...
Qian Guran closed the door and walked back to the living room, a slight smirk on his lips as he sat down. He was certain he had found that Hidden Moth—the other party was merely an inexperienced young man, which aligned with the ancient rumors that Hidden Moths were ordinary people.
In recent years, clues suggesting the presence of a Hidden Moth had continuously appeared in Qi Yuan City, catching his attention. The truth of the rumors was unknown, but he investigated casually anyway, just in case he might discover something. To his surprise, he indeed found a lead.
His focus of investigation was historical cases, leading him to unearth the Zhou Du case from twenty years ago. He also visited around Zhou Du's old neighborhood and learned by chance that Zhou Du's son had been living in Qi Yuan City all this time, confirming the Hidden Moth rumors.
He preemptively rented an apartment here, setting the stage to approach and befriend He Kao, then successfully joined He Kao's workplace through external recruitment, naturally closing the social distance. The next step was to become an intimate friend in He Kao's life.
Qian Guran was very cautious; he did not want to alarm this Hidden Moth. He knew about Hidden Moths' secretive abilities; if such a person became alert, it would be very difficult for him to achieve his goal.
Qian Guran believed everything was progressing naturally and perfectly. Tonight, he had their first direct interaction, advancing from strangers to acquaintances. He could now observe the other person closely and gain his trust.
From tonight's interaction, it was evident that He Kao had no wariness towards him and was quite friendly. Qian Guran knew he wasn't mistaken because he was not an ordinary person either.
Qian Guran couldn't help but remember something his master told him: "When you make meticulous preparations and carry out every step perfectly, you will find that things are much simpler than you anticipated."
Sitting on the sofa with his eyes closed, he could clearly discern the arrangement of various items in the room. It wasn't seen with his eyes nor heard with his ears; it was an indescribable sense, or rather an outward projection of perception,
The projected perception seemed to form a scene in his mind, extending outwards, penetrating walls and corridors, adequately covering He Kao's apartment.
The ability to project perception is the measuring standard for a sorcerer breaking through Tier Three. The world's techniques are divided into seven sects: Observing Body, Microcosm, Xingshen, Heart Plate, Qi Observation, Alchemy Cauldron, Lingxi. Qian Guran hailed from the Qi Observation Sect, mastering the Qi Observation Skill to Tier Three.
Qi Observation Tier One is called Peeping Tom; Tier Two is dubbed Broker; Tier Three declares themselves as School of Cross and Vertical.
Qian Guran could currently perceive He Kao's every move. After He Kao closed the door, he hesitated for a few seconds, then went into the bathroom and sat on the toilet for quite a while. Was the guy constipated?
However, Qian Guran didn't know that He Kao, sitting on the toilet, was deep in thought and already suspicious of his appearance. Just as He Kao didn't know he had encountered a Qi Observation Sect's School of Cross and Vertical today; even with the door closed, he couldn't escape scrutiny.
Luckily, Qian Guran couldn't see He Kao's change of expression the moment after he closed the door. Qian's current field of vision could be described as something akin to a Primordial Spirit image, manifesting in the mind as three-dimensional outlines of walls and various objects.
The most distinctive feature in this "field" was He Kao himself. Beyond the human-shaped outline, there were layers of invisible aureoles like trailing ribbons, a unique skill from practicing Qi Observation Skill.
Qi Observation Skill doesn't look at objects nor just individual people, but at the "people among people." Hence, Tier One Qi Observation Sorcerer is not only called Peeping Tom but also jokingly referred to as "Adultery Catcher."
Having just started at his new job today, Qian Guran already discovered many interesting things among his new colleagues. For instance, he could see that He Kao and Xiaopang had a great relationship, genuinely so; He Kao trusted Xiaopang a lot.
However, it seemed Xiaopang had done something to betray He Kao, feeling guilty about it subconsciously, while He Kao seemed oblivious to it.
He also found Gao Xue'e quite interesting, having an unusual relationship with Qi Yuan Branch's President Fang Qizhi. The two definitely had something going on, or had a fling, but it seemed to be over now.
But during meetings between Fang Qizhi and Gao Xue'e, Qian could tell that President Fang still had feelings for Gao Xue'e, while Gao Xue'e had no such intentions towards him.
Even more intriguing, those who had feelings for Gao Xue'e included not just Division President Fang Qizhi, but also Huang Xiaopang.
The relationship between Huang Xiaopang and Gao Xue'e was quite poor. Every time he appeared, it triggered mood swings in Gao Xue'e. What was fascinating was Xiaopang's subconscious emotional fluctuations being equally peculiar.
Qi Observation Skill is not Spirit Awakening Skill; Qi Observation Sect's Peeping Toms are not Xingshen Sect's Disguisers, unable to directly sense others' emotional changes. Qian Guran inferred through external aura fluctuations.
This so-called aura is the ribbon-like invisible aureole surrounding everyone. Different changes signify different meanings that require prolonged observation and summary, with sect elders providing some common insights.
For example, Qian deduced Xiaopang's interest in Gao Xue'e from the interesting aura interplay shapes between the two when they interacted, rather than directly seeing it.
Unlike Fang Qizhi, Xiaopang might just like Gao Xue'e subconsciously while being unaware of it, with Gao Xue'e oblivious to it as well.
If Qian Guran were to voice his observational conclusions, Xiaopang would certainly flatly deny it.
Were He Kao to hear of it, he would be greatly surprised, then enlightened, subsequently lamenting—this is ridiculous! They're all adults; how is Xiaopang still so immature?
Being a newcomer, Qian Guran wasn't familiar with the project group's daily routines and wasn't as close to Xiaopang as He Kao was. Thus, he wasn't deceived by appearances and directly discerned the clues.
Qi Observation Skill has its limitations. To judge the relationship between two people, one must see them firsthand, and both must be present. If one sees one person first and then sees the other elsewhere, conclusions cannot be drawn.
Over a month ago, Qian Guran had already discovered He Kao's identity and happened to find out that He Kao moved into a new apartment, prompting him to do the same, renting an apartment directly opposite He Kao's. His projected perception conveniently covered He Kao's room.
He carefully avoided meeting He Kao for over a month until he was hired by the project group. Approaching He Kao through Xiaopang, every arrangement was seamless, confident that no one could detect any issues.
Qian Guran was after the Hidden Moth, more specifically the secret to becoming one, rumored to be a special item. Through nearly a month of observation, Qian had set a target and merely needed the final confirmation.
The legendary Hidden Moth Object was considered an incredible Divine Artifact, capable of granting ordinary people extraordinary powers. He Kao would undoubtedly carry it closely. But He Kao had no extra accessories, accustomed to checking the time on his phone, not even wearing a watch.
No rings, necklaces, bracelets, earrings; the only suspicious item was the pendant on his chest. The pendant might be many guys' only accessory; He Kao had one too.
Qian Guran could sense that the item was about four centimeters long, thick at the top, tapering to a hook-like shape, vaguely resembling a small chili. It was likely the claw of a large feline.
In Eastern Country, large felines are all protected species; trading in tiger claws or leopard claw ornaments is prohibited, suggesting it was an antique.
He Kao never removed the pendant whether sleeping or bathing. Qian thought of stealing it, but wasn't in a rush, preferring to observe further to understand how the Hidden Moth utilized the item.
Unfortunately, after all his peering, he hadn't discovered how He Kao "used" the item nor observed any instances of He Kao disappearing or appearing out of nowhere. Thus, theoretically speaking, he couldn't definitively confirm He Kao as the Hidden Moth.
Perhaps the item had some other method of use, and Qian couldn't possibly monitor He Kao 24/7. Sitting opposite He Kao today, he genuinely sensed that the pendant was extraordinary and had settled in his heart.
**