Chapter 188: Kidnapping

The sun shone brightly, and the spring breeze was pleasant—such fine weather, yet outside the KeLai Restaurant, Wang Shuangxi stood listlessly, returning greetings to the few customers who passed by. His gaze kept shifting back and forth between the ends of the street.
Pale face, dull eyes, expressionless demeanor…
Those who had been regulars at KeLai Restaurant for years, even decades, all shook their heads in silence at Wang Shuangxi’s appearance.
KeLai Restaurant was doomed. Boss Wang, who had lived a peaceful life without ever holding grudges against anyone, was ruined too.
Inside the restaurant, the staff still wore smiles, but without their usual enthusiasm. Having worked there for years, even decades, they were more aware of the restaurant’s current situation and felt even more confused and heartbroken.
With colleagues they had known for years and a boss who was kind and understanding, if the restaurant really closed down, they feared they would never find a better place.
Outside the restaurant, Lin Dong looked at Wang Shuangxi and deliberately asked, “Boss Wang?”
“Please come in…” Wang Shuangxi replied instinctively, his gaze immediately shifting back to the end of the street.
“Boss Wang!” Lin Dong raised his voice slightly.
“Huh?”
Only then did Wang Shuangxi realize that this person didn’t seem to be here to eat at the restaurant. He turned to look at Lin Dong—wearing a tiger-patterned hat, a dark complexion, a beard, and a black short jacket, giving off a fierce aura.
With the restaurant in such a state, only old regulars came by. As for this man, Wang Shuangxi couldn’t recall where he had seen him before. Confused, he asked, “Sir, you…”
Lin Dong took out a green jade pendant and waved it in front of Wang Shuangxi.
“Is this jade pendant Wang Bin’s?” Wang Shuangxi’s dull eyes widened as overwhelming joy surged from deep within, making his body tremble.
“Can we talk in a quiet place?” Lin Dong asked indifferently.
Wang Shuangxi was stunned. His joy was gradually overshadowed by a sense of foreboding.
“P-please, come to the back yard.”
Leading Lin Dong into the main hall, Wang Shuangxi hurried to the back yard and then pushed open his own door. Without offering tea or even asking Lin Dong to sit, he rushed forward and said, “Sir, how did you get this jade pendant?”
“It’s nothing. That kid sneaked into our stronghold and was caught by our men,” Lin Dong said nonchalantly.
Wang Shuangxi felt dizzy, his head spinning. He staggered until he could steady himself by the table.
A stronghold! Bandits!

The former gathers all the most vicious people, while in the latter, one must prove their ability by sacrificing a life just to enter the trade. If such a weak young man encounters them, his only option is to end up as a corpse in the wilderness.
“You… you killed him?”
“Don’t worry, Boss Wang. If I had killed him, I wouldn’t be here,” Lin Dong said calmly. “This kid claimed to be the young master of KeLai Restaurant and also Boss Wang’s only son, saying he could offer a hefty reward if we spared his life. So I came to verify it.”
“Yes, yes, he’s my son!” Wang Shuangxi, as if grasping at a lifeline, grabbed Lin Dong’s clothes and nodded frantically. “Tell me how much silver you want—I’ll give it all.”
“That makes things simple!” Lin Dong rudely pulled Wang Shuangxi’s hands away and sneered, “Two hundred thousand taels of silver isn’t too much, is it?”
“Two hundred thousand taels?” Wang Shuangxi’s eyes widened in disbelief. “You’re… you’re too cruel.”
“Cruel?” Lin Dong shrugged indifferently. “KeLai Restaurant is one of the renowned restaurants in Qiufeng City, with decades of history. Two hundred thousand taels for a son— isn’t that cheap? Boss Wang, money is just material wealth; you can’t take it with you when you die, but you only have one son.”
“But… I can’t raise that much silver.”
Wang Shuangxi turned red with panic. Although KeLai Restaurant was indeed a well-known restaurant in Qiufeng City with decades of history, its profits from food and drinks weren’t as high as those of other major restaurants. On top of that, they had to provide aid to employees in trouble, offer bribes year-round, and donate large sums during disasters… KeLai Restaurant only had about one hundred and fifty to one hundred and sixty thousand taels in cash.
Lin Dong already knew about KeLai Restaurant’s financial situation from Wang Bin, but he pretended not to believe it, speaking in a deep, mocking tone typical of a kidnapper. “Boss Wang, there’s no need for you to act poor in front of me. In three days, bring all the silver to the Rocky Forest ten miles east of the city to exchange for your son. Remember, don’t report this to the authorities, and don’t let anyone suspect anything… I heard you have some connections with the Wang family? My men will be watching the Wang family’s house. If we detect the slightest anomaly, don’t blame us for being ruthless. Decide whether you want your son or the silver.”
“Three days is too short! I really can’t raise that much silver.” In desperation, Wang Shuangxi tried to grab Lin Dong again, but was coldly pushed away. He then pleaded, “Can you give me a little more time? Just one month—I’m sure I can find a way.”

“If I don’t see the silver in three days, the opportunity will pass. A month? Go to the mountains and ask the wolves for your son!” Lin Dong sneered coldly, bowed slightly, and said, “Goodbye!”
Wang Shuangxi tried to stop him, but Lin Dong slammed his fist on the table. A surge of spiritual energy erupted, causing a loud crash as the entire table shattered into countless pieces.
Frightened, Wang Shuangxi stepped back repeatedly.
After opening the door, Lin Dong glanced back at Wang Shuangxi, who was collapsed on the ground, his face ashen. After hesitating for a moment, he left.
Leaving the KeLai Inn, Lin Dong didn’t change into his usual rugged attire and return to the inn. Instead, he slipped back into the backyard through the courtyard wall. There was no choice—Wang Bin had underestimated the significance of the KeLai Inn to Wang Shuangxi, but Lin Dong dared not underestimate it.
Although Lin Dong wasn’t a kind-hearted person, he certainly didn’t want to take a life without reason. If Wang Shuangxi couldn’t bear the shock and suffered some mental breakdown, it would be utterly worthless to take a life over a hidden mission.
Fortunately, things didn’t develop as badly as Lin Dong had feared. Through the open door, Wang Shuangxi sat on the ground for a while before pushing himself up. He then paced back and forth in the room, clearly trying to figure out how to raise the money.
That afternoon, ignoring his employees’ pleas, Wang Shuangxi stubbornly posted a notice outside the KeLai Inn, offering to sell it!
The news caused a stir in the northern part of the city. No one expected that the KeLai Inn, which had survived decades of ups and downs, would finally take such a step.
More and more people flocked to the KeLai Inn—wealthy merchants, ordinary folks, the Wang family’ssteward, and some officials who were friends with Wang Shuangxi… Everyone had one goal: to find out why Wang Shuangxi wanted to sell the inn. He had already prepared an excuse: he was too old to manage it, and he had recently learned that his son had gone to Lingnan Commandery, so he planned to sell the inn to retire there.
Occasionally, some merchants asked about the price of the inn, only to leave shaking their heads.
Forty thousand taels of silver!
That was an exorbitant price. The land value of the KeLai Inn was only a few thousand taels, and although its decorations were decent, they were mediocre compared to larger inns—worth at most ten to twenty thousand taels. Spending over twenty thousand taels for the location and to save time on construction didn’t seem worthwhile.
Especially since other inns were still under pressure from the Fenglin Inn, whoever bought the KeLai Inn would likely have to endure a few tough years before they could truly make a profit. Considering that, it seemed even less worthwhile.

Moreover, Ke Lai Restaurant had an additional condition—no employees or chefs could be fired, nor could their wages be reduced. Ke Lai Restaurant employed the most staff among large restaurants, offering the highest wages. Among them were those who had worked there for decades, now old and frail, relying on the restaurant for support. Their monthly earnings might be only a hundred or eighty taels of silver, but over time, they became a significant burden. Thus, not only merchants seeking to take advantage of the situation but even those with some relationship with Wang Shuangxi and wishing to help him were forced to back down. After all, no one wanted to suffer losses. Moreover, the longer they operated, the greater the losses became. If they couldn’t withstand the pressure from Fenglin Restaurant, they might even lose tens of thousands of taels. Wang Shuangxi felt as if each day stretched like years. As fewer and fewer people came to inquire about the price and the deadline neared, he grew increasingly anxious. Finally, a middle-aged merchant in his early forties, with a long beard and dressed in luxurious clothes, entered the lobby of Ke Lai Restaurant. This time, everything went surprisingly smoothly. There was even no need for Wang Shuangxi to elaborate on the restaurant’s history or its prime location. Forty thousand taels of silver were paid in full, and the additional conditions were documented in writing. It took only an hour to change the land deed, legalize the transfer, and settle all the complicated matters. In the evening, Wang Shuangxi left the city alone with 160,000 silver notes and rushed to Luan Shi Cong. Anxiously, he sat on the cold stones all night. Finally, several burly men pushed Wang Bin, who was tightly tied, into sight. There was no ransom robbery as Wang Shuangxi had feared, nor any attempt to silence him. After receiving the silver notes and confirming the amount, the kidnappers kept their word. They led out a few fast horses, pushed Wang Bin to the ground, and left. After successfully rescuing Wang Bin and learning that Yi Yi had sacrificed her life to preserve her honor due to her refusal to tolerate the bandits’ harassment, Wang Shuangxi felt a mix of emotions. It was all because of Yi Yi, but she wasn’t as terrible as he had imagined. At Wang Bin’s suggestion, the father and son did not return to Qiufeng City. Instead, they decided to go to the nearby Jiuhu County and start over. Behind them, a solitary figure quietly followed. No one noticed that another figure was still closely trailing behind. On the other hand, after receiving the ransom, Lin Dong rushed without delay to the Military Assessment Institute in Xilan City. The previous day, he had officially reached the ninth level of the Lingdong stage!

Furthermore, Lin Dong will become a warrior whom the Great Han Nation is willing to win over with various privileges, and he will also be the last bargaining chip for Ren Qingsong to rise from the director of a sixth-rank county-level martial assessment institute to that of a fourth-rank prefecture-level one. As for Wang Bin and Yi Yi, it now depends solely on whether Yi Yi can make Wang Shuangxi change his mind. It might take three to five days, or thirty to fifty days, or even three to five years—everything depends on whether Yi Yi is truly as good as Wang Bin says. As for this, Lin Dong can only wait patiently for the system’s notification.