Gu Mengzhong had been all eyes and ears. Initially, he too had a slight dislike for Lin Jin, but seeing what he did today proved him wrong. With just a taste, Lin Jin could spell out the species of fish, even its gender. Gu Mengzhong was a self-proclaimed foodie and even he wasn't this capable.
This changed his impression of Lin Jin a little.
"Master Gu!" Upon seeing Gu Mengzhong, Liao Gu chuckled and saluted him. Although this man was a Masterchef, a calligraphist's status outranks a cook's easily in this society.
Gu Mengzhong quickly waved in dismissal. "Brother Liao, stop acting like a stranger!"
Liao Gu laughed out loud, then addressed him as 'Mengzhong'.
"That's more like it." Gu Mengzhong nodded.
Both men were old pals, and when old friends meet, the endless conversations begin. Lin Jin was a sensible man so he planned to excuse himself.
Gu Mengzhong said nothing. Even though his impression did change, most of him still assumed that Lin Jin's beast appraisal skills were unprofessional and incompetent as the rumors said.
However, Liao Gu called after him, "Mr. Lin, please wait!"
"Is something the matter, Master Liao?" Lin Jin asked, baffled.
Liao Gu smiled. "You've ordered my dishes but hadn't managed to properly taste them. Now, both plates of fish have gone cold. If it's not much of a hassle, please follow me to my home. I have some ingredients there. Although it's nothing grand, I can cook up a few dishes for you and would love to hear your comments on them."
This was clearly a friendship invitation.
Lin Jin knew that people who became tycoons of their industry were no regular folk. Liao Gu might only be a chef, but his title of a 'Masterchef' was enough to seal the deal on his prominence in his industry.
Lin Jin nodded credulously to accept the invitation. Only an idiot would reject this friendship offering. Plus, Lin Jin hadn't had his fill yet.
Both Liao Gu and Lin Jin share a straightforward personality, the unlikely pair surprisingly clicked together.
On the contrary, Gu Mengzhong was much more steadfast. Although he was irked to have Lin Jin tag along, since Liao Gu had spoken, he was in no position to say anything.
Jia Qian and Zhang He's jaws hung wide open.
"Master Gu, umm…."
Before Jia Qian could speak, Gu Mengzhong waved her off. "I'm going to have a chat with my old friend. You guys head on back, there's no need to follow."
Huh?!
Jia Qian chewed her bottom lip as she stared miserably at Lin Jin's leaving figure alongside Liao Gu. No words could begin to describe what she was currently feeling.
She had figured out that Zhang Baili was the one who tried to be a smart-ass by pulling such a dumb move. What she never expected was for Lin Jin to be so knowledgeable in dishes. Not only he had found a loophole to counter Zhang Baili, but even managed to befriend Masterchef Liao.
Jia Qian had an exceptional life, but she never had such opportunities.
Once outside, Lin Jin sent Zhao Ying and Lu Xiaoyun back first and promised to treat them another time.
Liao Gu's home sat in a peaceful area. According to him, he had impulsively bought this place upon his travel to Maple City. On regular days, he would buy ingredients to research on new dishes while preparing his own meals. It was a cozy life.
The house wasn't anything fancy, it only held a small wooden table and several wooden benches. After Liao Gu put on some tea, he went into the kitchen, leaving Lin Jin with Gu Mengzhong.
Gu Mengzhong was sitting upright with his mouth sealed shut. Since he was giving Lin Jin the cold shoulder, the latter returned the favor. Other people might want to befriend a master calligraphist, but Lin Jin had no such intention.
He didn't understand calligraphy or art, nor was he interested.
Hence, both men sat there in a silent stare-off. The tension in the atmosphere was building from the terrible awkwardness.
At that moment, Gu Mengzhong glanced up to the sky before taking something out of his pocket.
It was a bamboo tube about the size of a palm in length. It looked like a portable brush case.
Gu Mengzhong showed obvious regard for this item. When he placed it on the table, Lin Jin noticed that a 'Beast Quelling Talisman' was stuck onto the tube.
A beast quelling talisman was used to suppress an untamed, rare, and exotic beast. A beast quelling talisman was quite pricey, so those who could afford it were undoubtedly rich.
As it was related to pet beasts, Lin Jin's curiosity grew. After a closer look, he wondered, 'Could there be a violent beast in this bamboo tube?'.
But it's so small.
Gu Mengzhong brought out a spirit stone. Through his review, Lin Jin could tell it was of medium quality. He was indeed a wealthy man.
There was a wooden stopper on top of the tube. Gu Mengzhong carefully removed it and quickly stuffed the spirit stone inside.
The bamboo tube began shaking as if something was trapped inside. Amidst the rattling, Lin Jin could hear the tube let out a tiny vague growl.
The tube continued jerking, getting increasingly violent. Gu Mengzhong's eyes were on stalks, and then, there was a crack.
It was a tiny sound, but it was loud as thunder in Gu Mengzhong's ears.
"It broke!" His expression changed as he swiftly whipped out another beast quelling talisman, intending to stick it on the bamboo tube, but he was too late. There was another crack and the tube split open.
A puddle of ink seeped out of the opening.
"Ah! My ink beast!" Gu Mengzhong's composure went entirely out the window. Panic bestowed upon him, with his expression contorting into anxiety. The man almost leaped out of his seat out of nervousness.
This scenario was as clear as day. Gu Mengzhong was rearing a beast. However, it was untamed, in other words, disobedient. He couldn't sign a blood pact with it so he could only temporarily keep it in the bamboo tube and suppress it with a talisman. Unaware of the accident that happened when he fed it the spirit stone earlier, the beast managed to overpower the talisman and had broken through the tube in an attempt to escape.
Gu Mengzhong was a calligraphist. He wasn't a friar, nor a beast appraiser. Despite being knowledgeable, such situations were not within his expertise.
He reached out to paste the beast quelling talisman, but a sudden blade of ink shot towards him. Fortunately, he dodged it quick, otherwise, his palm might have been sliced off by that ink.
Wearing a look of despair, Gu Mengzhong was at wit's end. As the violent ink beast was about to escape from the bamboo tube, a hand suddenly reached over and grabbed ahold of the blob.
"Don't!" Gu Mengzhong exclaimed. He knew how ferocious this ink monster was. This hand would be a goner.
Only, he had said it a second too late. The ink blob was already sitting at the center of the palm.
But something was odd. This hostile ink monster actually squirmed and solidified into a frozen state before being picked up by the hand. Naturally, this hand belonged to Lin Jin.
While Lin Jin wasn't knowledgeable in cooking or art, but when it came to pet beasts, the man was undoubtedly one of the best.
As he held onto this chilly, blob-like uniquely violent beast, a new record triggered inside the Museum of Deadly Beasts. A specimen of the creature and its description tablet appeared.
"Ink monster. A rare pet beast. Fluid form. Has a short temper and difficult to tame. Born as a rank three pet beast of both water and earth attribute."
"No blood contract."
"Potential rate of five. The three methods to raise its potential are…"
"The five methods to promote evolution are…"
"The four methods to tame this pet beast are…"
Truth be told, this violent beast was the rarest and possessed the highest potential rate Lin Jin had encountered so far. Its form was insanely bizarre, being a liquid that looks like ink.
In a world so vast, surprises were just around each corner.