Hidden moth

Chapter 5 Peeper

What's the problem? Although the door was closed, the scene just now was still in his mind, that is, Qian turned around and said good night to him in front of the door.

The new colleague who joined the company on the first day also happened to live in Sesame Apartment, on the same floor and in the same building, not too far away, just diagonally across from him. Is it really such a coincidence?

Many colleagues in the company do live in Sesame Apartments, mainly because it is close and they can walk to work. Although the rent is relatively expensive, it is affordable given the salary of employees in large companies.

He Kao moved here because of Huang Xiaopang's introduction. He rented a small studio room at 0912 in Building , with a monthly rent of yuan.

Huang Xiaopang also lives in Building 3 of Sesame Apartment. He is a little more extravagant and rents a one-bedroom apartment with a small bedroom and a living room, with a monthly rent of 4,000 yuan.

Qian Guran's two-bedroom apartment, with a monthly rent of 6,000 yuan, was the most expensive in Sesame Apartments. There were no larger units available, and the name Sesame Apartments suggested they were all on the small side.

If you don't count the distraction this afternoon, tonight should be his first meeting with Qian Guran. First impressions between strangers are important, but even more important is breaking through social distance.

Qian certainly impressed him as generous, steady, enthusiastic, and outgoing. More importantly, he had entered his apartment on their first meeting and then invited him to visit his own.

The topics they discussed involved work, life, and childhood memories. This was the kind of social distance that only exists between very familiar friends. When the relationship was close to this level, any future dealings would not feel too abrupt.

Of course, making money is a very natural thing. When a person first enters an unfamiliar environment, he or she will always seize the opportunity to establish a new social circle and find a sense of security from familiarity. This is normal.

But He Kao is very sensitive to the distance between people, perhaps because he has been relatively inferior since childhood.

People don't have time to think when they are engaged in intensive information exchange, but when he closed the door and said goodbye, He Kao saw Qian Guran waving his hand, and he instinctively felt a little confused.

Just like that, a thought flashed through his mind, and then he thought of many things, and felt that the appearance of this money was too coincidental!

A new colleague in the same department happened to be his neighbor who lived diagonally across the street. He had skipped the welcome dinner on his first day, but his neighbor seized the opportunity to quickly become close, and they became inexplicably familiar with each other.

There are very reasonable explanations for all of this, but if you want to doubt it, you can still find a lot of doubts.

During the conversation, Qian Guran claimed that he used to work in a large design institute, but due to industry reasons in recent years, the institute's business volume has been declining year by year and the salary is not very good, so he thought about changing jobs.

He Kao's project team was recruiting experienced professionals in design and planning. Qian Guran saw the job online and submitted his resume. After passing the interview and being hired, he resigned and came here...

But Qian Guran's original unit is not nearby.

The shortest rental period at Sesame Apartment is six months, and tenants need to pay a two-month deposit and six months' rent at one time. This may sound a bit unreasonable, but there is no shortage of tenants here.

In other words, even though he hadn't started working yet, he spent 48,000 yuan to rent an apartment next to the company.

He Kao had just "visited" Qian Guran's apartment and had the impression that he hadn't just moved in. From the study to the bedroom to the living room and bathroom, there was a lot of stuff, but the storage and arrangement were all very ordinary, obviously not as if he had just moved in and hadn't yet completely tidied up.

He Kao was also familiar with the recruitment process of his department. If the resume met the requirements and the background check was no problem, the time from passing the interview to formal employment would be very short. In theory, there was still a three-month probation period.

It seems that Qian had rented the apartment before receiving the job offer. Either he knew he would be hired, or he might have come here for He Kao...

It's no wonder He Kao was thinking so much. He had just heard that recording today. It's surprising that there are people like Yin Mo in the world, and many people are searching for Yin Mo. Gao Xue'e's experience last night is an important clue to the Yin Mo's whereabouts.

If the hidden moth really existed, and Zhou Du twenty years ago was the hidden moth, then what was the other more important clue in finding the hidden moth? He Kao just realized that the clue was himself!

Zhou Du was his father. Although he didn't take his father's surname and never mentioned his father in front of outsiders, this wasn't top secret information. If someone was interested and wanted to investigate further, they could still find out.

How do ordinary people become hidden moths? Some speculate that it's related to a certain object. So where did that object go after Zhou Du's death? The first suspects to investigate are Zhou Du's family.

Zhou Du's son works in a company, and the head of his department happened to encounter an incident suspected of the appearance of hidden moths. As long as these two key pieces of information are mastered, it is impossible for the searcher not to be suspicious of He Kao!
He Kao knew clearly that he was not Yin Moth, and he had never even heard of these two words before today. It was a pity that this was the truth that only he knew.

He cannot prove the truth, so who can believe his explanation, and who can he explain it to?

He Kao suddenly had an inexplicable sense of crisis and fear, as if he was surrounded by something invisible and was being spied on from everywhere, feeling a little at a loss.

……

Qian Guran closed the door and walked back to the living room. When he sat down, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly. He was sure that he had found the hidden moth. The other party was just a young man with little experience in the world. This was consistent with the rumor that hidden moths were ordinary people since ancient times.

In recent years, a series of suspected sightings of the cryptid moth have surfaced in Qiyuan City, catching his attention. While the rumors were uncertain, he investigated them, hoping to find a clue.

His investigation focused on historical cases, and he unearthed the Zhou Du case from twenty years ago. He then visited Zhou Du's home and accidentally learned that Zhou Du's son had been in Qiyuan City, confirming Yin E's rumors.

He rented an apartment here in advance, laying the groundwork for getting close to and making friends with He Kao, then successfully entered He Kao's workplace through social recruitment, and then took advantage of the opportunity to narrow the social distance. The next step was to become a close friend in He Kao's life.

Qian was cautious, not wanting to alert the hidden moth. He knew the hidden moth's extraordinary abilities; once such a creature became wary, it would be difficult for him to achieve his goal. Qian believed everything was proceeding naturally and perfectly. With their first direct contact tonight, they had already gone from stranger to familiar. Next, they could observe the other party closely and gain their trust.

From tonight's conversation, it was clear that He Kao had no suspicion of him and was quite friendly. Qian knew he wouldn't be wrong, because he wasn't an ordinary person.

Qian Guran couldn't help but think of what his master had told him: "When you make thorough preparations and then implement every step perfectly, you will find that things are much simpler than you expected."

Sitting on the sofa with his eyes closed, he could clearly know the location of various furnishings in the room. This was not seeing with the eyes or hearing with the ears, but a kind of inexplicable induction, or the externalization of perception.
The outward perception seemed to form a scene in the mind, which could extend outward, penetrate the walls and corridors, and just cover He Kao's apartment.

The ability to sense external energy is the criterion for a sorcerer to break through to the third level. The sorcery of the world is divided into seven schools: observing the body, entering the subtle, awakening the spirit, the heart plate, observing the qi, the cauldron, and spiritual resonance. Qian Guran was born in the school of observing the qi, and his practice of observing the qi has reached the third level.

Those who have reached the first level of Qi-Guiding are called Peepers; those who have reached the second level of Qi-Guiding are nicknamed Brokers; those who have reached the third level of Qi-Guiding are called Strategists.

Qian Guran could now perceive He Kao's every move. After closing the door, He Kao was stunned for a few seconds, then went into the bathroom and sat on the toilet for quite a long time. Could this guy be constipated?
Qian Guran didn't know that He Kao was sitting on the toilet, lost in thought, and had become suspicious of his presence. He Kao also didn't know that today he had encountered a strategist who could see through the air, and even if he closed the door, he couldn't escape being peeped at.

Fortunately, Qian Guran could not see the change in He Kao's expression after he closed the door. Qian Guran's vision at this moment could be said to be similar to a soul image, with the three-dimensional outlines of the walls and various objects appearing in his mind.

The most special thing in the "Vision" is the person He Kao. In addition to the outline of the human figure, there are also circles of invisible halos like ribbons. This is a unique skill of practicing the art of qigong.

The art of observing qi doesn't focus on objects or individuals, but rather on the relationship between people. Therefore, a first-level qi reader is not only called a peeper, but also nicknamed "an adulterer."

Having just started working today, Qian Guran noticed a lot of interesting things among his new colleagues. For example, he could see that He Kao and Xiao Pang had a very good relationship, and that was really good. He Kao trusted Xiao Pang very much.

However, Xiaopang must have done something to offend He Kao, and he always feels guilty towards He Kao subconsciously, but He Kao seems to be unaware of this.

He also noticed that Gao Xue'e was an interesting woman. Her relationship with Fang Qizi, the president of the Qiyuan branch, was definitely unusual. There must have been something going on between the two, or an affair, but it should have ended now.

However, when Fang Qizi met Gao Xue'e, Qian Guran could see from the side that Mr. Fang still had feelings for Gao Xue'e, but Gao Xue'e did not have that kind of intention towards Mr. Fang.

What’s even more interesting is that the people who have feelings for Gao Xue’e include not only the business unit president Fang Qizi, but also Huang Xiaopang.

Huang Xiaopang and Gao Xue'e have a very bad relationship. Every time he appears, he can cause Gao Xue'e's emotional fluctuations. What is intriguing is that the emotional fluctuations in Huang Xiaopang's subconscious mind are even more bizarre.

The art of qi-watching is not the art of exorcising gods, and the peepers of the qi-watching sect are not pretenders of the exorcising gods. They cannot directly sense the emotional changes of others. Money is certainly inferred through the external aura fluctuations.

The so-called aura is the invisible halo like a ribbon surrounding each person. What the different changes mean requires long-term observation and summary. The elders in the art will also introduce some general experiences.

For example, Huang Xiaopang is interested in Gao Xue'e. Although it is not directly seen, it can be inferred. The aura between these two people when they deal with each other is very interesting.

Huang Xiaopang is different from Fang Qizi. He may just like Gao Xue'e subconsciously, but he is not aware of it, and Gao Xue'e knows nothing about it.

If Qian Gu Ran told Huang Xiaopang about his observations, he would definitely deny them.

He Kaoruo would be shocked when he heard this, then suddenly realize it, and then sigh - this is too inappropriate! We are all adults, why is Xiaopang still so childish?
Although Qian was a newcomer and did not know the daily routine of the project team, he was not as familiar with Huang Xiaopang as He Kao, so he was not deceived by appearances and saw the clues directly.

Qigong also has its limitations. To determine the relationship between one person and another, one must see them in person, and both parties involved must be present. If one person is seen first, then seen in another place, no conclusion can be drawn.

Qian Guran had found out He Kao's identity more than a month ago. He happened to find that He Kao had moved into a new apartment, so he moved in as well. He specially rented the apartment diagonally opposite He Kao so that his external perception could cover He Kao's room.

During the more than one month he had lived there, he had been very cautious and had not met He Kao. Instead, he waited until he was hired by the project team and then approached He Kao through Huang Xiaopang. Everything was arranged perfectly, and he was confident that no one would be able to detect any problems.

Qian Gu was definitely after the Hidden Moth, or more precisely, the secret of how to become one, a supposedly special item. After nearly a month of observation, Qian Gu had a target in mind, but it still needed final confirmation.

The legendary hidden moth thing is an incredible artifact that can give ordinary people extraordinary powers. He Kao will definitely carry it with him. However, He Kao has no extra accessories. He is used to checking the time on his mobile phone and does not even own a watch.

There were no rings, necklaces, bracelets, earrings, or anything like that. The only suspicious item was the pendant on his chest. Pendants are probably the only accessories many boys have, and He Kao also has one.

Qian could certainly sense it. The thing was about four centimeters long, thick at the top and thin at the bottom, roughly hook-shaped. It looked a bit like a small chili pepper and should be the claw of some large cat.

In the East, all large cats are protected animals. Whether it is tiger paw or leopard paw ornaments, they are not allowed to be traded now. They must be old items.

He Kao never took the pendant off, whether sleeping or bathing. He could have stolen the pendant, but he didn't rush because he wanted to observe and understand how the moth used it.

Unfortunately, up to now, we have not discovered how He Kao "uses" this thing, nor have we found any experience of He Kao disappearing or appearing out of thin air, so theoretically it cannot be completely confirmed that He Kao is the hidden moth.

Perhaps there were other reasons for using this item, and Qian certainly couldn't keep an eye on He Kao 24 hours a day. Sitting across from He Kao today, he could clearly sense that the pendant was no ordinary item, and he was certain of it.

**
(End of this chapter)