Chapter 223: Trouble Strikes with Emperor Gu Huanzong

Within a single day, five out of the sixteen major restaurants in Qiufeng City suddenly announced they would close. On the same day, the other restaurants slashed their prices and came up with various tactics to attract customers. Soon, not only the wealthy in Qiufeng City turned their attention from the guild to these restaurants, but ordinary people and officials of all ranks also paid close attention.

To the common people, these restaurants seemed out of reach, but that didn’t stop them from discussing the closure of the five major restaurants as exciting topics or commenting on the tactics used by the other restaurants to attract customers.

The outcome was clear: although they hadn’t experienced these restaurants’ tactics firsthand, relying on the power of numbers and various rumors, they quickly reached a conclusion.

Undoubtedly, the most attractive restaurant was Fenglin Restaurant. With the guild’s announcement and its price cuts, almost no other restaurant could compete with it. Its three floors, eighty dining tables, and twenty private rooms—always full almost anytime except at midnight—were the best proof of its popularity.

Next was Linji Inn in the north of the city, which was hard to classify as either a restaurant or an inn. The Vitality Balls had become extremely popular throughout the city, even attracting interest from merchants from other places. Some even traveled long distances to buy a couple of sets to take home. Just the loss from these Vitality Balls ensured a steady stream of customers for Linji Inn. In addition, its Vitality Beef Balls and Turtle Stewed with Maple Leaves were also attractive offerings.

Then there were the VIP cards. Although almost every wealthy person had one, the storage function of these cards had diminished, leaving only the appeal of upgrading to higher tiers for greater storage capacity. Combined with the mystery surrounding the mysterious gifts offered by Linji Inn—never revealed to the public—along with the Vitality Balls, this too was a significant advantage.

Thus, despite the guild’s announcement stirring concern among all the wealthy and the various tactics employed by the restaurants, Linji Inn still managed to serve nearly a hundred tables per day on its second floor. It could be said that more than half of the wealthy families in Qiufeng City who weren’t greatly affected by the guild’s influence were patrons of Linji Inn.

While its daily customer count of nearly a hundred tables couldn’t compare to Fenglin Restaurant’s five to six hundred tables per day, it was still enviable compared to the other ten major restaurants.

These ten large restaurants, despite their dazzling tactics that might have been enough to draw attention under normal circumstances, paled in comparison to Maple Forest Restaurant and Lin’s Inn during this period. Each of these ten restaurants only had thirty to forty tables for customers in a day—tables that were secured only by slashing prices. Of course, this was only the situation for three or four days; even though the restaurants used every trick in the book, there was still room for further price cuts. Everyone believed that prices would continue to drop. By then, a different scenario would arise, and even Lin’s Inn, which had so far refused to cut prices, would be forced to do so. After all, if wealthy families had one or two Vital Balls, demand for them would drop until it matched their consumption rate. While other restaurants sold a plate of spiritual beasts for seven or eight hundred coins, Lin’s Inn still charged over ten silver coins—given the similar cooking skills, it seemed unfair. To retain customers, they had no choice but to follow suit and cut prices.

In the backyard, Lin Dong was drenched in sweat, his arms stretched out. In front of him, two benches hung at a height of about one and a half meters, spinning rapidly around Yun Lan. Like a gracefully dancing snow lotus, Yun Lan strolled leisurely among them, unharmed by their movements. No matter how hard Lin Dong tried, no matter how quickly the benches accelerated or changed direction, he couldn’t even touch the hem of her clothes. His spiritual energy in his dantian was gradually running out, yet he gritted his teeth and persisted, aiming to bring the benches within ten centimeters of Yun Lan at least once. This goal seemed too ambitious—from sunrise to now, with the sun high in the sky, he still hadn’t succeeded.

Just as Lin Dong’s dantian could no longer produce any spiritual energy and his intense focus was on the verge of collapsing, a bright glow suddenly erupted around Yun Lan. With a thud, the already unstable benches, as if struck by some immense force, fell to the ground.

Huh…

Lin Dong let out a long sigh, sitting down heavily on the ground. He looked at Yun Lan and gasped, “What happened?”

“Someone’s here!” Yun Lan’s gaze slowly shifted toward the storage room.

Lin Dong froze and abruptly turned to look at the storage room—where the Transport Gate was located. Those who knew about the Transport Gate, like Wang Liu Zi, were busy testing scoundrels in various counties to decide who could be taken back to Autumn Wind City for further trials; they certainly couldn’t be in Xilan City. The only one left was Zhang Ye. But Zhang Ye should be busy competing on prices with Maple Forest Restaurant at this moment.

Spiritual energy flowed into his eyes, revealing a figure clearly visible through the white window paper. Pop!

The figure was clearly checking the outside situation, poking a small hole in the window paper with his finger, and then a dark eyeball appeared. Realizing Lin Dong and Yun Lan were in the yard, the figure hesitated for a moment before staying motionless by the window. Lin Dong frowned. Whether it was Zhang Ye or some thug who had accidentally entered the secret passage, wasting time wasn’t an option. Taking big steps forward, Lin Dong stopped three meters away from the window sill. Just as he was about to speak, a soft voice came from inside: “Owner, it’s Zhang Ye.” “Zhang Ye?” Lin Dong was stunned. Could it be that something had happened at the Xilan City Inn? Without hesitation, Lin Dong called out, “Come out and talk.” “Miss Yun Lan is in the yard,” Zhang Ye said in a low voice. Lin Dong smiled. “It’s okay. She knows how to use the transport door.” The figure moved, and with a creak, Zhang Ye stepped out. “Is there trouble at the Maple Forest Tavern again?” Lin Dong asked. Zhang Ye shook his head. “It’s not the Maple Forest Tavern. It’s the Gu Huan Sect.” “Gu Huan Sect?” Lin Dong looked puzzled. “What happened?” “It’s like this…” Zhang Ye organized his thoughts slightly before explaining anxiously, “About half a month ago, Elder Huo received a letter from the Gu Huan Sect, saying they were in trouble, so he took all his disciples back there. They’ve been gone for half a month. I was worried something might have happened to them, so I sent a worker there yesterday to check, instructing him to return by night no matter what. Unexpectedly, he still hasn’t come back. There have never been any bandits reported near Gu Huan Mountain, and I didn’t dare send another worker. I had no choice but to come here for your advice.” Lin Dong was shocked. If he hadn’t returned overnight, something bad must have happened. Thanks to the existence of the Gu Huan Sect, bandits didn’t dare build strongholds on the mountain, and with the Qiu Shui Academy along the way, no bandits had ever appeared. Plus, Huo Yuan and the others hadn’t returned yet… Lin Dong’s expression changed drastically. He immediately said, “Go to Xilan City!” Zhang Ye quickly nodded. “Should we gather some people?” “No need!” Lin Dong shook his head and glanced at Yun Lan. There was no sign of the inn’s guard team, and the so-called “people” were just a bunch of hooligans. If they couldn’t handle the Gu Huan Sect, those hooligans would only be seeking death. Similarly, if he couldn’t handle the Gu Huan Sect either, even with the Misty Step, it would be very dangerous. Yun Lan nodded slightly. With a wave of his hand, the three of them entered the storage room and used the transport door to reach Lin’s Inn in Xilan City.

Leaving the room, Lin Dong immediately ordered Zhang Ye to bring two strong horses, then exited the inn through the back door and rode away at full speed. At the foot of Gu Huan Mountain, looking up, it still stood tall and lush. They dismounted, tied their horses to a large tree, and hurried up the mountain. The path was lined with strange rocks and shaded by trees. As they continued along the narrow trail, suddenly, out of the corner of Lin Dong’s eye, a flash of light appeared. Turning his head, he saw a young man in a blue robe wielding a sharp sword, charging at him. “Is he a disciple of the Gu Huan Sect?” Lin Dong demanded in a deep voice. The young man smiled coldly, his sword gleaming like a rainbow, his momentum only increasing. Lin Dong was shocked—clearly, this person was not a disciple of the Gu Huan Sect. With disciples from other sects appearing on Gu Huan Mountain and attacking anyone they encountered, the Gu Huan Sect and its allies were likely in danger. As the sword aimed straight at his chest, Lin Dong paid it no mind, instead thinking quickly whether to head to the plantation and ranch first or visit the Gu Huan Sect first. Logically, if the Gu Huan Sect was under attack from other sects, it was most likely because news had leaked about the plantation and ranch—these two places would also be the main battlefields. A cold wind hit his chest, and Lin Dong glanced up, only to find that the sword tip was now less than a meter away. As the sword neared his chest, he instinctively stepped back, tilting his body backward. The icy sword light flashed above him as Lin Dong raised his right foot and kicked at the opponent’s jaw. The young man in blue showed surprise, dodging slightly while twisting his waist, stopping the sword’s momentum. The sword tip then flipped downward. Lin Dong’s heart tightened; his right foot was already in motion. In a critical moment, he dropped low, pushed off the ground with his left foot, and rolled aside with a whoosh. With a sharp sound, the sword slashed down near Lin Dong’s waist, spraying bright drops of blood. Bang! Lin Dong tumbled to the ground. “Die!” The young man in blue’s face turned cold as his right wrist twisted like a snake, the sword in his hand glowing as it aimed at Lin Dong’s throat. Lin Dong groaned inwardly—his body was unbalanced, and avoiding the attack was now impossible. In a flash, he stretched out his right hand, channeling his spiritual energy into his arm, trying to grab the lightning-fast sword tip with his fingers. Buzz! The sword tip trembled, and the young man in blue looked astonished. Spiritual energy surged from his dantian, and the sword tip returned to its original path, heading straight for Lin Dong’s throat.

His spiritual energy was draining rapidly. Looking at the icy tip of the sword, Lin Dong’s gaze turned fierce as he stopped struggling uselessly. The remaining spiritual energy surged into his right fist, which he swung at the blue-clothed youth’s chest.
The blue-clothed youth felt a shiver when he saw Lin Dong’s gaze. But soon he calmed down and smirked disdainfully.
To try to drag someone down with him before dying, one would need to have the ability to still breathe even with a pierced throat.
Tch…
A blue light flashed through the blue-clothed youth’s throat, causing the smile on his face to freeze. His limp arms confirmed his thoughts—with a pierced throat, it was impossible to still be breathing.
Behind him, Yun Lan’s gaze turned slightly cold.