Lin Jin was now looking forward to Mr. Shu’s next visit. That way, he could at least ask the old appraiser about his background.
After being asked such a baffling question by Lin Jin, Tan Lin returned to Spring House even more puzzled than she was.
Spring House was Zhong Zifeng’s quarters. Although he would be at the Beast Appraisal Pavilion most of the time, he would still return to Spring House to conduct classes for his private students.
Zhong Zifeng had many pupils under him and these were some of the most accomplished students in the academy. In fact, he had a couple of Rank 3 assistant lecturers learning under him too.
To be able to call themselves the students of Mr. Zhong was a great honor.
Tan Lin was the last student Mr. Zhong had taken in, but she was also among the few whom he valued highly.
When she arrived at Spring House, Mr. Zhong immediately requested to see her privately in his room.
“Tan Lin, since you come from Jade Dragon Kingdom, there is a particular someone I would like to ask you about.”
Mr. Zhong didn’t sound like he was going to beat around the bush.
Shu Xiaolou’s query late last night had unsettled him. Since Senior Shu was interested in this ‘Curator’, Zhong Zifeng must keep an eye out for this person.
His knowledge of Curator was extremely limited. He only knew of the incident where he barged into Daluo Temple’s compound on his own. Other than that, Zhong Zifeng was entirely clueless as to who that person was.
He heard that Curator had previously appeared in Jade Dragon Kingdom. Some people even speculated that Curator hailed from that nation, so Zhong Zifeng decided to ask Tan Lin about him since she too came from Jade Dragon Kingdom.
“Teacher, who is it that you would like to know more of? If I happen to have what you need, I’d be more than glad to share it with you.” It was clear from her words that she had a great deal of respect for Zhong Zifeng.
“Have you heard of this person called Curator?” asked Mr. Zhong.
“Curator?” A strange surfaced on Tan Lin’s face.
Of course, she had heard the name before.
Back when she was in Maple City, she had heard that name more than once. In fact, she knew that Curator was a first-rate expert who had command over a few villainous experts. Apart from that, he was Lin Jin’s teacher and an extraordinary beast appraiser.
None of these were secrets so Tan Lin told Zhong Zifeng everything without holding herself back.
“To think such a phenomenal character exists in this world!” Zhong Zifeng exclaimed. In fact, he hadn’t asked only Tan Lin about Curator. He had asked a few other people about him as well, and that was why he was able to learn so much about Curator in less than a day.
After gathering enough information, Zhong Zifeng returned to the Beast Appraisal Pavilion to submit his findings to Shu Xiaolou on the fourth floor.
“Such a phenomenal character exists in this world?” Shu Xiaolou gave almost the same response as Zhong Zifeng did earlier.
Of course, Shu Xiaolou’s exclamation carried a hint of playfulness.
Instead of that old man from yesterday, currently standing in front of Zhong Zifeng was the young girl in green with features like a divine painting and beauty that could cause the downfall of nations.
She was toying with something in her hand. Upon closer observation, it was a thin little needle.
“Indeed, and our academy has recently acquired a new teacher, who also happens to be Curator’s direct disciple. The new teacher’s name is Lin Jin.” Zhong Zifeng recounted every single piece of information he gathered without hiding anything.
Shu Xiaolou nodded because she already knew about that one.
“Little Zhong, thank you.” The young girl in green smiled. Zhong Zifeng saluted her immediately.
“You’re too kind, Senior Shu. This minor task isn’t worth mentioning,” replied Zhong Zifeng.
When he looked back up again, the maiden in green was nowhere to be found.
Zhong Zifeng wasn’t surprised. Only a handful of teachers in this academy were aware of Shu Xiaolou’s existence. Besides himself, the remaining ones were lecturers who were once the pavilion masters of the Beast Appraisal Pavilion.
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They knew how unpredictable Shu Xiaolou’s movements were, and how it was near impossible to detect him coming and going.
Zhong Zifeng looked at the painting.
A green maiden’s silhouette slowly appeared on the canvas while the old man’s image faded away.
It was as if the person had been erased altogether from the painting.
Before dark, Lin Jin found Mr. Shu sitting on the stone bench in his courtyard, smiling at him.
Lin Jin felt a headache coming.
This person had shown up uninvited again. Meanwhile, Lin Jin’s students were still revising their homework in the main hall.
Lin Jin approached him with an awkward smile. “Mr. Shu, you’re here again?”
Shu Xiaolou nodded unashamedly.
“Appraiser Lin, please prepare another pot of tea. Also, you don’t have to call me mister. Just call me Appraiser Shu.”
Feeling helpless, Lin Jin could only prepare another pot of tea using his spells. Mr. Shu was quick to start a conversation. Lin Jin had been reluctant to speak up at first, but before he knew it, he was astounded by Shu Xiaolou’s immense knowledge and as they continued to converse, a discussion took place.
This was what set apart average folks from the experts. The former chatted about the weather, whereas the latter would discuss a topic in great detail.
Right now, Lin Jin was discussing cultivation with Shu Xiaolou. To keep up with Shu Xiaolou’s pace, Lin Jin had to rely on the Museum of Deadly Beasts. Even still, he had a vague feeling of being overwhelmed by the other.
No doubt, this triggered Lin Jin’s competitiveness.
The huge carp in the pond had been eavesdropping on their discussion since they started talking. Likewise, the crane and hawk were already here when the white snake finally slithered into Lin Jin’s courtyard.
Inside the hall, Li Xinqi and the others heard voices outside so they peeked into the courtyard out of curiosity. They found their Master Lin conversing about beast appraisal studies with an ethereal-looking old man.
They exchanged glances with each other and then came to a tacit understanding to stay quiet and listen intently from where they stood.
It wasn’t long before they started feeling their heads swell up because of how cryptic their discussion was. They tried hard to make sense of the information but the moment they slipped up, they found it impossible to follow the consequent statements. This led to jumbled-up thoughts and painful confusion.
Lin Jin immediately noticed his students’ discomfort.
He cried on the inside, ‘Oh no!’
Immediately halting the conversation, Lin Jin then flicked his wrist, sending out several needles. They each pierced into his students’ Spirit Platform acupoint. As if they had taken a bat to their heads, or was splashed with a bucket of frigid water, his students shuddered.
“Go back and rest for now. Don’t think too much,” Lin Jin instructed. Li Xinqi and the others saluted in response before scurrying away, not daring to stay a moment longer.
Having witnessed Lin Jin performing his pulse-seeking technique, a peculiar look appeared in Shu Xiaolou’s eyes. After Lin Jin sat back down, he took out the silver needle he had been holding onto.
“Appraiser Lin, is this needle yours?”
At a glance, Lin Jin immediately understood it all.
No doubt, the girl in green who had been attending his lectures for the past two days was Appraiser Shu’s direct disciple. It was no wonder his psyche had been removed from this needle. With Mr. Shu’s capabilities, such a move would have been effortless.
However, one thing still stood out to Lin Jin as strange.
After asking around, no one knew who Appraiser Shu was, so how did he manage to have students of his own?
Still, Lin Jin knew he was at fault for planting the needle on the man’s disciple. After all, the young girl was only attending his class without doing anything wrong.
Hence, Lin Jin smiled sheepishly.
Shu Xiaolou didn’t press the matter either. Instead, he stared at the needle and said, “Appraiser Lin, I’ll teach you a spell in exchange for this acupuncture technique. What do you think?”