Chapter 130: The Three Major Rivals

Following Yang Ling into the hall, Yang Huailiang and the others stood up one after another. Scanning the room, everyone who was there yesterday was present today, except for Yang Family’s ninth young lady.
Lin Dong found it somewhat strange. According to Yang Family’s rules, at banquets with guests, unmarried young ladies could not sit at the table unless they had extraordinary talents. After a pause, Lin Dong bowed to Yang Huailiang, who had stood up to greet him: “Family head, Lin Dong is late. I hope you can forgive me.”
“Not late at all,” Yang Huailiang shook his head repeatedly.
They took their seats one after another. There was an endless stream of dishes and drinks. Compared to the previous day, the wine was still of top quality, but the dishes, as Lin Dong had said, were plentiful yet lacked any spiritual beasts or materials.
After a round of toasts, Peng Zhenfeng gave her daughter a subtle signal. Yang Family’s ninth young lady, Yang Xinning, hesitated for a moment before reluctantly standing up. With her delicate hands, she picked up her wine glass, raised it toward Lin Dong, and forced a smile: “Brother Lin, let me toast you.”
“I’m not worthy. I should be the one to toast Miss Yang,” Lin Dong replied politely with a smile after drinking it all in one gulp.
Yang Xinning frowned and, ignoring Peng Zhenfeng’s gaze, sat down silently. She seemed annoyed.
Lin Dong understood. From Peng Zhenfeng’s behavior, he had already guessed why Yang Xinning was there. But… this ninth young lady still had the same temper as when she was young.
In the Yang Family, the status of young ladies was not high, except for Yang Qingting and Yang Xinning. Yang Qingting had high status due to her talent, while Yang Xinning relied on Peng Zhenfeng’s favoritism. In terms of arrogance, the two were similar—both had a bit of the “arrogant hen” vibe. The only difference might be that Yang Qingting still showed some kindness, while Yang Xinning was the purest example of a spoiled young lady.
“Xinning, don’t you also want to learn business?” Yang Huailiang said loudly. “Brother Lin here is a business genius. You must learn from him humbly.”
Yang Xinning looked conflicted. Under Yang Huailiang’s gaze, she had no choice but to stand up again and look at Lin Dong, saying through gritted teeth, “Brother Lin, could you teach me how to do business?”
Lin Dong shook his head apologetically, “A new inn is about to open, and the old inn has some issues recently. I was planning to ask the family head for leave to visit Xilan City these two days. I really don’t have time to teach Miss Yang.”
“Then forget it!” Yang Xinning huffed and sat down. Although Lin Dong’s answer was exactly what she hoped for, hearing it in person still made her unhappy. Relying on having a ‘good son,’ she really thought she was someone special.

Yang Huailiang was about to explode, but Lin Dong raised his cup and said with a smile, “Master, I hope you won’t take offense at what Lin Dong just said. I’m simply a bit worried about the situation in Xilan City.”
“Of course, business comes first,” Yang Huailiang quickly shook his head. After hesitating for a moment, he said in a low voice, “Although Xinying isn’t good enough for Brother Lin, she’s quite attractive. Since Brother Lin isn’t married yet, he might consider it. As for her temper, rest assured—I’ll discipline her well. She may not be gentle or virtuous, but at least she’s dignified and graceful.”
Lin Dong was stunned. With such a father, it was no wonder Yang Xinying was so proud…
Without hesitation, Lin Dong shook his head. “Master, I appreciate your kindness, but I have no plans to marry in the near future.”
In Yang Huailiang’s eyes, nothing was more important than profit. Hearing this, he hurriedly said, “Besides Xinying, there are also young ladies in my Yang family who are of marriageable age…”
“Master!” Selling off daughters was Yang Huailiang’s business, and Lin Dong had no interest. He cut him off bluntly, “I’ve said it—there are no plans to marry in the near future.”
Yang Huailiang’s gaze froze for a moment before he awkwardly nodded. Glancing at Tianhao out of the corner of his eye, he had another idea.
With Lin Dong’s status rising so high, it was normal for him to look down on the Yang family. Tianhao was still just a teenager; he probably didn’t yet care about social status. Perhaps they could go even further and make Tianhao a son-in-law of the Yang family…
Seeing Yang Huailiang’s expression, Lin Dong secretly shook his head. The head of the prestigious Yang family, who had always ruled strictly, turned out to be even worse than a profit-driven merchant.
Fortunately, Old Fox Xiao Tianchi would be arriving in a few days, so there was no need to worry about Yang Huailiang using any tricks on Tianhao. After thinking it over, Lin Dong didn’t reveal his thoughts and simply included taking Tianhao back to Gu Huanzong along with his trip to Xilan City.
A moment later, as Lin Dong raised his cup and they exchanged smiles, the awkward atmosphere gradually turned warm again. It was no less lively than the day before, especially after learning that Tianhao had already broken through the Lingdong stage. The feast continued until evening.
Back at the inn, Lin Dong went straight to his room to practice cultivation.
Having wasted three days at the Yang family, Lin Dong finally had some free time. After ensuring that Tianhao and the others gave consistent accounts, he spent his days practicing cultivation and waiting for Xiao Tianchi to arrive, as well as keeping an eye out for competitors once the inn opened.
A few days later, Liu Hao finally brought news: the several competitors in the north of the city had been thoroughly investigated. There weren’t many—one or two fewer than Lin Dong had expected, totaling three.

The nearest restaurant to the inn is called Wanbin Tower, just two streets away. The chef’s skills are average, only slightly better than those of ordinary restaurants. Its prosperity stems from its luxurious and grand decoration. More importantly, Wanbin Tower belongs to the Peng family, one of the seven major families in Autumn Wind City. Those who do business with or seek favors from the Peng family generally choose Wanbin Tower first.

Next is Kelai Restaurant. In terms of grandeur, it is far inferior to Wanbin Tower and follows a similar approach to Linji Inn—ordinary customers on the first floor and wealthy clients on the second. It has managed to establish a presence in the northern part of the city and even in Autumn Wind City mainly because of its affordable prices, the owner’s popularity, and its signature dish that has been highly praised for decades: braised carp.

Although braised carp isn’t considered a particularly exquisite dish, it costs five taels of silver per plate at Kelai Restaurant. This is even higher than the prices of ordinary spiritual materials and beasts, as the dish requires numerous steps and over a hundred ingredients, including some precious ones. At such a price, reservations must be made three days in advance.

The third is Yingfeng Tower, which is actually not a restaurant but one of the top three brothels in Autumn Wind City. A brothel becomes a competitor to Linji Inn because its top entertainer sells her skills rather than her body. Her piano playing and singing are masterful, and she plays only on the second floor of Yingfeng Tower. To hear her exquisite music, one has no choice but to spend a lot of money booking a table there. Additionally, the second floor is strictly separated from the first floor, with a separate staircase, which also attracts many wealthy clients who come here for banquets and business talks.

Although the three establishments have distinct styles, if what Liu Hao found is true, they don’t have much to offer. Linji Inn still has a clear advantage and should be able to capture a significant share of the market over time. The only problem is that besides these three competitors, Liu Hao discovered even more crucial information.

Half a month ago, Fenglin Restaurant introduced consultation signs, and the business of these three establishments has already begun to decline. Once Fenglin Restaurant takes over all their customers, leveraging its various advantages and using the consultation signs to turn it into a gathering place for the wealthy, it will be extremely difficult to regain those customers in a short time.

They must open as soon as possible!