Hidden moth

Chapter 242: Fireworks, People Approach, Evening Fragrance

The Awakening Incense isn't an elixir, so refining it isn't difficult. A fourth-level cultivation level is all it takes, and no elixir furnace is required. The biggest difficulty in refining it is finding the ingredients, requiring the best-grade Cold Needle Jade and Heavenly Palace Curtain. But for He Kao, that's no problem.

In the process of successfully refining his first tube of awakening incense, he also learned the world's incense-making skills, including processing incense coils and incense sticks... High-level warlocks really learn things quickly.

Not only did he learn his trade quickly, but he also had great access to rare spices, easily reaching their origins. Opening a shop like the Aroma Shop would have been a good way to make a living, but he remained at his old job.

There is no need to use all the means, cultivation is the foundation, the key is to live comfortably. When the awakening incense was refined, it was already January of the new year, and He Kao's business trip mission at Huishi Mingpin was finally over.

He had originally planned to stay home until the Spring Festival and then return to work after the holiday. However, the manager at Huishi Mingpin gave him leave and even offered to cover for him, claiming he was still working at Nanhua before the holiday.

He Kao was a down-to-earth man. He knew that his so-called cover-up couldn't be hidden from anyone. From company leaders to department heads, from the elders of the clan hall to the sorcerers of Qiyuan, who knew his movements? So he returned to Qiyuan honestly.

The department manager was very nice to him, saying that he had been busy on the business trip for so long and gave him a few days off to rest.

Gao Xue'e was still the department head, but a deputy director, Huang Si, had been added. Huang Si continued to serve as the team leader, still in charge of He Kao's project team.

According to what Mr. Qian had said in advance, promoting Huang Si to deputy director was only the first step. The next step was to promote Gao Xue'e to deputy general manager, and Huang Si would be promoted to department head... He Kao's life would be more comfortable.

He Kao himself didn't want a promotion, but he didn't plan to resign either. He felt that this job was quite interesting, and it was getting easier and easier and he was becoming more and more adept at it.

Many people have imagined that if a worker suddenly picked up a golden finger one day, such as obtaining a certain "system panel", and became rich and capable, what would he do then?
This person is most likely going to resign, and not only will he resign, but he will also have to put on a show, pretending to be competent, pretending to be presentable, pretending to be solemn... The onlookers were shocked, and those who once looked down on him were slapped in the face one after another.

Anyone who has ever offended him will be punished, especially those anthropomorphic leaders. But not everyone has a grudge against him. For example, Mr. Qian is quite nice to him.

At this time, you can say: "Lao Qian, you are a good person. If you encounter any difficulties in the future, you can come to me..."

"The Buddha said the golden finger is not a golden finger, but it is called a golden finger." This is the "Diamond Sutra syllogism", which many people may find difficult to understand. But its inverted version "Captain Jia's syllogism" is easy to understand -

"I have to go to work even without the golden finger. Even with the golden finger, I still have to go to work. Doesn't that mean I have the golden finger for nothing?"

This clearly expresses dissatisfaction with the current situation and a desire for a breakthrough improvement in the situation, so that one can do whatever they want - but He Kao has never thought about not going to work.

Because this is no longer a problem for him and he no longer feels anxious about it, including his aunt's family who once gave him a lot of headaches.

The so-called current situation is dynamic and constantly changing. Although He Kao is still working as a programmer in the company, he feels like a hidden figure in the city.

So what if he's at a high level? Didn't Old Man Jiang's beloved disciple, Wei Luo, a fifth-level inquirer from the Lingxi Sect, also come to work at Qiyuan? Mei Guyu, the head of the Danding Sect and a peak sixth-level sorcerer, will also be coming in a few days.

Moreover, He Kao had already completed the classic plot of the cool novel "conquering the beautiful and sexy female supervisor" when he took the first step into cultivation.

"I feel like there's something wrong with you. You seem a little bad. What are you thinking about?"

He Kao's thoughts were interrupted by Wei Luo opposite him. It was right to feel that something was wrong, as he was just beginning to have some bad thoughts.

He Kao came back to his senses and quickly smiled, "I was just thinking about work and summarizing some workplace experiences. It's a pity that you're resigning. I heard you don't plan to work after the Spring Festival?"

Wei Luo: "There's nothing good to do in this crappy company. I'll leave after I get my year-end bonus. Even if I have to return to the workplace, I plan to find a new job."

He Kao: "You're actually planning to change jobs. Are you addicted? Have you ever considered starting your own business?"

Wei Luo: "If I start my own business, I'll be addicted to work. Although this company isn't great right now, it's still quite interesting to work here. I've learned a lot."

He Kao: "You look so sad, is that because you're going to resign?"

Wei Luo sighed and said, "That's not the case! I just feel sorry that I have to go on a fast after this meal. You cooked it so deliciously, um..." At the end of his words, he actually made a strange sound.

Wei Luo picked up a piece of slightly charred pork belly, dipped it in the sauce prepared by He Kao, and added several other ingredients. He then wrapped it into a square shape with a piece of tender leaf. He took a bite of half a piece and chewed it carefully, closing his eyes with an intoxicated look.

The last time I saw Old Man Jiang in Fengwei Township, the old man specifically mentioned He Kao, saying that even when he returned to Qiyuan in the past two months, he had not asked Wei Luo to have dinner with him, and his words seemed a little dissatisfied.

So after He Kao returned to Qiyuan, he took advantage of the few days off and specially invited Wei Luo to dinner at his old home in Pugang Town. In today's Shu Sect, this dinner was quite high-end, and it was the treatment of an elder.

But unlike when he entertained others, the ingredients chosen by He Kao for this meal were all those that could be found nearby, and they were basically home-cooked dishes. The reason was simple: Wei Luo was just too picky about food.

This kind of pickyness is not about taste, but she can tell the origins of various things. For example, in a bowl of spicy soup, Wei Luo can understand the origins of various ingredients, as well as information about transportation and processing.

The young leaves and buds of Tiangonglian are also food ingredients. They can be used to stir-fry meat or make soup. If the young leaves are used to wrap barbecued meat, they will be more fragrant than the Yunxi leaves on the table, but He Kao didn't dare to take them out.

In reality, Yunxi leaves were no ordinary item. They made a better barbecue wrap than perilla leaves, and even better still, they were harvested from the nearby White Horse Mountain. If there was something fishy about the origin of the ingredients, Wei Luo might notice it, and then he could uncover some clues, potentially exposing He Kao's secrets.

Whenever He Kao sees Wei Luo now, he will habitually do a full body check-up. Not the kind you’d get in the hospital, but the clothes he wears and the things he carries must all have their origins, including the dishes served on the table.

The only thing left was the fake animal claw pendant, which he had been wearing since the two of them first met, and many people knew its origin, so He Kao had been wearing it all the time. This was also the only flaw he had left.

Facts have proven that even a Level 5 Inquisitor cannot directly identify the Hidden Moth. Of course, He Kao didn't dare to take out the pendant and let Wei Luo directly handle it carefully.

Fortunately, as far as He Kao knows, this ability of asking passers-by is not omnipotent, and it is ineffective against "humans".

Even ordinary people have vitality and spirit, and are in a state of circulation and operation at all times, which will wash away a lot of information, making it difficult to directly interpret the detailed experience. This is especially true for higher-level cultivation.

Otherwise, Wei Luo would just need to take a look at He Kao, or touch him twice, or even bite him a few times, and he would be able to tell that he was a hidden moth.

Although it is difficult to make a direct judgment, the Lingxi Sect sorcerers have many ways to draw many unexpected conclusions through indirect means, so He Kao is still very cautious in front of Wei Luo.

Seeing Wei Luo exaggerating, He Kao said modestly: "It's just an ordinary home-cooked dish, how can it be as good as you say."

Wei Luo opened his eyes and said, "Home cooking, who can use the techniques of alchemy in cooking?"

He Kao smiled again: "I just happened to be learning alchemy recently. Although I haven't made any magic pills, I have gained some experience in controlling the heat when cooking."

Wei Luo ate the half piece of leaf-wrapped meat again, swallowing it with great pleasure before asking, "What kind of meat is this? So tender and fragrant!"

He Kao was slightly startled. Couldn't she tell the difference? Why was she acting so curious? But he still answered cooperatively, "Wild boar meat."

Wei Luo: "Wild boar meat isn't delicious. How can it taste like this?"

Even though he knew the other party was acting, He Kao became interested and explained with a smile, "It's a small wild boar, the kind with stripes. The meat is not tough or smelly. In fact, it's also very good for roast suckling pig. I just didn't have time today."

Wei Luo: "Little piggy is so pitiful."

He Kao: "Is it delicious?"

Wei Luo wrapped another piece of barbecued meat, stuffed the whole thing into his mouth, and said incoherently: "It's delicious, you have to eat it with big mouthfuls, don't let it down... Where did you get the little wild boar?"

He Kao: "I caught them in the nearby Baima Mountain. A few years ago, hunting wild boars was prohibited, but now they're rampant. The township just issued a notice recruiting people to hunt them.

I didn't report to the village to be a hunter, I just went up the mountain and caught a small one myself, which can be considered as a silent contribution."

Wei Luo's eyes widened as he said, "An unsung hero! I heard there's a bonus for hunting wild boars, two thousand yuan per pig."

He Kao: "Forget the bonus, save some money for the government."

Wei Luo: "But you fried it so well, it's not just because of the meat and the leaves."

He Kao: "Because the oil I use is also very special, sycamore seed oil—jade sycamore seed oil."

Wei Luo: "No wonder, this meal is so luxurious!"

He Kao: "How can I put it this way? Actually, it didn't cost a penny. The cost was almost entirely labor."

Wutong seeds can be used to press oil. The jade wutong tree in Pugang Town produces different kinds of wutong seeds every year, including ordinary wutong seeds and jade wutong seeds from the third, fifth, seventh, eleventh, thirteenth, seventeenth, nineteenth and twenty-third years.

Jade sycamore seeds that are more than seven years old can be used to refine spiritual medicines for spiritual practice, and other sycamore seeds also have tonic effects. They can be directly fried as snacks or pressed for oil.

He Kao was more extravagant. He saved the jade sycamore seeds of seventeen, nineteen and twenty-three years old, and according to Old Man Jiang's instructions, took them directly as elixirs to replenish his spirit.

He used all the other varieties of sycamore seeds that ripened last year to extract oil. The towering, centuries-old trees might produce a seemingly large number of seeds each year, but even collecting them all yielded only a meager three pounds of oil.

This is because He Kao used the method of extracting things with his spiritual consciousness, and not a single bit was wasted. If the oil was extracted using the ordinary method, the output would probably not even be two kilograms.

So the oil used to fry the pork belly today is actually a magic medicine for replenishing vitality. Regardless of whether it is replenishing or not, it tastes really delicious when made with He Kao's craftsmanship.

**
PS: Please double the monthly ticket!
(End of this chapter)