Hidden Moth-Chapter 541 - 308: All Play at Being Clever, Borrowing the Knife and the Clothes (Part 2)
He Kao thought for a moment, and finally frowned and asked, "When I checked in yesterday, I saw the secret code at the hotel, meaning the owner is not home. Whose property is the Beiyuan Manor?"
Li Xiuyuan: "That’s the private property of Zhao Ci, a disciple of the Observing Body Sect. Zhao Ci is the Direct Branch Master of the Huailin Lineage, and he indeed has not been here recently. He’s still in Phoenix Tail Town..."
The so-called Huailin Lineage is the inheritance left by the founder of the Observing Body Sect, Zhao Sanjin. Over seventy years ago, Zhao Sanjin was the Sect Leader of the Observing Body Sect. He had a Daoist name Huailin, also known as Huailin Daoist. Zhao Ci is his great-grandson.
Zhao Ci himself is in Phoenix Tail Town at the moment. Recently, he has been networking extensively and trying to build connections, all for the Pure Yang Pill.
In his view, the Huailin Lineage has contributed significantly to the refining of the Pure Yang Pill, providing many spirit medicines. If a representative is to be chosen to receive a reward, it should certainly be him, Zhao Ci.
However, during internal evaluations within the Observing Body Sect, his contributions ranked second, after Lin Qingshuang. Then, during the Ancestral Hall’s evaluation of who should receive the final Pure Yang Pill, Zhao Ci again ranked second, just after He Kao.
Missing opportunities twice like this, he is understandably disappointed.
Since the allocation scheme was announced by the Ancestral Hall, Zhao Ci hasn’t left Phoenix Tail Town, still trying to network with those who have obtained the Pure Yang Pill, hoping to consume it together.
Therefore, the events here seem unrelated to him personally.
But from another perspective, perhaps Zhao Ci thinks that if He Kao were eliminated, the last Pure Yang Pill from the Ancestral Hall should be his, so he may wish for someone to plot against He Kao.
Of course, this is only idle speculation; without evidence, Li Xiuyuan cannot say anything rashly. But He Kao has no such scruples in front of Elder Li, and immediately sneers, "He’s so impatient, isn’t there a next batch coming?"
Li Xiuyuan shakes his head and says, "No one can guarantee that refining the Pure Yang Pill will succeed. What’s more, though there might be another batch of Pure Yang Pills soon, the Peony won’t see another batch for a while, which, for him..."
He Kao interrupts, "Why is there no next batch for the Peony? I still have a set of Xue Guanghan and its Primordial Pearl Mother, and I’ve given it to Senior Lin Qingshuang."
Li Xiuyuan calmly says, "That’s exactly what I’m referring to. The other spirit medicines for refining the Peony can be gathered fairly easily; the exception is Xue Guanghan and its corresponding Pearl Mother, which are difficult to find. Many people are aware of this.
Slowly searching should yield results eventually, but it’s unknown when, and there’s no sudden availability."
When Lin Qingshuang brought a set last time, she stated she only had one set, but then you brought out another set, unbeknownst to others.
Elder Jiang instructed the Ancestral Hall to suppress this news, so at least Zhao Ci is unaware. Therefore, he believes there’s no hope for a second batch in the short term... But who doesn’t want to improve their cultivation qualifications as soon as possible?"
He Kao questioned, "If I died, would the pill just become his? How does that make any sense?"
Li Xiuyuan: "Of course, it doesn’t make sense, so the Ancestral Hall will block this loophole, extinguishing such hopes. Even if someone meets with an accident, the Pure Yang Pill he deserves will be handed to a designated Dharma Successor... You can designate someone now."
He Kao puffed his cheeks without speaking, turning his head away, ignoring Li Xiuyuan.
Li Xiuyuan noticed his displeasure and chuckled, "You never know, it might not be Zhao Ci who leaked your whereabouts. The national high-speed rail ticketing system can be accessed to find your travel itinerary... This doesn’t count as suspicious evidence."
He Kao also took a room card out of his pocket, flicking it like a dart and said, "Someone could find out I’m taking the high-speed rail to Dangguan County, fine, but how could they know I’d check into the Beiyuan Manor?
When I checked in yesterday, the front desk clerk asked for my ID and actually processed a normal registration. Furthermore, she checked the computer, which contained my reservation information, including name and contact details!"
This statement seems odd; isn’t it normal to book and register in advance at any hotel? But sometimes what is considered normal is actually abnormal.
Why does He Kao have to go all the way to Beiyuan Manor?
More importantly, the hotel room was booked specifically for He Kao by Elder Jiang! Just how much influence does Zhao Ci have that even Elder Jiang would go out of his way to take care of the business?
In the information age, connecting to the internet makes everything highly convenient, but it’s a double-edged sword, also easily leading to the leakage of personal information and even privacy.
The existence of the Magic Sect and its techniques is unknown to ordinary people, so many things require caution when navigating Jianghu, and there are many implicit rules.
Hotels like Beiyuan Manor, owned by Magic Sect disciples, imply a Jianghu rest stop if booked through Magic Sect channels, negating the need for normal registration procedures.
Even if owner Zhao Ci is absent, the staff is certainly trained internally, knowing when to handle situations uniquely.
The room Elder Jiang secured for He Kao should not have had specific identity information accessible on the hotel’s front desk computer.
Once He Kao arrived, he only needed to report an order number for the front desk to understand: this person is a friend of the owner, and they should arrange for them to stay in a prepared room without processing usual registration.
But when checking in yesterday, the hotel front desk didn’t follow "internal rules" at all.
While this wasn’t a major issue, perhaps with no owner, it was overlooked or the contact was forgotten. If He Kao had not encountered any problem, there wouldn’t be much concern, yet he did run into an accident, demanding explanation...
So, He Kao has plenty of reason to be upset, directly tossing the room card at Li Xiuyuan to express his stance.
Li Xiuyuan caught the room card and remarked, "Kid, quite the growing temper you have."
He Kao: "People can’t always be without temper, right?"
Li Xiuyuan sighed, "If Zhao Ci intended to scheme against you, someone was scheming against him too. If things went wrong here today, Chen Fengli clearly intended to frame him.
Everyone is sharp; the biggest illusion in this world is always believing oneself to be the only clever one!"
He Kao still maintained a grim expression, "No, no, I wouldn’t dare to assume I’m clever. You and Elder Jiang possess true wisdom!"
Li Xiuyuan looked at him and smiled wryly, "You’re so petty, still angry?"
He Kao: "I’m not angry about your and Elder Jiang’s arrangements, but such things can’t make me happy! Plus, I was really hurt earlier, nearly couldn’t hold on, still haven’t fully recovered!"
Li Xiuyuan laughed while explaining, "If I had intervened earlier, this Treasure Mirror would have to be taken back to the Ancestral Hall and couldn’t be considered your trophy." Speaking, he tossed over a long-handled mirror shaped like a Palm Leaf Fan.
He Kao agilely caught it, losing the sour expression, and turned with curiosity, asking, "Master Li, what kind of magical treasure is this?"
Li Xiuyuan pondered, "It’s also my first time seeing it, but if I’m not mistaken, it should be a replica of the lost Sect’s Sacred Artifact, Bone-Penetrating Treasure Mirror from the Observing Body Sect..."
His tone deliberately slowed, pausing for effect, and He Kao exclaimed, "What, the Sect’s Sacred Artifact of the Observing Body Sect? How could I dare to keep it!"
Li Xiuyuan smiled again, "You’re so easily unsettled! I haven’t finished speaking; it should be a replica of the legendary Bone-Penetrating Treasure Mirror..."
