Hidden moth

Chapter 135: The Spiritual Banner Takes the Secret of the Heaven

"Are you going or not?" Jiang Daozhen asked He Kao.

"No, of course not!" He Kao gave a clear answer very straightforwardly.

The key to the hidden moth's concealment lies in its unexpectedness. No one knows where a moth will appear in the darkness. If someone has already designated the time and place for it to appear, the true meaning of "hidden" will be lost.

Even if the elders of the clan hall kept their promise and there would be no one monitoring there, and it would take less than half a second for Yin E to take the things, He Kao still would not go there.

The magic school has all kinds of incredible methods, maybe someone can find a clue from them.

He Kao was very clear-headed. The Soul-Locking Formation was meaningless to him, at least not at the moment. Even if his Moth Concealment Technique could break through to the fourth level, where could he find three high-level sorcerers to activate the formation together?
The only use of the Soul Locking Formation at the moment is to prevent others from using it against him. But He Kao had already taken the Earth Spirit Banner, so the Soul Locking Formation couldn't be used anyway.

He Kao didn't think it was worth taking such a risk for a meaningless gain. The Soul Locking Array was certainly valuable, so many people might not understand it, but He Kao understood it perfectly—that's how Li Xiuyuan praised him.

Jiang Daozhen: "If you refuse this thank you gift, whether you don't go to pick it up when the time comes or write back to the Zongfa Hall and politely decline, it will also reveal your flaws. People who know you will know that you are guilty and can infer your true intentions."

He Kao: "When faced with two evils, choose the lesser one. It's better not to go. As for my background, don't forget that things are dynamic. I will be stronger tomorrow than I am today."

Jiang Daozhen: "You're quite confident to think that! So what are you going to do? Write back and decline?"

He Kao: "I heard that the companies in Fengwei Township are all very strong, but they are not listed on the stock market, so they are very mysterious and outsiders cannot understand their specific situation."

Jiang Daozhen: "What do you mean? Are you crazy because of poverty and want to borrow money from the clan hall?"

He Kao chuckled and said, "Of course not! I was wondering, if I'm willing to return the Earth Spirit Banner, how much benefit can the Shumen give me?"

Jiang Daozhen: "You really are crazy! Last week, Elder Li praised you for your tact, and now you're thinking of doing things this recklessly? If you return the Soul Locking Array to the Sect Law Hall, who knows who might borrow it to deal with you. Are you so obsessed with making money that you're not willing to risk your life?"

He Kao: "That's not my intention. I just want to judge the value of the Soul Locking Formation."

Jiang Daozhen: "It seems you still want it!"

Nonsense, who wouldn't want something as good as the Soul Locking Formation? He Kao was only concerned about the risks involved, so he kept silent, which was considered as tacit agreement.

Jiang Daozhen suddenly asked, "How do you know that Fengwei Township's enterprises are quite powerful? Who told you that? There are no reports about this online, and even if there are, they have been deleted."

He Kao: "I was just about to tell you that I ran into your beloved disciple Wei Luo yesterday."

Jiang Daozhen: "Oh, that's good... You are not allowed to bully her!"

He Kao: "I didn't take the wrong medicine, why would I bully her? I treated her to a meal and we had a pretty good chat."

Jiang Daozhen automatically ignored the last sentence: "Maybe you took the wrong medicine? The Jade Wutong seeds I gave you are enough to assist you in your practice before breaking through to the third level. Don't take anything else."

He Kao: "I am an assassin who is proficient in poison detection. How could I eat anything I want?"

Jiang Daozhen's tone changed: "Did you try to trick that girl? Otherwise, how would you know the business situation in Fengwei Township?"

He Kao: "I didn't try to trick her into saying anything. We just chatted about the situation in our respective hometowns. These things were not said by her, but my own speculation."

He Kao didn't ask much about this matter. If he did ask, he only asked: "Do you have any local rural enterprises? What kind of enterprises are they?"

Wei Luo only replied: "Yes, they are all doing very well."

He Kao knew that many of the Huiming Shi family's industries had been taken over by the clan hall, including Yan Congfei's Kangran Group, and many of the specific procedures were handled by Yao Shaolan.

In whose name the clan hall took over these industries was a question that interested He Kao, and it also involved the Shumen asset management system formulated by the clan hall.

Operating such assets with a modern corporate system poses a hidden danger to the company because its top-level design is private logic.

This logic obviously applies even to listed companies with dispersed shareholders and different types of equity.

Therefore, the top-level ownership design of the Shumen assets managed by the Zongfa Hall must not be held by one or several shareholders, even the elders of the Zongfa Hall.

Because elders will retire and die...there are great risks in inheritance.

If that were the case, as time went on, the Shumen industry run by the Zongfa Hall would see many cases similar to the Huiming Shi family. Would the seizure of the Huiming Shi family's assets lead to the creation of another Zhang or Li family within the Shumen?

There is a system that is more suitable for this situation, written into the Dongguk Constitution. Fengwei Township has many such enterprises, which are established in the name of the township collective or village collective.

It sounds like it is a bit behind the times, but it is still the top-level design for the clan hall and major sects to own and operate industries.

These companies can also control or hold shares in other business groups through foreign investment, and then operate other industries through these secondary companies. For example, Kangran Group was taken over in this way.

For a long time, modern corporate reforms were a popular trend. Despite their low profile, many of Fengwei Township's collective enterprises did not escape attention, with numerous attempts to help them reform, some even offering acquisition opportunities to overseas conglomerates.

However, all these reform efforts were unsuccessful, and those who enthusiastically promoted them or attempted to force them all left inexplicably.

Therefore, the assets of the clan hall were retained in form and handed over to various sects for specific management.

The reason why He Kao pondered these things was, of course, that he wanted to get to the bottom of the art. In addition to organizational management forms, economic relations were more important, through which one could see the nature of many things.

These were the things he was thinking about in his mind, but Jiang Daozhen heard them inadvertently. The old man thought that Wei Luo had revealed the financial situation of the Shu Sect to He Kao.

However, this was not the case. Jiang Daozhen did not say anything more and asked again, "What are you going to do about the letter from the Zongfa Hall?"

He Kao: "Since the Zongfa Hall wants to thank me, can't they be more sincere?"

Jiang Daozhen: "Forget it! Stop being so sarcastic. I'll just send the things directly to your home, in Pugang Town. Come back this weekend."

He Kao: "Thank you very much! How should I reply?"

Jiang Daozhen: "You don't need to reply. I will handle this matter. Elder Gu knows what to do. Just follow the arrangements of the clan law hall and put the things there when the time comes, and then disappear! Whether it was taken away by the hidden moth, no one saw it anyway."

He Kao: "Okay, your method is really a one-strength solution!"

Jiang Daozhen: "It's agreed, this Saturday, you come back early. I also want to introduce you to an elder. Since it's our first meeting, I have to treat him to a meal. You have to show off your cooking skills!"
By the way, what did you treat Wei Luo to dinner yesterday?"

He Kao: "Hu La Tang... Please listen to my explanation. She ordered it herself. I clearly told her that she could eat anything she wanted, but she insisted on going to the pedestrian street and pointed out the shop that sold Hu La Tang."

Jiang Daozhen snorted coldly, "Why are you asking her? Can't you just take her to the restaurant of your choice?"

What kind of logic was this? But He Kao didn't argue. He replied politely, "I was wrong. Next time I'll do as you say! Or maybe there won't be a next time. I can ask her to go with me this weekend so you can meet her."

Jiang Daozhen: "Don't! I told you to tell her to stay in Qiyuan for training and not to come to me. Training is training, don't always think that the master will always protect you. Don't tell her about this."

He Kao: "Well - okay."

Jiang Daozhen: "Don't try to fool me with spicy soup when the time comes. We have distinguished guests here. It would be too embarrassing for an old man like me."

He Kao: "How can that be? What would you like to eat?"

Jiang Daozhen: "We'll talk about it later. We'll order the food on the spot."

Hearing the old man's tone, it felt like he was dining out, ordering on the spot. He Kao thought, Pugang Town has a rich variety of local specialties, with all kinds of dishes for sale. It would be easy to buy and cook them right when you order.

Without further ado, at the appointed time, Yin Mo took away the Soul Locking Formation in the forest park on the northern outskirts of Nanhua City. As for how it was taken away, no one saw it anyway.

This matter was not made public by the clan law hall, but it was impossible to keep it absolutely secret. Some people were able to find out. One can't help but admire the courage of this hidden moth!

In fact, this was also a disguise for He Kao, because apart from the three elders of the clan law hall, no one knew that Yin Mo had been replaced. So He Kao acted as Yin Mo, and sometimes deliberately imitated Xiao Pang's style.

Saturday came in the blink of an eye, and He Kao went home in the morning to wait. Fortunately, he came early, because not long after he got home and cleaned up, Old Man Jiang came in with another elder.

He Kao approached him enthusiastically and said, "Mr. Jiang, you're here? Please sit down and have some tea... Who is this senior?"

The other man looked much younger than Jiang Daozhen, described as being around forty years old, with a big forehead, smooth black hair combed back, and was dressed very fashionably, wearing a burgundy buttoned shirt with gold-thread cloud embroidery.

The visitor smiled faintly: "I come from the Xingshen Sect, my name is Li Xiuyuan, and I am now a sixth-level illusionist, temporarily listed as an elder in the sect's law hall. I have heard Elder Jiang mention you a long time ago, and I have also secretly met you several times. You are indeed a talent!"

He Kao: "Thank you Elder Li for your compliments, and thank you for your care."

Li Xiuyuan laughed again: "When have I ever taken care of you?"

He Kao: "You have seen me secretly several times, so you must have some kind of care. With your means, if you don't want me to know, how can I find out?"

Li Xiuyuan: "Well, you're pretty sweet."

He Kao knew that the two elders were here to deliver the Soul Locking Formation, but he didn't rush to mention it. Instead, he asked, "This junior rarely has the opportunity to entertain you. What would you like for lunch?"

Jiang Daozhen shook his head and said, "We are not here for lunch, we are here for dinner."

He Kao wondered, "It's only noon now. How about I make lunch as well and then continue with dinner?"

Li Xiuyuan also smiled and shook his head, saying, "You'll have to spend some time preparing our meal. It will be good if you can finish it in the evening."

**
(End of this chapter)