Chapter 272: Personal Bodyguard

Upon returning to the inn, the sun was already low in the sky. At the entrance, Ma Chun and Liu An were waiting anxiously. Seeing the carriage arrive, they stepped forward immediately.
“Boss, we’ve got it—sixteen kinds of fine tea and twenty-three kinds of fine wine. With the business from the private rooms on the third floor, we can cover expenses for at least two months.”
After the bumpy ride, Lin Dong’s mood had improved. He jumped down from the carriage and said with a smile, “Good job!”
“Boss, can we start working on the cooking as well?” Ma Chun asked.
“Start tomorrow!” Lin Dong nodded. It had been three days already. Although Fenglin Restaurant lost a lot of money every day by attracting wealthy clients, if they didn’t find a way to bring those clients back, Lin’s Inn couldn’t afford to lose any more.
“Okay, shall I go arrange it now?” Ma Chun asked.
“Mm! I’ll think of a bigger story to support this later,” Lin Dong nodded. Just as Ma Chun turned to leave, he called him back, “The tea and wine issue is taken care of. Have you noticed any other shortcomings?”
Ma Chun shook his head. “The rest is mostly related to decoration. Fortunately, we decorated according to the plans you gave me last time. It may not be as good as Fenglin Restaurant’s, but it’s not far off.”
“Find time to replace those fake paintings and vases with real ones, matching the atmosphere of the private rooms,” Lin Dong instructed.
Ma Chun nodded. You can’t catch a wolf without sacrificing a lamb—this money had to be spent.
Lin Dong added, “Also, send someone to inquire with Lord Li to find out if Fu Tongshan was really assassinated.”
“Lord Fu was assassinated?” Ma Chun and Liu An looked at Lin Dong in shock.
Lin Dong nodded. “I heard about it too. I’m not sure if it’s true. If it is, try to find out from Lord Li whether he’ll take over or if someone from the county government will come instead.”
The two felt a chill—this was no small matter.
“Alright, go back to your work!”
Lin Dong waved his hand and headed straight for the back door. Fu Tongshan’s murder was indeed serious. But fortunately, the victim wasn’t Li Jiancheng, his backer. And given Ling Zhengyang’s style of handling things, there was no precedent of using official power to suppress competitors. Whether it was true or not, it should have little impact on Lin’s Inn.
The backyard was empty. Lin Dong hesitated for a moment before knocking on Yun Lan’s door.
With a creak, Yun Lan looked at Lin Dong outside the door in surprise. “Want to practice some moves?”
Lin Dong shook his head and said with a smile, “I’m here to discuss business with you.”
“Business?” Yun Lan smiled awkwardly and stepped aside slightly. After Lin Dong entered, she asked, “What kind of business do you want to discuss?”

Lin Dong licked his lips and said leisurely, “I want to hire a personal bodyguard. I was wondering if you’re interested?”
Yun Lan carefully observed Lin Dong’s expression and didn’t refuse outright. She asked, “Why do you suddenly want a bodyguard?”
Lin Dong explained, “There was no other choice. Today I went to another restaurant for dinner and met a chef who made my heart race. I thought about trying to bring him to Lin Ji Inn, but turns out he’s actually a bandit leader who planned to kidnap me and make me the second-in-command of his stronghold.”
Yun Lan frowned slightly, showing no sign of amusement despite Lin Dong’s joking tone.
“I almost got chopped into pieces,” Lin Dong said helplessly. “If it weren’t for the fact that that bandit had taken some sixth-level Spirit Death Pill and its effects were kicking in, I probably would’ve returned alive, but missing limbs anyway. After thinking it over, it’s better to hire a personal bodyguard.”
Yun Lan asked softly, “Where is that bandit now?”
“He’s being surrounded by over thirty warriors and thousands of soldiers with crossbows. I guess he’s dead by now,” Lin Dong said nonchalantly.
Yun Lan nodded slowly, remained silent for a long time, and then suddenly laughed lightly. “What price are you planning to offer?”
Lin Dong smiled and said, “I don’t have much else. How about giving you both of my small inns as payment for your work?”
Yun Lan was stunned. After hesitating for a moment, she shook her head gently. “No!”
Lin Dong felt a bit disappointed but didn’t give up. “Don’t ask for too much. These two inns have spirit arrays that can nurture spiritual materials and beasts, as well as arrays that can accelerate cultivation. Either of these alone is priceless.”
“No!” Yun Lan still shook her head.
Lin Dong tried to tempt her further. “What about adding my own contract of servitude?”
Yun Lan glanced at Lin Dong and said indifferently, “Not interested.”
Lin Dong shrugged helplessly. “Then what do you want?”
“Five taels of silver per month, free food and lodging, three days off per month, two sets of clothes per year…” She listed the usual pay for a regular bodyguard before adding calmly, “That’s all for now. I might add more if I think of anything.”
“Deal!” Lin Dong settled for less and reminded her with a smile, “Remember, it’s a personal bodyguard.”
Yun Lan replied indifferently, “I’m not afraid of mistaking you for an enemy and accidentally harming you. It’s up to you.”
Lin Dong didn’t care. He really didn’t believe that after holding hands, Yun Lan would draw her sword if she accidentally touched something inappropriate.

“By the way!” Remembering Cheng Bao’s strength, Lin Dong couldn’t help but ask, “Is there any spiritual technique in this world that has no weaknesses at all? Even if attacked with a spiritual weapon, it wouldn’t hurt him in the slightest, and it could even reflect the force back. Moreover, it could even protect companions with a burst of golden light.”
“The Immortal Art?” Yun Lan’s heart rate instantly sped up as she hurriedly asked Lin Dong, “Is the person who knows this spiritual technique the chef you met?”
“Mm!” Lin Dong nodded. “I don’t know how he does it, but with just one sword strike, he can break someone’s arm. Was it because he used his spiritual energy to break the opponent’s arm through their own sword, or does this spiritual technique itself have such power?”
“It has such power inherently,” Yun Lan said, feeling frightened. “Did someone strike first before you?”
Lin Dong nodded, looking somewhat gloomy. “I invited Ling Zhengyang from Fenglin Restaurant for dinner. His bodyguards struck first, and as a result… both of their arms were shattered into pulp. How terrifying is this spiritual technique?”
“Fortunately, you knew in advance. Moreover, the Heaven-Controlling Art also allows attacks without getting close,” Yun Lan said, sighing softly. “This Immortal Art is a ninth-tier spiritual technique, and it’s even among the top-tier ones in that category.”
Lin Dong was amazed. “I never thought a bandit could possess a ninth-tier spiritual technique.”
“There must have been some extraordinary encounter. I only saw information about this Immortal Art in the sect’s secret history—it’s been lost for hundreds of years.” Yun Lan asked, “Did that bandit also have an extremely long golden sword?”
“Yeah, exactly!” Lin Dong nodded repeatedly. “I don’t know why, but when that golden sword swung, its power and speed increased by more than ten times. That bandit was only at the fourth level of the Mental State stage, and with his Mysterious Step speed, he could barely dodge it.”
Yun Lan explained, “That golden sword is a ninth-tier spiritual weapon, and it’s the only one in the world that can truly have a spiritual array installed on it.”
Lin Dong was confused. He remembered Yun Lan mentioning that some high-tier spiritual weapons had spiritual arrays to enhance their power and speed. So why was that golden sword now the only one capable of having such an array?
He wanted to ask but feared he might be mistaken, fearing ridicule.
Seeing Lin Dong hesitating, Yun Lan couldn’t help but say, “You must have forgotten. I told you that the spiritual arrays on spiritual weapons aren’t completely complementary to each other.”
“Complementary?” Lin Dong frowned, seeming to recall hearing such a phrase before.
Yun Lan smiled, took out the blue sword, and held it out to Lin Dong.

Lin Dong’s eyes lit up as he quickly reached out to support Yun Lan’s pale back of her hands.
Yun Lan reluctantly pulled her hands away and snapped, “Take a closer look at the spirit array on it.”
Lin Dong looked down and saw a strange pattern drawn on both sides of the blue sword’s blade.
“The pattern on the sword is the spirit array,” Yun Lan explained. “Like all high-tier spirit weapons, the spirit array is added to them.”
“The spirit array isn’t added—does it grow there?” Lin Dong found it amusing.
Yun Lan nodded. “The spirit array on that golden knife is already integrated into it.”
“Joking, how is that possible?” Lin Dong shook his head. “When crafting spirit weapons, the hammering and forging would destroy the spirit array. Unless the golden knife was cast using a mold, but even then, such high temperatures would have destroyed it.”
“Cast using a mold?” Yun Lan was stunned.
“Yes. Haven’t you been to the blacksmith shop in our backyard?” Lin Dong explained. “First, a mold is made, then molten iron is poured into it. The tool created will take the shape of the mold.”
“I see.” Yun Lan grabbed Lin Dong excitedly. “So that’s how it is! I finally understand how the spirit array merges with the spirit weapon.”
“There’s high temperature… Spirit stone powder can’t withstand such high temperatures at all.” Though enjoying the conversation, Lin Dong didn’t want Yun Lan to be disappointed and reminded her, “Besides, the molds used in inns are made by alchemists from Ancient Huan Mountain using spirit weapon materials. Only such molds won’t melt or stick together from the molten iron. For materials of ninth-tier spirit weapons… the molds would probably need to be made by deities.”
Yun Lan shook her head repeatedly, still overjoyed. “Everything in the world has its opposites. The materials of some lower-tier spirit weapons can also counteract those of higher-tier ones. As for high temperatures, certain heat-resistant medicinal powders can be added to spirit stone powder.”
Given Yun Lan’s personality, she probably wouldn’t be this excited even if she found a ninth-tier spirit weapon. Lin Dong couldn’t help but ask, “What are the benefits of embedding a spirit array inside a spirit weapon?”
Yun Lan exhaled softly and said slowly, “Take the Blue Chen Sword in my hand, for example. It has an eighth-tier spirit array, the Wind Swift Array, scaled down countless times. It can double or triple the sword’s speed and power.”
Lin Dong was astonished. “If the Blue Chen Sword and the Wind Swift Array merge, could its speed and power increase by a dozen times?”

Yun Lan nodded. “Moreover, as strength increases, the enhancement effect will grow even more. With this Lan Chen Sword, when I used it during my Spirit Mobility phase, the enhancement was two to three times; during my Mind Focus phase, it was still two to three times. Now, the enhancement is still two to three times.”
Lin Dong couldn’t help but swallow. Molds meant that as long as there were enough materials, mass production was possible.
This also meant that a first-tier spiritual weapon fused with a spiritual array could offer an even greater enhancement to its owner than a ninth-tier spiritual sword—the only difference being the sharpness of the spiritual weapon itself.
If mass production were truly possible, giving every guard at Lin’s Inn a weapon equivalent to a ninth-tier spiritual weapon would definitely boost their strength dramatically.