Hidden Moth-Chapter 368 - 207: I Prefer to Suffer Myself

Lan Jiwan knelt on a cushion, very upright, resembling the ancient seated posture of the Eastern Country, with a slight nod, her upper body held very straight.

He Kao stood in front of her, reaching out as if to touch the top of her head, seemingly touching yet not touching, because his hand was glowing.

Upon closer inspection, he was pinching a piece of Xue Guanghan with three fingers. The cold, bright light seemed to be gathered, shining right in front of Lan Jiwan’s forehead, like an invisible stream of water entering her body.

Lan Jiwan’s entire body emitted a faint glow, and He Kao’s other hand seemed to have snapped his fingers silently. All the lights in the Martial Arts Hall went out, making the glow even more apparent.

Even through her clothes, the aura of her body was faintly visible. The parts exposed outside of her clothing, such as her cheeks, neck, and hands, appeared semi-transparent, truly like ice skin and jade bones.

This scene had an element of eeriness, two parts mystery, and an additional seven parts ethereal spirit, reminiscent of an ancient Eastern poem: "An immortal touches my crown, knot hair to receive eternal life."

The two remained in this posture without moving, and in the silence, more than an hour passed. From Lan Jiwan’s pure white, glass-like figure, a faint wisp of gray mist finally began to disperse.

This was seen through the Primordial Spirit Heart Image, or rather just a sensation, as it couldn’t be seen with the naked eye.

Another moment passed before He Kao finally put away the Xue Guanghan and spoke in the dark: "The poison in your body hasn’t seeped deep yet. I’ll perform the spell and refine it for you three to five more times, and then it will be completely eradicated. Until then, refrain from practicing the Insect Concealment Skill."

A Tier Three Sorcerer in both sensory and body has reached a very healthy state, and any prior ailments would have improved; otherwise, breaking through Tier Three wouldn’t be possible.

However, Lan Jiwan’s case was quite special; poison and illness are two different things. She had poisoned herself, and despite being cautious, inevitably, toxins were absorbed, subtly unnoticeable but troublesome to expel.

The method He Kao just employed was very much like the technique of the Observing Body Sect, and although he had not concurrently mastered the Observing Body Skill, he could simulate it using the magical treasure’s marvelous application. Xue Guanghan inherently aids in cultivating ice skin and jade bones, and this process conveniently refines the Furnace.

After breaking through Tier Four, He Kao mastered the Artifact Control Technique, and Xue Guanghan became a true magical treasure... Divine Techniques and magic aren’t necessarily for fighting; they can also be used for healing and detoxification.

Lan Jiwan remained kneeling, naturally lowering her head to salute, saying: "Thank you, Sect Leader Senior Brother!"

He Kao had left her alone, not only to remove the poison but also to experience the Artifact Control Technique he had just mastered and to feel the true marvels of Xue Guanghan.

He Kao held Lan Jiwan in high regard, just like encountering a piece of irresistible uncut jade, somewhat understanding the feeling Lin Qingshuang once had upon seeing him... This Lan Jiwan was naturally a prodigy for cultivating the Hidden Moth Skill!

His training approach with Ye Liangcheng and Lan Jiwan was different.

Ye Liangcheng had always been practicing the Micro-Entry Skill, except for a period where an unexpected incident made him somewhat discouraged and lax; during all other times, he was very diligent, which was commendable, especially without anyone supervising.

Ye Liangcheng’s situation was not suitable for extraneous issues; after supplementing the Fundamental Heart Method, he should continue practicing the Micro-Entry Skill and the sect’s applied techniques, ideally waiting until he breaks through Tier Four before training in the Hidden Moth Skill.

If Ye Liangcheng can’t break through Tier Four, no one can guarantee that a particular sorcerer will surely break through the Demon Realm, then under Tier Three Perfection, with cultivation stagnated, he should maximize practice of various applied techniques while trying to concurrently master the Insect Concealment Skill.

As for Lan Jiwan, He Kao thought that letting her switch early to officially practicing the Hidden E Technique was a better choice, but before that, the latent toxins in her meridians and organs needed to be completely cleared.

Spells like today’s will still need three to five more sessions, totaling about a month.

During this period, Lan Jiwan can first try to become familiar with the Hidden Moth Sect’s unique application techniques, such as the Poison Detection Skill, which she already has a foundation in the Artifact Identification Skill of the Micro Realm Sect, making it easy to learn.

Further, she can start comprehending the Communication Skill from scratch, and also attempt to begin practicing the Stealth Skill.

Interestingly, Lan Jiwan had also learned the Earth Formation Skill from the Heart Plate Sect, not deeply proficient but she already entered the basics, taught by the Bitter Tea Sect.

It seems the Huiming Shi Family, despite being a warlock family of the Micro Realm Sect, had collected various techniques from other magical sects through various means. Bitter Tea isn’t a good thing, but its ability is indeed strong; the sooner such people die, the lesser the harm they cause.

Though He Kao hadn’t cultivated for a long time, he is, after all, a Tier Four Cultivator and had received the inheritance from Old Man Jiang and Floating Colors Grotto Heaven, making him quite knowledgeable.

He fully understood one thing, why some people desire a master so earnestly, thinking their attitude sincere and firm, yet the experts simply don’t accept them. In most cases, whether someone is suitable for cultivation or how they should cultivate is apparent at a glance.

Some people are evidently unfit, so why waste time, energy, and various resources? Although there might be occasional misjudgments, such instances are quite rare.

For example, Ye Liangcheng and Lan Jiwan, while both possessing outstanding talents among ordinary people, were still distinct in He Kao’s eyes. This doesn’t mean Ye Liangcheng is inadequate, rather that he is more suited to cultivating in a different manner. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

He Kao valued Ye Liangcheng’s character more, as this person was honorable and kept his promises. Two instances can verify this. First, he didn’t receive the project funds initially but still paid all the workers’ wages in full.

Secondly, when Bitter Tea suddenly disappeared and failed to leave any other instructions, Ye Liangcheng still stayed at the secret base, not touching the millions worth of cash, gold, foreign exchange, or other spirit medicines.

This kind of person is most suitable to guard the house; handing over the base to him, letting him manage the logistics, is exceedingly reliable.

...

After He Kao left, Lan Jiwan finally didn’t have to hold on any longer. She slumped to the ground, breathing silently but heavily, her chest heaving as her pale skin flushed crimson, instinctively curling her body.

The scene just now seemed so ethereal, but Lan Jiwan was soaked all over, her clothes clinging uncomfortably to her body, yet when she introspected her internal organs and furnace, she felt light and clear.

He Kao didn’t turn on the light afterwards because he didn’t want her to feel embarrassed. With their current cultivation levels, did it make a difference whether the light was on or not? Psychologically, it did make a difference, making one feel as if still hidden in the darkness.

He Kao utilized the wondrous effects of Xue Guanghan’s methods. It looked simple but wasn’t too complicated, but it had a prerequisite: Lan Jiwan’s active cooperation, and she had to completely relax.

Lan Jiwan first needed to completely release her form and spirit, without the slightest resistance, actively allowing He Kao’s divine sense and magical power to invade her internal organs and meridians, traversing to every part of her body.

This required absolute trust, because in such a state, He Kao could end her life with just a thought, even if he didn’t intentionally intend to harm her, a careless mistake could seriously injure her.

He Kao could even leave hidden restrictions inside Lan Jiwan’s body, which she could barely detect, as in this state she was completely undefended and couldn’t defend herself.

Of course, Lan Jiwan was willing to actively cooperate. He Kao had resurrected her; so what if she handed over her life to him? Moreover, he was expending his mana to heal her.

But even if her body cooperated and was willing psychologically, Lan Jiwan could not adapt to this state... After all she’d been through over the years, she could barely open up her form and spirit to anyone without reservation.

It’s not that she doesn’t want to, just that she can’t!

This is entirely different from the so-called throwing caution to the wind, like a pig indifferent to scalding water. She needed to truly engage to experience and guide the other’s divine sense, cooperating with He Kao to complete the spellcasting.

However, she had to do it even if she couldn’t, otherwise He Kao’s magic would not be fully effective. Actually, He Kao was more exhausted than she was, but he said nothing, just holding Xue Guanghan, casting spells silently, waiting for her to adjust her state.

Thus, more than an hour passed in silence, He Kao almost thought today’s attempt would fail, but finally, Lan Jiwan entered the state, successfully dispelling a trace of hidden poison from her meridians and internal organs.

This was also a kind of trial, or rather a test. He Kao did it deliberately, he had to, because Lan Jiwan’s mindset had issues.

He could guess what Lan Jiwan’s heart demon was. Talking was useless; it needed a graspable method for her to understand herself—refining the furnace was also refining the mindset.

Some might say, isn’t this just PUA? Some people learn a term and like to use it everywhere, but they can say what they like.

What Lan Jiwan truly needed to accept was actually herself. If she couldn’t achieve that, her cultivation would be hard to advance further. She should be able to refine Hidden Moth Skill entry, becoming a Tier Three Explorer, yet it would be difficult to break through to Tier Four.

He Kao had no experience with this either, it was his first attempt, and only after casting the spell did he notice something off. The marvels of Xue Guanghan were indeed wondrous, and he wasn’t wrong in his thinking.

This method, however, was not advisable to use lightly on others... He could only focus his heart and mind genuinely on spellcasting, without saying anything else.

And what did Lan Jiwan feel like?

He Kao’s mana was both gentle and fierce, gentle in such a careful way as to avoid hurting her, since no matter how high her cultivation, the internal organs and meridians are always fragile.

By fierce, it referred to the subtle, profound energy it contained, necessary to dispel the poison that had long entangled in the body.

Lan Jiwan felt completely seen through from inside out, as if she had no secrets... She was terrified, not of He Kao, but of this feeling within herself.

She was so tense she tried hard not to shiver, her body hair stood on end, something she had never experienced before.

The two of them had no physical contact, He Kao was concentrating with spellcasting, it was impossible for him to have such thoughts at a time like this, otherwise, it would disrupt the process.

Talking about eroticism here would be too vulgar, that’s just what ordinary people do. But this feeling, more than any kind of intimate touch... his divine sense accompanied by mana completely entered and filled every part of her body.

This made Lan Jiwan unable to adapt, but she eventually managed to open up herself completely without reservation, experiencing the wondrous effects of Xue Guanghan on refining the furnace and dispelling hidden toxins.

As she relaxed and slumped to the ground, she also felt an unprecedented comfort, indescribable, almost causing her to moan.

After a long while, Lan Jiwan finally stood up and went upstairs to take a bath.

During this time, she had also created a residence for herself, also a meditation room for cultivation, on the third floor of this building, with the help of Ye Liangcheng, equipped with water and electricity, simply decorated.

Changing into dry clothes, Lan Jiwan wanted to cultivate for a while, not to cultivate the Hidden Moth Skill Foundation Establishment technique, but to do some sitting meditation to consolidate the effect of the recent "treatment".

Yet she couldn’t calm her mind and was inexplicably still a bit excited, already thinking about the next "treatment", reminiscing the sensations earlier, instinctively feeling tense and even a little scared, but more so expectant.

Lan Jiwan slowly adjusted her breathing, trying to calm down. That was when she thought of another matter, concerning the Huiming Shi Family, she had forgotten to tell the Sect Leader Senior Brother due to the previous state.

**