Chapter 222: The Great Battle

In the backyard of Fenglin Restaurant, gazing at the bright moon, Ling Zhengyang sipped the clear tea in his cup, his expression one of leisure and contentment. Beside him, his attendant held the teapot, eyes fixed only on the tea in Ling Zhengyang’s cup.

Outside, Jiang Youcai rushed in, followed closely by the guards Ling Zhengyang had brought from the capital.

“Third young master, we’ve got a complete set.”

“Is that so? Show it to me.” Ling Zhengyang handed his cup to the attendant and stood up from his chair.

A bright white light flashed from the storage ring on the attendant’s index finger, and soon a vitality ball table appeared in the yard. With another flash, a racket, vitality balls, and a small booklet were placed on the table.

Walking around the table, Ling Zhengyang picked up the booklet and flipped to the first page. The attendant immediately brought over a candleholder, directing the candlelight toward the booklet.

“Interesting rules, and so many surprising and mysterious techniques!”

Ling Zhengyang picked up the racket with his right hand and the milky-white vitality ball with his left, marveling at how a table, a racket, and some beef balls could give rise to so many rules and techniques. It had to be said that Manager Lin was truly a remarkable person, always coming up with extraordinary methods and things.

“Third young master, what should we do?” Jiang Youcai asked anxiously. “When we arrived, there were already many people outside—probably employees from various restaurants. They’re definitely watching Fenglin Restaurant, waiting for our next move.”

“What does it matter to us if they’re anxious?” Ling Zhengyang asked, puzzled.

Jiang Youcai was stunned. Indeed! Why should Fenglin Restaurant care if other restaurants were anxious?

But…

Just as Jiang Youcai was about to speak, Ling Zhengyang waved his racket smilingly. “Manager Jiang, come and give it a try.”

“Third young master, what’s there to try?” Jiang Youcai asked, confused.

“To win every battle, one must know both oneself and the enemy. If this vitality ball invented by Lin’s Inn can be so remarkable, how can we know its strengths without trying it ourselves?”

Ling Zhengyang waved his racket again, eager to try. “Manager Jiang, come on. I may have only flipped through it briefly, but I’ve already remembered a few techniques. If I wait any longer, I might forget them.”

Jiang Youcai nodded helplessly and picked up the racket, stepping across from Ling Zhengyang.

Ling Zhengyang gently knocked the vitality ball onto the table. As it bounced back, he propped it from below with the racket, sending it flying toward Jiang Youcai.

Jiang Youcai imitated Ling Zhengyang’s posture and just used his index finger and thumb to grip the racket handle when he saw the vitality ball bouncing over. He quickly tried to mimic him, clumsily reaching out to catch the ball. Surprisingly, despite it being his first time, Jiang Youcai was quite quick to understand. The moment the vitality ball touched the racket, it bounced straight toward the center of the table without deviation. Ling Zhengyang stared intently at the slightly spinning vitality ball. As it hit the table and bounced slightly, he swung his arm and rubbed the racket against the lower part of the ball. Pop! The elastic ball rolled up and down before plunging into the wire mesh. “That’s not right!” Ling Zhengyang watched the ball land, puzzled. He picked up the booklet and flipped through it carefully, then said in confusion, “It clearly states that if you rub the racket against the lower part of the vitality ball, it will spin to the left. But my move was exactly the same—why did it spin upward?” “Third Young Master, this booklet is unreliable,” Jiang Youcai said with a smile, explaining Lin’s Inn’s revised reward system for the academy. “So… Lin put out this vitality ball in a hurry?” Ling Zhengyang asked. “Well…” Jiang Youcai hesitated. “It’s said that eight or nine out of ten techniques in the booklet are wrong. I think Lin deliberately made those mistakes so that people would desperately study them, thereby encouraging more interest in the vitality ball through rewards.” Ling Zhengyang shook his head. “If that’s the case, there’s no need to include such simple mistakes. Lin can’t be someone who wastes money recklessly. Besides, giving one or two examples and letting others find the rest of the techniques would be more effective. This booklet must have some other purpose as well; Lin just didn’t have time to organize it properly and had to scribble something down haphazardly.” Jiang Youcai was speechless. Ling Zhengyang picked up the vitality ball, peeling off the milky white film on it while asking, “What’s the progress on investigating this film?” “Time was short. I only heard that it resembles the secret mechanism of the Liu family among the seven major families in Autumn Wind City,” Jiang Youcai quickly explained in detail how the Liu family’s swords contained hidden mechanisms. “It tastes good.” Ling Zhengyang put the vitality ball in his mouth, praised it, then asked, “Any news from Lin’s Inn?” “No!” Jiang Youcai shook his head slowly. “It’s been so many days, and Lin still hasn’t planned to return to Xilan City… Plus, the vitality ball was introduced in a rush.” Ling Zhengyang suddenly smiled bitterly. “Third Young Master, what’s wrong?” Jiang Youcai asked, confused.

“It seems the grand plan needs to be adjusted in Autumn Wind City,” Ling Zhengyang said helplessly.
“The grand plan?” Jiang Youcai’s mind stirred. Could it be that Maple Forest Restaurant had some major plan this time?
Ling Zhengyang didn’t explain and decided, “Post a notice early tomorrow—Maple Forest Restaurant is launching a VIP card.”
“Tomorrow?” Jiang Youcai was astonished. “According to the third young master’s orders from the headquarters, the VIP card is supposed to be launched in half a month.”
“We can’t wait. It will be launched tomorrow.”
Ling Zhengyang felt helpless. Manager Lin of Lin’s Inn hadn’t returned to Xilan City, yet they rushed to introduce the Vitality Ball, even offering three free days. All signs indicated that Manager Lin had already guessed his grand plan.
This thought gave Ling Zhengyang chills. Fortunately, Lin’s Inn was only in a corner of Autumn Wind City. Otherwise, the entire grand plan would have been ruined.
Ling Zhengyang had no choice but to launch the VIP card ahead of schedule. In about half a month, the guild would release news that might make it seem like everything would be settled soon. By then, the less-established restaurants would have already lost a lot of money, and most customers would have flocked to Maple Forest Restaurant.
Maple Forest Restaurant’s sudden introduction of a VIP card would undoubtedly cause panic among other restaurants. Those with stronger foundations would surely fight back fiercely. Those weaker ones, seeing the guild’s news approaching, would also lower prices to hold on for a few days. With proper guidance, it was possible to bring down all these weaker restaurants, leaving them with no chance of recovery.
As for those stronger ones, as long as the guild’s news continued and they had already invested heavily, many would keep spending more. By the time the guild’s news ended, Ling Zhengyang was sure over 60% of the restaurants would have collapsed.
The plan was good, but it couldn’t keep up with changes. Ling Zhengyang hadn’t expected Lin Dong to start the conflict first. Even if Maple Forest Restaurant didn’t respond, the other two major restaurants in the north of the city, most affected by Lin’s Inn, would surely retaliate within a day or two, causing chaos again.
Whether they responded or not, Lin’s Inn had already taken the lead. With no other choice, Ling Zhengyang gave up the idea of ensuring those weaker restaurants could never recover and turned instead to dealing with the stronger ones ahead of time.
Seeing Ling Zhengyang’s determined gaze, Jiang Youcai nodded helplessly and left the backyard.
Ling Zhengyang looked up at the bright moon, then turned to his attendant, “Send a letter to the second young master. Tell him to keep an eye on the developments at the major restaurants in various counties and prefectures, and inform me if there’s any news.”
The attendant nodded and strode off.

Picking up the racket, Ling Zhengyang waved it at the guard and said with a smile, “Try again!”
The guard nodded and took out an Energy Ball from his storage ring…
Early the next morning, when two employees from Maple Forest Restaurant came to the door, one carrying glue and the other holding a notice, the employees from other restaurants who had been waiting outside perked up. Ignoring the need to keep their identities hidden, they gathered around.
Soon, news of Maple Forest Restaurant suddenly introducing VIP cards—something it seemed uninterested in before—spread like wildfire.
There were four levels: bronze, silver, gold, and diamond. Even the requirements to obtain them were identical to those of Lin’s Inn. The difference was that while Maple Forest Restaurant’s VIP cards looked similar to Lin’s Inn’s, they lacked the storage function.
Moreover, Lin’s Inn’s VIP cards came with thyme and premium Energy Beef Balls, along with some mysterious gifts that hadn’t appeared yet. Maple Forest Restaurant’s VIP cards offered direct price discounts: 10% off for bronze cards, 20% off for silver cards, 30% off for gold cards, and 40% off for diamond cards. In addition, there were small gifts for spending a certain amount of silver on dishes, including information.
Unlike Maple Forest Restaurant’s bulletin board, which only reported on court developments, the information provided by the four VIP cards covered major events in various provinces and prefectures. Maple Forest Restaurant would categorize this information for different wealthy clients, also divided into four levels. Holders of diamond cards could get any information related to them from a day earlier upon entering the restaurant; gold card holders could get information from two days earlier, silver card holders from three days earlier, and bronze card holders from four days earlier.
As soon as the news spread, other restaurants became frantic. Maple Forest Restaurant’s VIP cards were simply too competitive for them.
Discounts on spiritual materials and beasts meant lower prices. Combined with the already significant discounts on dishes at Maple Forest Restaurant, the overall reduction was substantial.
Restaurants closed down, while those determined to hold on tried every trick in the book. Windward Tower offered 20% off dishes and added three new dances. Tianzhen Restaurant also offered 20% off dishes, with ventriloquist Jiang Xiaoyue performing two extra shows daily. Nanxia Restaurant offered 20% off dishes, giving one plate of its signature dish, “A Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix,” for every tael spent, plus a new famous painting for all guests to appreciate…
In the backyard of Lin’s Inn, Lin Dong listened to Ma Chun’s report with ease.
Let it decline! Let it chaos! Let it be a struggle!

This fierce competition is not only aimed at eliminating rivals for Maple Forest Restaurant but also at paving the way for Lin’s Inn to dominate Autumn Breeze City in the future. It’s up to us to see which one will fall last!