CHAPTER 203: CHAPTER 109: OBSERVING BODY, OBSERVING MYSELF, AND OBSERVING OTHERS

Peng Xian also told her that assigning her to the emergency center as an operator was to trace the whereabouts of the Hidden Moth... Hearing these words, He Kao’s feelings were a bit complicated.

But He Kao did not interrupt her, just listened quietly. His primary goal was to determine whether Meng Ya was genuinely deceived or if she was Peng Xian’s accomplice and an accessory?

Therefore, he couldn’t provide any information first. He mentioned the Observing Body Skill’s technique content just to gain trust, to make Meng Ya willing to speak up.

The best way to determine truth from falsehood is to verify with known situations, and the most important verification information is the recording that He Kao already has.

The choice of this particular place for the meeting was itself a strong hint, Meng Ya couldn’t help but recall.

If Meng Ya was vague, he would also ask in detail. In such cases, through her answers, he could also determine whether Meng Ya was hiding something or lying deliberately.

But Meng Ya not only mentioned the events of that day, she also explained them in great detail, trying to clarify various issues without any hint of concealment.

Since that day, she hadn’t seen Peng Xian again, only contacted him via phone. Before the Golden Week, Peng Xian said he had something important to deal with, and then there was no news...

After she finished speaking, she looked at He Kao expectantly.

The shop next to the café, facing the street, was a simple Western restaurant. In the position separated by just one wall from He Kao and Meng Ya, Lin Qingshuang slapped the table hard, cursing angrily, "That Peng Xian truly deserves to die!"

Across from her, Wild Phoenix leaned on the table edge and seemed to cast some technique, making Lin Qingshuang’s table-slapping silent and unnoticed by others.

Wild Phoenix: "Indeed he deserves to die, but the stupid things he did here are another matter. Just by pretending to be an Observing Body Sect sorcerer and deceiving a little girl into practicing the Observing Body Skill, he didn’t deserve death."

In my judgment, this was likely a progression ritual he designed... it was indeed malicious!"

Today, He Kao met with Meng Ya and didn’t inform anyone else but notified Lin Qingshuang, because he had no experience dealing with such matters, let alone that Meng Ya was training in the Observing Body Skill, still considering herself a "prospective disciple" of the Observing Body Sect.

But He Kao didn’t expect the matter would even alarm the Ancestral Hall Elders, and Lin Qingshuang had called her senior brother as well.

Wild Phoenix was physically very close to He Kao; if not for the wall, she could almost touch his shoulder.

Only to hear Wild Phoenix ask mysteriously, "Qingshuang, this girl is quite good-looking. Do you think that boy He Kao might be tempted by her beauty and take the opportunity to bring her back for comfort?"

Lin Qingshuang rolled her eyes at her, "By your logic, that’s not being tempted by her beauty."

Wild Phoenix immediately corrected, "Yes, yes, yes, do you think he might be overflowing with kindness and want to help a beautiful woman in distress?"

Lin Qingshuang: "If he had any ill intent, he wouldn’t be doing this today, nor would he have notified me. I’m just worried the child is too young, too kind-hearted, underestimating the dangers of the world and might suffer."

Wild Phoenix laughed, "Not that young, she’s no longer a child; she’s already an adult. Just believe in him, he can handle it well... If not, I’m here too!"

Lin Qingshuang: "I just wanted to give you a heads-up, so if anything happens, we have a trump card; I didn’t expect you to come personally."

Wild Phoenix shrugged, "There’s actually such a matter. I’m also quite curious."

On the other side of the wall, He Kao looked at Meng Ya, with a hint of compassion deep in his eyes, and slowly said, "You have a story, and so do I.

My name is He Kao, originally Zhou Youzhi. My father was Zhou Du, the Zhou Du Peng Xian mentioned to you, the Hidden Moth from twenty years ago..."

He Kao recounted his experiences, starting from being unexpectedly found by Wu Yanjun. Later, Qian Guran invited him to meet with himself and Lin Qingshuang. It was then that he realized what was happening around him and the danger he was caught in.

He Kao spoke the truth but omitted a few things, such as the recording, the incident where he and Gao Xue’e were held captive that night, the meeting with Elder Jiang... and Huang Si and his own Hidden Moth identity.

These were things he hadn’t even told Lin Qingshuang, let alone Meng Ya. The experiences he shared were already known to the upper echelons of the Magic Sect, but they were shocking enough.

He Kao also mentioned the orders from the Hall of Sect Rules, the announced decrees, the decisions made, and the series of investigation results that followed, clearly revealing Peng Xian’s identity.

A group of scheming disciples gathered in Qi Yuan, intending to seize the Hidden Moth Object, but ended up disappearing collectively. The Magic Sect’s top brass deduced they failed to harm the Hidden Moth and were instead eliminated by it, including Peng Xian.

He Kao refrained from adding any personal judgments or speculations, simply presenting the known circumstances as truthfully as possible.

Peng Xian wasn’t an Observing Body Sect sorcerer but a Xingshen Sect sorcerer. From the beginning, he deceived Meng Ya; guessing his intentions was pointless, but sending Meng Ya to Qi Yuan as the emergency center’s operator left no need for further explanation.

Much of what Peng Xian told Meng Ya about sorcerers, techniques, and the Magic Sect was incomplete.

The technique Peng Xian taught her had no subsequent content, nor did it lead to a progression ritual for advancing to a Tier Two Roaster. In theory, she couldn’t continue her cultivation to a higher realm.

The rules for introducing disciples to the Magic Sect and interacting with fellow cultivators weren’t as Peng Xian described at all.

Peng Xian didn’t seem to intend to genuinely introduce her to the Magic Sect. Otherwise, by tradition, after she became a Tier One Diagnoser, she should have been recommended to a senior in the Observing Body Sect.

Although Meng Ya was naive, she wasn’t stupid. She found these facts hard to believe, yet deep down she understood—what He Kao said should be true!

For a moment, she didn’t know what to do and ended up crying on the spot.

Meng Ya cried, hiccuping and sniffling, her tears like pear blossoms in the rain, while He Kao just sat across from her quietly, which alarmed Xiaomiao behind the cashier counter.

Xiaomiao brought over a pack of tissues for Meng Ya and then glared at He Kao, "What did you do to wrong her?"

He Kao replied helplessly, "She’s crying, not because of me."

Meng Ya also wiped her tears and intermittently said, "It’s for another reason... nothing to do with him!"

"Oh, so you’re here to comfort her?" Xiaomiao’s tone shifted, glancing around, "This situation might easily be misunderstood... Well, you two talk, I won’t disturb you."

Two tables of customers settled their bills and left while curiously glancing at He Kao, and the café now had no other guests. Xiaomiao hid behind the cashier counter, scrolling through her phone.

At this time, another person pushed the door open, seeing He Kao at a glance, and exclaimed, "Xiao Kao, is this your friend... what’s wrong, do you need help?"

The newcomer was the new colleague Yang Lingxi, seemingly just off work from the office building. The way she addressed him as Xiao Kao was a bit awkward, as He Kao was older than her and they were merely colleagues.

He Kao waved his hand, "A friend has a private matter, thank you, no need for your help."

Xiaomiao also stood up and said, "Sorry, beauty, it’s already 9:30, we’re closing."

Yang Lingxi was surprised, "Then how come they’re..."

Xiaomiao: "They just ordered, their things haven’t been finished, but we’ve stopped taking orders now." With that, she deftly turned off the other lights in the store, leaving only the light above He Kao’s seat on.

This was a hint for others to leave, so Yang Lingxi had to exit the café, and then Xiaomiao packed up her things and said, "He Kao, I’m off work first, remember to lock the door when you leave."

Xiaomiao actually left too, hanging the closed sign on the glass door, leaving the whole dim café to He Kao and Meng Ya.

With that brief interruption, Meng Ya had stopped crying, and with red eyes, she puzzledly asked, "Why did even the staff leave, and told you to lock up?"

He Kao: "I used to work here, I know everyone, and I know how to lock up... but let’s not talk about that. I want to ask, what are your plans for the future?"

Hearing this, Meng Ya felt like crying again, but she was somewhat clear-headed, tearfully asking the most crucial question: "How can I know that everything you said is true?"

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