Chapter 328: An Unexpected Purpose

After observing for a while and confirming that everything was proceeding smoothly, Lin Dong pushed his way through the crowd and went to the platform where people were signing up for Lin’s Gymnasium’s four major competitions. Compared to the other two platforms, there were even more participants and onlookers here. On the platform, four long queues leading downward stood out prominently. The most eye-catching part was the tests ahead of those queues.

From Lin Dong’s position, the first queue was for a running test. In front of the queue, a tall, dark-skinned man stepped forward and went to a long table directly across from him, extending his right hand. Two men sat behind the table, both members of Lin’s Inn’s guard team. One guard grabbed his wrist, poured spiritual energy into it, and after confirming there was no spiritual energy in his dantian, waved his hand.

The man immediately turned around, ran quickly along a pinkish-white line to the edge of the platform, then started sprinting around it before returning to behind the guards. The guard said indifferently, “Passed!” The other guard handed him two prepared contracts and an inkstone. After the man pressed his seal on each contract, he received one copy each, marking his successful registration.

In about a minute, another man ran around the platform once and returned to his original spot. In front of the middle queue, there was also a square table—one person sat there to register, while another tested whether the candidate was a martial artist. If not, they were told to stand on the other side of the bouncy ball table. The guard would wave his racket slightly, sending the bouncy ball toward them.

The candidate clearly had no experience playing with bouncy balls. Although the ball wasn’t moving fast, he still flailed his racket in panic. Though he managed to hit it, he sent it to the left side of the table. The guard swiftly caught the flying ball and said gravely, “Failed! Next!”

Over a dozen attempts went by without a single success, even though the standards weren’t high—just being able to exchange a few slow strikes with the guard counted as passing.

The next middle queue was for archery. The requirements weren’t too difficult—after testing spiritual energy, one would pick up a bow and arrow from the table and shoot at a target 10 meters away. Hitting the center meant passing; otherwise, it was a failure. To prevent accidental injuries, there was a guard stationed next to the target to handle emergencies.

Looking at the last long queue, the testing method was clearly much simpler compared to the other three events. To check if someone was a martial artist, they would punch, kick, and turn—those with agility and strength would pass, while the rest failed. The entire test took less than half a minute! After watching for half an hour from below the platform, Lin Dong finally felt relieved. In this world, there was no such thing as sports; the four major events at Lin’s Gymnasium were just starting out, and it was expected that the athletes’ skills would be uneven and of low level. What Lin Dong was most worried about was martial artists coming to cause trouble because of Lin’s Inn’s rule prohibiting them from signing up. Martial artists, in terms of speed, reflexes, agility, and strength, were far beyond ordinary people. It could be said that if martial artists were allowed to participate in these four events, it would surely lead to ordinary people losing interest in them. After all, no matter how fast or skilled ordinary people might be, they had no chance of winning against martial artists. With no hope of success, naturally no one would want to get involved. If a small number of martial artists came to cause trouble due to dissatisfaction with Lin’s Gymnasium’s rules, Lin Dong could still tolerate it. With Lin’s Inn’s strength, they weren’t afraid of troublemakers. But if there were too many, wave after wave, it would become annoying. Before posting the rule prohibiting martial artists from participating in the four events, Lin Dong had been troubled for quite some time. Now it seemed he had overthought it. After checking all three events on the three platforms to ensure nothing was missed, Lin Dong stepped back into the crowd, picked up a flyer from the ground, and walked toward Lin’s Inn while reading it. Along the way, most passersby were studying the flyer, so Lin Dong’s behavior seemed completely normal. By the time he returned to the inn, he had thoroughly studied every part of the flyer, aside from the details of the three events. There were no flaws left—only to wait and see the effect of the promotion. Back in the backyard, Lin Dong went to his room to practice. In the evening, after dinner, he entered a meditative state once again when there was a knock at the door. “Owner, the boss of Hongfu Restaurant is here,” Ma Chun’s voice came from outside, causing Lin Dong to frown. Hongfu Restaurant, along with Fenglin Restaurant, was one of the two largest restaurants in Lingnan City, almost dividing 90% of the customers from the wealthy families. “Did he say why he’s here?” Lin Dong asked as he opened the door. Ma Chun shook his head. “He said he’s here to congratulate Lin’s Inn on its upcoming opening and wants to establish a relationship. I’ve already invited him to the front yard.”

Lin Dong remained silent as he headed to the front yard, his mind racing. The owner of Hongfu Restaurant coming to visit must have heard of Linji Inn’s achievements in Qiufeng City. There were only three possible motives for his visit: either to establish a relationship for peaceful coexistence, to ally with Linji Inn to regain the advantages previously taken away by Fenglin Restaurant, or to sense the threat posed by Linji Inn and try to force it to withdraw from Lingnan City.

The first motive seemed unlikely. Competitors were natural rivals. Although the restaurant industry wasn’t extremely competitive, it was still strong. Restaurant owners pretended to get along on the surface, but behind the scenes, they would take advantage of any mishaps that befell another restaurant’s customers. Therefore, there was little need to forge relationships deliberately; they would still exploit any opportunity, without showing mercy just because they met politely.

The second motive also seemed unlikely. Though Linji Inn was new to the area, it had already defeated Fenglin Restaurant twice—once in Southwest City and once in Qiufeng City—leading to the closure of Guangmen. Although Lingnan City might not be comparable to Qiufeng City or Southwest City, anyone with a clear head, especially after today’s publicity campaign, would not underestimate Linji Inn.

The third motive, Lin Dong thought, was the most likely, given the personality of Hongfu Restaurant’s owner. Hong Wanfu was a figure whose mere presence in Lingnan City could cause ripples throughout the city. Excluding the two powerful groups—clans and families—with special status, there were probably no more than three people who could stand equal to him.

Being one of the leaders in the restaurant industry alone wasn’t enough to explain Hong Wanfu’s prominence in Lingnan City. In the business world alone, there were many industries where he held a dominant position, including some that were more profitable than the restaurant industry, yet Hongfu Restaurant was only on par with Fenglin Restaurant. Not to mention, there were many powerful figures in Lingnan City’s government and among its scholars.

What truly gave Hong Wanfu his illustrious status in Lingnan City was his role as the owner of Hongfu Gambling House. Gambling houses were one of the four most profitable industries in the Great Han Empire. There were seventeen major gambling houses in Lingnan City, six of which belonged to Hongfu. More importantly, Hongfu Gambling House accounted for over 70% of the total business volume of all gambling houses in the city.

Such a proportion was rare even among industries across the entire Great Han Empire, let alone in different sectors of Lingnan City.

To hold such a large share in an industry marked by huge profits, Hong Wanfu’s capabilities are beyond doubt. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to emerge unscathed from the grand plan orchestrated by Maple Forest Restaurant half a year ago, using information from the guild. It was only after the guild was officially established that Maple Forest Restaurant gradually gained the upper hand.

After arriving in Lingnan City, Lin Dong specifically asked Wang Liuzhi to gather detailed information about Hong Wanfu. Ruthless, cunning, and aggressive in his methods… Lin Dong believed that Lin’s Inn’s biggest competitor in Lingnan City wasn’t Maple Forest Restaurant, but this very Hong Wanfu.

Under Ling Weifeng’s influence, the managers of Maple Forest Restaurant’s various branches resorted to underhanded tactics in their competition. However, with branches spread across the Great Han Kingdom, they had many concerns and often couldn’t act freely. Hong Wanfu, on the other hand, operated solely in Lingnan City with fewer constraints. Having started as a gambling den owner, he had countless ruthless tactics at his disposal.

It was for this reason that Lin Dong believed Hong Wanfu’s purpose in coming here was most likely to threaten Lin’s Inn and deter it from entering Lingnan City.

Originally, with Lin’s Inn’s strength, it should have had no fear of a gambling den owner. But Lin Dong didn’t intend to use force as a means of competition. Without going through repeated battles, as Lin’s Inn expanded its branches across the Great Han Kingdom, it would face more and more crises. If it encountered situations that force couldn’t resolve and lacked the ability to handle them, it would surely suffer defeat.

Moreover, Lin’s Inn’s success didn’t just depend on having branches across the country—it also had to ensure its survival for decades, even centuries. Absolute military strength alone sometimes couldn’t guarantee a faction’s long-term survival. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be so many lone peak experts. These experts had the ability to build a major sect from scratch through their personal strength, but internal strife among sect disciples, conflicts with other sects, and interference from the Heavenly Might Pavilion… For any sect’s founder, strength was indeed crucial, but other abilities were equally essential—otherwise, it would be impossible to remain invincible amid various conflicts.

This was true even in sects where force was revered. In secular business, strength alone certainly couldn’t determine everything.

If Hong Wanfu’s restaurant resorted to force, Lin Dong wouldn’t hesitate to retaliate with force. His greatest concern was Hong Wanfu’s ruthlessness. If he really resorted to tactics like poisoning food and drinks, even killing Hong Wanfu wouldn’t, in Lin Dong’s view, compensate for Lin’s Inn’s losses.

But if he were to take action first and use force to deal with Hongfu Restaurant, Lin Dong would feel unwilling, as it went against his belief that business should be handled through business methods.
Feeling somewhat troubled, he went to the front yard, where by the stone table sat a burly man with an imposing presence, sitting upright on a stone bench. The teacup in front of him, filled to the brim with tea, remained untouched.
Lin Dong glanced briefly at Hong Wanfu, who appeared to be in his early forties, dressed in a black coarse cloth jacket. His fierce eyes and thick brows gave him an air of brutality that didn’t match his age. With such an aura, no one would believe he was the owner of a large restaurant.
The man was plump, with squinting eyes that sparkled, always wearing a smiling expression no matter who he met… That was the true image of a restaurant owner. This man, on the other hand, resembled the head of a family known for its toughness.
After just a few steps, Hong Wanfu also noticed Lin Dong’s arrival. His sharp gaze shot straight at him, scanning Lin Dong without restraint.
An ordinary person would surely find Hong Wanfu’s rude gaze unbearable, but Lin Dong remained calm. For a gambling den owner, not showing murderous intent was already the greatest sign of courtesy.
With a faint smile, Lin Dong walked over to the stone table and bowed, saying, “Boss Hong!”
“Sit!” Hong Wanfu gestured toward the stone bench opposite him, adopting an attitude as if receiving someone of lower status.
Harmony brings prosperity. Lin Dong didn’t mind Hong Wanfu’s attitude either. He smiled, sat down across from him, and said, “Boss Hong, please forgive my inadequate hospitality.”
“No need for nonsense,” Hong Wanfu said coldly, staring at Lin Dong.
“Then what should I say to Boss Hong?” Lin Dong replied with a smile, unshaken by the growing hostility in Hong Wanfu’s eyes.
After a moment, Hong Wanfu nodded and his deep voice rang out again, “Not bad. Being able to drive Fenglin Restaurant out of Southwest City and Qiufeng City one after another certainly isn’t just luck.”
Lin Dong replied leisurely, “Compared to Boss Hong, my little achievements are nothing. Speaking of which, it was indeed luck that allowed Lin’s Inn to withstand Fenglin Restaurant’s pressure using guild information. But Boss Hong relies on solid strength.”
A fierce glint appeared in Hong Wanfu’s eyes. “It seems you already regard Hongfu Restaurant as an enemy.”
“Just competitors,” Lin Dong said lightly. “Calling them enemies is a bit much.”
Hong Wanfu laughed harshly and said, “Since you know my character, let’s get straight to the point! Let’s join forces to drive Fenglin Restaurant out.”

“Team up?” Lin Dong frowned slightly. In his view, this possibility was not high at all. On the surface, the newly established Lin’s Inn was indeed inferior to Maple Forest Restaurant, which had a history of over twenty years in Lingnan City. Yet, Lin’s Inn’s strength could not be underestimated either—evident from its ability to win over all the major businesses in Autumn Wind City within just over a year.

Teaming up with Lin’s Inn would be like driving away wolves only to invite tigers in for Hongfu Restaurant, which wasn’t very advantageous.

“Exactly!” Hong Wanfu said firmly. “If my information is correct, in response to Lin’s Inn’s actions today, Maple Forest Restaurant will announce price cuts tomorrow. All kinds of dishes and drinks will be priced at the lowest level allowed by the guild for profit. Even before Lin’s Inn opens, Maple Forest Restaurant already lacks confidence. If we team up and drive them to the brink of collapse, given how much they value their reputation, they surely won’t persist. With no other options, they’ll have no choice but to close down. After closing for a year or two, they’ll lose all their regular customers, and it won’t be a big deal if they reopen later.”

Lin Dong smiled without saying a word, offering no response. For Lin’s Inn, the greatest threat in Lingnan City was Hongfu Restaurant. Moreover, he still hadn’t figured out Hong Wanfu’s true intentions behind this.