Chapter 378: Using an Excuse Twice

“How is it? I hope I didn’t hurt Young Master Hua?” Wang Zaixing asked leisurely.
“Don’t worry, I’m fine,” Hua Wuyue replied casually.
Wang Zaixing frowned. This Young Master Hua really was stubborn. A smile slowly appeared on his face. Knowing he was over thirty steps away, Lin Dong couldn’t possibly outpace the guards, no matter what tricks he had. He glared at Lin Dong as a show of dominance before turning away slowly.
The next moment, Wang Zaixing’s eyes, glowing with triumph, were fixed as if nailed in place—unable to move. What he saw shocked him greatly; it was completely different from what he had imagined.
“How… how is that possible?”
Wang Zaixing couldn’t believe his eyes. Across from him stood Hua Wuyue, holding a spiritual sword. His robe adorned with pink peach blossoms shone brightly in the gloomy courtyard. Below the tip of the spiritual sword, two guards lay on the ground, their weapons missing.
“Why not possible?” From afar, Lin Dong laughed. “President Wang, didn’t I tell you that Young Master Hua has recently taken a reclusive master as his teacher? I told you to look back, but you just wouldn’t believe me.”
Wang Zaixing’s face turned as red as flames. Even with his years of experience in deception, he wished he could burrow into a hole.
“Words spoken cannot be taken back, President Wang…” Lin Dong asked loudly, “When will you deliver my 800,000 taels of silver?”
Wang Zaixing didn’t dare look back at Lin Dong. With a red face, he turned to Hua Wuyue. “Young Master Hua, I…”
Before he could finish, Hua Wuyue waved his hand to interrupt him. “Don’t tell me which sect you belong to. I might get tempted to go find trouble for you. It’s just a matter of 800,000 taels of silver. I don’t want to start a war over nothing. Of course, if you’re unwilling to accept this and want to fight, that’s another matter. Just because the Hua family can’t afford to clash with a sect doesn’t mean I can’t.”
Wang Zaixing was overjoyed. He realized the situation wasn’t as hopeless as it seemed. Paying 800,000 taels of silver, telling the two guards not to report this to their sect, and knowing the Hua family wouldn’t recklessly go to war with a sect—everything would be settled.
But…
Wang Zaixing stammered, “Young Master Hua, I can’t come up with 800,000 taels of silver.”
“President Wang, this joke isn’t funny at all,” Lin Dong said coldly. “The owner of Wang’s Pawnshop makes three to four million taels in profit every year. Who would believe that if I told them?”

“It’s true!” Wang Zaixing said urgently, “All profits must be handed over to the sect. If you don’t believe me, you can ask those two. They’re both from the sect. I just cheated for them over twenty years ago, was caught, and then had no choice but to earn silver for them in Lingnan City.”
“Really?” Lin Dong frowned.
“Really, I swear!” Wang Zaixing nodded quickly. “If it weren’t for the establishment of the merchant guild, which has taken away most of Wang’s Pawnshop’s business over the past few months, leaving us short of the required silver, I wouldn’t have resorted to this old trick.”
Lin Dong didn’t want to let Wang Zaixing off so easily. After hesitating for a moment, he asked, “If there’s no cash, there must be some rare treasures or valuables, right?”
“Well…” Wang Zaixing hesitated.
“It seems President Wang thinks my sword isn’t sharp enough.” Hua Wuyue slowly rotated her right wrist, the cold tip of the sword gradually moving toward Wang Zaixing.
Wang Zaixing was a swindler, not a desperate criminal. Seeing this, he immediately knelt down with a thud. Remembering the strange vase he had planned to use to deceive Jiang Ruocai, the elderly owner of a rice shop in Lingnan City, he quickly replied, “Yes, there are…”
“That’s good. Also…” Lin Dong smiled, “Let’s say sixty thousand taels of silver. For the extra twenty thousand taels, I hope President Wang can spare some time to help renovate Lin’s Inn.”
“Sure, sure…” How could Wang Zaixing refuse such a good deal? He nodded eagerly.
“Lin’s Inn comes in three sizes! One is like Lin’s Inn in Lingnan City—four stories high for both the lobby and the lodging area, covering ten acres. The second is smaller…” After explaining the sizes of Lin’s Inn, Lin Dong took out the design drawings made by Yang Shun from the mobile counter and placed them on the table, tapping them lightly. “Here’s a design drawn up by my friend. The area may vary a bit. You just need to modify it into three designs without affecting the overall look.”
Wang Zaixing nodded but didn’t dare turn around to pick up the drawings.
“Bring them over along with the rare treasures worth sixty thousand taels of silver. I hope you won’t make me wait too long. Oh, and… I’ve kept Wan Xuepiao. Let’s count that as thirty thousand taels of silver.”
Lin Dong understood Wang Zaixing’s feelings at the moment. He stood up, glanced at Hua Wuyue, pointed first at Wang Zaixing and then at the backyard, before walking away.
It wasn’t until Lin Dong left that Wang Zaixing’s flushed, ashamed face slowly cooled down. By then, Hua Wuyue had already figured out how to threaten Wang Zaixing.
Not long after Lin Dong returned to his room, there was a knock at the door.

“Come in, the door isn’t locked!”
With a creak, Hua Wuyue entered and asked, “Boss, it’s all taken care of. I doubt he’d dare risk coming to Lin’s Inn to cause trouble.”
Lin Dong nodded, pointed to the wooden chair across the table, and said, “Have you heard about the Hundred-Wing Bird?”
“The family sent someone to inform us this morning,” Hua Wuyue replied. “It says that a mystical bird is causing trouble on the official road about thirty li south of the city. Since Elder Ji is in seclusion, the Military Assessment Institute is at a loss, so the merchant guild has offered a reward for killing the Hundred-Wing Bird. After discussion among the major families, they decided to use this as a test for their young members. All of our Hua family members under thirty will go, with me leading the team. We originally planned to discuss this with you after finishing our tasks tonight, but it seems you already know.”
“Do you know anything about the Hundred-Wing Bird?” Lin Dong pressed.
“Our Hua family has information on it. It’s a seventh-tier mystical bird with only about a hundred feathers…”
Lin Dong couldn’t help but interrupt, “Just over a hundred feathers? Can’t it fly then?”
“On the contrary, the Hundred-Wing Bird is extremely fast. Among seventh-tier mystical birds, it’s said to be among the top ten in speed,” Hua Wuyue explained. “According to the records, each of its feathers is extremely long, wide, and hard—making them one of the materials for high-grade armor.”
Lin Dong secretly breathed a sigh of relief and signaled Hua Wuyue to continue. “What about its size?”
“If it’s in its juvenile stage, its size is between that of a chick and a table. As an adult, standing tall, it’s between two and four meters. When its wings are spread, they can reach over ten meters in length, with shorter ones still at six or seven meters,” Hua Wuyue listed everything he knew. “The Hundred-Wing Bird is fierce and violent, preferring to attack large numbers of large mystical beasts or objects. Its most notable feature is its wings, which are as hard and sharp as swords of the fourth or fifth tier. Coupled with its immense strength, they serve not only as its main weapon but also as armor to defend against enemies. Additionally, its speed is lightning-fast, allowing it to use its wings to escape when facing higher-tier mystical birds.”
Seeing that Hua Wuyue seemed to have finished, Lin Dong asked, “What about its endurance?”
“I’m not sure…” Hua Wuyue shook his head. “It’s extremely strong, so its endurance should be good.”
Lin Dong nodded. “What day has been set?”
“Three days from now at noon. The Hundred-Wing Bird’s first attacks on caravans and the missions organized by the Military Assessment Institute both happened at noon,” Hua Wuyue explained.

Lin Dong was very satisfied with the conversation and waved his hand, saying, “Alright, go back to your work!”
“Boss…” Hua Wuyue hesitated before speaking.
Lin Dong asked puzzledly, “Is there something?”
“Well…” Hua Wuyue carefully observed Lin Dong’s expression before saying, “The family is a bit upset that I spend all day cooking at Lin’s Inn…”
Troubles that were bound to come eventually couldn’t be avoided. As the biggest source of trouble for the Hua family in hiring Hua Wuyue to work at the inn, Lin Dong would think of strategies whenever he had time. Although there were no perfect solutions, there were temporary fixes available.
After some thought, Lin Dong took out three pairs of cyan-blue fruits from the mobile cabinet, placed them on the table, and said, “These are cyan-blue fruits, comparable to ninth-grade spiritual materials. You need to take both the cyan and blue fruits at the same time. With one pair, at your current level, it should be enough to help you reach the middle stage of the Fifth Level of Mental Concentration in a short time. Give the other two pairs to the head of the Hua family, saying that a reclusive expert has taken you as a disciple and given them to you. You can also show them the ninth-grade spiritual skill he gave you. As for how you met this reclusive expert… figure it out yourself. Anyway, if you want to learn advanced spiritual skills or obtain spiritual fruits and elixirs, you need to stay at Lin’s Inn.”
A reclusive expert…
Hua Wuyue smirked. The method he had used earlier to scare Wang Zaixing into not seeking help from his sect to take revenge now had to be used to deceive his own father.
However, one pair could help him rise by nearly one level in a short time, and he could give two more pairs to his family. It was just deception. No matter how you looked at it, this was the best deal possible.
“Remember, both the cyan-blue fruits and the ninth-grade spiritual skill are extremely rare. The fewer people in the Hua family who know about them, the better. Ideally, no more than three people should know, and they must ensure it doesn’t leak out,” Lin Dong said seriously. “Otherwise, you understand the potential risks it poses to both the Hua family and Lin’s Inn.”
Hua Wuyue nodded firmly. He understood the stakes without Lin Dong having to explain further. Whether it was the ninth-grade spiritual skill or the cyan-blue fruits, comparable to ninth-grade spiritual materials, either one could attract the attention of all sects in Lingnan Commandery.
“Alright, if there’s nothing else, go back to work!”
Lin Dong once again sent him away. The reclusive expert method was only a temporary fix and might make the Hua family even less willing to let go of Hua Wuyue. But there was no other choice. For now, with this reclusive expert as a cover, at least three to five years should be fine.
It would be unreasonable not to learn skills from this reclusive expert for three to five years.

After Hua Wuyue left, Lin Dong recalled the encounter with the seventh-tier mutated golden-armored snake and figured that with his current strength, he should be able to handle it, before beginning to meditate and cultivate.