Chapter 6: Emperor Gu Huanzong

Bang!
The sturdy bench shattered into pieces upon hitting Zhang Yuanwai’s head, sending him flying toward the counter. With a muffled groan, he fell silent.
The hall was dead quiet. Zhang Yuanwai’s servants stared blankly at Lin Dong, who had also been there when their master inquired about this Lin manager. How could such a person be normal? If he could even let a clerk ride on his head to defecate, he was nothing but a good-for-nothing.
Well! A good-for-nothing had attacked someone—someone who had arrived full of confidence just moments before.
The servants were stunned, unable to think straight. Miraculously, they didn’t know what to do!
Not much better off were Wang Liuzhi and his five men. The manager’s swing with the bench was brutal. In the streets, such ferocity alone would be enough to build an empire, let alone the fact that it could send a living person flying.
“Bro, is that our dad?” Lin Shuang gently nudged Lin Tianhao and asked foolishly, “Why do I hear him cursing and attacking people?”
Lin Tianhao wasn’t sure either. “It seems so…”
“He hit me and destroyed my shop. Does he really think I’m an easy target?”
Lin Dong swung the remaining leg of the bench. Bang! One of the servants collapsed, blood spraying from the back of his head.
“Grab weapons!”
Wang Liuzhi, ignoring his own wounds, saw his boss fighting alone and grabbed half of the table surface, charging forward. In the blink of an eye, the sound of clashing weapons filled the air, shaking the dust from the ceiling beams.
The battle wasn’t long. Though the servants were trained, their skills were limited. They couldn’t stand up to someone as ruthless as Lin Dong, especially since Lin Dong also possessed the strength of the first level of the Lingdong phase.
By the time everyone except Wang Liuzhi and the others were lying on the ground groaning, Lin Dong tossed the now blood-stained bench leg aside and clapped his hands. “Search them for anything valuable.”
Wang Liuzhi and his five men trembled with excitement. Winning against thirteen with just six was incredible—what could be more satisfying than that? Nothing!
It took them a while to collect all the loot: one jade pendant, one jade ring, ten taels of silver, and fifty-six coins. The pendant and ring were worth at least ten taels each, totaling more than a month’s worth of income for the inn. The only expenses were a couple of taels for the benches and the medical costs for Wang Liuzhi and the others. With such a good haul, Lin Dong’s mood improved, and he waved his hand.

“Throw them all out, far away, so as not to disrupt business. Then… sell the jade pendant and ring and replace the tables and chairs.”
“Sure!”
Wang Liuze and the others didn’t care about their injuries; they were all excited as if injected with adrenaline. Just some minor local rich guy, and he dared to mess with our boss?
They usually didn’t bother the wealthy, and even if they did, they weren’t afraid. If they couldn’t beat them, they’d create some obstacles in their business to see who could withstand it.
Besides, there was a boss even more fierce than bandits behind them, and behind that boss was a genius destined to become a sect leader or elder in a major sect.
Wang Liuze and the others now held great respect for this boss with clear principles. When Lin Dong said to throw them far away, they carried them to another street before stopping.
Some cleaned the main hall, while others went to buy tables and chairs. Seeing the clear division of labor among the five, Lin Dong didn’t interfere further and went back to the backyard to eat.
The two kids were busy eating when Lin Dong returned. Lin Shuang turned her round black eyes and asked with concern, “Dad, what happened outside?”
Lin Dong couldn’t help but laugh. This girl actually had potential for acting.
Sitting down on a stool and taking a bite of food, Lin Dong thought for a moment before asking, “Tianhao, besides Dean Fu knowing about your talent, is there anyone else who knows?”
Lin Tianhao scratched his head and thought for a long time before shaking his head.
“Have you ever faced an opponent who required you to use all your strength to defeat?” Lin Dong asked again.
Lin Tianhao glanced at Lin Dong’s expression timidly and replied carefully, “That Zhong Xuechao is very strong. It took me over half an hour to knock him down.”
Lin Dong nodded. “Who else was there at that time?”
“Just the two of us. Dean Fu found out later.” Lin Tianhao felt guilty. He only learned later that his father had knelt for half an hour and taken two slaps before things settled.
Lin Dong frowned. Being defeated by a child, Zhong Xuechao surely had no face to talk about it. Fu Chunjian wanted to keep Tianhao in the academy and wouldn’t reveal this matter. The reason he told the former boss was simply because Tianhao was fearless except for the former boss, and the former boss was used to restrain Tianhao from causing trouble everywhere.
“By the way, that Zhong Xuechao also brought a few guards,” Lin Tianhao suddenly remembered.
The clouds in Lin Dong’s mind cleared instantly. It must be that Gu Huanzong accidentally learned about it from those guards.
After lunch, fearing that Gu Huanzong might secretly abduct people, Lin Dong told the two kids not to go outside in the afternoon before returning to his room to practice.

It was only five days, not yet the ten days Lin Dong had planned. A knock at the door sounded.
“Boss, someone is here to see you,” came the voice of the man with triangular eyes from outside.
His cultivation was interrupted, but fortunately, there was still dinner to prepare. He hadn’t intended to cultivate for a full cycle anyway. Lin Dong opened the door and asked, “Who is it?”
“A little old man. He just said he has good news to discuss with you,” the man with triangular eyes replied, shaking his head.
Lin Dong’s heart stirred, but he retracted his right leg.
“Bring him to the courtyard!”
The man with triangular eyes rushed off, and Lin Dong returned to his room, grabbed a teapot, and took two teacups before sitting down at the stone table on the right side of the courtyard.
A moment later, the man with triangular eyes led in a short, elderly man in a coarse cloth robe, over sixty years old. With messy hair, tangled beard, dark skin, and dull little eyes, the old man looked disheveled.
Lin Dong frowned. Had he guessed wrong? Was this not someone from the Gu Huan Sect?
After the man with triangular eyes left, the old man clasped his hands together and said, “Congratulations! The leader of our Gu Huan Sect heard that Boss Lin is kind and honest, a well-known good person in Xilan City. He decides to come and meet you in person in a few days. I wonder if Boss Lin is willing to receive him?”
“Unwilling!” Lin Dong suddenly stood up. They had tried that trick before—pretending to meet a talented person by chance and then taking them as a disciple. Did they really think others were fools?
The old man’s gaze paused. His small green eyes shifted as he sat down on the stone bench, poured himself a cup of tea, took a few sips, and then smiled bitterly as Lin Dong grew impatient.
“Boss Lin, you’re very different from what I heard!”
Lin Dong refilled the old man’s teacup and smiled. “What’s your surname?”
The old man replied helplessly, “I’m Xiao Tianchi, the leader of the Gu Huan Sect.”
Lin Dong was stunned and began to examine the old man closely.
Xiao Tianchi smiled. “Don’t I look like him?”
Who would dare impersonate the leader of the Gu Huan Sect? Lin Dong smiled. “It’s the first time I’ve judged someone by appearance. I hope Lord Xiao won’t mind.”
“Boss Lin is quite eloquent!” Xiao Tianchi said sincerely.
“Let’s get straight to the point!” Lin Dong said bluntly.
Xiao Tianchi nodded, fell silent for a moment, then slowly said, “When Inspector Zhong came to inspect Qiushui Academy, he brought several guards. One of those guards is brothers with a disciple from our sect. That disciple went home for a visit over ten days ago and heard a funny joke. It said that a teenage boy alone defeated Inspector Zhong, who was at the eighth level of the Lingdong stage.”

After a pause, Xiao Tianchi continued, “After overhearing this joke by chance, perhaps out of desperation, I actually went down the mountain to Qiushui Academy. While the little boy was sleeping, I sneaked around and investigated, which almost made me cry with joy. I found out everything about the boy’s family. It happened that Zhang Yuanwai, who has some connections with the Gu Huan Sect, also has a son studying at Qiushui Academy. To keep Fu Chunjian in the dark and to get you to agree to let Tianhao join our Gu Huan Sect, I staged this whole thing.”

Lin Dong remained silent, weighing the pros and cons in his mind.

“I thought this plan was foolproof. Who would have thought that Shopkeeper Lin is so hidden and not at all as timid as the rumors suggest?” Xiao Tianchi sighed. “What’s even more unbelievable is that Shopkeeper Lin could deduce from just Zhang Yuanwai that the Gu Huan Sect is eyeing your Tianhao.”

Lin Dong dismissed it as unimportant. “With Tianhao’s talent, even the strongest warriors would fight to have him. Why would he want to join the Gu Huan Sect?”

Xiao Tianchi’s green eyes sparkled. “I wonder if the Gu Huan Sect has any role where Shopkeeper Lin could be useful?”

Lin Dong laughed. Though this old man didn’t look impressive, he could guess from just a few words that Lin intended to have Tianhao join the Gu Huan Sect—he was truly a sly old fox!

Tianhao was naturally dull but brave and fierce. With such a shrewd mentor by his side, he should change a lot.

Lin Dong replied calmly, “Many!”

Xiao Tianchi sighed inwardly. This meant Lin was waiting for him to volunteer himself, intending to discuss terms only after confirming that Tianhao having joined the Gu Huan Sect would be promising.

After some thought, Xiao Tianchi spoke up, “I took over as sect leader twenty years ago from my predecessor. In terms of talent, I’m the worst among my peers. In terms of kinship, out of the thirteen disciples of the former sect leader, I’m just one of his nephews. The reason the sect leader position fell to me was because he believed I was the only one who could develop the Gu Huan Sect into a great force. Unfortunately, he failed to consider the consequences of keeping me in that position.”

Xiao Tianchi said with emotion, “It took me eighteen years to conquer all the elders and truly unite the Gu Huan Sect.”

“Eighteen years? That’s quite long!” Lin Dong said leisurely.

Xiao Tianchi glared with his green eyes. “Strength reigns supreme, especially in a sect.”

“True!” Lin Dong nodded. If someone doesn’t obey, just use fists to make them behave. If your fists aren’t stronger, expecting them to pledge loyalty willingly is indeed troublesome.

“A small sect wants to grow and thrive—things like unity among members and staying low-key go without saying. The most important thing is the strength of its disciples, with the top priority being having at least one naturally gifted prodigy among them. This is a world where strength reigns supreme. Only a powerful sect leader can attract more talented disciples to join and avoid being coveted by other sects. If it’s a peak-level expert, they can easily establish a sect and grow it into a large one.”

Xiao Tianchi said softly, “Tianhao’s talent is beyond doubt, but his personality is a bit of a headache.”

Lin Dong smiled and said, “If I were confident I could teach Tianhao well, why would I let him become your disciple? No matter how you teach him, I have just two requirements: schemes are okay, but don’t scheme all the time. And second, you can endure being bullied for a while, but not forever.”

Xiao Tianchi suddenly stood up, overjoyed, and said, “So you agree to let Tianhao be my disciple?”

Lin Dong nodded. “On the condition that you convince President Fu to allow Tianhao to join the Guhuan Sect.”

“Alright!” Xiao Tianchi gritted his teeth. Although this task was a bit difficult, as long as he could bring Tianhao into the Guhuan Sect, even the biggest problems would seem trivial.

“Alright, after convincing President Fu, come and pick him up!” Lin Dong stood up, ready to see him off.

“No other conditions?” Xiao Tianchi was somewhat incredulous. If Lin Dong really asked for half of the Guhuan Sect, he would agree without hesitation. He believed that with Lin Dong’s intelligence, he should also realize how important Tianhao was to the Guhuan Sect.

“The Guhuan Sect will eventually belong to Tianhao. There’s no need to compete with him for it. Besides, I prefer mutual benefit in my dealings. Whenever I need the Guhuan Sect’s help, I’ll naturally offer something in return.”

Lin Dong originally wanted to mention Bai Qi, Bai Jingtai’s daughter, but decided against it. If Bai Qi really couldn’t meet even the minimum requirements, her entry into the Guhuan Sect would surely arouse suspicion among the disciples. They would likely discover Bai Jingtai’s relationship with him and then connect it to Tianhao.

If that happened, Tianhao would undoubtedly become the most prominent disciple in the Guhuan Sect. A big tree attracts attention, and having a group of ulterior-motived peers around him would surely have a significant impact on Tianhao’s character and growth.

Anyway, Bai Jingtai was already trying to buy some Tongjing Dan from the Liu family. Even if he didn’t succeed, the inn would upgrade in half a month, giving him double cultivation benefits, which was no worse than that Tongjing Dan.

As for whether Tianhao should enter the Gu Huan Sect as the heir of the sect leader or as an ordinary disciple, Fu Chunjian knew they needed to keep a low profile. Lin Dong believed that Xiao Tianchi, that old fox, must have been prepared for this long ago.
To be honest, the main reason Lin Dong agreed to let Tianhao join the Gu Huan Sect was that he wasn’t confident he could teach him well. After all, he was just a little over twenty himself, with no useful experience from his predecessor. He was still figuring out how to be a person—how could he teach an eleven-year-old boy?
In Lin Dong’s eyes, the difference between the Gu Huan Sect and the larger sects lay only in the quality of their spiritual techniques. As for resources for training heirs… once the inn reached level three or five, which large sect could match its training advantages?
Although the Gu Huan Sect’s spiritual techniques were inferior to those of the larger sects, it had an advantage in that its sect leader, Xiao Tianchi, satisfied Lin Dong greatly. Moreover, the Gu Huan Sect wasn’t far from the inn, so Tianhao could return often, and any issues with his character could be corrected in time.
After sending Xiao Tianchi to the main hall, Lin Dong was stunned—the counter was completely crowded. It didn’t seem like they were there to cause trouble.
After sending Xiao Tianchi away, Lin Dong quickly brought Liu Hao over to ask what was going on. It turned out they were there to complain to Wang Liuze.
The people involved were vendors and shop owners from Shi Bei Street. A new gang leader had taken over Shi Bei Street, and the first to suffer were the vendors who had to pay protection money every day.
The protection fee had risen fivefold to five coins per day, and if they refused to pay, their shops would be smashed. The vendors, too angry to speak out, had no choice but to turn to Wang Liuze. The shop owners, likely having heard that the protection fee would increase fivefold starting the first day of the next month, also joined in the commotion.
With a even more ruthless “vampire” appearing, they regarded the previous one as a savior?
Amused yet exasperated, Lin Dong not only became more determined to let Wang Liuze and his five men return to the street but also planned to go a step further.
Honest gangsters like You Lao San would surely welcome the return of the original street vendors and shops!
Running an inn, once business thrived, would inevitably attract the envy of other inns or restaurants. Having a obedient gang leader would definitely be of great help.