Hidden Moth

Lin Qingshuang wasn’t very advanced in cultivation in the past, but she did have a way with health maintenance, appearing to be in her forties. Since breaking through to Tier Four cultivation, she felt younger and more spirited.

This was not an illusion, because He Kao could genuinely sense the vitality of a person.

Moreover, she unintentionally paid more attention to her personal image, a subtle change evident in her attire and other details.

If Lin Qingshuang and Gu Chun were to stand together, she would appear to be Gu Chun’s junior.

Lately, seeing Lin Qingshuang, He Kao couldn’t help but think of Gu Chun. Lin Qingshuang also obtained a Pure Yang Pill and its matching Peony pill and specifically invited Elder Gu Chun to take them together.

The reason He Kao knew was because he was the one who conveyed the message to Gu Chun for Lin Qingshuang... There must be something between these two, but as long as they didn’t bring it up themselves, He Kao definitely wouldn’t gossip, taking a lesson from Qian Guran.

In Qihuang Spirit Garden, Lin Qingshuang was delighted to see He Kao and personally brewed him a cup of tea, saying: "Good child, so busy with work yet you still came to visit me.

Stay for dinner today and take some things back with you, and while you’re at it, take a portion for Xiaopang too. It’s been half a month since anyone’s seen him, and Meng Ya always wants to run to Qi Yuan to find him..."

He Kao habitually called Huang Si by the nickname Xiaopang, which Lin Qingshuang later also adopted.

He Kao hurriedly explained: "Xiaopang recently got promoted to project director, managing three departments. He should be called President Huang now! Director Huang is, of course, very busy; he’s my direct supervisor and takes good care of me..."

Lin Qingshuang laughed and said: "Secular career development is a good thing, but be careful not to neglect your own cultivation... Do you have anything else besides visiting me today?"

"Actually, I have something specific to ask you! I summarized a set of advancement rituals and would like you to take a look and see if it holds any value."

Saying this, He Kao took out a piece of paper and handed it over—it was a handwritten version of the advancement ritual, concise enough to fit entirely on an A4 printout.

Lin Qingshuang took it and was immediately drawn in, poring over the less-than-1000-word content for quite a while, sometimes furrowing her brow in thought and sometimes showing enlightenment.

"You summarized this! How did you come up with it?" she asked, her gaze never leaving the paper.

He Kao: "Based on my personal experiences..."

He didn’t reveal any information regarding the Hidden Moth Sect, only mentioning that he found several friendly sorcerers to help him in experimenting on how to lift others’ seals, and unexpectedly broke through his own cultivation to Tier Five in Observing Body Skill during the process.

Lin Qingshuang immediately caught the intriguing part, looking up to say: "Xiao Kao, you’re already a Tier Five Healer!"

He Kao timidly nodded: "Yes."

Lin Qingshuang’s expression was a mix of shock and relief, and she stood speechless for a long time, recalling many things. At first, she thought highly of He Kao and wanted to take him as her disciple, but was snatched by a certain Elder.

From Lin Qingshuang’s perspective, according to clues she later found, the one who fought over the disciple with her should be Gu Chun.

Lin Qingshuang didn’t mind; in her view, having He Kao apprentice under a master like Gu Chun was a rare blessing, and she could still teach He Kao the Observing Body Skill!

The title of mentor and disciple wasn’t important as long as He Kao truly respected and valued his teachers and committed himself to cultivation; she hadn’t misjudged him.

Now it seemed she was quite foresighted! The Heart Plate Skill taught by Gu Chun, she wasn’t sure how He Kao was progressing, but with Observing Body Skill taught by herself, he had reached Tier Five, surpassing the cultivation of his own "mentor"!

Reflecting on it, she liked He Kao more with each glance... Hmm, since He Kao was Gu Chun’s disciple, it wasn’t much different from being her own direct disciple.

After a long while, she realized the more critical issue: "How did you come to consider doing this? Finding different people, being repeatedly sealed in cultivation, and then you unseal them — normal people wouldn’t do such a thing, right?"

He Kao chuckled bitterly: "Earlier this year, the major Magic Sects expelled a batch of Xiao Alliance infiltrators, sealing their cultivation. Did you hear about it?"

Lin Qingshuang: "I heard, and even told the Sect Leader Senior Brother—that was too lenient on those people!"

He Kao: "I heard too, and coincidentally had the chance to ask a certain Elder about the intricacies of sealing cultivation. The Elder told me, instead of being curious, why not try it yourself."

Lin Qingshuang said, half amused and half annoyed: "That meant just find someone to try it out on; who would have thought you’d go so far? You’re such a straightforward child!"

After considering, she sighed and said, "This counts as an unexpected gain, for you to actually summarize this advancement ritual."

He Kao laughed too, as he truly hadn’t anticipated it; presumably, Li Xiuyuan, who gave him that suggestion, hadn’t anticipated it either. Li Xiuyuan likely meant what Lin Qingshuang said — find someone to personally try it out, just understand what it’s about.

The greatest "credit" for this matter should belong to Lan Jiwan, who strongly insisted on being a volunteer, practically pestering He Kao to repeatedly unseal her... completely derailing the rhythm of this experiment!

If outsiders knew, they might misunderstand Lan Jiwan as having a masochistic personality.

Thinking so, He Kao said: "Senior, is it possible for this to be officially recognized as a valid ceremony by the Magic Sect?"

Lin Qingshuang pondered: "It’s merely based on your personal experience, and other key factors may remain undiscovered. Moreover, even a formally recognized advancement ceremony can’t guarantee success each time.

The next step is to find another Observing Body cultivator at Tier Four Perfection to complete this ceremony process. If the person can smoothly break through to become a Tier Five Wanderer, then there won’t be any problem."

He Kao: "Please forward this information to the Observing Body Sect, and if it’s officially confirmed and recorded into the heritage, don’t forget to inform me."

Lin Qingshuang put away the paper: "No need to wait for the future, I want to confirm it myself."

He Kao: "You yourself...?"

Lin Qingshuang smiled slightly: "Both my mentor and senior brother said that my talent is not poor, yet I was stuck at Tier Three cultivation for many years with no progress. Thanks to your appearance, and also thanks to Xiaopang and Meng Ya, I finally broke through to Tier Four.

My cultivation doesn’t grow slowly, and recently after taking the Pure Yang Pill, I’ve achieved Tier Four Perfection. I initially planned to undergo tribulation and promotion by myself like last time, but unexpectedly, you brought me a whole new ritual.

This ritual suits me perfectly, this is fate."

Advancing cultivation can be assisted by rituals or without them. When Lin Qingshuang’s cultivation was stuck at Tier Three Perfection, relying on rituals did not succeed; eventually, she broke through by undergoing the Heart Demon Tribulation herself.

The advancement rituals of the Observing Body Sect mostly relate to guiding disciples.

For example, upgrading from a Tier Four Physician to a Tier Five Healer, the most effective existing ritual requires guiding two different disciples to cure ten different ailments each, with both disciples having a cultivation below Tier Four.

The diagnosis of ailments can only be based on the cultivation of Observing Body Skill, no other diagnostic devices can be used.

The cultivator can provide diagnostic conclusions and technique guidance, but must not directly perform treatments; all treatments are to be carried out by the disciples. Moreover, these ten cures must be consecutive with no failures between.

Interestingly, the ritual for a Tier Three Healer to advance to a Tier Four Physician is for the disciple to independently complete the above process without any guidance from the mentor — solely relying on the cultivation of Observing Body Skill to diagnose and consecutively cure ten different ailments.

Although Lin Qingshuang has achieved Tier Four Perfection in cultivation, she is not yet equipped to complete this ritual, as her two disciples Huang Si and Meng Ya are still lacking in skills.

The ritual He Kao delivered today perfectly fits Lin Qingshuang’s situation!

He Kao reminded: "Senior, this ritual requires quite a bit of effort, and there’s some risk involved for the volunteers."

Lin Qingshuang nodded: "I am aware, but with my connections, finding help won’t be difficult. As for the risks, as long as we are sufficiently cautious, the issues are actually manageable.

To prevent accidents, each time I dispel a seal for someone, I can have Wild Phoenix brother oversee the ritual, making it even more secure..."

He Kao realized he was worrying unnecessarily, as Lin Qingshuang’s background and connections were solid. She had a sisterly bond with Elder Ye and a complicated relationship with Elder Gu, capable of handling these matters.

However, he still reminded: "Breaking through from Tier Four to Tier Five is best done within the Sect Grotto Heaven or with some profound insights."

Lin Qingshuang: "I understand, I’ll soon head to Pijing Grotto Heaven."

She made two phone calls and summoned Meng Ya and Huang Si. Meng Ya was nearby, but Xiaopang was rare not working overtime today and had returned to his mother’s in Pugang Town, arriving an hour and a half later.

Lin Qingshuang instructed her two disciples: "I need to go to the Sect Grotto Heaven, which will take about two months. The matters of Qihuang Spirit Garden and the company are handed over to you. If you’re uncertain about anything, consult Xiao Kao."

She then said to He Kao: "Xiao Kao, please also keep an eye on them for me, don’t be shy if anything comes up!"

The three juniors nodded in agreement, and Lin Qingshuang embarked for Pijing Grotto Heaven that same afternoon. She acted decisively, originally planning on staying for dinner with He Kao, yet in the end, she didn’t even have dinner herself.

Her departure seemed to make Meng Ya the happiest.

Lin Qingshuang usually was the strictest with Meng Ya, always keeping her by her side, not only instructing and supervising technique cultivation but also urging her to learn various businesses.

Now with the mentor returning to the Sect Grotto Heaven, she handed over Qihuang Spirit Garden, the pharmacy, and the company to Meng Ya and Xiaopang. Xiaopang still had to work, so Meng Ya became the actual person in charge... surprisingly becoming a leader!

Recently, she and Xiaopang have been dating and secretly practicing dual cultivation, but couldn’t openly display any affection while the mentor was around. Now they were finally free.

He Kao did not bother to watch the two being affectionate, sensibly saying: "Chat away, I won’t disturb you."

Xiaopang: "Where are you going?"

He Kao: "Back to Qi Yuan."

Xiaopang: "Why don’t you give us a ride? I came in a hurry today and left the car at the company, it was by taxi. My mom mentioned several times wanting me to bring Meng Ya home for a meal, it’s a good time today... why don’t you join us for dinner?"

He Kao: "No, I need to go back to the company to work overtime, and I don’t have a car either."

Meng Ya: "Oh! This Qihuang Spirit Garden is a bit remote, it’s not easy to call a cab."

He Kao couldn’t help but say: "You are now the ones in charge here; doesn’t Qihuang Spirit Garden have vehicles? Just drive one, if you don’t want to drive, you can have a driver take you!"

Meng Ya then realized that now she and Xiaopang were the decision-makers, and Lin Qingshuang’s company certainly has cars, and there are more than one parked at Qihuang Spirit Garden. How could she not think of this?

Xiaopang also said: "Yes, pick the most impressive one and drive back! Xiao Kao, we’ll take you along to work overtime."

He Kao said with some frustration: "Thank you, Director Huang!"

**