Chapter 58: No Interest in Discipline the Younger Generation

Turning and entering the kitchen, Lin Dong saw the two chefs busy at work. He turned on a stove, thinking about what to have for lunch, when Slim Bamboo rushed in.
“Boss, Miss Bai wants you to see her.”
“Miss Bai?” Lin Dong looked puzzled.
“It’s the daughter of Boss Bai. Her name is Bai Qi, I think,” Slim Bamboo explained.
Realizing what was going on, Lin Dong waved his hand and said, “Find her an empty guest room and let me know which one once it’s done.”
Slim Bamboo stammered, “Miss Bai only asked you to meet her. She didn’t mention accommodation or meals.”
Impatiently, Lin Dong said, “Can’t you see I’m busy? If there’s something important, tell her to come to me.”
Slim Bamboo was at a loss. After hesitating for a moment, he said helplessly, “It’s better if you go in person, boss. I just said you were busy, and she already smashed our counter.”
Lin Dong’s expression darkened, and he left the kitchen without a word, hurrying into the lobby.
At the spot where the counter had been split in half, Bai Qi sat on a wooden stool, sipping tea calmly. Wang Liuze stood nearby with a tray in his hands, his face pale but too afraid to react.
Taking a deep breath to suppress his anger, Lin Dong approached the counter.
Bai Qi’s long eyelashes raised slightly as she recognized him. She placed her teacup on the tray, remained seated, and began fiddling with the red tassel on the sword at her waist.
“What do you want?” Lin Dong asked coldly.
“Come with me to the Gu Huan Sect,” Bai Qi said calmly.
Lin Dong understood. This girl shared Bai Jingtai’s idea—she wanted him to set up a Spirit Speed Array for her at the Gu Huan Sect. The difference was their attitudes: hers was utterly different from his. Judging from her expression, she wasn’t asking for his help out of respect but expecting him to beg for it.
“Xiao Liu, find someone to clean up the counter,” Lin Dong instructed Wang Liuze.
“Hmm!”
With the boss here, Wang Liuze wasn’t as timid as before. He glared fiercely at Bai Qi and handed the tray to Slim Bamboo who had followed him. “Go. Throw away the teacup and wash the tray several times.”
With a swift motion, Bai Qi stood up, drawing her long sword and pointing it at Wang Liuze. “Say that again!”
The customers nearby saw this and stood up, fearing they might get caught in the crossfire.
“It’s okay, it’s just a joke,” Lin Dong hurriedly interceded.
Although not all the customers were regulars, most knew that Boss Lin was known for his honesty. If he said it was a joke, it must be one. Hearing this, they relaxed and sat back down. A few regulars even couldn’t help but tease him lightly.

Lin Dong suppressed the urge to smite Bai Qi with a bench and said, “Your father has already discussed this with me. The Spirit Speed Array cannot be moved over too great a distance.”
“Are you lying to me?” Bai Qi finally raised her eyes to look at Lin Dong, filled with deep suspicion.
“The relationship between me and your father is not something you should doubt. If there’s nothing else, you may go now,” Lin Dong said patiently.
“No! You’re lying to me.” Bai Qi pointed her long sword at Lin Dong.
“Stab me with that sword, and I’ll go with you to the Gu Huan Sect,” Lin Dong said coldly.
Bai Qi was stunned, then grew disdainful. Just a slight gesture with her sword, and he was so frightened he couldn’t even speak clearly? She wondered what her father would think—just lucky enough to know how to set up the Spirit Speed Array. All that “Young Lin” nonsense was one thing, but now she even had to call him Uncle Lin.
Pulling out a stack of silver bills, she tossed them at Lin Dong impatiently and said, “Come with me now.”
Lin Dong glanced down and his anger subsided somewhat. Each bill was worth a hundred taels—roughly over a thousand taels in total.
He handed the silver bills to Wang Liuze, who was ready to fight, and said with a smile, “This is to compensate the inn.”
Wang Liuze glanced at the denomination of the top bill and also smiled.
There was no choice—the inn was extremely poor right now. A little humiliation was worth it for over a thousand taels.
“One more time, the Spirit Speed Array cannot be set up in the Gu Huan Sect. Believe it or not.” Having made over a thousand taels easily, Lin Dong didn’t bother provoking Bai Qi into attacking him. He added, “Out of respect for Brother Bai, I won’t hold grudges over small matters. But if you dare attack me, even Brother Bai’s respect won’t help you.”
Bai Qi finally understood what Lin Dong had meant. She was so angry her hands trembled, and she raised her sword again.
Lin Dong stared at her without blinking, not provoking her further. After all, even Tian Hao and Xiao Shuang were sent to teach others—he had no interest in disciplining Bai Jingtai’s daughter.
Bai Qi’s face turned pale and then blue. More than a month ago, when she left this Lin’s Inn, she swore she would never step back in. But now, in the Gu Huan Sect, as the sect master’s direct disciple, and with the sect master away, she had no choice but to make this trip herself.
As the sect master’s direct disciple, her status in the Gu Huan Sect was no less than that of a wealthy spirit stone merchant in the secular world. In the entire Gu Huan Sect, aside from a few elders and senior disciples, there was no one Bai Qi considered important.
Unlike the secular world, the pressure in the Gu Huan Sect was immense!

Although Bai Qi didn’t understand why the sect master, who had declared he would no longer take disciples, made an exception to accept her, she knew for sure it wasn’t because of her talent. But her fellow apprentices didn’t realize this. Upon learning that the sect master had made an exception to take her as a disciple, they all fawned over her. Bai Qi felt satisfied, but the constant flattery about her astonishing talent, enough to make the sect master break rules, brought considerable pressure as well.

Talent might not be evident in the short term, but if she couldn’t reach the eighth level of the Lingdong Phase within a year or two, she couldn’t afford to lose face.

After struggling for a while, she sheathed her long sword and said resentfully, “Arrange a guest room with a Lingsu Array for me.”

Lin Dong nodded at the thin bamboo pole. “Let me know once it’s arranged. It’ll cost 100 taels of silver per day.”

Unhappy, Bai Qi was about to scold Lin Dong for his attitude when Tian Hao and Xiao Shuang entered through the back door, chatting and laughing, which stunned her.

“Hei Tan? How did you end up here too?”

“Hello, uncle!” Tian Hao replied casually.

“What’s that attitude of yours?” Bai Qi glared at Tian Hao and snapped, “Didn’t I ask you to catch some monkeys from the back mountain for me last time? Why haven’t you brought them back yet?”

Tian Hao grunted, too lazy to respond. Of all people in the Gu Huan Sect, he hated this person the most.

“I wonder how the third senior brother trained you. You have no manners at all. When I get back, I’ll make sure he gives you a good lesson,” Bai Qi said unhappily.

Tian Hao grew angry. If not for Xiao Tianchi’s repeated orders not to cause trouble, his fiery temper would have made him want to teach Bai Qi a lesson long ago. Hearing this, he clenched his fists, stepped forward, and said firmly, “Say that again and see.”

“Brother, Dad’s here!” Lin Shuang gently pulled at Tian Hao’s sleeve.

Tian Hao froze, realizing Lin Dong was right beside them. He instantly deflated like a punctured balloon, losing all his earlier confidence. Compared to Xiao Tianchi, Lin Dong’s authority seemed a hundred or even a thousand times greater to him. Not to mention hitting someone in front of him—even if bullied severely, he couldn’t even afford to show anger.

Lin Dong smiled, strode over to the siblings, put one arm around each of them, and said, “We’re having dumplings for lunch. All go help in the kitchen.”

“Okay!” they replied eagerly.

Under Bai Qi’s furious gaze as they went to the backyard, Tian Hao still felt uneasy and whispered, “Dad, she was the one who called me uncivilized first.”

“If I dare call you Black Charcoal or bully you again, I’ll sneak attack her at night. Remember, don’t reveal your identity, and don’t go too hard—just keep her bedridden for a few months. After all, she’s the daughter of that Uncle Bai who used to visit the inn every year.” Lin Dong rubbed Tianhao’s head. If it weren’t for not wanting Bai Qi to know Tianhao’s strength, he would have definitely not stopped them.

The two younger ones were fighting, and since Bai Qi couldn’t win, it was her fault.

“Huh?”

Tianhao widened his eyes, skeptical that he heard correctly. His father actually allowed him to fight? And said that keeping someone bedridden for a few months wasn’t going too hard?

Lin Dong smiled and changed the subject. “Why did you call her ‘uncle’ just now?”

Tianhao hurriedly explained, “The eldest master said that being too prominent attracts attention, so he told me to call the third senior brother ‘master’ in front of outsiders.”

Lin Dong nodded. As long as Tianhao didn’t have the real strength to protect himself, having him stay low-key in the Gu Huan Sect was exactly as Xiao Tianchi had expected.

Over by the side, Lin Shuang said excitedly, “Dad, the new inn seems to be doing very well! If I had known, we could have just built a big restaurant.”

“It’s not that easy. They’re just ordinary customers.”

Lin Dong smiled briefly. After walking a few steps, he suddenly stopped.

When it came to business, Lin Shuang was a real little genius. With no customers on the second floor, who knew what methods she might come up with.