Having said that, Minister Yu waved his hand, a gesture that told Lin Jin he was no longer needed here.
Lin Jin asked, “Minister Yu, may I ask where General Lu is?”
“General Lu?” Minister Yu smiled and shook his head. “This General Lu has always been an aloof fellow. I wouldn’t know where he is, even if my life depended on it. Go on, don’t linger around here.”
After that, the guards began to shove him away from the palace gates.
Without any other options, Lin Jin could only retreat temporarily. He entered a nearby tea house and sat down to assess the current situation. No doubt, something must have happened. Otherwise, someone like Lu Bin would never stay quiet like this.
After careful consideration, when he proceeded to treat the sixth princess yesterday, it was likely that no one thought he would succeed so no one stopped him. Who knew that yesterday’s success would invite so much trouble today?
That included the assassination attempt last night and the change of security standards this morning. This all must have been a response to his successful treatment.
Could Jade Dragon Kingdom’s emperor be behind all this?
Lin Jin had no idea. But if that were the case, things would be incredibly tricky. The only thing he could be sure of right now was that his entry to the palace was forbidden by order from the emperor.
Considering how he had yet to receive any messages from Lu Bin, it was likely that the old man was being held up inside there.
Or maybe even locked up.
If this situation continued spiraling out of control, there might be greater dangers lurking around the corner. What Minister Yu said earlier sounded somewhat like a threat.
He wanted Lin Jin to stop pursuing the matter in exchange for an official position and a handsome income. At least he would be out of trouble if he accepted the offer.
This was, by all means, a valid option since Lin Jin wasn’t the type that liked to get involved in unnecessary trouble. Paradoxically, leaving things as is was not an option.
The reason was simple.
He had made promises to He Qing and Lu Bin.
A man keeps his word. Since he already assured them that he would help, how could he give up in the face of trouble? Or worse, escape with his tail between his leg?
No.
This was inhumane.
Lin Jin called Xiao Huo over. Placing a hand on his head, Lin Jin invoked a spell.
Flames flickered in Xiao Huo’s eyes. Lin Jin closed his eyes and felt this being shift through space. In the next instant, by using Spirit Observation, he linked himself to the golden needle that was specially nurtured with his own spirit energy.
It was the golden needle he let Lu Bin bring into the palace. Earlier when they realized something was off and when Lin Jin was prevented from entering the palace grounds, he made sure to pass it onto Lu Bin.
Though, he never anticipated that Lu Bin wouldn’t even have the opportunity to use this needle.
But that was okay because Lin Jin’s golden needle was not to be taken lightly. Although his cultivation of the pulse-seeking technique was still shallow, this set of acupuncture skills was incredible, housing one of the most amazing skills, the ‘psyche golden needle’. During formation, the craftsman had to imbue his psyche into the needle. As long as the item wasn’t too far away, the owner could shift his mind over to the perspective of the golden needle.
In terms of spells, this was undoubtedly one of the most elite spells that ever existed. It was so phenomenal in fact, that Lin Jin had to borrow a spirit to utilize the spell.
It was only by borrowing a pet beast’s spirit could he perform this spell.
Simultaneously in a prison cell within the palace compound, Lu Bin was dispirited. He was bound by seals rendering him unable to move or cast any spells.
Fortunately, he knew they still had one last ray of hope.
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And that was Lin Jin.
Though, Lu Bin was still puzzled by Lin Jin’s instructions earlier when he was handed the golden needle. Lin Jin had instructed him to leave the needle as close to Sixth Princess as possible should any problems arise.
At the first moment he sensed that something was off, he chased the handmaidens out of the room before discreetly placing the needle on He Yu’s bed before leaving to question the emperor.
And so, after performing a spell and studying the situation with his mind’s eye, Lin Jin learned that the needle was placed beside a dying He Yu.
As this was a spell, Lin Jin couldn’t feel his senses as if he was there in person. He could only see but couldn’t hear anything. Even the range he could see was limited.
One look at He Yu’s condition was sufficient to tell Lin Jin what had happened.
His taxing attempt yesterday to seal the bestial soul curse had been wasted. The golden ring was obviously removed too, causing the bestial soul curse to invade He Yu once more, knocking her out.
The situation had become more perilous than ever before.
Even if Lin Jin had a way to remove the curse, he felt lost because he couldn’t go over in person.
It was a good thing he still had this golden needle crafted with his psyche. Otherwise, Lin Jin would have no choice but to watch He Yu die. From the looks of it, she might not be able to make it through tonight.
“Spirit flames as my mind, gold as needle, heed my command and rise!”
Lin Jin took a deep breath and chanted. A warm breeze swept through the interior of the tea house. Xiao Huo’s eyes widened as half of his spirit energy was drained from his body.
While Xiao Huo was in this state, Lin Jin had it much worse.
This was Lin Jin’s first time performing the skill and he was almost knocked out cold. If Lin Jin hadn’t bit down hard on his tongue to forcefully stay conscious, all would have been for naught.
Gritting his teeth, Lin Jin moved the needle.
Inside He Yu’s room, the needle flashed with golden light as it hovered in the air before piercing into He Yu’s body. In the blink of an eye, it sealed up several of He Yu’s vital acupoints before coming to a halt, successfully protecting He Yu’s heart veins.
This was the best Lin Jin could do right now. With the golden needle nearby, He Yu wouldn’t be completely consumed by the bestial soul curse.
When he was finally done with the first step, Lin Jin was drenched in sweat when he opened his eyes again.
Performing a spell from such a significant distance exhausted a great deal of spirit energy. Even after borrowing some of Xiao Huo’s, it still took its toll on Lin Jin’s body. By now, he was out of breath.
The tea house’s waiter was startled, musing, ‘Why is this young man sweating so much just from drinking a cup of tea? Guess he’s sufferin’ from some kinda disease.’
When he came over to refill Lin Jin’s pot, he suggested that Lin Jin visit a famous physician in the city who was known to provide effective remedies in treating renal insufficiency. Lin Jin’s eyes widened. It was only after the waiter left did he realize what he was told.
“You’re the one with renal insufficiency!”
This was now a hidden battle. Lin Jin knew that it was up to He Yu now. As long as she stayed alive, they still had a chance to turn the tables around.
With the psyche golden needle intact, the bestial soul curse couldn’t devour He Yu no matter how strong it was. This would buy them some time, and Lin Jin was confident that he would solve this problem, somehow.
Lin Jin didn’t have a plan yet as he had no one to discuss it with. Lu Bin wasn’t here and He Qing wasn’t around either. For now, he could only keep an eye out for any changes.
“Owner, bill please!”
After taking a few more sips, Lin Jin got up and left once some of his energy was restored.
He went to Lu Manor. Despite the suspicion that Lu Bin was being held within the palace grounds, he still had to confirm it himself.
The Lu Manor wasn’t huge but it was surely vintage. The entire place probably had a history of more than a hundred years.
When Lin Jin arrived, he saw an old man at the gates, sweeping the floor. Upon making a simple inquiry, Lin Jin learned that he was Lu Manor’s housekeeper.