Chapter 320: The Third Chef Appears

The wait was long—over half a month—and Lin Dong grew restless. Despite the help of Elder Gu Huanzong, as well as the Qinglan Fruit and Golden Armor Snake Inner Elixir, Lord Liu’s progress remained slow. To reach the first level of the Mental State he desired required, as he had predicted, at least another two months.

Lin Dong’s restlessness wasn’t solely due to waiting for the upgrade task to complete. Another reason was that, if the additional month of travel time was factored in, the Lin’s Inn in Lingnan City should be nearly completed by then. Opening earlier meant establishing a foothold in Lingnan County sooner. Although the issues with the guild and the new prefect were somewhat unsatisfactory, they could be considered resolved. Staying in Qiufeng City just to wait for the safety of the upgrade task would be a waste of time.

After little deliberation, Lin Dong made up his mind to head to Lingnan County. After instructing Ma Chun to keep Lord Liu and his servant at all costs, he waved his hand, and two carriages set off slowly.

Compared to the journey from Southwest City to Qiufeng City, the trip from Qiufeng City to Lingnan City was three times longer. Even traveling day and night, it would take about a month. Thus, this expedition to Lingnan City couldn’t rely on sending people from Southwest City once preparations were done, as in the previous trip.

Besides Lin Dong and Yun Lan, those accompanying them were Qiao Tianhao, Yu Mudan, Cheng Bao, and the three top chefs from Humen Inn. Additionally, Liu An was already asking and tallying those willing to go to Lingnan County; once the list was ready, they would follow soon after. Moreover, Old Beggar Liu was also prepared, with his group of beggar leaders ready to sweep through entire Lingnan County at any time.

The carriages traveled continuously, with the group resting in makeshift shelters for over half a month. While Lin Dong was practicing in the carriage, a ding sound came to his ears: “Congratulations! Your Colorful Bed has upgraded to Level 3, gaining the attribute ‘Wish Fulfillment in Dreams.’”

Although he hadn’t waited for the upgrade task, getting his Colorful Bed upgraded was still a significant joy for Lin Dong. Without hesitation, he silently recalled the attributes of the Colorful Bed.

**Colorful Bed, Level 3, 0%**
*Upon activation, it consumes a bit of spiritual energy per hour.*
1. **Fall Asleep**: Allows one to fall asleep within fifteen minutes.
2. **Enter Dreams**: Enables one to enter a dream state after falling asleep, remaining conscious within the dream.
3. **Wish Fulfillment in Dreams**: Allows one to arrange the circumstances of the dream before entering it. (Not real-world scenes or living beings.)

Lin Dong’s mouth dropped open involuntarily, leaving Yun Lan beside him utterly confused.

“What’s wrong?”
Lin Dong moved his lips, and when he realized he couldn’t close them, he raised his right hand and propped his somewhat stiff chin upward. It took him a while to adjust, after which he smiled brightly and said, “I’ve found a treasure!”
“Is the Wish-Bearing Bench still okay?” Yun Lan had seen Lin Dong laugh inexplicably before, so she wasn’t surprised this time. Instead of asking where this “treasure” came from, she asked about its effects right away.
“It depends on personal opinion!” Lin Dong laughed. “You must know the functions of the Rainbow Bed, right?”
Yun Lan nodded.
“Just now, by some stroke of luck, I suddenly realized that the Rainbow Bed has an additional function,” Lin Dong explained. “Besides helping people fall asleep quickly and enter dreams in a clear state of mind, it adds one more thing—if you think about yourself becoming an emperor before going to bed, your dreams will start with you already being an emperor. If you think about having invincible strength or the ability to make anyone obey you with just a word, you’ll possess that strength and ability in your dreams. In other words, whatever you think about before sleeping, it will come true in your dreams.”
Yun Lan was stunned. After a while, she asked, “How could there be such a mystical artifact?”
“It’s more appropriate to call it a Heavenly Artifact,” Lin Dong said innocently, raising his index finger and smiling. “It fell from the sky, so ‘Heavenly Artifact’ fits better.”
Yun Lan was speechless. She really couldn’t figure out how Lin Dong could have so many strange and illogical mystical arrays and artifacts, but the facts were undeniable. She hadn’t tried the functions of the Rainbow Bed yet, but the mystical arrays that accelerated cultivation, those that sped up the growth of spiritual materials and beasts, and the artifacts that could change shape and even material at will… all of these were real, leaving no choice but to believe them.
“By the way!” Lin Dong had an idea, and his smile grew even wider.
“What?” Yun Lan asked instinctively.
Lin Dong chuckled awkwardly and didn’t respond.
Yun Lan stared at Lin Dong’s face. After pondering for a moment, she couldn’t help but glare at him and said resentfully, “You can use the Rainbow Bed to see what I look like, since I can’t resist it on my own. But don’t have any other improper thoughts, or else… I’ll shatter the Rainbow Bed into pieces.”
“Understood, understood!” Lin Dong nodded repeatedly, though he was secretly laughing to himself. It was just a dream after all, not reality. How could Yun Lan know what kind of dreams she’d have?
Reality?
Lin Dong glanced again at the newly added attributes of the Rainbow Bed and was stunned.
He wasn’t mistaken—there indeed was a restriction attached.

Unrealistic scenes and creatures? What the hell does that mean?
Lin Dong was at a loss for words—how considerate of heaven to even care about protecting personal privacy! Hadn’t all his excitement been for nothing?
Yun Lan didn’t notice Lin Dong’s expression and continued, “Also, you shouldn’t have improper thoughts about other… people.”
“Other people?” Lin Dong pretended to be confused.
“Women!” Yun Lan said through gritted teeth.
“Do you believe my eyes have a special function?” Lin Dong asked.
“What function?” Yun Lan was puzzled.
Lin Dong replied nonchalantly, “When I’m on the street and see a woman, my eyes automatically increase her age by fifty years. In other words, to me, every woman appears as a respectable old lady.”
“That’s more like it…” Yun Lan nodded in approval.
Lin Dong had nothing to say—no matter how invincible a woman was, she was still a woman.
Sigh…
Outside the carriage, Wu Guang suddenly pulled the reins, causing the carriage to stop abruptly.
Inside, driven by inertia, Lin Dong and the other person both leaned forward.
If this had happened while he was cultivating, Lin Dong would definitely have needed Yun Lan’s help to stabilize himself. But this time, he simply twisted his waist and instantly regained his balance.
The carriage normally couldn’t stop so suddenly. Lin Dong asked, “What happened?”
Wu Guang stretched his neck to look at the carriage less than two meters ahead and explained, “Boss, it seems Master Qiao and the others found an injured fat woman ahead.”
“Injured fat woman?” Lin Dong twisted his neck. Before acquiring the attributes of the Colorful Bed, he definitely wouldn’t leave the carriage. He’d let Qiao Tianhao and the others assess the injured woman’s character. If she was decent, they could take her along and treat her.
Now, although the new attributes of the Colorful Bed couldn’t fulfill his wish of meeting Yun Lan in dreams, once it was upgraded to accommodate all guest rooms, those attributes would undoubtedly be a game-changer to attract guests.
Even Emperor Qian Wei had regrets for not being a perfect ruler, let alone others. Despite the limitations of unrealistic scenes and creatures, desires like being invincible, having countless wives and concubines, or possessing mountains of gold and silver were also unattainable regrets everywhere. Without going into further details, even ultra-wealthy families with millions of taels of silver would surely spend tens of thousands of taels to enjoy themselves for a day without hesitation. If guests were targeted as those with tens of thousands of taels of wealth, there would be no shortage of customers.

Just based on this, if the Colorful Bed can indeed be upgraded to the extent of accommodating all guest rooms as expected, it will be enough to ensure that income from accommodations will no longer be lower than that from banquets. With such great news, Lin Dong was in such high spirits that he didn’t mind wasting some time on cultivation. “Go take a look?” Lin Dong asked Yun Lan. Yun Lan nodded with a smile. It had been over half a month since she last heard Lin Dong voluntarily getting out of the carriage to see what was going on, so she naturally had no objections. The two got out of the carriage and went to the lead carriage, where they saw Qiao Tianhao, Cheng Bao, and others gathered together. Upon seeing Lin Dong and Yun Lan arrive, the three chefs under Yu Mudan stepped aside slightly. Lin Dong glanced inside and saw Yu Mudan sitting in lotus position, her palms pressed against a woman’s back, clearly using her energy to heal her injuries. As Wu Guang had said, this injured woman truly deserved the label “fat.” Speaking of fat people, Lin Dong had seen quite a few—Bai Jingtai was the fattest among those he knew. Yet this woman surpassed him even further. If Bai Jingtai could be compared to one and a half strong men, then this fat woman could be compared to two and a half strong men. Among the people present, the most burly was undoubtedly Cheng Bao, with a typical strongman’s physique. But standing next to this fat woman, he seemed like a frail lady from a noble family. “Have you found out where she comes from?” Lin Dong asked Qiao Tianhao. Since she was seriously injured, she must be a warrior. He didn’t want to rescue her recklessly or incur unnecessary trouble. “Yu Mudan’s sister,” Qiao Tianhao replied with a slight twitch at the corners of his mouth. “Yu Mudan’s sister?” Lin Dong’s eyes widened instantly. “That’s how Yu Mudan calls her,” Qiao Tianhao nodded. “She really is Yu Jie’s sister; we’ve met her before,” the three chefs from the Yuanhumen Inn confirmed. Lin Dong couldn’t help but marvel and glanced at Yu Mudan and the other woman. Bamboo poles, elephants… if these two sisters walked side by side, no one would believe they were sisters. Wait! Looking at the fat woman in front of Yu Mudan, Lin Dong’s eyes suddenly lit up. Yu Mudan’s sister—wasn’t that the top pastry master he had been waiting for for over half a year? “Is she the sister Yu Mudan mentioned, the one who’s even better at pastries than her?” Lin Dong asked. The three nodded in unison. Lin Dong was amused. He realized his luck was quite peculiar—either good things kept happening or bad luck struck him hard. Just after the Colorful Bed was upgraded, this sister of Yu Mudan appeared out of nowhere.

Lin Dong still remembered that when they were at the Humen Inn, Yu Mudan had said her sister often went out on adventures but would return to the Humen Inn every year. According to the timeline, she should be back in another three or four months. Lin Dong waited for four months and even went to ask Yu Mudan what was going on. All he got in reply was that perhaps she had discovered some treasure and needed to delay her return for a while.

With no other choice, Lin Dong had to wait patiently. This time, he was also worried that the chef left at the Humen Inn in Qiufeng City might not be able to communicate with Yu Mudan’s sister, so he specifically asked Liang Shangtian to return from Lin’s Winery to take care of the inn. Unexpectedly, they ran into each other by chance on the road.

After waiting for half an hour, Yu Mudan finally let out a long sigh and stood up.

“Owner!” Seeing Lin Dong standing nearby, a hint of apology appeared on Yu Mudan’s tired face. “I’ve delayed your cultivation.”

“It’s okay,” Lin Dong shook his head and asked, “Is this your sister?”

“My sister, Yu Linglong,” Yu Mudan nodded. Clearly remembering her sister’s injuries, a flash of murderous intent appeared in her eyes.

“Yu Linglong?” Lin Dong couldn’t help but glance at the plump woman. The name was quite ironic.

In front of them, Yu Linglong slowly opened her eyes. After a brief moment of confusion, she slapped the ground with her right hand, and her massive body rose into the air as lightly as cotton fluff. At first glance, it gave the illusion of a bird taking off.

Only, this “bird” was a bit too big.

Her gaze swept downward, and when she saw Yu Mudan, her expression froze. Instinctively, her body, which had flown outside the crowd, strangely reversed direction and fell back into the circle.

“Mudan? What are you doing here?”

Just like Yu Mudan’s voice, Yu Linglong’s voice was charming and melodious. If one didn’t see her face, one would definitely think the voice belonged to a delicate and beautiful woman.

“Sis! I was going to Lingnan City with the owner,” Yu Mudan explained.

“The owner?” Yu Linglong looked puzzled.

“Have you never been to the Humen Inn?” Yu Mudan asked in surprise.

“Not yet! I’ve been busy escaping these past few months, not daring to bring trouble to you there…” Yu Linglong’s plump face stopped mid-sentence as she glanced around before saying solemnly, “How long have I been unconscious?”

“Half an hour,” Yu Mudan replied angrily. “Sis, who hurt you? Considering your injuries, the external ones are still manageable, but as for the internal ones, even if they can be healed, your strength will likely be greatly reduced.”

“It’s all because of that damnedIllusory Rain Gate!” Yu Linglong gritted her teeth and waved her hand. “Forget that for now. Let’s leave this place quickly. If we wait any longer, the pursuers will probably arrive.”
“Pursuers? People fromIllusory Rain Gate?” Yu Mudan asked in confusion. “How did Sister offend them?”
Yu Linglong glanced at Lin Dong and the others, clearly worried.
“This is Manager Lin!” Yu Mudan seemed to understand Yu Linglong’s concerns and hurriedly explained, “I’ve already joined Manager Lin with all the chefs from Humen Inn. No matter what happens, there’s no need to hide it from him.”
“Join him?” Yu Linglong sized up Lin Dong from head to toe, her expression darkening. “Mudan, have you forgotten we still haven’t avenged ourselves? Even if you’re tired of enduring humiliation and want to live a simple life with a man, you should get my permission first.”
Just as she was about to explain, Lin Dong felt a sharp pain in his arm. Turning his head, he saw Yun Lan’s slender, fair index finger and thumb tightly gripping it.
Lin Dong felt wronged—being mistaken for someone’s lover just because he was good-looking? Was that considered a mistake?
Yu Mudan was startled by Yu Linglong’s words. Having spent half a year together, she knew somewhat about Yun Lan’s strength and temper. Hearing this, she glanced at Yun Lan. Seeing no major change, she finally breathed a sigh of relief and quickly shook her head. “Sister, you misunderstood. I joined Manager Lin because I couldn’t defeat him. Later, he agreed to help us sisters advance one level each year as long as we worked as chefs at Lin’s Inn.”
Over by the side, Cheng Bao couldn’t help but show his teeth. He thought he was the only one who had been forced by Lin Dong to work at Lin’s Inn. To his surprise, there was someone else who went through the same thing before him.
Yu Linglong glared at Lin Dong and said coldly, “Advancing one level per year? With your talent, not even a major sect could do that. And the condition is just to be a chef? Do you really believe that?”
“It’s true!” Yu Mudan hurriedly explained, “I’m already at the sixth level of the Mind Realm. In just half a year, I’ve advanced three levels.”
“Three levels in half a year?” Yu Linglong, who had experienced many hardships during her travels, had developed a habit of assuming the worst first when faced with strange things. Hearing this, she exclaimed, “Have you been affected by the Charm Spell? Your story gets more absurd by the minute.”
Worried that Lin Dong might become upset due to the doubts, Yu Mudan was at a loss for words. Meanwhile, Yun Lan’s gaze shifted to the vast grassland to the left. Lin Dong followed her gaze and said leisurely, “If you don’t believe it, why not give it a try?”

“Yes! Just give it a try.”
Yu Mudan was utterly ashamed—she hadn’t thought of such a simple method at all. She took out her spiritual sword from the storage ring, ready to show it off, when a faint rustling sound came to her ears. Turning in that direction, she saw on the grassland to the left a dozen warriors in robes, each wielding a spiritual sword, chasing after a monstrous beast that was running swiftly while sniffing the ground intensely. It resembled a lion magnified several times over, advancing straight toward the carriage.
“A Wudun Beast?” Cheng Bao couldn’t help but exclaim in shock.
“Do you know this beast?” Yu Linglong turned to look at Cheng Bao.
“When I was besieged by the Tianwei Pavilion, they used such beasts,” Cheng Bao said, staring at the approaching Wudun Beast with a fierce gaze. “It’s said to be a seventh-tier spiritual beast. Once it detects someone’s scent, within a hundred miles, no matter where they hide, they can’t escape. I’ve tried everything—water, covering myself in cosmetics—but nothing worked. I almost lost my skin trying.”
Yu Linglong had intended to nod in agreement, but upon hearing Cheng Bao mention the Tianwei Pavilion’s siege, she grew wary and felt even more convinced that Yu Mudan was being manipulated.
To warriors who didn’t want to be under the rule of the Great Han Empire, the Tianwei Pavilion was an abhorrent existence. Their hatred stemmed from the fact that the Pavilion was like a sword hanging over their heads, preventing them from acting freely. Everyone knew that the Tianwei Pavilion only targeted a few kinds of people: not only those who killed innocents but also ruthless bandits and officials who committed crimes.
If it was about killing officials, in the eyes of these independent warriors, those who dared to do such things under the Tianwei Pavilion’s cover deserved not only admiration but also praise. Yet the man before them, with his fierce gaze, didn’t seem like someone who simply killed a corrupt official out of annoyance.
If it wasn’t about killing officials, then whatever the Tianwei Pavilion targeted—no matter what—it was clear that these people deserved to be torn apart piece by piece. Otherwise, the Tianwei Pavilion wouldn’t get involved.
After hesitating for a moment, Yu Linglong decided to focus on finding a way to break free first. She immediately took out her spiritual sword and stood beside Yu Mudan.