That was true!
Dead men told no tales.
And this was what worried Zuo Wentang the most. The only people who knew about this incident were himself, Lin Jin, Qu Wenji, and Tilly. There was also that leopard monster.
There was no doubt that he and Lin Jin would be able to keep their mouths sealed. As for the leopard, he was frightened by Lin Jin, so as long as he didn’t get caught, no one would find out.
With this, those who ran Grace Pavilion would give Westward Country trouble and Westward Country would surely investigate the matter. Still, their investigation should lead to a dead end.
“I agree that we have to be careful because there might just be people that brilliant. But don’t worry, Brother Zuo. If something were to really, I’ll come up with a solution,” Lin Jin offered after seeing the worried look on Zuo Wentang’s face.
Stunned, Zuo Wentang replied with hints of annoyance in his tone, “How can you say that? If things do go south, I, Zuo Wentang, won’t let you shoulder the blame alone. No matter good or bad, life or death, I’ll stand with you, Brother Lin.”
This came from the bottom of his heart.
Lin Jin didn’t ask him where Qu Wenji and Tilly were staying but Zuo Wentang offered to tell him on his own accord.
This was the ultimate proof of Zuo Wentang’s unequivocal trust in him.
“Wenji says she’s really grateful to you. She’s offering to cook you a hearty meal when you have time off your job. I’m not tooting my horn, but Wenji’s culinary skill is pretty commendable. I know how close Brother Lin is to Masterchef Liao. I’ve tasted his dishes too and frankly speaking, Wenji’s dishes are only slightly inferior to his. Though, it’s hard to ignore the personal twist she adds to her dishes.” Zuo Wentang suddenly said.
Lin Jin nodded.
It would be inappropriate to turn down such a sincere invitation. Apart from that, Lin Jin wanted to meet Tilly as well.
Precautions had to be taken after all.
Who knows if Westward Country might come looking for trouble someday. Had it been before, Lin Jin would probably be panicking now. Having gained significant experience, an average small country no longer posed a threat to him. Either one of his visitors in the Visitation Hall could take on a small country alone.
As for intermediate countries, they used to be a little challenging but after that incident with Snake Country, Lin Jin realized that intermediate countries weren’t all that either.
With a team that was powerful enough, he could intimidate intermediate countries into accepting a peace deal. He had used the same tactic when he was killing the old dragon in the royal capital. Using the name of the ‘Curator’, Jade Dragon Kingdom’s emperor could only back down from offending him.
However, Grassy Continent’s Westward Country was a premium country. This point made it a troublesome matter.
Premium countries had Rank 5 pet beasts in their arsenal and they usually had more than one. Lin Jin knew full well how powerful Rank 5 beasts were. The old dragon in Jade Dragon City was the prime example. Although it was Rank 5, the dragon had actually been injured so his strength had diminished greatly. A true Rank 5 beast would be much more powerful than the old dragon.
Lin Jin exploited its injury as an opportunity to kill the old dragon despite their difference in rank. After that, it was thanks to its blood that Lin Jin was able to condense a Dharma body for Xiao Huo.
Meanwhile, even after attaining a Yin Yang Dharma body, Xiao Huo still hadn’t evolved into a Rank 5 beast. From this point, one could tell how amazing a Rank 5 was.
If Westward Country were to come for him, Lin Jin would be caught off-guard if he did not make appropriate preparation.
Hence, Lin Jin wanted to make time to meet Tilly so he could understand their enemy better.
It had been a delightful lunch. After they were done, Lin Jin and Zuo Wentang parted ways at the entrance. One headed back to the City Lord Manor while the other returned to the Beast Appraisal Association.
Today had been rather peaceful. As usual, Lin Jin focused on evaluating beasts, and no matter which creature he was presented with, he would always give them an earnest report without being negligent nor perfunctory.
Compared to his predecessors, he was a fairly laid-back chief.
Of course, there had to be other things to do in the association but Lin Jin wasn’t good in any of that. And so, he delegated these tedious official duties to Jia Qian.
Over time, Jia Qian’s beast appraising capabilities were now on par with Rank 1 appraiser. Her foundation had always been rock-solid so with a little guidance from Lin Jin, improvements came rapidly.
Among his apprentices, only Jia Qian was good at handling the various tasks within the association. In fact, Lin Jin thought that she was comparable to Tan Lin in her administrative skills. She was definitely miles ahead of Wang Ji.
With this, Lin Jin could rest easy and play the role of a chief who only issues orders without doing any actual work himself.
Perhaps in Lin Jin’s mind, the post he assumed was only a temporary arrangement. Deep inside, he felt that he was just part of a contingency plan so he wouldn’t be serving this position for long.
“Master Lin!”
While Lin Jin was tidying up the evaluation reports for today, Jia Qian came in.
Following behind her was a grinning and still chubby Dong He.
Recently, Dong He hadn’t been doing well. After Wang Ji was dragged down and Tan Lin took over, his nightmarish days begun. After resigning from his position as the manager of the logistic department, he started his own consultation hall. Though, with his limited capability, there wasn’t much he could do. In fact, his career as an appraiser had been filled with nothing but blunders. First, he steamed the crab pet beast of a wealthy client. Then, he was utterly humiliated at the Grassy Continent’s pet beast exhibition. It came as no surprise that his consultation service was doomed to fail.
When Dong He returned to the logistic department, his position as manager was obviously gone. He could only serve as an errand boy, and his life since then has been nothing but tragic.
But it was also for this reason that Dong He’s character had been polished. In addition to the strict education he received from his older sister and brother-in-law, Dong He had resolved to study hard. He seemed to have turned over to a new leaf.
“Master Lin, the logistics department has brought over this month’s quota. The items include pills, spirit stones, and beast appraising amulets,” Jia Qian reported respectfully. Dong He then hurried forward with a huge box. The items she mentioned were clearly inside.
These things would have been handy to Lin Jin back then. But now, be it beast appraising or treatment, he rarely used these items anymore.
Though, considering the fact that it was provided free of charge, was there a reason to decline it?
Moreover, he may not need it in the association, but he would need various medicines at home. After all, he still had a patient, the zombie cthulhu, at home.
“Put it over there,” Lin Jin said.
Dong He hurried over and carefully placed the box on the table Lin Jin pointed at before retreating to the corner.
Lin Jin certainly recognized him. Back then, Dong He had always tried to give him trouble but fortunately, Lin Jin wasn’t a vengeful person. Furthermore, the things he did hadn’t been too serious.
“You can leave after putting it down,” Jia Qian said to Dong He. However, the latter was visibly reluctant, and he remained standing there. Then, after summoning his courage, he abruptly knelt before Lin Jin.
“Chief Lin, please be the bigger person and forgive me. I really can’t take it anymore,” Dong He said as he knocked his forehead on the ground.
This struck Lin Jin dumb. Even Jia Qian was startled.
“Dong He, what on earth are you doing?” Jia Qian knew of Dong He’s past deeds so she frowned and was about to step up when Lin Jin waved. “Wait, let him speak for himself first.”