Upon entering the palace, Lin Jin saw the emperor, He Qian, as well as He Yu and He Qing who had been waiting for him.
Lin Jin was here to select a pet beast for He Yu, but he had no idea why He Qing was here. However, based on her personality and her relationship with He Yu, it was only natural for her to show up.
In addition to the two princesses, there were two other people by He Qian's side.
These two were He Qian's two sons, who were also princes.
One was the eldest prince, He Huang, and the other was the second prince, He Yu.
Princes and princesses were giants among men. Be it in terms of looks, temperament, or knowledge, they weren't something the average family's children could compare to. Even the children of prominent families couldn't compare to them.
After all, the most prominent family in Jade Dragon Kingdom was the Royal He family.
The eldest prince, He Huang, was in his thirties and already had the air of royalty around him. The second prince, He Yu, was gentler and more approachable.
Lin Jin couldn't figure out what He Qian was up to when he brought his sons with him.
However, on the way to the 'Jade Dragon Lair', He Qian asked, "Appraiser Lin, what do you think of these two princes of mine?"
Lin Jin understood what He Qian meant.
Tsk tsk. 'Oh, Your Majesty, you sure think highly of me!'
Lin Jin couldn't help but sigh inwardly. He Qian actually wanted him to evaluate the two princes. It was as if he was a senior commenting on a junior. It was even possible that Lin Jin's evaluation could affect the fate of these two princes in the future.
Lin Jin wasn't just imagining things. Judging by He Qian's attitude and tone, Lin Jin could tell that he valued Lin Jin's evaluation.
Even Lin Jin himself felt a little nervous about this.
"Your Majesty, I am only a beast appraiser. How can I evaluate the princes?" Lin Jin had to reject He Qian's offer. Although Lin Jin wasn't afraid of He Qian's trap, he didn't want to get involved in this troublesome matter.
Who knows, there might be some sort of power struggle between the princes.
After rejecting the offer, He Qian didn't buy it.
"Appraiser Lin, you've misunderstood." He Qian smiled. "I would like to ask Appraiser Lin how my sons' pet beasts are, how their blood contracts are, and whose pet beasts might improve in the future."
"That works." Lin Jin nodded. Everyone had their own specialties. If it was just a question, Lin Jin might be able to answer it. Also, Lin Jin wasn't boasting, but if he were to say whose blood contract was better and whose pet beast had greater potential, that would be the final conclusion.
Of course, this conclusion would definitely affect He Qian's degree of 'love' for the two princes.
However, this matter had nothing to do with Lin Jin.
Along the way, the two princes tried their best to get close to Lin Jin. Born in the royal family, if they couldn't discern this, they would be hopeless.
Even Emperor He Qian had to be polite to Lin Jin. The two princes weren't blind nor were they idiots, so how could they fail to recognize Lin Jin's status? Hence, no matter what they thought, they had to show him respect on the surface.
The eldest prince, He Huang, kept trying to strike up a conversation, asking questions about beast appraisals. Lin Jin answered every question he had. The second prince, He Yu, would occasionally ask a question, but most of the time, Lin Jin would just listen with a smile. It was a harmonious scene.
However, behind their backs, the blabbermouth He Qing had already revealed the truth.
"Appraiser Lin, don't be fooled by my two brothers' behavior right now. In fact, they're like fire and water. They've been fighting each other for a long time now."
Lin Jin quickly stopped her. Be it the princes or He Qian, it wouldn't be good for them to hear this.
"What are you afraid of? I …" He Qing couldn't care less. Beside her, He Yu couldn't help but take out a candied fruit and stuff it into He Qing's mouth, finally calming her down.
The Jade Dragon Lair they were heading to was located deep within the palace's garden. This place was considered a restricted area in the palace and besides Emperor He Qian, no one else was allowed to enter.
Even the powerful Minister Yu could enter this place. However, after Minister Yu's death, only the emperor had this privilege.
Simply put, the Jade Dragon Lair was the jade dragon tribe's resting place. There was a world inside and only members of the royal family or those with special permission from the emperor could enter this place to select pet beasts.
Along the way, Lin Jin noticed that He Qian's pet beast was a Rank 4 jade dragon. Moreover, He Qian had already cultivated the Beastmaster Scroll, allowing him to become one with his pet beast.
It was the same for the two princes. Although they both had jade dragons, they were only Rank 3 jade dragons.
As He Yu had been targeted by the old dragon, she hadn't formed a blood pact with a pet beast yet. However, what puzzled Lin Jin was why the seventh princess, He Qing, didn't form a blood pact with a jade dragon but a tetrawinged butterfly dragon instead.
At first, Lin Jin couldn't figure it out. But as he observed and interacted with He Qing along the way, Lin Jin came up with a theory.
Because He Qian loved this little princess, He Qing, the most.
For this reason, He Qian didn't form a blood pact with a jade dragon like the other princes and princesses. Back then, the royal family was being suppressed by the jade dragon deity. The jade dragon deity used his jade dragon pet beast to control the entire royal family and thus, the entire Jade Dragon Kingdom.
Back then, the old dragon was akin to an overlord.
This was why He Qian didn't allow his beloved princess to form a blood pact with the jade dragon, fearing that she would be controlled by the old dragon in the future.
None of the military guards dared to follow them in. Even He Qian's trusted aide, Eunuch Yao Sheng, could only wait outside. As a beast appraiser, Lin Jin was allowed to enter the Jade Dragon Lair as an exception.
There was an entrance at the bottom of a small stone hill. Following the man-made passage, they could see a stone door.
The stone door was thick and ancient. There was a cross-legged seat in front of it. He Qian was currently standing on top of it. Using a secret spell, it glowed with colorful lights and spirit energy flowed into the cross-legged seat beneath his feet. Then, the cross-legged seat began to rotate, emitting a grinding sound. At the same time, the stone door slowly opened up.
They could faintly hear the roars of dragons and beasts coming from behind the door.
At this moment, He Qing was being cautious and a little afraid. He Yu held her younger sister's hand, looking nervous as well. Perhaps the two princes had been here before so they were fine. However, they also looked solemn.
Even He Qian had raised his aura to the maximum. The silhouette of a jade dragon could be seen on his body. It must be his pet beast.
"Let's go in."
Having said that, He Qian whispered, "Later in the Jade Dragon Lair, no one other than me is allowed to speak. Otherwise, we might disturb the jade dragon inside and cause trouble."
In short, it was best to keep their voices down and not cause trouble.
He Qian led the way. Even he was being cautious and his movements were much slower than before.
There were no signs of man-made carvings inside. It was a natural cave. Who would have thought that there would be such a huge cave right under the royal capital? Inside, there were so many strange rocks that they looked like they had been carved by the gods.
In the darkness, they could vaguely hear the sound of wind, as if something was flying past. They could also hear some chirping, both near and far.
The group approached a stone platform and He Qian lit up a fire altar on it.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
