Chapter 257: Gathering at the Inn

In a corner on the second floor of the lobby, Lin Dong watched the endless stream of people climbing the stairs and the tables being occupied one after another, a relaxed smile playing on his lips.
Everything was going as planned.
All that remained was to see if Ling Zhengyang would spread false news, and then whether Emperor Qian Wei truly had a backup plan to turn the situation around at will!
If either of them failed, Lin’s Inn would be removed from the list in the Great Han Kingdom!
It was a huge gamble, but Lin Dong had no choice. He had to endure months, even half a year, of pressure from the merchant guild, as well as suppression from Fenglin Restaurant for half a year or longer. For over a year, the inn’s system wouldn’t be able to reach full capacity—he couldn’t afford such losses.
At the top of the stairs, Ma Chun rushed up and, after reaching Lin Dong’s side, whispered, “Boss, Yingchun from Yingfeng Tower is here. She says she wants to talk to you about something.”
“What could she possibly want from me?” Lin Dong asked, puzzled.
“It’s probably about the news from the merchant guild,” Ma Chun explained. “Think about it—if it really had to be the same as what we’re announcing publicly, wouldn’t Yingfeng Tower still need a long time? How could Yingchun bear such a loss?”
Lin Dong nodded slightly, thought for a moment, then waved his hand. “Tell her to wait in the front yard. The same goes for the owners of the other restaurants.”
Just as Ma Chun was about to nod, Lin Dong said sternly, “Also, if Wang, the owner of Keli Restaurant, comes, have him go there too. But let him know in advance not to say anything yet. I’ll talk to him separately after everything is done.”
“Understood!”
Ma Chun nodded, gave a faint smile, and hurried down the stairs as guests continued to ascend.
On the second floor, the noise grew louder. Workers could be seen everywhere, busy and hurried, but still polite and enthusiastic.
In the corners, whenever a guest sat at a new table, Lin Dong would access the inn’s system, remove one table from the first floor, add the new table, and activate the comfort boost.
By the time there were eighteen tables with comfort boosts on the second floor, Ma Chun rushed upstairs again.
“Boss, Ling Zhengyang is here. He says he wants to see you.”
“What does he want?” Lin Dong asked, puzzled.
“I don’t know!” Ma Chun shook his head. “He just said he has important matters to discuss with you.”
“Have all the owners of the restaurants arrived?” Lin Dong asked.
“Those from the north and west of the city have arrived. It’s too far from the east; even with fast horses, it will take another half hour or so.”
“Have him wait in the front yard. Notify me when everyone is here,” Lin Dong ordered.

Ma Chun hesitated and said, “Ling Zhengyang said there’s something important to discuss…”
“It’s important to him, but not necessarily to me,” Lin Dong said bluntly. “Tell him to wait. If he doesn’t want to wait, then get lost.”
Ma Chun grinned. That sounded impressive. So what if he was the third young master of Fenglin Restaurant? If he didn’t want to wait, he could just leave.
Half an hour later, all the owners of the major restaurants had arrived as scheduled. But Lin Dong didn’t go downstairs. He waited until twenty-two tables with enhanced comfort settings were set up on the second floor. Once more customers who arrived later found seats at those twenty-two tables. Only then did Lin Dong, while considering his next move, walk over to the staircase.
Stepping out into the courtyard, in addition to all the owners of the major restaurants, Ling Zhengyang and Jiang Youcai from Fenglin Restaurant were also there.
After waiting for a long time, they finally saw Lin Dong enter, followed by Ma Chun. Everyone immediately realized that this imposing young man must be the owner of Lin’s Inn.
“You… you…” Yingchunhua pointed at Lin Dong, speechless. She felt as though she might have seen this owner Lin somewhere before.
Glancing around the courtyard, aside from Wang Shuangxi, who was given special treatment—having a chair and a tea table beside him—everyone else was standing and waiting.
Lin Dong smiled calmly. Ma Chun was undoubtedly acting like a troublemaker, trying to show off in front of everyone.
Reaching the stone table, Lin Dong flipped up the hem of his clothes and sat down.
Glancing at the people who were hesitating to speak, Lin Dong waved at Ma Chun beside him and said, “Tell the waiter to bring tea!”
“No need, Owner Lin!” Ling Zhengyang stepped forward and said firmly, “I have something to discuss with you. Can we talk alone?”
“What do you mean by talking alone? What’s your intention?” an middle-aged man in a blue brocade robe protested angrily.
“Is Fenglin Restaurant that great? Why should Owner Lin talk to you alone?”
“That’s right! Lin’s Inn also has information from the merchant guild. Are you guys from Fenglin Restaurant in a hurry?”
“Owner Lin, don’t listen to him. Don’t forget how they’ve pushed us around these past few months!”
Suddenly, everyone started shouting and arguing. Ling Zhengyang’s expression darkened as he was about to speak. Lin Dong said calmly, “If the third young master has something to say, let him say it here!”
Third young master? Who among the people from Fenglin Restaurant would dare to be called that?
Everyone was stunned and then looked at Ling Zhengyang in shock.

When Ling Zhengyang arrived with Jiang Youcai, and it was clear that Jiang Youcai treated him with respect, they began to wonder if this young man was someone sent by Fenglin Restaurant in Lingnan Commandery to assist Jiang Youcai. To their surprise, it turned out to be the third young master of Fenglin Restaurant.

Though all those present were prominent figures in their respective fields, and having been tempered by this crisis, they remained calm and composed—though not entirely unshaken. Yet upon learning that this young man, just as young as Manager Lin, was the third young master of Fenglin Restaurant, they couldn’t help but take a few steps back in panic, creating a space around Ling Zhengyang and Jiang Youcai.

After glancing around at everyone, Ling Zhengyang stepped forward a few paces and stared straight at Lin Dong. “Does the third young master want to play a game of staring contests with me?”

Lin Dong’s gaze tightened slightly. The next moment, an invisible force surged forth, like a thick wall, pushing Ling Zhengyang back staggeringly.

Everyone gasped in shock. Such presence—this was indeed the kind of aura that could intimidate people into submission.

The third young master of Fenglin Restaurant, famous from a young age, held an extraordinary status not only in the restaurant industry but also in the entire business world of the Great Han Kingdom. Yet now, he was forced to retreat by the gaze of a mere inn manager.

If not for his own worries, this would have been as shocking to everyone as a prince being beaten by beggars.

“Manager Lin!” Ling Zhengyang inwardly cursed himself for not bringing guards. Though he knew nothing about martial arts, as the person involved, he understood better than anyone that he hadn’t been scared away by mere glares.

Taking a few more steps forward, Ling Zhengyang persistently stared at Lin Dong, this time remaining silent. “Are you sure you want me to say it in front of everyone?”

“It doesn’t matter!” Lin Dong said nonchalantly. “The third young master surely isn’t planning to ally with our Lin’s Inn to crush all the other restaurants at once.”

Everyone was in an uproar, looking nervously at Ling Zhengyang. If that were true, they truly would have no way out.

Ling Zhengyang remained silent, his palm flat above his shoulder.

Jiang Youcai gritted his teeth, took out a stack of silver bills from his clothes, and placed them on the table.

Ling Zhengyang picked up the silver bills. Under the angry gazes of everyone, he went to the stone table, sat down across from Lin Dong, and gently placed the bills on the table before pushing them toward Lin Dong. “One million taels of silver—buy Lin’s Inn!”

Hiss…

Gasps filled the air. One million taels to buy Lin’s Inn—what a bold move, what great courage! Truly befitting Fenglin Restaurant—only they could afford such a huge investment.

Lin Dong frowned slightly, equally astonished—this move was truly excessive. Lin’s Inn had only influence within Qiufeng City through the merchant guild; the damage it caused to Fenglin Restaurant shouldn’t even amount to one million taels of silver.
“How about it?” Ling Zhengyang stared at Lin Dong intently and said gravely, “One million taels of silver, combined with Lin’s Inn’s strength, is more than enough to open an inn in Lingnan City and ensure its success.”
Lin Dong was perturbed. This third young master was probably worried that Lin’s Inn’s situation might serve as an example to other regions, triggering a chain reaction.
But in just a few months to half a year, unless some powerful force pushed things forward, it would be impossible for the news to spread throughout the Great Han Empire and prompt all major restaurants to follow suit.
Still, nothing is absolute—there’s a chance a powerful force might get involved. Precaution might well be the reason, otherwise, Ling Zhengyang’s actions couldn’t be explained.
“One million five hundred thousand taels of silver!” Ling Zhengyang pressed insistently.
Lin Dong smiled. If it were him, he would definitely increase the amount by another million taels to exert even greater pressure.
“Two million taels of silver!” Ling Zhengyang said coldly, “Lin Dong, this price is quite high!”
Lin Dong pushed the silver bills back toward Ling Zhengyang, slowly stood up, rested his hands on the table, and looked down at him, saying, “In my eyes, all of Fenglin Restaurants in the Great Han Empire combined are not worth my Lin’s Inn.”
Buzz…
As soon as these words were spoken, the courtyard, previously silent except for breathing sounds, instantly erupted into chaos.
He refused? Manager Lin actually refused!
No one could understand why Ling Zhengyang would offer two million taels of silver to buy Lin’s Inn. They couldn’t fathom why Lin Dong would refuse—had it been them, they would have agreed eagerly, overjoyed.
At that moment, they suddenly realized that Ling Zhengyang must have come to Qiufeng City specifically for Manager Lin. These two were on a completely different level, while they themselves were worthless in front of them.
“Lin Dong!” Ling Zhengyang suddenly stood up angrily, “What exactly do you want? To get back at someone, you’re not even afraid to fabricate imperial policies and bring ruin upon your family! Fenglin Restaurant has suffered losses for months, but by doing this, your losses will be even greater!”
After taking a few deep breaths, Ling Zhengyang gritted his teeth and said, “Fine! You’re ruthless. I, Ling Zhengyang, can’t outwit you. I regret it—I’ll compromise. Two million taels of silver are offered to you as a peace offering. What more do you want?”

“What do I want? Driving me to the brink of death—what do you think I want?” Lin Dong snapped. “Let me tell you, I want Ling Zhengyang to lose so badly that he’ll never be able to face anyone again in his life!”
“Just using a fake guild message to bring down Ling Zhengyang in a small provincial town—isn’t that a bit too easy?”
Ling Zhengyang laughed bitterly in anger, his fighting spirit surging within him.
“Go ahead and try! I won’t see you off!” Lin Dong waved indifferently.
Ling Zhengyang suddenly turned, scanning everyone’s faces with a cold gaze, and said solemnly, “It’s true that the bold survive while the timid perish. Those who want to follow in the footsteps of Lin’s Inn may as well give it a try. I hope by then, the money in my hand will be used to buy your restaurants, not to sentence you to death.”
Everyone was shocked. Under Ling Zhengyang’s piercing gaze, they all shook their heads and forced smiles.
“Third young master, send someone to buy more Vital Beef Balls in advance. Starting from today…” Watching Ling Zhengyang walk away at large strides, Lin Dong said slowly, “Lin’s Inn is about to fight back!”
Ling Zhengyang stiffened for a moment before striding away.