Hidden moth

Chapter 146: Encountering Jianghu Xing Cangyan

The mind seal that Jiang Daozhen left for He Kao that day contained the equivalent of a database, which mainly consisted of the summary data of the "General Survey of Disciples of the Magic Sect" conducted by the Zongfa Hall last year.

The divine mind seal can contain various information such as text, images, scenes, etc., but it is itself a kind of thought, like a memory appearing in the mind.

Data is a resource and also a form of power. Only the elders of the clan hall are qualified to know the complete content of this information. So, is Jiang Daozhen's leaving this divine seal on He Kao considered a leak?
Actually, it’s not really, because Elder Jiang not only made appropriate additions, deletions and modifications, but also set “unlocking” conditions.

If the divine mind seal is compared to a database, when He Kao meets an unfamiliar disciple of the magic sect, and this person's information is recorded in the database, then the interpretation authority will be opened.

It is equivalent to the database opening the corresponding folder to He Kao, which is an introduction to this person's background information.

Why didn't He Kao notice this before Qian Guran, Yao Shaolan, Wei Luo and others? Because he already knew these people and they were not strangers, so he didn't trigger this mechanism.

This can be considered a bug in the programming, but the impact is not that big because He Kao knows very few warlocks.

Moreover, in the mind seal provided by Old Man Jiang, there was very little information about Yao Shaolan and Qian Guran, not as much as He Kao himself knew. As for Wei Luo, the old man didn't include her detailed information at all.

Old man Jiang's goal is to train He Kao to be a real hidden moth, a hidden moth that can monitor the disciples of all the martial arts sects in the world. So He Kao must know the disciples of all the major martial arts sects, right?
As for Xiao Guangnian, whom we met today, he is Jiang Daozhen's junior fellow apprentice with the same master, so Old Man Jiang deliberately explained his background information in more detail.

The method left by Old Man Jiang was to allow him to recognize unfamiliar sorcerers when he encountered them. The statistical results of this census of sorcerer disciples should be the most detailed since ancient times, but it is impossible to be completely accurate.

Some people may not have been counted and reported, for example, the Huiming Shi family concealed a group of cleaners who did illegal work, and others may be independent cultivators wandering outside the Shumen organization.

In addition to the formal disciples of the sect, there is also a much larger group of Zhiyuan guests who are not included in the statistics.

Moreover, this statistic is only a static result at a certain point in time and cannot reflect the dynamic development situation, such as when someone else starts practicing or when the existing warlock's cultivation level is advanced.

Despite this, this information was of great help to He Kao and was sufficient in most cases.

He Kao was dazed by the roadside when the old man driving the sled stopped and called out to him, "Brother, are you going to Xiaohe Town? Come on in, I'll give you a ride!"

The locals are so enthusiastic, and the way they call him "brother" is very humorous. He Kao is only 26 years old, while Xiao Guangnian is already 83.

But He Kao was wearing a hooded winter suit, goggles and a cotton mask, so it was hard to see his face and judge his age, so there was nothing wrong with calling him "brother".

He Kao thanked him and got on the sled. Xiao Guangnian cracked his whip, urged the horse on, and asked, "Whose family are you from? Are you back for the New Year?"

He changed his address again at this moment, from "younger man" to "young man", probably because he realized that He Kao was not very old.

He Kao replied, "I'm not from here. I took a leave of absence during the Spring Festival and came here to play... The car couldn't drive here, so I left it in Heling."

Xiao Guangnian: "This winter, many people came here, not afraid of the cold... But Xiaohe Town is quite far from the border port, so not many people come here."

He didn't ask how He Kao got here; the traffic from Heling City to Xiaohe Town was not cut off. And He Kao couldn't say that he had made a big detour through Da'anling before getting here.

The two chatted for a few more sentences. The old man was very talkative. When they arrived in the town, He Kao took the initiative to help him unload the car.

The sled was covered with felt cloth, and the thing inside looked very familiar to He Kao. It was a strangely shaped lump of frozen soil more than one meter high.

This lump of frozen earth was larger and heavier than the three he had dug two days earlier. He Kao helped the old man get it out of the car, placed it on a skid, and dragged it into the yard.

He Kaoshi asked tentatively, "What is this? Could it be wild ginseng?"

Xiao Guangnian glanced at him and said with a half-smile, "Young man, you really have a good eye! Many people in this town and the nearby villages are experienced ginseng diggers, but they haven't been able to spot it even after years of locking it up."

He Kao: “I’m just guessing.”

Xiao Guangnian: "Then you have to keep it a secret for me! When I go out, I just throw this clod of earth in the yard. If you tell others about it, they might come and steal it."

He Kao: "How can you steal something this heavy? Can you even move it?" Xiao Guangnian: "As long as it's valuable, someone will find a way. If one person can't move it, can't you just call a few more people? Use a crane, a trailer. This thing isn't that heavy... Sixty-year-old wild ginseng is worth an apartment!"

An apartment? That’s not that expensive! Because this was Xiaohe Town, Heling City, on the northeastern border, He Kao subconsciously used the local housing prices as a reference… An apartment in Xiaohe Town, deep in the mountains and forests, really wasn’t that expensive.

He Kao had originally thought this thing was very valuable, at least hundreds of thousands, right? It seemed he had taken it for granted and added an extra zero to the estimated price.

He Kao: "Don't worry, I will keep it a secret for you! You are really amazing to be able to dig it out at this time."

Xiao Guangnian: "Actually, the wild ginseng at this time of year is the best. I only dig one every year, and that's enough for everything."

He Kao: "Is wild ginseng at its best this season? But the information I looked up says that the best time to dig ginseng is after the autumn harvest and before the first freeze."

Xiao Guangnian explained, "The information you looked up is correct, but that's the best time, not the best season. After the freeze and the heavy snow, where can we find this thing, and how can we dig it up?

However, wild ginseng that has been frozen for a period of time has the best medicinal properties. It has a natural condensation and sealing process, is the most replenishing and has a gentle effect... If you wait until spring to harvest it, the medicinal properties will have dispersed somewhat."

He Kao nodded and said, "So that's how it is. Thank you for your advice!"

As he was talking, He Kao not only helped the old man unload the sled and move things, but also lent a hand to lead the horse into the stable... Xiao Guangnian warmly invited He Kao to come into the house and sit for a while.

The house is two stories high with a yard. It is not a traditional adobe house, but a modern building. The walls are made of lightweight thermal insulation materials and the plastic steel windows are triple-glazed.

This town actually has central heating, and Xiao Guangnian's home is also connected to it, but there is also an independent backup heating system.

The so-called backup heating system is actually a more complicated kang that burns firewood. Through the reserved space and flue designed in the wall, one wall and two kangs upstairs and downstairs can be heated.

Modern buildings also retain traditional kangs. There is one in the main room on the first floor and one on the second floor above, but they are not being burned at the moment because the room is not cold.

He Kao took off his coat, mask, and goggles, made some tea, and sat down. Xiao Guangnian unexpectedly brought over a plate of fried black beans and poured two glasses of white wine.

It wasn't mealtime yet, yet they were treating their guests to tea and wine. This was quite novel. He Kao asked in confusion, "Sir, are we drinking this right after we come in?"

Xiao Guangnian smiled and said, "Get some wine to warm yourself up, and then drink it properly during dinner... Actually, you shouldn't call me uncle."

He Kao: "What should it be called?"

Xiao Guangnian: "Call me Second Uncle! He Kao, how is my Senior Brother Jiang these days?"

He Kao was stunned while holding his wine glass: "How do you know me?"

After saying this, he realized that it was normal for the other party to recognize him. Xiao Guangnian must have heard about Qi Yuan's story and knew his name. Rumor has it that he was Elder Jiang's secret disciple, and Xiao Guangnian might have also paid attention to it.

His information, including photos, is not a state secret. As long as Xiao Guangnian is willing, he can find it.

Xiao Guangnian chuckled and said, "I was just guessing."

He Kao: "You have a very good eye, old man. I am He Kao. Uncle Jiang has been doing well recently, looking younger and younger... You must be Senior Xiao Guangnian, right?"

Xiao Guangnian: "You kid, why are you calling me senior? Didn't I just tell you to call me Second Uncle?"

He Kao: "Second uncle, I offer you a toast!"

Xiao Guangnian gulped down a glass of wine and looked at He Kao with a very satisfied expression: "I live here, didn't Senior Brother Jiang tell you?
You are so thoughtful. Even in the snowy season, you still come all the way to such a remote place to visit me, your uncle..."

**
(End of this chapter)