novelzi Chapter 83 - 81: You Keep Boasting, We’ll Listen For Now_1
Chapter 83 - 81: You Keep Boasting, We’ll Listen For Now_1
Silence, silence, nothing but silence.
For half a minute, Ye Hanjun felt like a monkey on display, surrounded by eight onlookers.
His eyebrows arched slightly.
The secret of the Blood Covenant couldn’t be kept for too long, Jiang Yongnian would inevitably inform the academy, which was expected.
But since the academy already knew of this, what was the meaning behind this sudden teaching directive?
Tidying up his thoughts, Ye Hanjun feigned helplessness, trying to remind the assistant beside him to retract his dropped chin, and to shove those bulging eyes back inside... they were somewhat frightening.
"You’re an Active Awakener?"
"If you had mentioned that earlier, perhaps Master Bing wouldn’t have been so aggressive from the outset... at least his attitude would’ve been half as harsh..."
Shen Jiaoyun was the most shocked one, his mouth agape, his bright eyes vacant.
"Introducing yourself as an Active Awakener whenever you meet people, wouldn’t that be too conspicuous?"
"What if someone becomes jealous and attempts to harm me behind my back? Who shall I seek justice from then?"
Ye Hanjun took a deep breath and got straight to the point:
"Everyone, I am not well and have no savings."
"Though I possess the Blood Covenant, it is of no use for the time being."
"I would rather you believe that I’ve won the approval of Elder Jiang through my above-average intellect and that I am truly capable of being an assistant, instead of it all being attributed to innate talent."
"..."
The stupefied Shen Jiaoyun could not respond.
Lin Qingyun, who was preoccupied with his bug, also fell silent, having to spare a large portion of his attention to listen to the conversation among the others.
The Blood Covenant, a realm that was rarely accessed by mere individuals. Possessing it meant having an additional covenant slot compared to peers.
Despite its randomness, and it not necessarily representing power, it often corresponded with one’s ability and wouldn’t be a poor fit.
Any Patron could not lose interest in the Blood Covenant. It was innate, at 16, or at the latest 17. If they fail to actively awaken their ability, they would lose the opportunity for the rest of their life.
"No wonder you agreed to the witch’s contract. Regardless of whether you can meet their expectations, you’ll always have the Blood Covenant as your fallback plan..."
Elder Child stroked his beard, his rigid expression gradually returning to normal.
Even his voice carried traces of admiration and envy, let alone the others.
"That makes sense."
"Since the establishment of Canghai Pavilion nearly 200 years ago, you’ll be, unless something unexpected happens, the fifth recorded holder of the Blood Covenant."
"However, the previous four were all students while you chose to be an assistant..."
Elder Child looked at Ye Hanjun with a peculiar gaze:
"Among them, one is about your age and is still active in the upperclassmen."
"In four years, they have risen to the Ten Talents and been continually sprinting for the rank of ’Three Top’..."
"Oh?" The corner of Ye Hanjun’s mouth raised slightly, "Have they completed the Blood Covenant ceremony already?"
"After exhausting the resources of an entire family, and preparing for three years, they finally managed to complete it."
Upon saying this, Elder Child curiously asked:
"If you lack family wealth, why don’t you consider Canghai Pavilion?"
"I can understand the feeling of not wanting to rely on others."
"But the resources needed for the Blood Covenant ceremony, even emptied, several senior mentors could not afford them. Depending on yourself alone, who knows how many years it will take to accumulate."
"The energy wasted during this time and the time missed, it seems to be more cost-effective to reach a sponsorship agreement with the academy, right?"
"Elder Child, I appreciate your kind intentions."
Ye Hanjun shook his head, speaking openly in front of two mentors and six assistant teachers:
"Compared to the ability to commence the Blood Covenant ceremony in a short period, I prefer freedom."
"Can we avoid discussing this topic now? It would be even better if you pretend you didn’t hear anything. Focusing on the matter at hand is more important."
"Ah, quite a stubborn little mule..."
Elder Child muttered, no longer trying to convince him.
"As... Assistant Han..."
"I only have one question..."
Lin Qingyun raised his right hand, shakily asking Ye Hanjun:
"Regardless of whatever unexpected event you encountered in the past four years, the reality is that you are practically a new Patron with no experience in wilderness hunting, right?"
"Well... how can I put this..."
Ye Hanjun did not deny, he did fit the description of a new Patron.
After all, after actively awakening his innate ability, he was supposed to perform the Blood Covenant ceremony with the Demon Servant.
Yet, despite his relatively good luck in the past sixteen years, during this crucial step, an out-of-sync summon occurred.
Facing the mysterious principles of the blood pact, the Blood Covenant Fond Spirit that descended was far beyond his current rank. If he did not seal it, he would certainly die.
By the time he woke up again, he had already squandered four years for the Nocturnal Trials and had to start urgently.
— In a strict sense, Ye Hanjun indeed lacked hunting experience at this stage.
Especially cooperating with a Contracted Spirit Fond Spirit, this was a gradual process, and if rushed, it would only lead to mistakes.
Despite this, whether voluntary or forced, in the past sixteen years, these pair of black pupils, this pair of fair hands...
The blood they have shed, the lives they have taken... Ye Hanjun could not count them all.
A faint thought, a brief hesitation.
The light in Lin Qingyun’s eyes was extinguished instantly.
He seemed as if he had suffered a severe blow, hung his head, and began to moan and groan for his insects.
"I think that, compared to students, my wilderness combat experience is quite plentiful..."
Ye Hanjun said such a thing, but as his gaze swept over everyone’s faces, the corner of his eyes twitched slightly, and consequently his voice lowered.
These people...
...What kind of expression are they wearing?
Why does her expression seem to say "keep boasting; we are mildly listening" when she finally speaks her true mind?
A bit troublesome indeed.
Dong Xuan seemed not to hear his words, mumbling to himself:
"Among the seven assistants, there appears a weak link."
"The original plan seems to need some adjustments..."
Ye Hanjun took a light breath and then remained silent.
Forget it, it’s normal not being understood by putting himself in the shoes of others.
Perhaps it would be better to just slack off during this trial? As long as it ends smoothly in the end, he can take it easy...
"Wu Chong, Tian Sai, you two are on night watch duty before dawn."
"A Rhinoceros Horned Crane and a Magic Giant Eagle are patrolling the sky, you don’t have to worry."
"Pay special attention to underground activity. Some Spirits Fond are nefarious, watch out for their potential sneak attacks."
"Yes, Branch Conductor!"
Wu Chong and Tian Sai stood up simultaneously.
Although they were both people of strong will, they still forcefully turned their heads away, forcing themselves not to keep looking at Ye Hanjun, and then opened the car door and jumped out.
"Wei Hongying, Yingxia, from dawn until sunrise, I will lean on you two during this time."
"Yes!"
Wei Hongying sat solemnly, responding in a deep tone.
Yingxia on the other hand relaxed, her bright eyes still looking at Ye Hanjun, as if she wanted to remember his appearance so she would be able to recognize him immediately whenever they met.
"As for the rest, Jiaoyun, you go to transport car one and watch out for the students."
Zhi Zhengqing gave his orders in an instructive tone, to which Shen Jiaoyun nodded in agreement.
"As for you two..."
His wandering eyes kept hovering over Ye Hanjun and Lin Qingyun, and finally, Zhi Zhengqing let out a sigh:
"Lord Han, your constitution is a bit off, and you don’t carry much ability to defend yourself. Just rest in transport car three with Elder Child."
"Qingyun, you calm down as well, the situation may not be as bad as you think it is."
"The place we’re going to is not a place of extreme evil, it’s not as dangerous as you think."
"You stay here as well, I’m going to car two... Dismissed."
After dropping a few words, Zhi Zhengqing left with Shen Jiaoyun in big strides.
"This night will be the safest night. Just choose a spot to sleep."
Dong Xuan sat cross-legged on a vacant spot with a smile, not planning to continue questioning Ye Hanjun. She closed her eyes and began to meditate.
This was "meditation," the second passive ability of a D-class martial monk, other than "Qi Force".
It can be used to recover physical strength and vitality, and when necessary, slightly suppress injuries. If persisted over a long period of time, it can even increase one’s lifespan. It is indeed magical.
"Ah..."
Lin Qingyun, looking bitter and sorrowful, walked slowly towards a door on one side.
The buzzing sound of wings fluttering coming from the big box in his hand finally faded away as the door closed.
Outside the window, the night was gradually deepening.
The cool breeze brushed against his face, slightly relaxing Ye Hanjun’s tense nerves.
Thinking for a moment, he chose a room towards the front of the vehicle.
As a transport vehicle, the room was naturally very small.
Six square meters, a bed, a mirror, and a clothes rack, nothing else.
Fortunately, he had already taken a bath before he left.
Ye Hanjun expanded his senses, checked the room’s structure once more, making sure there were no hidden dangers.
"Little one, sorry, you can’t go out and play today."
"Yiye~~~"
In the water bottle, the little tadpole spit some water, obediently turning into a stone.
If one were to observe carefully, they’d see that the water was not transparent, but faintly blue, with a faintly frosty breath.
This was the Ice Skin Jade Dew.
One bottle, given to him by Tu Long before, half of it was already used.
Ye Hanjun felt there was no use for martial actions for the time being, so he used it as a nutritional supplement to speed up the growth of GuaGua.
"Huazhu, no need to be vigilant, you should rest too."
Ye Hanjun summoned the Desert Witch and instructs her once, then took her back in. He opted to sleep in his clothes.
...
On the following day, at daybreak,
As the first light of dawn was starting to pervade the sky, the transport truck, advancing steadily at an even speed, suddenly slowed down.
Such a subtle change could not escape his senses.
Ye Hanjun immediately opened his eyes, his bright black pupils appearing to be in excellent form.
He put the Bloodsucking Dagger that was held in his hand back onto his waistband.
While eating today’s Moke bamboo rice ball, he pushed open the car window and peeked outside through the crack.
"Whoo~~~"
A faint fog drifts in, filled with sweet-smelling fragrance.
It seemed to be the season of chirping birds and fragrant flowers, Ye Hanjun saw a corner of the dense forest, yellow bamboo shoots breaking through the ground.
The lush willow trees were sprouting new buds, the shy flower buds opening bit by bit.
The butterflies that had just emerged from their cocoons were gracefully stretching their wings, waiting for the spring wind to dry them, after which they would be able to aspire to the freedom of the mountains and seas.
"Students, wake up, we’ve arrived at our destination!"