Chapter 279: Watching the Show

As all the bandits waited for the excitement to begin, Manager Liang stared intently at Lin Dong, not blinking.
Three of his men rolled up their sleeves and twisted their necks.
Seeing their teammates, who had already warmed up, looking at him, Manager Liang’s left eyelid trembled. Suppressing his anger, he said in a deep voice, “I’ll pay for this meal.”
Whoa…
Instantly, the bandits, who had been holding their breath, stood up in uproar, staring at Lin Dong, some too stunned to speak.
He’s paying!
How long had it been since Manager Liang last did this? Even the chiefs of other clans never let him pay for a single dish for free.
Eight hundred and twenty coins—there was no mistake.
This kid thought it was too expensive, but he wasn’t that bold either.
Manager Liang giving in so completely—once word got out, it would cause a huge stir among the nearby clans.
“Manager Liang, this…” The men were also confused. What was wrong with Manager Liang today?
Lin Dong shook his head smilingly, gestured toward Huang Wanli and his grandson, and said casually, “It’s still a bit expensive.”
Bang!
Manager Liang slammed the table in anger. “It’s one thing to make it all free, but you want us to spit out the silver we’ve already eaten! Kid, don’t think just because I want a peaceful life, I’m afraid of you.”
Cheers erupted as the bandits grew restless.
“Manager Liang, kill this kid!”
“Right, skin him and pull out his tendons—let’s have a real human feast!”
“I want that kid’s thighs!”
The men wiped their hands together, ready to act at Manager Liang’s command to eliminate Lin Dong, who dared cause trouble at the Humen Inn. In their eyes, the Humen Inn was the strongest—no bandit within a hundred miles dared cause trouble there. Besides the sect disciples, could there be anyone stronger than the Humen Inn?
These guys clearly dressed like ordinary people; they couldn’t possibly be sect disciples.
Facing Manager Liang’s furious gaze, Lin Dong smiled calmly. “If you try to swindle me of my silver and I don’t get it back, do you think I’m afraid of your so-called Humen Inn?”
“Swindle you of your silver?” Manager Liang sneered. “Don’t think I don’t know that old man isn’t related to you.”
“But the twenty taels of silver in your drawer…” Lin Dong said slowly, “are mine!”
“That’s the rule of the Humen Inn—once you enter, you can’t leave! Since you’re seeking death, don’t blame me for not being gentle.”
Manager Liang no longer wanted to talk. Continuing would only make the bandits look down on the Humen Inn. If he kept compromising, the Humen Inn would never again enjoy any respect among the bandits.

The moment the words faded, the three men shot forward in unison, delivering punches from right, upper, and lower angles, targeting Lin Dong’s three vital points. The fierce momentum of their punches made the bandits swallow hard. Truly befitting the Humen Inn—its servants alone were at least at the fifth level of the Lingdong Phase, their strength comparable to that of the bandit leaders. If it were some old veterans who attacked, they would have scared the man to death.
“This kid… couldn’t he be scared silly?”
One bandit’s shout instantly shifted everyone’s attention from the three men to Lin Dong. Seeing him motionless, they all shook their heads in sighs. They thought they’d get a good show, only to find he could be knocked out with just one punch.
Manager Liang’s expression darkened. Such actions likely meant the opponent cared nothing about those three punches at all.
Boom…
Under everyone’s gaze, the three punches retracted abruptly just before touching Lin Dong. The next second, the three men were flung backward in unison.
Chaos erupted—no one saw Lin Dong make any move.
Crying out in pain, the three men wailed incessantly. The bandits stared at Lin Dong in shock, unable to understand how he had done it.
Even at the Mind Phase, one could form an energy shield around oneself using spiritual energy. Yet the three attacks seemed similar on the surface but actually had a sequence—how could they all be sent flying at once?
“Who exactly are you?” Manager Liang asked gravely, staring intently at Lin Dong. A moment ago, he had only suspected Lin Dong was passing by, seeking justice for the Huang Wanli family. But with such strength, he was definitely not from the mundane world.
If not from the mundane world, yet bringing followers with him—likely to conceal his true intentions. Perhaps he had come here specifically to seek revenge.
Lin Dong replied calmly, “It doesn’t matter. Consider me whatever you want.”
“Then…”
Manager Liang’s wooden right foot slammed down on the ground with a bang, launching his entire body into the air. As his right leg rose, a dark piece of wood pierced toward Lin Dong’s heart. Its speed was no less than that of a drawn sword.
The bandits widened their eyes, trying hard to follow the trajectory of his leg. They had heard of Manager Liang’s strength before but never had the chance to see it—now they got to witness it.
Lin Dong neither dodged nor avoided, waiting patiently for Manager Liang’s kick. With his mental focus, he could tell that this Manager Liang was only at the second level of the Mind Phase. Just relying on his aerial ability was enough to completely overwhelm him.

As the wooden leg neared, Ling Dong’s spiritual energy rushed rapidly through his meridians along the path associated with the Sky Control realm, before surging toward Manager Liang.
Whoosh!
Just as Manager Liang stepped back, something unexpected happened—countless tiny needles shot out from the dark wood, their blue-tipped ends aiming straight at Ling Dong’s body.
Terrified and unable to dodge, Ling Dong watched as the needles neared him. Manager Liang, who had flown back, wore a cold smile on his face. A blue light sword flashed swiftly in front of Ling Dong, blocking all the needles with a buzzing sound.
Ling Dong breathed a sigh of relief, looking at the highly poisonous needles on the ground, still shaken.
“Let’s see if you’ll dare underestimate others next time…”
Yun Lan’s voice came from behind, making Ling Dong force a bitter smile. With his Sky Control technique and Ethereal Step, a cultivator at the third level of the Mental Realm had almost been defeated by one at the second level—he really deserved it.
With a thud, Manager Liang crashed into the counter. Though only lightly injured, his gaze toward Yun Lan was filled with deep fear.
He had quickly rushed to save his companion, yet even with his keen eyes, he couldn’t identify what that blue light sword was. This girl’s strength must be terrifyingly high.
Springing to his feet, Manager Liang stared at Ling Dong and the others. “Our Humen Inn has never had any conflicts with any sects. Who exactly are you?”
“Just people seeking justice for our subordinate,” Ling Dong replied casually.
“Justice? Here at Humen Inn? Who would seek justice?”
From the back door, a middle-aged man in his forties, wearing an apron and missing one arm, walked in with a kitchen knife and a cold smile. Behind him were more middle-aged men in their forties, most of whom were blind or missing limbs. All of them seemed murderous.
Ling Dong hesitated. If it were really just about seeking justice for Huang Wanli, he would have attacked long ago. His real goal was the chefs of Humen Inn. If he could bring those chefs to Lin’s Inn, just the spiritual beasts and materials alone would make it competitive with other restaurants. With their cooking skills, it would be on par with Fenglin Restaurant. Moreover, there was Manager Liang’s homemade wine, along with noodles and pastries—these alone would ensure Lin’s Inn far surpassed any other restaurant.
Looking at these fierce chefs, they certainly didn’t seem like good people. Hiring them would scare the other cooks. Unless the kitchen was divided into two sections.
If he could keep these chefs in check, it shouldn’t be a problem.

Another problem is that these people might have even been bandits in the past. Otherwise, given the brutality of bandits, only those even more cruel could keep them in check through prolonged bloody suppression, preventing them from daring to threaten the Humen Inn in the slightest.
Turning a group of bandits into chefs—even if they have retired from banditry—doesn’t erase the atrocities they’ve committed, which remain unforgivable.
“Lao Liu, shut up!” As Lin Dong hesitated about what to do with these people, Manager Liang snapped at the fat chef holding a kitchen knife.
“Hey, Lao Liang, it’s just a bunch of kids!” the fat chef said nonchalantly. “Looking at their age, they’re still immature. Even if they’re disciples of a major sect, they’re only at the fifth or sixth level of the Mental State phase. With our strength, if we bring the boss lady here, we shouldn’t have to fear them.”
Manager Liang’s expression changed sharply as he glanced at Yun Lan, who stood calmly behind Lin Dong.
Fifth or sixth level of the Mental State phase? It’s probably more than that. Otherwise, their speed wouldn’t be so fast that he couldn’t even see it clearly. If they were really only at that level, even if they couldn’t defeat us, they could at least hold off for ten or eight moves.
But with the speed they showed earlier, they couldn’t even block one move. Even if all of us joined forces, it would be pointless. Against such absolute speed, having more people doesn’t help at all; we’d be killed all in an instant. Even if the boss lady came, she could probably only hold off for one or two moves.
“Sir, miss…” Manager Liang said gravely, “Every wrong has its cause. If you really came to seek revenge, we old folks were prepared for that. But even if you want to kill us, at least let us know how serious this grudge really is.”
“If we’re really talking about a grudge…” Lin Dong said helplessly, “It’s twenty taels of silver, your bullying of the weak, and our desire to take control of your inn’s chef… that’s it!”
“Just those three things?” Manager Liang was stunned. Could it be he was wrong? These people were just passing by, and their attire wasn’t because of the Humen Inn?
If that were the case, none of these reasons were serious enough to warrant destroying the Humen Inn—unless they were bandits.
“Just those three things,” Lin Dong said calmly.
Confirmed in his suspicion, Manager Liang sighed in relief. After pondering for a moment, he slowly said, “Sir, go ahead and state your price. I’ll agree to everything except the last one.”
“Lao Liang…” The chefs grew anxious. This clearly meant he was backing down. If word got out, how could the Humen Inn survive in Jiuhu County?
“Shut up!” Manager Liang snapped. “When the boss lady isn’t here, it’s me, Liang Shangtian, who rules the Humen Inn!”

The chefs were speechless, while the bandits licked their lips, feeling uneasy. With Humen Inn pushed to this extreme, would they end up using these bandits as scapegoats? And who knows, they might even kill them to silence them.
For ordinary people, it’s almost unnecessary to think about whether it’s better to watch or flee. But for these bandits, it’s a very difficult decision.
“Hey, Old Liang, why are you so angry?”
A delicate voice came from the top of the stairs, convincing the bandits that in the end, watching the chaos was the most important thing!