Chapter 537: Caught in the Middle

After getting Lin Dong’s promise, although the Divine Calculator was injured and his disciple was also seriously hurt, he was surprisingly in a good mood. He became more amiable toward Lin Dong and even more cooperative. Whenever Lin Dong said to fly the Tianpeng Bird, the Divine Calculator would fly it; whenever he said to drink tea, the Divine Calculator would drink tea; and whenever he said to treat injuries, the Divine Calculator would lift his clothes. After taking care of the Divine Calculator’s wounds and settling him down, it was already getting dark—the day was coming to an end.
Though the process exceeded Lin Dong’s expectations, the outcome was fairly good. If nothing went wrong, an upgrade task was within reach. Compared to previous upgrade tasks, this one was relatively simple—if nothing went wrong—taking just a little over three days in total. With only three days and such an important upgrade task at stake, Lin Dong kept the inn’s map displayed on his screen the whole time, constantly keeping an eye on the Divine Calculator.
The next morning, Lin Dong stepped outside, continuing to watch the glowing dot representing the Divine Calculator on the map while heading confidently to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. A small pot of porridge and a stack of dried radishes—simple and plain—were placed on a tray, which Lin Dong carried to the stone table in the backyard.
Next to the stone table, Yun Lan had just finished washing up and sat down not long ago. Lin Dong smiled as he set down the tray, about to arrange the bowls and chopsticks, when suddenly, with a gust of wind, the Divine Calculator appeared on the stone bench.
“Elder, why have you come here?” Lin Dong was slightly surprised.
“Of course to have breakfast!” the Divine Calculator replied indifferently.
Lin Dong was stunned. He had arranged for the Divine Calculator to stay in the lodging building, with meals delivered three times a day—always at least twenty dishes per meal. He couldn’t understand why the Divine Calculator would suddenly think of coming to the backyard for breakfast. Porridge and dried radishes were certainly not the kind of thing someone as discerning as him would appreciate. Although Lin Dong’s cooking skills were decent and he had the cooking bonus active, the pastries prepared for the Divine Calculator in the front kitchen also had that bonus, and each one was crafted personally by the top chef, Yu Linglong. The difference in skill and ingredients was enormous—sayings it was “a hundred thousand miles apart” might be an exaggeration, but certainly “eight thousand miles apart” was true.
“What? Am I not included?” the Divine Calculator asked nonchalantly.
“Of course not! Even if I’m not included, you definitely deserve it, Elder.”
Lin Dong quickly shook his head and brought his own large bowl over to the Divine Calculator. There was no choice—this man was the boss, and one who must not be offended in these three days.
The Divine Calculator didn’t hesitate either. He picked up his chopsticks and started eating eagerly.

Yun Lan moved her porridge to Lin Dong’s side, but he shook his head and pushed it back. “I’ll go get something good from the front yard.” Yun Lan nodded. As soon as Lin Dong turned around, the wind picked up again. Turning back, he saw Old Ding sitting on a stone bench as well. Lin Dong was stunned. He finally understood why the Divine Calculator valued his skills—his true intention wasn’t about the food after all. “Elder, when did you return?” Yun Lan, clearly aware that Lin Dong was still dazed and unprepared, broke the silence. “I wasn’t comfortable staying at Liu Xiu’s place, and the wine wasn’t good either. I came back after protecting his heart meridians,” Old Ding said, staring at Lin Dong calmly, making it clear: “Quickly get me a bowl of porridge too. Make it bigger, fill it with more porridge, and be more respectful.” Lin Dong regained his composure, ignoring Old Ding’s gaze, and smiled at the Divine Calculator. “Elder, do you need anything else? I’ll get it for you right away.” “It’s not enough. Go cook more porridge,” the Divine Calculator said leisurely. “Okay, I’ll go cook it now.” Lin Dong turned and strode toward the kitchen. Old Ding scratched his head, puzzled by Lin Dong’s lack of awareness. His attitude was quite clear—he was competing with the Divine Calculator. Just because he didn’t eat breakfast before didn’t mean he wouldn’t eat today! Why was Lin Dong ignoring him outright? Seeing that Lin Dong had already walked most of the way, Old Ding said loudly, “Young Lin, get me a pot too.” Lin Dong turned around and shook his head. “There isn’t enough rice in the kitchen.” “Cook as much as there is. I want it all,” Old Ding said, raising his eyebrows at the Divine Calculator in a somewhat provocative manner. “The rice in the kitchen is just enough for what the Divine Calculator needs,” Lin Dong replied, causing Old Ding’s raised eyebrows to furrow instantly. What did that mean? The Divine Calculator’s white eyebrows rose as well. “Shopkeeper Lin, add more dried radish.” “Sure, Elder, just a moment.” Lin Dong nodded. “I say, young Lin, what are you doing?” Old Ding was also confused. After all these years, how could he not know Lin Dong’s personality? The situation before him was truly baffling. “I’m not doing anything. Elder, please sit comfortably. I’ll go prepare breakfast for the Divine Calculator first.” Without waiting for Old Ding’s response, Lin Dong turned and headed straight to the kitchen. “Ding Tian, your apprentice is quite good!” The Divine Calculator stroked his snow-white beard and nodded in approval. “Polite, talented, and hardworking. I never thought you could find such a good apprentice.”

“That’s right. Unlike some people who have to bury what they’ve learned in a cave or at the bottom of a cliff, waiting for others to dig up their bones along with it.” Old Ding snorted, refusing to be outdone in words: “It’s just unknown whether, after the bones are dug up, they’ll be trampled to pieces as mere dead branches or obstacles.”
These words were far more vicious and explicit than those of the Oracle. How could the Oracle just give up? He retorted immediately, “It’s still better than some people who, after dying, are worth nothing in the eyes of their disciples. They have to find their own coffins, and even after thousands of years, if they encounter a worthy successor, they might get a few bows in respect. But if they’re worthless in their disciples’ eyes, they might be turned into soup that very night or thrown into a mass grave. If they hide some spiritual techniques and refuse to pass them on, it’s uncertain whether they can live out their days—maybe they’ll even be poisoned one day.”
“Then I must congratulate you. At least you’ve found a disciple with outstanding talent who deserves your masterhood and your status as a patriarch. Burying one’s life’s knowledge in a cave or at the bottom of a cliff is the most helpless option. Who knows if, even after a thousand years, no destined person will appear? By then, the spiritual arrays and traps you set will have failed, the bones might be taken away by wild beasts, and all the spiritual techniques you’ve learned could end up in those beasts’ stomachs…”
Old Ding sneered, “To disappoint one’s master and one’s status as a patriarch is a grave sin. Besides, having a destined person doesn’t mean they have talent. Spiritual techniques that should shock the world may end up forgotten after being learned by others, bringing shame even to the patriarch.”
The Oracle was speechless. His eloquence was far superior to Old Ding’s, and every time they clashed, he always managed to infuriate Old Ding, which was one of the reasons he won so often. But this time, he had nothing to say.
Generally speaking, peak experts who preferred to be alone rarely took disciples. Their strength didn’t decline with age, and they liked to roam the world freely without attachments. Yet they still needed a line of succession—at the very least, the spiritual techniques passed down by their patriarchs couldn’t be lost.
A successor!
This was the lifelong frustration of many solitary peak experts. After all, those with high talent would head to sects at a young age once their talent was discovered. Peak experts who preferred to travel alone often did so in search of successors, but most ended up with regrets. Although they could provide their disciples with better resources than large sects, no one would be foolish enough to wait for a elusive, invisible peak expert to discover their talent.

It was rare to see the Oracle left speechless, and Old Ding felt a sense of relief. He crossed his legs and leisurely enjoyed watching the Oracle’s expression.
“Porridge’s here!”
Lin Dong came over with a tray, instantly ruining Old Ding’s good mood.
The Oracle regained some strength and pointed ahead. When Lin Dong placed a large bowl of porridge down, the sucking sound grew even louder.
Old Ding couldn’t stand it anymore and muttered, “Eating like a pig—why not take it to your room? Why come here to embarrass yourself?”
The Oracle remained silent, the sucking sound growing so loud it could be heard twenty or thirty meters away.
“I say, young Lin, why don’t you go to the kitchen in the front yard and get some rice?” Old Ding glared at Lin Dong.
“Well… there’s no rice in the kitchen either,” Lin Dong said apologetically.
Pfft…
The Oracle couldn’t help but spit out some porridge.
“Be careful you don’t choke to death—no one’s here to bury you,” Old Ding snapped before standing up and vanishing in a flash. He realized that for some reason, young Lin was trying to work with the Oracle to suppress him. Staying here was just a way to suffer.
Old Ding’s room was only about twenty meters away from the stone table. For a peak-level warrior, even the sound of a mosquito couldn’t escape their ears. So even though Old Ding disappeared, the Oracle calmly replied, “Don’t worry. Manager Lin is hospitable. Even if you choke to death, he’ll surely prepare a fine coffin for me.”
Lin Dong breathed a sigh of relief. This morning could be considered over safely. No matter how unpleasant things were, conflicts could be avoided as long as one was careful during meals and stayed alert.
As Lin Dong had expected, the Oracle left before finishing his porridge. At noon, he came back, ordered a bunch of spiritual beasts and materials, and more than ten jars of fine wine, successfully angering Old Ding again. It was another round of tense exchanges, but thankfully, Yun Lan stepped in to defuse the situation. Old Ding also understood Lin Dong’s personality, so despite being angry, he didn’t lose his temper.
Ding: Congratulations on completing the upgrade task “Keep the customer who orders the most dishes each day to stay at the inn for three days.” The inn system has been upgraded to level 9, with an additional attribute storage room.
Three days later in the evening, just as Lin Dong had carried out the Oracle’s request by bringing out jars of fine wine and making a small hole at the bottom of each jar, a system notification suddenly appeared.
Finally, the inn system had been upgraded! The frustration of being caught between Old Ding and the Oracle was also gone.

Under the puzzled looks of the Divine Operator and Yun Lan, Lin Dong waved his fist, filled with joy.