It was only then that Qin Ye recalled the moment when Zhang Baoguo had asked Zhang Linhua to address him as' godfather 'back then.
Then, he put on a pair of shoes that were neither too big nor too small.
He had seen too much, and it had nothing to do with his own personal interests. After a lot of things happened, he had forgotten about it.
However …
He glanced at Zhang Linhua. Was he here to apologize?
Sailing with the wind, this kid had the demeanor of his father in politics. Unfortunately, his bottom line was still a little lacking. Old Zhang did not raise him well …
Zhang Linhua grew even more nervous when he noticed Qin Ye's silence.
Although he was smiling like a peach blossom, his heart was pounding like a drum.
He knew best what he had done.
It might be a small matter to Qin Ye, but it was a huge matter to him.
"Godfather."
He didn't feel the slightest bit of pressure to address Qin Ye, who was younger than him, as his godfather. Thus, he did his best to maintain a smile on his face, "Why don't we … take a walk?"
Qin Ye chuckled. He couldn't be bothered to bicker with Qin Ye, and he immediately laid his cards on the table, "Keep your tricks to yourself. I've seen a thousand similar scenes before.
Your acting skills are still too raw. "
"I …"
Qin Ye responded placidly, "Don't worry. Old Zhang and I are sworn brothers, so you'd better watch your mouth. Truth be told, I've almost forgotten about this matter.
For Old Zhang's sake, I'll forgive you this time.
But … "
He looked deeply into Zhang Linhua's eyes. "If there's a next time, I won't give Old Zhang any face."
"Yes!" Zhang Linhua was a smart person. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to sit in the student council.
He knew that Qin Ye was going to lay all his cards on the table, and all he could do was bite the bullet and bear with it. Qin Ye wasn't going to give him the leeway to quibble.
"Take me for a walk."
Zhang Linhua immediately pushed the cart in front of him, "Godfather, that's where Flowing Literature Park is …"
"Also, don't address me as your godfather in the future." Qin Ye added placidly.
"Ah?"
"Just call him senior." Qin Ye smiled faintly and said, "The term 'godfather' isn't something that just anyone can call him."
"Sometimes … once you pass this village, you won't be able to find another shop."
Zhang Linhua wished he could give himself two tight slaps!
What kind of stupidity did he commit at that time?
Even if she wasn't happy to call him her godfather, she didn't have to play tricks on him afterwards!
In any case, the other party was his father's friend. How could he let his emotions affect his decision?
However, it was useless to think about this now. It was more useful to think about how to remedy the situation.
"Alright …" He breathed a deep sigh of relief, and the smile on his face grew much more sincere and natural, "Senior Qin, the Chang Wen Court is the best dormitory in Insignia University. Back then, it was reserved for a group of old professors.
I took a look at the name list. There were only a dozen professors, so it definitely wouldn't be enough.
Why don't … we go take a look? "
Qin Ye thought for a moment, "The building I used to live in …"
Without waiting for him to finish, Zhang Linhua smiled bitterly and sighed, "Senior Qin, this is my fault. I accept the punishment."
Straightforward.
Qin Ye glanced at Qin Ye in surprise - This kid is taking a step back in order to advance. He truly has the talent of his father in politics.
"I'm not talking about that. I want a school district house near the dormitory I used to live in. Do you have it?"
"That place …" Zhang Linhua's expression shifted for several seconds, and then he whispered, "Senior Qin, that place … isn't clean."
"Don't worry. There's no place in the City of Salvation that isn't clean right now."
"That's not it!"
Zhang Linhua grew anxious. He had made a mistake once, and he couldn't afford to make a second mistake. He lowered his voice even further, "There's no one at Insignia University right now, and the curfew has also been lifted.
The reason why we've been staying here during this period of time is because Insignia University needs a group of students who are familiar with the affairs of the university as assistants.
Therefore, we've been particularly busy lately, and we've been working overtime every night until eleven or twelve. "
"And the building that you've been living in … has been experiencing … something that isn't too clean ever since that night.
I didn't dare to tell anyone about it. After all … I've only seen it once. "
Qin Ye's gaze flickered, and his expression grew stern.
Ever since that night … many of the unforeseen events had occurred because of that night.
Qin Ye was now speculating that the Yin energy fluctuations that night might have been too great, and it might have even affected the terrifying existence of thirty million Yin spirits.
And it was precisely because the existence of the Yin energy fluctuations had been alarmed that … it might have triggered some other unknown changes.
"Look for an apartment nearby and help me move my things in.
I'll be right back. "
Zhang Linhua didn't raise any objections, and he pushed the cart away, leaving Qin Ye to return to the dormitory he used to live in.
"You … want to enter Cao Youdao's lair and take a look?" Arthis whispered.
Hellguard-class true energy streaked across the entire Academy of Cultivators from time to time. She wasn't too familiar with the system of cultivation in the mortal realm, but she did know that cultivators who reached the level of an Anitya Hellguard would develop a form of spiritual sense that would replace their own eyes. Therefore, she didn't dare to be too presumptuous.
"That's right. The ranking battles on New Year's Day. After the ranking battles, we'll be heading to Mount Tai City to study at Insignia University.
I'm running out of time. "
Qin Ye responded softly, "Let's leave a way out for ourselves. If we really can't break into the SRC … then we'll have no choice but to settle for the next best thing."
Arthis sighed, filled with indignation.
There was clearly a treasure right in front of her, and she could even recognize it. Yet, she had no choice but to choose the fish's eye next to it.
How could she possibly accept that?
"Furthermore …" Qin Ye paused for a moment, and then pointed to a place that was clearly newly constructed, "Do you see that?"
It was a graveyard.
It was constructed in a western style, probably because it didn't take up too much space.
Tombstones stood silently in the middle of the graveyard, while a three-meter tall tower stood in the middle.
Every tombstone was placed with a bouquet of white flowers.
"What's that?"
"I glanced around earlier." Qin Ye's voice grew somewhat deep, "That's … the graveyard of all the cultivators who perished that night."
"Their names are engraved all over that tombstone."
Without missing a beat, Qin Ye chuckled bitterly, "I know that as an Infernal Judge who once ruled over the Province of the Great Heavens, you'd probably say that these are useless emotions, wouldn't you?
But … they died because of me. "
"I won't tell anyone the answer to this question.
I won't tell anyone where Cao Youdao died, or who killed him.
But … "
"Humans …" Qin Ye's gaze grew somewhat distant, "We still have to have a conscience."
"Otherwise, I wouldn't be who I am over the last few decades …"
Arthis didn't respond immediately. After some time, she finally responded, "So, you're thinking of taking something from Cao Youdao's lair to pay your respects to?"
Qin Ye snorted coldly, "Thousands of cultivators perished that night because of him. Since he was once an Emissary of Hell, there's nothing wrong with using his ashes to pay his respects."
Arthis nodded, "That's right."
"You've violated the creed that Yin and Yang do not intersect, yet you still call yourself an Emissary of Hell. You deserve to die."
Nobody said another word, and Qin Ye leisurely strolled all the way back to his dorm room.
First, he looked at the cabinet.
There used to be three humanoid paper effigies here, each of which contained three souls. He didn't take them away.
It should still be there.
Perhaps it would be better to ask them.
But … there was none!
"Someone took it?"
He furrowed his brows and muttered softly. Then, he immediately shook his head, "No … this place … is just like the fourth hunting zone. I can't sense any Yin energy at all!"
"Something's wrong."
Arthis nodded affirmatively, "Even if it's a green hunting zone, it doesn't necessarily mean that there are no Yin spirits around. It simply means that it's safe.
There are countless Yin spirits floating in every corner of Cathay right now. There's no way we wouldn't be able to detect a trace of Yin energy! "
"Is there really a problem?" Qin Ye's eyes flickered as he patted the dust off his blanket. He didn't seem to mind at all as he lay back down.
He wanted to see who dared to cause trouble at the bridgehead of cultivation in Hua.
Tired of living?
Time ticked by. He woke up at noon, ate lunch, and slept all the way until the afternoon.
When he woke up, it was already sunset.
He looked at his phone. It was half past six.
The previous broadcast of the supernatural had disappeared.
In its place was a sense of tranquility.
The entire campus was deserted. The only sound that could be heard was the rustling of the trees in the evening breeze.
Yawning, he entered the bathroom.
The white lights were still on. He was in an old-fashioned dormitory, with a row of mirrors nailed to the white walls.
The mirrors were covered with toothpaste foam and stains from facial cleanser.
A strong masculine odor washed over him.
The bathroom was a meter high, and there was a rarely seen sink where he could wash his face and rinse his mouth.
There was a row of blue faucets across the sink.
It was a typical male bathroom.
Feeling somewhat sleepy, he glanced at his reflection in the mirror, only to see an empty room. Then, he lowered his head and splashed his face with a handful of water.
Whoosh … The cold water splashed on his face, and he finally regained some of his senses. But as soon as he looked up, he noticed that … apart from his own reflection, there was also a colorful humanoid paper effigy standing right behind him!
It was almost as though it had been there from the very beginning, staring coldly at Qin Ye.
Whoosh!
Without waiting for the humanoid paper effigy to respond, the scissors in its hand immediately shot straight for Qin Ye's carotid artery. Qin Ye sneered and kicked the humanoid paper effigy away. Then, before the humanoid paper effigy could even stand up, a pale bone dagger was already pressed against its forehead.
"You … how did you …" The humanoid paper effigy's voice was filled with bloodthirst as it asked hoarsely.
"How did I know that someone was already here?" Qin Ye smiled faintly as he pointed around, "This is an old-fashioned dormitory."
"There's no voice-activated switch."
"The lights here are operated by a switch.
We've been gone for so many days, and there's no way the bathroom would still be lit. "
He pushed the dagger against the humanoid paper effigy's chin, "I've created you, I've killed Cao Youdao, I've avenged your deaths, and I'm still wondering where you've gone … Is this how you repay me?"
"Tell me, why haven't I sensed your Yin energy yet?
Who gave you the gall to make a move against an Emissary of Hell? "
The humanoid paper effigy appeared to have lost all of its memories, and its distorted facial features revealed a look of resentment.
Suddenly, it shrieked, and a green flame erupted from beneath its feet, incinerating the humanoid paper effigy into ashes in an instant.
Thud … Just then, a dull thud echoed from the end of the corridor.
Bzzt … bzzt … The lights flickered, and then went out.
Thud … thud, thud!
The dull thud didn't stop, almost as though an old man were walking on the ground with the help of a walking stick.
The lonely campus was bathed in the scarlet glow of the setting sun, while the dormitory buildings were completely empty. Something … something that couldn't be detected was making its way towards the bathroom!
It was almost as though … the fourth hunting zone had reappeared!