Chapter 410: The Unreliable Master

The three-day promotion event came to an end quickly. Early the next morning, before the inn even opened, Lin Dong arrived in the lobby.
“Good morning, owner!”
The staff greeted him cheerfully before returning to their tasks. Lin Dong’s arrival was expected.
Payment at the end of each month and major changes at the inn—these two things meant the staff would definitely see the owner. It was because of these events that Lin Dong, who often disappeared for ten days or half a month, could maintain enough authority among them.
Lin Dong glanced around the clean and tidy lobby and asked Ma Chun, “How’s everything ready?”
“The flower fragrance system is already in place, and the chef and staff have done all the necessary preparations,” Ma Chun replied confidently. “As soon as it’s time, we can open the doors to welcome guests—nothing will go wrong.”
“It’s already on? Go ahead with your work! I’ll take a look around.”
Interested, Lin Dong turned and headed up the wooden stairs to the second floor. With a creaking sound, he climbed upward. After just five or six steps, he could already smell a faint fragrance.
On the second floor, the tables and chairs were neatly arranged, and the space was clean and bright. The fragrance growing stronger filled his nostrils.
Taking a deep breath, Lin Dong stepped up to the third floor. The enticing scent still filled his senses.
Upon reaching the fourth floor and opening a private room, the fragrance of Wanli Flowers became even stronger. Just a few breaths in, it made one feel refreshed and utterly comfortable.
After closing the door to the private room, Lin Dong quickly went back down to the first floor. After sitting at the counter for a while, Ma Chun rushed over.
“Owner, is it time to open the doors?”
“Open them!”
With a wave of his hand, Ma Chun immediately led two staff members to remove the door panels.
Outside, there were forty or fifty people of all ages and genders, staring intently at the doors being removed, as if they were looking at a delicious dish ready to be snatched away.
A little further away, several carriages were parked by the road. Once they saw the Lin’s Inn opening, the drivers turned and said something to those inside the carriages.
“Thank you all for coming! Please come in!” Ma Chun bowed eagerly, his smile warm and genuine, leaving no doubt about its sincerity.
Instantly, the crowd surged in excitedly. The staff rushed forward, waving the white strips on their shoulders as they greeted them warmly.

A middle-aged man in his early forties, wearing a blue and green cotton jacket, placed the vase he was carrying on the table. Before the waiter could ask what he wanted to eat, he rushed to say, “Um, how much silver is needed to fill a vase with the fragrance of Wanli flowers?”
“Firstly, if we fill the entire vase, in an ordinary room with the doors and windows closed but a small gap left open, once the room is filled with the fragrance, closing the gap will ensure the scent lasts for two or three years. Of course, the larger the gap, the shorter the duration, but the fragrance will be stronger,” the waiter explained with a smile. “To fill such a large vase, according to our Linji Inn’s rules, you need to accumulate ten taels of silver in expenses here for food and lodging, plus an additional one tael for the flowers.”
“Is it that expensive?” the middle-aged man said disappointedly. “And I still have to accumulate ten taels for food and lodging…”
“If you do the math, it won’t seem so expensive. Each Wanli flower costs two taels of silver. To keep a room fragrant for two or three years, you need at least three or four flowers—six or seven taels is definitely necessary. Our Linji Inn only charges one tael. I guarantee that no one in the entire Lingnan City can get Wanli flowers cheaper than ours. If it weren’t for the head of a alchemy sect who likes our signature dish, we couldn’t get them at such a low price. Even then, it’s just the cost price; we just hope to attract more customers!”
The waiter was quick and eloquent, speaking rapidly: “Also, you don’t have to fill the vase all at once. If you accumulate one tael in expenses for food and lodging and spend an extra hundred wen, you can fill one-tenth of the vase, which is enough to keep a room fragrant for three months.”
The middle-aged man sighed in relief. Although one tael was still a significant amount for an ordinary family, the expenses at Linji Inn could be accumulated over time. If they often brought friends to eat here, it wouldn’t be hard to reach one tael in a year or two.
It was still a long time, but it was within an acceptable range.
Similar questions and answers kept arising at the other tables. It took a while before anyone ordered food.
Once everyone entered the main hall, the wealthy guests got out of the carriages outside the inn and, guided by the waiter, went up to the second and third floors.

Compared to ordinary customers on the first floor of the lobby, the problems of the wealthy clients were similar, but the outcomes differed. For them, spending ten taels of silver on food and drinks was just enough to treat friends or officials. With a firm decision, they could even order dishes worth over ten taels of silver by themselves right there.

At the counter, as the empty tables in the lobby were gradually filled and more wealthy clients kept coming upstairs, Lin Dong’s heart swelled with joy. The forced smile on his face gradually turned natural.

“Master, congratulations! May you crush Fenglin Restaurant in one go…”

Outside, Niu Hong and the other two walked in. Each carried a gift box and, as soon as they entered, they bowed to Lin Dong in unison to offer their congratulations.

“I didn’t expect you guys to start looking like disciples!” Lin Dong was surprised. These three usually came to Lin Ji Inn without even a half copper coin, and they always ordered two of Lin Ji Inn’s signature dishes, along with spiritual beasts and materials, taking turns to enjoy them.

The three smiled sourly. After placing the gift boxes on the counter, Niu Hong said with a chuckle, “Since Master has started to take action against Fenglin Restaurant, it’s only fitting to bring something as a gift. We’re poor, so we only bought some nourishing herbs. I hope Master won’t disdain them.”

“Just hope it’s not some fake stuff picked up outside the city gates,” Lin Dong said with a smile, then asked, “How’s your cultivation going?”

Niu Hong replied proudly, “Five and a half months—sixth level of the Spiritual Movement Phase.”

“I’m already at the seventh level of that phase,” Liang Ru replied quietly.

“Why didn’t you say that earlier?” Niu Hong complained.

“Since Master asked, I had to tell,” Liang Ru replied indifferently.

“There’s no need for you to chime in right after I finish speaking,” Niu Hong snapped.

“Enough, enough,” Lin Dong interrupted bluntly, uninterested in hearing their argument. “I’ve given you so many pills, and reaching the seventh level of the Spiritual Movement Phase is barely enough.”

The two looked displeased, especially Niu Hong, who had planned to show off his achievements. Lin Dong’s words were undoubtedly a heavy blow.

“Hua Wuqian, you…” Lin Dong stopped speaking. He suddenly remembered that Hua Wuqian’s dantian had shrunk, and he hadn’t started cultivating yet.

“Master, I heard… um…” Hua Wuqian looked at Lin Dong cautiously and said, “It seems… my master wife has returned?”

“Uh, yeah… she has,” Lin Dong replied, feeling a bit embarrassed. Yun Lan and Old Ding had been back for over a month, yet he hadn’t remembered about Hua Wuqian at all.

Hua Wuqian didn’t frown at all—this master was truly irresponsible. He had thought the master was too busy to spare time, but it was clear he had forgotten. It was fortunate he hadn’t dared to ask out of fear of causing trouble for his master.
Lin Dong stood up. “Let’s go! We’ll ask now.”
Hua Wuqian was overjoyed and nodded eagerly.
The group went to the backyard, where Lin Dong knocked on Yun Lan’s door.
After a moment, the door creaked open.
“Good morning, Master!” the three of them called out in unison, their voices loud and clear.
Yun Lan was taken aback and looked at Lin Dong in confusion.
“I took in a disciple some time ago; I forgot to tell you,” Lin Dong said with a smile.
Yun Lan was speechless—she could even forget about a disciple.
“Hua Wuqian, come here,” Lin Dong waved him over and explained, “This kid’s dantian has shrunk. See if you can cure it.”
Yun Lan nodded and told Hua Wuqian, “Turn around. I’ll use my spiritual energy to examine it.”
Hua Wuqian nodded nervously, his back trembling visibly as he turned around.
Niu Hong and the others watched Yun Lan intently, afraid she might say it couldn’t be done.
Yun Lan extended her right hand and gently placed it on Hua Wuqian’s back, pouring spiritual energy into him.
After a while, under the stunned gazes of Niu Hong and Liang Ru, Yun Lan withdrew her hand.
“How is it?” Lin Dong asked.
“It requires quite a few high-grade spiritual materials…” Yun Lan pondered. “And we’ll also need Lord Ding’s help.”
“So… it can be cured?” Niu Hong stammered.
Yun Lan nodded slowly.
Niu Hong and the others relaxed greatly, letting out a collective sigh of relief. Then, they suddenly jumped up, hugging each other and shouting in joy.
“Alright, go back! I’ll send someone to inform you once the medicine is ready,” Lin Dong waved them off.
The three nodded eagerly, their joy as bright and scorching as the summer sun.
“Thank you, Master! Thank you, Master Yun…”
After they left, filled with gratitude, Lin Dong asked Yun Lan for the names of the spiritual materials needed for the medicine, then returned to the main hall.
There were twelve types of spiritual materials required, not in large quantities, but all ranging from level six to eight. Such high-grade materials were impossible to find in the markets of Lingnan City, and even in the capital, they were extremely rare. So buying them was out of the question.
Lin Dong asked the clerk to summon Ma Chun, who was busy upstairs, and handed him the list of materials, asking him to send a message to the Gu Huan Clan to collect them. Only then did Lin Dong return to the counter.
It wasn’t until closing time that Lin Dong, still eager, got up to cook in the backyard. Outside the restaurant, there were still many customers who wanted more.

By the end of the day, the statistics showed that there were over 450 groups of large customers in the second and third floors, setting a new record for Lin Ji Inn in Lingnan City—even better than on the first day it opened. There were around 70 groups in the private rooms on the fourth floor; although the increase wasn’t as significant as that of the large customers, it was still quite good. Moreover, Lin Dong believed that there was still great potential for growth among the super-large customers once the effects and price of Wanli Huaxianghua were proven.