Hidden Moth-Chapter 423 - 235: Never Far from the Fireworks of the Mortal World

Is all the food ready? When He Kao walked into the kitchen, he saw that the ingredients were indeed prepared, but nothing had been cooked yet. They were just waiting for him to start cooking.

Upon closer inspection, he found several ingredients he didn’t recognize. They were probably specialties from the Grotto Heaven or grown in medicinal fields since they weren’t seen in markets across the whole country.

He couldn’t help but ask, "How do I cook these dishes?"

Gu Chun replied, "Back in the day, even Shennong didn’t know all the herbs at birth."

He Kao: "So I just cook randomly, and you try it randomly?"

Li Xiuyuan: "How can such a thing be random? You should use cooking methods based on the properties of the ingredients to ensure both effectiveness and taste."

While speaking, he also sent a Divine Thought, introducing the characteristics of various spirit plants, common medicinal herbs, and ingredients, as well as their processing methods under different circumstances.

He Kao: "What you’ve taught me are medicinal formulas and alchemy formulas, but they’re not recipes!"

Li Xiuyuan chuckled: "They can be referred to and borrowed from."

Jiang Daozhen: "Old Li, you’re not good at picking herbs and alchemy, so why teach others about this?"

Li Xiuyuan: "It’s merely the inheritance of the Magic Sect. It doesn’t matter if I’m not good at it; Xiao Kao can become proficient."

The inheritance Li Xiuyuan had just given He Kao was about harvesting herbs and alchemy, mainly from the Alchemy Sect and the Observing Body Sect. He Kao initially intended to find an opportunity to ask Lin Qingshuang how to make Awakening Incense, but now it seemed unnecessary.

There was no natural gas here; the stove was unique, using a kind of fuel called Elixir Stone. They looked like black pebbles, each the size of a pigeon egg, smooth as jade.

Activated by mana, they would emit flames, and the fire could be controlled by Divine Sense, making it much more convenient to stir-fry with them than with a gas stove for a high-tier sorcerer.

This item is also considered a quasi-treasure, processed with artifact refining techniques. Using it for cooking seemed a bit extravagant, but it appeared high-end and classy, carbon-free, and environmentally friendly, adding value.

Once a table full of dishes was prepared, four people sat at an Eight Immortals Table, with He Kao accompanying three Elders for a meal. He cautiously asked, "Do you all drink this early in the morning?"

Gu Chun: "Who told you to prepare a whole table of dishes this early morning? I’m usually eating in the wind and sleeping under the stars..."

Jiang Daozhen: "I’m usually on a diet of coarse tea and simple food."

Li Xiuyuan: "Old Ghost Jiang, with a Tier Seven cultivation, you could fast without eating."

Jiang Daozhen: "I could, indeed, but there’s no need to." 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Li Xiuyuan continued to debunk: "You could fast without eating, so there’s even less need for coarse tea and simple food, right? Pretending to show others thriftiness, it’s actually wasting food!"

Jiang Daozhen: "It’s a habit I’ve maintained for years to remind myself not to forget my roots."

He Kao didn’t want to hear the elders bickering endlessly, so he quickly stood up to offer a toast, then said, "Honored masters, I had a peculiar encounter in Sawa Country early this morning and wanted to seek your guidance."

Jiang Daozhen: "Why did you go there in the middle of the night? Quickly, tell us!"

He Kao recounted the incident where he accidentally stumbled upon Chang’an Residence’s "crime," trying to save someone but misunderstanding the situation, leading to some embarrassment. So he sought the elders’ advice on whether his actions were right or wrong and what the best course of action would be in a similar situation in the future.

Gu Chun shook his head after he heard, saying, "Since there is already enmity, no matter how you handle it, it can never be perfect. It’s just operating according to circumstances. As for encountering such a situation again in the future, that’s another wrong statement!

In sudden situations, you wouldn’t know the circumstance, so saving the person first isn’t wrong.

You did not err by accidentally killing Chang’an Residence, nor did you let go of any bad person; you handled it quite well. In my youth, I probably wouldn’t have been as appropriate as you."

Jiang Daozhen laughed and said, "Of course, you weren’t as appropriate as Xiao Kao because you didn’t have his abilities. At that time, he could ascertain the truth, whereas you would find it quite difficult."

Gu Chun: "I am not Hidden Moth, but I can still use other methods."

Jiang Daozhen: "That’s the current you, but weren’t you talking about your younger self just now?"

Gu Chun: "I could use other methods then as well..."

Li Xiuyuan, however, asked He Kao: "Could you ascertain the truth on the spot if you lacked the Invisibility Ability?"

He Kao: "I can’t guarantee to find out the truth on the spot, but detecting flaws isn’t difficult. It was because I discovered a flaw that I went to investigate and verify... but in the end, I became blind to the conflict; was this right or wrong?"

Li Xiuyuan shook his head again: "This isn’t called being blind to the conflict. Obviously, you saw it and intervened, but after clearing up the truth, you decided not to stop Chang’an Residence’s revenge... I would have done the same.

Your confusion isn’t solely about your decision but also about Chang’an Residence’s decision. You call it turning a blind eye because you don’t know what better way to handle it.

But Chang’an Residence’s brother and father both died because of that woman named Zhong Jinghui. If it were you, would you spare her?

Speaking of laws, one thing must be clear: for the same behavior, different countries have different legal stipulations, some with heavy penalties, some with light punishment, and even in some places illegal, while legal in others.

This is just the spatial difference; there is also a time difference. The same action might be legal at some point in history and be allowed at another, which can indeed be puzzling.

If you have a long lifespan and could roam the world freely, how would you view the people and events of the world?"

He Kao awkwardly said, "Yes, yes, yes, I’ve thought about it too. It’s not impossible to bring that Zhong Jinghui to justice in the Eastern Country. But even then, she would just be sentenced to several years at most, which wouldn’t comfort Chang’an Residence.

Because I’ve thought about it too—if I were Chang’an Residence, I would never spare her life! If lacking the power to avenge, it would merely leave a regret in life, but if one had the ability to avenge and let her go, wouldn’t it render the cultivation worthless?"