Hidden moth

Chapter 93 Stopping before Tan Xian's Cane

Patients in a long-term coma are not always motionless. Occasionally, they will have natural reactions such as twitching, opening their eyes, and even swallowing. The key is whether they can regain autonomous consciousness and respond normally to external stimuli.

Yao Shaolan quickly held Qian Guran's hand, and then felt that her hand was also subconsciously held by the other party.

Old Qian slowly opened his eyes, his gaze filled with confusion, and asked in a weak and hoarse voice, "Where is this? Why am I here?"

Yao Shaolan burst into tears of joy: "Old Qian, are you finally awake?"

Qian Ruan woke up at the perfect time, otherwise Yao Shaolan would have been worried. She even thought, does that mean Old Qian has to stay in bed for another day while Gu Yunteng is still here?

A bunch of doctors came and did all sorts of tests, then gave a lot of instructions, mostly congratulations. The experts' consultation concluded that Old Qian should be fine, but he couldn't let his guard down and needed to be carefully cared for.

Although Qian was still a little confused and didn't understand what had happened, Yao Shaolan had to help him recall bit by bit.

Qian Guran only remembered driving back to Qiyuan from Fubo City during the holiday. He had originally planned to meet Yao Shaolan the next day. During the Golden Week holiday, the highway was free and traffic was very congested, so he took the provincial road in Jiangbei...

His memory ended there, and he had no recollection of what had happened.

Yao Shaolan played the surveillance video obtained from the police on his mobile phone, and Qian Guran realized that he was the one who drove his car into the river.

Qian had no idea how much had happened since he fell into a coma; Yao Shaolan had relayed it bit by bit. He was deeply shocked and moved to hear that two elders from the Shu Sect's Dharma Hall had come to the hospital to look after him.

He struggled to contact the clan hall immediately, but he felt dizzy and then lay down again.

Qian had just woken up and was still a little weak. After listening to so many things Yao Shaolan said, he felt very tired and needed a good rest.

Yao Shaolan first notified the Qiyuan Branch of the Tengxin Group and told them that Mr. Qian had woken up and could return to work after two days of observation in the hospital.

Then she said to Old Qian, "Deacon Wan Zhongle from the Danding Sect and Senior Master Yu Shangzheng from the Xinpan Sect are both waiting to see you. They specifically told me that they'll come over as soon as you wake up. They have something to ask you."

Qian Guran waved his hands and said, "I can't remember anything. I feel dizzy."

Yao Shaolan: "Then you should have a good rest first. Nothing is more important than your health. Wait until you feel refreshed in a couple of days before you can do anything else."

Qian Guran rested in the hospital for two days and felt fine, so he returned to work. A month ago, he and He Kao had the same large open-plan partitioned workstation, but now he has a 60-square-meter office all to himself.

This is disappointing to some people.

These people are not completely malicious. They are kind and hope that Lao Qian can recover. But Lao Qian has been lying in bed for almost a month, so why not lie down for two more days?

Wouldn't it be the best of both worlds to wait until the group headquarters appoints a new vice president, trap him, and then wake him up? Whether it's Qiyuan local area or headquarters, people have already started to make moves.

It's really painful to be pinched by money!

The people who were most happy when Qian was discharged from the hospital and returned to work were the Cloud Life project team, after all, he was promoted from their department. A farewell banquet was originally planned for Qian on the evening of October 7th, but it didn't happen. However, it was held a month later.

President E asked He Kao to run errands again, asking him to book a restaurant and go to see it in person. He also required that the private room be large enough to accommodate the entire department and provide various entertainment facilities.

He Kao didn't come to work all day, probably because he was out and about. He finally booked a suitable place.

A large private room has two large round tables, each of which can seat eighteen to twenty people. There are also automatic mahjong machines, small tables for playing 滷蛋 and other games, as well as a jukebox and a large screen... It is a special team-building room.

At the farewell and celebration banquet, since Mr. Qian had just been discharged from the hospital, everyone kindly advised him to drink less and take care of his health.

But the money may be to show his drinking capacity which is linked to his work ability, or to show that he has no health problems. He frequently raises his glass to drink and thank everyone for their help and support during this period.

Gao Xue'e didn't drink, as usual; everyone knew she couldn't. But Huang Xiaopang, on the other hand, was drunk and seemed very excited. He spoke with a lisp and insisted on hugging Mr. Qian's neck to communicate.

In the eyes of the department staff, only Huang Si could do such a thing, holding a glass in one hand and hooking his hand with Mr. Qian, the glass almost hitting the leader's face. But Mr. Qian was really good-tempered and kept smiling at him.

In reality, the one who was truly uneasy was Qian Guran. He had no idea about the Hidden Moth inheritance ceremony, much less that Huang Xiaopang had managed to escape and pass the Hidden Moth identity to He Kao. In his heart, Qian Guran still believed that the Hidden Moth was Huang Xiaopang.

Qian Guran certainly knew what happened that night. This Hidden Moth was incredibly powerful. How many disciples of the sect had he killed in one night? It was speculated that there were five third-level sorcerers among them!
Although the two of them had a good relationship and neither of them would reveal the secret, Lao Qian was still a little scared. This had nothing to do with the level of cultivation, it was just a kind of psychological pressure. When Xiao Pang hugged his neck, he didn't dare to move.

Qian Guran is a man who is good at making tricks and has a lot of tricky ideas. Putting himself in Huang Xiaopang's shoes, he thinks that Huang Xiaopang's behavior in this situation is a silent reminder to him - don't talk nonsense!
Huang Xiaopang was finally carried back by He Kao. His legs were a little shaky when he walked, but he felt that he was not yet ready. He clamored to ask Xiao Kao and Lao Qian to play another game and go to the pedestrian street to eat skewers and have some beer.

He Kao didn't help him go to the barbecue, but took Xiaopang back to the apartment directly. As a result, Xiaopang went to the bathroom to vomit as soon as he entered the door. He Kao supported him and patted his back, asking him to vomit as much as possible.

Then He Kao poured him a glass of warm water and tricked him into taking a hangover pill. It was actually a Pei Yuan Pill, which had to be dissolved under the tongue. To ensure its effectiveness, He Kao watched him take it.

This hangover remedy is really effective. Xiaopang felt much better immediately and even asked for another pill.

Of course, it was impossible to have another one. He Kao took off his shoes and put him on the bed. When he turned around, he saw a painting hanging on the wall opposite the bed.

Although He Kao is not an archaeological expert, he can feel its mysterious and ancient atmosphere.

This is a vertical figure painting, about four feet long and one and a half feet wide, titled "Tan Xian Leaning on a Cane", and the small characters below the title are signed "Respectfully retained by disciple Lei Dunzi".

This painting is not well-known in the calligraphy and painting circles, but it is very famous in the art world. He Kao had heard Wu Yanjun and Qian Guran mention it.

The figure in the painting is Tan Xianren, the founder of the Danding School. He has his hair loose, wears a cloak and straw sandals, and is walking among mountains and rivers with a long, twisted-jointed bamboo staff and a large lacquered wine gourd hanging on the staff.

The facial features of the figures and objects are all depicted with fine brushwork, which is extremely lifelike; the clothes fluttering in the wind and the distant mountains and nearby water are painted with freehand ink and wash, and their interest is fully captured with just a few strokes.

Immortal Tan, originally named Tan Jun, was a figure in the sect before the Yinniang and Woodcutter Rebellion. All Danding disciples believed him to be the highest-achieving ancestor in the sect's history.

Just how high was his cultivation? Human achievements were insufficient to describe it; he was said to be an immortal. Other disciples of the sect might have different opinions, but none would deny that Immortal Tan's cultivation achievements were indeed extraordinary.

This painting was created by his disciple Lei Dunzi more than a thousand years ago. It is said that after Tan Jun became an immortal, it was created to commemorate his teacher and to leave his immortal appearance for the sect.

There are also clear records of Lei Dunzi in the art of magic. It is said that his cultivation level is at least that of a seventh-rank great pharmacist. As for how high his final level is, no one knows and there is no way to verify it.

The whereabouts of this painting were unknown during the Rebellion of Yinniang and the Woodcutter. After thousands of years of turmoil and changes, it was not until recent years that it was discovered in the collection of the Nanhua Academy of Fine Arts Library. The discoverer was Xiaowu's master Zhang Yanfei.

Zhang Yanfei was later imprisoned, and the source of the problem was also because of this painting. (See chapters 014, 016, and 018 of this book for details)
This painting was selected by the Nanhua Academy of Fine Arts and participated in a national tour exhibition with the theme of "The Ancient Mysterious Culture of the East", and the last stop of the exhibition was Qiyuan.

But on the last day of the exhibition, someone discovered that the ancient book was actually a contemporary fake.

It is said that it was an authentic work in the first few days of the exhibition, but became a fake on the last day. Some people suspected that it was replaced by someone during the exhibition, but the organizers insisted that it was a fake when it was sent to the exhibition.

The paintings were indeed swapped during the exhibition, as evidenced by witnesses like Qian Guran, who also found clues about the moth's presence in the habitat.

The case remains unsolved, but police, following a lead, have made an unexpected discovery: Many other rare ancient books in the Nanhua Academy of Fine Arts collection have been replaced with counterfeits, with a substantial sum involved.

So Zhang Yanfei went in and met Wu Yanjun in the detention center.

Xiao Wu told He Kao another story, that the original copy of "Tan Xian Holding a Cane" was taken away by the Danding Sect, and the person who handled it was the steward Wan Zhongle.

Zhang Yanfei made a replacement copy, and this copy was also submitted for exhibition.

Zhang Yanfei's method was very clever, and no one could tell that this was not an authentic work. However, when it was exhibited in Qiyuan, it was replaced by a low-quality fake, which led to other incidents.

He Kao realized at this moment that what Xiao Wu said was not true, or that what Zhang Yanfei told Xiao Wu was not true. Because the "Tan Xian Leaning on a Cane" that appeared in Huang Xiaopang's bedroom could not have been painted by Zhang Yanfei.

When Zhang Yanfei was arrested, he was only a second-level Mo Ke of Ruwei Sect. Even if he later made a breakthrough in his cultivation and became a third-level appraiser, it would be impossible for him to forge such a painting.

He Kao was almost 100% certain that what he saw was the original work left by the founder of Danding Sect more than a thousand years ago!

The reason was simple. The person in the painting actually gave him a sense of being watched, and it was not an illusion, because while standing in front of the painting and under the gaze of the person in the painting, he was unable to open the portal to the hidden moth space!
Based on this alone, this painting is a treasure, even a divine object. He Kao had never imagined that there was a treasure in the world that could limit the power of the hidden moth!
(End of this chapter)