Chapter 78: Arson

Running swiftly along the back courtyard wall, when he reached the front of the inn, the sight that greeted his eyes filled Lin Dong with rage. The inn’s doors were completely engulfed in raging flames, and even from over ten meters away, he could feel the scorching heat, along with a faint smell of alcohol.
Gritting his teeth, Lin Dong was relieved that the defense system was preventing the fire from spreading. Otherwise, with alcohol fueling the flames, the entire inn would have turned to ashes in no time.
Scanning the empty street, he frowned—there was no sign of the arsonist.
Thud!
Two dark figures appeared in front of him. Upon closer inspection, they were two burly men curled up.
“It’s said it was the young master of the Liu family who sent them to set the fire,” Old Ding’s voice came from beside him.
Lin Dong nodded slightly. “Elder, can you put out the fire?”
“That’s simple!” Old Ding’s sleeve swelled suddenly, and as he swung his right arm, a cool breeze blew out.
In an instant, the breeze reached the flames, extinguishing them all. In the blink of an eye, the entire door returned to its original state. If not for the faint smell of alcohol lingering in the air, it would have seemed as if nothing had happened.
“How did you do that?” Lin Dong was astonished.
“To avoid damaging the door, one needs to master spiritual energy and techniques skillfully. As for putting out the fire, didn’t I give you the Wind Palm Technique?” Old Ding replied lazily. “I’m curious—what kind of wood is this door made of? It’s been burning for quite some time, yet there aren’t any signs of damage at all.”
Lin Dong realized he couldn’t explain what kind of wood it was. He certainly couldn’t say it would never break unless its defense value was exhausted… After thinking for a moment, he simply smiled mysteriously and said, “Secret!”
Old Ding almost spat blood. Waving his sleeve, he said, “If nothing else, I’m going back to sleep.”
“We haven’t finished discussing this! I agree. No matter if they’re strong opponents or not, there’s no reason to give up.”
“Have you made up your mind?” Old Ding asked seriously.
Lin Dong also became serious and nodded. “I’ve made up my mind!”
“I’m going back to sleep,” Old Ding said, changing his mind abruptly. Yawning, he vanished like a ghost in an instant.
Lin Dong wanted to call out to the old man; he even raised his hand, but decided against it. The old man’s strength was terrifying—he should be kept as the inn’s ultimate trump card. Using him for trivial matters was like using a sledgehammer to crack an egg, or even worse.
Glancing at the two burly men, still unconscious and curled up like shrimp, Lin Dong grabbed them one on each side and quickly returned to the back courtyard. After throwing them inside, he climbed over the wall to enter.

It was rather unfair to wake Wang Liuze and the others in the middle of the night, so Lin Dong had no choice but to take matters into his own hands. He found two ropes, tied them tightly around the men, covered their mouths, and brought them back to the room. Having their home set on fire, they surely wouldn’t just give up easily. Lin Dong glared at the two of them, wondering whether what they had said to the old man was trustworthy. After all, they had used such tactics to break Zhou Jinchi’s legs the previous day—he should be lying in bed screaming in pain. How could they still have the audacity to send someone to seek revenge? No matter who they were, such boldness meant they couldn’t be kept around any longer. In the dim room, Lin Dong’s gaze was cold. If this were an ordinary inn, once the fire started that night, there would be over a hundred guests staying there. Just for that reason, not only must Zhou Jinchi die, but if the Liu family dared to interfere, they too would meet the same fate! Going to the Liu family to demand someone would be pointless if he went alone. Fortunately, judging by the timeline, Gu Huanzong’s people should be arriving soon, so it was just a matter of waiting a few more days. Early the next morning, Lin Dong’s meditation was interrupted by the groans of two burly men. Getting out of bed, he knocked them out with a punch each before going to find Wang Liuze. After hearing about what had happened the previous night, Wang Liuze was filled with fear. Looking at the two men, his expression turned fierce. “Boss, shall I go back and burn them down tonight?” “No need. Wait until Gu Huanzong’s people arrive,” Lin Dong replied, shaking his head. He pointed at the two men tied up like zongzi. “Take them to the woodshed and lock them up for a few days. Find out who’s behind this when you have time.” “Lock them up for a few days?” Wang Liuze snapped angrily. “Even if they’re not the main culprits, they’re still the ones who set the fire. If it had succeeded, we might still have had a chance to escape from the back yard, but most of those hundreds of guests would likely be dead. Are you planning to hand them over to the authorities? In my opinion, just killing them and dumping their bodies somewhere will settle things once and for all.” Lin Dong explained coldly, “They came here to take lives, so of course we must take a life in return. But… none of us has the privilege to kill and get away with it. If we kill them and their bodies are found later, it could cause trouble. Wait until Gu Huanzong’s people arrive. Let them use their spiritual skills to kill them. Once we know the killer’s strength, the authorities won’t dare to investigate.” “Alright! I’ll take them to the woodshed right away.” Relieved, Wang Liuze immediately dragged one of the men to the woodshed. … Xiao Tianchi, who came to the inn to practice, was clearly very cautious. It took five days before Lin Dong received news that Gu Huanzong’s people were on their way. Going out to greet them in person, there were six of them in total. The leader was in his sixties, wearing a black robe, with a strong build, a dark complexion, and no beard, exuding a murderous aura.

The other five were all in their twenties or thirties. Except for one dark-faced young man and the old man who fought bare-handed like him, the rest were equipped with swords, appearing extraordinary and outstanding.
“Please follow me to the back yard,” Lin Dong said with a calm smile, gesturing for them to come.
“Thank you, Manager Lin,” the old man replied. Knowing there were many eyes in the main hall, he didn’t say much and strode toward the back door, with the five following closely behind.
After leading them to the back yard, Lin Dong gave Wang Liuzhi, who was accompanying him, a subtle signal.
Wang Liuzhi opened the door on the west side, close to the woodshed, and everyone entered one after another.
The room wasn’t small—over twenty square meters—originally used as a storage space, but all the clutter had been cleared out. Now, there was only a long row of bunk beds. Unlike ordinary bunk beds, these had three levels and occupied most of the room. If people slept on them, at least fifty to sixty people could fit on the three levels, and if they sat, the number could exceed a hundred.
“Manager Lin, I am Huo Yuan, the senior elder of the Gu Huan Sect. From now on, I’ll be in charge of all matters related to the sect’s disciples at Lin’s Inn. If you have any instructions, feel free to contact me at any time,” the old man said, nodding at Lin Dong.
Lin Dong was slightly surprised but soon felt relieved. He had heard of this senior elder from Tian Hao—responsible for enforcing the sect’s rules and disciplines, known for his harsh methods and impartiality. He was also one of the strongest members of the Gu Huan Sect. With Lin’s Inn being so important, having him personally oversee things carried even more deterrent power than if Xiao Tianchi himself came.
“Please don’t be too polite, Senior Elder. I hope you won’t mind,” Lin Dong replied politely, pointing to Wang Liuzhi beside him. “This is Wang Liuzhi, the manager of Lin’s Inn. If you need anything, you can give him orders.”
“Hmm, thank you, Brother Wang,” the senior elder said, his face twitching as he tried to force a smile. Having maintained a stern expression for decades, he couldn’t change it quickly and gave up.
In the eyes of the people of Xilan City, the Gu Huan Sect was a sacred place. The senior elder of such a revered sect calling him a brother and even winking at him… Even after spending half a year with Lin Dong and witnessing many things, Wang Liuzhi was so stunned that he forgot to respond politely.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, and based on what he had heard from Tian Hao before, Lin Dong had some understanding of the other five as well. Among them, the dark-faced man was Jiang Zhen, the second disciple of the senior elder. The other four were Xiao Munan, the second disciple of Xiao Tianchi; Xing Zexiao, the eldest disciple of the fifth elder; Fa Chun, the third disciple of the sixth elder; and Yang Feng, the sixth disciple of the ninth elder.

These five individuals were carefully selected by the leader of the Gu Huan Sect and the twelve elders, and after passing trials, they proved to be unwaveringly loyal disciples to the Gu Huan Sect.