Chapter 206: Vitality Beef Balls

Seeing Wan Cuijin’s hesitant expression, Lin Dong tapped the armrest of his chair leisurely and took out another Wanhong Tree.
“Wan-Hong Tree?” Wan Cuijin widened his eyes and couldn’t help but move closer to Lin Dong.
Lin Dong smiled and said, “Dean Wan, how about trading one Wanhong Tree for Fire Cloud Grass?”
“Wanhong Tree for Fire Cloud Grass…” Wan Cuijin struggled. Among Wan Family’s high-grade spiritual materials, only four reached the seventh level. These four included the Wanhong Tree and Fire Cloud Grass.
The Wanhong Tree was a material for cultivation assistance, while Fire Cloud Grass was for healing. Relatively speaking, the Wanhong Tree was undoubtedly more precious.
But Wan Family already had one Wanhong Tree, and there was only one Fire Cloud Grass as well. If traded, Wan Family would have two Wanhong Trees, but only three seventh-level spiritual materials left. It wasn’t a loss, but it wasn’t a great gain either.
“Although the Wanhong Tree is precious, it’s insignificant compared to ninth-level spiritual materials,” Lin Dong said slowly. “Dean Wan, don’t you find it strange that we’re willing to use ninth-level materials to accelerate the growth of Wanhong Trees?”
“Yes!” Wan Cuijin was surprised. “Why would you do that?”
“Because we don’t have Wanhong Trees,” Lin Dong replied with a smile. “We just need to ensure we have no shortages of any spiritual materials. So, spending a little ninth-level material to fill a gap is still worthwhile.”
Wan Cuijin suddenly understood and felt a hint of envy. To fill a gap, they were willing to use ninth-level materials to accelerate growth—the backing force behind Brother Lin must be very generous.
“Dean Wan, Wan Family’s high-grade spiritual materials…” Lin Dong continued leisurely, “have many gaps.”
Wan Cuijin was stunned, then overjoyed. Did this mean that if he agreed to trade directly, he could even exchange sixth or seventh-level materials for eighth or ninth-level ones?
But then he felt a chill down his spine. If they could easily break through the spiritual array to break off and take away Wanhong Tree branches, breaking through the array again shouldn’t be difficult either.
“Brother Lin, you…”
“I know Dean Wan is wondering why we don’t simply go to Wan Family and steal the materials we need,” Lin Dong said casually. “The reason is that the force behind me isn’t a sect, nor are they peak experts.”
Wan Cuijin frowned for a moment before his face lit up with ecstasy. This force was hidden, or perhaps didn’t want its existence known to others.

Only such a powerful force could explain why they could easily seize what they wanted, yet still had to use complicated methods and at great cost to obtain the spiritual materials they needed. No matter how powerful they were, none would dare kill officials of the Great Han Kingdom—that was its bottom line. Crossing this line would surely invite furious retaliation from Tianwei Pavilion.

Even if they didn’t kill him, having the head of a prefecture-level martial assessment institute seriously injured, Tianwei Pavilion might not avenge him, but it would definitely investigate his background. With Tianwei Pavilion’s investigative capabilities, such a force would be exposed.

If it were an ordinary person, learning they had accidentally discovered a huge, hidden force would surely frighten them greatly. But Wan Cui Lin was only excited. He believed he could gain significant benefits from this secret.

After careful consideration, Wan Cui Lin looked at Lin Dong fearlessly and declared, “Brother Lin, trading a Wanhong Tree for Firecloud Grass seems like a poor deal. If you can offer conditions that convince me, I’ll take the poison you provide to prove my determination not to reveal your force’s existence.”

Lin Dong nodded silently. To be willing to risk one’s life and negotiate terms with an intangible, powerful force—this Head Wan truly valued spiritual materials above everything else.

Without hesitation, Lin Dong smiled and said, “We can’t give you high-tier spiritual materials.”

“Why?” Wan Cui Lin demanded urgently.

Long before sending Feng Jingtang to steal Wanhong Tree branches, Lin Dong had already thought through all the pros and cons of fabricating a powerful force. He replied without hesitation, “Because you’re just the head of a prefecture-level martial assessment institute.”

Wan Cui Lin was stunned, then collapsed in despair. He understood what Lin Dong meant.

The growth conditions for high-tier spiritual materials were extremely harsh. A head of a prefecture-level martial assessment institute could only obtain the necessary conditions with Tianwei Pavilion’s help. This meant Tianwei Pavilion would likely send people to investigate the origin of those high-tier materials.

An idea struck Wan Cui Lin, and he murmured, “You could set up various living environments for me first and then deliver the spiritual materials…”

“Do we also have to deliver the nutrients required for those high-tier materials to you on a monthly basis?” Lin Dong asked with a smile.

Wan Cui Lin completely gave up. No matter how powerful a force, it probably wouldn’t want to be a fool for several sixth or seventh-tier spiritual materials for so long.

Seeing Wan Cui Lin listless, Lin Dong said, “Head Wan, we can’t give you high-tier spiritual materials, but as long as you guarantee not to reveal this, we’re willing to spend more ninth-tier spiritual materials to help cultivate the high-tier materials that already exist in the Wan family’s estate.”

Wan Cuilin perked up; this was indeed a good condition. If he could exchange one mature Fire Cloud Grass for several seedlings, that would also be a cause for celebration. After some thought, Wan Cuilin hesitantly said, “But you just now…” “I was only trying to ensure we could get all the spiritual materials we lack from the Wan family estate,” Lin Dong replied nonchalantly. “If I said I’d exchange one Wan Red Tree for all the high-grade spiritual materials from the Wan family estate, and give back twice as much once we’ve cultivated them, would President Wan agree?” Wan Cuilin hesitated for a moment before slowly shaking his head. If the other party took the materials and never returned, he would be devastated. Even though there was the assurance that they wouldn’t reveal their strength, he couldn’t take such a risk lightly. “Similarly, after giving you the seedlings of Fire Cloud Grass, if you stop trading with me, I, as the intermediary, will suffer consequences,” Lin Dong said leisurely. “So, I need to keep a trump card to ensure a long-term relationship.” Wan Cuilin nodded gently; it was normal for everyone to have their own concerns. After pondering for a while, Wan Cuilin said eagerly, “Can you be sure you’ll exchange two Fire Cloud Grasses for other spiritual materials at that time?” “Things are unpredictable. If we find other places with materials we lack, and trading with the owners there poses no greater risk, we’ll naturally choose the one with the better terms. So, any guarantee I give would be pointless,” Lin Dong laughed. “But President Wan should still benefit, right? The value of one Wan Red Tree far exceeds that of one Fire Cloud Grass. Even if I stop trading with President Wan, he still stands to gain nothing but profit.” “Alright, I’ll exchange!” Wan Cuilin no longer hesitated and made up his mind. “As for finding a reason to explain the extra Wan Red Trees to the Wan family estate and concealing it, I believe President Wan doesn’t need my reminder,” Lin Dong said with a smile as he stood up, picked up the Wan Red Tree from the ground, walked over to Wan Cuilin, who stepped forward anxiously, and handed it to him. “President Wan, shall we go get the Fire Cloud Grass together, or wait here for you to return?” “Wait a moment!” Although he knew Yun Lan had the ability to enter the spiritual array, Wan Cuilin still chose the latter without hesitation. “Okay!” Lin Dong nodded. Wan Cuilin carefully wrapped the Wan Red Tree in oilpaper and then hurried out of the hall. After waiting for almost half an hour, Wan Cuilin reappeared, holding a sealed wooden box. When he opened it, there was a small dark purple grass inside, with a thin layer of blue soil beneath it. Yun Lan glanced at the grass and then gave Lin Dong a slight nod.

“Dean Wan, it was a pleasure working with you. I’ll come back to talk to you again after cultivating this Fire Cloud Grass,” Lin Dong said with a smile, bowing his hands.
“Welcome, welcome.” Although Wan Cui Lin felt a bit sad seeing Lin Dong put the wooden box directly into his storage spirit ring, thinking that he might be able to get two more plants in a while, he still smiled broadly.
“Then we should take our leave.”
After exchanging a few polite words, Lin Dong suggested leaving. Accompanied by Wan Cui Lin, the two left Wan Jiazhuang and then rode away at full speed.
Ding: Congratulations on completing the task ‘Bond of Servitude and the Stubborn Old Man’. You have received the reward: the medicinal recipe ‘Vitality Beef Balls’.
As he was riding and whipping his horse, a sudden system notification startled Lin Dong, almost making him fall off the horse.
“What’s wrong?” Yun Lan turned to ask.
“Nothing, I was lost in thought and suddenly remembered I was riding, so I was startled,” Lin Dong replied casually.
“Can that really startle you?”
Yun Lan was amused but didn’t press further.
It wasn’t convenient to receive task rewards on the road, so Lin Dong was eager to return. He whipped his horse faster.
Yun Lan was puzzled but, since Lin Dong didn’t explain, she decided not to ask and sped up as well.
They rushed back to the inn, went to the small garden, planted the Fire Cloud Grass, and activated the 1,500-fold growth accelerator. After that, Lin Dong parted ways with Yun Lan in the corridor and quickly returned to his room.
This ‘Bond of Servitude and the Stubborn Old Man’ task was undoubtedly related to Wang Bin and Yi Yi. After waiting for over a month, it was finally completed.
The task had two difficulties levels—not too high, but not low either. The reward should be decent, and it was a recipe-based reward, which was highly valued. Without hesitation, Lin Dong silently invoked the command to claim the reward.
A thin piece of paper floated down. Lin Dong swiftly caught it with his right hand and then silently checked its properties.
Vitality Beef Balls: 2 qian of fire ox leg meat, 2 fen of green onions, 2 fen of flour. After consumption, it can boost energy for one hour. (1 spirit stone is consumed for every 1,000 balls made.)
Lin Dong was overjoyed. He had heard about fire oxes during casual conversations with Xiao Tianchi—they were second-tier spirit beasts, and they could be found within the Autumn Wind Mansion. Judging from the ingredients in this recipe, it seemed like just the ingredients for one beef ball. Considering the cost of spirit stones, the price per ball was roughly 2 qian.
Spiritual materials that boost energy were quite expensive in the market. The efficacy of one Vitality Beef Ball was worth at least 200 to 300 qian.

If the Vitality Beef Balls can ensure a good taste, with ten in a plate and priced at two taels of silver, it’s not only a reasonable price but also helps attract larger customers. This means that, following the Maple Leaf Stewed Turtle, Lin’s Inn can introduce another signature dish.