Chapter 15: Sunbathing

The next day, Lin Dong knocked on Bai Jingtai’s door early in the morning.
Learning that Lin Dong wanted to borrow money to build a new inn, Bai Jingtai naturally refused not to help, and five thousand taels of silver were quickly handed over.
Next came measuring the land and updating the land deed—after a busy morning, everything was finally settled.
The two shops along with the residential houses behind them covered a total area of one mu and seven fen, costing two thousand nine hundred taels of silver.
Next was tearing down the old house and hiring carpenters to purchase materials—this took even longer. After some planning, Lin Dong discussed the layout and requirements for the new inn with Wang Liuzhi, leaving the rest to him to handle, with Lin Dong contacting him only when payment was due.
On the tenth day of April, under a clear sky, Lin Dong arrived at Qiushui Academy in a rented carriage. Outside the academy, there was already a bustling crowd, and inside, it was even more crowded.
“Dad, why did you take so long to come?”
At the entrance, a light red figure moved through the crowd, heading straight for Lin Dong who had just gotten off the carriage.
Lin Dong stretched out his right hand, ready to rub Lin Shuang’s head, but the little girl quickly stepped aside and went around to the carriage behind him.
“Uh!”
Lin Dong lowered his arm disappointedly. Ahead, Yun Lan, dressed in a snow-white, elegant outfit, was approaching slowly. Despite the dense crowd around her, no one dared get within two meters of her.
Was it her spiritual energy pushing people away? Or was it her otherworldly grace that made people feel ashamed and avoid approaching her?
Lin Dong smiled at Yun Lan as a greeting, then turned to glare at Lin Shuang, who wanted the carriage rather than her dad.
“Dad, where’s my food?” Lin Shuang lowered the carriage curtain and turned around with pouted lips.
“Uh! I borrowed a spiritual ring from someone; it’s inside.”
Lin Dong waved the jade ring on his right hand, and his frustration dissipated.
After all, it was the little girl’s first big business deal, and it was understandable that she ignored her dad in her excitement.
“A spiritual ring? Sister Yun Lan also has one! I wonder which one is better.” Lin Shuang’s eyes lit up as she stared at the jade ring in Lin Dong’s hand.
Lin Dong understood what she meant. He rubbed her head and said, “I’ll give it to you to play with after I put down my things. When you grow up a bit more, I’ll buy one for you.”
“Mm-hmm!” Lin Shuang nodded several times like a chick pecking at grains, then immediately hugged Lin Dong’s arm and pulled him toward the academy, clearly eager to start operating it.
Following Lin Shuang, the three of them moved forward toward the tightly crowded gate.

With Yun Lan around, the journey proceeded smoothly without any obstacles. The three of them entered the academy, where the crowded crowd gradually thinned out. After crossing a gravel road, they soon arrived at the large sports field for martial arts competitions.

On a raised area on the south side, inside a newly built simple tea pavilion, a dozen or so girls were each holding a stack of paper sheets, laughing and playing around. Outside the pavilion, a chubby boy was waving his arms, animatedly talking to six or seven other boys.

“The tea pavilion is already set up?” Lin Dong was quite surprised. On the girls’ lists, there were still some poles and felt needed to build the pavilion.

“Mm!” Lin Shuang nodded. “Zhang Heng insisted on helping, so I had him find someone to set up the pavilion first.”

“Zhang Heng? Why does that name sound so familiar?” Lin Dong’s gaze drifted toward the chubby boy.

Lin Shuang rolled her eyes at the chubby boy and explained, “It’s the one whose leg my brother broke last time. Later… he said that you only truly get to know someone through conflict, and he insisted on sticking around me like a shadow. No matter how much I tried to get rid of him, he wouldn’t leave.”

Lin Dong understood immediately. The chubby boy must have been acting on Zhang Yuanwai’s instructions.

Xiao Tianchi had gone to such lengths for Tianhao. As long as Zhang Yuanwai wasn’t stupid, he could guess that Xiao Tianchi wanted to make Tianhao his heir. By courting the sister of the future sect leader of Gu Huanzong, one could only expect benefits in the future.

The three of them went up to the tea pavilion. The chubby boy was actually quite smart—he immediately recognized Lin Dong’s status. Remembering that the old man still often complained of headaches, his face turned pale instantly, and he shyly hid behind the other boys.

Lin Dong smiled calmly. After dumping everything from the portable counter, he took off the jade ring from his finger and handed it to Lin Shuang.

That jade ring was something Lin Dong had bought from a street vendor for just thirty coins. Naturally, it wasn’t some storage spirit ring. Fortunately, once a storage spirit ring recognized its master, only the master could open its interior space. With the girls’ limited knowledge, it was impossible for them to tell the difference between real and fake.

Lin Dong glanced at Yun Lan and saw that she was also looking at him. He realized she had already figured out that the ring was fake.

Storage spirit rings were made by engraving spirit arrays into rare metals. Since Yun Lan had a real one, it was normal for her to be able to distinguish between real and fake.

“Sis Yun Lan, could I borrow yours too? I want to see which one is better.” Lin Shuang fiddled with it for a while before looking up at Yun Lan.

Yun Lan nodded and took off the spirit ring from her slender finger. Her movements were much more graceful than Lin Dong’s.

Smiling at Yun Lan, Lin Dong pulled over a bench and sat outside in a corner of the pavilion. He crossed his legs and leaned against a pillar, closing his eyes to rest.

The sun slowly moved across the sky, its warm rays casting a soothing glow on everyone. Lin Dong was about to fall asleep when waves of cheering voices arose.
“It’s started! It’s already begun!”
Cheers soon filled the tea pavilion. Moments later, young girls carrying flyers with most of the story written on them fluttered toward the crowd like colorful butterflies.
“Don’t you want to go take a look?”
A gentle voice came from beside him. Lin Dong turned to see that Yun Lan had somehow also brought a bench and sat next to him.
Lin Dong stretched lazily and said contentedly, “I’m somewhat interested in martial arts fights. Today it’s calligraphy—something I don’t understand and have no interest in! How about you?”
“I prefer to see Xiao Shuang’s smile when she earns silver,” Yun Lan replied softly.
“Aren’t you afraid of getting tanned?” Lin Dong laughed. The main reason he hadn’t returned to the inn to practice was his concern that with so many people around, there might be trouble, and he didn’t want Xiao Shuang to encounter any issues. Another reason was to witness how her first big deal would succeed—which, oddly, was similar to Yun Lan’s motives.
Yun Lan shook her head without saying anything.
Lin Dong didn’t say more either. He closed his eyes and continued to enjoy his sunbath and this rare moment of leisure.
The cheers soon faded, leaving only a low hum. About half an hour later, Lin Dong heard Xiao Shuang’s excited voice.
“Fatso, Zhou Zhengye is here. Hurry up and bring the zither.”
“Oh!” The chubby boy replied promptly.
Lin Dong turned to see a young man in his twenties approaching the tea pavilion. He had a square face, slightly tanned skin, and a long robe that had faded to white but still revealed its original blue color. Judging from his appearance and clothing, he seemed rather poor. But upon closer inspection, one could notice the determination in his face that was beyond his years, along with steady and confident steps that hinted at his competence.
“Fatso, pour Zhou Zhengye a cup of tea.”
After Zhou Zhengye sat down at the table where the zither was placed, Xiao Shuang asked eagerly, “Do you have confidence in winning first place?”
Zhou Zhengye nodded steadily.
“That’s great! Drink your tea and then start playing the zither. Fatso, go to the commentary area and keep an eye on things. As soon as the results for the first event come in, come back and report to me.”
“Sure!”
Although Zhou Zhengye was highly renowned in the academy, in the eyes of the chubby boy, he was just a poor guy. Normally, he would have refused to help him wait for the results.

But this task was given by Lin Shuang. According to the old man, the more things Lin Shuang asked him to do, the more it showed that she regarded him as one of her own. How else could the old man become extremely wealthy? It was because Gu Huanzong had a cousin in charge of external affairs—him who managed Gu Huanzong’s annual expenses and the extra fruit and spirit stones from the mountains! Following the sister of the future sect leader as a subordinate, his future achievements would surely be greater than those of the old man. So, despite feeling somewhat disgusted by the sunlight outside the tea pavilion, without hesitation, the chubby boy happily rushed out. After a while, the sound of a zither emerged, melodious and pleasant, like a gentle breeze. Lin Dong’s eyelids grew heavy, and he continued to bask in the sun. Just after a dozen minutes, a shrill and annoying voice shattered his tranquility. “Oh, isn’t this Zhou Zhengye, the great talent from Xilan City? How did you end up playing the zither and begging in a shabby tea pavilion?”