Chapter 275: Setting Out

Having made up his mind, Lin Dong immediately arranged rooms for everyone and activated a four-fold cultivation boost.
It was a critical phase of competing with Maple Forest Restaurant, so he naturally had to explain his absence to Ma Chun. After some thought, ignoring the late hour, Lin Dong went to Ma Chun’s room and knocked on the door.
With knocks echoing, Ma Chun soon opened the door, dressed neatly and rubbing his sleepy eyes.
“Boss, did you call for me?”
“I plan to open branches in various counties tomorrow. There are a few things I need to discuss with you,” Lin Dong explained.
“Open branches?” Ma Chun showed delight and quickly invited Lin Dong in, offering tea and water.
Sitting down, Lin Dong organized his thoughts before speaking, “This time, I aim to open all nine branches. Even if everything is arranged smoothly, it will still take at least three to four months. Fortunately, after setting up delivery services in each county, I can take time to return.”
Ma Chun assured him, “Don’t worry, boss. I’ll handle everything in Autumn Wind City. As for Maple Forest Restaurant, it should take about ten days to force them to hand over half of their restaurants. Without any surprises, this will cost them seven or eighty thousand silver taels. If the one million silver taels Ling Zhengyang offered to buy Lin’s Inn was their limit, and if they don’t draw funds from Lingnan Commandery or elsewhere, they’ll likely have only twenty to thirty thousand silver taels left.”
Lin Dong nodded. “By then, the culinary enhancements of the inn’s chefs will also be in place. If nothing goes wrong, I’ll return. But you handle it as you see fit. Whether I’m back or not, if you think it’s time, go see Boss Wang and bring over the chefs from Kelei Restaurant.”
Ma Chun smiled confidently, “With Jiang Kui and Qiao Tianhao added in, we’ll surely overwhelm Maple Forest Restaurant.”
Lin Dong tapped his index finger slowly on the table, his eyes gleaming.
With the chefs from Kelei Restaurant’s skills, plus the culinary enhancements, it would be enough to end the back-and-forth struggle between the two sides. Once this move was made, unless Ling Zhengyang had a way to turn the situation around, it would be very difficult for him to recover.
Once defeated, as long as Ling Zhengyang had no means to reverse the situation, Lin’s Inn could firmly suppress Maple Forest Restaurant, allowing them to strike as they wished. When they would be defeated depended on how long Maple Forest Restaurant’s silver could last.
After pondering for a moment, Lin Dong asked, “How’s the preparation for the Spirit Stone Fan coming along?”

“It’s fully ready and can be launched at any time.” Ma Chun hesitated for a moment before asking, “Boss, it’s almost midsummer. When should we launch it? If we miss summer, the effect will be much worse. In my opinion, now is the best time.”
“Wait another month or two and see,” Lin Dong shook his head. According to his estimate, when the Spirit Stone Fan would be launched depended on how long Maple Forest Restaurant could hold on. If Maple Forest Restaurant gritted its teeth and tried to persevere, the Spirit Stone Fan would become the final crushing weight on them.
If it were launched now, at most it would reverse the situation completely— the chefs at Guest Arrival Restaurant could already achieve that. With Ling Zhengyang’s current state, one more challenge probably wouldn’t make him give up so quickly.
Only when Ling Zhengyang could no longer withstand the pressure, had no hope of victory, and his confidence was repeatedly shattered until it was on the verge of collapse, would this biggest obstacle completely crush his confidence to dust. Otherwise, if Ling Zhengyang really persisted, with Maple Forest Restaurant’s financial resources, providing free service for ten or eight years in Autumn Wind City would be a drop in the bucket.
Seeing Lin Dong’s firm expression, Ma Chun could only nod.
“Again, I’ve already selected ten managers for branch stores. Find time to teach them about managing the stores and the various spirit arrays,” Lin Dong instructed. “It’s best to come up with a plan. Once I set up one branch store, send someone over. As soon as I leave, the branch can open right away.”
Ma Chun thought for a moment before nodding firmly. “Don’t worry, boss. I guarantee the new inn will become an instant success.”
Lin Dong patted Ma Chun’s shoulder. “You’ve got a lot on your plate these days. If you’re too busy, ask Xiao Liu and the others for help. After this period, once Maple Forest Restaurant collapses, things will get easier.”
Ma Chun chuckled. “By then, don’t forget to give me a reward, boss.”
“1,800 taels—you’ll definitely get it,” Lin Dong said, raising his eyebrows slightly.
Ma Chun’s mouth stretched wide enough to fit two eggs at once. 1,800 taels—with that amount, one could live lavishly as they wished.
“Alright, go sleep! Get me a carriage with two horses ready early tomorrow morning, with all the food and water prepared. As for the drivers…” Lin Dong decided, “Find two and have them travel day and night.”
“Sure!” Ma Chun agreed immediately.
Lin Dong stood up and left the room with Ma Chun seeing him off.
Early the next morning, Lin Dong went to Yun Lan’s room. After knocking a few times, the door creaked open.

“Personal bodyguard, are you interested in going out to explore the mountains and rivers?” Lin Dong asked with a smile.
“Explore the mountains and rivers?” Yun Lan was taken aback.
Lin Dong nodded cheerfully. “I suddenly felt like visiting all the counties within Qiufeng Mansion except Xilan City.”
“You must have something to do, right?” Yun Lan glanced at Lin Dong and said leisurely, “Is this exploring the mountains and rivers? It’ll probably mean traveling day and night, spending the whole time in the carriage practicing.”
Lin Dong smiled reluctantly. “There are mountains and rivers along the way too. No matter when or where, you can see them as long as you lift the carriage curtain.”
“When are we going?” Yun Lan asked.
“Now!” Lin Dong replied without hesitation.
Yun Lan frowned slightly. “I need half an hour. I have to dismantle the Four Illusion Arrays in your room first.”
Lin Dong sensed something was wrong and asked cautiously, “Why dismantle the Four Illusion Arrays?”
“The remaining materials aren’t enough. I can only take down the Four Illusion Arrays in your room,” Yun Lan said lightly. “Although the carriage isn’t big, it shouldn’t be hard to set up a smaller one.”
Lin Dong was speechless. Traveling outside, practicing all day was one thing, but now he even had to endure the Four Illusion Arrays.
There was nothing he could do. He had never disagreed with Yun Lan’s decisions. While she was dismantling the arrays, Lin Dong checked the preparation of the carriage.
Compared to previous trips, Ma Chun had prepared a much larger carriage this time, with an additional strong horse.
When Lin Dong appeared in the hall, Liu Hua and another staff member, Wu Guang, jumped down from the carriage.
“Boss, everything is ready. Shall we set off now?”
“Wait, there’s still something to do.”
Lin Dong shook his head and got into the carriage. Lifting the curtain, he saw two long benches covered with spotted leopard skins, which made him smile bitterly. With Yun Lan accompanying him on this trip, where would he sit? All that preparation for nothing…
Looking around, he saw that beneath the benches, there was not only plenty of dry food and water bags but also a bundle of snacks.
Seeing nothing was missing, Lin Dong got out of the carriage and told the two men to return to the backyard in half an hour.
Fastening an apron around himself, he kneaded dough and started a fire. The owner of Lin’s Inn transformed into a skilled chef.
By the time breakfast was ready, Yun Lan had almost finished dismantling the Four Illusion Arrays. After having breakfast in the courtyard, the two went to the hall.
Once in the carriage, as Lin Dong had expected, Yun Lan placed her delicate hands on the benches, and the benches disappeared instantly. Then, the bundle and water bags beneath them were also stored in the magic ring. Soon after, her figure moved swiftly inside the carriage, and a new set of Four Illusion Arrays was set up.

Sitting down gracefully on another bench, Yun Lan glanced toward the center of the carriage.
“You sit up there and I sit down here—doesn’t this feel a bit off?” Lin Dong said reluctantly.
Yun Lan remained silent. She stood up, lifted the leopard skin from the bench, then stored the bench and the package in her spirit ring. After arranging the leopard skin as a cushion, she sat on the ground and looked up at Lin Dong. “Is this better now?”
Lin Dong nodded with a wry smile, sat down in the spirit array at the center of the carriage, and then declared, “Let’s go!”
The carriage trembled slightly before starting to move gently.
The first stop was Jiuhu County, the closest to Qiufeng City. The journey was uneventful. After leaving Qiufeng City, Liu Hua and Wu Guang took turns resting and driving the horses.
Although the carriage wasn’t fast and the two horses needed occasional rest, and since they stopped only to eat three meals a day along the road, its speed was still comparable to that of a fast horse.
Three days later, in the afternoon, as Lin Dong practiced while resisting the noise, stench, and sword flashes from the Four Illusion Arrays, the carriage suddenly came to a halt. Due to inertia, he fell backward.
Yun Lan, who had been watching Lin Dong quietly, opened her palm. The BlueBlueChen Sword Sword -> Blue Chen Sword Sword instantly turned into a streak of blue light, pressed against Lin Dong’s back, then flew back into her hand and disappeared.
Thanks to the BlueBlueChen Sword Sword -> Blue Chen Sword Sword’s cushioning, Lin Dong quickly stabilized himself. He twisted his waist and sat up straight again.
“What’s going on?” Lin Dong demanded.
“M-Master, it’s bad! We hit someone…” Liu Hua’s voice trembled. “We might have killed them.”
“What?”
Not only Lin Dong but also Yun Lan, who had been focused on him and unaware of what was happening outside, was shocked by these words.
Liu Hua and Wu Guang hurriedly lifted the carriage curtain. Lin Dong looked and saw an old man in a green robe with white hair lying in the grass at the left rear of the carriage. The old man was curled up, with blood on his body, and completely motionless.
“M-Master, he ran into us himself,” Liu Hua explained, his lips trembling. “If you don’t believe me, ask Wu Guang. He ran into us on his own.”
Wu Guang nodded repeatedly. “I saw it. He could have avoided us, but he didn’t move. When the carriage avoided him, he must have stepped on a rock and ran into us again.”
A white figure shot out of the carriage and headed straight for the old man. Without saying a word, Lin Dong jumped out of the carriage as well. Regardless of whose fault it was, someone had been hit, and determining whether they were alive or dead was the most important thing.

Yun Lan helped the old man up. After checking him briefly, she sighed in relief and explained to Lin Dong, who had rushed over, “It’s okay. He only has some superficial injuries; the internal damage isn’t serious.” Lin Dong also breathed a sigh of relief. If someone had died, he really wouldn’t have known what to do. But with just injuries, it was simple—just treat them and pay some silver as compensation.