He Kao bid farewell to Elder Li and returned to the Floating Colors Grotto Heaven, where the first phase of the Hidden Moth Sect's Ancestral Hall construction was nearly complete. According to the overall plan, it was an estate covering nearly fifteen acres, roughly in a nine-square grid layout.
The first phase mainly included the central main hall, the stone cave shrine building on the northern side against the mountain, with a focus on developing the "living area" in the southeast corner, where the disciples would practice and reside.
However, the place where He Kao usually cultivated was still the Cave Mansion in the Immortal Cauldron Palace deep in the mountains. He continued to refine the Celestial Net Umbrella there and eventually mastered its wonderful uses.
There can be a world of difference between magical treasures. For example, with something like the Sharp Qi Shuttle, high-tier sorcerers can almost wield it as soon as they acquire it, but He Kao had been refining the Celestial Net Umbrella intermittently for three days, during which he received guidance from Li Xiuyuan.
The main use of the Celestial Net Umbrella is protection. Once summoned, it can have a similar effect to a magic defense shield, but what intrigued He Kao more was another use: it could also be used to conceal one's form and aura.
How to describe it? Its transformation is like the invisibility cloak from a magic novel.
If placed in the hands of an expert in illusion techniques from the Xingshen Sect, this artifact could provide even more exquisite changes, but even in the hands of a disciple from the Hidden Moth Sect, it is reasonably appropriate.
Hilary once used this artifact to block a sky-descending attack from the Rainfall Divine Sword, but he couldn't retract it in time while escaping; otherwise, He Kao would have had to put in more effort to deal with him.
He Kao thought for a moment, then stepped into the central valley of the grotto heaven, calling over Lan Jiwan and Erjiao, who were practicing there. He handed the Sharp Qi Shuttle to Erjiao and the Celestial Net Umbrella to Lan Jiwan.
Erjiao and Lan Jiwan had both broken through to Tier Four Cultivation and now finally received the magical artifacts bestowed by their sect. They were, of course, excited. Lan Jiwan, in particular, was practically starry-eyed.
The Sharp Qi Shuttle is easy to handle, but the Celestial Net Umbrella requires another type of refining. He Kao instructed Lan Jiwan to speak to him after the refining was complete and to go to Qi Yuan at that time.
Lan Jiwan spent an entire week refining the Celestial Net Umbrella.
A week later, at night around eleven o'clock, she arrived as agreed at the campus of Qi Yuan University. From a distance, she saw the Sect Leader Senior Brother sitting on a bench by the roadside, seemingly looking in a mirror.
It was a very classical-looking hand-held round mirror, seemingly made of metal.
In the eerie night, with only the dim streetlights in the distance and a solitary figure sitting under the shadows of the trees beside the greenery, he was looking in a mirror, which almost maxed out the Eastern horror atmosphere, making one's hair stand on end.
But Lan Jiwan laughed, walked over to sit beside him, and curiously asked, "What are you looking at?"
What He Kao saw in the mirror at the moment was Luo Mingzhi.
Luo Mingzhi was sitting in her room staring blankly at her phone, but the phone's screen was dark. Her hair was disheveled, her face haggard, her eyes vacant, and she appeared much thinner.
This was the faculty single dormitory provided by Qi Yuan University, similar in layout to the small apartments at Sesame Apartment, which in this big city was already considered decent treatment.
Luo Mingzhi was a counselor at Qi Yuan University, or rather a former counselor.
At the beginning of the year, she was taken by the police for a cooperative investigation. Later, new evidence excluded her as a suspect, but she went through a series of changes, rendering her mental state unstable, unable to handle daily work.
Yet she was still an employee on the institution's payroll, continuing to receive basic salary and enjoy various fundamental benefits, basically meaning the school was supporting her.
This was nothing for an institution like Qi Yuan University, and the leadership didn't want to mess with it, nor did they want to bring it up, but lately, someone brought it up anyway.
The ones who raised the issue were some of Luo Mingzhi's former female colleagues. Although the police excluded Luo Mingzhi from suspicion of wrongdoing, they confirmed her inappropriate relationship with the missing Jiaobide, violating school discipline and making her a poor moral example for educators.
Moreover, she is now unable to handle her usual duties, having been absent for several months, and the school should persuade her to leave.
But the department leaders felt it was difficult to handle. Even if there was something between Luo Mingzhi and Jiaobide, it was private and didn't exactly justify action. As for her recent inability to work, it was due to mental and psychological issues, considered as a sick leave.
But since someone mentioned it and Luo Mingzhi had no backing, not doing anything didn't seem appropriate either.
Today, Luo Mingzhi received a notice from the department, in a concerned tone, suggesting that if she was ill, she should rest and receive treatment but was not suitable to continue living in the faculty single dorm. She was notified to move out by next month.
Later, a colleague called her, hinting that staying at Qi Yuan University was a dead-end and a waste of her youth, subtly suggesting she should apply for medical retirement or resign and find new opportunities elsewhere.
Luo Mingzhi's mind was blank, just sitting there in a daze, until she found herself sitting deep into the night...
Hearing Lan Jiwan's question, He Kao turned the mirror towards her.
Lan Jiwan leaned in to see only herself in the mirror, then laughed and said, "So you really were just looking in the mirror, Senior Brother. Are you trying to scare someone in the middle of the night?"
He Kao said, "Look again," as he slightly shook the mirror.
When Lan Jiwan looked again, she saw the scene of Luo Mingzhi sitting dazedly in the mirror.
One of the uses of the Shadow Mirror is that it can lock onto an area in advance with mirror reflection, and within the range of one's divine sense, one can take out the mirror and still see the situation in that area.
Usually, only the spellcaster can see this; to others, it just appears as a regular mirror unless the caster actively shares the mirror reflection with them.
Lan Jiwan said, "So it really is her! When the Sect Leader Senior Brother asked me here, I guessed it might be related to her. Hasn't everything been settled already... What kind of magical treasure is this?"
He Kao: "What you consider as the past, is not so for her..."
Not long ago, two experts separately came looking for Luo Mingzhi, investigating the disappearance of Jiaobide. Among them, Helary likely questioned her in her dreams, and Luo Mingzhi didn't sense anything unusual.
However, Julie barged into the dormitory at night for a face-to-face inquiry and even inspected various items. After the incident, Luo Mingzhi reported it to the police, but they couldn't find any clues and had to suspect that it was due to her mental instability.
Then He Kao introduced: "This item is called the Shadow Mirror, a replica of the Sect's Sacred Artifact Bone-Penetrating Treasure Mirror from the Observing Body Sect. I obtained it after slaying a traitor from the Xiao Alliance, and it has various wonderful uses..."
Lan Jiwan listened curiously and suddenly spoke, "Senior Brother is treating her body, you are truly kind-hearted."
The Shadow Mirror was originally a treasure of the Observing Body Sect, capable of long-distance spellcasting through mirror reflection. Not only can it weaken a person's vitality, but it can also help balance their energy and calm their spirit.
He Kao was introducing while demonstrating on the spot, using the Shadow Mirror to adjust Luo Mingzhi's Divine Qi.
Luo Mingzhi's dull eyes gradually regained a trace of clarity. Although still weak and haggard, she at least appeared less wooden and lifeless, as if recovering some vitality.
He Kao explained, "I'm just trying to do things as well as I can."
Lan Jiwan pouted, "It's my fault for not doing things well, please let the Sect Leader Senior Brother punish me!"
Although these words admitted fault, the tone sounded more like coquettishness.
He Kao shook his head and said, "Doing bad things and not doing things well are two different natures, so there's no question of how to punish you. But if at the time you had considered more carefully, it would have been possible to avoid unintended harm."
What does it mean to consider more carefully?
Lan Jiwan could have used Luo Mingzhi's appearance to set up Jiaobide, but only after entering the corridor could she do so. There are no cameras there, and no outsiders would see it.
But she could have changed her appearance when passing through the school and entering the corridor, as well as when carrying the cello case out of the corridor afterward. With Hidden Moth Gauze in hand, she could transform into a stranger unrecognized by anyone at any time.
Yet she consistently used Luo Mingzhi's appearance, clearly not considering the subsequent series of related impacts.
Lan Jiwan muttered softly, "I heard that Jiaobide reappeared later and then disappeared again, presumably it was the Sect Leader Senior Brother in disguise, to make amends for my mistakes... Actually, you've already done enough."
He Kao raised his head, looked into the distance, and sighed, "I used to think the same, but after encountering Helary attempting to make a love-controlling parasite, I truly realized a problem.
A Fifth Realm Cultivator like Jiaobide, if he intended to target an ordinary person like Luo Mingzhi, would have many means to manipulate her without her knowing. Luo Mingzhi not only could not resist, but might not even realize it.
Moreover, it's not that she did anything wrong, even if she had a romantic relationship with Jiaobide, that was her personal freedom. Jiaobide used her, but she didn't know Jiaobide's true identity, nor did she understand Jiaobide's intentions.
It was you who dragged her into this, otherwise, there wouldn't be today's issues."
Lan Jiwan argued, "Indeed, I didn't consider everything thoroughly, but the situation is not entirely as you say. We could find out her relationship with Jiaobide, and so could the police, and the Xiao Alliance could also discover it.
So even if I hadn't involved her initially, she couldn't have extricated herself. The police would come to her for information, and if the Xiao Alliance sent someone to investigate Jiaobide's whereabouts, they would still find her... She couldn't escape!"
He Kao smiled bitterly, "If that were the case, it would be her own responsibility or others' responsibility, not related to us. But it's not like that now. I met you today just to discuss how to do our duties well."
At this point, he sighed again, turned his head to look at Lan Jiwan and said, "Do you think she brought it on herself?"
Lan Jiwan quickly explained, "She certainly has her own responsibility, but she's not at fault to this extent. I also thought it was inappropriate afterward, but hearing that the Sect Leader Senior Brother had already made amends, I didn't pay attention again."
In fact, there are three different views on how to treat Luo Mingzhi.
The first is like Qian Guran, who believes Luo Mingzhi brought it on herself, perhaps deserves sympathy but shouldn't meddle further.
From an objective standpoint, Luo Mingzhi is Jiaobide's lover and his accomplice. Her actions were essentially to assist Jiaobide against the Magic Sect and Mei Guyu.
Since she is merely an exploited ordinary person, there's no need to trouble her further, and not kicking her when she's down is kind enough, let alone providing rescue.
The second view was once He Kao's, who believed Luo Mingzhi shouldn't have faced such an ordeal, and it was Lan Jiwan's inadequate consideration that led to later events.
Lan Jiwan was carrying out his entrusted task, so he had the responsibility to make amends afterward, but clearing her suspicion and getting her out was enough, without necessity or capacity to do more.
Lan Jiwan herself also holds this viewpoint.
As for the third perspective, it is He Kao's current mindset. It's hard to explain clearly in a few words. He retracted his gaze and seemed to mutter to himself, "Lan Jiwan, do you remember your former self?"
This light sentence pierced as sharply as a spike to Lan Jiwan, leaving her utterly heartbroken!
**
