Lin Jin’s expression was grim.
Utterly ominous.
The Demonic Appraisal Association was absolutely inhuman. If that staged accident hadn’t happened to him this morning, and if he did not show up here today, Lin Jin would have been oblivious as to their next move.
By the time he realized he was under attack, he would have been in a terrible position.
Although these fiends might not actually succeed, one or more of Lin Jin’s friends at Maple City would be placed in harm’s way.
Lin Jin could not allow that to happen.
Hence, he smiled.
Since he so spontaneously heard it all, it must be fate that had led him here. If he had be frank, Lin Jin did think about striking out earlier, but he held himself back at the last minute.
The reason was simple really. All four of these demonic appraisers were no pushovers.
Lin Jin was not confident in his abilities to take on all four of them at once. Also, if this fight escalated, there was no guarantee that other experts in Heavenly Spiral City would just stand back at watch them duke it out.
After all, this was a premium country.
He had to tread very carefully.
It was fortunate that Lin Jin had remained motionless the entire time, concealing his aura and ultimately, his physical presence thanks to Camouflage.
Otherwise, if they found out he was sitting there, he would never be able to fight his way out of here.
Now, the ball was in Lin Jin’s hands. He had every piece of information on his enemies, and they were like sitting ducks out in the open. He on the other hand, remained stalking in the dark. If he were to hold back now, it would be his stupidest decision yet.
Lin Jin made a split-second decision.
He would kill all four of these men.
He would eliminate them one by one, of course. The first person would deal with was Hall Master Chu.
Among the four, he was the person Lin Jin had to kill most.
With that in mind, Lin Jin got up and hurried outside. The four people had yet to leave Green Willow Lane, but they would surely part ways once they did.
Herein lies his next problem. As he had to pick off the enemy one by one, Lin Jin could only target one of them for now. In other words, he was bound to lose track of the rest.
This was a problem because these four people couldn’t be compared to simple ruffians. There was a possibility of them sensing his needle, and in the event that they do, Lin Jin’s plan would fail on the spot.
Lin Jin continued to think about his next move. He could follow Hall Master Chu, who was the mastermind behind their plan, all while keeping track of the bald shopkeeper thanks to the needle he left on him. Similarly, finding the young master would not be an issue, since the two were working together.
The people left were Elder Ye and Zhou Weng.
Both men were equally formidable, and they possessed Rank 4 pet beasts. Zhou Weng had physically merged with his pet beast, turning him into a half-human half-beast monster.
Elder Ye was probably much more powerful because Lin Jin sensed the aura of two Rank 4 beasts on him. Besides the Rank 4 snake staff, the man probably had another Rank 4 pet beast with him.
Lin Jin wondered how the old guy managed to keep them under control at the same time.
These demonic appraisers were no doubt competent given their mastery of incomprehensible and taboo spells. Being an expert in the field of beast appraising, Lin Jin could clearly tell that Elder Ye had formed blood contracts with two Rank 4 pet beasts.
They weren’t under oppression. No, he had formed blood pacts with both of them.
It was common knowledge that one could only have a blood contract with a single beast at one time, so how did he manage to do it?
Even Lin Jin couldn’t figure out the trick behind it.
Perhaps by probing him with a needle or physically touching him, Lin Jin would learn Elder Ye’s secret. That was how much faith he had in the museum’s abilities.
However, Lin Jin couldn’t do this right now. Again, if he acted recklessly, the four of them might notice him.
‘I can only explore this secret slowly in due time.’ Lin Jin wasn’t the indecisive type. After realizing that he couldn’t kill all four of them together, he made a decision.
He would kill two first.
Each one counted.
The most important one was Hall Master Chu and the man had to die by tonight.
After exiting Green Willow Lane, Chu Gou got onto a carriage that had been waiting for him at the alley’s entrance. The carriage left quickly and stopped somewhere inside the city where Chu Gou got off to disappear into a crowd.
By then, he had practically transformed.
His clothes were different, his hat was different, and there was a large beard was on his face.
He looked like a completely different person.
Chu Gou was a cautious man. When he first joined the Demonic Appraisal Association, he was only a normal outer member with no special benefits. His cunning allowed him to solidify his position quickly within the organization. Back in their branch office at Reed City, he was a highly respected figure.
He was a diligent man after all.
Instead of living in the branch, he chose to stay hidden among the civilians.
He understood that appearing inconspicuous was his greatest strength.
His pragmatic personality also helped him maintain this cover. Even in the organization, he did not care for fame. What he wanted were tangible gains.
Back in Reed City, after learning that Lin Jin had destroyed their branch, Chu Gou took no action and continued to stay hidden, waiting for an opportunity. Alas, the opportunity came in the form of monks from Daluo Temple. Thus, he borrowed their strength to fight off the enemy, allowing him to successfully retrieve Daojun’s wooden token from the Qiao family.
Upon obtaining the item, he made his escape but almost lost his life in the process. However, he was lucky enough to make it out alive.
His procurement of Daojun’s wooden token was a huge contribution to the Demonic Appraisal Association. It ultimately earned him a promotion to hall master of the Dark Hall. Even then, Chu Gou kept a low profile.
It was because he understood that only by doing so would he be able to live longer.
He had a residence here in Heavenly Spiral City that no one but himself knew about it. Even his brothers at the Dark Hall were not aware of where he lived.
This was Chu Gou’s style of doing things.
He was extremely cautious when doing anything.
He spent a little more time turning and maneuvering the streets before arriving at an inconspicuous little house where he entered from the back door.
This was his place of residence.
It was so average that he looked like a common citizen of Heavenly Spiral City.
He kept a hound beast in his yard, just like anybody would. Chu Gou only kept it to be notified whenever there were intruders at his house.
Once inside the house, Chu Gou laid down comfortably, thinking about how they should carry out their plan tomorrow.
Suddenly, Chu Gou felt something was off. After entering his house, he hadn’t heard his dog make a sound. Logically speaking, it should have made some noise after being starved for an entire day.
“Where’s my dog? Make a sound! Bark or something!” Chu Gou called out. Normally, the dog would have barked in response, but the only response he received was silence.
“Oh no!”
Cautious as he was, Chu Gou knew that something must have happened.
He clambered up but the instant he rose to his feet, he felt himself being pricked in the neck by a needle. Subsequently, he was rendered completely immobile.
Upon closer observation, one could see snake scales slithering about around his body as if Chu Gou had invoked a spell. It was a pity that he was a split-second too late.
