Chapter 333: The Cellar

While Lin Dong was pondering, several customers entered. Ma Chun immediately recognized them as wealthy patrons and went over to greet them. After Ma Chun cheerfully led them upstairs, Lin Dong glanced around. Although the lobby was bustling, there were no signs of any tables where trouble or arguments might arise, so he followed upstairs as well.

Compared to the first floor, the second floor had just as many customers—thirty tables, all fully occupied. Lin Dong observed that the enthusiasm of the wealthy patrons there was no less than that on the first floor. This alone was enough to show that the food and drinks at Lin’s Inn were of good quality, at least capable of lifting one’s spirits.

Soon after, Lin Dong strode up to the third floor. Like the second floor, it was also meant for wealthy patrons. Though not fully occupied, only about 70-80% of the tables were empty. Not far away, after guiding a few newly arrived customers to their seats, Ma Chun handed over the task of introducing the menu to the staff and went downstairs straight away.

“Owner!” Ma Chun called out cheerfully upon seeing Lin Dong at the top of the stairs.
“Has anyone ordered Cheng Bao’s spicy dishes?” Lin Dong asked.
“Not many! But from what I can tell, those who dare to try them won’t want to leave. They’ll definitely come back in a day or two.” Ma Chun recalled the dishes at various tables and pointed to a table by the wall a few meters away. “That’s the one!”

Lin Dong looked at the table Ma Chun had indicated. There were three people at the table. One of them, a middle-aged man in a silk robe, was sweating profusely, his eyes closed as he tried hard to catch his breath. The other two were staring at him, muttering something. They held their chopsticks up but seemed to have forgotten to use them.

“Try it! It’s really good,” the middle-aged man said, waving his chopsticks at his companions enthusiastically, even more so than the staff. “This ‘Divine Spicy Chicken’ has tender meat. Once the spice wears off, you’ll feel so refreshed you might want to shout. As for this spicy tofu, it’s absolutely amazing. Once the spice subsides, it feels like after being tired for days, you can finally sleep—your whole body tingles, hard to tell whether it’s soreness or comfort. Believe me, you ate too little earlier. Pick up a big spoonful and give it a try.”

The two companions moved their chopsticks up and down. They had indeed tried these dishes before. But the spice was so intense that even a tiny amount made them feel like they were about to spew fire. Just with a small spoonful, each of them drank two pots of tea before they could recover.

Although the middle-aged man had only had a taste, they had all experienced those flavors before.

This feeling is truly exhilarating and comfortable. Yet the initial pain was almost unbearable.
“Try it, try it again—really!” The middle-aged man clearly had a good relationship with the two of them. Wanting to share this wonderful thing with his friends, he kept urging them to give it another try.
The three of them were old friends for years. Unable to resist the middle-aged man’s enthusiasm, and not wanting to disappoint him, the two companions gritted their teeth, exchanged a glance, and hesitantly reached for the spicy chicken with their chopsticks.
Under the middle-aged man’s eager gaze, the two looked at the spicy chicken on their chopsticks, feeling a burning dryness in their throats.
“Taste it; I guarantee you’ll be satisfied.”
Worried they wouldn’t believe him, the middle-aged man immediately picked up a piece of chicken with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth without hesitation.
Sweat poured down his forehead in an instant. His already red face turned even redder. Taking breaths, trying to endure the spiciness, he chewed a few times. His previously pained expression instantly transformed into one of deep satisfaction and pleasure.
“Mmm…”
The middle-aged man raised his chopsticks and waved them at the two of them, clearly eager for them to share his joy.
The two took deep breaths and, out of necessity, put the chicken in their mouths. Just as the chicken touched their lips, they both closed their eyes simultaneously, determination showing on their faces.
In the blink of an eye, as the chicken entered their mouths, they suddenly opened their eyes, pain flashing in their pupils.
“Sss…”
“Spit it out…”
The one facing the middle-aged man gasped for air desperately. He quickly reached out, grabbed the teapot on the table, and, disregarding propriety, stuffed the spout into his mouth, which seemed to be on fire. He tilted his head back and drank greedily, like someone in the desert who’s found a pool of water.
The other one, after putting the chicken in his mouth, immediately spat it out. By the time he stuck out his tongue, took a breath, and looked up for water, he saw his companion already sucking from the teapot.
“Tea! Bring tea—cold!”
The middle-aged man had good eyesight and quickly called for tea to be brought over.
“It seems these two won’t try it again in their lifetime.”

A few meters away, Ma Chun clicked his tongue. He had tried Cheng Bao’s spicy dishes before, just once, and swore he would never try them again. The reason, like that of the middle-aged man’s two companions, was that they were too spicy. Although the spiciness did bring an unparalleled sensation, it was still unbearable.

“Indeed, these two clearly can’t stand spicy food!” Lin Dong nodded. More people disliked Cheng Bao’s spicy dishes than liked them, which was exactly as he had expected. This scene matched his predictions.

Those who disliked Cheng Bao’s spicy dishes had a simple reason: they couldn’t tolerate extreme spiciness in the first place. Their attitude toward his dishes was one of avoidance. Similarly, those who usually enjoyed extremely spicy food would become deeply fond of Cheng Bao’s dishes, to the point of coming back frequently whenever they had time. Even after tasting each dish a hundred or eighty times, they would think of Lin Ji Inn’s spicy dishes first whenever they wanted to eat at a fancy restaurant.

“Owner, since Cheng Bao has a way to reduce the spiciness of Tianfeng peppers, why doesn’t he reduce it further?” Ma Chun asked Lin Dong in confusion. He had always wanted to know the answer. But when he asked Cheng Bao, he was met with a fierce glare, as if he had offended him, scaring Ma Chun into never asking again.

“If I reduced it, the aftertaste wouldn’t be good enough,” Lin Dong shook his head. “I haven’t asked Cheng Bao, but I’m sure that if anyone could eat Tianfeng peppers raw, the spicy dishes he makes using unmodified Tianfeng peppers would leave an unforgettable aftertaste that would make them lose their appetite for any other food forever.”

Ma Chun was shocked. Tianfeng peppers were so spicy that even people from their native region could die from them, let alone those who rarely ate spicy food.

“By the way, eating too much of Cheng Bao’s spicy dishes should easily cause excessive internal heat,” Lin Dong said. He had planned to go upstairs, but when he saw the middle-aged man frantically eating two dishes after realizing he couldn’t persuade his companions to try them a third time, he turned to Ma Chun. “Ask Cheng Bao later if he can add some herbs to reduce internal heat. If it affects the taste, give them a free bowl of herbal soup to counteract it.”

Ma Chun nodded. After hesitating for a moment, he gave up the idea of asking if there would be an extra charge.

Cheng Bao had developed six spicy dishes recently. Although the Tianfeng peppers had to be transported over long distances, the cost of each dish was only around thirty to a hundred and eighty coins—slightly more expensive than ordinary vegetarian or meat dishes.

The price sold at Lin’s Inn ranged from one to ten taels of silver per dish. As with the Maple Leaf Stewed Turtle and Vitality Beef Balls, these unique dishes that no one could imitate could have their costs inflated tenfold or even a hundredfold simply by adding a few colorless and tasteless magical ingredients during inspection by the guild’s auditors. Even if the guild knew there might be fraud, they couldn’t find any evidence.

It could be said that Cheng Bao’s spicy dishes, though not popular enough to become signature items, were just as highly profitable as the Maple Leaf Stewed Turtle and Vitality Beef Balls for Lin’s Inn. Adding some heat-clearing herbs or serving a bowl of heat-clearing soup was insignificant compared to the profits.

Seeing wealthy customers approaching under Liu An’s forced smiles, Lin Dong ordered, “That’s enough, go back to your work! I’ll go up to the fourth floor.” Ma Chun nodded and hurried down the stairs.

After glancing at the customers once more, Lin Dong went up the stairs and reached the fourth floor. Unlike the third floor, the fourth floor had a corridor in the center upon entering, flanked by private rooms that were neither too small nor too large. There were eight rooms on the right side, and seven on the left side due to space taken up by the entrance stairs, totaling fifteen rooms.

These fifteen rooms were slightly smaller than those on the third floor of Lin’s Inn in Autumn Wind City, but their service and interior decoration were far superior. Outside each room stood two quick-witted servants, ready to respond to any calls or requests from inside. Inside, the snow-white carpets were made from the fur of a magical beast called Snow Spirit Thorn, offering a soft and comfortable feel underfoot. The walls and corners were adorned with various famous paintings, fortune-bringing trees, and other luxuries—opulent yet without any vulgarity, all constructed according to the decoration plans provided by the eunuch supervisor Yang Shun. As soon as one entered, a sense of grandeur and elegance greeted them. In terms of style, even the Hongfu Restaurant, which occupied a prime location, or the Fenglin Restaurant with its own carpentry team would pale in comparison—unless it was a headquarters built with mountains of gold in the capital, any branch at the county level would fall short.

Just the seating fee for these fifteen rooms amounted to five taels of silver per half hour. Only those who could afford it—usually to entertain important guests—would use them, typically extremely wealthy individuals.

Calling over a nearby servant, Lin Dong asked a few questions and learned that five of the fifteen rooms were already occupied, and none of the guests seemed dissatisfied. After standing at the top of the stairs for a moment, Lin Dong turned and went downstairs.

Returning to the first floor, Lin Dong sat at the counter. During the time spent dealing with Hua Wuyue and inspecting the upper floors, the slight relaxation on his face reappeared as a faint smile. Whenever a customer arrived, he immediately greeted them with a warm smile.

As the sun set and night fell, darkness gradually covered everything outside… After the last customer left, aside from going to the back yard to prepare meals, Lin Dong spent the entire day sitting in the lobby.

“Owner, it’s time to close up!” Ma Chun said with a smile as he stepped forward.

Lin Dong closed the ledger and stood up, glancing at the faces of the employees who were gathering around. His somewhat stiff smile became much more natural.

“Ma Chun, close the doors!”

“Eh!” Ma Chun waved his hand, and immediately, along with two other employees, they secured all the doors.

“The business was good today. Everyone’s worked hard. Ma Chun, you take care of it!” Lin Dong said with a smile to the employees. “If anyone thinks he’s too stingy, they can come to me. I’ll make him pay half a year’s salary as compensation.”

Hearing this, the employees transferred from Qiufeng City looked at Ma Chun with amusement. A reward was expected today. The newly hired employees from Lingnan City were also delighted—getting an extra reward on just the first day was quite a surprise. And judging from the owner’s tone, it was likely at least a hundred coins.

“Alright, I’m going back to rest. Everyone, get your rewards and rest early too. We need to get up early tomorrow.”

Lin Dong gave a call and went back to the back yard alone. Along the way, cries of surprise came from behind him. Undoubtedly, the reward Ma Chun promised exceeded everyone’s expectations.

Having not practiced all day, Lin Dong didn’t want to waste time. He quickly washed up and returned to his room.

Sitting cross-legged on the bed, he gradually calmed down from the excitement of the day. Once his mind was clear of distractions, he closed his eyes slightly, and his surging spiritual energy flowed from his dantian as he strived to break through to the ninth level of the Mind State…

Ding: Congratulations on completing the upgrade task “Helping the first customer of the inn solve their problems.” Your inn has been upgraded to level 7.

Outside, the night was enchanting. In the dark room, a sharp noise woke Lin Dong up, causing the spiritual energy in his meridians to rush back to his dantian.

In the darkness, Lin Dong swung his right fist several times, his eyes filled with ecstasy.

The inn had finally reached level 7. Undoubtedly, Lord Liu, who was determined to see all the rare flowers and plants in the Great Han Nation, had successfully broken through the Agile State and reached the first level of the Mind State.

Leaping up from the bed, Lin Dong quickly accessed the inn system.

Lin’s Inn: Level 7, 0%

Daily revenue: 1,154 taels
Spirit stones: 3121/6400
Defense value: 3121/6400
Rooms: 60/80
Dining tables: 0/40
Crew: 23
Cooks: 6
Stables: 0/25
Kitchens: 6/7
Branches: 11
Gardens: 10/15
Breeding pens: 2/15
Cellars: 0/5
Cellar?
Lin Dong was stunned. What the hell was this? In his previous world, he hadn’t played this game for long, reaching only level six at most. The attributes added at level seven surprised him.
After a brief moment of shock, Lin Dong immediately explored this newly added attribute—cellar.
Cellar:
Temperature control: Once activated, it allows arbitrary temperature adjustment, consuming a bit of spiritual energy per hundred days. (Plants and animals cannot be stored.)
Time control: Once activated, it allows adjusting time, with storage duration increasing or decreasing by one year per day, also consuming a bit of spiritual energy. (Plants and animals cannot be stored.)
A smile instantly appeared on Lin Dong’s face, uncontrollable.
This cellar was absolutely amazing.
The first attribute didn’t seem significant to Lin Dong. Once Peng Qiao developed spirit stone heaters, refrigerators, and air conditioners, such features would become trivial. This temperature control function would at most surpass the limits of spirit stone refrigerators and heaters and would mostly be unused. It would only be useful for storing things that required extreme cold or heat, conditions that spirit stone refrigerators and heaters couldn’t provide.
Things that needed to be stored in such extreme conditions were undoubtedly not ordinary items—they would likely be related to spiritual materials, spiritual beasts, or spirit stones. Using these to earn money for the sect might be good, and they might also indirectly aid in cultivation, but they wouldn’t greatly benefit the inn. After all, even if it were spiritual beasts or materials whose meat could be used in dishes, if they required such harsh conditions for storage, their rank would definitely be high. Spiritual beasts or materials of rank eight or nine were probably beyond the reach of most people even in the capital.
However, time control seemed infinitely valuable in Lin Dong’s eyes.
Being able to adjust time meant that if you placed some vases in it and set it to increase time by a thousand years, taking them out the next day would turn them into antiques. Of course, this assumed that the Great Han Kingdom a thousand years ago could produce such vases.
Similarly, some spiritual materials whose medicinal effects grew stronger over time, or those that had lost their efficacy due to prolonged storage, could also be of great value if placed in the cellar with time control to extend or shorten their storage period.

There are two possibilities, and when used properly, both can be powerful tools for making money. As for the latter, if this special material is a medicinal herb used to assist in cultivation, it can also indirectly enhance an individual’s strength.
These aren’t the key points. What Lin Dong truly values is its benefit to the inn’s business.
Upon seeing the “time control” attribute, the first thing that came to his mind was the inn’s red wine and thyme. Most wines become more flavorful over time. Lin Dong wasn’t sure whether red wine followed this rule or what the maximum storage period was, but he was well aware of thyme.
There are four storage periods for thyme: three years, five years, ten years, and thirty years. In other words, if buried underground and retrieved after four years, its flavor would be no different from that of thyme stored for three years. After five years, its flavor would be even better than that of thyme stored for three years.
Ordinary thyme would only rank among the best in Southwest County, be among the top three in Qiufeng Mansion, but would be insignificant in Lingnan Prefecture. Yet thyme stored for thirty years could outshine everything in Lingnan Prefecture and even rank among the best in the Great Han Kingdom.
Just with thyme stored for thirty years, Lin’s Inn’s wine offerings would be on par with Fenglin Restaurant, which could obtain Yulu wine at low prices.
If red wine, which is even better than thyme, also becomes more flavorful over time—even if it only doubles in flavor rather than having four stages of improvement—while still not as good as Yulu wine, it could still surpass Fenglin Restaurant by offering a wider variety of wines and larger quantities. If the price is affordable for wealthy clients, it could completely defeat Fenglin Restaurant.
Just in terms of wine, the “time control” attribute of this cellar already made Lin Dong overjoyed. Who knows, there might be other things that can utilize this attribute to boost the inn’s competitiveness.
When the inn system reached level 7, all attributes increased, and the cultivation bonus rose from 6 times to 7 times. Yet Lin Dong paid no attention to these. He went straight to Old Ding’s room, took a few bottles of top-quality wine reserved for him under Old Ding’s confused gaze, and then rushed to the location of the cellar.