Hidden moth

Chapter 104: The Ninth Step of the Heavenly Ladder

Jiang Daozhen's idea was to first lay a solid foundation for He Kao, then try to teach him the introductory techniques of the Hidden Moth technique, and wait for Zhou Du to pass on the identity of the Hidden Moth to his son... He could afford to wait.

The best time to teach the secret is the moment when He Kao receives the inheritance of the Hidden Moth. Because obtaining the Hidden Moth's items and accepting the Hidden Moth's inheritance does not immediately make him a Hidden Moth, it still requires a process.

This process may be long or short. For someone with good talent like Huang Xiaopang, it only takes one month, while for someone with average talent like Xiaopang's father Huang Cankui, it takes almost half a year.

If you practice the Hidden Moth Technique during this process, then opening the portal to the Hidden Moth Space will be equivalent to getting started with the Hidden Moth Technique.

Therefore, it is definitely not possible to practice if you are too young. You must wait until your body and mind are fully developed. Otherwise, you will not be able to understand such complicated spells, let alone practice them.

Before this, what Jiang Daozhen did was to help He Kao lay a solid foundation so that one day, when he came into contact with the magic formula and began to practice, he would be able to get started smoothly.

However, two years later, he encountered an accident and died of illness in the detention center. Before his death, he passed the identity of Yin E to Huang Cankui. Even if he had the opportunity to pass it to He Kao outside, he would not do so.

Because He Kao was only five years old at the time, he could neither bear the burden of the hidden moth nor understand the inheritance ceremony.

Zhou Du asked Huang Cankui to do two things: take care of He Kao, and pass on the identity of Yin Mo to He Kao in the future. Huang Cankui did the first thing very well, but failed to do the second thing.

Huang Cankui eventually passed the identity of Yin E to Huang Si.

In fact, Huang Xiaopang has good talent, but with his personality, he is not suitable to be a hidden moth. That is not a moth flying in the dark, but an explosive moth setting off firecrackers everywhere.

Jiang Daozhen was also helpless about this and could only continue to wait... But this year, why didn't he wait anymore?

He Kao has not yet received the inheritance of the Hidden Moth, but he has already obtained the secrets of the Hidden Moth technique!

There were two main reasons. First, the news of the Hidden Moth's appearance had spread, and many warlocks had come to Qiyuan. Under such circumstances, it would be difficult for Huang Xiaopang to avoid being exposed. Even if he didn't, he probably wouldn't be able to withstand it.

Elder Gu Chun issued an order on behalf of the clan law hall, prohibiting fourth-level and above sorcerers from entering Qiyuan. This was certainly to prevent the top leaders of the sorcerer sect from getting involved in the incident. In a sense, it was to protect Yin E, but it was also to protect Elder Jiang.

The second reason is that Jiang Daozhen himself can no longer bear it.

As long as there are no accidents, the lifespan of a sixth-level cultivator is much longer than that of an ordinary person. However, Elder Jiang's promotion ceremony was not based solely on inspiration. He also used the art of heavenly secrets, which would consume his lifespan.

If he could successfully advance, his life span would also increase with his cultivation level, but if the ceremony failed again, Jiang Daozhen could no longer wait.

He had devised various plans to help He Kao learn the introductory techniques of the Hidden Moth Technique, all of which required following the flow of events. It just so happened that He Kao wanted to become a disciple and learn the technique, so he took advantage of the situation.

He Kao sorted out the secret manuals through artificial intelligence, and Elder Li Xiuyuan of Xingshen Sect secretly fanned the flames, letting He Kao choose the manual that included the Hidden Moth Technique, and then used Lin Qingshuang's hands twice to give him annotations and revisions.

If Huang Si could no longer withstand the backlash of using the Hidden Moth's belongings, he would probably just pass the Hidden Moth's identity to He Kao - this was within Jiang Daozhen's expectations.

What would have happened if Huang Xiaopang had not passed the hidden moth item to He Kao, or had not had time to pass it to He Kao, and left the world with this secret?
Jiang Daozhen did not give the answer directly, but he gave He Kao enough hints.

In that case, the Hidden Moth Object will be ownerless again, and the spirit of the artifact will autonomously search for the most suitable host, just like it found Zhou Du.

Then it will almost certainly find He Kao and make He Kao the next Hidden Moth, because He Kao is the only person in the world who practices the Hidden Moth technique.

Therefore, Jiang Daozhen's plan is almost certain to succeed, as long as the hidden moth's thing is ownerless again and as long as He Kao is still alive... but no one knows how long it will take to see that day.

Looking back, Huang Xiaopang made an extremely correct decision. He passed the identity of Yin Mo to He Kao at the critical moment, otherwise Old Man Jiang would probably have wanted to kill him.

In fact, when a large number of sorcerers flocked to Qiyuan to search for the hidden moth, Huang Xiaopang was about to die. If he had not done that, how could he still be jumping around like this now?

A divine thought explained the whole story, including some obscure hints. Jiang Daozhen then asked with a pleasant expression, "Xiao Kao, you should be aware of the invitation from the Zongfa Hall. Are you planning to officially return to the Shu Sect as Yin Moth?"

He Kao had already thought about this question and had a clear answer. He immediately shook his head and said, "Forget it. My small body can't handle it. Do you really want me to become a target of public criticism?"

Jiang Daozhen didn't get angry, but nodded with a half-smile, saying, "Very good, this shows you're still sober. If you ask me, that's my suggestion too."

Otherwise, the Hidden Moth lineage, just when there was hope for recovery, would soon be extinct. Even if you have that idea, I suggest you wait until you reach the sixth level."

He Kao still doesn't know what the honorific title of the sixth level of the Hidden Moth Technique is, and even Jiang Daozhen doesn't know either. We have to wait for He Kao to reveal it himself in the future.

By that time, He Kao should be able to protect himself enough, and the Yin E lineage should also have other successors.

He Kao asked in return, "Since you suggest this, why did the Shumen Sect's Dharma Hall issue an open invitation to Yin E?"

Jiang Daozhen: "That's what I meant, too. It's to protect Yin Mo. Disclose the news that Yin Mo's things cannot be taken away, and then publicly invite Yin Mo to return to the sect, so that some people can't do anything openly.

But as the saying goes, "It's easy to dodge an open spear, but hard to guard against an arrow from the dark." Since you've made this choice, I'm afraid you'll have to face many covert tactics. If you need help in the future, you can ask me for advice. If you have any questions, you can also consult me.

But you also know that the clan law hall can't send experts to protect you at all times, that would be the same as exposing your identity. Moreover, not all elders in the clan law hall know your identity.

He Kao: "Then how many elders know my identity?"

"There are only three of us: myself, Earth Master Gu Chun, and Illusion Master Li Xiuyuan. The other four elders are unaware. It's not that they can't be trusted, but the fewer people who know, the better. As far as I know, there's one elder who really admires you!"

He Kao sighed: "None of the things I encountered happened openly, so I have a question I really want to ask you!"

These words made Jiang Daozhen feel a bit embarrassed. He just said something about open and covert attacks. In fact, the dangers that He Kao encountered were not open robbery, but all concealed attacks. This was the case before the clan hall issued the announcement.

Just two days ago, Wan Zhongle and Yu Shangzheng also showed up. Although Qian Guran managed to dissuade them, they were likely planning further actions in secret, and they seemed to have their reasons for doing so. He Kao could ask Jiang Daozhen for help, but Jiang Daozhen couldn't always be by his side as a bodyguard. He Kao had to deal with these issues on his own.

Jiang Daozhen: "If you have any questions, feel free to ask."

He Kao: "I respect you very much, and I also respect the elders of the clan law hall, but are all the disciples of the various sects behaving so unbearably?"

Jiang Daozhen smiled bitterly and shook his head, saying, "You're wrong. This is actually a misunderstanding..."

According to the recent survey of disciples of various sects, there are more than 4,000 formal disciples in total, but there are only dozens of people who came to Qiyuan this time, no more than a hundred at most.

Most of them came out of curiosity to watch the fun, and maybe even to travel. Not many of them actually wanted to secretly attack He Kao.

Even if some people did resort to violence, they turned back in time. For example, the pendant that Ye Yuxuan had stolen was returned to Wu Yanjun. Xiao Wu even explained the situation to He Kao and became friends with him.

There are also people like Qian Guran who can recognize the situation, get themselves out of the predicament in time and make a turn. Driven by a series of opportunities, he eventually becomes the one who rescues He Kao.

As for Lin Qingshuang, there is no need to say more.

There were only about a dozen people who behaved in a truly shameful manner, and even if you counted them all, there were no more than twenty.
In He Kao's opinion, this is a typical survivor bias in a sense. If he were a good person, he would not come to harm him, so those who do it secretly are almost all people with ulterior motives.

There was another question that He Kao wanted to discuss with Jiang Daozhen: Do sorcerers, as a group, have an innate tendency to disregard laws and disrupt order? If so, the problem would be very serious.

Jiang Daozhen’s answer is—not really.

Warlocks are also ordinary people, living in the world with their own identities. However, since their talents generally surpass those of ordinary people and their skills are well-developed, they are more likely to achieve higher achievements in various fields.

This is not just a matter of one person. The disciples of the sect will also form a huge network of contacts and can cooperate and assist each other. Over time, they as a whole will have the characteristics of vested interests.

It is a very simple truth that vested interests tend not to disrupt order, but to try their best to maintain order.

In other words, they can achieve respectable achievements and live a relatively comfortable life without committing crimes. For example, Xiao Wu's master, Zhang Yanfei, is a well-known artist in China and the president of the Nanhua Academy of Fine Arts.

But does this mean that warlocks will necessarily behave themselves? Of course not, they will make the same mistakes that ordinary people will make.

Let's take Zhang Yanfei as an example. Wasn't he incarcerated? Furthermore, his illegal activities lasted for a long time, involved a huge amount of money, and had an extremely detrimental impact.

As the saying goes, every big tree has dead branches. When the warlock group reaches a certain size, it is inevitable that there will be all kinds of people, but this cannot be simply explained by the saying "a big forest has all kinds of birds".

If a sorcerer commits a crime, there are certain particularities to it, and sometimes it is even inevitable.

First of all, the greater the ability, the less restraint the order has on it. Once the behavior deviates, the damage caused will be greater. It is even difficult for ordinary people to prevent it, and the consequences will be very serious.

Secondly, vested interests tend to maintain order, but what if order hinders their ability to obtain greater benefits? The greater the ability and the more special the status, the more inflated the ego will be.

From a probability perspective, this is almost inevitable.

There is also a more special situation, where the practice of magic itself will also affect a person's character.

There are also disasters and dangers in cultivation. For example, Jiang Daozhen himself was trapped in the advancement ceremony for twenty-three years. Can an ordinary person endure this?
If there is a deviation in spiritual practice, it will also be reflected in behavior.

Jiang Daozhen couldn't bring himself to criticize others, so he used himself as an example. Earlier, he had made a joke in his mind: if Huang Xiaopang didn't pass on Yin Mo's identity to He Kao in time, he would have killed Xiaopang.

Jiang Daozhen was making fun of himself. He would not do that, but what about someone else?
I've been waiting for twenty-three years, and I can't bear it any longer. It seems that as long as the Hidden Moth's object is ownerless again, He Kao will become the real Hidden Moth. So, if I kill Huang Xiaopang now, won't that achieve my goal?

If you do this, you will be making a mistake...

Jiang Daozhen also revealed that the person who stole He Kao's pendant was also a Lingxi Sect sorcerer, who later disappeared. Lingxi Sect sorcerers are supposed to be the best judges of the situation and the last to get involved in this mess, yet this person still showed up.

After the Yin E lineage died out, Lingxi Sect had the fewest disciples among the seven major sects. During its most prosperous period in history, there were only a little over a hundred disciples, and most of the other times, the number did not exceed three digits.

Of course, when the Yin'e Sect was still around, it had even fewer disciples than the Lingxi Sect. At its peak, there were only a dozen or so, and most of the time the number did not exceed double digits.

Twelve hundred years ago, there was a lineage called Yin'e in the Shu sect, whose duty was to monitor the behavior of disciples all over the world and impose punishments in time to warn fellow Shu sect members.

After the Yin E lineage died out, the Shu sect established a clan law hall, which was mainly managed by the geomancer of the Xin Pan sect. But how could the geomancer compare to the Yin E lineage in doing such a thing?
Now that He Kao has become a real Yin Mo, Jiang Daozhen told him the origin of Yin Mo, as well as the role it played and the responsibilities it assumed in the history of the Shumen, but he did not force He Kao to do anything.

He only had two pieces of advice for He Kao, the first of which was "it's all about fate."

Even if He Kao does not take the initiative to monitor the behavior of the disciples of the martial arts sects all over the world, some people will come to him, and then they will have to be dealt with, or even forced to be dealt with.

Did someone explicitly ask him to kill Gu Yunteng? It was He Kao who did it himself.

Another saying is "do what you can", and the meaning needs no further explanation.

This is what Jiang Daozhen did. He told He Kao everything without any intention of forcing him. He neither forced him to join the sect nor even asked him to become his disciple.

But just like the chess game in front of him, when He Kao sat down, he was already in the game.

**
PS: The ninth chapter of "The Ladder to Heaven" is finally finished! It's the end of the month, please support me with your monthly ticket!

(End of this chapter)