Chapter 423: No Respect Given

“Owner, Miss Yun, am I being harsh enough in what I say?”
Watching Liang Gufeng leave in a huff, Ma Chun couldn’t help but look at Lin Dong with a triumphant gaze, as if seeking praise.
If Yun Lan weren’t there, to be honest, Lin Dong would have rewarded Ma Chun handsomely out of joy. After all, Ma Chun had made significant contributions lately, and it had been a while since he’d taken a break. This was the perfect chance to give him some silver coins and a long vacation.
But with Yun Lan present, such petty behavior might feel satisfying, yet it couldn’t be shown—it lacked magnanimity and refinement.
Lin Dong had ignored Liang Gufeng earlier, and now he naturally turned a blind eye to Ma Chun as well.
Frustrated, Ma Chun glanced at Lin Dong’s calm expression and then at Yun Lan beside him. He immediately understood what was going on and secretly criticized the owner for being hypocritical.
Yun Lan found their behavior amusing. She knew exactly how much magnanimity and refinement Lin Dong possessed.
Seeing more and more people coming for the Black Fiery Grass, Yun Lan quietly asked, “Lin Dong, don’t you know how to grow this Black Fiery Grass?”
“The cost is too high, and the yield is low,” Lin Dong replied in a low voice. The 111 Lin’s Inn branches only had 110 small gardens. Even if they used spirit trees like the Qinglan Fruit, they could only spare about 2,000 square meters of land. If used to grow Black Fiery Grass with its growth speed halved ten times, it would mature in just one day, yielding around 2,000 plants per day—only about 6,000 in a month, which was utterly insufficient.
What was more crucial was the cost. Black Fiery Grass was only a second-tier spirit material. Although its maturity period was less than two years, each plant was only worth two or three taels of silver. If its growth speed was accelerated ten times, over a thousand spirit stones would be needed per day. Even if the price of those spirit stones was based on what Bai Jingtai charged, it would still amount to over 800 taels of silver.
Two or three taels versus over 800 taels—this deal was a huge loss. Lin Dong hadn’t considered this since he first heard about the Wet Worm Disease.
“I remember that after contracting the Wet Worm Disease, there’s a significant chance of death within three months. Even if Hua Wuyue could arrive within a month, two months would already have passed. It’s likely impossible to deliver Black Fiery Grass to all places in the three western provinces in just one month…” Yun Lan wanted to persuade Lin Dong, but she thought he wouldn’t risk lives for money. There must be another plan. As she hesitated, an idea struck her, and she suddenly said, “Lin’s Inn branches?”

“Smart!” Lin Dong couldn’t help but praise her. Although he would use the transportation gate every few months, it was only after leaving the county office and as the carriage neared the inn that he thought of using a branch to transport Black Fiery Grass. Yun Lan had heard about such transportation gates at the inn a year ago and was able to think of this solution so quickly—her quick wits left him in awe.

Yun Lan really wanted to tell Lin Dong that this was true generosity, but she decided against it, fearing that excessive praise might make him complacent.

As they talked, time flew by. Just as Lin Dong was asking about the progress of integrating spirit artifacts with spirit arrays, a commotion suddenly broke out among the crowd.

Soon, a group of officials stepped forward, surrounding two men: Liang Gufeng and Yang Yankang.

“I can’t believe Yang Yankang came in person. Liang Gufeng really has… quite a high profile!” Ma Chun remarked with admiration.

“It must be because the amount of silver he’s offering is huge!” Lin Dong added with a smile.

“Shopkeeper Lin, it’s great to see you again!”

Even though they were already close by, neither Lin Dong nor Ma Chun stepped forward to greet Yang Yankang. Liang Gufeng, whose anger had largely dissipated at the county office, now wore a smile on his face.

Normally, a businessman oppressed by local officials would try to use money to curry favor or retaliate immediately—both reckless actions.

Lin Dong remained calm, as if he hadn’t seen Yang Yankang or Liang Gufeng at all. This demeanor once again made Yun Lan smile.

“Hey, isn’t that Shopkeeper Liang?” Ma Chun suddenly exclaimed. “Shopkeeper Liang, are you willing to temporarily relocate Fenglin Inn for the sake of the people in the three western provinces?”

“The people of the three western provinces aren’t something to be mentioned at every turn,” Liang Gufeng snorted.

“So, Shopkeeper Liang intends to prove it with actions!” Ma Chun clapped his hands loudly and shouted, “Everyone, listen! Shopkeeper Liang of Fenglin Inn plans to donate one million taels of silver to the people of the three western provinces. Isn’t such generosity worth cheering for?”

Instantly, the crowd erupted into cheers that reached the heavens.

Liang Gufeng’s face turned red, and he was unable to say a word for a long time.

One million taels of silver—used by Yang Yankang to suppress Lin’s Inn. Even if it failed, he could still explain himself to the headquarters. But donating one million taels just for face? Reporting this to the headquarters might not lead to dismissal, but it would surely result in a serious fault being recorded against him.

It could be said that Liang Gufeng would absolutely never donate that silver. But if he protested now, Ma Chun would lose face and become the laughingstock of the entire Lingnan City. Pretending to be foolish, though it was a rather ridiculous act and benefited Ma Chun, wasn’t enough to turn into a hot topic. Of course, that was assuming Lin’s Inn wouldn’t secretly stir things up on purpose.

Glaring fiercely at Ma Chun, Liang Gufeng dared not speak, fearing he might say something outrageous. His eyes turned anxiously toward Yang Yankang.

Yang Yankang remained silent, watching Lin Dong calmly, his gaze seemingly holding some hidden meaning. To dare act up against a high-ranking official, even with the strong backing of Grand Tutor Fu, was extremely bold—or perhaps ignorance bred recklessness. Reaching such a position meant that even a powerful grand tutor couldn’t simply be dismissed.

It was better to act swiftly—destroy Lin’s Inn before being overthrown. That was the simplest solution.

Lin Dong stared intently at the long queue, as if calculating how many people could stand within a meter of it.

Yang Yankang’s brows furrowed, his authority growing without even raising his voice.

“Really thinks he’s that important,” Ma Chun sneered coldly, almost to himself. But under these circumstances, no one doubted he was mocking Yang Yankang.

Yang Yankang flew into a rage. The officials beside him immediately grew angry, raising their staffs to arrest Ma Chun.

“Something serious is happening! Something serious!” Ma Chun’s panicked shouts echoed again, amplified by spiritual energy, reaching distances of two or three hundred meters.

“The county government is sending officials to arrest people. They say Black Fiery Grass must be collected uniformly and sold at a high price; no one is allowed to give it away privately and ruin the plan.”

Thousands of eyes turned toward them. Even Yang Yankang, used to tough situations, found it hard to resist. The officials’ staffs hung in midair, frozen as if paralyzed.

Lin Dong smiled indifferently. Ma Chun’s constant shouting, coupled with his obvious attempt to slander others under the guise of kindness, would easily offend the people of the three western provinces who relied on Black Fiery Grass and the onlookers. Yet it was the only way to make Yang Yankang hesitate.

Due to Ma Chun’s disruptions, not only Liang Gufeng but also Yang Yankang felt fear and hatred toward him—fear and hatred even greater than Liang Gufeng’s.

Liang Gufeng only suffered a loss of face and damaged reputation. As for Yang Yankang, he was afraid that a good plan might be ruined by such trivial matters. At this moment, he even hated Liang Gufeng—hadn’t that guy come looking for trouble, he wouldn’t have bothered coming here to suffer. Fortunately, he rarely showed himself in public, so Yang Yankang believed none of those who had gathered to watch would have seen him before. As long as he left early, this matter would be over.

“Shopkeeper Lin, the areas affected by the wet worm disease in the three western provinces are in urgent need of Black Fiery Grass. I know you’re kind-hearted, but if you can send this grass to where it’s most needed, I believe the people there will be even more grateful to you.” Compared to Liang Gufeng, Yang Yankang was far better at controlling his emotions. Though furious that Lin Dong dared ignore him and almost ordered his men to kill Lin Dong on the spot, he still wore a kind and gentle smile, speaking in a consultative tone, “I was wondering if you’d consider my suggestion—hand over the Black Fiery Grass you have to the county office for centralized distribution, so it can be sent to where it’s needed?”

Lin Dong leisurely watched the long queue, still calculating how many people could fit within one meter.

“If you agree, I’m sure the people of the three western provinces will remember Lin’s Inn’s generosity for years. If not…” Yang Yankang smiled without saying more.

Ma Chun laughed, his mockery evident in his smile. Originally, according to the original plan, they should have made up an excuse about having no stock and having to deliver goods daily to deceive Yang Yankang. But now… with Ma Chun’s sharp eyes, he could see that Yang Yankang’s desire to avoid a big scene was far stronger than expected.

In that case, why give him an out?

Showing off to a high-ranking official was something worth boasting about for generations—something Ma Chun had never dared to think about before. Now that he had the chance, he wouldn’t miss it.

Yang Yankang was enraged by Ma Chun’s provocative gaze, trembling with anger. Even though he kept repeating the magical words “Minister of the Civil Service” in his mind, he almost lost control of his fury.

“Let’s go!”

Taking a deep breath, Yang Yankang turned sharply and strode away.

“Be careful of the slippery road. And don’t try tricks—Lin’s Inn has hired quite a few people from the Hua family,” Ma Chun called after him.

The officials didn’t dare speak, waving their staffs to clear the way. After hesitating for a while, Liang Gufeng finally couldn’t help but ask, “Sir, regarding this matter…”

“Kill him!”

Yang Yankang’s eyes were bloodshot.

The bailiffs stopped in shock, unsure whether Yang Yankang meant to kill Liang Gufeng or Ma Chun.
“Half a year from now, the entire Linji Inn family will be wiped out. I, Yang Yankang, swear I will never be a servant to anyone!”
A resolute voice burst from his throat; even crucial information like timing, which was vital for his plan to seize the position of Minister of Personnel, was revealed. There was no doubt that Yang Yankang was on the verge of losing control.
Fortunately, Liang Gufeng still thought Yang Yankang was acting out of concern for reputation, intending to strike after the people from the three western provinces returned and the Linji Inn no longer served as a shield. Hearing this, despite his deep reluctance, he wisely chose not to provoke Yang Yankang any further.