Emperor He Qian sighed and shook his head. “Forget it. You wouldn’t listen to anything I say anyway. Yu Xiang told me that you should be imprisoned to prevent you from disrupting the country’s peace but I objected to that proposition because of the contributions your family has made to the nation. Now that we’ve come to such a crucial moment, I can only resort to troubling you momentarily, General Lu.”
“You…”
Before Lu Bin could react, a dragon silhouette emerged from He Qian’s body and the liquid from the teapot on the table darted out like a bolt of lightning, binding Lu Bin firmly.
An aura too emerged from Lu Bin. It took the form of a scorpion, but upon making contact with the water snake, it was forced back. No matter how Lu Bin struggled, he couldn’t break the water rope.
He Qian was obviously much stronger than Lu Bin.
At that moment, someone at the door called, “Yu Yan is requesting an audience with His Majesty.”
“Ah, it’s Minister Yu. Come in,” He Qian replied faintly. Someone entered. He was none other than Jade Dragon Kingdom’s well-respected minister.
Minister Yu glanced at Lu Bin who was struggling on the ground before saluting He Qian.
“At ease!” He Qian waved and then asked, “Is the investigation done?”
Minister Yu nodded. “Yes, Your Majesty. That man is named Lin Jin, a Rank 2 beast appraiser from Maple City’s Beast Appraisal Association. He also entered the Friar Association where he displayed promising cultivation. Several days ago, Bai Zhenkong of Maple City reported the appearance of a new Rank 4 beast. It was Lin Jin’s beast that he was referring to.”
“Could a Rank 2 beast appraiser be so skilled as to be able to suppress this curse?” He Qian asked. Sensing the emperor’s intimidation, Minister Yu quickly lowered his head and said, “Yes, well, if he was only a Rank 2 beast appraiser, Lin Jin couldn’t possibly possess such skills. A Rank 2 beast appraiser shouldn’t be able to evolve a pet beast up to Rank 4 as well, so I managed to gather additional information from my spies in Maple City.”
“Go on.”
“Recently, we received a report from Bai Zhenkong about an incident with Snake Country. Back then, he said that the son of Snake Country’s state preceptor was killed in an accident within Maple City’s vicinity. Snake Country’s state preceptor was furious but the murderer was rescued by someone. Their people then laid siege to the targets on a solitary mountain but Ye Yuzhou suddenly appeared and…”
Minister Yu paused. Seeing no reaction from the emperor, he continued, “He must have lost his mind because Ye Yuzhou ended up shielding the person who rescued the murderer. Even when Snake Country’s state preceptor showed up, Ye Yuzhou held his ground. Ye Yuzhou is the nation’s guardian and had a Rank 4 pet beast so he was on par with Snake Country’s state preceptor. With the help of that person who shielded the murderer, Snake Country’s state preceptor was forced to return and prepare for war.”
He Qian nodded. “This I know. But thereafter, Snake County sent word to clarify that the declaration of war was merely an empty threat. They expressed their interest in maintaining good relations with our Jade Dragon Kingdom.”
“That is correct. I heard it’s because some villains were sent to soften up Snake Country. As they couldn’t divide their strength, Snake Country could only opt to resolve this diplomatically and to give up on the prospect of war,” Minister Yu explained.
“I even heard that those villains were instructed by a so-called secluded expert to give Snake Country trouble and this Lin Jin just happens to be acquainted with that expert. Rumor has it that he’s the disciple of this expert.”
When Minister Yu was done, He Qian waved his hand dismissively. “Rumor shouldn’t be taken seriously.”
“Yes, yes, but that Lin Jin is genuinely skilled. Otherwise, how could he be able to suppress the sixth princess’s curse? Even if it’s just a rumor, there’s a possibility that it could be true. I wouldn’t bet on it.” After Minister Yu commented, Emperor He Qian kept quiet as he thought about his next move.
“Minister Yu, go and meet this Appraiser Lin and have him go home.” He Qian waved, seemingly tired.
Minister Yu nodded. Then, he glanced at Lu Bin who was still tied up by the water snake and whispered, “Your Majesty, General Lu…”
“I will put him under strict supervision. We’ll just keep him locked up for a few days in case he causes any trouble.” Having said that, He Qian waved and Minister Yu retreated from the room.
“Guards, put General Lu in a cell and seal the place up. Unless I approve it, no one is to meet him,” He Qian ordered and the palace guards appeared at once, taking the restrained Lu Bin away.
He Qian was left alone in the building. He entered the bedroom and looked at the unconscious He Yu. He merely sat there, watching quietly.
Lin Jin had been waiting for too long outside the palace.
He knew something must have happened.
If Lu Bin managed to pierce the needle into He Yu’s right pinky finger, the curse would have been provoked and Lin Jin would sense it.
But now, everything was quiet. Nothing was happening and there wasn’t any shift in spirit energy. This clearly wasn’t normal.
There were about thirty guards at the door, all fully clad in armor with their pet beasts at their side.
Moments later, he saw a person dressed as an official come over with a team of soldiers following behind him.
Lin Jin swept this guy a glance with his spiritual eye. He could vaguely see the silhouette of a dragon wrapped around the man’s body.
No doubt, this man was a dignitary and if Lin Jin’s assumptions were correct, the man’s pet beast was a dragon type.
Dragon-type pet beasts were rare in this world and all of them were equally valuable. No ordinary folk could afford to have dragon-type creatures as their pet beasts. Moreover, from the exquisite robes this person was wearing, Lin Jin could tell that he must belong somewhere near the top of the hierarchy.
As he mused, that person came over.
‘He’s here for me?’ Lin Jin remained composed.
“You are Lin Jin of Maple City?” Minister Yu held an influential post so his attitude was rather pompous. Lin Jin saluted and said, “I am him.”
One of the guards immediately barked, “How dare you! This is our nation’s greatest minister, Minister Yu. Bow at once!”
At this, Lin Jin bowed. “Greetings, Minister Yu.”
There were too many rules when it came to interacting with officials. Although Lin Jin wasn’t very fond of them, he couldn’t very well ignore them. Fortunately, he wasn’t the type to dwell on this. It was just a bow, nothing much.
Minister Yu chuckled. “It’s alright. Recently, City Lord Bai of Maple City wrote to us, saying that our Jade Dragon Kingdom has a new Rank 4 guardian beast. You must be this creature’s owner, aren’t you?”
Minister Yu looked amiable. Then, he glanced at Xiao Huo and the white ape behind Lin Jin, slightly surprised. He remembered Bai Zhenkong mentioning the beast was a fire wolf.
Then what was this white ape? It looks just as intimidating but his eyes must be deceiving him.
Minister Yu stopped there. It didn’t matter to him. Even if the fire wolf was Rank 4, none of this mattered to him.
Lin Jin nodded in acknowledgment.
“Wonderful! Our nation has a new talent. I’m sure the Guardian Department will be in contact with you soon. Oh, right, you don’t have to wait any longer. General Lu is currently occupied so he says that you can go on ahead. Be sure to enjoy the city’s scenery while you’re here. I’ll be in touch with the Guardian Department so you should receive an official title soon.”