Hidden moth

Chapter 147: Calmly Crossing the Frozen Dragon River

Xiao Guangnian recognized He Kao, but did not ask about the relationship between He Kao and Jiang Daozhen. As a secret disciple, he knew the rules and would not admit it even if asked.

He had some misunderstandings, thinking that He Kao had come specially to visit his senior master.

The number of disciples in Lingxi Sect is not large to begin with, the least among the seven major sects. Apart from Jiang Daozhen, the elder of the sect who has the closest relationship with He Kao is this second uncle.

The first month of the lunar year is the New Year, and the Lantern Festival hasn’t arrived yet. He Kao came to visit him specially to wish him a happy new year!

Since the old man was very happy, He Kao did not deny it, because strictly speaking, it was Jiang Daozhen who told him that Xiao Guangnian lived in Xiaohe Town, but he did so through the method of divine mind seal.

But He Kao still explained somewhat embarrassedly: "I actually took advantage of the spring leave to go out and broaden my horizons. I went all the way north and happened to arrive at Xiaohe Town where you live. I didn't expect to meet you halfway.

My car was left at the hotel in Heling, so I set off empty-handed and didn’t have time to bring any gifts for Second Master…”

Xiao Guangnian laughed heartily and said, "In the winter in Da'anling, except for local drivers and local cars, no one else can use it. You actually found this place, your kindness is very rare!"

Even among my younger generations who have gone to other places, no one has ever come to see me in this season and in this place. You are the first one.

You've come all this way, so I have to give you a little gift... Later, drag that dirt block in the yard in, and I'll loosen it up. You can take that old ginseng away, whether you want to eat it yourself or give it to your elders!"

The second uncle was so happy that he wanted to give the wild ginseng he had just dug to He Kao. But He Kao couldn't accept it. When it came to respecting elders, Xiao Guangnian was the elder!
However, Xiao Guangnian insisted on giving a gift, so He Kao had to change his strategy and said that ginseng was not necessary, and he wanted some local specialties.

The west room on the first floor of the Xiao family's house was quite large, filled with numerous shelves and baskets. While most baskets in the south were made of woven bamboo, most of the ones here were made of straw, on which various local mountain products and medicinal herbs were hung to dry.

Xiao Guangnian took him in for a tour with great interest, gave him a detailed introduction, and picked out the expensive and good ones and packed a big bag for him.

Dinner was cooked at home, with He Kao helping Xiao Guangnian. The dishes were local specialties of mushrooms and wild game... He Kao kept toasting and talked about many interesting things about the second uncle in the local area, which made the old man very happy.

The fourth level of Lingxishu is jokingly called a charlatan. This is both a self-mockery and a self-warning. You should pay attention to restraining the power of magic.

There are quite a few charlatans who are actually engaged in the profession of charlatanism, such as setting up fortune-telling stalls or acting as witches and sorcerers. At this time, you must be careful and try not to use magic, but you must also achieve your goal.

There's a saying that goes, "Heaven's secrets must not be revealed," a favorite refrain of charlatans since ancient times. But if they can't be revealed, why choose the profession of charlatan? Perhaps this is the dialectical point.

It is not absolutely forbidden for charlatans to use magic, but in this case, they cannot say it directly. They must use another way, such as expressing it indirectly or in an equivalent way.

"Use without using, and have telepathy in mind" is the most core and mysterious principle of the art of telepathy.

Xiao Guangnian is a charlatan and a famous "immortal" in the local area. He is a part-time sorcerer and does not rely on this to make a living. The traditional cultural customs of this area are also the most comfortable practice environment for him.

How can one "read things" for others without using magical powers? Actually, it's simple, because many things don't need to be calculated at all, they just need to be expressed in a mysterious way.

For example, couldn't He Kao see what was wrong with his aunt, or what kind of predicament his cousin He Shan was in? Even Gao Xue'e, who was not familiar with his aunt's family, could see that He Shan should go out and find a proper job.

But if He Kao said it directly, would the aunt think what he said made sense?

But in another scene, a fortune teller told the aunt that Xiaoshan was born with "Yima Luck" and that if she stayed at home, she would be "a waste of money" and would always run into trouble. The only way to resolve this was to find a job.

Regardless of whether the other party believes it or not, or listens to it or not, this is generally the routine used by the great magician Xiao when he tells people stories.

Xiao Guangnian was really drunk, and he talked about his experiences as a shaman in this area. He Kao raised his glass and nodded frequently, expressing that he was deeply educated and had learned a lot.

He Kao interrupted to ask, "Second Uncle, do you live alone?" Xiao Guangnian replied, "My daughter is on winter vacation with her mother in Qiongnan Island. I only came back on the third day of junior high school. It's a coincidence that you came here, otherwise I wouldn't have seen her. I have to go to Acheng tomorrow."

The mother and daughter like to spend the winter on Qiongnan Island and usually live in Acheng City. I like to live here and go back to Xiaohe Town when I have time..."

He Kao asked with some surprise, "Is your daughter still in school during the winter vacation?"

Xiao Guangnian: "She is sixteen years old, a sophomore in high school, and studies in Acheng."

He is eighty-three years old this year, and his youngest daughter is only sixteen years old. I have to admire him, he is really strong and healthy!
However, He Kao didn't know that Xiao Guangnian had actually used his connections to change his age twice. His wife and daughter still thought he was 53, but he looked a little older.

Some changes happen subtly and unconsciously, and He Kao may not be fully aware of it yet.

Initially, although he was full of yearning for magical skills, he had a very bad impression of magic and sorcerers, because most of the sorcerers he came into contact with at that time left a very bad impression on him.

So although he respected senior masters of the Shu sect like Lin Qingshuang, he did not want to have any entanglement with the Shu sect. He was subconsciously very repulsed and unwilling to have too much dealings with the Shu sect's disciples.

Unpleasant experience is one reason, and not wanting to reveal the identity of the hidden moth is another reason.

When did this mentality begin to change? Perhaps many people and events influenced him, but the turning point was probably the day when the two elders, Jiang Daozhen and Li Xiuyuan, came to his house for dinner and gifts.

He no longer has a preconceived notion of rejecting disciples of the Shu Sect, and he doesn't even mind doing something to help the Shu Sect.

Otherwise, when he met Xiao Guangnian on the road today, he would not have gotten on the sled and followed him to his home. Because of Old Man Jiang, he subconsciously regarded Xiao Guangnian as his own elder.

If he didn't have this attitude, Xiao Guangnian wouldn't be so happy. Couldn't he tell whether this old charlatan, over eighty years old, was sincere or not?
He Kao stayed at Xiao Guangnian's house for one night, and the next day he found that the lump of frozen soil in the yard had disappeared.

Xiao Guangnian was leaving for Acheng that day, and since He Kao had come to "visit" him, he accompanied the Second Master back. They still rode on Xiao Guangnian's horse-drawn sleigh and arrived at Heling at noon that day.

He Kao had taken a long journey through the mountains a few days ago. If he took the nearest road, it was actually only a few dozen miles from Xiaohe Town to Heling, passing through several villages.

Xiao Guangnian entrusted the horse to an acquaintance. He Kao took this opportunity to go to the hotel where the car was parked and brought back a lot of Qiyuan specialties for the second uncle, which were very valuable.

This further confirmed that he came to visit Xiao Guangnian, but because his car could not drive to Xiaohe Town, he did not bring the prepared gifts... Xiao Guangnian accepted them all with a smile.

Xiao Guangnian had something else to do, so the old and young said goodbye to each other in Heling, added each other as friends and left their contact information.

He Kao took a large bag of mountain products from Xiao Guangnian's house and temporarily put them in the car. When he inadvertently scanned it with his spiritual sense, he found that there was something extra in it.

It was a dried wild ginseng, packed in a long wooden box, and the second uncle gave it to him!

There was one thing that He Kao didn't know. Xiao Guangnian contacted Jiang Daozhen yesterday and left a message to tell his senior brother that He Kao had come to visit.

Jiang Daozhen may not have seen it at the time, and he did not reply to his junior brother until this morning - the child came from afar to visit him in the snow and ice, and Xiao Guangnian, as the elder, must express his gratitude in any way, and it would be embarrassing if the gift was too little!
In fact, Xiao Guangnian had already planned to do this without Old Man Jiang saying anything.

Unknown journeys are always full of surprises, but this unexpected encounter made He Kao feel very happy. After bidding farewell to the second uncle, he still left the car at the hotel in Heling and continued on foot since there was still time.

He Kao appeared directly at the northernmost location in the deep mountains of Da'anling, which he had reached a few days ago. Then he walked straight north. The terrain gradually became lower and he could ski forward. Before dark, he arrived at the bank of the still frozen Wulong River.

There was a heavy snowfall in the evening. Sneaking through the darkness and the flying snow, He Kao crossed the Wulong River on the ice and left the territory of the East Country.

**
(End of this chapter)