From Shu Xiao Lou, Lin Jin learned about what happened at the academy. The six-eared and six-eyed beast noticed his ambush and reported it to Mr. Zhong. When he heard that Mr. Zhong had led a group of teachers to rescue him, Lin Jin smiled, feeling warmth in his heart.
Also, Lin Jin heard about Yang Ming's incident.
Shu Xiao Lou was filled with righteous indignation and threatened to deal with Yang Ming. However, Lin Jin stopped him and after asking around at the academy, he learned that Yang Ming was nowhere to be found.
Upon Lin Jin's return, many of the academy's teachers came over to offer their condolences, inquiring about his well-being passionately. Shu Xiao Lou didn't leave, but she didn't show up either. Instead, she hid in her room and secretly drank Lin Jin's tea.
Lin Jin figured that these teachers were here to offer their condolences and to curry favor with Shu Xiao Lou.
Mr. Zhong was the last to arrive. He asked for many details and Lin Jin answered them one by one. Of course, Lin Jin didn't tell the truth about how he managed to repel the ambusher. He only said that it was Senior Shu who helped him.
Then, he asked about the conflict between Lin Jin and Yang Ming.
It was obvious that everyone in the academy was starting to suspect Yang Ming. After all, this incident was out in the open. No matter how they looked at it, Yang Ming was the biggest suspect.
No matter how high Yang Ming's status was, this was against the academy's rules. Trying to kill a teacher was a huge taboo.
After everyone left, Shu Xiao Lou noticed Lin Jin's silence as if he was deep in thought. Thinking he was worried, she said, "Don't be afraid. I'll be staying at your Peach Blossom Residence for the next few days. No matter how capable Yang Ming is, he can't do anything to you. If he dares to come, I'll make sure he can't leave."
However, Lin Jin shook his head. "Appraiser Yang Ming wasn't the one who harmed me!"
Shu Xiao Lou was shocked.
All the evidence pointed to Yang Ming. He had a motive and the ability. Most importantly, he disappeared after the ambush failed and no one knew where he went.
This was already quite obvious.
But who would've thought that at this crucial moment, Lin Jin would confidently say that Yang Ming wasn't the one who harmed him?
"I'd like to hear what you think." The hundreds of years of experience in the Book Xiao Lou allowed her to maintain her composure even if she was surprised. Her first reaction was to move a small stool over and sit on it. She rested her chin on her hands and put on an expression that said, "I'm listening."
Lin Jin explained, "It's simple. Firstly, while I do have a conflict with Appraiser Yang, it's not something that would escalate to a fight. Secondly, Appraiser Yang Ming has never been to my Peach Blossom Residence. This is the most crucial point. "
With that said, Shu Xiao Lou also reacted.
She thought of the jar the size of her palm.
It was now confirmed that someone had placed a portion of the ghost-blood beast's blood in that jar and hidden it inside Peach Blossom Residence. This jar was the key because Lin Jin was abducted by the blood that had seeped out of the jar. Upon contact, he would be transferred to a certain barrier.
The other party's methods were extremely brilliant and hard to detect.
The problem was, if Yang Ming was the culprit, he would come to Peach Blossom House and secretly hide the jar somewhere, but Yang Ming never came.
Of course, it could also be someone else. But Lin Jin knew very well that ever since he moved into Peach Blossom Residence, other than a few of his close friends and teachers, no one else had visited.
It was impossible to sneak into this place. Ever since he moved in, Senior Mo had been staying here and had never stepped out. With the old dragon's senses, it could definitely detect who entered and who left.
There were exceptions, like Shu Xiao Lou. Senior Mo couldn't detect it either. But Lin Jin didn't suspect Shu Xiao Lou. If she wanted to harm him, she wouldn't have to go through so much trouble.
In other words, after Lin Jin moved in, only those who had been to Peach Blossom Residence were suspicious. But Yang Ming didn't come. Hence, based on Lin Jin's understanding of Yang Ming, he couldn't be the culprit.
From a certain point of view, this attack was extremely well planned. Perhaps the mastermind didn't think it would fail, but it still failed. If it was Yang Ming, it would make sense for him to escape punishment, but Lin Jin felt that something wasn't right. If it was Yang Ming who did all this, it was impossible for the mastermind not to consider the consequences if the attack failed.
If he escaped just like that, he would suffer a huge loss.
If the culprit was a member of the Demonic Appraisal Association, or even the mysterious and powerful 'Black Envoy' mentioned by Chu Chi, it would be even more impossible.
If it was the Black Envoy, he must have plotted for many years to infiltrate Heavenly Jade Academy. He must have a bigger plan. Why would he waste decades of effort just for Lin Jin?
That didn't make sense.
Hence, after considering all these factors, Lin Jin came to the conclusion that the culprit behind this attack was definitely not Appraiser Yang Ming.
The culprit must have been extremely cautious. That jar might have been brought in by the culprit himself or someone else. No matter who it was, they must have visited Peach Blossom Residence before. In fact, the culprit might even be one of the people who visited Lin Jin openly.
At this thought, Lin Jin couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine.
He couldn't help but recall who had visited him before.
Mr. Zhong, Appraiser Yan, Appraiser Ouyang, and Appraiser Wang were here too. Other than them, Lin Jin's students were here too.
Li Xinqi, Li Yuanqing, Yue Yun, Wang Ping, Shen Chiyue, Yu Daiwei, and Bookworm Fan Yuan.
Could it be one of them?
Lin Jin had to remain suspicious of his students. Who knew if one of them had ulterior motives? Out of everyone here, there were only two people Lin Jin could rule out.
One was Shu Xiaolou, and the other was Mr. Zhong.
The others, be it his students or his teachers, were all suspicious. Come to think of it, they might even be people planted by the Demonic Appraisal Association to get close to Lin Jin.
Nothing was impossible in this world. Moreover, the culprit's plan was meticulous. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that any Rank 4 beast appraiser would be dead for sure if they were ambushed like this.
Because they didn't have the Museum of Deadly Beasts to back them up. They couldn't possibly open the Visitation Hall to turn the situation around, and it was even more impossible for an expert like Shu Xiaolou to come to their rescue.
Based on this, Lin Jin was impressed by the culprit. The culprit was truly astute.
However, Lin Jin wasn't a pushover either. Upon his return, he had pretended to be weak as if he was injured. He was hiding his strength and pretending to be weak.
Perhaps the culprit or his subordinates were among the teachers who came to visit him or the students who came to visit him after dawn.
He had to be careful.
Pretending to be weak was to confuse the culprit and also to lure him into attacking.
If Lin Jin's assassination plan, which was supposed to succeed, failed, he would surely be furious. Realizing that his target was injured was no doubt an opportunity for him.
He couldn't possibly wait for the culprit to recover before making a move, could he?
Of course, Lin Jin couldn't be sure if the culprit would be lured into attacking. What if the culprit was more astute than he thought?
Still, there was no harm in trying. Before confirming the culprit's identity, it was best to remain vigilant.
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