Qing Zhi may look old, but he was sincere and easy to talk to. As time progressed, he grew more comfortable speaking to Lin Jin, so he asked him about the current state of the mainlands. Their conversation went on enthusiastically. Lin Jin explained to him what the mainlands were like now and Qing Zhi was fascinated by his descriptions.
Upon hearing that immortals have ceased to exist in the mainlands, and how contracting pet beasts was the way to live, Qing Zhi’s eyes widened.
“How does this blood contract thing work?”
Qing Zhi had a curious soul. Forming blood pacts was no secret in the mainlands as everyone knew about it, so Lin Jin explained the concept to Qing Zhi. The latter listened intently, pondering in silence at times, and then nodding in response.
Time flew by as they conversed, and it was already late at night when they finally realized it.
Just then, they heard a crisp chirping outside that sounded like the cry of a lonely bird, perched atop a tall branch. It was a random cry, but Qing Zhi was stunned. He then counted the time with his fingers before slapping his forehead.
“Mr. Lin, I didn’t know it was so late,” said Qing Zhi as he got up.
Lin Jin smiled, “It’s alright. I couldn’t sleep anyway, so having a chat was nice.”
Qing Zhi subconsciously glanced out the window before saluting Lin Jin. “It’s late. Do get some rest, Mr. Lin. I shall take my leave now.”
Lin Jin could tell that Qing Zhi had other matters to attend to so he didn’t raise any objections. He merely grunted his acknowledgment as the old man turned to leave.
A breeze was blowing outside and Lin Jin craned his neck to look, only to see Qing Zhi gone. He must have gone away riding the wind.
“He left in such a hurry. Did something urgent happen?” Lin Jin mumbled to himself. Then, he shook his head and got ready to head inside.
Lin Jin wasn’t at all interested in what Qing Zhi had to do. However, just as he was about to enter the house, his nose twitched and he paused.
Monster aura.
Although faint and mingled with the fragrance of flowers, they couldn’t fool Lin Jin’s nose.
As a beast appraiser, Lin Jin’s eyes and nose were most sensitive. Coupled with his profound knowledge and experience, he wouldn’t let go of even the slightest detail, just like this faint aura of a monster.
“Interesting!”
Despite Lin Jin’s frown, but there were hints of curiosity and playfulness in his eyes. Clearly, Qing Zhi’s hurried departure had something to do with that faint monster aura.
Of course, that was only Lin Jin’s guess. Whether or not it was true, he couldn’t be sure.
He was almost at the house when Lin Jin’s curiosity grew. He wanted to follow Qing Zhi and see what the old man was up to. He also wanted to investigate the source of the monster aura.
On second thought…
Why should he?
He might even get into trouble because of his nosiness. More importantly, he was now a guest at the Mystery Dao Sect so it was better to refrain from giving them trouble.
“It’s better to keep a low profile. Don’t be curious, don’t be impulsive, and no trouble will come to me.” Lin Jin steadied his mind and headed into the house.
He only needed to wait in silence.
Once Miao Yan Zhenren was done crafting him a Purple Thunder Needler with his profound immortal powers, Lin Jin could reap his harvest and help Mr. Qi patch up his injuries. All will go well. Not only will the Mystery Dao Sect owe him a favor, but he would also obtain a magic treasure, the Purple Thunder Needle.’
That was the main agenda.
Once inside the house, Lin Jin poured himself a cup of tea and went back to reading.
Although he was only an amateur when it came to immortal cultivation, he was stronger than your average man. Including the blessing he got from his pet beast, Lin Jin could go without sleep for days on end. This was especially so following the battle with Evil Eye Witch, thanks to his reinforced psyche.
After about two hours, Lin Jin heard the wind whistling outside before there was a knock on his door.
Even from the sound of the knock, Lin Jin was able to tell that the person was anxious and holding themselves back.
“Come in.”
When Lin Jin heard the wind, he already knew who his visitor was. It was none other than Qing Zhi.
Sure enough, Qing Zhi entered the room while suppressing his panic.
“What is it?” Lin Jin looked up to ask, putting down his book.
Qing Zhi fell to his knees with a loud thud.
“Mr. Lin, there’s something I need your help with.”
Lin Jin got up at once to help him up. Although the older man courteously addressed him as ‘mister’, and was a low-ranking disciple Chen Xuankong assigned to care for Lin Jin, the man’s age and cultivation realm were still higher than Lin Jin’s.
Lin Jin simply could not be that arrogant.
“What happened?” Lin Jin inquired. Qing Zhi seemed hesitant. Perhaps due to the urgency of his issue, he sighed before saying, “Mr. Lin, to be honest with you, it’s like this…”
With a flushed red face, Qing Zhi elaborated on the situation.
As Lin Jin listened, a confused expression arose.
It was no wonder Qing Zhi hesitated. Logically speaking, if a disciple came across any trouble, they should have gone to their sect for help instead of the guest.
This told Lin Jin that Qing Zhi’s issue was unusual.
His suspicion was confirmed after hearing Qing Zhi’s story.
Apparently, in the past few years, Qing Zhi gave into his loneliness and met a female monster.
Besides immortals, many cultivating monsters spawned and lived here in the extraterritorial land. Although most beasts here hadn’t activated their spiritual intelligence yet, some had, and even gained astonishing cultivation methods to grow into a monster.
The one Qing Zhi got acquainted with was a thousand-year-old oriole monster.
In other words, she was a bird.
This female monster had been cultivating for one thousand years and could take on a human form. Her cultivation level was considerably high too, and after being acquainted with Qing Zhi, they got along so well that they became companions.
However, the Mystery Dao Sect was renowned among immortal sects. Although they did not forbid their disciples from befriending monsters, forming a companionship and engaging in dual cultivation with monsters was too extreme. Qing Zhi had to keep this a secret from the sect. He usually just met with the oriole in private so they could both alleviate their loneliness.
Today was the day of this unfortunate couple’s date. However, because Qing Zhi had been too immersed in talking with Lin Jin, he ended up forgetting the time, and that made the forthright oriole monster unhappy. The bird’s chirp Lin Jin heard earlier was her coming to remind Qing Zhi of their date.
This was supposedly all to it, but they didn’t expect a mishap to happen.
“My companion, sh-she offended a powerful monster without realizing it herself. She ended up being hurt by that monster but thought nothing of it. Just now, she suddenly started coughing up blood and she fell unconscious. I tried using spells but they didn’t work. I don’t know what happened either, and it seems like she won’t be able to hold out much longer. Then, I remembered that Mr. Lin is a beast appraiser and you’re adept in treating beasts…”
Lin Jin understood now.
Speaking of which, it was because Lin Jin had told Qing Zhi about himself, that was why the old man decided to seek his help.
Lin Jin didn’t turn him down. As a beast appraiser, it was normal for him to help when such situations arose, just like doctors would for patients. Moreover, Qing Zhi had come all this way to beg him. The old man was a great guy and didn’t do anything harmful, so Lin Jin would treat this as doing a good deed.
