Hidden Moth-Chapter 280 - 152: Lies, Falsehoods, and the Search for Truth

Chapter 280: Chapter 152: Lies, Falsehoods, and the Search for Truth

Wu Yanjun lowered his head and said, "It’s possible... It wasn’t until I got to Uncle’s place that I heard that many sorcerers from the Micro Realm Sect, whether replicating or crafting things, like to keep a trick up their sleeve.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not about leaving flaws or backdoors or anything like that, sometimes it’s just a unique mark... With this habit, it’s possible they might leave a trick up their sleeve on other matters too... But why didn’t he tell me?"

He Kao thought to himself, since it’s a hidden card, how could he possibly tell Xiaowu whom he just met in the detention house, yet he said, "Since it’s a secret, the fewer people who know, the better, it’s also to protect you."

Wu Yanjun wore a pained expression and said, "I always thought there was something suspicious about my master’s death, obviously he was fine before he left... Could it be related to that ’Tan Xian’s Walking Stick Painting’?"

He Kao: "I don’t know about that, but I also suspect that what your master brought back to the Alchemy Sect was actually a fake he made, and what was left was the real one."

Wu Yanjun looked up again: "Why do you think that way?"

He Kao: "If it’s a fake, why would someone steal it during the exhibition?"

Wu Yanjun: "Many people, including my uncle, later speculated that Hidden Moth did it."

He Kao: "It may not necessarily be Hidden Moth, right? The Magic Sect also has experts, they have that skill too. But that’s not the point, whoever it is, why would they steal a fake?"

Wu Yanjun: "The one swapping it didn’t know it was a fake. The Alchemy Sect didn’t publicize that they took the real one."

He Kao: "If you know about it, how could the higher-ups of the Magic Sect not know? The most reasonable explanation is that what was stolen was actually the real one, and it contains great mysteries worthy of an expert’s attention — otherwise, who would bother stealing it?"

Wu Yanjun was a bit confused: "Hearing you say it like this, it’s possible."

He Kao: "You know about the incidents in the Magic Sect last year, and you were involved. It has been confirmed that Hidden Moth is active around Qi Yuan.

In this way, people remember the case from three years ago and guess that Hidden Moth stole the painting, but Hidden Moth had no reason to steal a fake.

Then the Alchemy Sect would suspect that what they took away was the fake. The painting must have something significant. Having researched it for such a long time without finding anything, they would definitely start to be suspicious.

But your master is gone, and if we want to figure out what’s going on, I’m afraid we’ll have to ask you."

He Kao went to great lengths to explain his guess, but Wu Yanjun was bewildered and said: "Ask me? But I don’t know anything!"

He Kao smiled wryly: "But they don’t believe that!

In their view, your master took you as his last disciple in the detention house, he must have confided something to you. That ’Tan Xian’s Walking Stick Painting’ might be very important or contained significant mysteries, which is why they want to find it.

They guess that the real one was taken by Hidden Moth, so searching for clues of the painting is also searching for clues of Hidden Moth. And you’re unlucky, being caught up in both matters!"

Wu Yanjun was almost overwhelmed, murmuring: "Why am I so unlucky... And who might they be?"

He Kao hinted: "The ones looking to retrieve the real one."

Wu Yanjun: "Who wants to find the real one?"

He Kao practically spoon-fed him the answer, and continued hinting: "The ones who got the fake."

Wu Yanjun finally realized: "The people from the Alchemy Sect back then?"

He Kao nodded: "For various reasons, they probably began to suspect that what they took away was the fake, or after so long, they finally confirmed it’s not the real one."

Wu Yanjun’s eyes widened: "I really admire you! I had no clue, but you somehow managed to analyze it so clearly."

He Kao: "I was just analyzing—why would those people set you up? Is it because they fancy your physique, or your family’s snack shop? After thinking it over, this is the only reason I can come up with."

He Kao didn’t say the last part, that he made these analyses because he was already sure that Zhang Yanfei didn’t hand over the real ’Tan Xian’s Walking Stick Painting’ to the Alchemy Sect back then, and extrapolated from that.

Wu Yanjun: "According to your analysis, it’s the people from the Alchemy Sect targeting me, but you just said, the ones chasing me these days are masters from the Xingshen Sect?"

He Kao: "There isn’t just one clever person out there. If I can think of these things, surely some in the Magic Sect can think of them too. The ones who want to catch you might not act personally, to avoid exposing themselves, they can have others do it from behind the scenes."

Wu Yanjun couldn’t help but feel a chill: "What would happen if they really caught me?"

He Kao: "You’d be taken to a secret camp, then someone would come to interrogate you."

Wu Yanjun: "Would I be tortured?"

He Kao: "Not necessarily, experts from the Magic Sect have other means to make you talk, but no matter what, they wouldn’t let you go back.

In the eyes of outsiders, you would seem as if you violated the Joint Punishment Order and escaped punishment, lost somewhere in the icy wilderness..."

Wu Yanjun shivered again: "The way you say it is as if you’ve seen it yourself, it’s too uncanny!"

He Kao smiled wryly: "Only you think it’s uncanny, I feel I’m still too inexperienced. The things I said just now are merely my guesses, without any evidence to prove them."

Wu Yanjun: "But it feels so real to me, the more I listen, the more it makes sense, but I couldn’t think of it myself... What’s at the bottom here? It smells strange and a bit sweet, tastes really good!"

As he spoke, he had almost finished the small pot of gruel, and at the bottom were fine substances.

He Kao: "I added a little bit of wild ginseng roots. The taste is bitter, didn’t you notice?"

Wu Yanjun: "I’ve been so cold these past few days that my taste has dulled, I just found it really tasty."

He Kao: "As long as it tastes good..."

Xiaowu felt deeply confused, his head just wasn’t working right. Things that he couldn’t figure out before, He Kao’s words almost clarified the identity, motive, and method of the possible suspect behind the scenes.

Vaguely, he had heard that He Kao was the secret disciple of Elder Jiang from the Lingxi Sect, could the Lingxi Skill be so incredible?

At this moment clearly without technique attacks, Wu Yanjun still felt dizzy, perhaps because he was finally full and started having a food coma.

**

PS: This is a two-in-one long Chapter.