Chapter 182: Immense Pressure

“Yun Lan?”
Lin Dong’s heartbeat accelerated even further than when facing Guard Liu. It was only at this moment that Lin Dong realized how familiar this voice was to him—so familiar that time hadn’t dulled its recognition in the slightest.
Guard Liu looked grave as he abruptly turned toward the entrance of the passage. Of the three people present, only he could identify the source of the voice.
Dressed in white as snow, with her green veil gently swaying, Yun Lan stood at the entrance like an ethereal fairy, silent and serene.
Lin Dong’s heart became restless. Yang Shun, Guard Liu, and Lord Wang—all vanished from his mind. At this moment, all he could think of was the desperate desire to keep Yun Lan by his side.
Seeing Lin Dong, Yun Lan smiled lightly. After half a year apart, it seemed this guy had grown a bit foolish.
“Oh, help has arrived? Do you plan to stage a ‘beauty saves the bear’ scene? With your face covered, I hope it’s not some ugly woman saving a bear,” Yang Shun sneered cruelly, causing both Lin Dong and Yun Lan to frown.
Unlike Yang Shun’s contempt, Guard Liu turned to Yun Lan and bowed, saying, “I am Liu Guangchen. I wonder if you are from the Tianwei Pavilion or a major sect?”
“Take one step forward, and you’ll know!”
Yun Lan slightly opened her pale, smooth hands, like flawless jade. A blue sword, glowing brilliantly, instantly returned to her grasp. In an instant, she and the sword became one, as if they had long been inseparable.
To Ma Chun, standing behind Lin Dong, Yang Shun, and Yun Lan, Yun Lan suddenly appeared hazy and misty, like a fairy descending to the mortal world.
To Liu Guangchen, however, Yun Lan seemed to have transformed into an invisible sword, leaving no chance to strike her at all.
“Do you know this Shopkeeper Lin?” Liu Guangchen asked gravely.
“Yes!” Yun Lan replied with a slight smile, yet remained sparing with words.
“My master wants to buy a few items from Shopkeeper Lin,” Liu Guangchen said, his eyes gleaming as his confidence soared. “I wonder if you could be so kind as to help?”
“Take one step forward, and you and your master will die!” Yun Lan said calmly.
Liu Guangchen trembled, clenching his fists tightly. Veins bulged on the back of his hands.
“What boldness! Guard Liu, what are you waiting for?” Zhang Shun taunted. “Don’t tell me you can’t beat her?”
Liu Guangchen ignored him, his gaze on Yun Lan as sharp as a drawn sword. “With your strength, it seems you’re not quite enough to protect this Shopkeeper Lin, are you?”

“I can’t protect her, but I can turn to your master,” Yun Lan said slowly.
Lin Dong was stunned. By that logic, it seemed that even if this guard Liu had just stepped onto the path to strength, Yun Lan would still be at the same level. Otherwise, the gap in their cultivation levels could never be bridged by anything.
“Damn, what huge pressure!”
Lin Dong suddenly blurted out an inexplicable curse, drawing everyone’s attention. Clearly, no one understood what he meant. Only Lin Dong himself knew the meaning behind those words.
“Manager Yang, let’s go back and discuss this with the master first!” Seeing that Yun Lan was determined to see it through, Liu Guangchen’s veins on the back of his hand slowly subsided, forcing him to quietly remind Yang Shun beside him.
“Why?” Yang Shun retorted unhappily. “With your strength, can’t you even kill her?”
Liu Guangchen nodded slightly.
Yang Shun was stunned for a moment before sneering, “What if we add Guard Zhang? That shouldn’t be a problem, right?”
Liu Guangchen replied calmly, “Any one of us can easily defeat her, but none of us can guarantee leaving her unharmed. If we work together, killing her isn’t difficult—but only if… her speed isn’t fast enough to escape our pursuit.”
Yang Shun was astonished. Though he didn’t understand martial arts, he understood what he was being told. If she managed to escape, having such strength at such a young age meant she was almost certainly either a direct disciple of a peak warrior or an heir to a major sect. His master’s light approach to Qiufeng Mansion might now put them in danger.
Of course, there was another possibility.
Yang Shun glanced at Yun Lan, flipped his palm, and revealed a green jade tablet. Waving it in front of Yun Lan’s eyes, he said coldly, “Do you recognize this?”
“It’s useless against me,” Yun Lan shook her head slowly.
Yang Shun froze for a moment before taking back the jade tablet. Then, he glared at Lin Dong and said, “I suggest you hand over the Seven-Colored Bed and the formula. A peak warrior who can set up advanced spirit arrays can intimidate many people, but not my master.”
“Is that so?” Lin Dong frowned slightly. It seemed this trouble was inevitable. He wondered if it would be better to let Old Ding take action first and deal with that Lord Wang.
Even if Lord Wang was also a peak warrior, with Old Ding’s strength and the surprise factor of his kicking technique, he could at least injure him severely enough to force him to flee, even if he couldn’t kill him in one strike. A peak warrior who was severely injured would take over a decade to recover.
But… with two powerful guards by his side, Lord Wang’s strength must be astonishing as well.

“If you don’t believe it, you’ll find out later.” Yang Shun waved his hand. “Guard Liu, let’s go!”
“Just leaving like this? I’m afraid that’s not very good, right?”
Lin Dong laughed. It would be best if Lord Wang could back down and end things peacefully, but with the counter and stone table smashed, plus almost being caught, even if the other side wanted peace, they had to make amends.
“What? Do you still want to keep the two of us here?” Yang Shun also laughed, his voice arrogant and shrill. “You? Do you even deserve it?”
“It doesn’t matter whether we stay or not. You destroyed my Lin’s Inn’s counter and stone table, and even tried to intimidate us,” Lin Dong said coldly. “If nothing is left as compensation, no one leaves.”
“Lin Dong!” Yun Lan called out from afar.
Lin Dong shook his head. There was no need to delay settling this debt if it could be recovered right away.
“Brat, do you really think we’re afraid of you?” Yang Shun said fiercely.
“You can try!”
Yun Lan moved swiftly, appearing silently beside Lin Dong as a white shadow. She raised her long sword slightly, its blue tip pointing at Yang Shun. With spiritual energy ready to be unleashed, the air seemed to solidify, heavy as water.
Yang Shun stepped back in terror, feeling as if the sword could pierce his throat at any moment—a terrifying thought.
After firmly gripping Yang Shun’s shoulder and stabilizing his retreating body, Liu Guangchen looked at Lin Dong calmly. “What does Manager Lin want?”
“Break one of their arms, then kick them out of Lin’s Inn,” Lin Dong said indifferently.
“Break an arm? You want us to break an arm?” Yang Shun’s voice suddenly became shrill, as if he were shouting. “Do you know our strength is enough to kill you?”
“You can try!” Lin Dong paid no attention to Yang Shun’s attitude. This debt had to be repaid. It was also a chance to test just how severe Lord Wang’s insomnia was. If it was serious enough to keep him awake all night, he believed there was still hope—after weighing the pros and cons, Lord Wang would surely step in to resolve things. Otherwise, the chances of getting the rainbow bed would be slim, and spending money to stay at Lin’s Inn and enjoy it would also be in vain.
If Lord Wang’s insomnia wasn’t severe enough to cause him extreme discomfort, he would surely leave the inn and look for an opportunity to act. In that case, it would be better to take the initiative first and have Old Ding eliminate those people. As for the subsequent troubles, they could be dealt with as they came.
Before Yang Shun could speak again, his arm suddenly hurt. With a crisp crack, intense pain shot straight to his brain.

A shrill, pig-slaughtering wail burst forth from Yang Shun’s throat in an instant. Glancing briefly at Yang Shun, who was drenched in cold sweat and trembling violently, Lin Dong slowly turned his gaze toward Liu Guangchen. Letting go of Yang Shun, allowing him to roll and howl on the ground, Liu Guangchen slammed his palm against his left arm—bones cracked—but he seemed indifferent, as if the sound came from someone else. “That’s enough. I hope Lin’s Inn won’t see you in half an hour,” Lin Dong said with a wave of his hand. “Goodbye!” Liu Guangchen gave Lin Dong a deep look, stretched out his right arm, grabbed Yang Shun from the ground, and like a cannonball, darted past Ma Chun, who was still in a daze, disappearing in an instant. Opening the inn’s system, pulling up the map, and locating the red dots representing Lord Wang and his guards, Lin Dong looked up at Yun Lan, dressed in white, and suddenly grinned. “It’s been some time since you last visited. This time, do you plan to stay for ten years or eight?” Yun Lan smiled gently and said, “I only brought a hundred taels of silver. I’ll see if the food and lodging here are expensive.” “Just a hundred taels?” Lin Dong tapped his lips thoughtfully. “You’d better stay in the back yard! If you stay in the guest rooms, in less than ten days, you won’t even have enough money to go back.” Yun Lan was stunned—a hundred taels was barely enough for ten days. “Ma Chun, prepare a room,” Lin Dong called out to Ma Chun, who stood frozen at the entrance. “Sure, I’ll prepare it right away,” Ma Chun nodded quickly, ran a short distance, then stopped and asked, “Boss, what about Lord Wang?” Lin Dong glanced at the four motionless red dots in the sky room and said nonchalantly, “There’s no need to worry about them.” Ma Chun nodded and rushed to the back yard. After Ma Chun left, Yun Lan shook her head. “Are you not a bit too bold? With what just happened, I might not be able to protect you.” Lin Dong smiled. “Don’t worry. I have a secret weapon that will ensure you win.” “A secret weapon?” Yun Lan looked puzzled. “Yes. I’ll tell you later. You haven’t had breakfast yet, have you?” Lin Dong chuckled and rolled up his sleeves. “How about I show you something?” Yun Lan was surprised. “Are Tian Hao and Xiao Shuang also in Qiufeng City?” “No!” Lin Dong shook his head, raising his eyebrows slightly. “If my savior hasn’t had breakfast, why wouldn’t I cook for her myself?” “Then…” Yun Lan hesitated for a moment before asking, “Do you need any help?”

Lin Dong glanced up and down at Yun Lan without any hesitation, then said with a chuckle, “If you’re not afraid of getting your clothes dirty, I’d be thrilled to do it.”
Yun Lan smiled without saying a word. She imitated Lin Dong and rolled up her sleeves, revealing arms as white as pink lotus roots, which made Lin Dong feel the urge to imitate Peng Qiao and bite them.