Chapter 123: No More Rivals

Four or five days later, a news that shocked the entire Xilan City began to spread rapidly.
The Maple Forest Restaurant had suspended operations, with a sale notice posted on its large doors.
Although there had already been signs of defeat, with this development, the Maple Forest Restaurant, fighting against two opponents, was truly defeated. Though most people found it hard to believe that the restaurant could fall so easily, its closure and the sale notice were undeniable facts.
No one could figure out whether the Maple Forest Restaurant appeared wealthy on the surface but was actually just a paper tiger, or whether the owners of Lin’s Inn and Changlin Restaurant were extraordinary enough to defeat stronger opponents.
What had been a hot topic for nearly two months now left only a unanswered mystery. The people of Xilan City quickly turned their attention back to the new county magistrate, Zhou Zhengye, who kept suffering at the hands of the Liu family.
Over those two months, Zhou Zhengye had been carried out of the Liu family seven times—meaning he had to endure beatings there every ten days or less.
No one understood what Zhou Zhengye was trying to achieve from the Liu family. All they knew was that he was in terrible condition, and his injuries couldn’t be faked. Moreover, the Liu family truly was the only powerful family in Xilan City, daring to beat anyone.
Whatever Zhou Zhengye was asking for, as the county magistrate, his repeated visits, along with the Liu family’s willingness to beat him severely each time, made the story less compelling compared to Lin’s Inn and the world-famous Maple Forest Restaurant slashing prices desperately. Now that the Maple Forest Restaurant’s defeat was certain, conversations in the streets once again centered on Zhou Zhengye. Occasionally, a few people would speculate about who in Xilan City might be capable of taking over the Maple Forest Restaurant.
In Lin Dong’s eyes, the reason for Zhou Zhengye’s beatings was obvious—the Maple Forest Restaurant was far more important. Upon learning that the restaurant had posted a sale notice, he immediately put on a hat and rushed to see Huang Wanren.
“Manager Lin, we can’t rush this!”
Hearing Lin Dong’s request, Huang Wanren looked troubled. It wasn’t that he intended to delay things intentionally—the Maple Forest Restaurant had only posted the notice in the morning, and now they were asking to buy it at noon. There was no way they could get a good price.
Although Huang Wanren was anxious too, given the previous fierce bidding wars, he believed no one would be foolish enough to buy the Maple Forest Restaurant in the short term. At most, people might be interested in the land it occupied. If they waited a few days, once Liu Chuanxiang grew impatient, he would surely lower the price.
“I know we can’t rush, but I’m uneasy as long as the Maple Forest Restaurant hasn’t changed hands!” Lin Dong said with a wry smile.

Huang Wanren was speechless. This Manager Lin truly had extraordinary courage and tactics. Since Fenglin Restaurant was already on the market for sale, he still feared they might make a comeback—his determination was a bit lacking.
“How about this! Lord Huang, how much silver do you plan to offer to buy Fenglin Restaurant?” Lin Dong asked.
Huang Wanren’s mind stirred for a moment before he suddenly slapped his own head.
Lin Dong asked in surprise, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, nothing!” Huang Wanren waved his hands repeatedly, looking embarrassed.
He understood what Lin Dong meant—undoubtedly, it was up to him to decide how much silver to offer, with Lin Dong covering any shortfall. Initially, Huang Wanren wanted to bid lower, but he remembered the previous discussion about offering it for free and quickly realized his mistake.
If he deliberately bid below Manager Lin’s expected price and caused Lin’s Inn to take over Fenglin Restaurant alone, it would be counterproductive. After careful consideration, Huang Wanren raised his head and said, “According to my plan, if we can keep Fenglin Restaurant under pressure for a few more days and take over everything, including the decorations, five thousand taels of silver should be enough.”
Lin Dong nodded. This price was reasonable. Although it was slightly below Fenglin Restaurant’s true value, if no one else bid for it over the next few days, there was indeed a chance of buying it. After thinking it over, Lin Dong said firmly, “I’ll find a way to buy Fenglin Restaurant today. Lord Huang, you provide five thousand taels of silver. If that’s not enough, I’ll cover the rest—how does that sound?”
Buying it earlier meant earning more silver sooner, which was naturally ideal. Huang Wanren politely declined, “I can’t trouble Manager Lin like this…”
“I also want to see the name Fenglin Restaurant disappear from Xilan City as soon as possible,” Lin Dong replied politely, waving his hand. “As for buying Fenglin Restaurant, does Lord Huang have anyone to negotiate the price?”
Huang Wanren shook his head. He had intended to ask Lin Dong for help with this. The main culprits behind Fenglin Restaurant’s downfall were undoubtedly Lin’s Inn and Changlin Restaurant. If he tried to negotiate the purchase himself, Liu Chuanxiang would either be overly jealous or at least resentful. Even if he managed to buy it in the end, Liu Chuanxiang would likely delay it until no one else was interested.
Lin Dong nodded and asked, “I do have a candidate in mind. I wonder if Lord Huang trusts them?”
“How could I not trust Manager Lin’s choice? Please sit down. I’ll go get the silver right away.”

Huang Wanren’s response was free of hesitation. During their partnership, he had already seen the determination of this shopkeeper Lin—certainly not the kind to resort to tricks for a few hundred taels of silver. Moreover, the Changlin Tavern would rely on Lin’s Inn in the future.

Before long, Huang Wanren brought over five thousand taels in silver notes. After Lin Dong wrote down an IOU, he left the Changlin Tavern under Huang Wanren’s escort.

If the person to negotiate with Liu Chuanxiang was a respected figure from Xilan City, it would naturally be easier and more credible. Lin Dong chose Mr. Zhang.

Although Mr. Zhang’s assets were mostly farmland, he also owned several shops. He could use the pretext of buying the Fenglin Tavern and converting it into shops to approach Liu Chuanxiang.

Upon arriving at Mr. Zhang’s residence and explaining his purpose, Mr. Zhang agreed without hesitation. It was just a matter of running errands, and given the trust Mr. Lin placed in him by handing over ten thousand taels of silver without reservation, there was no reason not to help.

After leaving Mr. Zhang’s house, Lin Dong did not accompany him to the Fenglin Tavern to wait for news. Instead, he returned to the inn first to handle some matters related to advancing to Qiufeng City.

By the afternoon, while Lin Dong was busy inquiring about the progress of Guard Team Wang Liuzhi, a system notification sounded, almost making him jump with excitement.

Ding: Congratulations on completing the upgrade task “The Difficulties of the First Customer.” The Inn System has been upgraded to Level 4.

Undoubtedly, Mr. Zhang had already reached an agreement with Liu Chuanxiang and transferred the land deed to Huang Wanren’s name.

After more than two months, the upgrade task was finally completed, and the Fenglin Tavern was officially removed from Xilan City’s list!

Suppressing his excitement, Lin Dong finished dealing with matters related to the guard team and waited until Wang Liuzhi left before quickly opening the Inn System.

Lin’s Inn: Level 4, 0%
Daily Revenue: 216 taels and 531 wen
Spirit Stones: 321/800
Defense Value: 321/800
Guest Rooms: 50/50
Dining Tables: 25/25
Staff: 14
Cooks: 3
Stables: 0/15
Kitchens: 3/4
Branches: 0

Lin Dong let out a long sigh. As expected, after the Inn System reached Level 4, the new attribute added was branches.

Resolutely getting up, Lin Dong pushed open the door. A gentle breeze blew in, refreshing and soothing.