He Kao hurriedly stepped forward to greet, and Li Xiuyuan asked, "I just received your message last night, and now you seek me out before dawn. Is there an emergency situation?"
He Kao: "It's not exactly an emergency, but I just confirmed that a Tier Five Heart Stealer from the Xiao Alliance named Hillary has arrived in Qi Yuan, secretly spying and investigating me, and I have scared her away..."
He explained what had happened just now without withholding any details.
Li Xiuyuan smiled faintly and said, "Waking me up in the middle of the night just for this? Couldn't you have told me during the day... Besides, it's quite normal for someone to investigate you, isn't it? You're quite suspicious yourself!"
He Kao was rendered speechless by Elder Li's words and didn't know how to respond.
Elder Li asked again, "Does it mean no one can secretly watch you even for a moment?"
He Kao: "Uh, that's not what I meant, but I feel..."
Li Xiuyuan interrupted him, "Think about it from another angle. What if you are the bad guy?"
This was practically sophistry, and He Kao retorted, "Whose side are you on? How did I become the bad guy?"
Li Xiuyuan: "I didn't say you are the bad guy, but from an observer's perspective, what if there's a possibility?
Don't forget, you've done a lot of spying on others, uncovering many wrongdoers... But before you thoroughly investigate, how do you know the other party is bad?"
He Kao spread his hands: "If you're going to talk like this, then I have nothing to say."
Li Xiuyuan laughed again: "I'm just telling you, this is nothing unusual. It's something you've been facing and will continue to face."
He Kao: "So, are we just going to let it be, allowing Xiao Alliance's experts to keep pulling tricks on me in Eastern Country?"
Li Xiuyuan patted him on the shoulder and said: "Of course not, but to be honest, this is your personal matter, at least temporarily.
Whenever someone encounters this kind of situation, the first thing to do is try to solve it by oneself. If it can't be resolved, you can explain the reason and seek help from the sect.
Also, if you find the situation suspicious, it's more prudent to report promptly to the sect and inform other members... That way, if something happens, at least there will be clues for the sect to investigate."
He Kao: "Alright, I'm reporting the situation to the sect now. This person's conduct is very suspicious, and the Ancestral Hall should take note."
Li Xiuyuan simply looked at him without speaking.
He Kao: "Why are you looking at me like this?"
Li Xiuyuan exaggeratedly said: "Thank you for discovering the situation and promptly informing me. A Tier Five Heart Stealer, such a terrifying expert, who will the Ancestral Hall send to Qi Yuan to investigate? Surely it won't be me, right?"
He Kao: "How could we trouble you? I'll handle it myself!"
Li Xiuyuan nodded: "Hmm, very good! Since you understand, why wake me up in the middle of the night?
You must know, there are only seven elders in the Ancestral Hall, Elder Jiang is in seclusion, Mei Guyu works in Qi Yuan, and another elder must stay in Phoenix Tail Town. At most, four can be spared.
These four people are very busy, so should an elder be dispatched personally to monitor any Tier Five cultivator that appears? Yet we still don't know their intentions, and must an elder watch them during meals and sleep?
You're Hidden Moth with Tier Five cultivation, and you are based in Qi Yuan, and they are targeting you. Who should be responsible for this?
If you can't handle it and want help, you can go to Mei Wenhua, or ask Mei Guyu; they both live in the same place as you!"
He Kao said quietly: "I just thought I should inform you, as some situations are difficult to explain to others."
Li Xiuyuan: "Informing me is proper, but you don't need to call me here in the middle of the night." He pondered and reminded, "Xiao Kao, you must prove sooner or later that you can handle things on your own. We're all watching you."
He Kao returned home from Dragon Scale Slope, sitting in a daze. The situation earlier was somewhat unexpected, like hitting two soft nails in a row.
According to his judgment, Hu Weidong should be very concerned about this matter, otherwise, he wouldn't have compiled Hillary's information so quickly.
Therefore, once He Kao confirmed Hillary's identity, he immediately informed Hu Weidong, hoping that Hu Weidong would handle this person. Unexpectedly, although Hu Weidong expressed thanks, he had no intention of taking action.
Hu Weidong had already provided intelligence support in consideration of their cooperation.
Then, He Kao sought out Elder Li, only to be met with some stern comments from the senior. Apparently, he wasn't very satisfied with He Kao's response.
He Kao realized he made a mistake; when someone is weak, they should learn to borrow influence; using stronger forces can better protect oneself.
Several elders have high expectations for him, protecting him with care... Over time, he unconsciously formed a certain path dependency, immediately thinking of ways to call for help whenever something seemed off, always managing to call on elder-level experts.
This is typical weakling thinking, almost like an overgrown infant mentality, always assuming someone more powerful will cover for one in any situation.
He Kao's current cultivation nearly reaches Tier Five Perfection, making him one of the top cultivators below the elders, and he is Hidden Moth with a slew of mysterious divine techniques.
Additionally, he possesses the Rainfall Divine Sword, Four Seasons Flower Screen, Moth Wings, Shadow Mirror, Hidden Moth Gauze, Ten Thousand Woods Rejuvenation Array Plate, a plethora of magical treasures suitable for both offense and defense, capable of fighting, fleeing, disguising, and hiding, being armed to the teeth.
Yet his mindset hasn't adjusted, still marked by habitual weakling thinking, not truly realizing he's now a strong figure expected to stand alone, unable to think of clinging to others when encountering problems. He himself is already a sturdy trunk for others to cling to.
