Hidden moth

Chapter 18: Rational Awakening from Hypothesis
Wu Yanjun nodded subconsciously and said, "That makes sense. What's the inside story?"

He Kao: "I don't know either, but I can make an assumption. Let me make up a story for you. For example, before this, the library lost an important cultural relic, and your master, in order to avoid responsibility and fill the hole, fooled the whole thing by making a fake.

Or in another situation, a big shot took away important cultural relics from the collection without leaving any evidence.

This big shot is someone your master doesn't want to offend and doesn't dare to offend, and he even has to try his best to please him, so he took the initiative to replace it with a fake and smoothed over the matter.

If we assume a little more, that he was appreciated by some important person in the first place and was promoted to the dean, wouldn’t the logic of the story be more logical?
But Dan Ding Sect is aware of this situation, so your master had no choice but to agree to their request. Is this reasonable?"

Wu Yanjun tapped his chisel and said, "That makes sense! How did you come up with that?"

He Kao: "Just use your imagination! We often do brainstorming during company meetings."

This is not entirely true. There was indeed some brainstorming, but He Kao has been a thoughtful person since he was a child, and he tends to think a lot unconsciously.

After thinking for a moment, he added, "These are just my guesses. Don't take them seriously. No one can really tell what the real situation is."

Wu Yanjun: "Of course I know that, and I'll investigate. You said there were two things, what about the other one?"

He Kao: "I personally feel that even if you find out about this matter, you probably won't be able to do anything. It's very likely that it's your master's own business. As for the other matter, have you investigated your master's case?"

Wu Yanjun: "Of course I checked it, and I even got a copy of the file through my uncle.

He Kao: "How many people did the police arrest?"

Wu Yanjun: "They only arrested my master." He sighed and said, "My master is a man of justice. It seems that he took the blame for everything alone."

He Kao: "Your master told you that after that incident, a group of people came to threaten him, forcing him to continue doing illegal things. Did he tell you the identities of those people?"

Wu Yanjun: "He didn't say anything, not a single word!"

He Kao: "I didn't tell you, I just didn't want you to investigate because I knew you couldn't afford to offend me, and it was also for self-protection... Your master has a wife and children, right?"

Wu Yanjun: “Yes.”

He Kao: "He also has to ensure that his family can live a good life! Moreover, for such a serious case, he spent less than two years in the detention center before being released for medical treatment, which shows that the person he saved is quite powerful.

But there is one more thing: was he really sick, or was he pretending to be sick so he could go out for medical treatment? If there was nothing seriously wrong with his health, he would have died right after leaving. It's too strange!"

Wu Yanjun: "I also find this strange. While in there, my master wasn't in a good mental state. When he was able to get out, he claimed to be ill. But from my observation, he shouldn't have died so soon... But the medical records are all true."

He Kao took off the pendant on his chest and said, "These past few days, I thought this thing was real."

Wu Yanjun nodded slowly again and said, "With my master's death, the chain of evidence is broken, and everyone else is safe. So even though my master took all the blame alone, some people might not let him go..."

He Kao: "So, why are you looking for the hidden moth? If you really want to do something, go investigate the cause of your master's death!"

Wu Yanjun stood up suddenly and said, "You're right!"

He Kao quickly waved his hand and said, "Don't worry, there's no need to wait a little longer. We haven't finished the wine yet. I have to remind you that you must be cautious in this matter and don't get yourself involved. Don't act recklessly when you don't have the strength and conditions."

Wu Yanjun sat down and said, "I understand, of course I understand!" He raised his glass and said, "I toast to you. I really want to thank you today!

In fact, I have always wanted to know who threatened my master in the first place. But my uncle-in-law told me not to pursue the matter any further, saying that the accounts could not be settled, and that it was my master's own decision to decide which people to save.

But I will consider your advice carefully..."

After finishing the cup, He Kao choked a little and gently stroked his chest. He had said so much, his brain working at full speed, almost overclocking, just to persuade Wu Yanjun not to look for the hidden moth again, and to extract more secret information.

He Kao achieved his goal, but later he began to sympathize with Xiao Wu. This guy was so stubborn that he had never seen such a stubborn person before.

It seems that he has never suffered any hardship or loss since he was a child. The first time he suffered a loss, he suffered such a big setback. As a result, he had another adventure in the detention center and cultivated the legendary magic, but his temper remained unchanged.

As they continued to eat the skewers, Wu Yanjun was clearly distracted. But He Kao was still not satisfied and asked tentatively, "Xiao Wu, can I ask you something else?"

Wu Yanjun lowered his head and fiddled with the chisel, saying, "Just say what you want to say."

He Kao: "When we first met today, why did you claim to have traveled through time and space, and even said I was some kind of NPC?"

Wu Yanjun raised his head and said, "I can't tell you the specific situation, but I can ask you a question - don't you think this world is strange and a little unreal?"

He Kao looked around and said, "Oh, what's unreal about it?"

Wu Yanjun waved his hand and said, "I'm not saying there's a flaw here. I can't explain it to you anyway. Forget it, let me give you an example! You've just analyzed so much, but have you ever thought about the fact that there's one thing that's somewhat inexplicable?

Why did the Nanhua Academy of Fine Arts choose to include a work from its collection in that exhibition? My master is the dean, and he knew that the painting, "Tan Xian Holding a Cane," was a copy he made, so why did he still submit it?

He Kao put down his wine glass and said, "Yes, why?"

No matter how meticulous a person's mind is, there are bound to be omissions. He Kao had just racked his brains analyzing the case, but his motives were somewhat impure, and he had overlooked such an obvious flaw.

The theme of the national touring exhibition two years ago was "Mysterious Culture of the Ancient East." The works were collected from collections across the country, and "Tan Xian Holding a Cane" was selected by the library of the Nanhua Academy of Fine Arts.

Zhang Yanfei was the dean at the time. If he didn't want this work to be exhibited, he could definitely do it. What was the point of doing that?

For such a large exhibition, visitors come from all over the country. Is Zhang Yanfei afraid that his substitution will be exposed, or is he too confident in his own ability?

But no matter how confident you are, this is not the way to play!

He Kao's puzzled reaction clearly tickled Wu Yanjun's nerves. He downed another large glass of beer, wiped the foam from his lips, and said, "To practice the subtle art and advance from a second-level ink painter to a third-level appraiser, a ritual is required.

This ritual involves personally crafting something to replace the original, and then publicly gaining everyone's approval. My master didn't explicitly say it was his promotion ritual, but I think that's what he had in mind... What a shame, otherwise he might have succeeded.

If that were the case, Zhang Yanfei's behavior could be rationally explained. He Kao curiously pressed on, "If nothing had gone wrong with that exhibition, and your master's painting of 'Tan Xian with a Cane' had deceived all visitors, would he have succeeded?"

Wu Yanjun shook his head slightly and said, "It's hard to say. It might succeed or it might not. But in my opinion, the possibility of success is quite high, otherwise Master wouldn't take such a risk."

He Kao: "Why is it possible that it won't succeed?"

Wu Yanjun: "What kind of items are appropriate? What exactly is a public occasion? How many people should be in a crowd? What kind of recognition is considered? These are all very accurately grasped.

The content of the promotion ceremony in the tradition of the art is only a principled requirement, and the situation in ancient times may be different from that in modern times. My master mentioned that, in general, his personal feeling is that it should be easier in modern times and more difficult in ancient times.

Throughout the history of the art, many people have designed rituals that were well-designed, but they repeatedly failed, unable to pinpoint the source of the problem and resorting to constantly changing methods.

He Kao became even more curious: "What about successful examples? There must be some, right? Do you know about them?"

Wu Yanjun: "I've heard of that. My master's master is my great-grandmaster. It's said that when he was promoted from a second-level Mo Ke to a third-level appraiser, he designed a ritual for himself, which involved replacing the stone lions in front of the gate of a famous scenic spot."

He Kao: "Oh, where are these stone lions from?"

Wu Yanjun: "I can't tell you that! But after he was promoted, he changed the stone lion back. That's the rule."

He Kao: "That's quite a big move!"

Wu Yanjun: "That's right, it weighs several tons!"

He Kao: "Since he succeeded in doing this, has no one followed suit?"

Wu Yanjun: "Yes, that's what my uncle did. He is my master's senior brother. Stone lions are usually in pairs. My great-grandmaster replaced the one on the left, and later my uncle replaced it with the one on the right."

He Kao: "It was successful too?"

Wu Yanjun nodded and said, "Yes."

He Kao: "Hasn't that meant you've already made a path? You can still change the stone lions!"

Wu Yanjun glared and said, "Do you know what that place is? It's the most popular tourist attraction in the area, and it's also a famous landmark in the country. It's busier than a vegetable market every day, and now it's not quiet even at night.

In a place like that, with something that big, how could it be so easy to find an opportunity to start something? It was easier in the early years, but now it’s getting harder and harder. Besides, even if you do it, you may not succeed.”

He Kao: "Oh, so even if I just copy the homework, I won't pass?"

Wu Yanjun: "Of course it's true. My master said it himself. After my uncle, another uncle did the same thing. He tried all kinds of ways and finally replaced the stone lion that my master had replaced, but in the end he failed.

Not only did he fail, he also never found a chance to exchange the stone lion back, and it still remains in his possession today!"

He Kao: "Could it be because—the original stone lions were not replaced?"

Wu Yanjun shook his head and said, "That shouldn't be the reason. My master and uncle both succeeded before the stone lions were replaced. I also asked my master what happened, and he only told me that it's impossible for people to repeat the same behavior exactly.

Maybe the uncle's craftsmanship wasn't good enough, or maybe there were fewer tourists, the climate had changed, the venue had been renovated, or even the guide's commentary had changed, or people's focus had shifted. Any number of reasons are possible."

He Kao unknowingly drained a large glass of draft beer and nodded slowly, saying, "That makes sense, that makes sense!" Suddenly realizing something, he looked up and asked, "Does this have anything to do with whether the world you're talking about is real or not?"

Wu Yanjun put down his wine glass, leaned over and said, "Think about it carefully. Isn't this a bit wrong? When practicing secret techniques, you can advance when you reach a certain level. Even if there are tests, it shouldn't be like this.

Even if there is a natural disaster, I still think it is acceptable. What is this abstract ritual?
It's too subjective and arbitrary. It doesn't prove one's ability, and it can't even be considered a test. If this is a test, who is making the judgment? Is it God?

Think about it further. Take the Ruwei Gate as an example. The first level of Ruwei is called the Imitator, the second level is called the Ink Master, the third level is called the Appraiser, the fourth level is called the Craftsman, and the fifth level is called the Mind Measurer...

To become a warlock, one must inherit the legacy, and there is a ceremony for each level up. In what scene will this thing appear?"

He Kao: "Novel?"

Wu Yanjun: "Anything else?"

He Kao: "Game?"

Wu Yanjun slapped his thigh and said, "Yes, it's the game! Don't you think this is completely a setting in the game? There is something wrong with this world. It's like it's programmed to run in this way."

I have to say that at this moment, He Kao was really persuaded to some extent, and he also thought about a lot of mysterious things, but he regained his composure in a moment.

He Kao: "So that's why you said you traveled through time. The fact that there are actually magic and sorcerers in this world is already amazing enough. I'm not surprised by your thoughts.

If the world is a virtual program, then we are all time travelers! My recent work is on virtual cities, but the feeling is different from what you described.

The names of each level of sorcerer don't really explain anything. As for the ritual, have you considered a possible alternative? The ritual itself isn't the point; it's in the process of designing and completing it that you meet the requirements for advancement.

There are definitely promotion standards, but just talking about theoretical standards is too difficult and too abstract. It is difficult for students with low levels to understand them, and they may not even know what to do.

Therefore, the founder simply summarized the most feasible path, and just follow it. The test is still the level of the magic. People with insufficient level will definitely not pass the test, while people with the level that may meet the standard may naturally pass the test in this process.

For example, if the theoretical requirement is to create zero degrees Celsius, then the ritual is to create an atmospheric pressure environment and then prepare an ice-water mixture.

You think those rituals are too abstract and unreasonable, but in fact they are the most specific executable plans..."

What He Kao said was just his own guess, but it was not nonsense. He really thought so, and it was based on his work experience as a programmer.

**
(End of this chapter)