The inside of the prison was dark and despairing. Those who come here find themselves unable to get out again as this place held only the worst of criminals. The place itself was filled with a malicious aura.
This wasn’t a place for casual conversation but now, with He Qian on the outside and Lu Bin on the inside, they began talking.
Lu Bin had no idea why He Qian was suddenly interested in Lin Jin but since he wished it, Lu Bin would talk.
Also, though He Qian didn’t mention it in detail, Sixth Princess was clearly still alive and the cause might just be Lin Jin’s golden needle.
But Lu Bin would never breathe a word about this needle. He could talk about everything else.
“Hehehehe, this is weird. The great Jade Dragon Kingdom emperor is actually interested in a little beast appraiser. Alright, what would you like to hear, Your Majesty?” Lu Bin asked.
He Qian wasn’t irked by Lu Bin’s attitude. After a thought, he said, “Let’s start from when you first met him.”
Lu Bin nodded. “Previously, when the sixth princess was plagued by her illness, feeling downcast in a terrible mood, I took her out on an excuse to have a walk outside. We put on disguises and went around to seek famous doctors.”
“Then, we arrived at Maple City to seek a diagnosis from a renowned master hidden among the common folk. We ended up being disappointed. As we passed by the Beast Appraisal Association, we went to have a look inside and that’s where we met Appraiser Lin…”
Lu Bin began describing the events of that day.
He Qian listened intently.
When he heard the part where Lin Jin managed to tell that He Yu was being consumed by a bestial soul curse without any diagnosis, He Qian immediately asked, “General Lu, are you sure that Lin Jin hadn’t done any diagnosis at all?”
Lu Bin shook his head. “I saw the entire thing. He didn’t. Appraiser Lin only supported Sixth Princess when she almost fell down.”
“Oh!” He Qian thought, for being able to tell just from one’s appearance, Lin Jin must be an expert. But if that were the case, how could such an expert remain unknown in a tiny little beast association branch?
“Then, we thought nothing of it and went to visit that so-called Master Liao only to realize he was a trickster. Sixth Princess was in a foul mood back then and I unconsciously brought up Appraiser Lin finding out about her curse, assuming it was the princess who told him. When we realized that wasn’t the case, we knew we met an expert. Only, Your Majesty had suddenly summoned us back urgently so we made haste.”
Lu Bin looked regretful.
If he had sought Lin Jin out earlier, things might have been resolved by now.
“Then, Sixth Princess’s condition worsened so I went to Maple City alone to seek Lin Jin out and received an ancient prescription for the nine water floating cloud pill.”
“I know about this. This prescription should have been lost long ago.”
“Yes, I thought the same. I figured we would just try it out but it actually worked.” Lu Bin was afraid just thinking that if he hadn’t gone to seek Lin Jin out, they would have lost all hope by now.
“The nine water floating cloud pill was effective. Though it couldn’t remove the curse completely, it has reduced the princess’s suffering by a great deal.”
At this, He Qian nodded. “I have to thank Appraiser Lin for this.”
Lu Bin scoffed. “I think you want him dead instead, don’t you? Lin Jin was attacked on the first night he arrived at the royal capital, almost losing his life. Your Majesty, don’t tell me you don’t know about this.”
He Qian wasn’t fazed and answered casually, “It’s true that this had nothing to do with me. General Lu, if I wanted Lin Jin dead, do you think he’d still be alive right now?”
Stunned, but Lu Bin believed this.
“Alright, even if it has nothing to do with you, you shouldn’t have been in the dark.”
“Let’s put this aside for now.” He Qian waved. “Lin Jin is still young. No matter how prodigious he is, he couldn’t possibly possess this much knowledge and experience. I heard there’s a mysterious expert supporting him.”
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“Your Majesty, you’re truly well informed and have eyes everywhere. That’s right. This is no longer a secret anyway. Appraiser Lin is the disciple of a mysterious expert. That crisis with Snake Country was resolved by this very expert so if Your Majesty knows who is behind Lin Jin’s attempted murder, please advise them to stop playing with fire.” Lu Bin laughed heartily, seeming to enjoy this misfortune.
“A mysterious expert? Does he have a name?” He Qian asked in a low voice.
“I don’t know his name. I only know everyone calls him ‘Curator’.” After a thought, Lu Bin decided to tell him.
He had to protect Lin Jin right now so he opted to reveal Lin Jin’s back-end support so He Qian could investigate. Lu Bin was sure that the curator was no ordinary figure so if He Qian did find something, he might tread cautiously from now on.
“Curator?” He Qian echoed. Of all the experts he had heard of, none of them bore this name.
But this was clearly just a nickname and not the man’s real name.
He Qian began pondering while Lu Bin stayed quiet. Everything was silent for a while.
A long moment later, He Qian got up, intending to leave. Lu Bin was stunned and quickly called out, “Your Majesty, you’re leaving? What about Sixth Princess? What do you plan to do? She’s your daughter, Lady Gu’s only child. You have to protect her no matter what.”
With his back against the cell, He Qian stopped.
“General Lu, have you met this ‘Curator’?” He Qian suddenly asked.
Lu Bin shook his head. “I haven’t. But Maple City’s Ye Yuzhou has!”
Simultaneously on the inside, Lu Bin mused, ‘Seventh Princess He Qing has met him too.’ But he would never tell He Qian about this.
He Qian nodded and carried on, speaking as he went.
“Please stay here for a few more days, General Lu. There might just be a chance for Yu’er’s condition to change.”
Lu Bin was startled by this. Before he could ask further, He Qian was gone without a trace.
He left.
***
Late night.
Lin Jin was waiting at his rented home.
Tonight, the Visitation Hall would reopen. However, it wasn’t time yet. According to usual practice, he should have to wait about another half an hour.
“Xiao Huo, White Ape, stay inside the house later. If an enemy shows up, don’t engage them. Just retreat,” Lin Jin instructed.
He had been attacked for two consecutive nights so Lin Jin had to be cautious.
However, he wasn’t too afraid as the culprit hadn’t succeeded both times. What would make this time any different?
It was a pitch-black night without the moon and any stars in sight. The sky had been shrouded by dark clouds since evening but there was no rain. This clearly wasn’t a great sign.
Also, since just now, Lin Jin has been getting goosebumps. His senses were now sharper than that of ordinary men. Although he picked a rather secluded residence, there were still other civilians living nearby. At such times, it was normal to hear sounds of people talking or cooking, but today, he couldn’t hear anything. Everywhere was eerily quiet.
“Something’s not right!”
Lin Jin sensed imminent danger.
At that moment, a knock came from outside the yard.