Upon seeing Gu Mengzhong, Lu Yunhe was stunned and rubbed his eyes.
His friar mentor happened to be good friends with Gu Mengzhong for many years so Lu Yunhe had met this calligraphy master before.
"It's Master Gu. Why is he here?"
Lu Yunhe was taken aback. He had heard from his mentor that Master Gu had recently come to Maple City. The Friar Association had tried to invite Master Gu to their banquet several times but Master Gu had always declined, saying that he was busy.
Who would've thought that Master Gu would come to the Beast Appraisal Association?
'Oh right, I heard from my mentor that Master Gu obtained a rare beast but couldn't find a way to form a blood contract with it. He must've come to the Beast Appraisal Association to ask Chief Wang Ji about it. 'At this thought, Lu Yunhe came to a realization.
From what he could tell, the only person in Maple City who was qualified for Master Gu to visit was Chief Wang Ji of the Beast Appraisal Association.
One had to know that Master Gu was an extraordinary person. His paintings were priceless, and many high officials and nobles wanted to have one of his works, but were rejected.
Moreover, Master Gu was a great poet. Everyone wanted to be famous. If they could be praised by a great poet like Master Gu, it would be a dream come true.
Lu Yunhe figured that Master Gu must be unfamiliar with the Beast Appraisal Association and had come to the wrong place to look for Chief Wang Ji. On second thought, he figured this was an opportunity. He would greet Master Gu, point him in the right direction, and invite him to the Friar Association. Once his mentor found out, he would surely reward him.
After tidying up his clothes, Lu Yunhe was about to greet Master Gu when he saw Gu Mengzhong approaching Lin Jin. "Appraiser Lin, you've really made it easy for me to find you."
At this, Lu Yunhe shrunk back.
Master Gu was here to look for Lin Jin.
What was going on?
Noticing the shock on her brother's face, Lu Xiaoyun pulled him aside and told him what happened at Symphony Restaurant yesterday in a hushed voice.
Ignoring the dumbfounded Lu Yunhe, Gu Mengzhong was already chatting with Lin Jin.
Noticing that Lin Jin was in a bad mood, Gu Mengzhong asked about it. Lin Jin told him how he accidentally lost his painting. Upon hearing this, Gu Mengzhong chuckled. "And here I was wondering what happened. It's just a painting. I'll paint you another one later."
Lin Jin's gloominess was swept away. "A gentleman keeps his word!"
When Lu Yunhe heard this, he was at a loss for words. He knew how many times his mentor had asked Gu Mengzhong for a painting but to no avail. Now, with just one word from Appraiser Lin, Master Gu was willing to give him a painting, and on the spot.
Are you related?
Lin Jin chuckled and said, "Great Master Gu, I've already finalized the method of forming a blood contract with the ink beast. These are the steps I've written down. Take a look and memorize them. When the blood contract is formed, just follow the steps strictly."
Gu Mengzhong nodded.
He already knew how capable Lin Jin was, especially when it came to beast appraising. Lin Jin was definitely a genius of his generation, just like his talent in painting.
Hence, Gu Mengzhong didn't suspect anything. He picked up the steps Lin Jin had written and started reading. Once he did, Gu Mengzhong was shocked once again.
This was because on this piece of paper, there were at least four ways to form a blood pact with an ink monster. Each method was very detailed. Gu Mengzhong was also a knowledgeable person who had seen the world. Although beast appraising was not his field of expertise, he could still tell the difference between good and bad.
Lin Jin's evaluation report was so detailed that he had never seen it before. It was so logical and well-founded that it was hard not to be convinced.
Out of the four blood contract methods, one was ticked off. Clearly, this was the method Lin Jin had chosen for Gu Mengzhong.
Gu Mengzhong read through it, memorizing the steps and details.
"Let's begin then."
Without delay, Lin Jin grabbed the ink beast in his hand. Then, he took out a small knife and made a small incision on Gu Mengzhong's palm.
Blood flowed out. At the same time, Lin Jin pressed the ink beast onto the wound.
At first, the ink beast struggled, but after Lin Jin used the museum's recorded aura of the black crow god, the ink beast became obedient.
The blood contract process was smoother than Lin Jin had expected.
From start to finish, only a few moments had passed.
"It's done!"
Gu Mengzhong loosened his grip. The ink beast didn't escape. Instead, like a blob of ink, it coiled around Gu Mengzhong's hand like a tiny snake.
Gu Mengzhong couldn't hide the excitement on his face.
Which scholar wouldn't want to form a blood contract with an ink beast? From then on, they could write and wield their swords as they pleased. Gu Mengzhong reached out and the ink beast morphed into a sharp black longsword.
With a point of his finger, the sword shot forward like an arrow, piercing through a rock. With a wave of his hand, the sword returned like a wild goose.
After forming a blood contract, the ink beast could be controlled as he pleased. If he familiarized himself with it in the future, it would be infinitely useful. Most importantly, this ink beast was the cream of the crop among its kind. Being a Rank 3 from the start, Gu Mengzhong could now roam the world with his sword.
Feeling great, Gu Mengzhong let out a hearty laugh. Then, he saluted Lin Jin. "Gu Mengzhong thanks Appraiser Lin for granting me this wish."
Gu Mengzhong was about to give up on forming a blood contract with this ink beast. Now that his wish was fulfilled, how could he not be grateful? Moreover, he knew better than anyone else that Lin Jin was worthy of being called a master beast appraiser. Forget a Rank 1, even a Rank 2 or 3 beast appraiser couldn't be compared to Lin Jin.
Of course, he was convinced by a person like this.
Lin Jin waved his hand. "Master Gu, there's no need to be so polite. Come, let's get down to business. I have a brush and paper here. Hurry up and draw me another one."
Lu Yunhe almost spat out a mouthful of blood.
It turned out that to Lin Jin, forming a blood contract with an ink beast wasn't a serious matter at all.
If Lu Yunhe's opinion of Lin Jin had changed yesterday due to admiration, today, he was in awe. To think that Lin Jin could befriend Master Gu and on such good terms at that. Just based on this fact alone, Lin Jin's reputation would surely soar in the future.
When he recalled that Appraiser Lin's pet beast might be a Rank 3 fire wolf, Lu Yunhe's remaining dissatisfaction vanished without a trace. He knew that he had to find a way to please Lin Jin in the future. Everything else aside, whether his pet beast could evolve might depend entirely on Lin Jin.
While Gu Mengzhong was busy splashing ink, Steward Zuo and Wang Ji were having a pleasant conversation in Maple City's City Lord Manor.
"Chief Wang truly lives up to his reputation. The city lord has just read your evaluation report and is full of praises. He's even more impressed by Chief Wang's appraisal skills." Zuo Wentang wasn't stingy with his compliments. After all, Wang Ji had done a great job this time.
After all, Zuo Wentang knew very well that it was a stretch to ask someone from Maple City's Beast Appraisal Association to appraise the eleven mutated eggs yesterday.
What the city lord meant was for them to appraise as many as they could before inviting a Rank 3 beast appraiser from headquarters to take a look at them.
But who would've thought that Wang Ji would handle this matter so well?
The travel-worn Rank 3 beast appraiser nodded in agreement after reading the evaluation report. He even said that there were some eggs that even he wouldn't be able to make a decision on. Yet, Wang Ji's evaluation report was able to make deductions based on some ingenious details. Just based on this, Wang Ji was undoubtedly talented and had boundless potential when it came to beast appraising.
Wang Ji's face was glowing as he said, "It's all part of my job. Although I had to stay up all night, as long as the city lord is satisfied, then I'm satisfied."
Obviously, Wang Ji had already pasted this glory on his own head.
"Also, the city lord is very pleased with the gift you gave us. I didn't expect you to be so resourceful to be able to get your hands on Master Gu's painting."
Wang Ji was stunned by Zuo Wentang's words.
What?
What Master Gu's painting?
Puzzled, Wang Ji instinctively asked, "Is it Master Gu Mengzhong?"
Zuo Wentang thought Wang Ji was saying this on purpose so he laughed. "Could there be another Master Gu? Chief Wang, you're being too kind this time. The city lord said that he will be hosting a banquet tonight for an important guest from the royal city. Chief Wang, you should come as well. "
Wang Ji was already feeling guilty so he didn't probe further. Instead, he mumbled to himself, "I don't even have Master Gu Mengzhong's painting so why would I give it to you? Maybe you're mistaken."
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