Chapter 267: Invitation to Dinner

Midsummer was approaching, and the sky resembled a giant steamer. Even in the morning, oppressive heat swept across the land, enveloping everything in its grasp. On the streets, pedestrians walked listlessly, fanning themselves with their wide sleeves as they tried to stay in the shade under rooftops, creating a strangely dissonant scene. Inside the carriage, Lin Dong yawned nonstop. Though he was a warrior, the weather already had a significant impact on him, and the stuffy carriage made his head ache and him feel drowsy.
“Maybe I should get a spirit stone fan for the carriage…”
Unable to bear it any longer, Lin Dong sat down on the floor of the carriage. After calming his mind, he let spiritual energy flow from his dantian. As the energy circulated through his meridians, the heat gradually dissipated. Despite the noisy outside and the bumpy ride, Lin Dong, accustomed to practicing in the Four Illusions Formation, was able to focus on his cultivation.
Finally, the rattling carriage came to a stop. Liu Hua’s voice came from outside, “Owner, we’ve arrived.”
Lin Dong slowly opened his eyes and got out of the carriage. Across the street, the Fenglin Restaurant was bustling with activity—much livelier than the relatively empty streets.
He smacked his lips. Such good business in the scorching heat was rare!
Walking into the lobby, he saw many familiar faces among the customers. His arrival obviously caught their attention, and quite a few of them had seen Lin Dong before. They quickly turned away, pretending not to notice, covering their faces with their sleeves.
The two staff members responsible for greeting guests must have been spies for the Lin’s Inn before. When Lin Dong entered, they were stunned, not knowing how to greet him.
Unperturbed, Lin Dong glanced around. At the counter, Jiang Youcai was fanning himself with his sleeve while checking accounts. Seeing the sleeve folded together like a handleless fan, Lin Dong suddenly realized how versatile the sleeves in this world were—perfect for storing money, serving as rags when outdoors, or acting as a barrier when meeting acquaintances. Folded together, they could even be used as a fan.
As he pondered, Jiang Youcai stared at him in shock from behind the counter before hastily recovering.
“Owner Lin, what brings you to our Fenglin Restaurant?”
“Uh!” Lin Dong snapped out of his thoughts, his expression turning somber. “Owner Jiang, is the third young master here?”

Jiang Youcai was momentarily stunned. After a brief surprise, he began to understand—Manager Lin must have come to ask the third young master for reconciliation. The day before yesterday, when Fenglin Restaurant announced five new signature dishes, the situation took a sharp turn. Lin’s Inn didn’t respond for two days, showing they were at a loss. In the past, although Jiang Youcai resented Lin Dong for ruining Fenglin Restaurant and causing huge losses in Xilan City, he would have looked down on Lin Dong if he came to ask for peace. But now, even the third young master was on the verge of failure, and Jiang Youcai truly felt awe toward Lin Dong. So, even though he knew Lin Dong was there to seek reconciliation, he didn’t treat him lightly. He quickly nodded and said, “The third young master is in the back yard. Shall I take Manager Lin over?”

Lin Dong hesitated for a moment before slowly shaking his head. “Could Manager Jiang give him a message? I’d like to invite the third young master out for lunch.”

“Invite the third young master out for lunch?” Jiang Youcai frowned slightly before understanding. Manager Lin must be embarrassed and unwilling to show weakness at Fenglin Restaurant. Realizing this, Jiang Youcai didn’t hesitate and nodded. “Sure. Manager Lin, please wait a moment. I’ll go inform him right away.”

Lin Dong nodded. Immediately, two employees rushed forward as if facing a crisis—some brought stools, others poured tea, treating him with even more respect than he received at his own inn.

In the back yard, Ling Zhengyang was hiding in the shade of a tree, leisurely reading a scroll. To his left, his attendant Wang De held a folding fan, gently fanning him. To his right, his guard Chang Tai stood silently, eyes slightly closed, like a stone statue. Suddenly, Chang Tai opened his eyes wide, staring straight at the entrance of the yard.

Jiang Youcai, who came in at a jog, made Chang Tai close his eyes again.

“Third young master, Lin Dong is here!” Jiang Youcai called out from afar.

“Mm!”

Ling Zhengyang replied instinctively, his gaze still fixed on the scroll. When Ma Chun got a little closer, his eyes on the scroll suddenly stopped moving. Ling Zhengyang quickly raised his head, his face lighting up with joy. “Lin Dong is here?”

Jiang Youcai nodded eagerly.

Ling Zhengyang stood up abruptly, adjusted his clothes, and said loudly, “Ask him to come in!”

“Third young master, he wants to invite you out for lunch,” Jiang Youcai explained.

Ling Zhengyang frowned, puzzled, and asked, “He wants to invite me out for lunch?”

Jiang Youcai nodded firmly. “He must be too proud to admit defeat at Fenglin Restaurant.”

Ling Zhengyang’s gaze sharpened slightly as he suddenly shook his head. “Lin Dong shouldn’t give up so quickly. After all, he still has quite a few restaurants under his control. He’s only defected from three of them. To others, it might seem like all is lost, but for him, it’s far from despair.”

Jiang Youcai was shocked. “Does the third young master think he’s trying to trick you into going out so he can harm you?”

Ling Zhengyang shook his head again. “From a tactical standpoint, although Lin Dong is a bit unconventional, he wouldn’t resort to such despicable methods.”

Despicable methods? Jiang Youcai and Wang De’s lips twitched slightly.

Ling Zhengyang clearly realized his words might imply criticism of his second brother, so he waved his hand to cover it up. “With my status, he definitely wouldn’t dare use such tactics. There must be some purpose behind it.”

“Some purpose?” Jiang Youcai frowned.

Ling Zhengyang also racked his brains. After a while with no solution, he said helplessly, “Whatever the purpose, we’ll find out when we meet. Let’s head to the lobby first! Otherwise, people might gossip that we’re neglecting guests.”

Jiang Youcai nodded, wiped his sweat with his sleeve, and led the way.

In the lobby, Lin Dong was ruining the fine tea brought from Yaowan County by Fenglin Restaurant. When he saw Ling Zhengyang enter, he put down his teacup and stood up.

“Third young master, it’s been over ten days—still as graceful as ever.”

“Manager Lin also looks vibrant, just as impressive as before.”

“Where’s that? I’m busy with trivial matters at the inn. How can I compare to you, who plans everything so well?”

“Manager Lin is too kind. For Fenglin Restaurant, even the smallest matters at Lin’s Inn are significant.”

Like old friends who hadn’t seen each other in days, the two exchanged polite remarks for a while. Then Lin Dong smiled and said, “Third young master, would you be so kind as to let me treat you to a meal?”

Ling Zhengyang glanced outside and said calmly, “By the time we reach Lin’s Inn, it’ll probably be past noon, right?”

“Then let’s find some small restaurant. I’m sure the third young master won’t mind,” Lin Dong said with a smile.

Ling Zhengyang still couldn’t figure out Lin Dong’s intentions and continued to object, “If we just pick any small restaurant, it’s still a bit early. I think it would be better if we stayed at our Feng…”

Lin Dong interrupted, “It’s me who’s treating you, so I should choose the place. As for it being early, the weather is so nice—going out for a stroll isn’t bad either. If the third young master is worried about something, just pretend Lin Dong never said anything.”

Ling Zhengyang was speechless. The weather was nice? Going out for a stroll?

These two sentences sound terrifying no matter how you hear them, yet the latter one leaves one with no way out. Refusing means being petty and too afraid to go. Nearby, Jiang Youcai quickly stepped forward and said with a smile, “Manager Lin, it might not work this noon. The third young master still has some urgent matters to handle at the headquarters. In my opinion, we’ll have to reschedule! If not, Manager Lin can just make do at Fenglin Restaurant. With the current prices here, just one or two taels of silver should be enough to order a whole table of dishes.” Ling Zhengyang was about to nod when he saw Lin Dong smiling meaningfully, which made him feel annoyed—did he really think he wouldn’t dare to go? “Since Manager Lin is treating, even the most important matters must be put aside. Manager Jiang, please take care of things at the restaurant,” Ling Zhengyang instructed Jiang Youcai. Jiang Youcai nodded helplessly. This Manager Lin clearly had some ulterior motives, but the third young master… “The third young master, please!” Lin Dong said with a smile, gesturing for him to go first. “Manager Lin, please!” Ling Zhengyang replied politely and deferentially. Lin Dong didn’t dawdle any longer and strode out of Fenglin Restaurant. The hot air hit them as soon as they stepped outside. Lin Dong and the other man led the way, with Chang Tai closely following on the left, always on guard for Lin Dong. On the right, Wang De took out his folding fan and followed closely behind Ling Zhengyang, gently fanning him with it to send a breeze his way. Lin Dong rarely came to the busiest part of Qiufeng City, so despite the heat making the vendors and shop assistants listless, the dazzling array of goods remained unaffected. As they strolled around, they occasionally came across interesting items. Chang Tai was quite strong, so the heat affected him little, just like Lin Dong. Wang De, though busy serving people in the scorching heat, had experienced much worse in the past, so a little sun was almost negligible. It was only Ling Zhengyang who suffered—the scorching sun made him sweat profusely, his body feeling sticky and uncomfortable, his skin burning as if in a furnace. What was even worse was that Lin Dong, claiming to be treating him to a meal, acted like he had no responsibility as the host. He wandered on his own, stopping to look at strange items, asking questions or making purchases, completely forgetting about his guest. Several times, Ling Zhengyang wanted to head back home, and on other occasions, he pretended to enter an antique shop to browse. But when he turned around, Lin Dong had already entered the silk shop next door. As they walked back and forth, Lin Dong’s portable display had accumulated many items he considered strange and unusual. After enduring so much, Ling Zhengyang was finally relieved when the scorching sun reached its highest point in the sky.

In a jewelry shop, while Lin Dong was looking for small accessories suitable for Yun Lan and Lin Shuang, Ling Zhengyang said in a somewhat hoarse voice, “Shopkeeper Lin, it’s getting late. Should we find a place to sit?”
Lin Dong pretended to realize something suddenly. “Right, right, I forgot we were here to invite the third young master for a meal.”
Ling Zhengyang smiled bitterly. What exactly was Shopkeeper Lin up to?
“Let’s go!”
Lin Dong smiled leisurely and deliberately took Ling Zhengyang out into the sun for most of the afternoon, aiming to prevent Ling Zhengyang from focusing on his own intentions.