Although they didn’t find anything useful, nor were there clues that might suggest where the dark wind wolf came from, Lin Jin was sure that a lone wolf couldn’t possibly have learned cultivation out of nowhere and turn itself into a monster.
This was especially so considering the fact that the Black Wind technique was a high-grade skill. Where or from whom did the dark wind wolf learn it from?
It must’ve inherited the ability from someone.
There were two possibilities. One explanation was that like Shang’er, the lone wolf had a miraculous encounter. The second was that, before it went away on its own, it already learned cultivation.
If the second explanation was the truth, that made it all the more frightening.
Lin Jin knew that lone wolves were either ostracized by their original pack, or they left the pack due to internal strife. No matter which scenario, it meant that the dark wind wolf’s previous pack learned cultivation as well.
A pack of wolf monsters?
If such a thing even existed, they couldn’t afford to provoke them.
They tidied up briefly and got rid of the wolf demon’s body. By then, the sky was already turning bright outside.
Lin Jin immediately hurried home.
Before they could reach Maple City, it was already bright outside. As Xiao Huo’s great wolf form was too intimidating for the average human, Lin Jin had his companion revert to his usual size at a suitable distance away. They would have to walk back to the city this time.
The scenery outside Maple City was delightful. Whenever people passed each other, they would exchange greetings. Lin Jin entered the city one hour later.
Today, Maple City was much livelier than usual. Lin Jin noticed this the moment he stepped inside the city walls.
Many people from nearby villages were making their way into the city. Lin Jin found out after asking around that a caravan from Grassy Continent had entered the city before dawn. The caravan would be putting on display unique beasts from the Grassy Continent and trade them for local merchandise, money, or spirit stones.
Caravans of this sort came quite often, but only a handful of these caravans were from the Grassy Continent. These folks only came to Maple City once in a blue moon.
Lin Jin had some geographical knowledge of this world. The Grassy Continent was a large continent in the west with many smaller countries in it. Just like this ‘United Continent’ where the Jade Dragon Kingdom was situated, which was made up of smaller nations like Jade Dragon, Grand Auric, and Prospero.
The mountainous terrain of the Grassy Continent made the journey to the United Continent a hazardous one, so it was rare to see their merchants here in Maple City.
The United Continent was infamous worldwide for its weak wild beasts. The places that produced the most powerful creatures came from up north and the Grassy Continent.
In dangerous lands lived dangerous creatures. It was common knowledge.
Hence, things would always get lively when caravans from the Grassy Continent arrived. Many people would hurry over to look at the caravans. Even if they couldn’t afford the beasts on sale, at least they got the chance to increase their knowledge.
After hearing about it, Lin Jin was interested in taking a look as well. Other reasons aside, caravans that dealt in pet beasts usually carried several hundreds of pet beasts with them. This was a great opportunity for Lin Jin to record new beasts.
He was currently in dire need of Beast Energy Formation Part Four. Only with part four could he teach Shang’er cultivation so she could improve her current skillset.
However, seeing the caravan wasn’t a priority right now.
Lin Jin first returned to the Beast Appraisal Association. After all, he had a consistent supply of clients that snapped up his consultation tickets daily. They were already waiting for him when he arrived at his workplace.
By the time he was done with work, it was noon sharp.
Zhao Ying, Lu Xiaoyun, and Han Dong came over together to request a day’s leave to see the caravans at Grassy Continent’s camping site.
Young people loved all things eccentric. It was a given. Lin Jin nodded and the three left cheerfully.
As Lin Jin had to sort out evaluation reports and get a bite to eat, he wasn’t in a hurry to go. Moreover, his mission there was to record beasts. Various creatures would inevitably be ‘screaming’ left and right. If someone tagged along with him, his trick might get exposed.
However, just as Lin Jin was about to organize his reports, several people appeared outside with a cart, asking to see Lin Jin.
At a glance, Lin Jin recognized them. They were the shipwrights who came requesting his treatment services the last time. Lin Jin’s first plaque was a gift from these guys.
“Greetings, Appraiser Lin!” The shipwrights entered and paid Lin Jin respects.
“My good man, this is…?” Lin Jin shifted his gaze to the cart behind them with a deer laying on top of it.
The deer was a tragic sight to see. Lying completely still, the creature was covered in wounds. Without taking a closer look, one might even assume it was dead.
“Appraiser Lin, we found this huge deer in the ocean this morning. Thinking it was a corpse, we hauled it up but was surprised to find that it’s still barely breathing. As fishermen, we have to rescue those in need. This is the rule of the sea. Even if it’s a beast, it’s a life we’re obliged to save. No one else can save this deer so we can only trouble you to take a look at it,” the shipwright explained sheepishly.
Evidently, these men had tried consulting other places, probably the emergency hall and other beast appraisers before coming over to Lin Jin.
But no one could help so they brought the deer over.
Without another word, Lin Jin rushed over to examine it.
Extending a hand, details of the deer were instantly recorded into the Museum of Deadly Beasts.
‘Huh? It’s a rare beast!’
Lin Jin was puzzled.
On average, rare beasts were hard to find, otherwise, they wouldn’t be called ‘rare’ now would they?
But how did such a prized creature end up in such a pitiful state?
There was one other thing, others might not be able to tell, but Lin Jin could. This deer just had its blood pact revoked. In other words, it was abandoned by someone.
Lin Jin didn’t know the specifics but what he could do now was treat the creature.
Because at present, only Lin Jin could treat creatures that were on the verge of dying.
He used the internal needle technique to stimulate the deer’s heart, ensuring that it kept pumping blood. Then, the deer was fed medicine before its wound was cleaned out and patched up. Everything progressed systematically.
As Lin Jin would always be engrossed when it came to work, he didn’t notice when passersby started gathering outside the entrance of his consultation hall to watch him work.
Outside the door, Dong He intended to scoff in his face, wanting to show disdain after seeing Lin Jin treat a deer. But when he recalled how Lin Jin was now a Rank 2 beast appraiser while he was still an apprentice…
They could hardly even be comparable…
Still, Dong He was reluctant to surrender. In fact, he was just acting tough. After spending a night thinking it through, he subconsciously accepted the cold harsh reality but on the surface, he still refused to admit defeat.
After watching for a bit more, Dong He left. He was in a hurry to see the exhibition put on by the caravan from Grassy Continent. He couldn’t wait to see the wild beasts brought over from the Grassy Continent!
Shortly after Dong He left, Gao Jiang passed by Lin Jin’s consultation hall. He too took a brief look before leaving.
Jia Qian showed up.
She kept a much lower profile now compared to before. Moreover, she had applied to have her consultation hall shut down and requested to be transferred over to the emergency hall. To everyone else, her choice was nothing short of foolish.
The emergency hall was like a trap. Once ensnared, it was hard to get back out. Also, many apprentices dreamed of having their own consultation halls, to put up their consultation tokens and attend to clients of their own.
Jia Qian clearly had it all, but she chose to give them all up.
No one understood why, but Jia Qian had her reasons.
For the sake of moving forward, something had to change. While having her own consultation hall was fabulous, and in a sense, it made her no different from an official beast appraiser…
Jia Qian refused to remain this way forever.
She wanted to pass the exam and become an official beast appraiser.
Hence, after careful consideration, she made her choice.
Jia Qian had examined the severely injured and dying deer at the emergency hall. Based on her judgment, the deer was beyond salvation and was destined to perish.
It wasn’t because she refused to save it, but she just couldn’t. It wasn’t just her who arrived at this conclusion, but the other apprentices came up with the same diagnosis as well.
The shipwrights pulled the deer away without saying where they were headed. However, Jia Qian had a hunch so she specifically came to Lin Jin’s consultation hall. Sure enough, Lin Jin was currently treating the deer.