Hidden moth

Chapter 41 Are You Stupid?
As he walked out of the bank door, a cold wind blew towards him. He Kao, who was immersed in the past, suddenly woke up, as if he had traveled back to the present reality from twenty years ago.

The area in front of the commercial bank was wide, with wide roads and sidewalks, and a bustling scene of people and cars. Municipal workers were using a crane to hang red lanterns and colored light strips from lampposts and street trees... Golden Week was just around the corner.

For some reason, He Kao suddenly felt very uneasy. He always felt that someone was watching him secretly, and even the worker hanging the lanterns seemed a little suspicious to him.

Not wanting to stay in such an open space any longer, He Kao turned and walked towards another side street, pulling out his phone and opening a taxi app. Before he could call a taxi, a car pulled up beside him as he turned the corner.

"Xiao Kao, get in the car!"

What kind of spy movie plot is this? He didn't ask anyone to pick him up beforehand, nor did he even tell anyone that he would be coming to the bank to withdraw something today.

But upon hearing the voice, he quickly opened the car door and got into the passenger seat. He took off his backpack and placed it at his feet. While fastening his seatbelt, he asked, "Old Qian, why are you dressed like a thief?"

The driver was Qian Guran. He was wearing an old jacket, a pair of white gloves used by private car drivers, an octagonal hat on his head, a pair of big sunglasses, and a big black mask on his face.

Qian Guran: "You can recognize this?"

He Kao: "I can tell from the sound. What's the point of covering your face so tightly?"

Qian Guran: "It's different, and others can't hear it."

He Kao: "How did you know I was coming to the bank today and even come to pick me up?"

Qian Guran: "You asked me to help you say hello, how could I not know you were coming? Besides, tomorrow is a long holiday, so you can only come today."

He Kao suddenly realized, "I asked for leave this afternoon, saying I had something to do and had to leave early. You know that too... Where did this car come from? I've never seen you drive it before."

As for the money: "I borrowed it from a friend."

He Kao: "Why are you waiting for me at the bank door? Are you trying to rob me?"

Qian Guran laughed: "How can you rob someone like that? I can tell you're inexperienced just by listening to you! There are cameras everywhere at the bank entrance. If I pick you up in the car, isn't that the same as turning myself in?"

He Kao: "Do you have experience, so you wrap yourself up so tightly?"

Qian Guran: "Seriously, I'm afraid you'll be followed, or someone will show up and steal you..."

At this moment, he swerved and braked sharply to avoid an electric bike that suddenly rushed out from the side. He took a breath and then said, "Actually, I'm also quite curious. What exactly did your father leave behind twenty years ago?
The more I thought about it, the more curious I became. I couldn’t even sit still in the office.”

He Kao: "You were standing outside the bank just now. Did you notice anyone following you?"

Qian Guran: "Yes, it's me!"

He Kao: "Besides you?"

Qian Guran: "Actually, I'm a bit suspicious too. I always feel like someone is watching the bank entrance, but I can't see who it is... Anyway, it's better to be safe. I'll just pretend that someone is following me and see how good I am at driving!"

He Kao: "Why show off your driving skills in the city? Be careful! You can run at more traffic lights so you can shake off anyone who's following you."

Qian Guran: "Have you got everything?"

He Kao: "I got it. I can't explain it in a few words. Let's find a place to talk. I was just looking for your help to analyze it."

Qian Guran was immediately excited: "Where are we going?"

He Kao: "Don't go back to the apartment. You found so many things last time, I feel uneasy. Go to a few more intersections to make sure there are no cars following you, then cross the river to my hometown. You know the way."

The last sentence "You know the way" made Qian blush a little, but fortunately he had a mask covering his face, because he had already searched the three-story building with front and back yards thoroughly.

He Kao watched Lao Qian driving, his eyes seemed very alert, and he couldn't help laughing.

Just now in the bank, He Kao was in a very low mood, and only at this moment did he relax.

Although Lao Qian was a third-rank warlock, he was obviously not an old hand, but he tried his best to appear experienced and masterful in front of him.

In terms of knowledge and experience, Lao Qian is definitely much better than He Kao, but he studied for a doctorate in school, then worked in a state-owned design institute, and only switched to the Tengxin branch this year. He is definitely not the kind of old-fashioned person who has been around a lot.

Old Qian had admitted to searching his apartment and his family's old house at the last barbecue party. After talking it out, He Kao's worries were finally resolved. The two of them had finally put aside their past grudges, and he even thought Old Qian was a pretty good person.

Qian Guran is a very interesting person. If we follow the settings of some works describing the struggles in the martial arts world, he is like a lone wolf acting on a single line. The clues about the hidden moth were discovered entirely by him independently.

Perhaps it was a coincidence that Qian Guran happened to have seen the exhibition that year, and he also saw it once in Pingjing and once in Qiyuan, and found on the spot that the ancient painting had been swapped.

He became suspicious after seeing the police report and went on to investigate, only to discover clues that the moth was infesting. During this process, no one tipped him off.

Qian should have been the first to arrive and the fastest to act, and he was the first to exchange for the original beast claw.

If Qian Guran can find clues independently, then others should be able to do so as well. Moreover, Qian Guran's investigation behavior may attract the attention of interested people, so someone else came.

When the news spread, especially after the geomancer gave the order, more people knew about it. He Kao thought about it now and thought, if it were him, he would probably be unable to suppress his curiosity, right?
If, driven by curiosity, a series of discoveries were made and there was a chance to quietly obtain the legendary hidden moth, would He Kao himself do the same thing?

He didn't dare to give an absolutely definite answer.

But Lao Qian never thought of hurting himself, and later worried about his safety for a while, and finally took the initiative to find him to admit everything and return the claw. Although the claw was not the hidden moth's, it was still precious enough!

Even more remarkable was that Old Qian had actually recommended Senior Lin Qingshuang to him, specifically creating an opportunity for him to become Lin Qingshuang's disciple and learn the techniques. Although He Kao was unable to become Lin Qingshuang's disciple due to other reasons, he was very grateful to Old Qian. Being able to do this was already very difficult.

Why did Lao Qian take all these actions and come to "pick him up" today? It seems puzzling, but He Kao can understand it to some extent.

As a third-level strategist, how boring would it be to just go to work and leave work on time every day in the business department? Not to mention the days at the state-owned design institute.

How could the life of a working man compare to such an adventure? Now look at the way Lao Qian drives, his hands on the steering wheel, his shoulders raised, his eyes shining, he's clearly in the zone!

Lao Qian circled the streets and alleys several times, steering left and right, driving fast and slow. If you didn't know him, you would think he was filming a police and gangster movie.

As if finally confirming that no one was following him, he spoke, "Actually, I came to pick you up specially for something else. This afternoon, I received something sent by Senior Lin Qingshuang, and it's all for you."

He Kao: "Huh? Why not just send it by express delivery? Why did you specially hire someone to deliver it?"

Lin Qingshuang kept her word and made detailed revisions and annotations to the first two pages of He Kao's "secret method", and sent them to his mobile phone three days ago.

Lin Qingshuang also told He Kao that she had some things to give him to assist with his cultivation, but she was afraid that he would not be able to master how to use them, so she asked Qian Dudu to pass them on and explain them to him.

He Kao thought it was a courier, but it turned out to be delivered by a special person.

Qian Guran: "That's not an ordinary thing. What if it gets lost when it's sent by express?"

He Kao: "Why didn't you tell me earlier? I can just go to Hengzhou by myself. I don't want to bother you like this."

Qian Guran: "You are just an ordinary person. What if you lose your things on the road? Senior Lin is thoughtful. It is safest to send someone to deliver it to me."

Hearing him say this, He Kao couldn't help but feel curious. He pointed ahead and said, "Turn left at the next intersection and onto the main road. Let's go directly to the second bridge to cross the river."

It was the last working day before the long holiday, and many cars were heading out of the city. Fortunately, they set off early and were not stuck on the bridge. The sun had not yet set when they arrived at Pugang Town.

After parking the car in the front yard and closing the gate, Qian Guran praised with some envy: "Your family's courtyard is really nice. You can even grow some vegetables for yourself."

He Kao: "Do you want me to come back every week to take care of the vegetable garden?"

Qian Guran: "Why not? I think it's great!"

He Kao: "From the way you talk, I can tell you've never farmed before. This isn't just like growing some potted plants on the balcony; that's tiring and annoying. It's fun to go to the fields once in a while, but real farming is a different story."

Qian Guran: "Have you ever planted it?"

He Kao: "When I was little, my family had a private plot of land. I used to grow vegetables and also helped work in the rice fields."

Qian, of course, didn't continue the conversation, but pointed to the sides of the small building and said, "This purple bamboo is so beautiful!"

A "cross-courtyard" refers to a courtyard on either side of the main house that can be connected to the front and back. While He Kao's house isn't strictly a cross-courtyard mansion, the design does include a similar space.

The building's left and right sides aren't directly against the courtyard wall, but leave a gap of about two meters to connect the front and back yards. These two passages are like a simplified version of a cross-courtyard, where my grandfather planted purple bamboo.

In a place like this with walls on both sides, only bamboos that grow fast enough and tall enough can stick their heads out and get enough sunlight.

The second and third floors are bare-bones, with only the first floor being renovated. The first floor has a usable area of over 100 square meters, no smaller than an ordinary three-bedroom apartment. Since the main hall is quite large, there are only two bedrooms, besides the kitchen and bathroom.

Although the house was designed 20 years ago, it still looks modern today. The first floor has two bathrooms. The master bedroom is on the left, with a bathroom inside, presumably for the elderly.

Because the kitchen and public bathroom take up some space, the bedroom on the right is smaller. However, its location in the southeast corner of the house is the most suitable for children from a feng shui perspective. He Kao originally lived here.

After entering the room, He Kao was about to speak when Qian Guran raised his hand and said, "Wait a moment, let me check this room first."

I saw Lao Qian walking around the wall for a few circles, sometimes looking up, sometimes looking down, sometimes even closing his eyes, and finally said, "Okay, confirmed it's safe!"

He Kao: "Haven't you searched it all before? More than once, right?"

Qian Guran: "It's been a while since I last came here, so I still have to be cautious."

He Kao: "What did Senior Lin send?"

Qian Guran: "Let's see what's in the safe first. I've been waiting all the way."

He Kao placed his backpack on the silver-threaded wooden square table in the middle of the main room, and took out the items one by one for Lao Qian to look at.

At this point, there is nothing to hide from Lao Qian. No matter who it is, he will always find someone to share the secret with. What's more, Lao Qian has already known about it.

Qian Guran's expression grew more serious the more he looked at him. Finally, he raised his head and said, "Xiao Kao, you've always been very cautious. Why did you act so foolishly today?"

He Kao was puzzled and asked, "Why am I stupid?"

Qian Guran: "Except for this house deed, you shouldn't take anything else out. If I don't come to pick you up, are you going to run around the streets carrying them?"

He Kao: "I just went to get something, how could I not bring it out?"

Qian Guran said: "I call you stupid, but you really are confused! Isn't that the bank's safe deposit box business center? You can rent a new safe deposit box and deposit them there!"

**
(End of this chapter)