Chapter 538: Your Majesty, It’s Terrible
Lin Jin emphasized the words ‘borrow and peruse’.
He would only borrow and read it on the spot, not take it away, so there shouldn’t be any reason to reject his request.
Feng Junwu said, “Although our royal treasury is a valued space, there shouldn’t be any issues if it’s just to borrow and read it there. I’ll be able to witness Curator’s grace too.”
Lin Jin was delighted to hear his response. He mused, ‘So I assume that everything is settled now? That was surprisingly easy.’
When the time comes, he just had to put on Curator’s disguise and he would be able to read Daojun’s Hieroglyphic. But was it really that simple?
Maybe not.
There might be other tests, and should Lin Jin make the slightest mistake, all would have been for naught.
Lin Jin knew he should better prepare himself. Being prepared was always a good strategy.
Then, Feng Junwu abruptly steered their conversation in another direction.
“I heard that Appraiser Lin is well acquainted with Senior Shu?”
This switch was made a little too hasty. They had just been talking about Curator moments ago but now, they were talking about Heavenly Spiral Academy’s Shu Xiaolou.
Lin Jin became curious. It seems that His Majesty is aware of Shu Xiaolou’s existence, given how he was addressing her formally as “Senior Shu”.
Everyone in the academy knew about his relationship with Shu Xiaolou so Lin Jin didn’t feel the need to hide this fact. That was why he decided to speak the truth.
Then, Feng Junwu said, “Speaking of which, on the day of the banquet, State Preceptor had offended Senior Shu. I’ve spoken with State Preceptor about this and he feels nothing but regret for his actions. He’s been reflecting on himself in solitude since that day.”
Having said that, Feng Junwu lifted his teacup and took a sip from it.
Lin Jin understood what the emperor was trying to say immediately
Chuckling on the inside, he thought, ‘State Preceptor really does fear Shu Xiaolou huh? Shu Xiaolou instructed him to reflect on his actions in solitude, and to think he actually did that! It’s been days since he last came out from his home.’
The emperor was trying to make him persuade Shu Xiaolou into releasing Sima Qing. Otherwise, for the great State Preceptor to be locked up at home and be forced to reflect on himself didn’t seem appropriate at all.
For other people, this task was as difficult as ascending to heaven. To Lin Jin, it involved barely any effort.
Based on his understanding of Shu Xiaolou, she had probably already forgotten about it. That being the case, Lin Jin didn’t mind doing His Majesty this favor.
After all, he still had to borrow Daojun’s Hieroglyphic.
With this in mind, Lin Jin replied, “Prior to my visit today, Senior Shu has informed me to seek out State Preceptor. As State Preceptor has already reflected on himself for that incident, that should be all.”
“Wonderful!” Although Feng Junwu appeared to be a little skeptical about Lin Jin’s statement, he did not insist on hearing the truth. Since Lin Jin had put it this way, he would just take it at face value.
More importantly, even if they were to get into trouble, Lin Jin would be the one to shoulder the blame. Now, State Preceptor could finally leave his home and resume his work. Otherwise, his absence would just continue to cause headaches.
‘This Lin Jin is quite a sensible person. He’s a nice guy and has a smart mind. He’s knowledgeable, bold, and competent,’ thought Feng Junwu as he analyzed Lin Jin’s behavior. It was clear that he was growing increasingly fond of this man.
He would let go of his grudge against Lin Jin for rejecting his invitations twice. Furthermore, should everything have gone to plan, General Sky Lion might have already tamed Lin Jin’s pet beast by now. They should go outside and take a look now before the situation got worse. At most, he would just pretend to reprimand General Sky Lion for going too far.
With this in mind, Feng Junwu felt gleeful.
This was also a strategy he regularly practiced on his guests. General Sky Lion was a cooperative beast, and every time, he would be tasked with teaching the guest’s pet beast a lesson. By doing so, not only could they humble their guest, but it was an indirect show of General Sky Lion’s strength.
Lin Jin’s visit was no exception. Once all necessary topics had been discussed, Feng Junwu rose from his seat and came up with an excuse to head outside together.
“Appraiser Lin, Heavenly Spiral Kingdom’s palace has quite a profound history. If you have time, come and walk around with me.”
Lin Jin nodded.
Feng Junwu led the way. Yan Quan and the little officer followed behind him, sticking close to the emperor.
Although Lin Jin was walking beside them, he maintained an appropriate distance.
Just then, another officer rushed into the hall, immediately dropping to his knees. “Your Majesty, it’s terrible. General Sky Lion, h-he…”
The officer seemed distressed. Perhaps due to shock, he couldn’t speak coherently.
Feng Junwu’s brows furrowed, musing, ‘This person is too useless. What is he so nervous about?’
He turned to glance at Yan Quan, thinking he should find an opportunity to straighten up this high steward of his, so the latter would actually pay attention when he hired new recruits.
“What’s with this ruckus!? How unsightly!” reprimanded Feng Junwu before walking away.
He figured General Sky Lion must have gone overboard and blamed himself for not urging the guardian to hold back a little. Lin Jin was indeed a nice person. Had he known earlier, he would have asked General Sky Lion to be more lenient.
If something did happen to Lin Jin’s pet beast, things would get troublesome too.
With this in mind, Feng Junwu hastened his footsteps. However, before he could step outside, he was greeted with a strange scent.
It smelled like burnt fur.
Curious, Feng Junwu left the hall to look outside and the view stunned him,
Standing outside was a massive fire wolf covered entirely in bright-red flames. What’s strange was despite how the stone slab beneath his feet had melted, the ambient temperature remained the same.
The five-meter-long fire wolf was considered gigantic but it controlled its aura surprisingly well. Still, if it wasn’t provoked, it would never attack another.
Standing across it was a somewhat tragic-looking beast.
Its cloud had been evaporated and the remaining of its visible skin had been scorched into dark patches, turning him bald. It took Feng Junwu the longest time to recognize this creature as one of Heavenly Spiral Kingdom’s guardian beasts, General Sky Lion.
Right now, General Sky Lion was being forced into a corner by the large fire wolf. Upon closer observation, they could see a few embers floating around General Sky Lion, almost touching it, forcing it to stay completely still. Its posture reminded the emperor of a meek little maiden being stripped naked by a barbarian.
This scene was nothing but strange and Feng Junwu was dumbstruck. For a few seconds, the emperor was unable to regain his senses. When Lin Jin came out, he didn’t find it strange at all.
Lin Jin was aware of General Sky Lion’s malicious intentions from the very beginning. He didn’t seem fazed earlier because Lin Jin had absolute confidence in Xiao Huo.
Xiao Huo may only be a normal fire wolf, but all of his evolution processes had been perfect. He even underwent physical refining with dragon fire, exotic fire, and phoenix fire. Possessing a Dharma body, he was easily at the pinnacle of all Rank 5 beasts.
Although General Sky Lion wasn’t weak, Lin Jin had secretly evaluated it earlier and the lion turned out to be much inferior compared to Xiao Huo. Even if General Sky Lion wanted to bully Xiao Huo, it had picked the wrong target.
Judging by the situation, Xiao Huo seemed to have gone slightly overboard. Not only did he destroy the lion’s cloud body, but the poor feline had to endure a painful roast as well.
The lion had sustained quite heavy injuries.
Although General Sky Lion had brought it upon itself, Lin Jin still had to leave the emperor some dignity.