Hidden moth

Chapter 192: Catching Cicadas, Blue Magpies, and Praying Mantises

At that time, Gao Chenshu was already an illegal immigrant, living in a neighborhood that was ignored by the local police. One day, he was blocked in the corner of an abandoned house by two dark-brown men who were high on drugs.

Two big men, one holding a knife and the other holding a small pistol, asked him to borrow some money to buy something. But he had no money in his pocket, so the other men got angry and searched him, stripping him of his clothes and shoes...

The situation was critical and he might not even be able to save his life. Fortunately, he was saved by a mysterious person who passed by.

The man wore a mask and spoke fluent Dongguo dialect. He took the lives of two big men cleanly and efficiently, and also displayed incredible skills.

Gao Chenshu was stunned and immediately wanted to become a disciple and learn the skills.

The mysterious person seemed to be well-versed in US policy and offered him a clear path: to surrender to a local authority, where he could be deported under a provision of a deportation law. He would contact him again after his return.

Gao Chenshu thus made up his mind to return to China. After returning to his hometown, he waited for more than half a year before the mysterious man, Ku Cha, came to him again.

Ku Cha accepted him as his disciple and taught him the secret method, and also assigned him a task: to contract hundreds of acres of mountain land in the mountainous area outside Minzhou, which is also the area around his hometown.

Fujian Province is mountainous, and fishing and shipping are still possible in the coastal and riverside areas, but the land in the inland areas is small and barren, and the economy has been very underdeveloped since ancient times. This situation only improved after it entered the industrialized society in modern times.

There is a hidden cave in the mountains. The entrance is spacious enough for a hand tractor to enter and exit. It is cleverly camouflaged. There are twists and turns inside, and it is dozens of meters deep. The further you go in, the wider the cave becomes.

At first glance it looks like a natural cave, but upon closer inspection there are traces of artificial excavation. The mountain rocks at the end are clearly layered, as if there is a mineral vein extending deep into the mountain, and the shallower areas have been mined.

This was a special mineral that seemed to be very useful to Ku Cha. Ku Cha ordered him to build several houses here, conceal the cave entrance to prevent others from entering by mistake, and build a simple road to facilitate transportation.

Kucha had brought people here twice to collect ore, and Gao Shushu had to avoid him every time he came. Gao Shuchen didn't know who these people were or where they took the ore.
Running a homestay and working as a private tour guide are just his daily covers. Ku Cha sends him out on several missions every year.

Except for the two times he brought people to mine, Ku Cha seldom came to this place. Usually, he would be called to the secret base outside Nanhua to teach him the secret methods and distribute various cultivation resources.

Gao Chenshu's first mission was a vicious theft and murder case. He stole a batch of documents and disguised the scene as a suicide.

He had already entered the cultivation realm and naturally wanted to continue to receive the secret teachings. However, Ku Cha said that the secrets should not be passed on lightly and that he had to confirm that he was absolutely reliable.

To be reliable, he must not reveal Ku Cha's secrets and must obey Ku Cha's orders unconditionally. Ku Cha not only wanted him to complete the task perfectly without revealing his identity, but also to prevent the police from finding any clues. Only then would he be considered to have passed the test.

Gao Chenshu understood that this was actually a token of allegiance... and he did a good job.

More than half a year ago, Ku Cha informed him to hide in the place and not to be exposed, and then there was no news. Gao Chenshu was also very uneasy at first, worried that Ku Cha had committed a crime and implicated him as well, but later he gradually realized that he seemed to be fine.

Could it be that Ku Cha had an accident and no one was taking care of him anymore? This made Gao Chenshu overjoyed! Because in his opinion, if Ku Cha didn't take care of him anymore, then no one would be able to take care of him anymore.

With his abilities, as long as he is careful not to reveal his true identity, he can do whatever he wants. The fact that he has committed so many crimes without being discovered is proof of this.

It looked like he could finally do something he had always wanted to do, without being controlled or forced to do anything…

Just as Gao Chenshu was thinking this, he received an unexpected guest. Ye Liangcheng came to his house and found his retreat in the mountains.

Gao Chenshu recognized at a glance that the other person was Ye Wuniang, the guard of the secret base. Although he considered himself superior, he did not dare to show any airs in front of Ye Wuniang, and his attitude was very flattering.

Because he knew that Ye Wuniang was one of the few masters under Ku Cha, and had already mastered the advanced secret techniques. He was no match for her at all. At the same time, he was secretly shocked, wondering how Ye Wuniang could find him here?

Gao Chenshu welcomed him into the living room, made some tea, and said with a smile, "Senior Brother Ye, why did you come all the way here? I haven't heard from Master Kucha for such a long time, and I've been worried. Has something happened?"

Ye Liangcheng: "Indeed, there has been a little change. Ku Cha had an accident. Now a senior Huo Qing has found the base and can continue to guide me and others in the secret practice. He also ordered me to gather the disciples who were originally under Ku Cha.

Everyone, including me, needs to verify their identities and explain the missions they have performed under Ku Cha..."

Gao Chenshu lamented in his heart. Something had happened to Kucha but he couldn't escape it. Someone else had taken over this secret organization... It didn't matter. It was still the same as before. On the bright side, it meant that he could continue to receive the secret teachings.

Many of the things Gao Chenshu did under Ku Cha were unbearable to hear. At first, he was cautious and wanted to downplay them.

But Ye Liangcheng pointed out one thing. Gao Chenshu had once worked with the Da Paotai on a mission, a fire accident that had made the news. Ye Liangcheng not only knew about this incident, but also knew the details of the scene.

Kucha's request was to exterminate the entire family and disguise it as an accident, and they were not asked to do anything else. However, Gao Chenshu instigated the Da Paotai to not only plunder a large amount of property, but also violated the hostess and her underage daughter before setting the fire.

Ye Liangcheng warned him expressionlessly, "Since I've found you here, I already have a grasp of the situation. If you don't tell the truth, it means you're unreliable. As for the consequences of being unreliable, you should know."

Gao Chenshu's face changed when he heard that, but he quickly smiled and said, "Senior Brother Ye, this is not the place to talk. Let's change places."

He led Ye Liangcheng into the hidden cave, which was equipped with ventilation and lighting facilities and had been arranged into a secret cave.

In this absolutely safe place where no one would disturb him, he privately explained in detail everything related to bitter tea.

Now that the words have been spoken and he has been warned, Gao Chenshu did not think that what he confessed was a big deal. After all, he and Ye Liangcheng were both Ku Cha's subordinates. Who hasn't done this before?
Gao Chenshu finally said: "Brother Ye, you are the person in charge of the base. You were originally a close confidant of Master Kucha, and now you have become a close confidant of Senior Huoqing. You must take good care of me in the future.

You've come all this way to let me know, so I'll do my best to be your host. I'll invite you to Minzhou City tonight and have some fun. I'm familiar with all the high-end nightclubs there..."

After saying this, he saw Ye Liangcheng's expression was indifferent, as if he looked down on this kind of reception, so he changed his tone and said tentatively: "If you think going to nightclubs is boring, I have my eyes on a girl recently, who is from a nearby town.

I've been there and know where she lives. She just graduated from high school and didn't go to college yet, so she's planning to repeat the year. She looks so fresh and young, and I'm tempted by her at first sight. I'm not kidding you!

I rarely do this kind of thing, and I don't use secret techniques to avoid being exposed, but Brother Ye, you're here..."

In fact, Ye Liangcheng didn’t think that the nightclub was boring, but he was so angry that he couldn’t speak. Gao Chenshu was also an unforgivable criminal, and he wished he could strangle him to death on the spot!
It’s a pity that Gao Chenshu didn’t reveal the identities of the other cleaners. Ye Liangcheng was planning to ask him about it, but when he was about to speak, he suddenly felt dizzy and his body went limp as he held on to the cushion.

Could it be that Gao Chenshu had set him up? He had been very cautious since arriving here, not even drinking a sip of water. He had always been watching Gao Chenshu's every move, even his spiritual sense was firmly locked on him, and he hadn't noticed when he had used any tricks.

Ye Liangcheng was in a state of tranquility when he saw Gao Chenshu opposite him also slumped on the cushion. It seemed that he was not the one who plotted against him. Could there be someone else? Then he lost consciousness.

After an unknown amount of time, when Ye Liangcheng woke up, he still felt weak all over and had no strength. Gao Chenshu, who was opposite him, fell to the ground and was already dead - he was actually dead!

A masked woman stood in the secret room, staring coldly at Ye Liangcheng. Before Ye Liangcheng could fully recover, he subconsciously called out, "Blue Magpie?"

……

Lan Jiuwan followed Ye Liangcheng to Minzhou. When she found out that Ye Liangcheng was looking for "Redwood", her mood sank to the bottom. Her former code name was Blue Magpie, and she had met Gao Chenshu, codenamed Redwood, in the secret base.

Ye Liangcheng's ability to find Hongshan meant he had access to the gang members' identities. From Lan Jiuwan's perspective, this meant Ye Liangcheng might also know his identity...

When people are most vigilant, they may also be least vigilant. This statement is not contradictory.

Ye Liangcheng found Gao Chenshu. His attention was focused on Gao Chenshu. Even his spiritual sense was locked on him at any time to guard against any tricks from the other party. He did not notice Lan Jiuwan who was following him secretly.

The conversation between Ye Liangchen and Gao Chenshu, or more accurately, Gao Chenshu's explanation to Ye Liangchen - what tasks he had performed for Kucha... Lan Jiuwan heard it all.

The two were talking in a cave deep in the mountain. The enclosed cave space also had a natural sound-trapping effect, allowing Lan Jiuwan to hear their conversation very clearly.

She felt cold all over, tried her best to suppress the anger in her heart and the trembling of her body, and finally released a toxic anesthetic gas.

After releasing the poison, Lan Jiuwan held his breath and left the cave. He destroyed the monitoring facilities of the B&B and deleted the relevant records. He then found the control circuit of the cave's ventilation system and ventilated the cave for a while before re-entering.

Lan Jiuwan originally wanted to interrogate these two people together to ask what kind of information they had. However, she immediately killed the unconscious Gao Chenshu and didn't even want to interrogate him again.

In fact, when she heard Gao Chenshu's proposal to Ye Liangcheng to harm a high school girl in a nearby town, she almost couldn't help but kill her. However, because the anesthetic gas had already been released, she had to withdraw temporarily.

Leaving Ye Wuniang behind is enough. Judging from the previous conversation, Hongshan doesn't have any extra information and doesn't know what's happened in the past six months. When Ye Liangcheng woke up, he called out the codename "Blue Magpie." If he had a choice, Lan Jiuwan never wanted to hear that name again in her life.

She said coldly, "Ye Wuniang, no, Ye Liangcheng, I have something to ask you. Please answer truthfully and don't play any tricks!"

Ye Liangcheng was still in a daze: "You, you just killed Hongshan?"

Lan Jiuwan: "Shouldn't he die?"

Ye Liangcheng: "I want to ask a few more questions... Forget it, just ask whatever you want."

Ye Liangcheng was not sad about Gao Chenshu's death. After being shocked, he persuaded himself to stay calm. He didn't know why Lan Xique appeared here and why he killed Gao Chenshu. He had to find out his purpose first.

Compared to two months ago, Ye Liangcheng now thinks more.

Lan Jiuwan didn't care what Ye Liangcheng was thinking and asked directly, "How did you find the redwood?"

Ye Liangcheng's mind raced. He glanced at Gao Chenshu, who was lying dead on the spot, and decided to tell the truth: "It was Da Paotai who told me that Da Paotai was dead. I killed him!"

Lan Jiuwan was quite surprised: "Oh, what exactly happened? Tell me in detail!"

With his life hanging in the hands of the other party, Ye Liangcheng had no choice but to speak. Seeing that Lan Xique killed Gao Chenshu without saying a word, but kept him for questioning, he had some suspicions in his mind.

Ye Liangcheng had a lot to say when he spoke! Starting from Senior Huo Qing's probing and investigation of him, he gradually began to doubt Ku Cha's true identity.

Later, Feng Zilong from the artillery fort sneaked back to the base. Under the guidance of Senior Huo Qing, he avoided the opponent's ambush and then completely saw through Ku Cha's actions.

In the middle, he also introduced his own family story, including his hatred with Hu Shulue, how he knew Ku Cha and his past being deceived by Ku Cha, and he also recounted the truth that Senior Huo Qing told him.

He finally said, "Lan Xique, since you killed Hongshan, you must have hated what he did. You must have been deceived by Kucha back then. Senior Huoqing and Kucha are not on the same side. He wanted to punish the scum of the Shu Sect..."

Lan Jiuwan interrupted coldly, "Don't call me Lan Xique anymore!"

Although her tone was unfriendly, Ye Liangcheng secretly breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "Then what should I call you?"

Lan Jiuwan: "Don't try to trick me, just answer the questions."

Ye Liangcheng: "I have already told you everything you wanted to ask! Senior Huo Qing asked me to investigate everyone's identities and past behavior. Are you willing to..."

Lan Jiuwan waved his hand again and said, "Stop! I don't believe you, and I certainly don't believe that Huo Qing."

Ye Liangcheng: “It’s okay if you don’t believe me, but in my phone, I have the recording of the interrogation of Da Paotai that night, and a document sent to me by Senior Huo Qing.

That recording explains how I was able to find this place. The information is even more important, introducing the sect and its techniques, as well as Kucha's identity and origins... They are all disciples of the Ruwei Sect, born into the Huiming Shi family."

Blue Magpie: "You have already said all this."

Ye Liangcheng: "Empty words are not enough. If you don't believe me, you can listen and see for yourself."

Lan Xique: "Which phone? How do I open it? Where is the data stored?"

Ye Liangcheng had two cell phones with him, the one with the data in it in his right trouser pocket. He was now weak and powerless, but Lan Jiuwan was cautious and did not approach to search him, instead letting him throw the phone to him.

Ye Liangcheng's poisoning symptoms had improved a lot. He struggled to take out his cell phone and threw it to Lan Xi Que.

His hand still had no strength, and he threw the phone about a foot away. Just as it was about to hit the ground, it was snatched away by a force and landed in Lan Jiuwan's hands.

Ye Liangcheng saw that her ability and skill in controlling objects with her spiritual consciousness was obviously better than his own.

Lan Jiuwan kept a distance of more than three meters from Ye Liangcheng from beginning to end. Even though Ye Liangcheng had been poisoned and collapsed and seemed to have lost the ability to resist, she still did not show any carelessness.

She didn't even look at the materials in the phone in front of Ye Liangcheng, because that would easily distract her and create an opportunity for others to attack her. Instead, she took Ye Liangcheng's phone and left the cave.

Ye Liangcheng waited for several hours, but Lan Xique did not come back. Gradually, he was able to circulate his spiritual energy and stood up by holding the wall of the cave.

The entrance to the cave is on the back wall of a building close to the mountain. There is a secret door on the wall. When it is opened, there is a private reception room outside that is decorated like a study.

What's wrong with this room is that it has no windows.

Gao Chenshu built five guesthouses here, all two-story buildings nestled against the mountainside. The one at the end of the road was his secluded residence. It hadn't been open to the public recently, so no one else was there.

Ye Liangcheng walked out of the cave and found that the light in the study was on and his cell phone was placed on the desk. There was also a person sitting behind the desk. It was Senior Huo Qing wearing a face scarf!
Seeing Huo Qing, he finally let go of his worries and asked in surprise, "Senior, why are you here?"

He Kao sighed, "I'm really worried."

Ye Liangcheng: "Are you protecting me in secret... Have you seen the blue magpie just now?"

He Kao didn't explain too much, but just said lightly: "I saw her, she followed you here and eavesdropped on your conversation with Gao Chenshu.

After coming out of the cave, she looked at the data on your phone again and copied it to Gao Chenshu's computer, removing the hard drive as well."

There was a desktop computer on Gao Chenshu's desk. Lan Jiuwan copied the data from Ye Liangcheng's phone to the computer. There were many other things in the computer, and Lan Jiuwan didn't have time to check them all, so she simply removed the hard drive.

Ye Liangcheng asked in surprise, "Senior, are you just going to let her go like that?"

He Kao: "She shouldn't have gone far."

Ye Liangcheng was surprised again: "Where is it?"

He Kao: "She's very wary and won't easily believe anything you say. She just let you go, and she might be hiding in the dark to observe what you're going to do next, like whether you'll summon your companions, or even call me over."

Ye Liangcheng: "Then what should we do now?"

He Kao: "I'll take Gao Chenshu's body away and deal with it. You'll be responsible for cleaning up the mess. The computer with the hard drive removed, the tampered surveillance camera, and even the traces of your presence... these are all flaws. Do you know how to clean them up?"

Ye Liangcheng: "I'll take care of it."

He Kao: “Some jobs require technical skills.”

Ye Liangcheng: "I understand too. I used to do technical work." As he said this, he put away the phone on the table.

He Kao: "She might have tampered with this phone. Do you still want to use it?"

Ye Liangcheng: "Ah? Of course I won't use it anymore... I don't use this phone very often anyway."

He Kao: "Clean up this place and don't leave until tomorrow at noon. As for here, just pretend Gao Chenshu disappeared on his own. No one knows where he went. Go back to Nanhua and wait for me. Do what you need to do. Leave Lan Xique to me."

Ye Liangcheng stayed in the B&B building and finally did the job of a "cleaner", while He Kaozhe left quietly.

Lan Jiuwan did not go far as she said. She hid in the dense forest on another hillside adjacent to the B&B. Her view was high above and she could just see the B&Bs from above, but it was difficult to spot her from the B&Bs.

**
(End of this chapter)