Lin Jin wasn’t paying attention to his looks but rather to the seemingly non-existent aura of a monster.
Lin Jin was now incredibly sensitive to the aura of monsters. Especially so after cultivating the Beastmaster Fourth Scroll, allowing him to detect even the most carefully concealed auras.
The man didn’t come alone. He was following behind someone and that person didn’t give off a monster’s aura. However, it was clear that this person had cultivated the Beastmaster Scroll, enabling him to merge with his pet beast.
With his spiritual eye, Lin Jin could see the faint silhouette of a king cobra on that person.
Lin Jin knew about western king cobras. These were extremely poisonous and ferocious serpents that could grow up to a hundred feet long. Covered in thick scales, these powerful beasts could smash buildings and houses apart with relative ease.
What made them deadlier was the fact that a western king cobra could shoot poison at their enemies up to a distance of three hundred feet.
The western king cobra was rare even in Grassy Continent. They were found only in the western region of the continent with only a handful were known to exist. However, each one of them was formidable enough to be an overlord of a Gobi Desert.
They were called king cobras because only the royalty of Xiliang Country could form blood pacts with them.
Lin Jin had read this piece of information from a book.
He was able to deduce this much based on the outfits they were wearing.
“Brother Lin, what’s wrong?” Seeing Lin Jin stare over the railings, Zuo Wentang thought he was looking at the guqin performer at first.
It was then that he realized that wasn’t it.
“It’s nothing. I was looking at some Grassy Continent natives out of curiosity.” Lin Jin turned back.
Despite what he said, Lin Jin was actually trying his best to sense their aura.
That man with the monster aura was definitely a monster-class beast.
Also, there was a murderous air on top of his aura so it was best to be cautious.
Although the newcomers were foreigners, due to their lavish spending, they were escorted to the second floor, into the room right next to Lin Jin’s. He definitely could feel it now.
He silently concealed his own aura as he continued chatting with Zuo Wentang. However, Lin Jin was already on guard against his neighbors.
If they were here for entertainment, there was no need to unleash that murderous intent.
Not only him, but even Zuo Wentang could sense it as well.
Zuo Wentang’s brows furrowed as he felt the faint but lethal aura. But since his cultivation and competence level wasn’t significant enough, he could only sense the vicious air but not the presence of a monster.
“To think someone has the nerve to come and wreak havoc in Grace Pavilion. They must have a death wish,” Zuo Wentang said after having a drink. He wasn’t afraid to let Lin Jin hear it. Without concealing their intent to kill, these people were clearly here for trouble. Lin Jin was an expert who defeated Yang Jie of the Friar Association so how could he not sense it too.
“Has anyone tried causing trouble here before?” Lin Jin asked.
“Of course.” Zuo Wentang replied nonchalantly. “But fret not, Brother Lin. Grace Pavilion isn’t the type of place where one could stir up trouble as they please without paying a hefty price for it.”
Lin Jin tried asking, “Brother Zuo, do you perhaps own a part of this Grace Pavilion?”
“Me?” Stunned, Zuo Wentang laughed afterward. “I don’t, but…”
Zuo Wentang glanced around before lowering his voice. “…the city lord owns a tiny fraction of it.”
This was an absolute secret and Lin Jin didn’t expect Zuo Wentang to share it with him.
However, this proved how open Zuo Wentang was with him, keeping no secrets.
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After careful thought, Zuo Wentang mentioned that City Lord Bai only owned a tiny fraction so that meant he didn’t have much authority over the place.
So who was the one who called the shots here?
That person must at least be on the same level in terms of identity and status as Bai Zhenkong. Like a game of cards, only those on a similar level could play together.
However, Lin Jin wasn’t expecting Zuo Wentang to tell him about this one.
But what surprised him was Zuo Wentang actually did.
“Other than our city lord, there are a few other city lords involved in this Grace Pavilion. Of course, there are Grace Pavilions in other cities too and many imperial officials in the royal capital are also involved. So pray tell, who would have the audacity to cause trouble here? If they did, it doesn’t matter who they were, they’d suffer grave consequences.”
This was a huge secret and Lin Jin never thought Zuo Wentang would reveal such information so readily.
“There aren’t many who know this, right?” Lin Jin asked. Zuo Wentang nodded and they stopped discussing the topic.
Sometimes it was best to pull the brakes before one went too far.
This was such a moment. Zuo Wentang only said so much to gain Lin Jin’s favor, to indicate that he saw Lin Jin as a close friend.
And so, they continued drinking and dining. While the main chef of Grace Pavilion wasn’t Masterchef Liao, their skill levels weren’t too far apart. At least Lin Jin could enjoy his food.
At that moment, the singing voice of a female traveled over to his ears.
Upon hearing it, Zuo Wentang exclaimed with excitement, “Qu Wenji’s here! Brother Lin, listen to this voice. You won’t be able to hear it elsewhere.”
Lin Jin nodded.
Sure enough, the girl’s voice was crisp and melodious. Clearly, this was a person who understood music well. Her singing was flawless and pleasant to the ears.
While her voice was euphonious, Lin Jin didn’t think much of the song itself.
After all, he was a transmigrator and he had listened to one too many songs in his past life. Compared to his world, the music in this one was frankly a little primitive.
However, everyone else didn’t share Lin Jin’s experience so they were enjoying what they were hearing.
Looking back outside, Lin Jin saw Qu Wenji.
As he expected, this was another beauty that could destroy cities. She was above Zhao Ying and Lu Xiaoyun, though still slightly inferior compared to Shang’er. However, if they had to compete, both women were charming in their own way.
This Qu Wenji looked much more pitiful. Her demeanor and appearance induced in many, an uncontrollable feeling of affection, arousing in men a strong desire to protect her.
After one song, Qu Wenji said her thanks with a smile. She must be the main act of this Grace Pavilion and oiran of the place. Her being on stage simply raised the atmosphere of the entire building.
Down below, a chubby merchant shouted in his drunken state, “Goddess Qu, I’ll never get tired of this song of yours. I love it. Will you be dancing for us later? I’m looking forward to it.”
Qu Wenji smiled softly onstage. “There will be dancing tonight, but I’m afraid Wenji won’t be performing. Today, we have a beauty from the west in Grace Pavilion. Wenji will be playing the guqin later as this western beauty presents her dance.”
The crowd below was immediately stunned before all sorts of comments broke out. Some anticipated the show but some were protesting instead.
However, everyone knew what kind of place Grace Pavilion was, so despite their objections, they kept themselves at bay.
“I, for one, would like to see just how special this western beauty is.” Many people shared this sentiment, including Zuo Wentang.
The man was currently craning his neck as he looked outside.
Lin Jin could tell that Zuo Wentang saw this Qu Wenji differently. While he kept the admiration in his eyes well hidden, he couldn’t possibly fool Lin Jin.
Lin Jin couldn’t help it because, as a beast appraiser, his eyes simply had to be keen.
She was dressed in luxurious clothing with a veil over her face. Even then, Lin Jin was sure that this western beauty was another peerless femme fatale.