Chapter 372: Visiting A Death Row Prisoner At Night
Other than gratitude, Ouyang Tong mostly felt shocked.
Being an official beast appraiser himself, he knew just how difficult it was to promote an inferior beast. In spite of all the odds, Appraiser Lin had achieved it with a simple flick of his wrist. It was more astonishing than watching a Rank 3 pet beast evolve to Rank 4.
By now, Ouyang Tong’s opinion of Lin Jin had been elevated to extreme heights.
‘To think those fools were questioning Appraiser Lin’s Rank 3 qualifications. The way I see it, Appraiser Lin is not only worthy of being Rank 3, but he could also declare that he’s a Rank 4 with pride,’ Ouyang Tong thought.
The boar’s evolution held great significance for Ouyang Tong. He felt utmost respect for Lin Jin and had silently decided he would serve this man from now on, no matter what.
It would be not only for the sake of repaying his gratitude, but also for his own future.
Intelligent as he was, seeing how Lin Jin carried on eating without saying anything, Ouyang Tong knew that Appraiser Lin no longer wanted to further discuss this topic. Hence, he kept quiet too and got up after his bow to pour Lin Jin more liquor.
After an hour of drinking, it was getting late.
“It’s time.”
Lin Jin put down his cup.
This had been an enjoyable meal.
After having some good food, the time had come for serious business.
Seeing Lin Jin stand up, Ouyang Tong got up with a pumped-up expression, as if he was ready to head straight into the battlefield.
This stunned Lin Jin. “Appraiser Ouyang, what are you doing?”
Ouyang Tong answered, “Appraiser Lin, I’ll help. There will definitely be trouble if you visit the dark cell at this hour. I may not be very skilled but I won’t even blink if the need ever arises for me to sacrifice my life.”
Ouyang Tong meant what he said.
Lin Jin shook his head and looked into the starry sky. “It’s a beautiful night so why don’t you stay here and enjoy the evening view instead?”
Ouyang Tong understood what Lin Jin was trying to say immediately.
Lin Jin wouldn’t allow him to follow and that further proved how significant tonight’s visit would be. When they visited the Du Manor this morning, Ouyang Tong already sensed that something was off.
His reasoning was simple. This afternoon when Ouyang Tong went to the dark cell to make arrangements with the prison guard he was familiar with, he bumped into Appraiser Yang Qingshi there. His prison guard friend confirmed that the appraiser had paid them a little visit.
Feeling cautious, Ouyang Tong probed a little more and learned that Appraiser Yang had been frequently visiting this demonic appraiser.
Up till now, Ouyang Tong had been debating with himself on whether he should reveal this piece of information to Lin Jin.
“Appraiser Lin, there’s something strange going on so let me accompany you. At least I can watch your back,” Ouyang Tong said.
Then, he noticed Lin Jin’s gaze, which indicated that there was no room for discussion. Ouyang Tong was startled and hung his head in silence.
Ouyang Tong was earnestly offering his assistance. Then, recalling one more thing, he lifted his head again only to be dumbfounded because Appraiser Lin was nowhere to be seen.
Ouyang Tong was stupefied. The man had been standing right in front of him so how did he disappear in the blink of an eye?
He looked at his boar and the latter snorted, probably just as confused. Then, Ouyang Tong hurried to the window only to see a faint piece of cloud flying in the direction of the dark cell.
Ouyang Tong was dazed for the longest time.
Lin Jin wasn’t trying to show off. Instead, just seconds ago, he felt abnormal activity from the needle he had left inside Du Lianxi’s body. Someone had discovered the needle’s presence and was trying to force it out.
It was for this reason that Lin Jin darted out with his Carrier Cloud. However, instead of the Du Manor, he went for the dark cell.
This was a battle of spells. The distance between the victim and the user meant that their technique and mastery over the spell was being put to the test. The other was trying to force the needle out of Du Lianxi but Lin Jin had absolute confidence that his enemy would fail.
Hence, there was no need for him to go to the Du Manor, allowing him to head straight for the dark cell.
He wanted to meet the demonic appraiser to confirm if the situation was exactly as he assumed it to be. Was the demonic appraiser strategizing from behind bars or was he just a ‘decoy’? A scapegoat someone else was using to commit crimes.
Since Lin Jin already got himself involved, he decided to just get to the bottom of it.
According to Ouyang Tong, upon arrival at the dark cell, he just had to tell the guard on duty he was looking for Warden Zhang.
Lin Jin got off his cloud somewhere near the prison’s entrance and saw a guard with a lantern. It was only the first half of the night so the guard wasn’t tried yet. Though he did look unenthusiastic.
But that was normal. A job of standing guard all day would be boring for anyone.
The guard was alerted by Lin Jin’s sudden arrival. He announced, “This is the city prison, and you are standing on government property. Please halt.”
Now the guard looked somewhat intimidating with his sword around his waist and a black hellhound emerging from behind him. An average person would never have continued walking under such circumstances.
Lin Jin raised his hand and saluted the guard, intentionally showing his three-ringed pattern sleeve guard in the process. “I’m here to see Warden Zhang,” he said.
As expected, the guard mellowed down but he still kept his eyes glued on Lin Jin. “He’s inside the house on the left side of the courtyard.”
Lin Jin thanked him and proceeded forward. As he passed by the black hellhound, he smiled at it and the latter visibly jolted. With its tail between its legs, the dog started whimpering fearfully.
The guard had never seen anything like this before. Black hellhounds were specifically bred for guarding jobs. Their ranks may be low but a hellhound would be courageous enough to fight beasts larger than themselves. Even if they knew they were no match, hellhounds didn’t fear death nor would they ever retreat from the battlefield.
And yet, this black hellhound was currently frightened out of its wits.
Leaving the confused guard to himself, Lin Jin entered the courtyard.
Unlike other buildings, the courtyard walls were towering with thick wooden doors and windows secured with sturdy iron bars. There were a few more black hellhounds patrolling inside the courtyard and when Lin Jin entered, they all directed their gazes to him. In the darkness, only their slightly glowing eyes could be seen.
Lin Jin knocked on the door of the left house and out came an old warden. His uniform seemed rather battered.
“Warden Zhang?”
The old warden nodded.
“Ouyang Tong told me to come here.”
After Lin Jin spoke, the old warden beamed a smile at him, revealing his two missing front teeth. They must have fallen off at some point.
“Appraiser Ouyang has told me to expect a visitor. Mr. Appraiser, how should I address you?” the old warden asked.
“My surname is Lin!”
“Oh, Appraiser Lin. Come with me.” The old warden asked no more. He grabbed a lantern and walked out. Lin Jin cast a glance inside the room.
There was a visibly aged black hellhound on the floor. Noticing Lin Jin’s line of sight, the old warden said, “That’s my pet beast. He’s been with me for over thirty years now, and just like me, he’s an old feller. If it weren’t for our blood pact, he would have died of old age long ago. He’s usually like this, and he much prefers sleep than anything else. If there’s nothing special going on, I usually just leave him alone.”
Lin Jin nodded silently.