely be the same as provoking a wild phoenix.

So, if we sort out the people on this business line, Gao Xue'e, the vice president in charge of the digital life project, becomes the best target. Huang Si, He Kao, and even Mei Guyu are all her subordinates.

If we could control Gao Jiu'e, it would be equivalent to knowing the daily activities of these people, which would help us gather relevant intelligence and plan certain targeted actions.

In Hela's view, Gao Xue'e was just an ordinary person. As a fifth-level love-stealer, controlling her wouldn't be difficult. Although there were risks involved, they weren't significant and worth trying. Even if she were exposed, she could easily escape...

This was the reason He Kao came up with from Hellary's perspective, but he was still unsure of what Hellary would do. So he briefly withdrew his spirit, got up from his seat, went to the parking lot, and hid in his car.

Then, once again, his spirit traveled to the Bishu Renjia residential area and silently observed from mid-air.

Around 3 p.m., Gao Xue'e finally went out. One design flaw in the Bishu Renjia residential complex is that the parking lot is not built directly underground in the residential buildings; you have to walk a bit after leaving the building to get there.

The walkways in the community are paved with environmentally friendly bricks. Some sections of the path were already flooded. Gao Xue'e stumbled slightly as she walked across, but quickly regained her balance.

On one stretch of road, whether it was for pipeline repairs or some other reason, the paving stones were removed, exposing sand and soil, and one of her shoes suddenly sank into it.

As a second-tier sorcerer, she didn't twist her ankle; she simply took a step forward and regained her balance.

Her feet went out, but her shoes remained; she stepped barefoot into the mud. She had been wearing socks, the kind that just reached her ankles, but when she pulled her feet out, the socks were still inside her shoes.

It was just a minor accident; she wasn't injured at all. Gao Xue'e pulled the shoe out, turned around, went home, changed her shoes and socks, and went to work. Nothing else happened.

He Kao was puzzled. He was floating in the rain in the form of a spirit, so he couldn't observe very clearly and was not sure if Helali was behind the accident.

If this matter is indeed related to Hailar, what is his purpose?

When Gao Xue'e passed the dirt road again, she did not encounter any problems and smoothly drove around it. Only after she left did Hailali stand up and walk out of the green belt.

He walked the same path Gao Xue'e had just taken. When he reached the same spot, the same thing happened to his right foot: his shoe sank into the mud, and he had to take a step forward barefoot before he could stand firm.

Gao Xue'e had just left a footprint barefoot in the mud, where there was still a puddle of water. Helali stepped in the same spot, covering the original footprint with her own.

He Kao, who was in mid-air, saw this scene and was instantly enraged!
**
(End of this chapter)