Chapter 77: Obtaining the Heavenly Realm

After waiting for two days and searching every pharmacy inNew Zealand City as well as all the doctors, Lin Dong was somewhat disappointed. Out of the 27 pharmacies and over 30 doctors in the city, only the owners of two pharmacies had heard of the precious material known as Maple Tree Leaves. When asked where to find it, they suggested going to Qiufeng Mansion. With no other choice, Lin Dong sent someone to Qiufeng Mansion. Even if there were no delays, the round trip would still take at least half a month. Fortunately, another good news arrived just in time—Ma Chun returned from the capital, bringing along a small iron box. Inside the box was a small pot of century-old Jade Dew, worth over 3,000 silver taels. As the night grew dark and the stars shone brightly outside, Lin Dong calmed Ma Chun down and told him to rest. Then, he opened the inn system, retrieved the Formula of the Wine King, and set the small wine pot to double the enhancement in flavor, aroma, and taste before closing it. Shaking the pot, the crisp sound was enticing. Smiling, Lin Dong opened the door and headed straight to Old Ding’s room. After knocking a few times, Old Ding’s complaining voice came through: “You know I never lock the door. Can’t you give up this bad habit of knocking?” Without responding, Lin Dong pushed the door open and entered. The room was dim, but with the light from outside and his improved eyesight from practicing martial arts, he could see Old Ding lying in bed still dressed. Swinging his legs, which were propped on the wooden railing at the foot of the bed, Old Ding lazily asked, “What do you want from me in the middle of the night?” “I want the incantations and exercise diagrams for the Heavenly Realm from you,” Lin Dong replied, shaking the wine pot again. As soon as his hand went empty, Old Ding appeared in front of Lin Dong like a ghost, already holding the pot of Jade Dew. Opening the lid, a faint fragrance spread out, giving Lin Dong a refreshing feeling he couldn’t describe. Old Ding took a deep breath, then carefully closed the lid again. His wrinkled face showed unmistakable excitement. “It’s been over 20 years. I thought I’d never get to taste thousand-year Jade Dew again. Who would have thought…” Although Lin Dong was upset that the old man was too absorbed in his joy to mention anything about the Heavenly Realm, he said nothing. He sat down at the desk and waited quietly. Carrying the wine pot, Old Ding walked outside. Looking up at the starry sky, he realized that after more than 20 years, he could finally fulfill his long-held wish.

After a long while, Old Ding carefully tucked the wine pot against his chest, walked over to the bed, flipped up the wooden pillow, and took out a neatly stacked pile of rice paper from beneath it, then flicked it out casually. The rice paper glided slowly through the air, leaving a trail of white light, and landed precisely on the desk. “That’s enough. Stop staying here and sniffing at my thousand-year-old Jade Dew!” Old Ding waved his hand. “No rush!” Lin Dong placed the Diagram of the Heavenly Realm and the Energy Control Chart on the mobile counter, then let out a long sigh. After waiting so long, he had finally obtained the Diagram of the Heavenly Realm. “Anything else?” Old Ding glared. “There’s nothing good left in this old head of mine.” Lin Dong smiled in a way that made Old Ding feel somewhat sinister. “I just want to talk to you about the rent, food, and drink expenses from now on.” Old Ding’s mouth twitched. He finally understood why he had felt tricked during their last conversation about the Jade Dew. Glaring at Lin Dong, he snapped, “You turn on me as soon as you get the Diagram of the Heavenly Realm? No one behaves like that!” Lin Dong shook his head with a smile. “Though I’m just the owner of a small inn, I still know what integrity means. I promised to provide you with food, drink, and shelter until you finish writing down the mantras and the Energy Control Chart—haven’t I kept that promise? I even assigned the best staff member in the inn to serve you personally. Now that the mantras and the chart are here, our agreement naturally comes to an end, right?” Old Ding was speechless. “I’m just the owner of a small inn. I barely make a few hundred coins a day by being meticulous with my expenses. How could I possibly keep providing you with free food, drink, and shelter? It’s only fair to discuss the costs for food, drink, and lodging, right?” Lin Dong said with a smile. “Of course, you can use force. What’s a small inn owner compared to a peak warrior? They could crush me with a single slap.” Old Ding was amused yet exasperated. “It sounds like you’re in a worse situation than an old man about to be kicked out.” Lin Dong retorted bluntly, “That’s the truth.” “Alright, alright, it’s all truth.” Old Ding waved his hand impatiently. “Go on! What else do you want?” Lin Dong replied immediately, “Everything as before—free food, drink, and service. Stay in the inn for at least five years. The only thing you need to do is help out when the inn faces serious trouble.” “Five years? You really dare to ask for that.” Old Ding snapped. “Your wine may be good, but I’m not used to staying in one place all the time.” After a brief pause, Lin Dong said firmly, “You can go out whenever you want to relax, as long as it doesn’t exceed three months a year.”

Elder Ding was somewhat tempted. He would have good food and wine every day, and if he got bored, he could go out at any time to enjoy free meals again. The only downside might be having to move around a bit, but it was still no loss at all! After thinking it over carefully, Elder Ding still shook his head. He already had a good impression of Lin Dong from the first time he enjoyed free food; otherwise, he would have left long ago. If he wanted good wine, he could just go back to the inn’s lobby and sit there—refusing would mean not leaving. Young Yun had already gone back, so who could stop him from enjoying free meals? “I only have half a year left to live. I haven’t encountered a single problem in this inn, and you’ve supported me at no cost for half a year.” “It’s great if there are no problems. As for half a year…” Lin Dong said nonchalantly, “I have a feeling you’ll live much longer.” Elder Ding laughed bitterly. “Young man, let me tell you the truth! I have a very powerful enemy. Even if Yun Cangqiong manages to come and save me within half a year, it will take at least a decade for me to fully recover my strength. Once that enemy finds us here, if I’m at my peak, it’s not a problem. But if we meet face to face within ten years, I doubt I’ll be able to escape, let alone take you with me.” Lin Dong was confident that his biggest concern was Elder Ding not wanting to stay due to such constraints. Without that worry, no problem would truly be a problem. There’s always a trade-off—just a strong enemy. The braised Wind Spirit Grass could fully heal Elder Ding’s injuries. If that enemy found the inn, with the inn’s defensive system in place, there might even be a chance to eliminate that enemy for Elder Ding. Ding: The inn is under heavy attack. Please prepare for defense. Ding: The inn is under… The urgent system alerts made Lin Dong jump up in alarm. He had set the alert threshold very high—only an alarm would trigger if defense value dropped by more than 0.1 per minute, except when someone sneaked in. 0.1 of defense value was enough to equal the damage caused by an ordinary person swinging a sword hundreds of times at the inn. “What’s wrong?” Elder Ding asked, puzzled. Lin Dong quickly accessed the inn’s system and felt slightly relieved. Although the defense value was dropping, the rate was only slightly above the alert threshold. Checking the inn’s map, there were no intruders, meaning they must be outside. “There’s a problem. I’ll go take a look!” With that, Lin Dong strode out of the room, using his Mysterious Step to flash across the wall in an instant.