Chapter 269: Terrifying Strength

A ferocious voice rang out in the lobby, causing varied reactions among the people present.
Ling Zhengyang’s upbringing had instilled in him an arrogance that made him feel superior to ordinary people since childhood, though it wasn’t apparent due to his humble and polite nature. Seeing the burly man’s domineering attitude, his fear vanished instantly, replaced by displeasure and disgust evident in his slightly furrowed brows.
Wang De couldn’t help but take another step back. The burly man’s aura sent chills down every pore of his body.
Chang Tai stepped forward abruptly, moving close to the bench where Ling Zhengyang sat, his gaze growing increasingly intense. If it were just him alone, he wouldn’t have feared the burly man, but with the third young master right in front of him… His strength was already inferior, and now he had to protect the third young master as well. The difficulty was immense. On the surface, he refused to admit defeat, but inwardly, he desperately prayed for a peaceful resolution.
Lin Dong paused his chopsticks on the table, aligned them neatly, and picked up a piece of spicy tofu. As he put it in his mouth, the burning spiciness filled his pores once again.
A faint wisp of smoke rose above his head.
Lin Dong endured the pain as he bit into the tofu. A mild sweetness lingered between his teeth, calming his inflamed throat as if a spring of water had been poured in, gradually soothing it. After a few more bites, his tongue felt tingling—deliciously tender and smooth.
Swallowing it down, his fiery stomach suddenly calmed, bringing a warm sensation that made him feel lazy and extremely comfortable.
Licking his lips, Lin Dong raised his chopsticks, ready to pick up some fish slices. Across from him, Ling Zhengyang said in a deep voice, “Shopkeeper Lin!”
Lin Dong was startled for a moment before smiling and saying, “Harmony is precious. It’s just eating—better than fighting with knives and swords. Fortunately, I’m used to spicy food. The third young master, wait fifteen minutes; I’ll finish all these dishes.”
Ling Zhengyang shook his head slightly. “Harmony is precious, but not in such situations. To be honest, though we’re enemies, I’ve always admired Shopkeeper Lin’s courage, boldness, and unpredictable tactics. But right now, his temper makes me disagree.”
Lin Dong smiled helplessly without explaining. If it weren’t for the fact that this guy was qualified to be part of the kitchen trio along with Jiang Kui and Qiao Tianhao, he would never have embraced harmony.
“Kid, eat slowly. I’ll give you an extra three performances of someone getting their head chopped off!” The burly man lowered his right arm, his large sword shining brightly.
The middle-aged man behind him, realizing he couldn’t stop them anymore, simply waved his hand and said, “Close the doors and windows. Yang Lai, Jiang Xiu, block the stairway—don’t let a single customer down. Anyone who tries to break in will be dealt with mercilessly.”

“Alright!”
The four men moved in an instant, each as fast as a raccoon—clearly seasoned fighters.
Lin Dong raised his eyebrows slightly. Goodness, such confidence and strength—was this really a restaurant? Even in a casino during a disturbance, no one would dare order killings on sight.
“Third Young Master, retreat!” Chang Tai flipped his right wrist, and a long sword appeared in his palm, shielding Ling Zhengyang behind him.
“A member of the Ling family will never retreat without a fight!” Ling Zhengyang abruptly pulled out the jade pendant from his waist and placed it on the table, saying coldly, “If you can’t win or protect me, take the pendant and leave. My second brother won’t trouble you.”
Lin Dong couldn’t help but look up at Ling Zhengyang and suddenly laughed, “I didn’t expect the third young master to have such boldness.”
Ling Zhengyang smiled bitterly. He really couldn’t figure out what Lin Dong was thinking. If he were timid, he wouldn’t appear so calm, treating that giant as if he meant nothing, never even glancing at him. But if he weren’t afraid, why be so obedient? He actually planned to eat all the chili on the table… Look, he picked up another piece of fish. Just the bright red oil stains on it were enough to make one burn with heat.
Bang!
As the last window closed, Chang Tai and the giant rushed out almost at the same time. At the moment they were about to collide, Chang Tai thrust his long sword forward, attacking first with a swift stab at the giant’s throat.
The giant snorted coldly, neither dodging nor avoiding, and swung his sword horizontally at Chang Tai’s head. His speed was slightly slower than Chang Tai’s, but his momentum was like a tidal wave—no matter where one was in the hall, it was impossible to escape its force.
Chang Tai’s gaze sharpened. The giant’s actions made him wary, tightening every muscle in his body.
Not far away, Lin Dong closed his eyes slightly, his mind expanding rapidly. Through his strange vision, he could clearly see Chang Tai’s clothes and his long sword aiming at the giant’s somewhat blurred throat. The giant’s refusal to dodge or avoid surprised him a bit.
Puh!
The moment the sword tip touched the giant’s throat, Chang Tai sensed something was wrong. His sword wasn’t an ordinary weapon—it was a second-tier spirit sword. Yet when the tip touched the throat, it felt as if it had struck an impenetrable wall.
Unable to make any progress, as Chang Tai panicked, a surge of powerful energy rushed through the sword into his arm.
With a crack, Chang Tai’s arm was instantly twisted into several pieces.
Lin Dong jumped up in shock and turned sharply. From the sound, he could tell that several bones in Chang Tai’s right arm had been shattered.

The howling wind rushed past their ears. Chang Tai’s face twisted in pain as the blade was less than half a foot away. The biting cold made the hairs on his neck stand on end, but he endured the agony, pushing off with his left foot and leaping to the right.
“Want to run? Did I give you permission?” The giant sneered, lowering his right arm sharply. The swift swing of his sword shifted downward, chasing after Chang Tai.
Whoosh!
A splash of bright red blood sprayed out as the sword left a long gash on Chang Tai’s back. Flesh tore open, blood flowing freely. Chang Tai shot forward like a cannonball, crashing violently into the wall with a thunderous sound that shook the ground.
As the giant turned, Chang Tai suddenly leaped up, his right arm hanging limply, his left fist clenched tightly. He stared at his opponent with a determined glint in his eyes, though his face was pale and bloodless, his legs trembling uncontrollably—clearly badly injured by that strike.
Lin Dong’s heart pounded. A Vajra Shield? Iron Robe? Not only impervious to weapons but also capable of reflecting force back.
Damn it! How can one fight against such a person?
It’s one thing to encounter a chef who creates his own unique cuisine after a meal, but this chef is a monster.
The giant twisted his neck and strode toward Chang Tai with a cruel smile. The blade pointed downward, blood dripping slowly, leaving a long trail on the floor.
Wang De screamed in terror, suddenly turning and running frantically toward the gate.
Bang!
One of the men kicked him back with a sneer. “Just wait obediently for our chieftain to send you to hell. There’s no way you can escape.”
Lin Dong and Ling Zhengyang both took a sharp breath. Chieftain! Bandits!
Lin Dong glared at the man who had kicked Wang De back. Today, they were in big trouble.
It would have been fine if they didn’t know who the opponent was, but now that they knew he was a bandit and even knew his whereabouts in Autumn Wind City, it was a life-or-death situation.
With his Mysterious Steps, Lin Dong wasn’t worried about escaping, but Ling Zhengyang…
He had brought him along himself; it would be hard to explain if he didn’t send him back.
Sighing, Lin Dong glanced at Ling Zhengyang, who had suddenly stood up. A bench appeared silently in his hand.
Anyway, they had to give it a try!
The giant raised his sword and swung it at Chang Tai with a cold laugh.
Instead of retreating, Chang Tai charged forward, slamming his left fist into the giant’s chest, determined to fight to the death.
Suddenly, Lin Dong swung his right arm, throwing the bench at the giant’s head.
Bang! Wood shards flew everywhere. The impact forced the giant to take a step forward, slightly slowing his sword swing.
“Back off!” Lin Dong shouted.

Chang Tai gritted his teeth and swung his left fist straight at the giant’s heart.
Bang!
The moment the fist touched the giant’s heart, his entire left arm trembled rapidly like waves under the impact of energy. The next second, Chang Tai was flung backward, spewing blood.
Lin Dong clenched his teeth in fury. Though loyal, the giant deserved to die.
If the two of them had worked together, holding off the giant first, Chang Tai, with his remaining strength, could have easily broken through the encirclement of those bandits and killed them one by one.
Unbelievably, this idiot still refused to give up, even knowing that the opponent could reflect force back at him.
The heart was a vital point, but so was the throat. Since the throat was useless, the giant’s true vital point surely wasn’t that obvious heart either.
In the corner, Chang Tai struggled to stand up on his legs. The giant slowly turned to face Lin Dong, his gaze fierce as that of a killing god.
“You dare fight me? You’re quite bold!” The flesh on the giant’s face looked especially grotesque.
Lin Dong suddenly laughed. He thought that if there were a cigar between the giant’s teeth, his expression would be terrifying enough to scare even the bravest.
“Shopkeeper Lin…” Ling Zhengyang took a deep breath, stepped beside Lin Dong, and stared straight at the giant.
“You’re indeed brave. Just because you two dare stand in front of me, I’ll give you a chance,” the giant sneered. “Join our Tiansha Camp—one of you will be the second camp leader, and the other will be my assistant.”
Lin Dong couldn’t help but laugh. Not long ago, he had even considered luring this guy into Lin’s Inn to form a kitchen trio with Jiang Kui and Qiao Tianhao. Who would have thought the guy wanted to recruit him into some Tiansha Camp as the second camp leader?
Tiansha Camp?
Lin Dong was stunned. No wonder it was so powerful—it was Tiansha Camp, which the Tianwei Pavilion had attacked several times without completely destroying.
Once the largest gathering place for bandits in Lingnan Prefecture, over a decade ago, its strength grew so rapidly that it could even attack Lingnan City, exceeding the limits set by the Great Han Nation. The Tianwei Pavilion gathered warriors from the entire prefecture to attack it, causing the camp to collapse, but its leader, Cheng Bao, managed to escape. Within a few years, Tiansha Camp reappeared in Lingnan Prefecture. Despite repeated attacks, Cheng Bao remained a tenacious survivor, even prompting a powerful loyalist from the prefecture to intervene, only for him to escape alive again.
In Lingnan Prefecture, in terms of notoriety, Cheng Bao was far less feared than many other bandit leaders. But when it came to the top bandit, it was undoubtedly Cheng Bao.
“Do you know who I am now?” Cheng Bao sneered.

Lin Dong touched his chin and said slowly, “Your cooking skills are good. It’s a shame you’re a bandit. If you were a chef, after a hundred years, Jiang Yichu’s status in the culinary world would surely not be as great as yours.”
Ling Zhengyang and the bandits stared in shock, while Cheng Bao was momentarily stunned before bursting into laughter.