Chapter 173: Investigation in the Night

After all, Qin Ye’s relationship with Zhang Baoguo ran deep as the ocean, while Zhang Linhua was Zhang Baoguo’s only son. Naturally, Qin Ye could never bring himself to be heartless to him.

“Have a look.” Sighing, Zhou Xianlong waved his hand casually, and the stacks of documents immediately divided themselves into five copies that flew straight into each instructor's hands. After skimming through its contents for the next ten minutes, Qin Ye roughly understood the situation.

But who exactly was Gu Qing? Put bluntly, he was a figurehead greater than any provincial governor or secretary of a provincial committee! He was an important minister that had shaped Cathay’s development and left his mark in the annals of history! Even if he wanted to return home in death, there was no way he would immediately be buried. His family and friends, his teacher’s children, the top leaders of the City of Salvation, Mount Tai City, and even Insignia Province, and a number of others, including leaders of the surrounding regions, would all come to pay their final respects to him.

For instance… why there was an extraterritorial emissary hidden within the First Academy of Cultivators.

Qin Ye was an Emissary of Hell, and he knew full well that he was an exception. His fleshly body contained and concealed all of his Yin energy, preventing any Yin spirits nearby from coming close to him in an attempt to siphon off his presence. On the other hand, the extraterritorial emissary would invariably begin to attract other Yin spirits if he didn’t possess the body of a living human being. At that time, the instructors of the academy would most certainly discover his presence.

What a strange name.

“Is it possible to deflect these tasks?” Local Bully was the most straightforward of the lot, and he immediately took the initiative to probe at the situation, “We’ve got nothing to do with the late Mr Gu Qing. We can conduct our classes, and they can conduct their burial. End of story.”

Yet Zhou Xianlong immediately glared at him, “The upper echelons of all major departments and ministries are going to be present! We may well need to rely on each other for help in future! Wouldn’t you need to engage with the local authorities and leaders when you graduate and take up an office elsewhere? Where do you think your cases and missions come from? The academy has just commenced its very first semester, and we’ll still need the support of the City of Salvation. If we give them the cold shoulder on the very first request they make of us, what would they think?! And the ones who are coming are the top brass of every city in the surrounding region to boot! Will you grow a brain?!”

Qin Ye gave Su Feng a knowing look, only to receive a despondent gaze in return. The two immediately understood the emotions in the other’s heart as soon as they locked eyes.

Tao Ran smiled and brightened up the tense atmosphere, “Therefore, our top priority in the week to come will be the funerary preparations. The incoming leaders know how special the First Academy of Cultivators is, and it gives them a peace of mind knowing that we’d take care of the proceedings.”

Nobody said anything. Zhou Xianlong coughed lightly, “Deal with this well, and you’ll each be rewarded with ten teaching credits.”

Zhou Xianlong glared at them and waved his hands, “Now get out of my sight. Instructor Qin, stay behind for a while.”

There’s a dirty, shady deal going on!

“You won’t have to attend classes for the next few days. Instead, I want you to patrol the campus grounds from 12 a.m. to 5 a.m. everyday, with a focus on the vicinity near the memorial hall.”

Tao Ran looked at Qin Ye with an icy gaze, “It doesn’t matter whether he’s truly gone or not. The ones who are coming are all provincial-level leaders and governors. If something goes awry… we’d all be in deep trouble. Qin Ye, you must not slip up or be negligent.”

“Yes.” Qin Ye stood up, cupped his hands respectfully, and then took his leave.

Furthermore… there was a possibility that they might even encounter each other that very night.

Midnight also represented lights-out in the entire academy.

Night filled every corner of the First Academy of Cultivators. The gentle night breeze sent soft ripples through the trees around, almost as though an invisible hand were caressing the tips of the branches. The faint illumination of the surroundings was eerie and foreboding, almost as though a bloodied figure would leap out of the shadows at any moment.

It was extremely quiet.

“The hearse is expected to arrive within the next two days. If the intruder is truly an extraterritorial emissary, he would most certainly be scouting out the memorial hall within these two days. Furthermore, he would be hiding among the student body right now. If he were to carry out some scouting activities, I might just be able to discover his presence.” He laid low onto one of the branches as he thought aloud. His vantage point gave him a good view of the entrances to all three dormitory buildings.

Time flew by, and the only sounds that Qin Ye heard were the soft rustling sounds of the trees nearby. The dim lights continued to cast eerily flickering shadows around like a demon’s dance.

“He’s not coming.” Qin Ye spat out the willow leaf in his lips, drew a deep breath, and the tip of his toes tapped against the willow branch below. The branches swayed gently with the wind. By the time they grew still again, Qin Ye was already hiding in the canopy of the next tree.

Tap… tap… tap… His footsteps were soft as a cat’s, and the rustles were completely masked by the gentle night breeze. When Qin Ye finally arrived right next to the memorial hall, it was already 3.50 a.m.

The memorial hall was rather dilapidated. There were wooden plaques placed on each side of the hall, yet the decaying wood made it difficult to make out what was originally etched on it. The entire wooden building appeared to be stubbornly holding its ground, and yet it also looked as though it would collapse at the slightest touch.

The scene practically looked like something straight out of a horror film.

Someone’s here.

Furthermore… it’s a kindred spirit. It’s an emissary of hell!

It was 4.05 a.m. right now.

Thud… thud… Qin Ye heard what sounded like an old monk striking the bell. He squinted and looked into the memorial hall, only to notice that the culprit was none other than the billowing gale that was repeatedly slamming the frame of the tattered windows against the walls.

99% silence.

Then, in the very next second, he crouched down and leapt straight into the memorial hall through the open window. As soon as he entered, his pupils widened, and he rolled on the ground to break his fall. Simultaneously, netherfire instantly burst out of his body and Yin energy poured out of his seven apertures as his demonhead saber materialized out of nowhere and slashed horizontally across in front of him.

It was as though everything was muted. His feet tapped gently on the ground, and he somersaulted through the air and landed on the ground just like a great expert in a martial arts film.

All sounds were completely muted as soon as he entered the formation array.

But before he could even get a closer look at the conditions within the memorial hall, a spine-tingling sensation of danger surged through his body. He ducked reflexively and swung his demonhead saber through the air. This time, the recoil was even greater than before. His hands immediately felt numb, and his body was sent flying back to the edge of the memorial hall from the impact. He made full use of this opportunity to take a good look at what was within the hall.

Pair after pair of jade-green eyes lit up one after another on the roof of the memorial hall. A two meter figure was crawling right underneath the roof.

But it was not completely one. Her lower body was shaped like a massive spider, with eight massive claws latching it to the underside of the roof, and yet her upper body… bore the semblance of a lady. She wore a middle eastern robe and hijab ensemble, while her appearances were masked with a black veil. Three golden necklaces hung around her neck.

Her long sleeves fluttered wildly as visible wisps of Yin energy flowed out of her robes. The jade-green eyes on the bottom half of her body appeared to stare transfixed at Qin Ye. She held a lantern in her hand that was completely congealed from Yin energy. Most of all, the Yin energy emanating from her body was ostensibly stronger than what Qin Ye could muster!

This is the Hell’s Emissary state! And of an extraterritorial emissary to boot!

1. Sorry I couldn’t resist that. It’s bad, I know.