Museum of Deadly Beasts

Du Lianheng may be a wealthy man but beast appraisers were well-respected professions in their society, so he had to be polite. As Lin Jin and Ouyang Tong were invited inside, Lin Jin asked his partner if they were referring to Appraiser Yang Qingshi, one of the Rank 3 beast appraisers at headquarters. Ouyang Tong nodded.

That made sense. According to what Ouyang Tong previously mentioned, the two beast appraisers involved in the incident were Tan Xun and Yang Qingshi.

The Du Manor’s courtyard was constructed in a cascading fashion. The place was tranquil and their guest reception hall was incredibly spacious. Apart from that, it was equipped with tastefully selected furniture. The tea they served was also of premium quality. All these signaled that the Du family were impeccable hosts.

This also illustrated the nature of successful merchants, who much preferred making friends over enemies.

Especially with beast appraisers.

Even if they weren’t fond of Lin Jin and Ouyang Tong’s visit, they couldn’t possibly show it on their faces.

Such was an example of a wise old bird.

Aware that Lin Jin was here to see his daughter, Du Lianheng said, “Appraiser Lin, Appraiser Ouyang, you have my permission to see my poor little daughter. Ever since what happened last year, she hasn’t opened her eyes. Sigh, how much more suffering does she have to go through?”

At the mention of his daughter, Du Lianheng kept sighing. It was clear that he had yet to come to terms with the situation.

Lin Jin made haste.

Du Lianheng led them to her personally. His daughter’s room was located inside a small and quiet courtyard. A maid just happened to be carrying a basin of water and she bowed at the sight of Du Lianheng.

“Ever since Lianxi fell unconscious, she had to rely on the maids to clean her up. Every day, I pray for the arrival of the day when she finally wakes up,” Du Lianheng said. He had the maid open the door before entering.

Lin Jin followed after him.

The instant he stepped through the threshold, Lin Jin smelled a weak scent. It didn’t belong to a monster but it was too faint to be detected by the average person, so Ouyang Tong sensed nothing. Lin Jin could only smell it because his cultivation had improved. Merging with Xiao Huo’s Dharma body sharpened his senses too so it was only normal that he was able to sense what others wouldn’t.

This scent was irregular so Lin Jin remained on edge.

A young lady’s room was always clean and tidy, filled with a light fragrance. And yet, a frown appeared on Lin Jin’s face the moment he stepped through the entrance. Immediately, he stopped in his tracks.

He wasn’t over-reacting but the sudden pungency that assaulted his olfactory canal had caught him off guard.

The strangest thing was how Du Lianheng, Ouyang Tong, and even the maid couldn’t seem to smell anything. They weren’t even aware of the smell, let alone being affected by it.

Despite this oddity, now wasn’t the time to ask about it so Lin Jin remained silent. He decided that he would wait and deal with this issue later on.

Lying on the bed of this room was a young woman who was in her late twenties. She laid still under a silk blanket, barely moving a single muscle.

No doubt, this must be Du Lianheng’s daughter.

To be one year into a coma, Lin Jin expected her to be worn to a shadow or to be as thin as a rake. And yet, the woman on the bed looked as if she was just in a deep sleep. Besides looking slightly pale, there was nothing strange about her.

This is weird.

Lin Jin also confirmed that the source of the pungent smell was Du Lianheng’s daughter.

Lin Jin couldn’t stand it anymore, so he whispered to Ouyang Tong, “Appraiser Ouyang, do you smell anything off?”

At this, Ouyang Tong took a deep breath before flashing him an honest grin. He whispered in reply, “Appraiser Lin, it’s only normal for a maiden’s room to smell nice.”

‘How on earth does this smell nice?’

Lin Jin raised an eyebrow. Ouyang Tong didn’t seem to be lying so that must mean he couldn’t smell anything. No, Ouyang Tong could only sense the fragrance that their family used.

Judging by Du Lianheng and the maid’s appearance, they must be experiencing the same thing, or the lack thereof. So why was Lin Jin the only one who detected the foul smell?

Knowledgeable as he was, Lin Jin knew this matter required investigation. However, he would remain subtle about it. He didn’t pinch his nose in distaste either. Despite how unbearable it was, Lin Jin decided to soldier on.

According to Du Lianheng’s short introduction, the name of his daughter was Du Lianxi. She was a clever child, and her pet beast was a ‘steel skylark’.

Lin Jin nodded. He did notice a large birdcage in the room but it was empty. It must have been used to house Du Lianxi’s pet beast.

“Ever since that incident, my daughter’s pet beast went missing. It must have died in the hands of those villains. I’ve never done anything bad so I keep wondering why they would do such a thing to me and my daughter.” Du Lianheng’s gaze toward his daughter was filled with sorrow and affection.

To be stuck in a year-long coma was most likely an indication that his daughter was beyond rescue.

“To be honest, I’ve already made arrangements for my daughter’s funeral but I’m still hoping for a miracle, that she would someday open her eyes and call me ‘father’ again.” With his emotions aroused, Du Lianheng wiped a stray tear from the corner of his eye.

Lin Jin comforted him briefly before returning his attention to Du Lianxi.

Her countenance wouldn’t be able to tell him much so when no one was looking, Lin Jin flicked a needle under Du Lianxi’s blanket to pierce her skin through her clothes. The instant his needle struck her acupoint, Lin Jin’s pupils dilated.

Ouyang Tong had been watching his expression so when Lin Jin’s countenance changed, he was shocked too.

Then, he saw Lin Jin staring at Du Lianxi so he figured Lin Jin must have discovered something.

After a quick thought, Ouyang Tong said to the maid, “I’m thirsty. Pour me some water, will you?”

The maid was stunned by the instruction, which came seemingly out of nowhere. Of course, Du Lianheng sent her away at once to fulfill his guest’s wish. Then, Ouyang Tong intentionally pulled Du Lianheng aside to talk with their backs facing Lin Jin.

This move showed Lin Jin how sharp Ouyang Tong’s intuition was, despite being unaware of what Lin Jin was doing.

However, Lin Jin didn’t need their backs to face him. That one needle of his was enough.

He now knew why Du Lianxi couldn’t wake up and why a putrid smell was coming from her. The question that had been troubling him was also answered.

Without retrieving his needle, Lin Jin thanked Du Lianheng and announced that he would be leaving.

Perhaps an expectation was created in Du Lianheng that this young Rank 3 beast appraiser would be able to solve his issue, but after realizing that Lin Jin was leaving so soon, he seemed somewhat disappointed.

However, his instinct as a merchant stopped him from revealing too much on his face.

Lin Jin could tell how much Du Lianheng cared for his daughter so after giving it some thought, he said, “Lord Du, stay by your daughter’s side more for the next two days. Her condition seems to be improving so she should be waking up in two days.”

Having said that, Lin Jin bid him farewell.

Du Lianheng was left dumbstruck on the spot he stood.

Lin Jin left quickly with Ouyang Tong following close behind him. The latter was visibly confused by his statement as well.

“Appraiser Ouyang, I’d like to meet that demonic appraiser in the dark cell. Do you know how we can reach him?” Lin Jin suddenly asked.

Perhaps he noticed the serious expression on Lin Jin’s face, Ouyang Tong straightened up as well. “I do.”

Ouyang Tong wasn’t bad after all.

“Please help me make the necessary arrangements to meet him tonight.” Ouyang Tong was slightly confused by Lin Jin’s request. “I thought you wanted to visit him now. If it’s nighttime, then it’s even easier. I’m very familiar with a few of the guards at the dark cell so all it takes is one request from me. Though, the dark cell is an ominous place since it keeps only prisoners on death row. People rarely go there even during the day so night time might be a little…”

“You just have to make the necessary arrangements. I know what I’m getting myself into.”

“Alright, I’ll have it done.”