Hidden moth

Chapter 143 A Night of Spring Rain
Whether it is He Kao himself or Huang Xiaopang, if they do not want to expose Yin E's identity, the wisest choice is to destroy the IOU certificate as soon as possible.

He Kao could return the money to Huang Xiaopang, tell He Shan that the matter had been resolved, and then ask them not to make it public.

But He Kao almost messed up. If someone investigated, the loan note would be an obvious flaw... How could he be so careless?

He Kao said hello to Xiaopang on the way, and went to see Chen's mother when he got to the town. He told Chen's mother that he had already paid the money back to Xiaopang on behalf of Xiaoshan, and the debt was on him, and he didn't want the two families to have any more conflicts.

Mother Chen smiled bitterly and said, "You always like to take the blame for everything. I wish Xiaopang was as obedient as you! Actually, it's not a contradiction, but things are often not what you imagine."

As for what exactly happened, Mother Chen hesitated to speak.

He Kao then rushed to his aunt's house and told his aunt and her husband that he had already returned the money to Xiaopang, and that he did not need his uncle or Xiaoshan to write any more IOUs.

He didn't ask Xiaoshan to pay back the money. As for the IOU, he just burned it... Looking at the materials turned into ashes in the furnace, He Kao finally breathed a sigh of relief.

This is the remedial measure He Kao can think of in the shortest time. As long as the matter does not attract the attention of the lending company, there will not be much trouble.

I heard that the Internet finance company hadn't closed down yet, and the boss behind it was Gu Ziyuan. After He Kao killed Gu Yunteng, he had a lot of things to do and temporarily stopped paying attention to Gu Ziyuan.

Gu Ziyuan must have more things to do, and was busy fighting for control of the Bada Group. After ordering people to weld the door of the house in Guanliu Community shut, he didn't bother to cause trouble for He Kao anymore.

It seems that I have to find an opportunity and find a way to make that company disappear, which would make me feel more at ease.

The eldest aunt came over and asked in a low voice, "Xiao Kao, you really don't want us to pay back the money?" She had just called Mother Chen to confirm this.

He Kao: "I didn't even ask you to write an IOU, so of course I don't want you to pay me back."

The eldest aunt muttered, "It's all that damn fat kid's fault for being nosy. He shouldn't have acknowledged this debt at all! He took over the debt and then asked his mother to ask us for the money. What's the difference between him and those loan sharks?"

He Kao said seriously, "Mother Chen didn't ask you for money at all. She just told you about this. I was wrong about this. Xiaopang didn't intend to tell you. It was me who told Mother Chen."

Then he turned to He Shan, who lowered her head and dared not speak, and said, "Don't listen to your mother, especially what she says about Xiao Pang. Don't listen to a word she says!
Think about it, after Fatty heard about this, he took the initiative to help you solve the problem without even telling you. Where can you find someone like that again? Who else do you know who would do that?

The eldest aunt said unhappily, "Xiao Kao, what do you mean by this?"

He Kao: "That's what I mean, aunt, you should think about it carefully."

My uncle interrupted, "Now that the matter has been resolved, you should stop arguing here. Xiaokao, let's have dinner together later and come over tomorrow..."

He Kao: "I won't eat anymore. I also want to ask you one thing. Did you take Xiaoshan's 20,000 yuan?"

Wei Luo made a prediction, and He Kao really hoped that his aunt and his wife had not done so. But his aunt changed her expression and said, "Did Xiaoshan tell you about this? She owes so much debt, I will help her with this money..."

He Kao sighed inwardly. As expected, Wei Luo had indeed predicted it. He interrupted his aunt and said, "You're saving this money to help her pay off her debts, right? This money was originally saved for her to pay off her debts. Now that I've paid off her debts, you should just give it back to her."

The eldest aunt's voice became louder again: "I have to help her keep an eye on this money. How can I let her spend it recklessly? Even if there is no debt, I still have to help her save up for her dowry..."

He Kao ignored his aunt and looked at his uncle. "Xiao Shan has been helping the family run the business for the past few years, and how much have you paid her? She's already grown up, and you're looking for an excuse to take away the little pocket money she's saved?"

You two are even more ruthless than the capitalists! In the past few years, you have been making her work for free at home under the pretext of helping her save up for her dowry. I don’t understand how much dowry she really needs?

As long as she's not married, does that mean she's not a human being? As long as she works for you, does that mean she doesn't deserve a good life?

If you had a bit of common sense, she wouldn't have taken out a small loan to pay it back from school until now, with the interest compounding to such a large amount. The more you do this, the more she's likely to owe. Don't you understand this?"

The eldest aunt's face flushed red: "You little brat, you actually dare to teach your elders a lesson!"

He Changshan stepped between the two of them and said, "It's New Year's Day, can't we just talk nicely?"

He Kao was a little excited at first, but now he has regained his composure and changed his tone and said, "I was wrong! I came here today to wish you all a happy new year, and to wish my aunt, uncle and Xiaoshan a happy new year in advance!
I won't be coming tomorrow. I'm going on a road trip and will leave soon."

He Kao didn't want to talk about this with his aunt anymore, so he gave up.

At this moment, he also understood why Xiaoshan didn't dare to tell her family about something, because once she told them, there would be no good consequences, whether she owed money or saved money.

If you still have to acknowledge this relative, you have to accept that they are who they are and then figure out how to deal with them.

He Kao was about to leave when his uncle stopped him and said, "Don't leave without saying a few words. There's something I haven't told you yet!"

He Kao had to stop and ask: "What's the matter?"

As soon as his uncle spoke, He Kao realized that it was actually about Xiaoshan and Xiaopang. Although Mother Chen hadn't come to collect the debt, it had also made his aunt's family lose face. If this matter got out, they would probably be embarrassed in the future.

In a place like the countryside, I don’t know what kind of rumors will spread about it!

But Mother Chen was not stupid either. After thinking about it at home, she realized that since her son was willing to do such a thing for Xiaoshan, he must be interested in that girl, and he must be quite interested in her!
This put her in a passive position, so she didn't say anything harsh in front of Zhou Yan. She just said that the two children were ignorant and let Zhou Yan and her husband deal with it, which made it difficult for the eldest aunt to lose her temper.

The next day, Aunt Liu, the town's tax administrator, found He Changshan and "in passing" chatted about something. She felt that Huang Si and He Shan grew up together, and the two families knew each other well, so why not match the two children?
Aunt Liu is a colleague of Mother Chen. She is in her early forties and can be considered as a half-apprentice of Mother Chen. It is obvious that Mother Chen asked her to come and sound out the situation.

He Changshan thought this idea was worth considering. In this way, not only would he not have to pay back the money, but he could also ask for an additional betrothal gift.

Xiaopang's family was well off in the town. His father was the director of the detention center, and his mother Chen was a specialist in the tax office. Both of them were state officials, and they both had lucrative jobs, so they should have quite a bit of wealth.

Although Xiaopang's father passed away, his mother was still rehired at the tax office. I heard that he himself had a good job and his family had no burden... At least in the eyes of the matchmaker, his conditions were completely worthy of He Shan.

Although he said this, my uncle didn't give in. He neither agreed nor disagreed. He just said we'd talk about it after the New Year.

Unexpectedly, He Kao came home today and said that he had returned the money to Xiaopang. So if this matter can be accomplished, some conditions need to be renegotiated.

My uncle talked to He Kao alone about what happened, and my aunt had already pulled He Shan into the house.

The uncle asked He Kao what he thought. He Kao thought for a moment and said, "Don't ask me about this. I don't have the final say. You have to ask Xiaoshan and Xiaopang for their opinions.

If they are willing, there is no need to stop them. If they are unwilling, there is no need to force them to get together."

He Changshan: "I want to ask about his family situation."

He Kao: "Don't you know what's going on in his family?"

He Changshan: "I want to ask about Huang Si's personal situation. You and he work in the same unit, so you must know more than I do. How much does he earn per year now?"

He Kao: "I think he got about 600,000 yuan. He's my leader at work and a key technical expert..."

He Kao was telling the truth, but he felt a little bored at the moment.

He Changshan was a bit surprised by his reaction and wanted to ask more questions, but He Kao said goodbye decisively. He filled up the gas tank in the car and headed north out of Qiyuan.

At this time, many highways were still heavily congested, but the more remote provincial roads were quite smooth. He Kao had only a general direction, but no specific destination; this was a spontaneous trip.

It would have been fine if his uncle didn't talk to him about this. After he did, he wanted to stay away even more because he knew how difficult his aunt's family was and he didn't know what kind of trouble they would put on during the New Year.

No wonder Xiaopang's reaction was so strange. Xiaopang wanted to hide, but didn't want to hide too far, so he took the initiative to apply for Spring Festival duty, which not only did not delay his return home for the New Year's Eve meal, but also allowed him to grasp the "negotiation" situation at any time.

He Kao headed north, one of the goals of this trip being to "light up" the new map. If he hadn't visited enough places, he wouldn't have been able to prepare such a feast for the two elders that day.

A while ago, he searched for mountains and rivers in the area around Qiyuan, but the distances were not far, basically within a radius of 500 kilometers. This time he planned to go as far as possible and leave more footprints.

He had traveled far enough south to reach not only the South China Sea but also overseas, reaching the equator. The only drawback was that he had gone there by plane and had left no traces along the way.

With plenty of time during this long vacation, he chose another direction, heading north, driving himself to experience more diverse scenery. This also means that he will be able to reach places with different climates and seasons at any time in the future.

Many people do not truly realize the importance of experience, including knowledge and vision.

For example, the fifth-rank sorcerer of the Danding Sect is known as a taster, also known as a herb collector. Only by tasting something can one truly understand its flavor. And a herb collector must not only be able to identify spiritual herbs but also know where to find them.

Even if for no other reason, just to have good food, He Kao must be able to pick different fresh products at any time.

The New Year atmosphere in the countryside seems to be stronger. Many villages are only lively at this time. Many people are setting off firecrackers in broad daylight, which makes He Kao think of his childhood.

Driving through the countryside, you might suddenly hear crackling sounds in the fields, or see colorful fireworks exploding in the air not far away.

The sound of firecrackers and fireworks sounds very similar to that of gunfire, but the reaction of the vast majority of people in the East is not to cover their heads and seek shelter, but to stretch their necks to watch the excitement.

Those who enjoy it may not be fully aware of how precious this relaxation and joy is... After sunset, the fireworks that pop up from time to time in the distance appear even more brilliant.

He Kao turned onto a dirt road and parked in a hilly area. He took a short drive up the hill, but found the area less than ideal. He then drove down and continued on his way. While many mountain forests and water sources have seen remarkable vegetation restoration, this area was overgrown with shrubs, creating a chilly nighttime air. Furthermore, the numerous tombs dating back to different eras made it unsuitable for overnight stays.

The place where He Kao finally stopped was deep in a scenic area, less than one kilometer away from a road, but it was surrounded by deep mountains and dense forests and no one was around.

Many places have this characteristic. They seem to be very close to human habitation, but almost no one sets foot there on weekdays.

He Kao took a mat and sat with his back against a big tree. He looked like he was in a daze, but his eyes were slightly closed.

There was a layer of soft pine needles under the big tree, which felt relatively dry. The surrounding bushes also served as a shelter from the wind, so he chose to practice here at night.

Some people might think that seeing such a person in the mountains might be some kind of hermit. In some fantasy films, the senior masters practice their cultivation either under towering ancient trees or on high cliffs.

The most impressive shot is a flying rock protruding from a cliff. A master sits on the rock, and with the swirling clouds and mist, his clothes fluttering in the wind, he looks like an immortal.

But in reality, if someone really practices this way, they are often not immortals but idiots. Sitting in the open air in the mountains, especially without anyone to protect you, is one of the taboos of cultivation.

Sitting in the mountains and wilderness makes it easy to be disturbed by various environmental factors. Even being blown directly by the wind is not good. Not to mention poisonous insects and ferocious beasts, it is also easy to attract various wind evils and strange things.

Even if you are a hermit in the mountains, you have to build a relatively safe cave for yourself.

He Kao used to sit in the crown of the big sycamore tree late at night every day, but that place was not really deep in the wilderness, but a spiritual hub of the earth guarded by formations, which was actually also a kind of cave for cultivation.

So what about now? The situation cannot be generalized.

He did not cut off external factors, and did not enter into a deep level of inner concentration. Instead, he sought to expand his spiritual consciousness in the most natural state to feel external objects.

It is a feeling, not an induction, and it is in a state of feeling but not responding.

If this is your purpose, then practicing in this environment is necessary, provided that you are able to respond to various emergencies and have the ability to deal with possible dangers.

Despite this, He Kao did not choose the place he had looked for after sunset, but walked a long way and found this place after it was completely dark.

There is a question: how far can a person see? The answer is very interesting. In fact, it does not depend on the person himself, but on the distance of information transmission from the information source.

For example, when you look up, you can see the moon and the stars in the sky. This is because distant light can reach people's eyes, and people are just passively receiving this information.

If it's an active perception, like reaching out to touch something, then it depends on the length of each person's arm. After mastering spiritual consciousness, it's as if the length of the arm has been extended, and a person can reach farther from where they are standing.

Spiritual consciousness is not the same as touch, but the sublimation of various senses after integration. He Kao, who has long practiced synesthesia, has a deep understanding of this.

The basic mental method he was practicing at the moment was the Hidden Moth Technique, or it could be said that it was still the Hidden Moth View. After breaking through the three realms, there were corresponding changes. It was no longer simply "I have nothing" or "see me", but "see me without difference".

The spiritual consciousness spreads naturally, and there is no distinction between oneself and external objects. It is as if the person has disappeared, while the senses seem to be everywhere.

The environment He Kao is in now is neither safe nor stable, so this moment is a kind of sober and open-minded practice, and he has also added some other content.

That day, Elder Li Xiuyuan took out a gourd of wine, and He Kao toasted him and Old Man Jiang with three cups each. Then he felt his blood rushing through his meridians, and his whole body was full of strength, and he performed the set of dragon tendon exercises.

He Kao knew that it was good wine, and even guessed that it was a special spiritual wine, but before drinking it, he did not understand the effect of the wine. He just instinctively felt that drinking a few glasses would not harm him, but drinking more might not be able to bear it.

He Kao felt that this shouldn't happen.

If it were a disciple of the Shu sect, it would be normal for him to not be able to understand the magical effect of the spiritual wine that Elder Li Xiuyuan took out, but He Kao was different.

As a cryptic moth, he was often destined to be alone. What if he accidentally encountered something similar next time? Just knowing it was harmless wasn't enough. What if he drank it and it would lead to unknown consequences?
Among the Yin E sect's applied techniques, there's a technique called poison detection. Poison means harm, and the application scenario of poison detection is to distinguish the harmful effects of something.

For example, he found several plants in Baima Mountain, extracted their juice, and tried to mix them in different proportions. Finally, he obtained a colorless and odorless powder that dissolves in water. Taking it would cause cardiac arrest.

As for the names of these plants, He Kao is not a professional scholar and does not know. As for the composition of this powder, he is not a biochemist and has not done any tests, so he has even less idea.

From this perspective, poison detection techniques can be used not only to protect oneself, but also to harm others. The techniques used by the Yin Mo Sect are often just this sinister... That's how Gu Yunteng was killed.

But He Kao doesn't like to harm others, and he doesn't want to be the only one who harms others.

Old Man Jiang passed on to him the complete inheritance of seven techniques, including various applied techniques. For example, the medicine identification technique of the Danding Sect and the spirit identification technique of the Ruwei Sect actually have the same origin as the poison identification technique, but they have different emphases.

After breaking through the third level, He Kao can also try to practice multiple skills. The first thing he has to do is to choose the one that best matches his own practice, which is undoubtedly the art of identifying medicines.

The poison detection technique he has practiced is a very good foundation.

Because medicine can also be poison. It is beneficial in some cases, but harmful in other cases. The results will be different depending on the object and dosage.

He Kao, seated, suddenly sensed a large creature approaching. There were no large beasts in the mountains and fields around here; tigers and leopards had long since vanished. Therefore, the wild boar infestation had only begun after the ecological environment had recovered.

The visitor was not a wild boar. Its movements were extremely quiet and covert. He Kao didn't even notice it in advance until it entered the range of his spiritual sense.

This guy weighs at least fifty or sixty kilograms, and is more than one meter long without the tail. His body is extremely agile and flexible. He is actually an adult clouded leopard.

Clouded leopards are arboreal creatures that live in dense forests. Their fur has a natural camouflage coloring, making them extremely cautious and alert, making them extremely difficult to detect. Among He Kao's seven claw pendants, one was a "fake" made of a clouded leopard claw.

This area is its territory. The big tree that He Kao leans against is where it is accustomed to scratching itself every night, mainly to leave a scent mark.

The clouded leopard didn't notice He Kao either, but it instinctively felt that something was wrong with this place, as if a strange intruder had broken in, so it came over cautiously to spy.

Before it even got close to the open space, it suddenly shuddered, turned around and ran away very nimbly, making almost no noise.

He Kao opened his eyes and smiled mischievously. He had just been startled by the clouded leopard, so he used his spiritual sense to try to control the object and blew air into the clouded leopard's nose.

Although the airflow was very weak and the control was very difficult, if it happened to someone on the street, the other person might not even notice it. But at this moment and place, it scared away the cautious clouded leopard.

Wow, is this the legendary "controlling the wind"? If I take it a step further, can I even summon the wind and rain? He Kao couldn't help but daydream. No, it was a sweet dream in the dark, but in theory, there didn't seem to be any logical errors.

When the sun rose, He Kao climbed to the top of the mountain and performed a set of Five Elements Staff exercises facing the morning glow. He felt light all over, then went down the mountain, found a place to park, and continued on his journey.

He did not take the highway, but chose to travel through the provincial and national roads in the countryside that were not separated by guardrails. He could stop at any time, study the flowers and plants, and then take a walk in the wild.

When night fell again, He Kao found a piece of mountain and sat down at the foot of a cliff.

This cliff is not a natural formation. It was once a quarry, which left behind a rock section. However, the quarry closed 20 years ago, and the area was reforested and now resembles a natural cliff in the lush mountains.

Tonight is New Year's Eve, and it suddenly started to drizzle.

He found a concave spot under the cliff, which looked like an irregularly shaped Buddhist shrine, and he was like that unruly Buddha statue.

The gentle breeze and drizzle would have been a beautiful sight during the day, but it was late at night on Lunar New Year's Eve. There was no light at all beneath the cliffs in the wild forest, and the breeze blew the raindrops around, making it feel quite chilly.

But He Kao didn't feel the chill; he was completely serene, as if entering a state of tranquility. Tonight, he perceived a new layer of artistic conception in the external world: the dancing raindrops in the air, and the rain soaking the grass, trees, and ground.

Because of the breeze, the cliff could not block all the raindrops for him, but when the drizzle in the dark reached him, it would drift away silently without wetting his hair and clothes.

This is the power of spiritual consciousness, as if it has set up an invisible barrier, but it is very weak and can only prevent the drizzle from reaching the body.

Is this the legendary body protection spell?

He fired two shots in a row before seriously injuring Hu Shulue, a fourth-level cultivator from the Huimingshi family. The first shot didn't even cause much damage. It was because of the shotgun's range, but it should also be because of the protective spell, right?
And using his spiritual sense to push away the raindrops—isn't that also water control? Could it be that he had just mastered creating wind last night, and now he had mastered creating waves?
He Kao, who was in peace, would not have such complicated thoughts, but after getting up in the early morning and looking back on the feeling of sitting still at night, he couldn't help but have this series of associations.

When I looked up, the sky was just getting light. It was already the first day of the new year. Many water bamboo shoots were emerging from the trees in front of the cliff.

The so-called water bamboo shoots are not bamboo shoots that grow in water, but thin bamboo shoots that grow after rain, only as thick as a little finger. Perhaps because the temperature is still low, these bamboo shoots do not grow tall, only about half a foot long overnight.

Are there bamboo shoots on the first day of the Lunar New Year? It depends on the weather and temperature.

He Kao drove slowly. They weren't actually far north now, still in the Great River Basin. The climate here was similar to that of Qiyuan. Today was already mid-February on the Gregorian calendar. Spring had begun a week ago, so the coldest season had already passed.

After the Beginning of Spring, the weather in this area is relatively warm, and it happened to rain at night, so it's normal for bamboo shoots to emerge. Around the Waking of Insects, when temperatures rise and rainfall is more plentiful, bamboo shoots truly flourish, growing to more than half a person's height overnight.

When He Kao sat still at night, he felt and accompanied the fresh new bamboo shoots breaking through the soil.

At this moment, the rain has stopped and the sky is full of rosy clouds. He Kao truly feels that he has broken through some invisible barrier. His body and mind are filled with the breath of new life and are very clear.

**
PS: This is another super long two-in-one chapter, please give me some monthly tickets!

(End of this chapter)