Chapter 18: Walking Into a Trap

After packing up and moving the tables and stools closer to the counter, Lin Dong was worried that someone with ulterior motives might still be in the academy, so he took Lin Shuang back to the inn to stay. Yun Lan led the white horse they rode, while Lin Dong led Lin Shuang; the three left the academy. At the entrance, Fu Zizhou and Liu Shun were whispering on their horses.
When they saw the three coming out, Fu Zizhou glanced at Lin Dong and his daughter, frowning slightly. Liu Shun, on the other hand, ignored them entirely and called out from afar, “Miss Yun Lan, we’re here.”
The three continued walking, and when they reached them, Yun Lan stopped, and Lin Dong also halted.
Liu Shun glanced at Lin Dong and his daughter and said with a smile, “Miss Yun Lan, how come you’re with them?”
Yun Lan glanced at Liu Shun and kept walking, leading her horse forward.
“Liu Shun, go to the inn first and prepare the food and drinks,” Fu Zizhou said with a wave.
“Hmm!” Liu Shun spurred his horse and rushed off.
“Yun Lan, get on the horse! We’ve been out all day—no idea if the staff took good care of the Silver Rabbit. We should head back soon,” Fu Zizhou said loudly.
“You go ahead!” Yun Lan shook her head.
Fu Zizhou’s expression changed as his gaze swept over Lin Dong and his daughter. A hint of coldness flashed in his eyes. He simply couldn’t understand how someone as noble as Yun Lan could get along with ordinary people.
“The sunset, a ride at dusk—this too is a delightful pastime.”
Getting off his horse, Fu Zizhou quickly regained his composed demeanor. He smiled a few times, quickened his pace, and caught up to Yun Lan, leading his horse.
The four of them returned to the inn. Liu Shun was giving orders to a young boy around his age, Liu Xiu, to replace the cooled food and drinks. Seeing Fu Zizhou return with a displeased look, he didn’t dare ask too much and quickly invited them to sit down.
After taking Lin Shuang to the back yard, Lin Dong started preparing dinner. Once the girl happily returned to her room after fiddling with the abacus beads for a while, he closed the door and began practicing cultivation.
After calculating the right time, he rented a carriage early in the morning to take Lin Shuang to Qiushui Academy. Once the tea stall opened, Lin Dong sat on a stool, leaning against a pillar in the corner just as he had the previous day, closing his eyes to rest.
In a half-asleep state, a faint fragrance reached his nose. Lin Dong smiled, didn’t greet Yun Lan, and took several deep breaths of the refreshing air, continuing to enjoy this rare moment of peace.
Day three, day four, day five… Time passed leisurely by. Even the most exciting events eventually come to an end. Perhaps sensing the emptiness after the excitement, Lin Dong opened his eyes and stretched vigorously.

Looking back, in the teahouse, Lin Shuang was directing the chubby boy to have people clean up the tables, chairs, and leftover food.
“Xiao Shuang, how’s business?”
“Not bad. There’s only a few hundred coins’ worth of food left,” Lin Shuang replied.
Lin Dong was surprised. The little girl didn’t seem very happy. He stood up and said with a smile, “Has the little money-grubber become more steady after making a big deal?”
Lin Shuang forced a smile before shaking her head.
“What’s wrong?” Lin Dong frowned and walked into the teahouse.
“All twenty spots for the elite candidates have been assigned, and none of them are from our Qiushui Academy,” Lin Shuang said sadly.
Lin Dong fell silent. He hadn’t expected the little girl to have such a strong sense of collective honor!
“It’s all that bastard’s fault. If he hadn’t caused trouble, how could Zhou Zhengye only get ten points in both magic and archery?” The chubby boy clenched his fist angrily. “Next time I see him, I’ll beat him half to death.”
“It’s my fault too. If I hadn’t asked Zhou Zhengye to play the zither in the teahouse, we wouldn’t have met that Dou Changkun.” Tears welled up in Lin Shuang’s eyes.
Lin Dong sighed, rubbed her head, and comforted her, “That Dou Changkun deliberately looked for Zhou Zhengye. Even if they weren’t in the teahouse, he would have found him elsewhere.”
“But…”
Before Lin Shuang could argue further, Lin Dong changed the subject. “Even if only Zhou Zhengye from Qiushui Academy can score points, doesn’t that still count as ten points? How are the extra points determined?”
“The academies with extra points combine them and draw lots to decide. Qiushui Academy has twenty-eight points, so they can draw twenty-eight times. It’s a pity they didn’t win,” Lin Shuang said, sniffling with regret.
“What bad luck!” Lin Dong smiled and glanced at the food on the table. “What do you plan to do with the rest?”
Lin Shuang asked for advice, “I was thinking of taking it back to my dormitory and selling it to my classmates. Is that okay?”
“Of course. But you can only sell it during breaks,” Lin Dong nodded.
“Does that mean I can do business at the academy from now on?” Lin Shuang asked, eyes wide.
Lin Dong agreed, “You still need to learn the Seven Arts. That’s your biggest business right now.”
“Mm-hmm!” Lin Shuang nodded eagerly, her tearful eyes filled with joy.
“Alright, let’s go home. Leave the stuff to the chubby boy to sort out. I’ll bring you back tomorrow.”
Lin Dong looked at Zhang Heng, who was nodding eagerly, and said with a smile, “Chubby boy, thank you for helping. When you go home, tell Master Zhang to come to the inn when he’s free. I’ll host a banquet to apologize to him.”

Chubby Zhang opened his mouth wide, not knowing what to say for a moment. Lin Dong didn’t explain further; he believed that once these words reached Zhang, the latter would understand his meaning. Tianhao had gone to Gu Huanzong, leaving the little girl alone at Qiushui Academy, where she was also boarding. As long as Chubby Zhang was willing to step in and help her when she encountered trouble, Lin Dong had no objection to making friends with him and was also willing to ask Xiao Tianchi if there were any suitable business opportunities for Zhang at Gu Huanzong. “Yunlan, how about you take the little girl back?” Lin Dong glanced at Yunlan, whose white robes fluttered like those of a fairy descending from heaven. Yunlan hesitated for a moment before nodding. “Alright, Xiaoshuang. After being tired for so many days, you can ride Sister Yunlan’s white horse home today.” Lin Dong grinned mischievously and said, “Remember to hide the silver first when you get home—sixty or seventy taels. If it goes missing, don’t blame your father for being greedy.” “Ah!” The little girl screamed and clutched her money bag tightly to her chest. Smiling, Lin Dong watched the two leave. After pushing the tables and stools behind the movable counter, he stepped into the large playground under the setting sun for the first time. The crowd was still slowly dispersing. After walking around four or five times, as darkness fell and only a hundred or so students from Qiushui Academy remained in the playground, Lin Dong rubbed his nose in frustration. After asking around, he learned that students from other academies lived in Xilan City, so he had no choice but to leave Qiushui Academy. Ten miles wasn’t too long nor too short. By the time he returned to the inn, a crescent moon already hung in the sky. “Owner, you’re back?” In the hall, Liu Xiu, who was wiping the tables, hurried over to greet him. “Dinner has been prepared in the kitchen.” “Mm!” Lin Dong glanced at the empty hall and said, “Call Xiao Liu over first.” “I’ll go find Brother Liu right away. Should I bring the food too?” “Sure!” Lin Dong went to find a table and sat down. Before long, Wang Liuzhi entered the hall from the back yard. “Owner, did you call for me?” Lin Dong nodded sternly and said, “Take some people to various inns in Xilan City and ask around to see if we can find out which inn the students from Tianbao Academy are staying at.” “I’ll go right now!” Wang Liuzhi didn’t ask further and turned to go back to the back yard to get people. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a young man entering with a heavy gift box and a bandage on his head, so he turned back and asked, “Sir, would you like to stay at the inn or have dinner?” “Is Young Master Liu here?” The young man casually took out a silver ingot and tossed it to Wang Liuzhi. “Young Master Liu?” Wang Liuzhi looked at the young man carefully and suddenly realized who he was. Nodding, he said, “Oh, it’s you! Young Master Liu returned to the inn early this morning.”

“Here, for you.” The young man immediately grabbed the gift box and strode toward the wooden ladder, completely unaware of Lin Dong standing nearby.
“Who is Lord Liu?” Lin Dong asked calmly, staring at the end of the stairs.
“Lord Liu is the one living in the second room on the east side,” Wang Liuzhi replied, remembering that Lin Dong rarely went upstairs. “He’s the one with a bookboy, waving a folding fan, good-looking, and often boiling medicine in the back yard.”
“Fu Zizhou?” Lin Dong frowned. “Has this man been to the inn before?”
“He came by a few days ago at night. He was quite generous, so I remember him.”
“Call Thin Bamboo and Triangle Eye. After he goes downstairs, follow him secretly, break one of his legs, then come back to the back yard to see me,” Lin Dong said firmly. “I don’t need to explain how to do it, right?”
Wang Liuzhi grinned. “It’s dark and windy. Just pull a sack over his head. As long as he doesn’t speak, he’ll never figure out who attacked him.”
Lin Dong stood up smiling, gave Wang Liuzhi a thumbs up, then headed to the back yard.