Chapter 374: The Trouble Caused by the Spiritual Bird

Yang Laiting had followed Ren Qingsong since childhood, living a life without a wife or children, and remaining utterly loyal to him. Thus, Lin Dong didn’t hide anything from him. After berating him a bit and explaining what had happened, he then bowed and left.

Accompanied by Yang Laiting, Lin Dong stepped out of the back yard and, under strange gazes, strode away from the main hall. Full of excitement, he rushed back to the inn, checked in with Ma Chun about recent developments, and then returned to his room to practice.

For over half a month, the inn’s business remained steady, even improving thanks to Lin Ji Gymnasium’s efforts. As for the situation with Hongfu Restaurant, Hong Wanfu’s accidental offense against the Ji family had indirectly benefited them, pushing things in a favorable direction.

During this time, Lin Dong stayed in his room practicing. Although the natural circulation of his spiritual energy wasn’t slower than that during meditation, the room provided a seven-fold training boost, forcing him to stay inside all day.

In the early morning, the sky was dim, like an old man dozing off—sometimes brighter, but mostly gray and sleepy. A gentle cool breeze swept outside the city, carrying fallen leaves, signaling the arrival of autumn.

Knocking at the door made Lin Dong open his eyes. Pushing the door open, he saw Ma Chun standing outside.
“Boss, Wang Zaixing, the vice president of the chamber of commerce, is here. He says he needs to talk to you.”
“What about?” Lin Dong was puzzled. Lin Ji Inn didn’t seem to have done anything to violate the rules. Even the fierce conflict with Hongfu Restaurant had merely exploited loopholes in the imperfect rules.
“He didn’t say,” Ma Chun shook his head helplessly. “He just said he needs to talk to you personally. Wang Zaixing is not only the vice president of the chamber but also the owner of Wang Ji Pawnshop. It’s better not to offend him, so I had to come and bring you over.”
“Okay, I’ll go see him.”

Lin Dong didn’t overthink it. He guessed it must be some important new rule from the chamber that required the owner’s approval.

He strode to the front yard. By the stone table stood a middle-aged man in his early forties, with a potbelly. He held a teacup in one hand, leisurely sipping the Hongyun tea. His demeanor seemed rather refined. Of course, that was unless you noticed his right hand, which was gently stroking his head, now covered only with a few sparse strands of hair. The motion was soft and rhythmic. If done by a graceful woman, it would be considered beautiful, but paired with a middle-aged man, it was utterly creepy.

Behind the middle-aged man stood two young guards, staring straight ahead. By their appearance, they were around thirty years old. Their eyes sparkled with intensity, and combined with the swords at their waists, they exuded a considerable intimidating presence among ordinary people. What made Lin Dong glance at them again was that one of them held a brocade box about 1.5 meters long in his lowered hand.

“Manager Ma, this must be Shopkeeper Lin, right?” Wang Zaixing stood up, clasping his hands together, his smile perfectly timed—clearly a master at this art. “I’ve long heard of you!”

“President Wang, I’m sorry to have kept you waiting.”

Lin Dong also smiled and returned the gesture. He had heard of President Wang before—a notorious cunning man, a ruthless expert, and one of the giants in the pawnbroking industry in Lingnan City, a person who could influence many things. Moreover, he was the only person in the Lingnan City Chamber of Commerce who personally managed business while also serving as vice president.

“Not at all, we just sat down. I’m sorry for the intrusion. I hope Shopkeeper Lin won’t mind,” Wang Zaixing said with a smile.

“With President Wang’s presence, we’re not even worthy of a welcome.” In the Great Han Nation, those who ran pawnshops needed to be ruthless, second only to gambling den owners. Given Wang Zaixing’s reputation, Lin Dong had no intention of forming any close relationship with him. After sitting down across from him, he cut through the formalities and asked directly, “President Wang, what brings you here this time?”

Glancing at Ma Chun, who was pouring tea for Lin Dong, Wang Zaixing hesitated for a moment before his gentle, harmless smile reappeared. “It’s nothing serious! Speaking of which, I wonder if Shopkeeper Lin has heard about it—ten days ago, a caravan organized by the Chamber of Commerce to transport various local specialties to other counties was attacked on the official road thirty miles south of the city?”

“Is that so?” Lin Dong looked up at Ma Chun.

Ma Chun shook his head slowly.

“It seems Shopkeeper Lin hasn’t heard about it. It makes sense—Lin’s Inn’s business is all in Lingnan City, so it has nothing to do with caravans. It’s normal not to hear about it,” Wang Zaixing said with a smile.

“Were it bandits who attacked the caravan?” Lin Dong asked.

Wang Zaixing shook his head. “It was a high-level spirit bird.”

“A high-level spirit bird?” Lin Dong was slightly surprised.

Wang Zaixing nodded. “This spirit bird is said to be called the Hundred-Wing Bird. It’s extremely fierce, and the Chamber of Commerce lost a lot of property and people because of it.”

Lin Dong’s mind stirred. Yun Lan had once explained various spirit beasts and birds to him. Though he remembered little and forgot it quickly, since it was a high-level spirit bird, and from the name, it seemed to have many feathers. Given its ferocity, it must be quite large.

A month earlier, Lin Dong had already arranged for Wang Liuzhi to ask Zhang Daqian for some reliable beggars to set up branches in the prefectures and counties under Lingnan Commandery. To integrate these branches into the inn system, Lin Dong himself would have to visit each one in person.

Not to mention traveling to Qiufeng Prefecture, even covering the remaining ninety prefectures and counties in Lingnan Commandery by carriage—working day and night—would likely take at least a year or two. Lin Dong’s plan was to use two eagle-like beasts to fly back and forth alternately. As long as time wasn’t wasted, about a month would be sufficient.

He had considered finding spirit birds or beasts with better endurance and faster flight speeds, but there weren’t many in Lingnan Commandery that met these requirements, and even if they existed, it would be extremely difficult to track them down. Thus, Lin Dong planned to use the eagle-like beasts temporarily and figure out a solution after advancing to the capital.

But now, it seemed that a high-level spirit bird had come to him on its own.

“President Wang, in a situation like this, shouldn’t the Military Assessment Institute send people to handle it?” Lin Dong asked anxiously.

“All the warriors loyal to the Great Han Nation within a hundred miles of Lingnan City have been mobilized, yet they returned defeated,” Wang Zaixing said helplessly. “It is said the losses were significant—no less than thirty to fifty warriors killed or injured.”

Lin Dong felt ashamed inwardly. This should have been someone else’s misfortune, yet he couldn’t help but feel a hint of joy. After all, such heavy losses indirectly indicated that the Hundred-Winged Bird was extremely powerful. If it was strong, its endurance and speed would naturally be good as well.

Ignoring whether such an inappropriate question might upset Wang Zaixing, Lin Dong asked the question he was most eager to know: “Is the Hundred-Winged Bird large in size?”

“I’m not sure. Some say its wingspan is as big as an ox, while others say it’s as big as a wooden house,” Wang Zaixing said with a wry smile. “Only those who have been there know for sure. What’s circulating outside are just rumors.”

Lin Dong sighed in relief. The chances of rumors exaggerating a fist-sized spirit bird to the size of an ox or even a wooden house weren’t high.

“By the way, can’t even strong warriors deal with this spirit bird?”

“Are you referring to Elder Ji, Manager Lin?” Wang Zaixing shook his head. “Elder Ji announced he would enter seclusion half a month ago. The people sent by the Military Assessment Institute were stopped at the entrance. With Elder Ji leading the way, along with a group of warriors, even the most powerful Hundred-Winged Bird should be manageable.”

“What then was the Military Assessment Institute’s decision?” Lin Dong pressed further.

“This Bird of a Hundred Wings only attacks large caravans and doesn’t have much impact on individual merchants passing by. So, the Military Testing Institute didn’t feel the need to insist on having Elder Ji leave his seclusion and instead sent people to the capital for help. Considering the time it takes, it will take at least three to five months,” Wang Zaixing explained. “Owner Lin also knows that some goods cannot be stored for long periods. A delay of three to five months could mean losing everything when they arrive at their destination. Moreover, many of the caravans sent out will return within three to five months. If they are sent in batches, and given that we don’t know the extent of the Bird of a Hundred Wings’ attacks, the guards might get scattered and easily targeted by bandits who aren’t afraid to fight back.”

“So… after discussing it with the merchants most affected, the guild decided to offer 100,000 taels of silver as a reward, hoping to attract warriors or even sect disciples who aren’t loyal to the Great Han Nation to kill the Bird of a Hundred Wings. It’s said that various powerful families already regard killing this bird as a form of training for their disciples, and they’re secretly competing with each other. As long as enough silver is gathered, it shouldn’t be a problem to have the disciples from these families deal with it. Depending on the extent of the impact, Lin’s Inn also needs to contribute some silver.”

“How much silver?” Lin Dong was in high spirits. Even if it were just a small amount, he wouldn’t frown if it were 100,000 taels.

“500 taels!” Wang Zaixing said.

“Just 500 taels?” Lin Dong was surprised, not quite understanding Wang Zaixing’s intention. It was only 500 taels—why did Wang Zaixing need to come all the way here personally? For a business as large as Lin’s Inn, no matter how stingy they were, they wouldn’t argue with the guild over just 500 taels. Wang Zaixing could simply send someone else to collect the money.

Wang Zaixing knew Lin Dong thought it was too little, but he still smiled and patiently explained, “The impact of the Bird of a Hundred Wings on inns and restaurants will only last three to five months. It’s difficult for caravans from other districts to come from the south of the city. Lin’s Inn is among the best in Lingnan City when it comes to food and lodging, so the amount we’re offering is already quite substantial.”

Lin Dong assumed Wang Zaixing must have another reason and didn’t want to waste more time beating around the bush. He said, “Our Lin’s Inn agrees to contribute this amount. Considering President Wang earns over ten thousand per month and still goes to such lengths for the guild’s sake, if the funds aren’t gathered, we’re willing to cover the rest ourselves.”

“Owner Lin is truly generous!” Wang Zaixing praised.

“Whereas!” Lin Dong snapped his fingers and said, “Ma Chun, go to the accounting department and bring over 500 taels in silver bills.”

“Eh!” Nearby, Ma Chun nodded and headed straight for the lobby.
“Owner Lin, I heard your inn has a top-tier room that costs over twenty taels of silver per night?” Wang Zaixing asked casually.
Lin Dong didn’t understand his meaning but nodded, “There indeed is such a top-tier room.”
“Owner Lin is quite skilled—over twenty taels of silver per night, yet the room is always full of guests,” Wang Zaixing remarked in admiration. “Even in the capital, this is probably rare.”
“Just lucky. There are no competitors around. If it were in the capital, we’d surely lose money.”
Lin Dong shook his head with a smile, waiting for Wang Zaixing to continue.
“Owner Lin is too modest. I’ve heard that this top-tier room in Lin’s Inn is filled with countless rare treasures.”
Wang Zaixing was secretly pleased. So far, every word and action of this Owner Lin was under his control.