Hidden Moth-Chapter 487 - 275: What Does True Freedom of Body and Mind Mean
Elder Li spent the whole day sketching on the street in front of Sesame Apartment. Many people knew the elder had returned to Qi Yuan, yet they were unaware that he left quietly that very night.
In the days that followed, nothing unexpected happened, as if everything had become calm, but He Kao couldn’t shake an uneasy feeling.
He longed for the mysteries of techniques, where reaching a certain level of cultivation endowed one with abilities far beyond the ordinary. It was an evolution in life level and existential state.
Most people pursue these only for a more comfortable and free life.
However, the leap in life level and existential state is extremely challenging to achieve, and no matter how much money or high status one possesses, many still find it impossible to accomplish.
This makes the value of cultivation evident, as cultivators can enjoy a carefree life that doesn’t rely on the sacrifices of others, but rather emerges from the gradual liberation of their mind and body.
If possible, He Kao only wished to enjoy life’s freedoms, a sentiment shared by many accomplished practitioners, he believed.
Yet, intriguingly, many already possessing cultivation don’t enjoy this life state but instead instigate various disputes... perhaps their desires are different.
He Kao informed Elder Li about the possibility that President Wei had been influenced by the Spirit Awakening Skill.
According to Elder Li’s analysis, if someone did use the Spirit Awakening Skill without being detected and even Mei Guyu couldn’t be sure, then the casting must have occurred before Wei Digao appeared on the scene.
Casting in advance rather than on the spot, and the technique’s effects still ongoing, indicates this person was likely at least a Tier Five Heart Stealer or even a Tier Six Illusion Master.
This was precisely what worried He Kao, for with Li Xiuyuan no longer in Qi Yuan, who could handle a Tier Six Illusion Master if something unexpected happened?
But this wasn’t something He Kao could worry about; he should focus on his own matters.
Latest news quickly came from the Magic Sect—the Layman Xingrui was no longer serving as Steward of the Alchemy Sect, replaced by the Tier Five Medicine Gatherer Geng Yanxin.
Traditionally, only Tier Five Cultivators can serve as Sect Stewards, as they assist the Sect Leader in managing the Magic Sect Grotto Heaven, necessitating at least a Tier Five Cultivation.
The Alchemy Sect, unlike the Lingxi Sect, could gather more than three Tier Five Sorcerers, so even with Xingrui stepping down, there were several candidates for the position.
Geng Yanxin belonged to the faction of the former Sect Leader Qi Nansheng, and with his cultivation and seniority, he should have become a Steward three years ago. He was also willing to engage in sect affairs, yet the former Sect Leader Qi Nansheng did not recommend him.
Recently, another Steward of the Alchemy Sect, Wan Zhongle, was punished and had his cultivation sealed for a year, during which Geng Yanxin temporarily took over Steward duties. Now, with Xingrui stepping down, it was natural for Geng Yanxin to officially become the Steward.
The official reason given by the Magic Sect was that Xingrui resigned to focus on cultivation in seclusion, but He Kao knew the real reason—she was under investigation by the Ancestral Hall.
Only high-tier sorcerers with responsibilities in the sect knew the inside details, but no one could speak recklessly before the truth was clarified.
He Kao received feedback from Li Xiuyuan, who was unable to capture Liu Haixiu. This disciple of the Magic Sect disappeared completely.
Even Elder Li was unable to trace Liu Haixiu’s whereabouts, suggesting he was likely eliminated. Xingrui was undoubtedly the prime suspect, which both benefited and disadvantaged her.
Liu Haixiu had disclosed Mei Guyu’s whereabouts to the Li Gongcheng couple, claiming Steward Xingrui had informed him. If he were dead, there would be no evidence. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎
Xingrui could completely deny it, saying Liu Haixiu was making baseless claims. The Ancestral Hall ultimately couldn’t do much except restrict her from participating in Magic Sect affairs until she cleared her name.
On the flip side, if she merely violated the Ancestral Hall’s gag order and it was proven, the punishment wouldn’t be severe, likely involving no longer serving as Steward, a public reprimand, and having her cultivation sealed for a time.
But if she violated the gag order and then killed to cover it up, harming fellow disciples, and if that were proven, she wouldn’t survive the consequences.
Xingrui might be gambling on a lack of evidence, as the Ancestral Hall couldn’t do much without proof. Yet her actions could also be to prevent more severe issues from unraveling.
Of course, there was another possibility—that Xingrui wasn’t involved at all, and she was suffering misfortune without cause, possibly never clearing her name...
He Kao couldn’t figure out what exactly these people were up to, but since they were targeting Mei Guyu, more probing actions were sure to follow.
When dealing with an expert like Mei Guyu, no one dared move recklessly, even though rumors said she lost all her divine power while going through trials to break through to Tier Seven cultivation... but what if the rumors were wrong?
So, they needed various methods to cautiously probe until confirmed, always using ordinary individuals. From what He Kao had seen, there had already been two such probes.
The first probe involved three thugs on her way home from work, all easily dispatched by Mei Guyu with a broken tree branch, but which also revealed some information.
Though Mei Guyu was skillful, she did not use divine techniques, perhaps because they weren’t needed against three thugs. But ordinarily, those thugs wouldn’t even have gotten close enough to harass her.
The second probe was President Wei Digao Wei, purely disgusting. Mei Guyu wanted to be an ordinary employee, so how would she handle such workplace trouble?
If Mei Guyu still had her divine cultivation, Wei Digao might not even have had a chance to speak. But Mei Guyu simply refused Wei Digao’s demands, which angered him, though ultimately, it was Qian Guran and He Kao who resolved the issue.
He Kao felt there would be a third probe, directly targeting Mei Guyu herself.
Since things were unexpectedly calm for him these days, he decided to focus on cultivation. His Tier Four Cultivation had reached the Realm of Knowing the Constant, and a breakthrough to Tier Five wouldn’t happen soon, so it was a good time to consolidate his mastered techniques.
He Kao recently perfected the Communication Skill, and now has begun to delve back into the Hidden Moth Sect’s Poison Detection Skill. This technique, a critical branch of the Communication Skill, had once greatly assisted him.
After perfecting the main technique, refining the branches feels both intricate and different.
The principle behind the Poison Detection Skill is simple: determine what is harmful and what adverse effects it may cause.
Once the Communication Skill is perfected, further cultivating the Poison Detection Skill not only aids in self-determination but also in assessing others, and even in judging animals and plants.
For example, chocolate is harmless to humans but can be toxic to dogs.
The process of this determination seems as though it can be felt, and even be simulated within the Primordial Spirit.
Recently, he has been "feeding" the Celestial Palace Curtain several Spirit Awakening Pills, maintaining a controlled rhythm. Whether it has an effect is still unclear, but at least it’s harmless.
As for the pearl mother clam beneath the glacier, after He Kao fed it one Spirit Awakening Pill, he did not give it more, as he sensed in its dormant state, it could not absorb and process further spiritual effects; more feeding could be harmful.
The Micro Realm Sect’s Artifact Identification Skill and the Alchemy Sect’s Medicine Identification Skill are foundational applied techniques, both of which He Kao has studied concurrently because their esoteric principles are interconnected. He seems to possess an exceptional talent in this area, having achieved the "Spirit Identification" realm.
Practical experience proves these foundational applied techniques are quite useful if practiced thoroughly and with the ability to draw analogies, enabling He Kao to uncover a third probe against Mei Guyu.
It was one noon when everyone went to the cafeteria for lunch. As Mei Guyu arrived, the chef had just brought out a new dish.
In a cafeteria where dishes are laid in large stainless steel trays, there was pure vegetarian lily stew with peas. Mei Guyu, while not averse to meat, preferred a vegetarian taste, and this dish was precisely one she loved.
As she carried her tray over, the dish was just put up, and naturally, she picked up the spoon to serve herself, but was blocked by He Kao.
In a public setting, He Kao couldn’t do much else, so he pretended to chat and used his Spiritual Sense Gathering Sound, saying: "There’s something wrong with this dish, eating it will cause an allergy..."
Mei Guyu, surprised, asked: "What kind of symptoms?"
He Kao replied: "Rashes will appear on your face and body, it’ll feel very itchy, and if scratched open, it might get infected. Other than that, it’ll clear up by the next day."
Mei Guyu nonchalantly said: "Then I’ll just eat it."
He Kao shook his head: "This isn’t just about you; others will suffer too, and if such an incident occurs in the restaurant, someone might lose their job..."
Mei Guyu: "Then just stop others from eating it."
He Kao: "Since I’ve found out, you can’t eat it either. Otherwise, how can I stop others but not stop you? It would obviously seem deliberate if you ate it."
The two stood in front of the serving station, whispering while blocking the dish, causing colleagues to pass by them and choose other dishes.
Then suddenly there was a clang, and both He Kao and Mei Guyu jumped aside. The stainless steel tray had slid off the serving station, flipped onto the floor, and bounced, spilling all the food.
Staff quickly came to clean up the mess. These stainless steel trays are supposed to be locked onto the serving station, unlikely to slip off; perhaps it wasn’t secured properly earlier.
The brief conversation meant they couldn’t continue whispering at the serving station, and He Kao decisively upended the dish tray, not allowing time for further explanation.
The prober’s methods were very subtle and ingenious, adding nothing to the dish, but there was an issue with both the lily and the peas, likely specially treated, causing allergies if consumed.
If it were He Kao from some time ago, even with his Poison Detection Skill, he might have missed it, as allergies are hard to pinpoint.
For example, peanuts can be life-threatening to some yet harmless to most, with people in the United States experiencing allergies whereas those in the Eastern Country may not. No one can definitively claim peanuts are toxic, as it relates to physique, environment, and cooking methods.
These two ingredients had been tampered with to cause allergies in the vast majority of ordinary people. Sorcerers who mastered Introspection could expel symptoms by circulating Divine Qi, rendering it harmless.
If Mei Guyu lost her divine powers, even if she retained introspection, she would be unable to circulate Divine Qi and would show allergic symptoms. Some wanted to see if she would eat it first, and then see if she’d be affected.
However, He Kao discovered it in time, quietly preventing a collective food poisoning incident.
After understanding the situation, Mei Guyu actually decided to just eat it anyway, possibly to let the prober see a certain outcome. However, He Kao couldn’t let her do that.
Apart from not wanting other colleagues to suffer allergies as well, he gave a very special reason: not letting innocent restaurant staff lose their jobs.
The working conditions here were good, mainly stable, and jobs were not easy to find nowadays. If there were a large-scale allergic incident, someone would definitely be scapegoated.
For ordinary people, it might be a major blow.
Fortunately, Mei Guyu heeded He Kao’s advice, and while sitting down to eat, she said to him: "You were right!"
**
PS: A thousand thanks to everyone for your blessings!
