Stunned, Lin Jin mused, ‘As expected of an emperor. To think he was able to switch over to the subject he intended to discuss so quickly, and yet so subtly.’
Remarkable.
Simply remarkable!
However, Lin Jin had a right to speak here and he wanted to tell He Qian, ‘My master doesn’t know of him either, because I am my own master.’
Of course, he couldn’t actually say that.
So Lin Jin smiled. “My master tends to travel the lands, and I rarely know his whereabouts so it’s difficult, if not impossible for me to meet him. I was hoping that Your Majesty may be able to clear my confusion instead.”
He Qian nodded and continued.
“These five patriarchs are actually the strongest demons from their respective continents. Their origins are impossible to trace and it is only known that they possess tremendous cultivation. The glorious dynasty the three kings had built was corrupted because of these five demons. Many ambitious lords and demons started drawing their own borders and declared themselves to be king. This is the reason why there are so many countries across the five continents.”
Lin Jin seemed eager and He Qian could tell what he wanted to ask. “Appraiser Lin, are you wondering why the history books never mentioned this tale? This isn’t strange, really. The hundreds of countries we have today were established several hundred years ago during that mishap. Had that not happened, the world would still be divided into only three factions. So, wouldn’t these divided countries have to worship the five demon patriarchs for their land? This was the reason why many countries erased this part of their history.”
This explanation made sense to Lin Jin.
What came next was the most crucial point.
“The Chaos of the Five Patriarchs didn’t last long. It went on for only a few years and then, for some reason, these five demon patriarchs simply vanished without a trace. Without a leader to lead them, their demonic followers began to lose motivation. Some said that all three kings had cooperated to defeat the five demon patriarchs, and that was highly possible because the three kings passed away from illnesses in rapid succession. Extraordinary as they were, for the three kings to pass so suddenly can only be explained by their interaction with the five demon patriarchs. However, till today, no one knows the truth, not even historical archives.”
At this, He Qian seemed eager for more knowledge too but he didn’t dwell on it for too long. “Among the five demon patriarchs, one of them is called Patriarch Xue Pao…”
So that was it!
Lin Jin’s heart was racing when he heard that name.
He would be lying if he said he wasn’t anxious. After all, according to He Qian, the Chaos of the Five Patriarchs happened eight hundred years ago, and eight hundred years was by no means a short amount of time.
From Lin Jin’s understanding, other than immortals, no human or demon was able to live that long.
However, presented right before his eyes was the truth. That blood refined beast had called himself ‘Patriarch Xue Pao’. In a sense, he was so phenomenal that he possessed the strength of a Rank 5 beast. If the man was actually here in person, how could Lin Jin have handled him?
Lin Jin instantly felt the pressure. A post-realization sense of danger began flooding his mind like water out of a broken dam.
Although Lin Jin had anticipated Patriarch Xue Pao to be powerful, he didn’t expect the man to be this powerful.
Seeing how quiet Lin Jin had become, He Qian didn’t continue talking. He had said what he needed to, and while Lin Jin was afraid, He Qian was much more petrified.
Given how this incident happened within the Jade Dragon Kingdom’s borders, it was inevitable that his country would get involved in any future confrontations.
Still, as head of state, He Qian had enough mental resilience to keep his composure. He leaned forward as well to say, “If what Appraiser Lin had said is true, our opponent this time is much too powerful. Even if the Jade Dragon Kingdom were to mobilize its entire armed forces, we may not be able to handle the enemy.”
And he was right.
If Patriarch Xue Pao was indeed one of the five patriarchs who brought chaos upon the world five hundred years ago, they were in huge trouble.
As Lin Jin nodded, He Qian said, “With this, I was hoping that you can think of a way to invite your master over so we can discuss a countermeasure together.”
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“Huh?”
Lin Jin then came to the realization that His Majesty was trying to fish him for information.
Speaking of which, He Qian’s personality meant that he was well-suited to play the role of Emperor in the Jade Dragon Kingdom. Despite knowing how powerful Patriarch Xue Pao was, He Qian did not crumble before his enemy. It was surprising that he had the guts to consider facing the enemy head-on.
However, requesting the help of Lin Jin’s master would be a tough hurdle to clear.
Lin Jin could guess what He Qian was planning. The latter was obviously hoping that ‘Curator’ would once again, lend him his power. Admittedly, His Majesty was so starstruck by Curator’s prowess that He Qian thought they could rely on his strength to combat one of the five formidable patriarchs.
The problem here was that Lin Jin knew better than anyone the limits of Curator’s strength.
How could he not know? He was Curator after all.
Assuming that Lin Jin was ‘hesitating’ to make a decision, He Qian pressed on. “Appraiser Lin, this isn’t a minor issue. The five patriarchs could easily wipe out the entire human population back then. If it’s true that they have returned, neither you nor I could stand up against even one of them.”
Having said that, He Qian straightened up and saluted. “As Emperor of the Jade Dragon Kingdom, I bear the responsibility for the future of our nation. As a citizen of our kingdom, Appraiser Lin shouldn’t try to distance himself from the issue as well. I am here to beg for your help, for the sake of the subjects of the Jade Dragon Kingdom.”
Given how far the Emperor had been willing to lower himself, Lin Jin knew he couldn’t refuse this request. Experience did count after all. Despite knowing that He Qian was trying to trap him, it was a trap made with sincerity and Lin Jin wandered into it himself.
It wasn’t that difficult for He Qing to meet ‘Curator’. In fact, Lin Jin could arrange for that at any time.
But the problem was, how should he deal with Patriarch Xue Pao?
He Qian only wanted to meet ‘Curator’ for the sake of borrowing his strength, and since that was the case, Lin Jin should think about how he would answer the request.
At this thought, Lin Jin nodded. “Your Majesty, Lin Jin will do his best. But I may need several days to contact…”
Upon hearing Lin Jin’s answer, He Qian glowed with delight.
“Of course. Why don’t we set a deadline to be half a month from now? In the meantime, I will inform the premium countries of the United Continent and our neighboring nations to face this crisis together.”
After that, He Qian took out a wooden box and handed it to Lin Jin.
“Appraiser Lin, previously, Curator had helped me do away a mortal malady and I will forever remember his grace. This is a small token of appreciation from me. I hope Appraiser Lin can help me pass it to Curator, as a gesture of my gratitude.”
Lin Jin thought about rejecting his kind offer, but when He Qian opened the box to reveal several glistening premium spirit stones, packed with spirit energy, Lin Jin swallowed his words.
Premium-grade spirit stones! And several pieces at that! These weren’t items money could buy.
He decided that he would take it.
At this, He Qian was elated and urged Lin Jin to have some tea.
By the time the carriage reached the palace entrance, dawn had arrived. He Qian had invited Lin Jin inside to be a guest but Lin Jin refused.
He Qian didn’t force him.
“The Jade Dragon Festival will start tomorrow. I heard that Appraiser Lin will be hosting the blessing event at headquarters so I will be there to enjoy the show,” He Qian commented after they got out.
Lin Jin surely couldn’t stop him from coming, so he chuckled in response before bidding the Emperor farewell.
Back at headquarters, Tan Xun and the others hadn’t had a wink of sleep all night. They managed to get Yang Qingshi to confess to his crimes and sure enough, everything Lin Jin had accused him of previously turned out to be true.