Hidden moth

Chapter 263: Ice Jade Awaiting Spring

No one expected that the first test subject that He Kao fed the Qi Ling Dan to was not the yellow magpie flying in the sky, nor the old six running on the ground, but the spiritual plant growing on the cliff.

The drooping Heavenly Palace Curtains acted like a natural barrier before the cave entrance, obfuscating divine consciousness. He Kao chose the one that felt most special. Heavenly Palace Curtains were originally used as ingredients for refining elixirs, yet he wasted them more completely than anyone else.

There's a historical question Elder Li Xiuyuan didn't explain clearly: how did he get the rabbits to cooperate with the elixir? There are some things humans can do, but unintelligent animals can't.

Rabbits couldn't understand human language and would become frightened and disruptive, making it impossible for them to fully absorb the spiritual power of the Qiling Pill. He Kao only later figured out why Li Xiuyuan could feed so many rabbits.

After the Xingshen Technique breaks through the fourth level, the magical power that is comprehended is called the "Anything Goes" Technique, which is the signature method of the Xingshen Sect's monks, just like the "Soul Traveling Technique" that is comprehended after the Yine Technique breaks through the fourth level.

The "Shou Zhi Bi Shu" technique is also known as the "Hua Pai Shu" technique, which He Kao had learned from Zhang Jinkui. The "Hua Pai Shu" technique can be used not only to photograph people, but also rabbits.

Li Xiuyuan must have used this method to make the rabbit enter a state similar to hypnosis... The results proved to be good. The rabbit meat became very delicious and had some effect of nourishing the soul.

This is a unique magical power mastered by masters who practice the art of promoting the gods. Others may not have this trick. Seeing him squandering such precious elixirs with his unique method, it is no wonder that someone would report him.

He Kao didn't know Elder Li's method of feeding medicine, at least not yet. At only the fourth level, He Kao had already mastered the Heart Plate Technique, the Body Observation Technique, and the Micro-Introduction Technique, and for the time being, he didn't have the energy to explore more.

The method He Kao used to feed the medicine at this moment was actually learned from the guidance of "Master Tan".

The painting "Tan Xian Holding a Cane" is hung in Piaocai Cave. It has been said since ancient times that "seeing a painting is like seeing Tan Xianren", and that communication can be achieved through some means.

This communication wasn't a direct question-and-answer process, but rather through worship and placing something on the altar as a guide. After He Kao obtained the Spirit-Awakening Pill, he found time to place one on the altar and lit incense to worship Immortal Tan.

He had originally intended to ask the age-old question: why were there no demons or ghosts in the world? However, the divine thought from the painting gave him a different answer and instead instructed him on how to use the Qiling Pill.

He Kao did not obtain any new magical powers. The so-called immortal consciousness was just a guide, telling him how to learn from the methods he had mastered, which was the Ice Skin and Jade Bone Technique.

This is certainly not the real Ice Skin and Jade Bone Technique, but a similar variation. To make an analogy, it is equivalent to treating the Qi Ling Pill as Xue Guanghan and the person taking the pill as Lan Jiuwan.

However, this technique cannot be used directly on yellow magpies and wolfhounds. They are not Lan Jiuwan, and they do not know how to cooperate actively, nor will they let go of their form and spirit without reservation.

"Mr. Tan" also told He Kao that this would only be truly effective if the other party understood what He Kao was doing and wanted He Kao to do so.

It's like saying nothing. If cats, dogs and rabbits have this awareness, they already have the potential to become monsters. Why haven't they been found for thousands of years!

So as a second best option, "Mr. Tan" introduced another method, which is to require the person taking the medicine to be in a dormant state while concealing the essence of vitality.

As for its effectiveness, it's hard to say, but it's worth a try. This reminded He Kao of the method Li Xiuyuan might have used. Li Xiuyuan probably guided the subjects into a hypnotic state, which had some effect.

But hibernation is different from hypnosis; rabbits, wolfhounds, and yellow magpies are all incapable of it. Some animals, while capable of hibernation, don't meet the requirements for conserving vital energy, so He Kao had no idea.

After sitting in meditation for a long time, He Kao opened his eyes and suddenly noticed a celestial curtain hanging outside the cave. It was a spiritual vine that had shed its dead leaves in winter and was waiting to sprout. Didn't it exactly fit the second scenario described by "Immortal Tan"?
More importantly, this spiritual vine gave him a feeling of vitality. He took out the Spirit-Awakening Pill and tried it. He found that his spiritual consciousness, along with the power of the medicine, penetrated into the texture of the spiritual plant, and he could vaguely feel a hint of desire.

So He Kao successfully used a spiritual vine to absorb the medicinal effect of an awakening pill.

This is a bit like using Xue Guanghan to help Lan Jiuwan cultivate the Ice Skin and Jade Bones, but the Qiling Pill is not Xue Guanghan. After the spiritual effect is exhausted, the pill disappears. Looking at this spiritual vine again, it seems to have changed a little, but it also seems to have not changed.

He Kao felt his spiritual consciousness penetrate the vine more smoothly, as if it were more in tune with his body and mind. This at least proved one thing: this Heavenly Palace Curtain was not only a spiritual plant, but also some kind of natural treasure that He Kao could use to forge a magical instrument.

The importance of magical instruments lies not only in their powerful uses, but also in their harmony with the body and mind. Often, the one that suits you is the best and most convenient to use.

But He Kao had no intention of picking this Heavenly Palace Curtain. Not only this vine, he would not pick all the Heavenly Palace Curtains hanging at the entrance of the cave. They were the natural barriers of the cave.

If he wanted to pick the Heavenly Palace Curtain to refine medicine or weapons, he could go find it somewhere else. Why bother touching this place? He Kao walked out of the cave and gently stroked the vine with his hand. He didn't know whether the spiritual plant felt it or not, but he felt very familiar with it anyway.

Some things may be addictive, especially when you have just learned them. The next moment, He Kao appeared again in the snow and ice north of the Wulong River and in the territory of Maoluo.

He found the place he remembered, stood on a patch of ice in the valley, and took out another Spirit-Awakening Pill. Wisps of glowing mist floated out of the pill and landed on the ice in front of him.

Here, the ice is about a meter thick, and beneath it flows the gently surging river. Amidst the mud and sand at the bottom lies a mother-of-pearl oyster the size of a washbasin. If you count the tiny lines on its shell, you'll discover it's been growing for over a century.

He Kao had discovered the mother-of-pearl oyster when he came here to search on the first day of the Lunar New Year. Its location was just at the limit of what He Kao's spiritual sense could detect, but He Kao did not touch it.

This mother-of-pearl oyster was still alive, dormant yet still holding onto its vital essence. There were no pearls inside the shell, and certainly no snow-white glow. According to Lin Qingshuang, the shell was also mother-of-pearl.

He Kao did not come here to get the mother-of-pearl today, but to try - can he also let this mother-of-pearl oyster take the Qi Ling Pill?
The biggest difficulty in doing this is that he cannot dig out the pearl oysters in temperatures of dozens of degrees below zero, otherwise they will be frozen to death. He can only cast spells through the ice and water.

Fortunately, his spell was successful, and after considerable effort, he finally helped the pearl oyster "consume" the Spirit-Awakening Pill. Unfortunately, he had wasted another precious pill, and the pearl oyster showed no signs of change.

He Kao felt a little dizzy and felt the chill of the ice and snow. The two spells he had cast just now, especially the "feeding medicine" to the pearl oysters under the ice, had almost exhausted his spiritual energy and magical power.

After taking a breath, he left a mark on the surface of the clam shell. The next time he came, he would be able to find it as long as his spiritual sense was within range. Hopefully, he would still be able to find it... Then he went straight back to Pugang Town. He needed to recover today because he had to go to work tomorrow.

This is his seventh consecutive day of fasting. For such a long period of fasting, he has to pay attention to slowly recovering his diet in small amounts and not suddenly eat and drink a lot.

It was He Kao's first time to practice fasting, but he felt pretty good, as if his body and soul had been purified. He felt that he could hold on for a few more days, so he was not in a hurry to eat for the time being. He just took a jade sycamore seed.

Only at this time did he have time to take out his cell phone and plug it in. After turning it on, he saw the messages from the past few days. No one else had anything important to tell him, only Li Xiuyuan said he had something to talk to him about.

He dialed Elder Li's number, and the few words he spoke on the phone were unclear. Then he rushed to the place designated by Elder Li, which was in the deep mountains not far from Fengwei Township.

When He Kao opened the map, he avoided Fengwei Township but visited all the nearby places. Li Xiuyuan gave him a coordinate and explained the topography, making it easy to recognize and find.

This is a gentle ridge like a fish's back, with an altitude of more than 2,000 meters. There are large areas of exposed rocks on the ridge, with cracks like fish scales distributed on it, which is easy to identify from a distance.

When He Kao reached the ridge, Elder Li was already standing there waiting. He approached him and asked, "Why did you ask me to meet you here?"

Li Xiuyuan: "You came quite quickly. Do you know where this place is?"

He Kao: "I've studied the maps and place names of Fengwei Township. This place is called Longlinpo."

Li Xiuyuan pointed down the mountain and said, "That basin is Fengyuping, the gateway to Fengyu Cave Heaven. I brought Zhang Jinkui and Chang Anju to Fengyu Cave Heaven these past few days to receive the second inheritance and pay homage to the master. It's most convenient to meet here..."

Li Xiuyuan's visit to He Kao was related to Zhang Jinkui.

Zhang Jinkui once met a person codenamed moderator online and was fooled by him for several years. The news about Elder Mei and He Kao was also revealed by that moderator.

Zhang Jinkui traveled to Qiyuan to find He Kao, but instead encountered Li Xiuyuan. Verifying his identity, investigating his past, and returning him to his roots was one thing, but more important was following up on the clues he provided.

It was supposed that Zhang Jinkui could be used to lure the moderator out, but things weren't that simple. After Zhang Jinkui met He Kao, he was blocked by the moderator and kicked out of the so-called "cultivation chat group."

Zhang Jinkui did not know the moderator’s real identity. He only had an online contact method, and many online records were not saved.

In the past two days, Li Xiuyuan has been helping him recall various details. After all, he has been dealing with the moderator for such a long time, and there must be some clues left among the traces.

After some investigation, they finally locked in a suspect. His identity surprised Li Xiuyuan. It was actually the Dandingmen deacon Xianrui!

Dandingmen has three deacons, namely Wan Zhongle, Wu Chongshan and Xiongrui.

The sect leader Mei Guyu is too young and has been practicing in seclusion in the Immortal Pot Cave in recent years, so the sect affairs are mainly handled by these three deacons.

Xianrui is both a Dharma name and a Taoist name. In history, many disciples of various sects had Dharma names. The so-called Dharma name is the name given by the master when the Dharma is passed on and the precepts are given. Nowadays, people don’t pay much attention to these things. It doesn’t matter whether you have a Dharma name or not.

Her original name was Song Fengyang. She was a Taoist priest who received a salary, or a Taoist nun in common parlance. She was commonly known as Xianrui Jushi and Xianrui Taoist in Taoism.

After listening to Elder Li's introduction, He Kao frowned and said, "The deacon of Danding Sect leaked the secret, but it wasn't Wan Zhongle?"

Li Xiuyuan glared at him and said, "I know Wan Zhongle and you have some hidden grudges, but you can't defame someone without evidence!"

He Kao: "So what evidence do you have that Xianrui leaked the information?"

Li Xiuyuan: "There is no evidence, just suspicion, so I want to ask you for help."

Not only was Zhang Jinkui kicked out of the group, but investigations also revealed that the cultivation chat group was disbanded shortly thereafter. Elder Li, however, demanded that Zhang Jinkui recall as much information as possible about every member of the group and every word they had spoken.

Of course it's impossible to remember everything, so I'll just remember as much as I can. A high-level monk has a pretty good memory... Based on the analysis of the intelligence collected, some clues point to Xiong Rui.

In the cultivation chat group Zhang Jinkui joined, there was a member with the username "AI Qingfeng." In Zhang Jingui's memory, this "AI Qingfeng" was very mysterious and rarely spoke in the group, like a non-existent little transparent person.

Li Xiuyuan had an impression of this because Xianrui had used this online name before.

That was a long time ago, almost twenty years ago if you count carefully. At that time, Song Fengyang had not yet started practicing, nor had he been ordained as a Taoist priest. He was still a high school student and had used the online name "AI Qingfeng".

Xianrui also came from a background of wandering cultivators, having been taught the art of magic by an old Taoist priest in her early years. This was also the reason she became interested in Taoist culture after attending university and subsequently became a Taoist priest.

Her master gave her the Taoist name Xianrui, and she later used this online name. About fifteen years ago, she broke through the fourth level of cultivation, felt the call of the cave heaven, and found the Xianhu Cave Heaven of Danding Sect.

No one in the sect knew she had ever used that online name. But when she returned to the sect fifteen years ago, the sect's legal hall sent Li Xiuyuan to secretly help verify her identity and past behavior.

Li Xiuyuan knew Xianrui's situation in detail, so he still had an impression of him.

**
(End of this chapter)