Chapter 322: Wages Can’t Be Given for Free

Although she hadn’t officially joined the inn system, it was certain that Yu Linglong would become the third head chef at Lin’s Inn. Since she was one of their own, her injuries couldn’t be ignored. Lin Dong turned to Yun Lan.
With just a glance, Yun Lan understood Lin Dong’s intention. She stepped forward, took Yu Linglong’s wrist, and poured spiritual energy into it.
After a moment, Yun Lan raised her head, handed Yu Linglong a small porcelain bottle, and said, “The internal injuries are quite serious. We’ll find a place later to treat them. Take one pill from this bottle daily and practice self-cultivation for half an hour. It should take two months to recover.”
“Two months to recover?” Yu Linglong smiled happily. “My strength…”
“It won’t be a problem!” Yun Lan replied succinctly.
Overjoyed, Yu Linglong hurriedly thanked her.
“Alright! If there’s nothing else, let’s hit the road again.”
The Fantasy Rain Sect had lost the Wudun Beast, which was a grave mistake even for the elders. They would likely send only one or two disciples to follow, so as not to reveal their whereabouts. Lin Dong ordered, “Qiao Tianhao, you’re in charge of carrying the Wudun Beast.”
“Boss…” Qiao Tianhao looked displeased. “You don’t expect me to carry this beast and run behind the carriage, do you?”
“Nonsense!” Lin Dong snapped. “Do you think I want you to carry it while sitting in the carriage? And it’s not about running behind the carriage—it’s about following along both sides of the road so that no one can trace our route or destination through passersby.”
Qiao Tianhao grumbled silently, looking at the Wudun Beast, still two or three meters tall despite lying on the ground, feeling frustrated.
A weight of 1,800 jin wasn’t too difficult for Qiao Tianhao to lift and carry at full speed, given his strength. But spiritual energy wasn’t infinite, and carrying it would be exhausting. Moreover, with everyone else sitting in the carriage while he did all the hard work, it was quite embarrassing.
“Cheng Bao, take over in two hours. Yu Mudan, you’re third,” Lin Dong said, glancing at the other three head chefs who were missing limbs. He quickly dismissed the idea of having them join the carrying crew and continued, “The three of you take turns.”
“That’s fair!” With two others forced into the task, Qiao Tianhao had no more complaints. He called out to Cheng Bao, whom he’d always disliked, “You go first. I’ll be second.”
Cheng Bao didn’t care about such trivial matters. He strode over to the Wudun Beast, grabbed its fur, took a deep breath, and suddenly lifted its massive body. Then he rushed off toward the grassland on the side.
“Let’s set off!” Lin Dong waved.
Yu Mudan quickly helped Yu Linglong and headed toward the first carriage.

When Yu Mudan lifted the car curtain just wide enough for her to squeeze in, Yu Linglong suddenly glanced at Lin Dong, who was walking toward the second carriage. After hesitating for a moment, she said, “Owner, aren’t you going to ask me about Wuyou Cave?”
“Are you willing to tell me now?” Lin Dong asked with a smile.
Yu Linglong was stunned, not quite understanding Lin Dong’s meaning. She had asked this because Lin Dong’s attitude seemed extremely strange. After all, Wuyou Cave had caught the attention of the Fantasy Rain Sect, meaning it must contain some high-level spiritual techniques that were unclaimed. For a sect, other things might not be valuable, but unclaimed spiritual techniques were extremely precious. She couldn’t believe that Lin Dong, who had suddenly become her master, wouldn’t have any other thoughts upon hearing this.
Lin Dong smiled and said, “The elders of the Fantasy Rain Sect only want you to hand over the location of Wuyou Cave, which undoubtedly shows they know you haven’t gained any benefits from it. There must be spiritual arrays set up inside, right?”
Yu Linglong nodded slowly.
“Since you can’t get in, you naturally need to find someone to help. Aside from me, I can’t think of anyone else,” Lin Dong said leisurely. “Besides, since the Fantasy Rain Sect only sent an elder to chase after you, there probably isn’t anything particularly valuable in Wuyou Cave. At most, it contains some rare treasures and spiritual techniques, which hold little appeal for me.”
“ aren’t you from a major sect?” Yu Linglong asked in surprise.
Lin Dong replied with a mix of laughter and exasperation, “Do you really think I opened an inn because I got tired of sect life and just wanted to have some fun before returning?”
Yu Linglong nodded slowly.
“I have no sect or clan. Moreover, running an inn is my main job,” Lin Dong explained slowly.
Yu Linglong felt greatly relieved. Having no sect or clan meant that even if Wuyou Cave contained high-level spiritual techniques, they wouldn’t keep them all to themselves to prevent leaks. After hesitating for a while, she said firmly, “The Fantasy Rain Sect only sent an elder to chase after me. If I’m not mistaken, they’re being overly cautious, worried that other sects might discover it. With the existence of the Hidden Beast, plus my strength being only at the third level of the Mental State stage, that’s why they act this way.”
“You mean the treasures in Wuyou Cave are extremely valuable?” Lin Dong asked in surprise.
Yu Linglong nodded emphatically. “At my speed, it’s not difficult to evade enemies two or three levels above me. But whether it’s the elder sent by the Fantasy Rain Sect or the Hidden Beast, they are far beyond my strength. I’ve been able to escape their pursuit time and time again because they’re too afraid to use force—threatening to kill themselves prevents anyone from stopping me from leaving. If Wuyou Cave weren’t valuable, it might be possible to wait a few days, but not months.”
Lin Dong fell silent. This analysis indeed indirectly proved the rarity of Wuyou Cave.

“So…” Yu Linglong looked at Lin Dong.
Lin Dong hesitated not at all and shook his head. “If it’s on the way, it’s worth wasting a day or two to visit Wen Yan Mountain. But Wen Yan Mountain is south of Lingnan Commandery, quite far from Lingnan City. If we take a detour there, not to mention possible delays from unexpected events, the journey alone will take another half month or so… We’ll go there when we have time.”
“Go there when you have time?” Yu Linglong was surprised. “Does the owner have important matters to attend to in Lingnan City?”
“The inn is heading to Lingnan City!” Lin Dong explained. “By the time we arrive, the inn should already be built, and it will only take some time to get it ready for opening. If we go to Wen Yan Mountain now, opening will have to be delayed by at least half a month.”
Yu Linglong was confused. On one hand, opening the inn earlier by half a month; on the other hand, obtaining the treasures from Wu You Cave sooner. Which to choose? How could he choose the former?
“I’ve said it before—running an inn is my main business. As for Wu You Cave, I can’t escape there anyway. It doesn’t matter if I go later. I’m not in a hurry as someone who just wants to take advantage. You have the address to Wu You Cave—why rush?” Lin Dong smiled and strode toward the carriage behind.
Yu Linglong had no choice but to squeeze into the somewhat crowded carriage in her eyes.
The carriage, driven by the whip, rolled over the gravel and set off again. Hundreds of meters away on the grassland, Cheng Bao followed quickly, carrying the Wu Dun beast.
As Lin Dong had predicted, in about an hour, Yun Lan noticed someone following them.
Lin Dong immediately got out of the carriage and knocked out the two disciples from the Fantasy Rain Sect who were following them. When he returned to the carriage, Wu Guang, who was driving, didn’t even realize Lin Dong had left.
The journey proceeded smoothly. Thirteen days later, when they lifted the carriage curtain, they could already see the city gates, towering over ten zhang high.
Lingnan City! We’ve arrived!
The mottled walls under the fierce wind, the bronze-colored city gates, the spies and arrow slits everywhere… everything showcased the grandeur and inviolability of this thousand-year-old city.
To cover their tracks, Lin Dong ordered Cheng Bao to get out and inform Qiao Tianhao to find a weak spot to climb over the wall and enter the city later that night. Then, with a wave of his hand, the carriage slowly followed the crowd into the city gates, which were four or five meters high.
“Owner, where are we going?” Liu Hua’s voice came from ahead.
Lin Dong replied without hesitation, “Jin Yi Street!”
“Ah!” Liu Hua nodded, asked a passerby, and learned that it was just a left turn after entering the city.
In just half ahour hour, the two carriages arrived outside Lin Ji Inn on Jin Yi Street, which was not yet open.

A dozen or so brand-new door panels, emitting a faint pine scent, were lined up in a row. A grand sign with blue background and gold letters dominated the entrance, along with a pair of bright red lanterns on either side… The main building of the future Lin’s Inn gave an immediate impression of its great height and imposing presence.

Liu Hua quickened his pace and arrived at the tightly closed door, knocking hard on it. After a moment, one of the door panels was slowly removed, and a head poked out.

“Liu Hua?” The person, in his early twenties, was stunned upon seeing Liu Hua.

“Brother Fang!” Liu Hua called out quickly. He recognized this man as one of the guards of Lin’s Inn.

In the eyes of the inn’s staff, the guards were mysterious figures. Moreover, since the guard captain, Wang Liu Zi, even made Ma Chun address him as “Brother Liu,” there was always a sense of reverence whenever they met.

“Is the owner here?” Fang Hua poked his head out, stepped aside to look at Lin Dong and Yun Lan outside, then quickly stood up straight.

“Mm! Is the inn built?” Lin Dong asked with a smile.

“It’s done!” Fang Hua removed two more door panels and was about to step aside to let Lin Dong in when he saw Yu Linglong following Yu Mudan down. He removed two more panels.

Entering the hall, which was empty, Lin Dong asked, “Where are Xiao Liu and the others?”

“Both inns are built. We haven’t hung any tables, chairs, paintings, etc., yet, out of concern that people might notice something strange during commings and goings. But it won’t take long. We can finish it in an hour or two before opening.” Fang Hua watched Lin Dong carefully as he explained, “A few days ago, after dealing with the troublemakers in Lingnan City, Brother Liu saw that everyone wasn’t in the mood to practice cultivation, so he left two people in one inn while the rest went off to have fun.”

Accustomed to the benefits of cultivation, the guards’ practice speeds had suddenly dropped to one-sixth of normal. With no deep grudges to avenge, it was only natural for them to lose interest in cultivation. Lin Dong smiled, patted Fang Hua’s shoulder, and said, “Go tell Xiao Liu to come over. Have him meet me in the backyard around closing time tonight. Tell the others that they can practice as usual. If they haven’t had enough fun, it’s fine for them to return a few days later.”

Fang Hua nodded quickly, about to turn around when he froze: “Owner, shall I take you to the backyard first?”

“No need. I’ll just explore on my own,” Lin Dong waved his hand.

Fang Hua nodded and ran out of the door.

Lowering the door panel, Wu Guang was left in the lobby to guard the entrance. Lin Dong went to the counter and, as soon as he sat down, a system prompt sounded: Please choose whether to set up this inn as a branch. After silently saying “yes,” he headed straight for the back door. Lingnan City was extremely large, with a population of up to a million, so land was in short supply. It was almost impossible to avoid overpaying and buy a large plot of land at once. After securing the land, Wang Liuzhi had already sent someone on fast horseback to return a message to Qiufeng City, giving Lin Dong a general idea of the situation. In the city, where wealthy people gathered, many shops along the streets were very busy. Even though they offered prices 50% higher than the market rate, they could only secure a plot of about six mu. The inn in the east, located near the city gate, had slightly more land, but still less than seven mu. Excluding Lin Dong’s strict requirements for the backyard space, both plots were larger than those of Lin Ji Inn in Qiufeng City, but still not enough to support the construction of larger accommodation buildings and lobbies. Therefore, both inns focused on adding floors. Both the lobby and the accommodation buildings had four floors. The lobby on the first floor was slightly larger than that of Lin Ji Inn in Qiufeng City, capable of accommodating 35 dining tables without feeling crowded. The number of guest rooms on the first floor of the accommodation building had also increased to 30. As Lin Dong thought about what needed to be arranged next, he unknowingly reached the boundary between the front yard and the back yard. Seeing no sign of him stopping, Yu Mudan asked, “Owner, shall I take my sister to her room to rest first?” “Sure, pick your rooms yourselves. There shouldn’t be much for you to do for now…” Lin Dong originally wanted to tell Yu Mudan that she could focus entirely on her cultivation, but after hesitating, he changed his mind and said, “After Cheng Bao and Qiao Tianhao return, tell Cheng Bao to, in addition to cultivating, take some time to figure out if he can create new recipes. As for peppers, if Tianfeng peppers haven’t arrived yet, use ordinary peppers for now. Qiao Tianhao is responsible for adjusting the color, taste, and aroma. As for you…” “Yu Linglong, are you sure you want to join our Lin Ji Inn as a chef?” Lin Dong asked. Yu Linglong wasn’t sure why Lin Dong asked again, but still nodded and said, “I am.” Lin Dong immediately checked Yu Linglong’s attributes. Her level was one higher than Cheng Bao’s, and all her initial attributes were above 80, making her undoubtedly an excellent chef. Unfortunately, her creativity score was only 83, a few points lower than Jiang Kui and Qiao Tianhao’s.

Let Yu Linglong research new pastries and baked goods. Although her creativity meets the standards of an excellent chef, the results won’t be very good—at least not in the short term; she won’t be able to come up with recipes that are truly outstanding.
“I need to think…”
Lin Dong tapped his head. It didn’t matter if Yu Linglong couldn’t figure it out; he probably had some ideas in mind. If he remembered the ingredients, with Yu Linglong’s skills, it wouldn’t be hard to adjust them into something good.
Pastries and baked goods… Lin Dong racked his brain, trying to recall those that didn’t exist in this world—butter cakes, fried noodles, bread, cakes, layered pastries…
Seeing Yu Linglong and the other woman staring at him intently, Lin Dong felt a headache coming on. He could only eat these things; it was impossible for him to recall how they were made right away.
“Let’s talk about it later! I’ll discuss it with you again tomorrow.” Reluctantly, pressured by their stares, Lin Dong gave up.
The two sisters nodded. Yu Linglong smiled seductively and, taking advantage of Yun Lan’s distraction, shot Lin Dong a flirtatious glance. “Boss, if you can’t think of anything, don’t force yourself. At the very least… we’ll just take half of our pay.”
Lin Dong looked annoyed. It sounded as if he was unwilling to give them work for free and had to find things for them to do.
“Sis, let’s go pick a room.” Yu Linglong took her sister’s arm, which was a bit thicker than her own thigh, and headed toward a row of rooms in the front yard. The three chefs followed closely behind.
Lin Dong scratched his head and put the matter aside for now, then went into the back yard with Yun Lan.
After activating the cultivation enhancement in Yun Lan’s room, Lin Dong continued to think about the preparations for opening the inn while heading alone to the room where the storage was located.
Opening the door, just like in other inns, Lin Dong successfully entered the secret passage and arrived at the stone chamber below.
After setting up the door in the stone chamber as a transport door, Lin Dong pulled it open. On the other side was the stone chamber beneath Lin Ji Inn in Autumn Wind City.
Entering the storage room from the stone chamber and checking outside to ensure no one was around, Lin Dong left the room.
After sending one of the Gu Huan Sect disciples to call Ma Chun, Lin Dong sat down by the stone table and waited quietly.
Before long, Ma Chun rushed in. Sitting down across from Lin Dong and catching his breath, Ma Chun asked, “Boss, have you arrived in Lingnan City?”
Lin Dong nodded. “How’s it been? Has nothing happened at the inn this month?”

“It’s nothing serious. Just the prefect came by once; after learning that the owner had gone to Lingnan City to open a branch, he left. Also, the prices for our specialty dishes have been set—mostly at the original prices,” Ma Chun explained. “As for the branches, Linji Inn in Jiuhu City made a profit of over a thousand taels last month. That means two branches are making over three thousand taels per month, and the number of branches making over a thousand taels per month has risen to five.”
“Not bad!” Lin Dong nodded. The development of the branches was in line with expectations.
After thinking for a while and confirming there were no issues, Lin Dong stood up and said, “When we close at night, go to Lingnan City and find me. It’s still the first room on the east side. Let’s discuss the opening of the inn. Also, start arranging things for Liu An as soon as possible. Once we’ve discussed it, we’ll need to stay in Lingnan City regularly from now on.”
Ma Chun nodded and stood up to accompany Lin Dong to the storage room. Midway, he suddenly remembered something and slapped his head hard.
“Damn my memory! I almost forgot. Boss, the leader of the Xingli Sect, You Beide, came to the inn over half a month ago, saying he had matters to discuss with you.”
“You Beide? Wants to discuss something with me?” Lin Dong frowned. Was this another warning to stay away from You Qinxang?
It had been four or five months already, and he hadn’t even gone to the Xingli Sect. Moreover, he had already helped You Qinxang resolve her issues, so she should have made things clear with You Beide by now.
Surely he didn’t even deserve the chance to be friends with her?
Unless the Xingli Sect and the Guhuan Sect fell out, even if You Beide was opportunistic, he shouldn’t go this far.
Seeing Ma Chun nod, Lin Dong asked, “Did he say what he wanted to discuss?”
Ma Chun shook his head. “He refused to say. Just said it was important business to discuss with the boss.”
“Has he gone back to the Xingli Sect?” Lin Dong pressed.
“Not yet. He’s still staying at the inn,” Ma Chun said with a smile. “He seems determined not to leave until he sees you. Should we meet him first?”
“Let’s talk about it tomorrow!”
Lin Dong shook his head. What seemed important to You Beide might not necessarily be important to him. Right now, the most crucial thing was to carefully check if there were any gaps in the preparations for the inn.