Chapter 268: Countering the Free Feast

The group left the jewelry shop and walked a few dozen steps before Ling Zhengyang was delighted to spot a fairly large restaurant.
This time, Lin Dong didn’t make things difficult for Ling Zhengyang. They quickly entered the restaurant, where a waiter came forward to greet them.
Lin Dong glanced around. There weren’t many customers on the first floor—about fifteen or sixteen tables, most of them empty. The decor wasn’t luxurious, but it wasn’t bad either.
“Sirs, what would you like to eat?”
“First, two pots of good tea,” Ling Zhengyang said, unable to resist taking charge.
“Two pots of good tea!” the waiter called out loudly, leading the two of them to an empty table. Wang De and Chang Tai stood by. After wiping the table clean, the waiter smiled and asked, “What else would you like, sirs?”
Lin Dong immediately ordered, “Bring us some of your best dishes, and two pots of good wine as well.”
“Please wait a moment, sirs. The food and drink will be here soon.”
The waiter gave a nod and headed straight to the kitchen.
Before long, he returned quickly with a tray.
As the waiter placed one dish after another on the table, Ling Zhengyang couldn’t help but sigh bitterly, “Shopkeeper Lin, are you treating me to food just to watch me embarrass myself?”
Spicy chicken, boiled fish, spicy tofu… With each dish laid out, there was a thick layer of chili peppers—their bright red color and oily sheen, along with the spicy steam, made even Lin Dong feel a bit uneasy.
“Why so many chili peppers in your restaurant’s dishes?” Lin Dong couldn’t help but look up at the waiter. The climate in Qiufeng City was quite dry, and most people couldn’t stand overly spicy food. Seeing all those chili peppers was enough to make one’s stomach burn.
The waiter smiled awkwardly, “Please forgive me, sirs. Actually, Mr. Cheng, a friend of my boss, is cooking in the kitchen right now. Hearing that someone ordered food, he decided to go all out. You should give it a try. If it doesn’t suit your taste, I’ll replace it for you. This table is on our restaurant’s account.”
Lin Dong glanced at Ling Zhengyang. He had deliberately teased him in the morning to distract him, but for lunch, he truly intended to treat him.
Having borrowed so much good tea and wine and planning to make them pay for it later, it was only right to treat them to a decent meal costing a few hundred coins.
Ling Zhengyang still wasn’t sure if Lin Dong was doing this on purpose, so he quietly asked, “Shopkeeper Lin, how about we order something else?”
“Sure. No need to try it. Let’s get another table,” Lin Dong said. He took out a silver ingot, placed it on the table, and pushed it toward the waiter. “This table is also on our account.”

“This…” The waiter didn’t even look at the silver on the table, looking somewhat embarrassed. After hesitating for a moment, he apologized, “I’ll go discuss this with Master Cheng. Please wait a moment, gentlemen.”
Lin Dong frowned slightly. Did he need someone’s permission to choose what to eat? Just as he was about to speak, the waiter had already turned and left. Helplessly, Lin Dong asked, “Third Young Master, should we go to another restaurant or wait?”
“Shopkeeper Lin, really wasn’t this restaurant arranged by you?” Ling Zhengyang was still skeptical. It was just too coincidental. Besides, even if it were the boss’s friend, if the guests didn’t want to eat it, they wouldn’t need anyone’s permission.
Lin Dong was speechless and simply gave up on explaining.
This attitude actually made Ling Zhengyang believe it was a coincidence. After all, Lin Dong wouldn’t resort to such petty tricks.
Glancing at the dishes on the table, Ling Zhengyang smiled bitterly, “They look pretty good, but the timing is wrong.”
Lin Dong couldn’t help but look at the four dishes on the table. Indeed, upon closer inspection, they had bright colors, with evenly cut peppers and ingredients. Even if the taste wasn’t great, the cook had excellent skills in seasoning and cooking techniques.
Unable to resist, Lin Dong picked up a pair of chopsticks, took a piece of chicken, and put it in his mouth.
The spiciness rushed straight to his brain, and instantly, Lin Dong felt as though his whole body was being burned in a raging fire. A scalding heat surged from his stomach, and he couldn’t help but exhale, with the spiciness rushing out through his numb tongue.
Thin smoke rose from above his head.
Lin Dong opened his mouth wide, tears welling in his eyes.
Ling Zhengyang and the others swallowed hard, thinking only one thing: Poor Shopkeeper Lin.
Enduring the burning sensation, Lin Dong chewed a few times. Suddenly, surprise flashed in his eyes.
As he chewed, a faint sour taste managed to ease the spiciness in his mouth. The chicken was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and combined with that spicy-sour flavor, it tasted dry, crunchy, and fragrant. As it went down his throat, the sour taste, along with the chicken, carried down, and his burning stomach no longer felt as unbearable as before.
Suddenly, Lin Dong felt a sense of relief throughout his body.
Ling Zhengyang also noticed Lin Dong’s change. Seeing him go from seemingly in pain to seemingly enjoying it, he quietly asked, “Shopkeeper Lin, is the taste okay?”
Just as Lin Dong was about to nod, he had an idea and smiled, “It’s okay, just a bit spicy. How about the Third Young Master tries it?”
Ling Zhengyang’s mouth twitched. He could fake his expression, but he couldn’t fake the smoke coming from his head. A bit spicy… Shopkeeper Lin clearly had ulterior motives.

Seeing Ling Zhengyang’s expression, Lin Dong redoubled his efforts and lifted his chopsticks toward the spicy chicken in front of him. “Third young master, give it a try—it’s really good.”
“Please, Manager Lin. I’m still used to something lighter,” Ling Zhengyang said with a smile.
Lin Dong smiled back and stopped insisting, slowly putting down his chopsticks. This expression brought Ling Zhengyang immense relief; the agony of the entire morning vanished in an instant, and every cell in his body felt refreshed.
Manager Lin, even you have to force a smile sometimes.
Ling Zhengyang was sure Lin Dong wasn’t as calm on the inside as he appeared.
As Ling Zhengyang had expected, Lin Dong’s heart was indeed in turmoil at that moment.
This dish is absolutely amazing!
If it weren’t for not wanting Ling Zhengyang to notice, Lin Dong would have really liked to devour an entire plate of spicy chicken and then try the other dishes as well.
Lin Dong was certain he had never eaten anything so irresistible in his life.
Jiang Kui’s dishes had a simple, hearty flavor. Qiao Tianhao’s dishes, perhaps because he learned from Chef Jiang, were delicate, fresh, and tender. One had a strong home-cooked vibe, while the other exuded luxury.
Both of them were among the most authentic chefs.
Yet this half plate of spicy dishes completely overturned Lin Dong’s understanding of world cuisines.
As far as Lin Dong knew, there were only two major cuisines in the world: home-cooked dishes and banquet dishes. The former pursued a simple, lasting flavor, while the latter aimed for elegance and richness. One focused on bringing out the natural characteristics of the ingredients, while the other exaggerated their most prominent features.
In Lin Dong’s somewhat limited understanding, it came down to using fewer or more seasonings.
But with this plate of spicy chicken, spiciness became the main ingredient, while the chicken itself seemed like a seasoning. Moreover, it was incredibly satisfying to eat—its intense spiciness made one want to spit fire, and its exhilarating flavor made one want to pound the table. No authentic dish could match such intensity.
Just based on this spicy chicken, Lin Dong was willing to swear that if he worked as a chef at Lin’s Inn, he would earn at least 100,000 taels of silver for his lifetime.
If not just this spicy chicken but all the other dishes could maintain such intensity while still highlighting the natural characteristics of the ingredients, Lin Dong would demand even more money if he worked there.
Although such intense flavor impacts weren’t suitable for most people, and even among the few who could tolerate it, many might not withstand the initial spiciness, for this tiny minority, such dishes held a deadly allure.

If there were more than one dish like this, it could easily become its own cuisine. Jiang Kui and Qiao Tianhao, the two top chefs in the kitchen—add one more, and they’d form a perfect trio! Lin Dong couldn’t help but smile. Today’s meal was truly worth it. Whether the person who cooked this dish was willing to work at Lin’s Inn or not, it was still a valuable experience. As he wondered who the chef might be, a burly man strode in through the back door. With his fierce gaze, thick fleshy cheeks, and a knife hilt visible on his shoulder, he resembled a fierce demon from hell. The few customers present stood up, staring at him in fear. Behind Ling Zhengyang, Wang De stopped fanning himself, while Chang Tai stared intently at the man with a serious expression. Though Lin Dong didn’t turn around, he could tell something was off from the others’ reactions and frowned slightly. His intuition told him that this chef, who seemed determined to create his own cuisine, would likely be difficult to control. “It’s rare for me to cook for others, and yet someone dares to change the dish. Who’s that? Step forward!” The man’s fierce gaze swept across the hall, striking the customers like lightning. In an instant, they panicked and fled. In the blink of an eye, only Lin Dong’s table remained in the hall. “Master Cheng, it’s better not to continue here.” The waiter who had greeted Lin Dong and the others rushed forward, trying to stop the man, but didn’t dare to touch him. Next to him, a middle-aged man in a blue silk shirt nodded repeatedly. “Master Cheng, this is Autumn Wind City. I think…” “Shut up!” The man’s gaze locked onto Lin Dong’s table. His fleshy cheeks twisted, making his face look terrifying. Wang De couldn’t bear to look at him and stepped back in fear. Ling Zhengyang swallowed hard, his throat as if choked, unable to speak. Chang Tai was slightly better off; he placed his right thumb gently under the storage ring on his ring finger, staring at the man fearlessly. Only Lin Dong remained calm, tapping his chopsticks lightly on the table, acting as if nothing had happened. “I didn’t expect a rundown tavern to have two warriors showing up,” the man sneered. “Too bad your skills are a bit weak.” Chang Tai’s expression changed slightly. Those words clearly indicated that the man intended to fight.

Lin Dong remained calm. He had used his mental senses to investigate, and the image of this giant was blurry. Using the methods taught by Yun Lan to determine strength, if the giant wasn’t hiding his true power, he should be around the fourth level of the Mind Phase. At the fourth level of the Mind Phase, he couldn’t defeat him, but Lin Dong was confident he could escape without trouble. Besides, it didn’t seem like a serious matter—there should be no need for weapons, right?
Boom!
The giant suddenly swung his right arm, and with a flash of blade light, a dining table beside him was instantly shattered into pieces.
“If you don’t eat everything on the table, I’ll keep your head!”