Moth Seed

Chapter 37: Moth Species

Having settled his emotions, Ding Songyan left Chengyu Lane and headed toward North Water Street, along the way buying some sesame balls and steamed buns to wolf down a casual meal.

His original plan had been to promptly remind Xiaoqing, telling her that the person controlling her tailer possessed inheritances related to the vermilion moth, but he feared this would expose his possession of the Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas and his ability to pierce through illusions. Thus, he decided first to go storytelling for Yan Changqing to discuss the vermilion moth matter with this mysterious, powerful "distinguished guest," and then subtly hint at it to Xiaoqing.

This way, the information would have an overt "source" and simultaneously achieve the brilliance of killing two birds with one stone, allowing Xiaoqing to distinctly perceive Ding Songyan's mysteriousness while showing that Ding Songyan's information source was closely tied to the Zhen Estate. She and the faction behind her would consequently examine the Zhen Estate and every little detail with much greater caution.

Thinking of Yan Changqing, Ding Songyan suddenly slowed his pace.

He had already used his Qi twice today, and the hazy seed in his Sea of Consciousness had vanished!

This meant he could try reporting to the authorities again to see if it would succeed!

Ding Songyan immediately turned toward the location of the county yamen, and just as he reached the screen wall, he saw Constable Li Wu and a man also dressed in red-bottomed clothes with black patterns striding out.

"Second Brother Ding! I was just looking for you!" Li Wu's eyes lit up as he strode forward to greet Ding Songyan.

"Big Brother Li, what is this about?" Ding Songyan asked, feeling both puzzled and expectant.

Were they going to arrest me and check for whatever was special about my body?

Li Wu gestured toward the scholarly-looking middle-aged man beside him:

"You must have forgotten, this is Constable Xue-you used to call him Uncle Xue."

"Uncle Xue, is something the matter?" Riding the momentum of the situation, Ding Songyan inquired of Constable Xue Zhangjian.

According to the news he had heard from his own father, Ding Shengyi, Constable Xue was a lay disciple of the Body-Mind Heterodox Sect, a Buddhist monastic sect.

The Body-Mind Heterodox Sect was likewise a top-tier faction. The reason for its name was that there was also a Body-Mind Sect in the Feng Kingdom. The Body-Mind Heterodox Sect had split off from the Body-Mind Sect due to differing Buddhist philosophies and divergent martial arts lineages. They had traveled all the way south and finally established their sect in the Great Zhao, making them one of the relatively young factions among the top powers.

Xue Zhangjian's body was slightly bowed, his fingers curled into chicken-claw shapes, and he gave a slight nod as he said:

"Recount everything you know about Chenyu Liang from the beginning, exactly as it happened."

"They've found out about his abnormalities?" Ding Songyan felt a trace of surprise.

Xue Zhangjian and Li Wu nodded simultaneously, yet neither explained what the abnormality was.

Ding Songyan pondered for a moment, carefully weighing his words for a few breaths before saying sincerely:

"Big Brother Li, when I told you about it last time, I actually held some things back. That bulbous-nosed man-yes, the one called Wang Yishu-he talked about other matters at the time as well. He said I had sold a certain treasure to Chenyu Liang, and Chenyu Liang gave me a large sum of silver, telling me to leave Dingjiang Prefecture as soon as possible. Who would have thought that later on I would pass out in the ruined temple outside the city, only to be found by my family where not only was the silver gone, but I had even contracted disembodied soul syndrome and completely forgotten about this whole affair?

"When I asked Wang Yishu about other things, he seemed to know everything and told me everything without holding back, including what martial arts Chenyu Liang excelled at and what special traits he possessed..."

Aside from omitting the Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas, and hiding Ding Daniu's name by simply describing him as someone from the Zhen Estate, Ding Songyan completely recreated all the circumstances from start to finish.

Xue Zhangjian and Li Wu exchanged glances, each harboring doubts and speculations.

"You don't remember what the treasure was, nor do you remember where it came from?" Li Wu pursued the question.

Ding Songyan shook his head with utter candor.

I truly didn't remember it at the time, and only found out about it afterward.

"It seems someone behind the scenes is plotting." Xue Zhangjian muttered softly, then said to Ding Songyan, "Second Brother Ding, you may return home. If there are any further questions later, we will come looking for you."

Splendid! It would be best if Zheng Zhuxi of the Xiaoming Sect takes the lead so we can first forge a favorable affinity and see if I can give her a hint or two... Ding Songyan took his leave and exited the main street.

Just as he neared North Water Street, he abruptly realized he had "forgotten" once again to report the mysterious person locked inside the Zhen Estate's secret prison to the authorities!

It seems the power Yan Changqing implanted within my Sea of Consciousness isn't just a single strand. On the surface there's that 'seed,' but secretly there's something hidden as well, and that is the real culprit manipulating my thoughts and making me forget to do certain things... I must find a way to root it out... Otherwise, not only will I be unable to seek help, but at times I'll even be guided into doing certain things... Ding Songyan sighed, though he wasn't overly anxious.

This was because on one side was the Zhen Estate, and on the other was the vermilion moth inheritor lurking behind the scenes. Only by pulling Yan Changqing into the mix and obtaining "help" from him could he balance the situation.

Triangles were the most stable!

This truly could not do without a single component; once an edge was missing, Ding Songyan would soon be swallowed up by the collapsing situation without the slightest power to save himself.

As for Xiaoqing's faction, Ren Youyang's True Spirit Sect, along with the yamen and the Xiaoming Sect, were all still merely lingering on the periphery of the matter. Unable to disclose crucial information to them, Ding Songyan could only treat them as an irrelevant outer grand triangle and figure out a way to pull them in later.

Hah... Ding Songyan stepped into the Zhen Estate, covered his face with a black cloth as usual, detoured to the secret prison, and sat down opposite Yan Changqing.

"You used up that strand of Qi?" A cool sensation descended into Ding Songyan's Sea of Consciousness, reverberating into an aged, hoarse voice.

Immediately following, the cool sensation grew thick once more, condensing into a new hazy seed.

This old fellow has a deep foundation; squeezing him still yields quite a bit... Ding Songyan inexplicably felt as though he were "living off his elderly parents."

With the aid of the seed, his mind split into two once again, with half of it shrinking back and condensing into a figure.

Yan Changqing, still wearing the Huayang Headscarf and cyan scholarly robe, was already waiting within the fog-shrouded Sea of Consciousness, and said to Ding Songyan:

"Did you run into an unexpected mishap?"

Ding Songyan nodded, cupping his hands with due courtesy as he said:

"Answering Senior, True Spirit Sect's Ren Youyang helped junior discover that someone was tailing me-not just the Zhen Estate attendants.

"Later on, when he failed to catch that tailer, junior had no other choice but to use the Qi bestowed by Senior to attempt piercing through illusions..."

He did not conceal the fact that Ren Youyang was helping him, seeing as this opportunity had been calculated by Yan Changqing in the first place.

He recounted everything: the red ant-like moth he had seen at the time, the abnormality after the previous tailer's death, and the issues concerning Chenyu Liang and Wang Yishu.

Throughout this process, Ding Songyan kept his gaze fixed on Yan Changqing's face, purposely mentioning that he woke up in the ruined temple outside the city with many prior events forgotten, as well as the fact that Chenyu Liang believed the Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas was genuine and complete.

Mentioning the former was to see whether Yan Changqing had deduced the secret of his soul- seizing rebirth, while speaking of the latter was to observe whether this senior had any awareness of that "Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas" and what kind of relationship he had with it.

In the end, Ding Songyan found that Yan Changqing remained placid throughout, betraying neither joy nor anger, nor any trace of astonishment.

Was it that he was always like this, or that he had long known that the Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas was at least nearly complete? Ding Songyan paused and said,

"Senior, do you know which faction the stalker came from, and what their purpose might be?"

Yan Changqing, whose temples were streaked with gray, paced back and forth with his hands behind his back for a few steps.

"I saw one once in the Great Desert. That crimson flying insect shaped like an ant should be a 'Moth Species' cultivated through the Vermilion Moth heritage, originating from the Moth God Sect of the Feng Kingdom."

"What are they sticking their noses in for?"

A hint of puzzlement laced Yan Changqing's tone, and it was impossible to tell whether it was a genuine reaction or put on for Ding Songyan's benefit.

He pondered for a moment and said,

"The stalker you described is similar to the 'Mothmen' I once encountered, yet the behaviors of Chen Yuliang and Wang Yishu were not entirely the same.

"Normally, even upon reaching the Law Realm, the 'Moth Father' or 'Moth Mother' must remain within a hundred zhang to control a 'Mothman'. The closer they are, the more agile and nimble the 'Mothman' becomes; once within ten zhang, a 'Mothman' can use martial arts as usual and engage in a certain degree of conversation. Yet Wang Yishu spoke far too much, and even displayed thoughts of his own, as though he had never been controlled by the 'Moth Species'. As for when Chen Yuliang fought Yu Wanxiong to the death, according to your account, it happened inside the Stone Pool Martial Hall, where the 'Moth Father' or 'Moth Mother' could not have hidden within ten zhang.

"I had not previously witnessed this kind of 'Mothman'. It is truly peculiar, and I fear there are hidden complications."

It takes an old Jianghu hand indeed to instantly recognize the origins of the moth and spot the unusual details... Ding Songyan did not interrupt Yan Changqing's soliloquy of thought.

Yan Changqing's voice gradually lowered.

"Either someone from the Moth God Sect has secretly reached the Celestial-Human Realm, or there is another source of assistance.

"If there is another source of assistance...

"...The Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas..."

Abruptly, Yan Changqing halted his steps and stopped pacing back and forth.

A faint smile appeared on his lean, haggard face.

"It seems one of my old friends has arrived, though I wonder which one it is."

"What should this junior do?" Ding Songyan immediately asked for guidance.

Yan Changqing smiled and said,

"For now, do nothing and act as though you know nothing. Since the officials questioned you about the matter of Chen Yuliang again today, it shows they have also grown suspicious. Let us first see whether these two parties clash, and if they do, what kind of muddy waters they will churn up."

"Understood, Senior." Ding Songyan turned the topic and asked, "Will the Vermilion Moth cause ordinary moths to gather?"

Yan Changqing shook his head.

"I do not know. I have never seen it.

"Heh, I have only encountered a 'Mothman' once, and casually dealt with his 'Moth Mother'. Beyond that, I do not understand them well enough."

I will ask Miss Xiaoqing again later... Ding Songyan glanced at the clear, hazy "Seed".

"Can this strand of Qi still only be used twice?"

Yan Changqing immediately scolded him with a laugh.

"I spent many years pretending to be completely crippled just to save up a few strands of Qi. You cannot afford to squander it, otherwise subsequent matters will be difficult to handle."

Since you put it that way, it means the Qi is still quite plentiful... Ding Songyan agreed without any psychological burden, thought about it, and said,

"After leaving the Zhen Estate today, what should this junior do?"

"Try to find people from the Small Boat Gang," Yan Changqing said with a faint smile.

Ding Songyan let out an "ah" sound.

"This junior has already done so."

He briefly mentioned the affair at the Stone Pool Martial Hall.

Yan Changqing burst out laughing.

"Little friend truly suits my temperament! Had I met you before I was trapped in distress, I surely would have taken you as my disciple and led you onto the path of profound mastery in martial arts!"

Ding Songyan offered a couple of insincere words of thanks.

Yan Changqing paced another few steps, his tone calm as he spoke.

"Then go to the Dangkang Temple on my behalf and burn three sticks of incense."