The next morning, a palace entourage arrived to escort Lin Jin into the palace.
Since he already promised the Emperor to help He Yu select and form a blood pact with a potential pet beast, he was forced to shake off his grogginess.
After getting dressed, he noticed an old eunuch waiting outside for him. Behind him was a carriage with six imperial guards stationed around it. It might seem like an insignificant force, but their auras indicated otherwise. They were serving the royal family after all.
Lin Jin had met this old eunuch before. He would always be by His Majesty’s side, and Lin Jin figured that he must be the Emperor’s confidant.
“Appraiser Lin, His Majesty has requested me to escort you into the palace.”
This old eunuch was Yao Sheng.
The fact that He Qian decided to send him over reflected the level of respect His Majesty had for Lin Jin.
Lin Jin saluted. “Sorry for the trouble!”
“You’re too kind, Appraiser Lin.” Yao Sheng was smiling as he invited Lin Jin into the carriage. As they passed each other, Lin Jin turned to glance at Yao Sheng. He stared at the eunuch for a moment before asking, “How shall I address you?”
Yao Sheng answered, “Appraiser Lin, you can call me Yao Sheng.”
“Eunuch Yao.” Lin Jin’s expression turned grave. “The Beastmaster Third Scroll you’ve cultivated isn’t complete. To merge with your pet beast in spite of the defect will cause a clash in energies. What’s more, considering the fact that your pet beast is a necrosis silkworm, the stimulation of its blood causes you excruciating pain every night, does it not?”
His words startled Yao Sheng so much that he went pale instantly.
After all, only Yao Sheng knew about this. In fact, Yao Sheng had never visited any beast appraiser before, so it was impossible for this to have been leaked information.
While the eunuch was still recovering from the shock, Lin Jin added, “If you’d like, I can help you resolve your problems later.”
Then, he entered the carriage.
Yao Sheng was stunned but he quickly regained his senses.
This affliction had been going on for years now and Yao Sheng knew it best. He wasn’t supposed to have the opportunity to cultivate the Beastmaster Third Scroll since it was a method that was accessible only by aristocrats, royalty, or a scarce few experts.
For being a faithful servant, the Emperor had once awarded him with an opportunity to cultivate the Beastmaster Second Scroll, but Yao Sheng knew full well that the second scroll couldn’t compare to the third scroll. Still, as it was a reward from His Majesty, Yao Sheng could only pick the second scroll. However, from a chance encounter, he happened to come across a cultivation book on the Beastmaster Third Scroll.
Back then, Yao Sheng treated it as his personal treasure. He told no one nor did he dare discuss it with anyone. After all, it would paint him as being an ungrateful servant, since the Emperor had already rewarded him with the second scroll. He would surely be executed if word of his cultivation got out. In spite of the risks, Yao Sheng couldn’t resist the temptation of the Beastmaster Third Scroll so he cultivated it in secret, only to realize later on that this version of the third scroll was incomplete.
By then, it was too late for Yao Sheng to give up. Due to the incomplete cultivation process, his merging with his pet beast turned out to be a defective process, an issue that had been his source of pain since then. Just as Lin Jin had mentioned, he had to endure torturous pain every single night.
This was Yao Sheng’s secret, but to think Lin Jin saw him through with just one look!
Having heard so much about Lin Jin from His Majesty, Yao Sheng finally realized why his lord regarded Lin Jin so highly and feared the ‘Curator’.
With eyes like his that could easily see through details and secrets, it was obvious how highly skilled Appraiser Lin was.
Apart from horror, Yao Sheng was reluctant to admit the truth.
He was afraid of getting exposed. If His Majesty learned that he had secretly cultivated the Beastmaster Third Scroll, Yao Sheng would never be forgiven. Still, one could not ignore the fact that every night was a living hell for him. Realizing the pain he had endured all these years, Yao Sheng was surprised that he had made it this far without any help.
What actually frightened Yao Sheng the most was the fact that as time progressed, the pain he suffered every night grew increasingly severe. In fact, the pain as of late was so bad that he speculated that if things were to continue as it did, he might not be able to hold out another year.
By then, he would either go insane or die from the pain.
In other words, it was a matter of survival at this point.
The fact that he was chosen as the Emperor’s closest confidant proved that Yao Sheng had strong judgment skills. He was also very decisive so it didn’t take much for him to figure out that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Perhaps the only person in the entire Jade Dragon Kingdom who could save him now was Appraiser Lin.
If he missed this chance, he would just be marching toward his own grave.
Yao Sheng didn’t want to die just yet.
As they made their way over to the palace, Yao Sheng finally summoned his courage to ask softly, “Appraiser Lin, can you really help me with my problem?”
Inside the carriage, Lin Jin chuckled before casting a Camouflage spell.
Lin Jin’s research on this mysterious Camouflage spell had attained a higher level. Besides deceiving another’s vision, he could also camouflage sound.
Seeing how cautious and secretive Yao Sheng was behaving, Lin Jin knew the latter didn’t intend for others to find out about his problem so Lin Jin decided to help him out.
Speaking of which, Lin Jin was also curious about Yao Sheng’s state.
Had anyone else suffered such a mishap mid-cultivation, they would have already been dead. Lin Jin considered it a miracle that Yao Sheng was able to endure it all.
Hence, Lin Jin hoped to examine the cause of the odd phenomenon. He was like a doctor who came across a novel disease. It may be regarded by some to be a hurdle, but if one were to look at it from another perspective, it was an opportunity to enrich one’s knowledge and experience.
Lin Jin was the same.
He flicked out a needle, which startled Yao Sheng when it pierced into him. However, the latter stayed put. He was aware that Lin Jin was just trying to diagnose him.
After all, he had witnessed the same thing during the Jade Dragon Festival.
Once the needle pierced into Yao Sheng’s body, Lin Jin immediately understood where the problem lied.
“I’m amazed you made it so far!” Lin Jin commented. Upon realizing what the situation was, he realized that it was indeed a miracle that Yao Sheng was still alive.
It was Lin Jin’s first time encountering a case where the human host was still alive after his bloodstream was invaded by the blood of his pet beast.
One explanation for this was that either Yao Sheng or his pet beast had a unique constitution. That, or Yao Sheng was able to hold out for so long thanks to his cultivation process.
However, at Lin Jin’s current level, it wouldn’t be difficult for him to solve Yao Sheng’s problem. In fact, it would be an effortless process especially after he cultivated the ‘unrefined fire’ with the water reservoir scale he obtained. Xiao Huo’a Dharma body would be of great help as well.
Lin Jin’s mastery of the fire element couldn’t have been any higher.
Against enemies, he could use Dragonfire. By combining the ‘Yang’ dragon flames with the ‘Firelight’ which Lin Jin cultivated on his own, this attack could incinerate everything in his path. At the very least Lin Jin had never met an opponent who didn’t fear his version of Dragonfire.
In the future, if Lin Jin were to successfully assimilate the phoenix flames, the three fire techniques combined would surely be even more potent.
However, research on phoenix fire would have to wait until Zhao Jingyan of the Visitation Hall successfully hatches her phoenix egg. Though, he was in no hurry to improve his offensive skill.
Meanwhile, the ‘unrefined fire’ Lin Jin cultivated with his water reservoir scale was the complete opposite of Dragonfire. An unrefined fire was an attribute that shouldn’t have existed in this world. It was a skill that merged fire with water, and with the help of the water reservoir scale, Lin Jin was able to cultivate this supposedly impossible flame.
‘Unrefined fire’ was a flame of opportunity. While it was a harmless spell, it excelled at nourishing all creatures. It was especially useful when it came to restructuring the mind and soul of a pet beast. Lin Jin had used this unrefined fire to restructure the three Rank 1 hounds’ veins, and now, he would use the same fire to refine Yao Sheng’s spirit veins.
Fire energy flowed into Yao Sheng’s body.
The latter felt a surge of warmth rapidly flowing from his heart down to all the limbs and bones in his body. He couldn’t begin to describe how pleasant this feeling was. That heat was flaming hot, and yet it didn’t hurt. Instead, it gave Yao Sheng an intoxicating sense of comfort, of belonging.
For so many years now, Yao Sheng had had to suffer the pain created by his pet beast’s blood. The chill that circulated around his veins and flowed into his bones was the cause of many sleepless nights. But now that warmth was surging in his body, it felt as if Yao Sheng was achieving rebirth amidst the flames.
This process lasted for only mere moments, but to Yao Sheng, it felt like an eternity, as if he had indeed, been reborn.
Then, he suddenly heard a voice.
“Eunuch Yao?”
As if awakening from slumber, Yao Sheng opened his eyes to see an imperial guard calling out to him. He had clearly been too indulgent in that state that he stopped in his tracks. That was the reason why the guard decided to shake the eunuch out of his daydream.
Having regained his senses, Yao Sheng let out a gentle cough. “I felt a little dizzy earlier but I’m alright now.”
That guard whispered, “You’ve been working very hard lately, Eunuch Yao.”
“It’s nothing. Let’s hurry on. We can’t keep His Majesty waiting now, can we?” Yao Sheng hurried forward only to see Lin Jin leaning back in his seat. It was as if what happened to Yao Sheng earlier was all but a dream.
Yao Sheng knew it wasn’t a dream. Right now, he felt a decade younger as the pain in his body was gone without a trace. He felt warm all over. Apart from that, he had regained the vigor that he once had when he was still a young man.
By now, Yao Sheng practically saw Lin Jin as a deity.
Hurrying to the side of the carriage, Yao Sheng followed closely as he whispered, “Yao Sheng will forever remember the grace Appraiser Lin has shown me today. If you ever find yourself in need of my help in the future, I’ll be more than willing to put my life on the line to assist you!”
Lin Jin smiled silently.
He had only been curious about Yao Sheng’s condition and it wouldn’t hurt to help out the old eunuch. He couldn’t care less whether the person he helped would return the favor or not.
