If First Prince Feng Ziyong could figure it out, Second Prince Feng Zishan obviously could too.
Feng Zishan now wore the same grim expression as his brother.
To think Princess Ruo Li would be so straightforward. Didn’t it mean that his efforts in gaining her attention had gone to waste?
In the end, their success still hinged upon beast appraising.
The problem with this was the fact that Feng Ziqian now had the upper hand. The people he hired were too powerful. Famous people more often than not deserved their reputation. While Feng Zishan had no idea how capable Senior Shu was, he at least understood that he outclassed the other Rank 4 appraisers.
Feng Zishan turned to the two Rank 4 appraisers he hired. They noticed his gaze, and so whispered back, “Don’t worry Your Highness, we’ll try out best to help you succeed.”
Feng Zishan could only nod. What else could he say?
They would just try their best.
Meanwhile, Princess Ruo Li had ordered her men to remove the veil covering all three cages.
All three uniquely crafted steel cages were revealed. Each of them was over three meters tall. These were massive compared to regular cages and apart from that, they were plastered with amulets that subdued the beasts they contained.
The moment they saw what was inside these cages, their eyes widened with disbelief.
“H-How could this be?” Feng Ziyong exclaimed.
Indeed, the sight was shocking.
All three cages housed a ‘chilong[1]’.
A chilong was a four-limbed dragon, and its name was derived from the fact that it had a hornless head. It also had a long tail and a sturdy build. This species of dragons was unique to Thousand Island Country, just like jade dragons were found exclusively in Jade Dragon Kingdom.
However, besides color and some minor details, all three chilongs looked practically the same in all other aspects. They were even identical in size as if they were cast from the same mold.
Chilongs belong to a comparatively rare breed of dragons. This was why average beast appraisers would find it difficult to evaluate them accurately.
But who were the appraisers present here today?
They were official Rank 4 appraisers with significant experience and profound knowledge. It went without saying that they knew what chilongs were.
Hence, appraising chilongs wasn’t a challenge for them, not in the slightest bit. The real problem here would be to judge which of these seemingly identical chilongs was the pet beast of Princess Ruo Li. That would be a pretty difficult task.
Of course, it didn’t mean that it was an impossible task.
Rank 4 appraisers had something to show for. Each one of them here had at least several methods to test a beast’s blood contract relation.
The first prince was most impatient. As he only had Appraiser Yan to help him, every minute counted, so he got up immediately. “Appraiser Yan, please have a look at them.”
Appraiser Yan knew he couldn’t possibly reject the request, so he got up and approached the cages.
Feng Zishan knew there wasn’t time for modesty right now so he quickly had his beast appraisers conduct their evaluations too.
Feng Ziqian turned to Lin Jin and Mr. Shu. To his surprise, neither of them looked like they were going to move a muscle, which made him grow increasingly anxious.
“Appraiser Lin, Appraiser Lin, aren’t you going to take a look?” Feng Ziqian whispered.
Lin Jin smiled and then turned to Shu Xiaolou. “Senior Shu, why don’t you go on and take a look at the chilongs?”
Shu Xiaolou shook her head, evidently refusing to budge. “I’m only here for the banquet. I never said I would appraise beasts for anyone.”
Looks like Shu Xiaolou did not intend to partake in the princes’ struggle for power.
Lin Jin knew what she was thinking. With her status, if she were to compete with the juniors, her reputation might take a great hit. Although Shu Xiaolou was aloof and didn’t care for most matters or rules, she valued such intangible things.
Lin Jin nodded before rising from his seat.
Unbeknownst to them, many people had been secretly observing Shu Xiaolou’s actions.
After realizing that Senior Shu wasn’t going to participate in the evaluation process, everyone but Feng Ziqian breathed a sigh of relief.
Feng Zishan’s fingers were even trembling with excitement. ‘I knew it. I knew that a senior with such prominent status wouldn’t want to compete with his juniors. It’s just as I expected. This is great! With this, my chances of winning would be greater.’
Now, he had two Rank 4 appraisers to help him while Feng Ziyong and Feng Ziqian only had one each. The weakest participant here was Feng Ziqian, seeing how young his appraiser was. Feng Zishan recalled that his name was called Lin Jin, who had acquired his Rank 4 qualifications not too long ago.
Everyone knew that proficiency in beast appraising depended on personal experience. Hence, Feng Zishan’s instincts told him that Lin Jin would be inferior to the two veteran beast appraisers he hired.
All four Rank 4 appraisers gathered around the three cages to study the dragons up close. Initially, everyone including Lin Jin thought that this would be a speedy competition. However, after conducting their appraisals, they were too shocked to even speak.
The three princes were visibly flustered when they realized this.
“Appraiser Yan, any results?” Feng Ziyong couldn’t resist asking.
Appraiser Yan wore a strange expression. He seemed most uncertain and shook his head.
Feng Zishan was delighted. However, he received the same response from his appraisers when he asked both of them about the dragons. This stunned Feng Zishan as well.
What was going on?
Perhaps they had missed out on one key detail?
That shouldn’t happen. These were all Rank 4 appraisers so how could they fail to realize such details?
Feng Ziqian turned to see Lin Jin’s head lowered in deep thought.
‘Alright. I’ll give him some time to think,’ thought Feng Ziqian.
He knew that there must be a trick so he braced himself to look at Shu Xiaolou. The appraiser wore an amused expression as he stared at the three chilongs in the cage. One could see a wide grin on his face.
Reluctant to give in to their beliefs, Appraiser Yan and the others made another attempt at evaluating the beasts, but Lin Jin refrained from doing so. He simply returned to his seat silently. Feng Ziqian couldn’t resist asking, “Is something wrong? Wait, I think I got it. Is it because none of the three dragons produced a blood contract reaction?”
Lin Jin shook his head then whispered to Feng Ziqian, “You’ve got it the other way round. It’s not that they aren’t showing a blood contract reaction, all three chilongs showed the same reaction.”
By blood contract reaction, they meant a connection between Princess Ruo Li and the dragons.
All three chilongs were related to her?
How was that possible?
Feng Ziqian now understood why the Rank 4 appraisers reacted this way. They noticed the same thing as well, but a situation like this simply wasn’t possible.
After pondering for a bit, Lin Jin abruptly mumbled to himself, “Nothing in this world is impossible.”
His lips curved upwards and he whispered into Feng Ziqian’s ear.
With a puzzled expression, the third prince had to confirm with Lin Jin what he had just heard multiple times. After gaining Lin Jin’s confirmation, Feng Ziqian hesitated for a moment before standing up with gritted teeth.
“Princess Ruo Li, I may not be skillful enough but we already have an answer,” he announced.
When Feng Ziqian spoke, his two brothers were startled. They assumed that Senior Shu had offered Feng Ziqian a strategy.
However, when they remembered how Senior Shu had remained silent the entire time, they breathed a sigh of relief. After all, Lin Jin was the only one involved in the decision-making process.
[1] Literally means ‘hornless dragon’ in Mandarin
