Hidden moth

Chapter 102 The Ladder to Heaven is Too High to Descend

A person who was half asleep struggled to get up in the morning and walked out of the house to go to work. Suddenly, a cold wind blew in his face, and he shuddered and woke up instantly!
This was how He Kao felt when he heard the girl's words.

He Kao had assumed since childhood that the old man who ran the chess stall had the surname Qi, a fixed notion. This notion was illogical, but perhaps he'd occasionally heard others call him that, and it had become ingrained in his subconscious, becoming...

Qi might be a mistake for "qi". Isn't the owner of a chess stall a chess owner? I didn't expect his surname to be Jiang, and he is from Xiawan Village...

This situation is exactly the same as that of Elder Jiang introduced by Senior Lin Qingshuang!
Once the seal of the memory gate was opened, many fragments emerged and were automatically pieced together in his mind. He Kao "remembered" more things.

When I was very young, I seemed to hear my grandfather mention that two thugs were looking for trouble with the old man who played chess, but he stopped them... He even played a game of chess with the old man and actually won.

Grandpa's original words were "chess old man", which should be the abbreviation of "chess stall old man". It's spoken language, so it comes out like this when it comes to words. This may be the reason why He Kao always believed that the old man's surname was Qi.

I remember that I started wearing the pendant when I was three years old. My grandfather was not very old at that time, but he was in his fifties, and I actually called him "old man".

This shows that the old man Mingqi was obviously much older than his grandfather when he looked at him carefully. When He Kao recalled it more carefully, he also noticed something unusual about the old man.

He had seen the old man many times over the past twenty years, but his appearance had not changed at all, and the people around him had inadvertently overlooked this fact.

If it were a child, he would of course grow up, but he is already an old man, so he will always be an old man, but no one realizes that he is a little old man who will never grow up.

He Kao was subconsciously unwilling to deal with the higher-ups in the sect, especially the elder-level masters.

The reason is very simple. First of all, although he has a good relationship with some individual sorcerers, his overall impression of the sorcery school is quite average.

There were more than a dozen sorcerers who kidnapped him that day, likely disciples from all the major schools. Those who had plotted against his father and those who were now harassing him also had backgrounds in the schools.

Secondly and more importantly, his identity is that of a hidden moth, and ordinary people cannot discover him or deal with him. However, in front of an elder-level master, his current ability is completely inadequate, and he is also worried that he will be discovered by the other party.

He once yearned for the mysteries of magic and wanted to learn from a master, but now there was no need. He had inherited the Hidden Moth Technique through the Hidden Moth Space and even became a second-level assassin of the Hidden Moth Sect.

Theoretically speaking, he is still the leader of the Yin E Sect!

But He Kao was still very grateful to Elder Jiang Daozhen. Since his identity was revealed, he had to go and pay a visit to him. After all, the elder had given him such a precious magic weapon since he was a child.

He Kao knew very little about the elders of the clan hall, but he had great admiration for Elder Jiang, and was even amazed by his beauty.

Because when Senior Lin Qingshuang sent him the second annotation of the skills, he specifically mentioned that it was the work of Elder Jiang.

He Kao had worked out that set of skills with the help of artificial intelligence, while Elder Jiang had been able to add, delete, modify and supplement it based on scattered records in ancient books and his own cultivation.

What finally came into He Kao's hands were the foundation and first-level spells of the Hidden Moth Technique, which would allow him to practice it to break through to the second level.

This means that even if He Kao did not inherit the Hidden Eel technique, he could still learn the basics of Hidden Eel technique and become a second-level assassin. He just lacked the unique application techniques and subsequent skills.

Elder Jiang sent the revised and annotated contents of the spell to him through Senior Lin Qingshuang, and hinted through Senior Lin that he should go and pay a visit.

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

This girl claimed that she was called by Elder Jiang. She was able to find him so accurately in a place like the square in front of the station... This was not asking for directions, she was clearly giving directions!

He Kao came back to his senses and said quickly, "You're looking for the old man. I'm familiar with that place and I'm planning to go there. I can drive you... Hey, my car!"

As he spoke, he turned his head to look at the roadside and found that there were several people in uniform standing where he parked his car. There was also a tow truck parked in front, preparing to tow away his illegally parked car.

"Comrade police officer, uncle police officer! This is my car, I'm here... I was wrong, I admit my mistake, I accept the punishment, I'll drive away immediately, you don't have to go through all this trouble to tow it..."

He Kao tried to persuade the police, received a lecture, and was issued a ticket on the spot. He finally let the car stay. The fine for illegal parking was only 200 yuan, but if the car was towed away, the towing fee, parking fees, etc. would have been a huge loss.

The police also pay attention to efficiency in their work. When the tow truck arrived here, it could not run empty-handed. In the end, it towed away another illegally parked car not far away.

When He Kao finished dealing with the situation and looked back, the girl was gone.

She must have been sent by Elder Jiang. She left after completing her mission, so she wouldn't actually go to the subway station. He Kao didn't have time to think too much and immediately drove straight to Pugang Town. On the way, he didn't forget to call President E to ask for half a day off.

He came out to see his classmates off during lunch break today, and also treated his classmates to a simple lunch. If he hadn't met that girl, he would still have to go back to work in the afternoon.

Of course, if the girl hadn't stopped him and asked for directions, his car wouldn't have been nearly towed away...

The road was a little congested, and He Kao was a little anxious. The only thing he was worried about was whether Elder Jiang would come out to set up a stall today. He didn't know where the other party lived.

The weather is nice, so the old man should be setting up his stall. He won’t close it so early, right?

When He Kao arrived under the sycamore tree, it was still early, not even three in the afternoon. Old Man Jiang saw him from a distance as he parked his car and walked quickly towards him, deliberately standing up and pretending to close his stall.

He Kao came closer and stood still, bowing before speaking: "Uncle Jiang..." Old Man Jiang was packing up his chess pieces and interrupted him without looking up: "My last name is not Jiang, it's Qi!"

He Kao smiled apologetically and said, "I was wrong."

Old Man Jiang stopped what he was doing, looked up and said, "Oh, tell me, what exactly is wrong?"

He Kao: "I've always remembered it wrongly. When I heard people call you Boss Qi or something like that, I thought your last name was Qi."

Old Man Jiang's expression eased slightly. "What chess boss? They all call me chess old man... Why are you here in broad daylight instead of going to work?"

He Kao: "I've come to thank you, old man! Twenty-two years ago, no, twenty-three years ago, you helped my grandfather craft a pendant to ward off evil spirits. Now I know it's a precious magical instrument.

Also, I randomly compiled a secret manual of martial arts, and Senior Lin Qingshuang told me that you also specially annotated and revised it..."

Jiang Daozhen interrupted him again and said, "Don't tell me these things. I'm just an old country boy who runs a chess stall!"

This was a bit of a temper and a bit pretentious. If he wasn't allowed to say these things, then why did He Kao come? He Kao had no choice but to think quickly and said, "Since you have a chess stall here, can I play a game of chess with you?"

With a "pop" sound, Old Man Jiang threw the small stool he had just put away over again, and it unfolded steadily after landing.

"At my chess stall, winning and losing are both very important. If you can beat me in a game, you can make a request. If you lose, then your visit today will be in vain. Get back to work!"

He Kao sat down politely: "Okay, I'll let you give me your guidance."

Jiang Daozhen also sat down slowly and said, "Don't be like those young people who don't learn their lessons all day long. They play chess and then secretly check their phones. They only know how to use artificial intelligence to bully an old man like me!"

He Kao: "How can that be? I will rely on my own strength and accompany you honestly."

Jiang Daozhen: "You are young, so make the first move."

He Kao: "You are the elder, please go first... Hongzi is also on your side."

Jiang Daozhen: "So you understand. Then I'll leave."

An old man and a young boy started playing chess. After about ten moves, or to be more precise, old man Jiang made eight moves and He Kao only made seven, Jiang Daozhen realized a very serious problem.

If they were to play chess seriously, He Kao would not be his opponent at all! He Kao could play chess, but he was just a bit of a pro. He had never learned it professionally. How could he possibly beat him?
If he deliberately lost the game, it would be too obvious that he was letting the opponent win. Would he still be able to save face as the divine fortune teller, Elder Jiang? But if he really played the game, He Kaoke would definitely lose... Could he really let this kid come here for nothing?

Thinking of this, Jiang Daozhen was indeed a master of the time. He acted as he said and quietly exerted hidden strength with his toes.

The small table on which the chessboard was placed was not supported firmly. Perhaps the bricks supporting the legs of the table were loose, and it suddenly tilted to the side. The chessboard slid down, and the chess pieces rolled to the ground.

He Kao was startled and quickly asked while cleaning up: "Oh, what should I do?"

Jiang Daozhen snorted coldly, "Humph, you're lucky! Bombing the chess pieces, let's call it a draw."

He Kao: "Actually, I remember the situation just now..."

His movements were very quick. As he spoke, he put the chessboard back to its original position and found a stone to pave the table again.

Jiang Daozhen glared and said, "What do you mean? Are you questioning my chess ethics? If I say a draw, it's a draw. How can you cheat with a junior like you?"

He Kao nodded obediently: "You are teaching me a lesson. I was lucky to have a draw. Thank you for your mercy."

Jiang Daozhen finally calmed down and sat down, saying, "Based on my status, if this game ends in a draw, you'll win. According to the rules we agreed on earlier, you can make any requests now."

He Kao: "How dare I ask for anything? I just want to express my gratitude and respect to you. If I have done anything wrong, please enlighten me."

Jiang Daozhen: "Oh, you're here to ask me for advice? Then I have a question for you first. After Lin Qingshuang gave you the magic formula that I annotated, have you mastered it?"

He Kao replied respectfully, "I have already started practicing."

Jiang Daozhen: "The annotations I made clearly state that it is not easy to get started, and even harder after getting started. One must quickly break through the first level of cultivation."

He Kao: "I have been lucky enough to break through. I am now considered a second-level assassin of the Yin Mo Sect."

Jiang Daozhen was stunned when he heard this! A moment later, he laughed out loud again. This laughter seemed to shake the entire ancient sycamore tree, but He Kao didn't feel it was deafening.

As he laughed, the scene around him suddenly changed. Countless green sycamore branches drooped and fruit pods opened. He found himself in the shadows of a jungle.

**
(End of this chapter)