"Are you going or not?" Jiang Daozhen asked He Kao.

"Not going, definitely not going!" He Kao replied decisively.

The essence of the Hidden Moth lies in its unpredictability; no one knows where a moth might appear from the darkness. If someone prearranges the time and place for its appearance, it loses the true meaning of "hidden."

Even if the Sect Law Hall elders keep their promise and no one monitors the scene, the Hidden Moth can take the item in less than half a second, yet He Kao still wouldn't go.

The Magic Sect has all sorts of incredible means; who knows, someone might find a clue through them.

He Kao is very clear-minded, and the Spirit Lock Array is meaningless to him, at least for now. Even if his Insect Concealment Skill could break through Tier Four, where would he find three high-tier sorcerers to activate this array together?

Acquiring the Spirit Lock Array's only current use would be preventing others from using it against himself. But He Kao had already taken the Earth Spirit Banner, so the array couldn't be used anyhow.

Taking such a risk for a meaningless gain is not worth it, in He Kao's view. Many people might be unable to see through the preciousness of the Spirit Lock Array, but He Kao sees it clearly—just as Li Xiuyuan praised him for.

Jiang Daozhen: "If you refuse this reward, whether you don't go to take it or reply to decline the Sect Law Hall, it will still show a flaw to people. Those in the know will sense your guilt and infer your details."

He Kao: "Choosing the lesser of two evils, it's better not to go. As for my details, don't forget everything is dynamically developing; tomorrow's me will be stronger than today's me."

Jiang Daozhen: "It's quite confident of you to think that way! So what's your plan, to reply and decline?"

He Kao: "I heard that Phoenix Tail Town's businesses are quite strong, but they are not publicly listed, making them mysterious, and outsiders can't figure out the specifics."

Jiang Daozhen: "What do you mean, are you so desperate you want to borrow money from the Sect Law Hall?"

He Kao laughed: "Of course not! I'm thinking if I agree to return the Earth Spirit Banner, what benefits could the Magic Sect offer me?"

Jiang Daozhen: "You really are crazy! Elder Li praised your prudence last week, and now you want to go wild with this idea? Returning the Spirit Lock Array to the Sect Law Hall means it might be loaned out to deal with you; are you risking your life for profit?"

He Kao: "I don't mean that, I'm just trying to assess the value of the Spirit Lock Array."

Jiang Daozhen: "Seems like you still want it, huh!"

Of course, such a fine thing as a Spirit Lock Array, who wouldn't want it? He Kao only worried about the risks within, so he kept silent, considering it a tacit acknowledgment.

Jiang Daozhen suddenly asked: "How do you know Phoenix Tail Town's enterprises are quite powerful, who told you? You can't find such reports online; even if there are, they get deleted."

He Kao: "I was just about to tell you, yesterday I ran into your precious disciple Wei Luo."

Jiang Daozhen: "Oh, that's good... You better not bully her!"

He Kao: "I didn't lose my mind, why would I bully her? I treated her to a meal, and we had quite a pleasant chat."

Jiang Daozhen automatically ignored the latter sentence: "You might lose your mind after all? The Jade Phoenix Tree Seeds I gave you are enough to support your practice before breaking through Tier Three, you shouldn't be consuming other things carelessly."

He Kao: "I am a poison-detection-skill expert assassin; why would I eat random stuff!"

Jiang Daozhen switched tone: "Did you use coax her into revealing information; otherwise, how did you know so much about Phoenix Tail Town's enterprises?"

He Kao: "I didn't coax information from her, just chatted about our hometown situations. These things she didn't say; they are my own deductions."

Indeed, He Kao did not inquire much on this topic. If he asked at all, he only asked one question: "Do you have local rural enterprises over there, and what type are they?"

Wei Luo only answered with: "Yes, they're all doing quite well."

He Kao knew that many of the Huiming Shi Family's industries were taken over by the Sect Law Hall, including Yan Congfei's Kangran Group, with many specific procedures handled by Yao Shaolan.

What intrigues He Kao is the name under which the Sect Law Hall took over these industries, which ties into the asset management system the Sect Law Hall established for the Magic Sect.

Operating these assets with modern corporate structures poses a risk to the Magic Sect because its top design is privatized logic.

Even if shareholders are dispersed and there are various types of share nature in a listed company, evidently, it's under this logic.

Therefore, the Magic Sect's asset owned by the Sect Law Hall cannot be held by one or a few shareholders at the top, not even Sect Law Hall elders.

Because elders will also retire, they will pass away... There are great risks in inheritance matters.

If that were the case, over time, the industries managed by the Sect Law Hall would see many situations similar to the Huiming Shi Family. Will the reclaiming of Huiming Shi Family assets lead to the emergence of another Zhang Family or Li Family in the Magic Sect?

A system written in the Eastern Country's Constitution is quite suitable for such situations. Many enterprises in Phoenix Tail Town are established under the name of village collectives or communal collectives.

It sounds somewhat outdated to the ears, yet remains the top design for the management and operation of industry by the Sect Law Hall and various Magic Sects.

These enterprises also engage in holding or shareholding other corporate groups through external investments, and then these Level 2 enterprises manage other industries, such as the takeover of Kangran Group.

There was a significant period when modern corporate restructure reforms were popular in society.

Many collective enterprises in Phoenix Tail Town are very low-key, yet they haven't escaped attention. Quite a few people have tried to help them reform, with some even introducing foreign corporate groups for acquisition.

But all these reform efforts failed, and those who enthusiastically promoted or tried to forcibly push these efforts ended up leaving mysteriously.

So the Ancestral Hall's enterprises have retained their form, being specifically operated by various Magic Sects.

He Kao's pondering of these matters was obviously driven by a desire to understand the Magic Sect's foundations. Economic relationships are more crucial than organizational structures, as they reveal the nature of many things.

These were the thoughts in his mind, but Jiang Daozhen overheard them inadvertently, thinking Wei Luo had revealed the Magic Sect's situation to He Kao.

However, that was not the case, and Jiang Daozhen didn't say more, but asked, "The letter from the Ancestral Hall, what do you plan to do about it?"

He Kao: "Since the Ancestral Hall wants to thank me, couldn't they be a bit more sincere?"

Jiang Daozhen: "Enough! Don't be so sarcastic. I'll just send the items to your home in Pugang Town; make a trip home this weekend."

He Kao: "Thank you, sir! How should I reply to the letter then?"

Jiang Daozhen: "You don't need to reply, I'll handle it, Elder Gu knows what to do. Just follow the Ancestral Hall's plan, leave the items at the designated place, and let them disappear! Whether Hidden Moth takes them, no one will see anyway."

He Kao: "Good, this approach of yours really is a hundred times more effective!"

Jiang Daozhen: "Alright, remember, this Saturday, come back early. I still need to introduce you to an Elder. It's the first meeting, we have to at least treat them to a meal, so you must showcase your culinary skills!

By the way, what did you treat Wei Luo to eat yesterday?"

He Kao: "Spicy soup... Let me explain, sir, she ordered it herself. I clearly said she could choose anything, yet she insisted on strolling the promenade and pointed to the spicy soup shop herself."

Jiang Daozhen scoffed, "Why did you ask her? Couldn't you have just taken her to a restaurant you picked?"

This reasoning makes no sense, but He Kao didn't argue, obediently replying, "I was wrong. Next time, I'll go with your suggestion! Or better yet, let's not wait for next time, I'll invite her this weekend so you can meet her too."

Jiang Daozhen: "No! Just tell her that she's to continue her training at Qi Yuan and not to seek me out. Training is training, don't always assume the Master is always covering you, don't mention this to her."

He Kao: "Alright then."

Jiang Daozhen: "When the time comes, don't use spicy soup to fool anyone, there'll be esteemed guests, it would be terribly embarrassing for me."

He Kao: "Absolutely not, what would you like to eat?"

Jiang Daozhen: "We'll decide at the time, we'll order the dishes on the spot."

From his tone, it felt like dining at a restaurant, ordering dishes on the spot. He Kao thought, specialty dishes from the Pugang Town area are quite abundant, selling all kinds of dishes; ordering, buying, and cooking on the spot would be feasible.

Fast forward to the designated time, Hidden Moth indeed took away the Spirit Lock Array from the forest park in the north suburb of Nanhua City. As for how it was taken, no one saw.

The Ancestral Hall didn't publicly announce this, but it wasn't kept completely secret either. Some people still managed to find out and couldn't help but admire Hidden Moth's boldness!

Actually, this was part of He Kao's disguise because besides the three elders from the Ancestral Hall, no one knew Hidden Moth had changed its identity. Hence, He Kao acted as Hidden Moth at times, and deliberately mimicked Xiaopang's style.

Saturday came around, and He Kao returned home early in the morning to wait. Luckily he arrived early, as shortly after tidying up, Old Man Jiang strolled in with another elder.

He Kao warmly welcomed them, saying, "Uncle Jiang, you've arrived? Please sit down and have some tea... Who is this elder?"

The other person appeared much younger than Jiang Daozhen; around forty, with a prominent forehead, smooth black hair combed back, dressed quite trendily, wearing a burgundy Chinese-style buttoned shirt embroidered with gold cloud patterns.

The visitor smiled faintly, "I hail from the Xingshen Sect, my name is Li Xiuyuan, a Tier Six Illusion Master, temporarily a Sect Law Hall Elder. I have heard Elder Jiang mention you, and have secretly observed you a few times, truly you are quite talented!"

He Kao: "Thank you, Elder Li, for your praise, and thanks for your care."

Li Xiuyuan laughed, "When have I taken care of you?"

He Kao: "You've observed me a few times secretly, it must have been with some care. With your skills, I wouldn't have noticed if you didn't want me to."

Li Xiuyuan: "Alright, you have quite a sweet mouth."

Knowing these two elders came to deliver the Spirit Lock Array, He Kao didn't rush to mention it, but instead asked, "Since I have the privilege of hosting, may I ask what you would like for lunch?"

Jiang Daozhen shook his head, "We're not here for lunch, we're here for dinner."

He Kao wondered, "It's only noon now, should I prepare lunch and then dinner later?"

Li Xiuyuan also chuckled, shaking his head, "You ought to spend some time on this meal, having it ready by the evening would be quite good."

**

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