“Brother, didn’t you have something to take care of? Go on, we can walk around by ourselves!” Lu Xiaoyun began chasing him away. Lu Yunhe’s expression darkened, but it was true he had something to attend to. After a few more polite exchanges, he took his leave.
Before he left, Lu Yunhe inquired about Lu Ba’s condition.
Had Lin Jin been willing, Lu Ba could have evolved long ago. But there were times when showing off too regularly wasn’t a wise choice so Lin Jin had deliberately planned to delay this for a few more days.
However, since Lu Yunhe had helped him out of the trouble earlier, after pondering slightly, Lin Jin took out a prescription and told Lu Yunhe to prepare the required materials on the list. In a few days, he would use a unique acupuncture technique to circulate Lu Ba’s veins. With the help of medication, there was a thirty percent chance Lu Ba could evolve.
In reality, Lin Jin was ninety-nine percent sure that he would pull it off flawlessly.
Still, when Lu Yunhe heard this, his face instantly lit up, and hastily, he replied, “Don’t worry, Appraiser Lin. I’ll definitely get everything you need ready. When the time comes, please provide us your assistance. If Lu Ba can really evolve into a Rank 3 pet beast, I, Lu Yunhe, will be in your debt.”
Having said that, he left cheerfully.
The eccentric little Lu Xiaoyun leaned over giggling and asked quietly, “Master Lin, do you already have an idea…”
Lin Jin held a finger in front of his lips and Lu Xiaoyun chuckled, returning him a knowing look that they would both keep it a secret.
Zu Can shook his head as he watched their interaction. He was reminded of the age-old saying that girls would be married off right after they come of age. Looks like the old geezers weren’t spouting bullcrap after all.
On the other hand, Chen Yuanyuan kicked a pebble in her way out of anger. “Cousin Brother, even if that Lu Yunhe was strong, you’re not half bad yourself. Why are you that afraid of him?”
Chen Cheng’s expression looked just as dark. He had had to humble himself today and that wasn’t good for his reputation.
“Yuanyuan, you know that Lu Yunhe is ranked higher than I am. If I deliberately go against him, I’d be on the losing end. It won’t be worth it for such a small matter. Also, in another two weeks, the Friar Association will host its annual Beast Tournament. The rewards this time are quite impressive so I want to retain my strength. Hopefully, I’ll be able to raise my ranking when the time comes.”
Agreeing with his thoughts, Chen Yuanyuan could only swallow her fury.
“In addition, I heard that the prizes for this Beast Tournament will be extremely unusual, and among them is a ‘secondary dragon blood pill’,” Chen Cheng continued to say.
“A dragon blood pill? Do you mean a pill that could completely restructure a pet beast’s body and strengthen its bloodline?” Chen Yuanyuan asked in surprise.
“That’s right!” Chen Cheng nodded.
“Cousin Brother, are you perhaps thinking…”
Chen Cheng immediately shook his head. “I want it, but I know that the dragon pill wouldn’t belong to me. Because to obtain this prize, I’d have to get first place in the tournament. And you know that even if I manage to win against Lu Yunhe, I can’t possibly beat Senior Yang.”
At the mention of ‘Senior Yang’, a shade of pink rose in Chen Yuanyuan’s cheeks and her eyes glimmered. It was almost as if the words ‘Senior Yang’ was an enchanting spell.
Seeing the smitten look on Chen Yuanyuan’s face annoyed Chen Cheng, but he could only say, “Yuanyuan, Senior Yang is a prodigy with great ambitions. He’s not someone this tiny Maple City can hold down and he’s destined to soar to greater heights. You better stop indulging in such fantasies as soon as possible. I know that you made up an excuse back then to call off your engagement with Lin Jin because of Senior Yang…”
“Cousin Brother, you don’t have to concern yourself with this. I like him anyhow. Even if it means I wouldn’t get a title… even if I were to become his concubine, that’s still better than becoming Lin Jin’s official wife. That wretched Lin Jin isn’t even fit to hold Brother Yang’s shoes for him.” At the thought of Lin Jin, Chen Yuanyuan’s appearance went ice-cold.
“Cousin Brother, I get annoyed by just looking at Lin Jin. You have to help me think of a way to do something about him. I can understand that you’re afraid of going against Lu Yunhe, but you shouldn’t have any reason to be afraid of a dispirited beast appraiser, do you?” Chen Yuanyuan’s voice was filled with provocation.
At the mention of Lin Jin, Chen Cheng was irked as well. “I would deal with him even if you didn’t ask me to. I don’t even know how he became acquainted with Lu Yunhe. Don’t worry. I have connections at the Beast Appraisal Association so silencing him will be effortless.”
Lin Jin was surprised to find out Zu Can had a younger sister.
Right now, standing before him was a young girl who slightly resembled Zu Can. She was quite adorable.
“Brother Lin, this is my younger sister, Zu Yingying,” Zu Can introduced ardently. “Yingying, where are your manners? This is Lin Jin, Appraiser Lin, a good friend of your brother’s.”
As a young lady of an established family, the well-educated Zu Yingying curtsied with a sweet smile.
Then, she stared animatedly at Lin Jin for the longest time before blurting out, “Oh, I got it! You’re the person who was previously engaged with Chen Yuanyuan, aren’t you?”
Lin Jin’s expression darkened.
Zu Can quickly mediated the situation and then, Lin Jin found out how Zu Yingying and Chen Yuanyuan were ‘sworn rivals’ who were constantly at each other’s throats.
Lu Xiaoyun was a curious creature with a straightforward personality so she didn’t beat around the bush and asked about the grudge between the girls.
Zu Can sighed before revealing the truth.
“It’s all because of that Yang Jie!”
“Who’s Yang Jie?” Lin Jin turned to ask Lu Xiaoyun. But then, even Lu Xiaoyun blushed at the mention of Yang Jie’s name and she was rarely this shy.
Her expression looked exactly like the young girls who would flush at the mention of their favorite Oppas before Lin Jin transmigrated here.
After a detailed inquiry, Lin Jin finally knew who this Yang Jie was.
To put it simply, he was a talented young man with a bright future. Not only was he charming and handsome, but his strength was also insane.
The man was ranked number one among the Friar Association’s younger generation cultivators. He was at the peak of the blood contract fourth realm and possessed a Rank 3 pet beast, a ‘white peacock’. Other than that, he was knowledgeable in pelletization and music. God knows how many young girls have been enchanted by his flute-playing skill.
With so many titles to his name, Yang Jie was competent in education, martial arts, combat, and he was handsome to boot. If he existed in the world before Lin Jin transmigrated, he could be a popular hunk. A hunk with competencies at that.
Anyway, after Lin Jin knew about him, he had a misconception.
The other man was obviously much more impressive than he was, so who exactly was the male lead around here?
Moreover, Lin Jin understood something from Zu Yingying’s information.
Back then, Chen Yuanyuan so ‘heartlessly’ called off the engagement was because of her ‘infatuation’ with Yang Jie. While this sounded absurd, it was entirely possible because the world is vast enough to hold all kinds of mysteries.
Upon hearing this, Lin Jin suddenly grew fond of Yang Jie instead.
Although he had no idea who this person was, had it not been for Yang Jie, Lin Jin might be a taken man after transmigrating over.
Zu Yingying too adored Yang Jie. And because of this, the Zu family was distressed. Thankfully, she hasn’t caused any trouble so far and since Zu Yingying was still young, the family assumed that after some time, when she realizes how unrealistic her expectations are, she would finally come to her senses.
“Brother Lin, all this flower viewing is boring. That auction over there is our main attraction,” Zu Can suddenly said. After all, he invited Lin Jin over so he could buy a few pet beasts with potential.