Chapter 465: Roasting the Blue Golden Beast

“By the way, I heard from Boss Li that Lord Ren will be returning today. How about I stay at the manor to meet him?”
Zhang Wanfu smiled at Li Chongshang. To open a large restaurant in the capital, millions of taels of silver were absolutely necessary. To raise that amount, he had already planned to sell most of his assets—calling it a last-ditch effort wouldn’t be an exaggeration.
Originally, with his own cooking skills and Lord Ren’s status, he was over 90% confident the restaurant could thrive. But that depended on Lord Ren actually stepping in to support it.
Although Zhang Wanfu didn’t know what Ren Qingsong did, everyone within a hundred miles of Xiangyan Mountain in the west knew that those from Xiangyan Mountain were all highly influential figures. Since Ren Qingsong could enter and exit freely, his status was self-evident.
Such powerful people wouldn’t even consider contributing shares to a large restaurant, let alone offering voluntary help. Top restaurants that made huge profits might not even see fit to give them dividends. This was evident from the fact that QingSong Manor didn’t charge a single penny in rent—clearly, they weren’t short of money.
Originally, Zhang Wanfu had quite high confidence in Li Chongshang. After visiting QingSong Manor several times, he realized that this butler seemed more like the actual owner of the manor. To be trusted so much by Lord Ren must have given him considerable status.
But the incident earlier made him suddenly realize the risks involved. After all, QingSong Manor had another chief butler who was clearly at odds with Li Chongshang.
If Li Chongshang won their conflict, it would be fine. But if Yang Laiting won, it could result in huge losses. It was normal not to get dividends if one hadn’t done any work. What Zhang Wanfu feared most was that Yang Laiting might take his anger out on him.
Without Lord Ren, Zhang Wanfu was confident that with a skilled cook like his own servant, he could still run the restaurant. There was no need to put himself in such a dangerous position.
Based on what he had learned, Zhang Wanfu was 99% sure that Li Chongshang was trusted enough to handle finance, procurement, and personnel—proving his exceptional status in Lord Ren’s eyes. But meeting him in person to confirm this would give him greater peace of mind.
“Well… maybe next time, I can introduce Lord Zhang to my master?” Li Chongshang hesitated but didn’t completely refuse. He understood Zhang Wanfu’s concerns, and although he had his own worries too, it would be awkward to turn down Zhang Wanfu’s request.

“Okay!” Zhang Wanfu agreed right away. It didn’t matter to him whether they met early or late. Anyway, the money hadn’t been raised yet, so the restaurant couldn’t open anytime soon.
“Have some tea!” Li Chongshang invited with a smile.
“Please, Boss Li!” Zhang Wanfu was equally polite. To one of them, the other was a source of wealth; to the other, a backing figure. Both wanted to show their smiles at all costs.
On the other side, Lin Dong and the others were also smiling, chatting about everyday matters. The only difference was that Lin Dong and Yun Lan could hear everything Zhang Wanfu and Li Chongshang said—there was no way they couldn’t.
A grand restaurant!
This could be considered a competitor to Lin Ji Inn. Of course, Lin Dong didn’t really regard Zhang Wanfu’s so-called grand restaurant as a rival. The main reason was that there was no equality at all. Lin Ji Inn’s competitors were top-tier restaurants, with customers being the wealthy and influential figures of the capital. To dine on the second floor, one had to spend twenty or thirty taels of silver just for the table setting—otherwise, it would be disrespectful to the decor. For private rooms, it cost a hundred taels per table. Not only would the staff be dissatisfied, but even the customers themselves might feel ashamed.
What interested Lin Dong a bit was how Zhang Wanfu, a local tycoon, could be so confident about opening a grand restaurant in the capital. Having a backing figure alone wasn’t enough, especially since that figure wasn’t even an official. Although no one dared to offend Ren Qingsong, there was no need to curry favor with him either—at most, they might show up once or twice out of courtesy. Ren Qingsong’s reputation meant he wasn’t afraid of being dealt with unethically, which was a world of difference compared to the emperor’s own inscription.
Without real skills, such a grand restaurant couldn’t survive.
As the two groups were chatting among themselves, a maid came in.
Seeing the situation in the hall, the maid was stunned.
“What’s the matter?” Yang Laiting asked.
“Master Manager and Deputy Master Manager, lunch is ready,” the maid hesitated for a moment before answering truthfully.
“Damn it, it’s already noon, and I forgot to prepare food for you,” Yang Laiting slapped his head, feeling embarrassed.
“Eat whatever’s there. The food from Qingsong Villa isn’t that bad,” Lin Dong said with a smile.
Just as Yang Laiting was about to ask what dishes had been prepared to see if he needed to add a few things, Li Chongshang waved his hand and said calmly, “Tell the kitchen to serve the food! Someone, set the table!”
The maid glanced at Yang Laiting and left the hall. Outside, several servants carried in a large round table with a table leg covered in brocade.

Place the large round table in the center, then bring in two armchairs and set them down. After a moment’s hesitation, a few servants brought in three more armchairs and arranged them as well.
“Damn fools, why do we need so many chairs?” Li Chongshang glared. “Take them away—two are enough.”
The servants were not maids or lowly workers; their status was between that of servants and guards, and they all had considerable strength. Although no place paid better than Green Pine Manor, they never lacked work. Thus, though no one objected, none paid attention to Li Chongshang either. After all, Manager Yang was the head manager, and logically, his status should be the highest—there was no reason he should not have two chairs.
Lin Dong shook his head in secret. Even the servants were standing up for themselves. It was true that Yang Laiting was popular, but more importantly, Li Chongshang’s character was simply abhorrent. If left unchecked like this, in a year or two, not only Yang Laiting but perhaps even Ren Qingsong could be murdered for his wealth. After all, no secret lasts forever, and Li Chongshang surely didn’t think that just because no one cared about him for half a year, they would ignore him for life. He could poison Ren Qingsong before anything happened, steal the money, and flee the capital to live a carefree life for the rest of his days.
“Damn you! You even dare ignore my orders.” Seeing that none of the four servants obeyed, Li Chongshang felt humiliated and flew into a rage. “Get out! All of you, get out of Green Pine Manor! You won’t get your wages this month either. Otherwise, don’t blame me if I have the master punish you.”
“Fine, we’ll leave!” One of the servants stiffened his neck.
“It’s him who should leave, Li Chongshang. Who do you think you are?” Yang Laiting was also furious, trembling with anger, almost unable to resist lifting a chair to beat Li Chongshang to death.
“And who do you think you are?” Li Chongshang snarled. “When the master returns, you’ll be the one to leave.”
“Good, well said! I’ll show you how I’ll leave Green Pine Manor then.” Yang Laiting laughed in anger. Whether it was the Military Assessment Institute of Southwest County or that of Autumn Wind Mansion, he was known for protecting those he cared about. Even if Li Chongshang had neglected Lin Dong today and used deceitful methods to amass wealth, he only planned to recover the money and drive him away.
But now, he had completely changed his mind.
“Master Zhang, please!” Seeing that Yang Laiting had nothing left to say, Li Chongshang smiled coldly and strode toward the front seat.

“Don’t let some self-righteous fool ruin your mood. Please, Boss Li!” Zhang Wanfu was sensible enough to realize the two of them were now irreconcilable, and one of them would surely be forced to leave. Trying to please both sides would only result in offending both, so he naturally chose to side with Li Chongshang without hesitation. After all, he still needed to avenge himself for being pushed aside later.

The two exchanged polite remarks before heading straight to the round table and taking two good seats without asking.

“Manager Lin, shall I ask the kitchen to prepare another table in the side room?” Yang Laiting asked.

“It’s fine; let’s eat here! Otherwise, they might not know who to take revenge on later,” Lin Dong said with a smile as he sat down at an empty chair, with Yun Lan sitting beside him.

Yang Laiting had no choice but to sit down grumpily at the last empty chair.

After a short while, a strong aroma drifted over.

Lin Dong couldn’t help but turn back. A maid entered carrying a huge porcelain plate.

On the plate was an entire second-tier Juejin Beast. Its golden-yellow surface was shiny, and though there were no decorations around it, the intense aroma made one’s mouth water.

“Here, Manager Lin, give it a try. The headmaster likes spiritual beasts and materials, so we always keep some on hand,” Yang Laiting said, glancing at Li Chongshang. These spiritual beasts and materials were bought to improve Ren Qingsong’s meals. He usually preferred vegetables and radishes with plain rice, so he rarely touched such things. He never expected Li Chongshang to bring them out to entertain his personal friends.

Lin Dong nodded and reached for the plate with his chopsticks.

The chopsticks easily pierced through the skin, and with a slight twist, the golden surface split open.

“Soft yet not sticky—not bad!” Lin Dong praised. He probed further with his chopsticks, and the lean meat inside was just as easy to pierce, yet not so overcooked that it fell apart at the slightest touch.

Putting a piece of Juejin Beast meat in his mouth, Lin Dong’s eyes lit up. After chewing for a moment, his mind became sharper. The meat was soft, delicious, and smooth—absolutely top-notch. Although it was his first time eating Juejin Beast meat, he knew that a plate of it was only worth two or three taels of silver.

Lin Dong was sure that just this one bite, in terms of its deliciousness, was worth two or three taels of silver.

“Uncle Yang, your Qingsong Mountain Villa’s…”

Lin Dong was about to ask which other dishes the chef at QingSong Villa could prepare when, nearby, Li Chongshang, after tasting some meat from the Yujin Beast, couldn’t help but praise, “Master Zhang, no wonder you dare to open a restaurant in the capital. Your servant’s skills are truly excellent. I’m sure none of the signature dishes at those big restaurants in the capital can compare to this dish. Even top-tier restaurants like Fenglin Restaurant might not be able to serve such fine food.”

“Boss Li, you’re too kind,” Zhang Wanfu replied politely with a smile. He had visited all the top restaurants, and indeed, no one could match his servant when it came to grilling meat. But his servant was only strong in grilling; his other cooking skills were inferior. Of course, he would never say that out loud. He brought his servant here today just to make Li Chongshang more confident in the restaurant’s business, so he’d work harder.

Servant, again a servant!

A smile appeared on Lin Dong’s face. If it weren’t for the newly acquired Snow Red Grass seeds that could help him advance to a higher realm, he wouldn’t have taken a day off to catch up with Ren Qingsong and Yang Laiting. He would have rushed back to practice and come again later.

Who would have thought that waiting like this would lead him to someone who could prepare top-notch grilled Yujin Beast meat?