Hidden moth

Chapter 73: Thunderous Peace
Qiyuan has had more than one incident recently, and each one is serious.

First, news of the suspected appearance of the Hidden Moth spread, and many people came to the scene upon hearing the news. Needless to say, their purpose was definitely to come for the Hidden Moth, and they wanted to get the legendary Hidden Moth item.

No one would make such a thing public for two reasons. First, the contemporary Yin Moth had no grudges against these people, and it was definitely not a good move to try to steal their treasures before they even confirmed his identity.

Secondly, if someone can steal the hidden moth's things, then by the same logic, others cannot steal his things? So even if someone gets the hidden moth's things, they cannot reveal their identity.

In short, the ideal situation is to come quietly, and leave quietly after succeeding, without being known by anyone.

Upon hearing the news, the Earth Master Gu Chun issued an order on behalf of the Clan Law Hall that all fourth-rank or higher sorcerers from all sects were forbidden to set foot in Qiyuan. This was actually a warning, but many people misunderstood it, or deliberately misunderstood it.

No warlocks above the fourth realm came, but many warlocks from the first to third realm came, and most of them came quietly and secretly.

There were only four and a half people who had come to Qiyuan publicly. The first was Qian Guran, who had found a job in Qiyuan, which was considered normal, even if the clan hall asked about it.

Moreover, although Qian came to Qiyuan before the geomancer gave the order, he also had other personal reasons.

The second one is Ye Yuxuan, who is Wu Yanjun’s junior sister and the daughter of his uncle Ye Hui.

She came to Suhara without making a big fuss, thinking she was acting very cautiously, but before she came and after she left, she told several people about it, and then almost everyone knew about it...it was considered public.

The third one is Zhao Huanzhen. He was sent by his master, Wan Zhongle, the deacon of Danding Sect, to investigate the disappearance of his junior brother Liang Kai, which is a legitimate reason.

The fourth one is Lin Qingshuang. She did not come for Yin E, but for the death of his fellow Taoist disciple Lin Hualei.

As for the other half, it was Wu Yanjun. Xiao Wu's identity was not yet a formal disciple of the sect, and he came to He Kao to apologize and return the things.

In addition, there are also local disciples of the Shu sect in Qiyuan. They originally lived or worked here, such as Peng Xian, Gu Yunteng, Yao Shaolan and others.

There was also a sect elder and quasi-great mathematician, Jiang Daozhen, a long-time resident of the northern suburbs of Qiyuan. He would set up a chess stall every now and then. However, apart from a few elders in the clan law hall, the ordinary disciples were unaware of this situation.

Guan Shen Sect disciple Lin Hualei was murdered, and the prime suspect was Liang Kai. Unfortunately, Liang Kai also disappeared and has not been seen since. His identity as a "missing person" has yet to be confirmed by the police.

He Kao could also guess that Liang Kai might never be found. He was probably buried deep in the collapsed Baimashan civil air defense project, just like the kidnappers.

He actually forgot to ask about the fat boy Liang Kai that night because time was too tight.

Most of the disciples from various sects came here quietly, and subjectively no one wanted to reveal their whereabouts, but they all focused their investigation clues on He Kao.

With only one target, Sesame Apartment is a small place, and all the sorcerers are highly perceptive, so objectively they will inevitably discover each other... Zhao Zhenzhen did just that, and he gathered a group of accomplices.

Zhao Huanzhen was a capable man, bold and careful, daring to think and act. Otherwise, Wan Zhongle wouldn't have sent him to Qiyuan to investigate. He gathered everyone he could find under the pretext of investigating the cause of his junior's death.

This put everyone in an awkward position. Everyone was there for the hidden moth thing, and no one wanted to be exposed, but once they got together, no one could act alone.

Zhao Huanzhen took the opportunity to propose that everyone work together to do this job and get the thing first, and agreed that after obtaining the hidden moth's things, they would share the future benefits and resources.

As for this matter, He Kao didn't know the specific details and could only guess, and other people would not know it.

In the eyes of various martial arts sects, Liang Kai is not the only one who has disappeared recently.

On the evening of October 5th, Lin Qingshuang reported to the Zongfa Hall that Qian Guran, a disciple of Wangqimen, had lost contact and was suspected of being murdered because he had obtained a piece of negative information about Gu Yunteng and could not be contacted afterwards.

Since the clan law hall was involved, it was impossible for them to only check Qian Guran's situation. They then discovered that Peng Xian and Zhao Huanzhen had also lost contact. The two were originally in Qiyuan.

It is hard to say what Peng Xian's situation is, because he is a private business owner. He may be traveling during the holidays, or he may have found a place to practice magic in seclusion. If he doesn't want to be disturbed, he may not be able to be contacted.

But Zhao Huanzhen's situation shouldn't be the same. He came here with a mission and needed to report the situation at any time. His master would also inform him of any news at any time, so he should keep in touch.

So if Zhao Zhenzhen loses contact, something must have happened!

The clan hall was shaken. Although there were many disciples from various sects, they could not withstand such continuous humiliation. What was even more terrifying was that they might even be missing without knowing it!

So, Elder Ye Fenghuang issued an order on behalf of the clan law hall, and each sect was required to compile statistics on the disciples according to the inheritance genealogy and report them. The main information was two points - where they were recently and what they were doing.

The clan hall requires that all registered disciples of each sect must be able to be contacted. Even if they cannot be contacted, their whereabouts must be confirmed.

Taking into account that the order was rather sudden, some people may be traveling abroad, collecting herbs in the mountains, practicing in seclusion, etc., and therefore cannot be contacted, but the Shumen must also report their whereabouts.

For example, if someone goes into the mountains to collect herbs, at least you need to know which mountain he went into and who he greeted?

These are nothing, it's just like the sect conducting a general survey of the disciples.

However, the Zongfa Hall also made a decision to give a one-month buffer period to all the disciples who had lost contact. If they still could not be contacted after a month, they would be temporarily expelled.

Deportation is a very serious punishment, equivalent to being expelled from the sect, as described in martial arts novels. This means that the person will no longer be protected by the sect, nor will they be able to access the various cultivation resources within the sect.

But after all, he has inherited the magic, so this person cannot use magic to cause harm in the future, and cannot even use magic easily, otherwise he will be punished by the magic sect, such as having his cultivation level abolished.

Back then, when Zhang Yanfei was convicted and imprisoned for such a serious crime, the only punishment he received from the sect was expulsion from the society. Now, simply because someone couldn't be contacted, he was being expelled from the society. This was too much!

The patriarchal hall's decision caused an uproar, and the Second Elder's phone was practically blowing up. Even the Second Elder's disciples and several deacons who he could often speak with were bombarded with messages.

If someone's disciples or fellow disciples can't be contacted in the short term, it may be because of some private matters. Others may be unwilling to report information truthfully, such as involving some undisclosed matters.

The Second Elder was the Second Elder after all, and he quickly came out to explain that the decision of the clan hall was only a "temporary expulsion of membership."

If someone can be contacted again after a month and can clearly provide information about their whereabouts, such as when, where, and what they were doing, their status as a disciple will be automatically restored. Before their name is restored to the family register, if they can't even be found, does it matter whether they are expelled or not? So everyone should submit all the investigation and statistical information quickly within a month!
The second elder also emphasized that the purpose of the clan hall is not to pry into personal privacy.

But the Shumen is not a workplace, nor is it an industry association. It is a sect that inherits techniques and provides various cultivation resources. Therefore, it must keep track of the disciples' dynamics, and there is no room for negotiation on this point!
Just because the clan hall doesn’t usually do this doesn’t mean it can’t be done, nor does it mean it shouldn’t be done.

He also gave an example: if someone was recently caught soliciting prostitution, they would tell the Shumen when they were arrested, where they were held, and how long they were held. The Zongfatang would neither notify their work unit or family members, nor would they inquire about the details of their prostitution.

This may involve some privacy, but as a disciple of the sect, he must obey orders. Who made him catch up?
No one dared to go to Wild Phoenix to bargain, and only dared to go to the Second Elder to ask for advice. As for Elder Wild Phoenix, who was in charge of supervising this matter, he was even more straightforward in his words:

“If something happens, it’s normal not to be able to contact anyone for two or three days, and it’s also possible not to be able to find anyone for five or six days, but the clan hall gave us a month.

If no one can be found within a month, it means that the various sects have completely lost control and supervision of their disciples.

We don't know where they are, what they are doing, or even whether they are dead or alive. How is this situation any different from leaving the sect? It would be better to expel them first and wait for them to come to the sect's legal hall to explain themselves!"

……

That afternoon, after He Kao came out of the hospital, he contacted Lin Qingshuang again and invited this senior to have lunch. He had chosen the place deliberately: it was the restaurant where Lao Qian had hosted the banquet last time.

Lin Qingshuang told He Kao the latest news about the vibration technique.

He Kao felt very fortunate. He was not a martial artist, and normally no one would specifically inform him about such things. Fortunately, he met Senior Lin.

This news is very important to He Kao. To him, it can be said that it is more important than any other disciple of the Shu Sect.

Because after a month, Zhao Huanzhen, Peng Xian and others would not be able to come out and explain the situation themselves! As long as no one could find their whereabouts, it would mean that they were permanently dismissed.

Does the Shumen Zongfatang mean to expel these people first?
There is no obvious reason to fire them because they are gone and the matter cannot be clarified. So let's change our thinking and treat it as "fired" for the time being.

To put it another way, if someone in the clan hall could guess what happened that night and made such a decision, the subtext was that they would no longer pursue the matter of him and Huang Xiaopang killing Zhao Huanzhen and others, at least not at the clan level.

If this matter were exposed and thoroughly investigated, it would be a scandal for the Shumen and should only be dealt with coldly. For Yin Mo, it would also expose his identity.

There will definitely be people who will continue to investigate the whereabouts of those people, such as their relatives, friends, and fellow students, as well as the police agencies that received reports of their disappearance, but that is another matter.

The reason why He Kao thought so was because when Liang Kai disappeared, everyone believed that it was Yin E who did it. It was Yin E's revenge and warning.

Now Zhao Huanzhen has also disappeared in Qiyuan. If it is eventually discovered that a group of disciples from the Shu sect have sneaked into Qiyuan and are missing together with Zhao Huanzhen and others, then one can guess some of the situation with just the tip of his toes.

They were likely targeting Yin Mo, and their fate was similar to Liang Kai's. It was likely Yin Mo had been the one who attacked. Whether it was Yin Mo's warning of revenge or a self-defense counterattack, a conflict had occurred, and Yin Mo had taken care of them all.

How could the elders of the clan hall not have thought of this situation? The latest order did not mention the hidden moth at all!
The Shumen Zongfatang may not be clear about Yin'e's identity, nor may they know that it was He Kao and Xiaopang who killed so many people, but they can definitely guess that it was Yin'e who made those people disappear, and they also know that Yin'e would never want to reveal his identity.

Therefore, the latest order from the Patriarchal Hall was also a cryptic way of conveying a message to the hidden moth: This matter ends here, and we are now going to start internal rectification.

Because He Kao is the hidden moth, from his perspective, this is the information he receives.

The decision of the clan hall seemed to be thundering and caused a big commotion, but in fact it was to... calm things down?
He Kao secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but another wave of anger soon rose in his heart. If you want to make trouble, you can make trouble. If you want to stop trouble, you can stop it. How can it be so easy!

But in front of Lin Qingshuang, he couldn't reveal anything, so he asked tentatively: "Senior Lin, in your opinion, why did the clan law hall make such a decision?"

Lin Qingshuang: "Isn't it obvious? Qian was found, but he's unconscious. Zhao Huanzhen and Peng Xian have lost contact in Qiyuan. The clan law hall also needs to find out who else is missing?

Who can't guess what these people are here for?
Hearing the news about the hidden moth, he came to seek the hidden moth's things. How is this different from stealing money and killing people? Relying on the magic skills, he thought he could easily catch it, but in the end he gave away so many lives in vain.

The Seven Great Sects should have been thoroughly overhauled long ago! But in today's world, many situations are unprecedented, and it's difficult! Let's take it step by step first, we have to start doing something."

At this point, she sighed again, "Lin Hualei, that kid, has also gotten himself into trouble. Although Liang Kai was the perpetrator, Hualei, like his master, also died because of his evil intentions!"

Wasn't Lin Hualei's master Lin Qingshuang's former Taoist partner? Unexpectedly, Lin Qingshuang's assessment of her Taoist partner was that they had ulterior motives. At least that was a factor in their accidental death.

But He Kao couldn't ask about such things, so he could only try to comfort her: "People are bound to have erroneous ideas. In fact, what Lin Hualei did was the same as Qian, but Old Qian is not a bad person."

"Qian certainly still has a chance, the chance you gave him, but Lin Hualei no longer has a chance." Lin Qingshuang waved her hand again, "It's all in the past. I don't want to mention it anymore!"

He Kao quickly changed the subject: "You were stopped outside the hospital by the elders of the clan hall today. What's the situation? I also want to ask you to check on Lao Qian's condition."

Lin Qingshuang: "Don't worry, my senior brother is there. She is the elder of the Zongfa Hall and a sixth-level physician of the Guanshen Sect. Her skills are much more advanced than mine. With her around, as long as Qian is out of danger, there will be no more problems..."

Lin Qingshuang called Ye Fenghuang "Senior Brother," which had nothing to do with gender, but was simply his ranking. He Kao wasn't entirely clear on this, but he felt that Senior Lin's senior brother was already a rank-six physician, a rather large gap.

An elder from the clan law hall ordered that, except for Yao Shaolan, no other disciples of the magic sect were allowed to touch Qian Guran, and they were not even allowed to enter the hospital.

Although something happened to Qian, the possibility of murder cannot be ruled out. He was lucky enough to survive but was in a coma, and we must prevent the murderer from killing him to silence him.

Elder Ye said that anyone who disobeyed the advice and insisted on entering the hospital would be suspected! The clan hall will have an important announcement soon, so everyone should go back and wait for the news.

After listening to Lin Qingshuang's explanation, He Kao wondered, "When was the latest order from the Shumen Sect's Dharma Hall announced?"

Lin Qingshuang: "Tomorrow!"

"Ah! Tomorrow?" He Kao was stunned and almost thought he had traveled through time.

Lin Qingshuang: "The exact time is tomorrow at noon. The so-called one-month deadline also starts from tomorrow at noon. I learned the news in advance from my senior brother."

**
(End of this chapter)