Chapter 184: Fish in the Net

With a head as big as an ox, Lin Dong didn’t bother to think further. There’s always a way when you reach the mountain—any future problems would come years later. By then, who knows? His character might improve dramatically, and he might even make a bunch of top-tier strongmen allies besides Old Ding and Yun Cangqiong.
With such strongmen protecting him, even if they weren’t officially registered as top-tier strongmen of the Great Han Nation, and even if Tianwei Pavilion was extremely powerful, they wouldn’t dare cause him so much trouble.
Right now, preparing breakfast for Yun Lan was the most important thing.
He arranged the vegetables on a plate, then added mushrooms to the wok—two dishes done. Lin Dong wasn’t idle either; he prepared some spirit beast meat for himself, and the buns in the steamer were almost ready.
“How’s it look?” Lin Dong raised his eyebrows at Yun Lan as he placed the three plates on a tray.
“It looks good, and it smells fine. As for the taste, I’m not sure,” Yun Lan said with a smile. “I wonder if your cooking skills have declined.”
“Joke’s on you. My cooking skills have improved greatly,” Lin Dong said confidently. When Yun Lan was in Xilan City, his cooking skill bonus hadn’t appeared yet, but now it was already four times higher. Not to mention the rapid improvement from cooking at the inn—just the cooking skill bonus alone was four times what it used to be.
“Then I’ll go taste it first. Wait here for the buns!” Yun Lan rolled down her sleeves and took the tray from Lin Dong’s hands.
“Uh!” Lin Dong was speechless—what a selfish idea.
Yun Lan left gracefully, and Lin Dong had no choice but to sit down in front of the steamer, waiting silently.
After finally waiting for the buns to be done, Lin Dong didn’t even bother looking for cloth or dishes. He wrapped his palms in spiritual energy, lifted all three steamers, and strode out of the empty kitchen.
By the stone table in the backyard, Yun Lan was playing with a silver rabbit. On the table, aside from the plate of spirit beast meat, the two plates that should have held vegetables and mushrooms now only had some soup left.
“How’s it taste?” Lin Dong smiled as he placed the three baskets of buns on the table, taking out the bottom one filled with vegetable filling and placing it in front of Yun Lan.
“Not bad!” Yun Lan nodded.
Lin Dong smacked his lips—almost licking the plate—and yet she only gave it a “not bad” rating. That was quite hypocritical. But then again, it showed a bit of femininity.
After eating a plate of spirit beast meat and two and a half baskets of buns, Lin Dong’s belly swelled round. Looking at Yun Lan, a loud burp suddenly came out, and a blush flashed through her green veil.
“Well… I didn’t hear anything,” Lin Dong said, poking his ears.
“Clean the table! I’ll wait for you in the front yard.”
Yun Lan slowly stood up and, before Lin Dong could say anything, turned into a white light and disappeared.

Lin Dong glanced at the mess on the table and swept it all into the mobile counter with a motion of his right hand.
In the front yard, seeing Lin Dong come out so quickly, Yun Lan didn’t ask further and walked beside him.
During breakfast, Lin Dong had already told Yun Lan everything about the inn’s functions—such as the expulsion feature, cultivation bonuses, and transportation gates—without leaving anything out. Though surprised, Yun Lan, who was herself a spirit array master, naturally didn’t believe Lin Dong could create such arrays, but she didn’t delve deeper into it. What needed to be known would be known eventually; delving into things that shouldn’t be known only brought unnecessary trouble.
By the time they reached the lodging building, they had already discussed strategies for dealing with sudden attacks.
Stopping at the top-floor room, Lin Dong knocked on the door.
The door creaked open, and Yang Shun, wearing a small green hat, stood inside, clearly displeased as he looked at Lin Dong.
“Come in!”
But Lin Dong didn’t step in right away. Only after Yun Lan quietly touched his sleeve from behind, ensuring there was no danger, did he step inside.
Compared to the previous day, the top-floor room had undergone a dramatic transformation. The rosewood tables and chairs, fake paintings, and imitation vases had all been replaced with tables and chairs made of unknown materials covered in spirit beast skins. The paintings were either grand and imposing or filled with a strong spiritual aura. The vases had a soft paint finish and delicate luster, clearly not ordinary items.
What surprised Lin Dong even more was that while the room had been opulent and luxurious just the day before, it now exuded a pleasant scholarly atmosphere, giving people a sense of extreme comfort and relaxation.
In just one night, or perhaps even just half an hour, the atmosphere of the room had changed drastically, and its elegance even surpassed that of a bedroom in a true scholarly family. Lin Dong had to admit that this butler named Yang Shun, despite his arrogant personality, was indeed a capable person.
“A simple arrangement and you’re already impressed. People from small places really lack insight,” Yang Shun snorted.
“Bring a chair for the two guests,” Lord Wang said without blaming Yang Shun or intending to give him an opportunity to speak up. He simply gave a brief order to another guard, Zhang Qingrong, standing beside him.
Zhang Qingrong nodded, brought out two chairs, and placed them at the door.
“Manager Lin, miss, please sit!” Lord Wang smiled and gestured for them to sit, his expression carrying an undeniable authority.
Providing chairs right at the door, even from a distance of four or five meters, showed that Lord Wang was clearly aware of Lin Dong’s concerns. Since he was being polite, Lin Dong didn’t want to be too fussy about the tone and nodded, sitting down beside him.

A fresh fragrance wafted in, and Yun Lan also sat down beside him.
Lin Dong bowed to Lord Wang, seemingly having forgotten the unpleasant incidents that had occurred earlier, and asked, “I wonder if Lord Wang summoned me here because there’s something unsatisfactory with the hospitality, or if you have some instructions?”
Lord Wang shook his head with a kind smile. “I just wanted to ask if Manager Lin could close the inn a bit later at night. I haven’t been out in a long time, and I’m afraid I might wander around until midnight before returning.”
Lin Dong smiled and nodded without hesitation. “It’s our principle at Lin’s Inn to accommodate our guests. Asking the night staff to close later is no problem at all.”
Lord Wang nodded slightly and said with a smile, “Then I’ll have to trouble Manager Lin.”
Over by the side, Yang Shun took out a silver note, stepped forward, and threw it on Lin Dong’s lap. “Take this; it’s a reward for you.”
Lin Dong didn’t think much of it and glanced down at the amount—ten thousand taels. A bit stingy…
Ten thousand taels wasn’t a small sum, but for a royal family member, it wasn’t much. It was surprising that this Yang butler, who had previously told him to charge an exorbitant price for the Rainbow Bed and even double it, was only giving this much.
“You two aren’t needed here anymore. Go away!” Yang Shun waved impatiently at them.
Lin Dong ignored him and turned to Lord Wang, asking, “I heard yesterday that Lord Wang was here to visit a friend. I wonder if you’ve found them?”
“I have found them, but…” Lord Wang said helplessly, “One of them is hard to find again after all these years we shared hardships together, while the other keeps me at arm’s length, probably despising me deeply.”
A royal family member in his seventies, two old friends—one not seen in decades. And among the two old friends, one no longer has any affection for him, while the other keeps his distance…
Gradually, Lin Dong seemed to grasp something.
Fu Tongshan, Fu Chunjian!
That’s right!
Lin Dong’s mind cleared up suddenly. This Lord Wang before him was almost certainly Emperor Qianwei. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be such a coincidence. After all, it was extremely difficult to find two other candidates who fit the criteria of a royal family member traveling thousands of miles just to visit a friend, along with all other conditions!
However, whether this Lord Wang was Emperor Qianwei or not, since the visit was over, it would be even harder to get him to stay at the upgraded Rainbow Bed.
Lin Dong opened the inn’s system and checked the experience points of the Rainbow Bed. Although it was only at level one, it only gained 3% experience per night. In other words, it would take another month of staying there to level up.

Lord Wang asked Yang Shun to deliberately give less money for reconciliation, aiming to prevent Lin Dong from guessing his true identity too accurately. Yet no matter how much he planned, he never expected that Lin Dong would not only be familiar with Fu Chunjian but also know about his relationship with Emperor Qianwei. Seeing Lin Dong deep in thought, Emperor Qianwei didn’t overthink it and asked, “Shopkeeper Lin, are you interested in opening an inn in the capital?”
“Open an inn in the capital?” Lin Dong’s heart stirred. If this Lord Wang was indeed Emperor Qianwei, there was no time to hide his abilities—how could he risk opening an inn in the capital right from the start and drawing attention to its potential? Yet these words gave him a glimmer of hope to keep Emperor Qianwei around.
After some thought, Lin Dong said with a wry smile, “To be honest with Lord Wang, my inn relies on the spiritual arrays set up by a wise elder to survive. It took me six or seven years of hard work in Xilan City to expand my business to Qiufeng City. Even if that elder were to pass by again and offer to help set up more arrays, I wouldn’t dare dream of doing the same in the capital. These arrays are useful in small towns but barely sufficient in a provincial capital, let alone in the capital, where they’d be utterly useless. Besides, ever since meeting that wise elder, cultivation has become my main focus—I simply don’t have the energy for anything else.”
“A fool can’t even climb back onto the wall…” Yang Shun muttered disdainfully.
Emperor Qianwei, however, was surprised. “Shopkeeper Lin, you used to run an inn in Xilan City?”
Lin Dong nodded. “I ran it for six or seven years. Thanks to the spiritual arrays set up by that wise elder, business was quite good, and I managed to save some money. By chance, the elder passed by, so I came to Qiufeng City to try my luck.”
“So, the Lin’s Inn in Xilan City was run by you? And it also had the spiritual arrays set up by that elder you mentioned?” Emperor Qianwei remained calm on the surface but was inwardly delighted.
Lin Dong pretended to be surprised. “Lord Wang also knows about Lin’s Inn in Xilan City?”
“To be honest with you, my reclusive friend lives in Xilan City. I just returned from there a few days ago,” Emperor Qianwei said, stroking his beard. “It’s a pity he just chose a random small inn and didn’t stay at Lin’s Inn. He missed out on the chance to enjoy fine food and lodging early on.”
“With Manager Yang’s capabilities, it makes no difference where he stays,” Lin Dong said with a smile. “If anything, it’s I who missed the chance to welcome a distinguished guest early on.”

“Master Lin is being too modest,” Emperor Qianwei suddenly said. “Having been rejected by an old friend from afar, once I return to the capital, it’s likely we won’t have another chance to meet in this lifetime. I originally wanted to do everything in my power to make things right, but with my heavy family responsibilities and insomnia, I had no choice but to leave regretfully. Since Lin’s Inn also has a branch in Xilan City and has set up spirit arrays there as well, I wonder if they have a Rainbow Bed?”
Lin Dong shook his head. “The materials for a Rainbow Bed are hard to find; there’s only one.”
“Then… does Lin’s Inn in Xilan City have a spirit array set up for a Rainbow Bed?” Emperor Qianwei pressed further.
“The Rainbow Bed was obtained long ago, but since its effects were rather limited, it hasn’t been used,” Lin Dong hesitated. “Lord Wang…”
Emperor Qianwei glanced indifferently at Yang Shun beside him.
Yang Shun clearly understood what Emperor Qianwei meant. He took out two silver bills and a storage spirit ring. This time, he was slightly more polite, bringing them to Lin Dong before speaking in a domineering tone, “Set off now and deliver the Rainbow Bed to Xilan City. If you’re not confident in us, you can go your own way.”
Lin Dong looked hesitant on the surface, but he knew in his heart that the fish was already in the net. All that remained was to see how long Fu Chunjian could delay Emperor Qianwei.