Lin Jin suddenly felt an impulse to try on the mask.
But he fought it off.
Before clarifying what it was, he had to stay cautious, unlike the tactless Shu Xiaolou who would put everything in her mouth without first learning what the thing was.
Sure enough, Shu Xiaolou soon suffered retribution for randomly eating things.
Shortly after she swallowed the immortal devouring beast’s painting spirit soul, she started yawning incessantly before falling onto Lin Jin’s bed. In mere seconds, she was knocked out cold.
Others may not find it strange as sleep was required after an exhausting day. However, it was too unusual for Lin Jin. He immediately suspected that something had happened to Shu Xiaolou.
Shu Xiaolou never sleeps.
For someone who never sleeps nor needed it to suddenly yawn and fall into slumber, something must be going on here.
After Shu Xiaolou went to sleep, Lin Jin examined her carefully. When he found nothing strange, and she was just purely asleep, Lin Jin relaxed.
Lin Jin attributed Shu Xiaolou’s slumber to her eating random stuff she came across.
He was even sure that Shu Xiaolou was so deep in sleep because she had just eaten the soul of the immortal devouring beast’s painting spirit. Soon, Lin Jin observed that she was probably digesting that sizeable energy so her slumber should be a good thing.
He was overjoyed.
Lately, Shu Xiaolou had practically been living here in Peach Blossom House. She was everywhere and oh-so annoying. Now that she was asleep, Lin Jin could finally have some peace and quiet.
Her finally falling asleep was a good thing.
He would thank the heavens if Shu Xiaolou would continue sleeping for a few more days.
“Shang’er, let’s go outside so we don’t disturb her sleep.”
Lin Jin got up and prepared to leave. That was when Shang’er caught sight of his cheeky grin.
“Master Lin, is Senior Shu alright?” asked Shang’er out of concern once they were outside.
Lin Jin waved. “Don’t worry. She’s tough. She’ll be alright.”
Shang’er nodded.
Then, Lin Jin recalled the Phantom Blade he had obtained from the Battle Saint and the rich young master. He had been saving it for Shang’er but forgotten about it even after she came here.
Lin Jin went to retrieve the box and handed the sword to Shang’er.
“Shang’er, why don’t you try this blade out?”
Once Lin Jin had spoken, Shang’er accepted the blade as if she had just been given treasure and examined it carefully. Then, she lifted the blade with Object Manipulation and had it fly around, like a magpie dancing above their heads.
“Master Lin, this is a great sword!” Shang’er clearly sounded excited. No doubt, she was satisfied with the Phantom Blade.
“It’s great that you like it. It’s yours now.” Lin Jin could tell that the Phantom Blade was originally a flying sword. Now that Shang’er’s mastery of Object Manipulation had reached the maximum level, she shouldn’t have a problem controlling this weapon.
The only pity was that Lin Jin couldn’t perform Sword Manipulation so he couldn’t teach it to Shang’er. Hence, Shang’er didn’t actually know how to wield a blade with relevant swordsmanship skills. Still, Shang’er could do wonders by combining her Object Manipulation with this sharpened Phantom Blade.
Anyway, it was better than Lin Jin keeping it for his own.
The subsequent days passed by rather peacefully. Shu Xiaolou was still sound asleep but her breathing had stabilized since. Looks like she had emerged victorious from that incident.
Shang’er had been reluctant to leave and Lin Jin gave up trying to convince her after a few times.
She insisted on staying mainly because the Demonic Appraiser Association was still at large. Lin Jin had a hunch that Appraiser Yan might just be their ‘Black Envoy’, and judging by his character, he wouldn’t just give up and leave. With the enemy hidden from sight, Lin Jin had to constantly keep an eye out for danger.
Shang’er’s presence was a huge boost in his combat ability. This was the factor that convinced Lin Jin not to force her to return to Maple City.
A regular day would involve Lin Jin holding lectures and then teaching Senior Mo and the other four intelligent beasts how to cultivate. Feng Ziqian and Feng Zishan had been paying him visits in between but they were mostly here for ordinary chit-chat.
Lin Jin only understood the meaning of their actions later on. Feng Ziqian aside, Feng Zishan might genuinely be trying to make friends with him. However, Lin Jin was sure he had other reasons as well.
Feng Zishan didn’t persuade Lin Jin into helping him, nor did he bad-mouth Feng Ziqian. Despite this, Feng Zishan was still winning passively.
Lin Jin only figured it out later on.
Feng Zishan was just trying to show his father, the Emperor of Heavenly Spiral Kingdom, that he could offset Lin Jin’s influence in Feng Ziqian’s campaign.
Admittedly, descendants of royalty sure were good at plotting, but Lin Jin couldn’t care less.
He didn’t plan on interfering with Heavenly Spiral Kingdom’s succession feud.
Also, State Preceptor Sima Qing had left his home two days ago, right after Lin Jin came back from the palace. Just as Lin Jin expected, Shu Xiaolou had long forgotten about him so even if she found out about it, she wouldn’t particularly mind. However, this also proved something else.
Shu Xiaolou’s status.
Shu Xiaolou had considerable influence over both the academy and the royal family.
Lin Jin had been researching the Dao mask Shu Xiaolou retrieved from the painting for a few days now. He couldn’t find anything wrong with it but Lin Jin also made a miscalculation. This mask didn’t actually bring any merits.
He thought he would be blessed by the mask, but all it did was give him an aesthetic change.
After putting this mask on, his hair and clothes would transform to resemble Daojun.
At first, Lin Jin saw this item as useless. It wasn’t long before Lin Jin realized how this mask might come in handy in the right scenario.
When the Visitation Hall reopened, Shu Xiaolou was still fast asleep. Lin Jin had Shang’er guard the place while he entered the Visitation Hall.
No new visitors appeared this week, but Lin Jin was used to it now.
After answering everyone’s questions, Lin Jin began asking for news about the Demonic Appraisal Association. He had assigned this task during the last visit. His visitors all came from different parts of the world so Lin Jin had to rely on them for information gathering.
This time, even Black Crow and Madam Ghost Child didn’t hear anything of value. All they found were just minor news or old incidents.
This brought clarity to the Demonic Appraisal Association’s network.
The chief of the Demonic Appraisal Association was a mysterious figure, and no one had heard of him before. Some even wondered if he actually existed at all.
The people in charge of managing the organization were Black and White Envoy.
In his mind, Lin Jin had already labeled Black Envoy as Appraiser Yan, and White Envoy still remained a mystery. However, Lin Jin wasn’t afraid. He had long since decided to eliminate the Demonic Appraisal Association.
Only with their organization destroyed could he rest easy.
Feng Ziqian asked once more when Curator would come to Heavenly Spiral Kingdom.
Lin Jin had never given Feng Ziqian a firm answer every time he asked and this time was no exception. Feng Ziqian hung his head in defeat.
Lin Jin could tell that Feng Ziqian still lacked confidence, so after a thought, he decided to encourage him by saying that Feng Ziqian had to rely on himself to secure the throne. Outsiders could give him assistance, but in the end, he still had to rely on his own two hands.
It took only a basic degree of convincing for Feng Ziqian to cheer up and start speaking with more vigor.
