The Ascension of Contracted Spirits

Chapter 176 - 128: Corpse Suspended at the City Gate (6000 Words) _2

"What a gruesome death. He was a 3rd order powerhouse in his lifetime, reckless and unruly. Who would have expected such a miserable death? Just as the proverb says, ’evil begets evil.’ Serves him right!"...

Whispers in low tones echoed from within the crowd.

Ye Hanjun twitched at the voice, unconsciously looking towards the city gate.

Canghai Pavilion had dozens of exits. Su Mei and Li Jingming took a detour, each returning from the 2nd and 3rd gates of the North Campus District respectively.

Yet he had chosen the 1st gate.

This was the main gate of the North Campus District, the gate alone spanning 200 meters in width.

The frost-white doors swung open towards the sides. Above them hung a blue gold plaque with the characters for ’Canghai Pavilion’ etched on it in a flamboyantly flowing script. Each stroke penetrating through the metal, with a vigor reminiscent of a soaring dragon, smooth as a flowing cloud, grand and magnificent.

But...

Unlike usual, there were two additional pillars erected at the center.

On the pillar to the left, a man’s form was tied at the top, stripped to his bare skin. Every inch of his skin was ripped open, oozing dark-red blood that dripped down the pillar.

Based solely on looks, Ye Hanjun found the man completely unfamiliar. This was a middle-aged man he completely did not recognize, with dense eyebrows, large eyes, and a strong tiger-like neck.

However, the other pillar was quite recognizable. A bird that had been dead for a long time hung there, its entire body covered in blood-red feathers. The scattered, pungent smell of blood was all too familiar.

— Blood-hand Sparrow!

Unexpectedly, upon returning from a hunting trip, the leader of the Four Ghosts Mercenary Group, ’Ghost Hand’, had been killed.

"Who is the one hung at the city gate, exposed to the scorching sun, subject to the pecking of wild birds? What kind of crime warrants such heavy-handed treatment from the Academy?"

"You don’t know about this? He committed all kinds of evil deeds. More than a dozen academy students, along with assistants, died tragically at his hands. Even two official mentors were crippled because of him."

"Such an extremely cruel and audacious person, the Canghai Pavilion is bound to deal with him with a thunderous punishment, or else others will most likely look down upon them."

"This is a deterrent laid bare for everyone to see, meant to show those with ulterior motives that those who offend the Canghai Pavilion—will be punished, no matter how far they run!"

The crowd that came and went was dense, like a continuous stream.

However, accompanying their Patrons, were Fond Spirits ranging from tigers, leopards, and wild pigs... down to beetles, sparrows, and rats... in all shapes and sizes, odd and bizarre.

Almost everyone would lift their heads, casting their gazes towards the tragically dead man and bird.

Then, some would sneer coldly, some would sigh, some would gossip, some would remain silent.

"Who killed them? I’ve heard that he was a D-grade ’Assassin’. The Blood-hand Sparrow was even at the level of a fully mature Jade Infant. With such power, more than half of the Academy’s mentors are no match for him. Could it be that a figure at the level of deputy head of the Academy personally took action?"

"Heh, you guessed half of it correctly."

A student sneered in reply:

"Indeed, there was a 4th order powerhouse who personally went to hunt him down."

"But the one who first found the hideout of Ghost Hand and killed him was none other than the famous Windwalker—Ji Yan!"

"I’m sure you’ve all heard of this man."

"According to my investigation, he was also a student of Canghai Pavilion, and received the favor of Master Tong before."

"This time, Master Tong was crippled by Ghost Hand, and his lifespan is short, probably not more than five years."

"Master Ji became furious and left the Academy. After chasing for thousands of miles and killing many evil men, he finally locked down the location of Ghost Hand..."

Ye Hanjun, with great interest, eavesdropped on the conversation of the pedestrians.

Some of it might be exaggerated, but the main part should be correct.

Ji Yan killed Ghost Hand? Interesting.

He just wondered, did he find the person who had hired Ghost Hand?

Glimpsing the knife wounds all over the body, such injuries were unlikely to have resulted from a battle but more like severe torturing after capture.

However, assassins have a Passive Ability called the ’Hiring Contract’. Once they accept an assignment, besides the hiring party having to provide commensurate payment, the hired also have to passively comply with a confidentiality agreement.

This kind of restraint derived from professional obligations makes it nearly impossible to force any words out of an assassin, even through unconventional means.

"Should I consider it a good thing?"

With a soft chuckle, Ye Hanjun asked himself.

It was an undeniable proof of strength to kill a known menace to the school in a short period of time. This way, the effect of deterrence could surely be roused to its peak.

Even if he couldn’t find out who was trying to target the Wang Family, or who wanted to take his life.

Those coveting from behind this matter would either have to pay several times the price to commit the crime right under the Academy’s nose,

Or they might lay low for a while, temporarily ceasing all activities.

No matter what the outcome, it seemed to not be bad news for Ye Hanjun.

"Look, that guy there, he’s actually riding on a cow!"

"Hahaha, who would choose such an animal as their spirit morphology, it’s truly something you don’t see every day!"

Ye Hanjun, who had concealed himself thoroughly and kept his aura suppressed, was not noticed by anyone.

However, riding on a cow still seemed somewhat odd, occasionally attracting chuckles and yells from passersby.

They believed they were in a noisy crowd, maintaining enough distance to prevent Ye Hanjun from hearing.

Yet, Ye Hanjun, who heard every word perfectly, let them enter his left ear and leave his right, completely indifferent to these peculiar gazes.

"Hm..."

After a while, the cow brought Ye Hanjun to the entrance of the Tiger Head Courtyard.

Ye Hanjun patted its head, and while tying it to a big tree at the entrance, he muttered to himself:

"If you, this big fool, can actually survive the next hunt, I’ll collect some materials to help you reach Rainbow Light Fetus."

"If you’re not that lucky, then don’t blame me. Consider the good food and care these past days as your last meal."