Chapter 260: Removing Obstacles

At Maple Forest Restaurant, after hours of deep thought, the sky was already dotted with stars.
Finally, on the reclining chair, Ling Zhengyang opened his eyes.
Beside him, Jiang Youcai and his attendant Wang De both breathed a sigh of relief. From Ling Zhengyang’s expression, they could tell that the third young master had calmed down.
This Lin’s Inn was truly formidable.
Wang De thought to himself. He had been with Ling Zhengyang for many years, and while Ling Zhengyang had faced many troubles before, he had never seen him so distressed and angry at the same time.
To be honest, Wang De understood that the third young master was somewhat enraged out of embarrassment.
He remembered when they first arrived in Autumn Wind City, the third young master had said he would be able to return in two months. Now, two months had passed. Returning… seemed impossible, and there were even signs that he might be defeated. The third young master had a good temper and was easy-going, but after all, he was the third young master of Maple Forest Restaurant, so it was only natural he couldn’t bear such setbacks.
“Wang De!” Ling Zhengyang called out.
Wang De started and stepped forward quickly, asking, “What orders do you have, young master?”
Ling Zhengyang stood up, leaning on the arms of the reclining chair, and said, “Send a message to the headquarters immediately. I want my second brother to figure out the direction of the merchant guild as soon as possible.”
Wang De was stunned and asked confusedly, “Didn’t the second young master already figure out the direction of the entire merchant guild?”
Ling Zhengyang shook his head. “I need more detailed information. There might be deviations along the way—such as opposition from people in various counties—but the outcome must not deviate too much.”
Wang De was still confused but didn’t say much. He nodded and asked, “Shall I handle it right away?”
“The sooner, the better. Also…” Ling Zhengyang pondered for a moment before deciding, “Report the situation at Lin’s Inn as well. Tell my second brother to pay close attention to the movements of high-ranking officials in the court. Advise him to be wary of anyone deliberately trying to get the major restaurants in various counties and prefectures to collude and fabricate news about the merchant guild.”
Wang De nodded firmly and stepped back quickly.
“Third young master, Lin’s Inn has fabricated fake news about the merchant guild. How should Maple Forest Restaurant respond?” Jiang Youcai watched Ling Zhengyang carefully, afraid of provoking him further. The current third young master wasn’t as gentle and polite as the rumors suggested.
Ling Zhengyang waved his hand and said, “Wait a while. The news should arrive by tomorrow! We’ll discuss it then.”
Jiang Youcai breathed a sigh of relief and stepped aside quickly.
“Lin Dong, oh Lin Dong! You’re not the only one who can fabricate news about the merchant guild. I hope you have other tricks up your sleeve. Otherwise, it’ll be hard to keep me here for another two months!”

Ling Zhengyang tilted his head back and let out a long sigh, his eyes sparkling with dazzling stars. At this moment, the owners of various restaurants had returned to Lin Ji Inn one after another, all full of enthusiasm. Everything was proceeding exceptionally smoothly—toppling down the huge “Maple Forest Restaurant” target hung above them. The owners of the various restaurants cooperated remarkably well, and the chefs they brought were also extremely dedicated, showing no reluctance to share their skills. It only took three or four hours to determine each restaurant’s signature dishes and the skills related to third- and fourth-tier spiritual beasts. The chefs sent by each restaurant to Lin Ji Inn compiled everything thoroughly and took full account of the price differences between their dishes. To prevent division among the restaurants, the owners were surprisingly willing to waive any compensation requirements. From drafting the contract to finalizing it, they exchanged opinions and completed everything in just two hours. By the time the restaurant owners were sent away, dawn was breaking. Despite staying up all night, Lin Dong showed no signs of fatigue. With a simple command, his staff removed the remaining door panels, and the inn reopened for business. In the kitchen, it was still the original staff of Lin Ji Inn; the chefs sent by the other restaurants were resting in their rooms. There was no choice—due to a shortage of ingredients, although these restaurants received one or two large orders per day, they didn’t stock many third- and fourth-tier spiritual materials and beasts, as storing too much would cause them to spoil. Thus, even the combined inventory of all these restaurants fell far short of Lin Dong’s expectations. Even the third- and fourth-tier spiritual materials and beasts available on the market didn’t meet his standards. Rushing to compete with Maple Forest Restaurant for large orders without proper ingredients would only result in failure. Moreover, marketing also required time—there was no such thing as “good food hidden in a remote place” at a time like this. Aside from going to the backyard for meals, Lin Dong stayed in a corner on the second floor. Compared to the previous day, business on the second floor kept increasing. The twenty-three tables with comfort enhancements had almost no downtime, lasting less than fifteen minutes between orders. The number of customers could only be described as endless. In the evening, Lin Dong went downstairs again, not to the backyard but straight to the entrance of the inn. Outside, a simple carriage was parked to the side. At the counter, Ma Chun gave Liu An a few instructions before hurrying after him. Once Lin Dong got into the carriage, Ma Chun jumped onto the pole, picked up the whip, and asked, “Owner, where’s our first stop?” Lin Dong pulled down the curtain and replied calmly, “Changfeng Inn!” “Go!” Ma Chun waved the whip, the horses neighed softly, and the carriage slowly set off toward the street.

Heading west, there were few pedestrians on the streets, and most of the vendors along the roads had already packed up and gone home. As a result, the speed of the carriage wasn’t too slow. Before night fell completely, they arrived at the Changfeng Inn in the west of the city.

As soon as the carriage stopped, a clerk rushed out from the inn. He glanced at Ma Chun and Lin Dong, who were lifting the carriage curtain, his smile fading slightly as he asked indifferently, “Sir, please come in. Would you like to dine or stay overnight?”

Ma Chun and Lin Dong were puzzled. They both glanced down at their own clothes and then at the clerk’s. Though not made of fine silk, they were certainly better than rough cloth garments.

Seeing that the clerk didn’t seem to intend to call anyone to lead the carriage to the back yard, Ma Chun looked around. The Changfeng Inn was located on a rather narrow street. If the carriage was parked outside, it might block traffic if another carriage passed by.

With no other choice, Ma Chun asked, “Where can I tie up the carriage?”

“Put it at the entrance for now. A clerk will come and take it to the back yard later,” the clerk replied.

Ma Chun was about to say more when Lin Dong waved his hand and said, “Just tie it at the entrance. It won’t take long anyway.”

The clerk was momentarily stunned before realizing they just wanted to dine. Thankfully, it wouldn’t take much time.

“Sir, please come in!” The clerk became slightly more attentive, a faint smile appearing on his face.

Lin Dong followed the clerk into the main hall. He glanced around—the oil lamps cast a dim light, and the simple hall was empty except for two clerks standing by the counter.

“Sir, please sit here,” the clerk said, gesturing toward the nearest table. “What would you like to eat?”

“I’d like to see your owner. I have something to discuss with him,” Lin Dong replied, shaking his head.

“See our owner? Well…” The clerk seemed embarrassed. “The owner is upstairs serving guests. What do you need from him?”

“I’d like to talk to him about buying the Changfeng Inn,” Lin Dong said with a smile. “I’m Lin Dong, the owner of Lin’s Inn.”

“Lin Dong, the owner of Lin’s Inn?”

The clerk exclaimed in surprise. The two clerks at the counter also immediately lost their casual demeanor and stared at Lin Dong in astonishment.

These days, who in Autumn Wind City didn’t know about Lin’s Inn? Especially among the owners and clerks of other inns, it was considered a sacred place.

The owner of an inn could have such a close relationship with Li Jiancheng, the deputy magistrate, and yet the inn could compete with large restaurants for customers without falling behind. In the eyes of ordinary people, Lin’s Inn was an anomaly; but to its owner and staff, it was like a shining beacon high above. The person before them was none other than Lin Dong, the owner of Lin’s Inn. Sitting down on the bench, Lin Dong nodded and said with a smile, “I suppose no one would dare pretend to be the owner of Lin’s Inn, right?” The staff member quickly shook his head. Given the relationship between Lin’s Inn and Li Jiancheng, who in Qiufeng City would dare pretend to be its owner and swindle people? That would be sheer recklessness. “Since our identities are confirmed, could you please pass on a message for me?” Lin Dong asked. “Y-yes…” The staff member nodded frantically. Although, since the agreement between Fenglin Restaurant and the inn, the staff had lost interest and even grown tired of dealing with guests who didn’t come from the north of the city, there was no way they could refuse when the owner of Lin’s Inn, such an important figure, asked them to do so. “Thank you!” Lin Dong said politely. “You’re welcome. Please wait a moment, Owner Lin.” The staff member rushed upstairs, pushing aside tables and benches in his haste. The two staff members at the counter quickly wiped the tea off the tables. According to the inn’s rules, guests brought in by other staff from the north of the city received no reward, just as before. But getting to meet Lin Dong, a legend in the inn industry up close, was even more exciting for them than receiving fifty coins from a guest from the north. Before long, Ma Chun entered the hall and sat down next to Lin Dong. Before they could finish their tea, the stairs made noise as a middle-aged man in a blue robe, with a thin face, hurried down the stairs in a somewhat flustered manner. “Judging from his appearance and age, he should be Ye Jianting, the owner of Changfeng Inn,” Ma Chun whispered. Lin Dong nodded, stood up, and bowed, saying, “Owner Ye.” Ye Jianting quickly bowed back, speaking hastily, “Owner Lin, um… everything regarding our inn was the idea of Fenglin Restaurant. We…” Lin Dong smiled and shook his head. “Owner Ye, you’ve misunderstood my purpose. I’m not here to accuse Changfeng Inn of stealing customers; I’m here to buy it.” “Th-this…” Sweat began to appear on Ye Jianting’s forehead. He had heard from the staff about Lin Dong’s intentions, and that’s why he was so uneasy.

A small inn is competing with Lin’s Inn for business, using rather shady tactics—this is definitely like an ant fighting an elephant. If not for Fenglin Restaurant’s promise to compensate for any consequences, Ye Jianting would never dare do such a thing.
In his opinion, Lin Dong coming here to buy Changfeng Inn must be out of anger, seeking retribution.
What Ye Jianting fears most is that this Lin boss might resort to violence, even killing someone. Once a person is dead, no amount of money from Fenglin Restaurant can compensate for that loss.