Lin Jin quickly retracted his gaze and turned his attention back to He Qing.
“An apology, huh? And you came empty-handed?” Lin Jin asked.
At this, He Qing stuck her tongue out before sheepishly and taking some dessert out.
“This is made by the masters in the palace. They’re really good at making treats and these are some of my favorites. If you like them, Appraiser Lin, I can bring more next time.”
As she spoke, He Qing laid the desserts out on the table.
In fact, the moment he stepped into the room, Lin Jin could already smell the mouth-watering fragrance of food.
Xiao Huo detected it even earlier than him. Lin Jin’s nose obviously couldn’t compare to Xiao Huo’s, but he recently noticed that his sense of smell was getting keener.
Being able to sense this desert was evidence of that. Wrapped tightly with wax paper, most people would never be able to smell the tasty deserts, but Lin Jin caught a whiff of it as soon as he opened the door to his room.
Speaking of which, he noticed that since a month ago, not only had his sense of smell gotten keener but even his eyesight had grown much sharper. Although Lin Jin didn’t know the exact cause for this, having heightened senses was clearly a good thing.
Lin Jin chuckled as he unfolded the wax paper to reveal exquisite little desserts. The palace had high standards for decadent items after all. He picked one up with his fingers and took a bite. Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. This subtle taste was truly delightful.
Although the lunch Elder Tan treated him to was delicious too, Lin Jin had digested everything after walking around the city. He was a little hungry now so these desserts couldn’t have come at a better time.
Xiao Huo and the white ape stared at him expectantly upon smelling the fragrance.
Lin Jin gave these little foodies a piece of dessert each.
Then, He Qing spoke up. “Appraiser Lin, about my sister…”
Choking slightly, Lin Jin grabbed the teapot and was surprised when he felt that it was filled. Although it was now cooled off, he had a drink to help him swallow the food.
“I’ve mentioned Sixth Princess’s condition before and I still stand by it. That bestial soul curse is strong and persistent but it isn’t anything too troublesome. I can get rid of it in several days,” Lin Jin said with confidence.
He Qing nodded. “I don’t doubt your abilities since you’re Curator’s prized disciple. I’m truly impressed by Curator’s abilities but my concern is that my sister might not cooperate…”
He Qing seemed hesitant to continue.
Only after Lin Jin insisted that she continue speaking did He Qing spill the beans.
As this was top-secret information, she explained in whispers.
“Curse of the jade dragon? Concerns the country’s fate?”
Lin Jin was incredulous. He had personally appraised that curse. It was dark and malicious, treating He Yu as its host, consistently sapping away her life energy.
This was a wicked curse but how could it have anything to do with the country’s fate?
Lin Jin found it absurd.
As Lin Jin had been showered by too much information in the modern world. He knew that many such prophecies about a country’s fate would turn out to be mere lies in the end. If one insisted that such things existed, it couldn’t be the cause of one person but instead, it required a collective effort.
Feeling contempt, Lin Jin asked, “And your sister believes this too? Ah, I think she does. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have reacted the way she did just now. Who knew she was this pedantic.”
As if she found a confidant, He Qing’s face lit up. “Right? Right? I think so too. Even though I’ve known about this royal secret my whole life, I believe none of it.”
“But my older sister is very stubborn. Her refusal to cooperate will be very troublesome so Uncle Lu and I have it all planned out. Tomorrow, we’ll put some drugs in her food and make her sleep. Then, Appraiser Lin, you can completely remove the curse for her and when she wakes up, the deed would be done.”
He Qing’s grin was terribly sinister.
Lin Jin was gaping as he listened to her proposition. He had no idea that He Qing was capable of coming up with such ideas. What surprised him more was the fact that even Lu Bin was in on it.
On second thought, they might be able to pull this off successfully. Although Lin Jin wasn’t well acquainted with the Sixth Princess, He Yu, it was just as He Qing had said, the princess was a stubborn girl. If she insisted on turning down Lin Jin’s treatment, rather than using force, to drug her was their next best option.
Hence, Lin Jin said nothing in acquiescence.
Now that they had a plan, Lin Jin decided that he would give it his all tomorrow to remove the curse. Even though it may consume a significant portion of his energy, they could resolve this issue once and for all.
Instead of leaving, He Qing got closer and whispered, “Appraiser Lin, you’re Curator’s disciple so you must know him very well. Tell me, what kind of person is he?”
Looking at her earnestly curious face, Lin Jin suspected that her main purpose here was just to find out about the Curator’s background and this thing with her sister was just small talk.
At first, Lin Jin hadn’t wanted to talk about this. He could have rejected the topic, but after giving it some thought, since a lot of people now knew about the curator’s existence, wouldn’t it be better to build the image up? At least he could use this as his ‘support’.
After considering this, Lin Jin briefed her on what happened in Maple City and told her a bit about their close shave with Snake Country.
He Qing had heard about this from Ye Yuzhou, Black Crow, and Ghost Child at the Visitation Hall, but when spoken through Lin Jin’s lips, it was from the Curator’s perspective.
Hence, despite it being the same story, it all felt quite novel. He Qing was still as bewitched as when she first heard of the tale.
This confirms that Maple City’s Ye Yuzhou is Old Ye.” He Qing looked thrilled.
Lin Jin had no idea what she was so excited about but he couldn’t be bothered to guess.
Glancing at the sky outside, the day seemed to be coming to an end as the sun began setting in the west.
“I say, Seventh Princess, shouldn’t you head back?” Lin Jin said. It was then that He Qing realized how late it had become.
“Yeah, I have to hurry back before it gets dark, or else I’d be exposed.” Despite looking unsatiated, He Qing got up anyway.
During the entire time here, her tetrawinged butterfly dragon had been extremely obedient. One reason for this was because butterfly dragons were naturally graceful creatures, but the other reason was that she had to tread carefully before Lin Jin.
It wasn’t because she could tell that Lin Jin and the Curator were the same people. Instead, she could sense the Curator’s same intimidating aura on Lin Jin. Although it wasn’t as strong as when they were in the Visitation Hall, even ten percent of it was enough to intimidate her.
Lin Jin saw He Qing to the door.
“We have an agreement then. Uncle Lu will come and escort you into the palace tomorrow and we’ll proceed as planned.” Having said that, He Qing waved before invoking a spell and jumping onto the back of her now enlarged tetrawinged butterfly dragon.
The butterfly dragon then released a cloud of energy before blending into its surroundings, practically disappearing from sight.
Lin Jin wasn’t surprised. This was one of the tetrawinged butterfly dragon’s skills so now that it was Rank 4, it wasn’t odd that it could now use it with such a level of proficiency.
