Hidden moth

Chapter 297: The Mountain in the Painting Enters the Painting in the Mountain

The announcement from the Zongfa Hall introduced the internal strife of the Shu Sect a thousand years ago, but did not mention the "Rebellion of Yinniang and the Woodcutter", nor did it mention the past and present of Yin E and the Yin E Sect.

The announcement made no mention of He Kao, as if nothing had happened to him. This gave He Kao the impression of having hidden his achievements and fame, much like Jiang Daozhen and Guo Qianhuai, who were also not mentioned in the announcement.

Although what happened next alarmed all the disciples of the sect, He Kao didn't need to worry about it. The most obvious change around He Kao was that a large number of his "neighbors" had disappeared.

Zhima Apartment currently has a 100% occupancy rate, with not a single vacant room. Some time ago, someone even tried to use a backdoor to rent the utility room, completely baffled Sales Manager Hu.

Now, in just two days, more than 500 households have requested to cancel their leases, and the occupancy rate has dropped to over 70 percent.

In fact, the normal occupancy rate was between 60 and 70 percent. But with so many people canceling their leases in just two days, Manager Qin couldn't handle it. He was even more confused.

Sesame Apartment is a long-term rental apartment with a minimum rental period of six months. When you move in, you need to pay six months' rent and two months' deposit, but many people directly rent for a year.

When they returned the lease, it hadn't even expired yet, and many people didn't bother to argue and simply refused to take the remaining rent and deposit. Manager Hu initially hinted at this in a subtle way, but in the end, he simply made it clear -

"If that's the case, why would you want to move out early? If you want to, just move out. The rent has already been paid, and the apartment can be left empty. You can come back anytime, and you can get your deposit back when the lease is up."

But people don't do that. They would rather lose their deposit and rent and go through the formal termination procedures.

There were also a very small number of people who did not do so. They neither went through any procedures to cancel the lease nor said goodbye. They quietly left on the day the Zongfa Hall issued the announcement without even packing their luggage.

However, the Patriarchal Hall is hunting down exactly this type of person… Anyone who wants to be pinned down can do this.

Of course, there are also people who did not move away. Although they came to Qiyuan directly or indirectly because of Elder Mei, they themselves did not know the inside story, such as Jiang Yuheng, a graduate of Qiyuan University.

Jiang Yuheng had nothing to do with the incident; he had simply followed the advice of his university counselor, Luo Mingzhi, and quit his job in his hometown to come to Qiyuan to look for a job. Luo Mingzhi had a senior who happened to be renting a house but had moved out of town, so she let him move in.

Jiang Yuheng was actually being used by Luo Mingzhi, acting as Xiaomeng's backup spy and confusing the public, all without him knowing. Luo Mingzhi was quite concerned about him and often visited him at Sesame Apartment.

Jiang Yuheng has admiration for Luo Mingzhi in his heart, and she appears in his erotic dreams.

It was when He Kao sneaked into Jiang Yuheng's dream that he discovered the suspicious clue of Luo Mingzhi, and then sent Lan Jiuwan and Chang Anju to investigate secretly, and locked on Jiao Bide, the contact person whom Xiaomeng believed would not be exposed.

Xiaomeng could not have imagined that someone could actually conduct an investigation in this way, and even He Kao himself had not thought of it beforehand.

After mastering the ability to let his soul travel, he accidentally figured out the method of Toshe. With the reminder of Elder Li, he discovered that the best object of Toshe was actually a human. When a person was dreaming, Toshe could sneak into the dream.

He Kao couldn't decide what others were dreaming about, so Elder Li's magic power as an illusionist came in handy.

He Kao cooperated with Elder Li and not only sneaked into Jiang Yuheng's dream, but also sneaked into the dream of Xiaoliang's father, Li Gongcheng. Xiaoliang's family also did not move out of Zhima Apartment.

Xiaoliang was brought to Qiyuan by his parents to attend an art exam training class. His father, Li Gongcheng, and his mother, Zhao Qingfang, were both Zhiyuanke practitioners who hadn't yet mastered the art.

Xiaoliang's grandfather, Zhao Huai'en, was a second-rank hermit of the Danding Sect. He had the lowest level of cultivation but was quite experienced. Zhao Huai'en had a disciple named Liu Haixiu.

It was Liu Haixiu who revealed the news about Mei Guyu, and claimed that Deacon Xianrui told him "personally", and also instigated Li Gongcheng and his wife to come to Qiyuan.

Liu Haixiu later disappeared, suspected to have been silenced by Xianrui... Looking back now, this was all part of Xiaomeng's plan to frame Xianrui, with the aim of pushing Geng Yanxin to the top.

Li Gongcheng and his wife were well-informed. They knew that Liu Haixiu had disappeared. After the announcement of the clan hall was issued, the couple had an urgent consultation behind closed doors.

Li Gongcheng: "Your father saw the notice and called us to ask if we were coming to Qiyuan because of Elder Mei. He told us to leave quickly. Tell him whoever heard the news from.

He also said that since we are not formal disciples of the sect, the Zongfa Hall will not do anything..."

Zhao Qingfang became increasingly displeased, saying, "We didn't do anything wrong, and we have nothing to do with the Xiao Alliance. Why should we move out? Not only would we be wasting rent and deposit, but we'd also be admitting there's something wrong with us!"

Li Gongcheng wondered, "Are we okay? It was Senior Brother Liu Haixiu who told me..."

Zhao Qingfang interrupted impatiently, "What's our problem? Don't mention Liu Haixiu to me. That guy is probably a spy for the Xiao Alliance. He's either fled or been silenced."

Even if he is caught by the Zongfa Hall, it is none of our business. You were drunk that night and don't remember what he said at all. We just brought Xiaoliang here to study in the art exam training class. The Zongfa Hall has to be reasonable in its affairs. How can we not let him do this? "

Because her mother's family had a background, Zhao Qingfang was also quite strong-willed. She immediately made a decision and refused to admit that her move to Qiyuan and living in Sesame Apartment had anything to do with Elder Mei. It was just for the sake of her child's college entrance exam, it was just a coincidence!

Starting from the next morning, many people left Sesame Apartment, dragging suitcases and bags out of the main door, as if they were completing some kind of public ceremony.

The owner of Meishan Noodle House, who had disappeared for several days, had returned at some point and was sitting in front of the store, holding a thermos cup and watching. The business in the store was still good.

Across the street, on the side of the road, Li Xiuyuan was sketching with an easel. There was a paint tray on a small table next to him, and a girl was standing beside him.

Among the crowd of people leaving with their luggage, Zhao Qingfang and Xiaoliang looked somewhat different. Xiaoliang even politely greeted Li Xiuyuan as he walked by.

The child was very curious about Li Xiuyuan, and even felt a little envious and admiring. He inexplicably felt that the lines and colors on the canvas were very attractive, and the girl next to him was also very beautiful.

Li Xiuyuan, holding his paintbrush, nodded with a smile and said, "Xiaoliang, are you going to class?"

Zhao Qingfang subconsciously pulled her son, as if wanting to keep Xiaoliang away.

Li Xiuyuan shook his head secretly. He certainly knew what the couple was planning. They thought they were smart, but they treated the people in the clan hall as fools.

The child is a good seedling, but it's a pity that he has a pair of unreliable parents.

The people in the clan law hall really couldn't do anything to the couple, but they didn't do nothing. Some things were just a snap of a finger. That morning, the ceiling panels on all four sides of the living room and two bedrooms of the apartment they rented fell down.

Fortunately, Mr. Li was out buying groceries, so no one was hurt. Sesame Apartments boasts of fully furnished, move-in ready apartments, so is the construction quality so poor? This is odd; even if there were problems with the ceiling, it's unlikely to collapse in several rooms simultaneously.

As guests of the apartment, Mr. and Mrs. Li Gongcheng could more or less guess what was going on, but in order to cover up their guilt and show that there was nothing wrong with them, Zhao Qingfang deliberately got angry and went to the apartment management to make a scene.

The apartment company agreed to compensate for the loss and replaced it with an apartment of the same type, floor, and orientation, but in another building...

Mei Wenhua came back and Li Xiuyuan also showed up in Qiyuan. He Kao finally breathed a sigh of relief and did not continue to live in Sesame Apartment.

He had been staying in Sesame Apartment for the past two days, mainly because he was worried about Mei Guyu who had lost his magical powers, although he was the only one who knew this secret at present.

It felt like he was just one step away from breaking through to the fifth level of cultivation, so He Kao had been trying his best to adjust his condition to the best over the past few days.

The information disclosed by the clan hall this time did not mention He Kao and Yin E at all. The elders were also protecting him and did not want him to attract too much attention to avoid risks.

Although the fourth-level cultivation level is not low, it is obviously not enough in the face of such a storm. This time, Xiaomeng even lost two sixth-level great cultivators.

In fact, when one’s cultivation reaches that level, if they don’t commit suicide on their own initiative, there won’t be many things in the world that can threaten them, but there just aren’t that many ifs.

Finally, the weekend came again. He Kao greeted Manager Huang privately, saying that he had something to do and could not work overtime in the next two days, and then came to Piaocai Cave again.

The place he chose for retreat was the Xianhu Palace, a natural cave in the cliff whose entrance was covered by a heavenly palace curtain. When he arrived at the cave hall, he first put down a chessboard and set up the formation of rejuvenation of all trees.

In order to protect Jiang Daozhen, Gu Chun specially set up a great formation of rejuvenation of all trees in the Pugang Town area, which could cover the surrounding area for dozens of miles.

The chessboard is a magic tool for setting up formations. If He Kao takes it to other places, he can also set up the Ten Thousand Trees Rejuvenation Formation, but the power and range will be much smaller. It is equivalent to using himself as the core of the formation and operating it with his magic power.

A true Ten Thousand Trees Rejuvenation Formation requires a spiritual plant as the formation's hub, gathering the earth's spiritual energy. This is the Jade Wutong tree in Pugang Town. Although there is no Jade Wutong tree here, there is another spiritual plant: the Heavenly Palace Curtain on the rock wall.

There are many Tiangong Curtains growing on this cliff. There is one that is the most spiritual. Its roots are on the top of the cliff. The main vine is as thick as a bowl and has many branches. It hangs down from the cliff and completely covers the entrance of the Xianhu Palace.

The Tiangong Curtain is not only a magical medicine, but also a natural treasure that can be used to refine weapons. If it grew somewhere else and was seen by other sorcerers, it would probably have been picked up long ago.

He Kao "fed" the Tiangong Curtain more than one Qiling Pill and cast a spell to help it absorb the medicinal power.

What's more special is that he once let his soul travel and rest in this spiritual plant, feeling as if he had turned into a celestial palace curtain... Although he did not make the ancient vine become a spirit, this celestial palace curtain seemed to be full of spiritual charm, and even had a vague sense of telepathy with him.

He had already been taught the formation, and with the formation tools in hand, he used this Heavenly Palace Curtain as the core of the formation. He did not seek for the formation to be extremely powerful, as long as it could protect himself.

The Ten Thousand Trees Rejuvenation Array's protective effect is secondary. Its more important benefit is that it nourishes the body and spirit. After all, Gu Chun prepared it for Old Man Jiang in the first place, and later He Kao also enjoyed its benefits.

After the formation was set up, He Kao sat upright in the cave. After an unknown amount of time, his spirit relaxed and he inexplicably entered a mysterious state, as if a curtain had suddenly been lifted, revealing a new world.

His soul seemed to be traveling and yet not traveling. At this moment, it seemed as if the heaven and earth were his body, and he was the consciousness of the heaven and earth.

The area of Piaocai Cave Heaven is more than 300 square kilometers, which is not big for He Kao. He has already walked all over it. At this moment, his body and soul seem to be integrated with the entire cave heaven, and they are inseparable.

This strange state will only appear at the moment of breaking through the fifth level. It is a rare opportunity for enlightenment. How much you can understand will even determine how far you can go in the future in the fifth level of cultivation.

Therefore, the cultivator must have a deep foundation before breaking through, and his condition must be adjusted to the best so that he can have the most in-depth experience possible. On the other hand, he must not be interrupted by external interference.

He Kao finally understood why Elder Li allowed him to break through to the fifth level in Piaocai Cave Heaven, because the foundation of his cultivation was the Hidden Moth Technique, which was most compatible with this world.

Presumably, the same situation applies to the cultivators from the other seven major sects.

No wonder there's a cave heaven summoning mechanism. After a warlock breaks through the fourth level, they'll somehow sense the corresponding cave heaven location. Because if they can break through the fifth level in the future, the cave heaven will be the most suitable place for cultivation.

The Shumen Cave Heaven is equivalent to a great formation of heaven and earth. It is said that a fifth-level cultivator can initially control the core of the formation and use it to cast spells remotely in this world.

He Kao had always been curious about how those deacons of the magic sect did it, but now he learned it by himself.

He was this world, and of course he could perform all kinds of magic within it. But this was a fleeting, bizarre state he experienced while breaking through the barrier. It was difficult to recreate afterwards, but it could be simulated in another way.

The core of each major cave is the rock wall in the stone niche behind the Patriarch Hall. The natural patterns on it are the pictures of mountains and rivers here. There is also such a rock wall in Piaocai Cave.

In the future, as long as the spell resonates with the images of mountains and rivers on the rock wall, the body and spirit will be able to merge with the heaven and earth, thereby initially taking control of the cave, opening and closing the portal, and casting spells from a distance.

More importantly, cultivators can use this to simulate the fleeting, mystical state of mind they experience when breaking through barriers, which is very helpful for their cultivation. Therefore, deacons from various major sects take turns guarding the cave heaven, which is both a task and a benefit.

As a hidden moth, He Kao has even more unique insights.

Piaocai Cave Heaven is different from the other seven magic cave heavens. It has no portal, or it can be said that the portal is not anywhere in the world, but can appear anywhere.

Because it is the "Tan Xian Holding a Staff" painting, or to put it another way, the Piao Cai Dong Tian is in that painting. The so-called hidden moth is equivalent to the spirit of the painting.

He Kao had only speculated before, but now it was completely confirmed! He Kao was able to bring the painting into the cave, and the cave was already in the painting. What kind of space unfolded like this?

Someone once said that humans are three-dimensional creatures and may never be able to understand four-dimensional and higher-dimensional spaces.

This conclusion is obviously too arbitrary. In fact, as long as you can understand the description of Piaocai Dongtian, it is equivalent to understanding the structural form of a certain super-dimensional space.

**
PS: Someone once asked me how to describe a hyperdimensional structure so that people can understand it intuitively. So I wrote this paragraph, and then thought about the paintings on the wall, the books at hand, and the phone I usually use...

(End of this chapter)