Chapter 173: Meeting an Acquaintance in the Midnight

After the man with the triangular eyes left, Lin Dong also turned and returned to his room.
Elder Ding’s room had already been prepared and moved next door; now, all that remained in it were empty wine jars scattered on the floor.
Lin Dong was too lazy to ask anyone to clean them up, so he simply threw all the empty jars into the mobile counter.
After closing the door, the Colorful Bed was taken out again.
Good things should be tried first by oneself. Moreover, the attributes of the Colorful Bed needed to be tested and confirmed before it could be introduced.
He activated the inn system and equipped the Colorful Bed in the inn, then lay down.
After checking the attributes of the bed and going to sleep, Lin Dong closed his eyes slightly, thinking about how to promote the VIP card.
In a moment, unbeknownst to him, his consciousness gradually blurred, and he eventually fell into deep sleep.
When he woke up, he felt refreshed. Looking through the paper window, everything was pitch black.
Checking the consumption of spirit stones, he realized he had slept for three or four hours.
The attributes of the Colorful Bed had indeed been confirmed, and it didn’t keep one asleep indefinitely—once fully awake, one would naturally wake up.
Lin Dong believed that any external noise should be enough to wake a person.
He put the Colorful Bed back into the mobile counter. When he opened the door, he saw the bright moon and sparkling stars.
Touching his somewhat hollow stomach, Lin Dong went to the front yard. As soon as he entered the kitchen, out of the corner of his eye, he seemed to see two dark figures moving in the direction of the passage connecting the lodging building and the lobby.
Looking closely, they were indeed two people walking toward the yard.
Lin Dong frowned. If outsiders had climbed over the wall, the inn system should have alerted him. These two must be either employees or guests of the inn.
With a slight flow of spiritual energy into his eyes, Lin Dong examined them closely and frowned even more. Both of them wore bamboo hats and loose blue robes.
Wearing hats in the middle of the night—how could that not seem strange? Lin Dong would never believe it otherwise.
Without hesitation, Lin Dong strode toward them.
The two clearly heard his footsteps. After panicking, a deep voice asked, “Who’s there?”
By now, Lin Dong had reached the eighth level of the Spiritual Mobility phase, and with the skills of the Heaven-Controlling Art and the Ethereal Step, he was confident he could defeat any opponent at that stage.
In the Great Han Nation, warriors enjoyed various privileges and certainly didn’t need to sneak into an inn to steal things. So, Lin Dong didn’t hesitate at all. He continued walking and said coldly, “I’d rather ask you—who are you? What are you up to sneaking around in the middle of the night?”
“Who’s sneaking around? We’re just coming to sit in the back yard.”

One of them replied irritably, his voice puzzling Lin Dong, as if he had heard it somewhere before. “Wearing a hood in the middle of the night—what else could it be but sneaking around?” Still uneasy, Lin Dong took a few more steps and stopped about three meters away from them. “Young Master Lin?” A silver-bell-like exclamation suddenly rang out—it was a woman’s voice. Nearby, the deep voice also sounded surprised, with a hint of delight: “Young Master Lin, how did you return to Autumn Wind City?” “Yiyi, Wang Bin?” Lin Dong finally recognized their voices, his own surprise no less than theirs. “It really is Young Master Lin!” Overjoyed, they rushed forward as if meeting a relative. When they lifted their hoods, two somewhat thin and tired faces appeared. Lin Dong smiled bitterly. “Weren’t you two fugitives? Why are you at Lin’s Inn?” Wang Bin smiled awkwardly. “Young Master Lin knows about this too?” Lin Dong nodded. Not only was this related to the inn’s business, but even if not, it was well-known throughout Autumn Wind City, especially in the northern part, where nine out of ten people had heard of it. Wang Bin smiled bitterly. “We originally planned to leave the city for Lingnan Prefecture, but I couldn’t bear to leave my father behind. I heard that Lin’s Inn has a significant background and is a competitor to Ke Lai Restaurant and Ying Feng Tower, so we simply stayed here secretly.” Lin Dong was speechless. The most dangerous place was actually the safest—this idea wasn’t bad. Probably few people would suspect they were still in Autumn Wind City, and even fewer would think they were hiding in the north or at Lin’s Inn. Moreover, since Lin’s Inn was a competitor to Ke Lai Restaurant and Ying Feng Tower, those two establishments couldn’t openly send employees to investigate or look for them. “Well… we didn’t dare leave our rooms during the day, so we could only go out at night. We don’t even know what’s going on outside,” Wang Bin said worriedly. “We wanted to ask the inn’s employees, but we were afraid they’d notice something. These past days have been unbearable.” “There’s no need to worry. The chaos caused by Ke Lai Restaurant and Ying Feng Tower is gradually subsiding,” Lin Dong said calmly. “Young Master Lin, are you sure it’s over?” Wang Bin asked happily. Lin Dong nodded. “There are still some minor skirmishes, but in a while, it will be quiet.” Wang Bin sighed in relief and said guiltily, “My father suffers from an illness, and I still did such a thing to anger him. I truly fail as a son.” Yiyi remained silent, gently gripping Wang Bin’s arm.

“Go and sit over there!” Lin Dong nodded toward the stone table.
The two nodded and silently followed Lin Dong to sit at the stone table.
Noting their haggard faces, Lin Dong asked, “Do you two have any plans?”
They shook their heads. Wang Bin sighed helplessly and said, “We just plan to wait until things calm down outside, then ask someone to send a message to my father. As for anything else… we’ll just deal with it as it comes.”
“Even if Boss Wang still disagrees with your plan, it’s too late now.” Lin Dong was puzzled. “Things have come this far—surely he can’t deny being your father?”
“You don’t know my father, Lord Lin. Though he seems gentle most of the time, once he stubbornly decides something, even if he knows it’s wrong, he’s unlikely to change. Moreover, he thinks it’s my fault.” Wang Bin said with a bitter expression. “If I really take Yi Yi back, even if he wants to forgive us, he probably won’t say so out loud.”
“Then you can’t hide from him for the rest of your lives, can you?”
“It’s all because of Yingchunhua. If not for her, how could we have eloped?” Wang Bin clenched his fist tightly, his veins bulging on his forehead.
Lin Dong looked at Yi Yi and asked, “Did she force you to drink with guests?”
Yi Yi nodded slowly.
Wang Bin slammed his fist on the table in anger. “And it was with that bastard Peng Tianan—touching and harassing her, plus no rest at all every day. If I don’t take Yi Yi away soon, I’ll go crazy.”
Lin Dong remained silent. Any man in his situation would probably go mad too.
“Lord Lin, how much longer do you plan to stay in Qiufeng City?” Wang Bin asked.
“Just call me Lin Dong,” Lin Dong said with a smile. “Do you want me to help investigate things about Jike Lao Lou and Yingfeng Lou?”
“Yeah!” Wang Bin nodded.
It was a trivial favor. Without hesitation, Lin Dong said, “As long as it takes. I’ll let you know if I find anything.”
“Then thank you, Brother Lin.” Wang Bin quickly stood up and bowed in gratitude.
“No need to be so formal.” After thinking for a moment, Lin Dong asked, “Do you have enough silver with you?”
The two exchanged a glance and then lowered their heads in silence.
Sure enough!
Lin Dong shook his head inwardly. One was strictly controlled by his family, and the other had agreed to ten years of free service in exchange for a contract of servitude—it would be strange if they remembered to bring some silver when eloping.
“After staying in the inn for so long, you probably don’t have much silver left, right?” Since they had become acquaintances, Lin Dong naturally wouldn’t ignore them. He took out three ingots of gold worth ten taels from the mobile cabinet and placed them in front of Wang Bin, saying, “Lend it to you for now. You can pay me back when it’s convenient.”

“This…” Wang Bin had a thin skin; he wanted to take it back but couldn’t bring himself to reach out.
“Just pay me a bit more interest when the time comes,” Lin Dong said with a smile.
Wang Bin couldn’t help but stretch out his hands and return two gold ingots to Lin Dong. “There’s no need for so much. The food and lodging at Lin’s Inn are very cheap. Ten taels of gold is enough to stay here for a year.”
“It’s never a bad idea to have extra money for protection,” Lin Dong said, pushing the gold back and changing the subject. “Are you interested in having some late-night snacks?”
“Late-night snacks?” The two were confused. “The inn is already closed, and the cooks must be asleep by now.”
“I’ll tell you the truth! I’m the owner of this inn,” Lin Dong explained, seeing no point in hiding it. “Last time I went to Yingfeng Tower, it was mainly because the inn had just opened, and I wanted to investigate it.”
The two were shocked and stood up, looking at Lin Dong in panic.
Understanding their fear, Lin Dong shook his head. “Don’t worry. I wouldn’t risk you guys to exchange for silver at Yingfeng Tower.”
Still uneasy, they couldn’t fully trust Lin Dong’s words.
“Alright, as you wish!” Lin Dong said helplessly and turned toward the kitchen.
“Wait, Young Master Lin…” Yi Yi suddenly called out to him. “I believe you.”
“You believe me?” Lin Dong was surprised.
Yi Yi nodded slowly. “Young Master Lin is so strong. Even if he’s not a disciple of any sect, he must be a warrior. The silver from selling us to Yingfeng Tower and Kelaibai Restaurant is substantial, but it’s nothing compared to a warrior’s worth. Besides, Young Master Lin saved Wang Bin before—he’s definitely not the kind of person who abandons others for profit.”
“That’s right, Brother Lin. I… I…” Wang Bin’s face turned red with shame.
Lin Dong shook his head. “If you believe me, stay calm and stay at the inn! But… staying here forever isn’t a solution. Things need to be resolved. If you have any ideas or need help, come to me. I’ll do my best to assist.”
“Thank you, Brother Lin!” Wang Bin quickly bowed.
“No need to be so formal. Alright, you two continue chatting. I’ve been hungry all day. I’ll go to the kitchen to find something to eat first.”
After saying goodbye to them, Lin Dong headed straight to the kitchen. As he stepped through the kitchen door, his right foot hesitated before stepping forward.
With a snap, Lin Dong hit himself on the head.
Since Wang Bin and Yi Yi were staying at the inn, they were its guests. If guests faced difficulties, wasn’t that equivalent to an implicit task for the inn?

One is a top courtesan with unparalleled musical talent, capable of supporting a large restaurant, while the other is the young master of that same restaurant. Moreover, both sides face seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Although this hidden task is not as severe as the internal injuries suffered by Old Ding and Silver Rabbit, it is still quite challenging. If earlier Lin Dong could only help as much as possible, now he has made up his mind to take the initiative and see if he can be of any assistance.