The dark cell was what locals like Ouyang Tong and the others called the death row prison. As the place was built underground, it never saw the light of day and was eerily dark, hence the name.
Lin Jin's investigation at the Du Manor turned out to be fruitful.
At this moment, Lin Jin was sitting at a food stall, drinking a soup made from ground beans and eating deep-fried pancakes as he pondered over something.
Ouyang Tong had been sent away and Lin Jin needed some time alone.
At first, Lin Jin was just curious so he wanted to investigate this matter before the Jade Dragon Festival. Who knew that he would actually find some clues after his investigation.
First up was the Du family's young lady, Du Lianxi. Lin Jin now knew why she was unconscious. According to the dossier, a demonic cultivator was trying to refine Du Lianxi into a human cocoon but Appraiser Tan Xun and Appraiser Yang Qingshi from headquarters discovered it. The two appraisers worked together to break the demonic appraiser's spell, defeat him, and lock him up in the dark cell.
This was what Lin Jin knew. The Human Cocoon Spell was a heretical technique. Lin Jin had heard of it before. It involved sealing a living person in a mud jar and tossing in an insect egg. Once the egg hatched, the person inside would be eaten clean and the worm would eventually break out of the cocoon.
Insects hatched from human cocoons were incredibly powerful. This book was popular several hundred years ago, but due to the suppression of the orthodox beast appraisers, it disappeared without a trace for a while. But occasionally, it would make a comeback, and this was one of them.
Fortunately, Appraiser Tan Xun and Appraiser Yang Qingshi discovered it in time and intervened to stop the demonic appraiser's plan.
As for why Du Lianxi remained unconscious for so long, everyone assumed it was because of the Human Cocoon Spell. But after Lin Jin's investigation, he realized that wasn't the case.
This was also the reason why Lin Jin was deep in thought.
One was the stench in the room. From what Lin Jin could tell, someone had purposely covered it up with a spell. Although the culprit was skilled enough to fool others, it was a pity that an expert like Lin Jin was able to easily expose him.
The other one was Du Lianxi. Using his needles, Lin Jin could clearly tell that she was still under the influence of the Human Cocoon Spell. However, instead of being sealed in a mud jar, there was something else inside.
Hidden inside Du Lianxi's organs was her missing pet beast, the Steelfeathered Skylark.
That was why Lin Jin was so shocked when he learned about this through acupuncture. Otherwise, someone as shrewd as Lin Jin wouldn't have lost his composure like that, even if he wasn't too shocked.
Then this is interesting.
Who did this?
From the looks of it now, it must be that demonic appraiser. He might have pretended to be weak and allowed himself to be captured, but in reality, he was plotting a bigger scheme.
But if that was the case, there was another problem that was hard to explain.
Why didn't anyone see it?
After all, this was the royal city, the headquarters of Jade Dragon Kingdom's Beast Appraisal Association. There were at least five Rank 3 beast appraisers in the headquarters. Did none of them notice anything amiss?
Lin Jin would never underestimate anyone in this world. With the Museum of Deadly Beasts, he indeed had a unique advantage. However, the other Rank 3 beast appraisers were no slouches either. It was understandable that Ouyang Tong couldn't tell, but Lin Jin refused to believe that a Rank 3 beast appraiser couldn't.
Unless, someone was purposely trying to cover it up.
Even Lin Jin didn't expect his curiosity to lead him to uncover such a huge secret. He never expected this to happen.
Lin Jin had asked Ouyang Tong earlier. Ever since this incident, Appraiser Yang Qingshi had been keeping an eye on the Du family. Appraiser Tan Xun, on the other hand, didn't pay much attention due to his busy schedule.
Lin Jin tore off a piece of the deep-fried pancake in his hand and soaked it in his soy milk. As he ate, he said, "You can't blame me for thinking too much. Unless you, Yang Qingshi, are lacking in skills, how could you not notice anything after visiting the Du family so many times? Unless, you're involved in this as well … Sigh, this is so annoying … "
Lin Jin was indeed troubled.
He had no intention of getting involved in this matter, but he had no choice. Now that he knew about it, he couldn't just pretend he didn't know. Moreover, Lin Jin was sure that his visit to the Du family wouldn't be kept a secret.
If he was the one who came up with these schemes, he would surely be terrified. He might even be thinking of silencing Lin Jin.
"I really have nothing better to do so I brought trouble upon myself." Lin Jin sighed and ate the deep-fried pancake with his soy milk. Although this stall wasn't huge, it tasted authentic.
After finishing his meal and paying the bill, Lin Jin strolled back to headquarters.
He had thought things through. Whether it was as he predicted or not, since he was already involved, he would just have to take it one step at a time. There was nothing to be afraid of.
Moreover, if someone from headquarters was behaving improperly on the surface but was actually up to no good, Lin Jin would have to do something about it. Moreover, this wasn't just improperly done, it was a crime against reason and nature itself.
Others might not know, but Lin Jin had used his needles to investigate. The lark in Du Lianxi's stomach was the actual incubator for the insect. The person who cast this spell was so skillful that even an experienced beast appraiser wouldn't be able to tell what was going on, much less an average person. However, Lin Jin already knew what the culprit was up to. This insect was called an 'eight-headed viper'. Not even a knowledgeable beast appraiser would have heard of it.
Lin Jin only knew about it because of the Museum of Deadly Beasts. Otherwise, he wouldn't have heard of it.
Based on the museum's information, this eight-headed viper was extremely domineering. It wasn't tolerated by nature so it was difficult for it to be born. But once it was born, it would start off as a Rank 4.
That was terrifying.
If it started off as a Rank 4 and was the most powerful among Rank 4 creatures, it was highly possible for it to advance to Rank 5 in the future. It was no wonder people would choose to take the risk.
Of course, when this eight-headed viper was born, the young lady of the Du family would surely die. Also, according to the Museum of Deadly Beasts, the eight-headed viper had a strange stench. That was why Lin Jin smelled it when he visited Du Lianxi's room.
As for why no one else could smell it, Lin Jin knew that it wasn't because someone had done something to Du Lianxi's body. If that was the case, Lin Jin would have been able to tell from the needle poking earlier. As for how the culprit was able to prevent others from smelling the stench, Lin Jin honestly couldn't figure it out. But one thing was for sure, it had to be an ingenious method.
The needle he left in Du Lianxi's body was Lin Jin's trump card. If needed, Lin Jin could activate the needle to destroy the eight-headed viper in Du Lianxi's body.
However, this matter could not be used until the very last moment. Once the Eight-headed Viper was killed, it would immediately release an extremely terrifying corpse poison. Even if the Great Firmament Immortal came, Du Lianxi would undoubtedly die.
After all, she was an innocent girl. If he could save her, he would.
Lin Jin had his reasons for planning to visit the dark prison at night. After all, he would most likely have to resort to violence. There were fewer people at night so he wouldn't have to worry too much if he were to make a move.
Lin Jin had considered everything he could think of.
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