Chapter 277: Humen Inn

Once Huang Wanli was seated in the carriage, Lin Dong hung the curtain on a nail. With a wave of his hand, Liu Hua gently cracked the horse’s rump with his whip. With two soft neighs, the carriage slowly moved forward, gaining speed gradually.
“There! Right over there,” Huang Wanli suddenly pointed out after a while, indicating a wooden sign faintly visible by the roadside ahead.
Liu Hua pulled the reins, slowing the carriage down, and the sign came into view. There were not just one sign—two were nailed to camphor trees along the side path of the official road, one on each side. On them were the four large characters “Humen Inn,” with an arrow below pointing toward the end of the path.
Liu Hua glanced back at Lin Dong. After receiving his signal, he pulled the reins sharply to the left, and the two strong horses stepped forward along the path. Following the path and guided by the signs, they passed through four forks before finally seeing a two-story wooden house in the distance.
“That’s… that’s it, Young Master Lin. I… I…” Huang Wanli was so excited he could hardly speak. As it got closer, he hurriedly added, “Young Master Lin, maybe I should go in first. It’s too dangerous if you all come too.”
Lin Dong shook his head. “Let’s go in together!”
Huang Wanli wanted to argue further, but the carriage had already entered the courtyard and came to a stop.
The courtyard was quite large. On the left was a spacious stable filled with fierce horses, some even with swords hung on them. On the right was a weapon rack six or seven meters long, covered with a variety of weapons. It didn’t look like an inn at all but rather like a training ground.
Inside the inn’s main hall, a staff member came out to greet them, his tone warm and hospitable.
“Please come in, guests. Are you here to stay or just eat…”
Upon seeing Huang Wanli, the staff member froze for a moment before smiling broadly. “Mr. Huang, have you managed to get the money?”
“I have, I have,” Huang Wanli nodded quickly and asked, “Can my Xiao Lian be returned to me?”
“Of course, Mr. Huang. Please come in,” the staff member said. Then he called out, “We have guests! Not only regulars but also a carriage!”
Another staff member rushed out, throwing a cloth over his shoulder, and immediately said with a smile, “Please come in, guests. I’ll take care of the carriage to ensure everything is arranged safely.”
Huang Wanli hurried forward and stepped into the inn quickly.
Everyone got off the carriage and followed the staff member into the main hall.

The lobby was spacious and bright, even larger than Lin Ji Inn. The decoration was simple and unadorned, with fifteen or sixteen dining tables scattered about; at Lin Ji Inn, the number of tables could easily double. It was evening, yet there weren’t many guests in the inn—only four tables occupied, each with at least four people. Unlike other inns, most of the guests here were passing merchants, even Lin Ji Inn, which was an exception among inns. But judging from the weapons on the guests’ bodies and the fierce looks in their eyes, this inn clearly wasn’t like that. On one side, Huang Wanli came to the counter holding twenty taels of silver, placed it on the table, and kept nodding at a middle-aged man in his forties lying back with his legs up. “I’ve gathered the silver already. My little Lian…” “Little Lian?” Suddenly, a burly man with a face full of scars at a nearby table raised his head. “Manager Liang, is it that girl?” The middle-aged man, known as Manager Liang, grunted, glanced at the silver on the counter, and said indifferently, “Just twenty taels?” “Manager Liang, wasn’t it agreed to be twenty taels? I—” Huang Wanli grew anxious. “It’s been a whole day. Your granddaughter stayed at our inn for one night—no charge?” Manager Liang glared at Huang Wanli and waved his hand impatiently. “Go away. Twenty taels for one night. If you can’t gather that amount by tonight, you’ll have to pay another twenty tomorrow.” “You’re being too unfair!” Huang Wanli’s face turned red as he trembled with anger. Nearby, Lin Dong touched his chin. The land fee might not be taken, but a lodging fee would still be charged… “Manager Liang, fifty taels, and I can have that girl. She has soft skin and seems to be only twelve or thirteen—perfect for me,” the burly man grinned, his eyes filled with lust. The men at his table also started laughing, their laughter vulgar and grating. “If you want that girl, don’t target our inn’s guests,” Manager Liang said nonchalantly, waving his hand. “Once you leave our Humen Inn’s territory, you won’t have to pay a penny.” The burly man grinned widely and slammed the table. “Guys, bring me a roasted human leg—thick one. And add twenty taels to my account.” “Sure, one roasted human leg, coming right up,” said a worker, heading straight to the back yard. Lin Dong glanced at the dishes on the four tables, while Liu Hua and Wu Guang stepped back a few steps. “Come on, guests, please sit,” the worker greeted Lin Dong and the others enthusiastically.

Lin Dong nodded and, guided by the waiter, headed to an empty table nearby. Liu Hua and the other were shocked and hurried after them, their hearts pounding like drums.
“What would you like to eat, gentlemen?” the waiter said, patting his chest. “Our noodles and pastries are among the best in Lingnan Prefecture. As for dishes, we have everything—steamed human brains, stir-fried human hearts with chili, braised human heads…”
Ugh…
At first, Liu Hua and the others scoffed. How could the best noodles in Lingnan Prefecture be found in such a remote inn? But after hearing the rest, their stomachs twisted, and they began to retch.
“Choose some good ones,” Lin Dong said calmly.
The waiter’s expression froze for a moment before he smiled. “Sure! How about human meat buns, brain paste cakes, tendon pancakes, plus a braised human head and a roasted human leg? The first three are the specialties of our Humen Inn, and the last two are also our chef’s best dishes.”
“Okay, let’s start with those,” Lin Dong nodded.
“Please wait a moment; the dishes will be here soon.” The waiter glanced quickly at the four of them and rushed to the back yard.
Before long, the dishes still hadn’t arrived, but a waiter came in carrying a twelve- or thirteen-year-old girl with a delicate appearance and tear-streaked face.
As soon as the waiter untied the ropes around the girl, Huang Wanli let out a cry of shock and rushed forward, tears streaming down his face. “Xiao Lian…”
“Grandpa!”
The girl’s voice was clear and pleasant, but she acted like a frightened bird, throwing herself into Huang Wanli’s arms, sobbing with distress and fear.
“Ha, she’s here.” The burly man slammed the table and shouted, “Old man, take your granddaughter away quickly. If you’re still inside Humen Inn when I’m done eating and drinking, don’t blame me if I’m not gentle with you.”
Huang Wanli trembled and held the girl tightly in his arms.
Lin Dong tapped the table and called out, “Old Huang, come and sit!”
Huang Wanli was overjoyed. He quickly hugged the girl and avoided the burly man’s table, carefully making his way toward Lin Dong and the others.
The burly man suddenly stood up, his gaze at Lin Dong fierce and menacing. “Kid, daring to interfere with my Wang Laoqi’s business? Are you looking for death?”
Lin Dong nodded slowly, giving a slight “hm.”
The burly man was stunned for a moment before exploding in anger. He drew the large knife from his back in fury.
“Wang Laoqi, this is Humen Inn!” From behind the counter, Manager Liang slammed his right leg on the counter, producing a loud thudding sound. Those with sharp ears could tell it was an artificial leg.

The fleshy part of Wang Laoqi’s face twisted, and soon he glared fiercely at Lin Dong before sitting down resentfully, snarling, “Kid, it’s best for you to stay hidden in the Humen Inn your whole life and not go outside. Otherwise… if I don’t tear you to pieces, I’m not Wang Laoqi!”
“Wang Laoqi, stop just talking tough…” Not far away, among a group of diners, a young man in a blue short shirt with a long sword at his waist said indifferently, “Just talking without acting is fake. Who can’t scare people?”
The diners at the same table burst into laughter immediately.
“Right, right! I even heard you swallowing saliva just now. What, you don’t like pretty girls anymore?”
“Wang Laoqi, if you don’t like them or don’t have good teeth, just give them to me.”
Diners from the other two tables also joined in, clearly mocking Wang Laoqi for talking big but not daring to fight in the Humen Inn.
Wang Laoqi’s face turned red and then pale. Suddenly, he slammed the table and roared, “You bunch of scumbags! If you’ve got guts, let’s go outside and fight! One against three—unless I crush you all, I’m not Wang Laoqi!”
“Let’s fight then!” The people from the three tables stood up together, drawing their knives and swords, instantly filling the hall with the glint of blades.
Wang Laoqi’s companions were clearly tough guys too. Knowing they were outnumbered, none of them tried to persuade Wang Laoqi to calm down. Instead, they all drew their weapons and banged the tables loudly.
“Brothers, let’s go!” Wang Laoqi waved his sword and headed for the door first, casting a cold glance at the diners from the three tables as he said, “You brats! If you don’t have the guts to come, you’re mine to control.”
“No guts? Wang Laoqi, if I don’t turn you into a walking stick, then I, Li Da Dao, really am under your control.”
The people from the three tables pushed back their benches and shouted as they followed.
Lin Dong was stunned. Good heavens, if these people weren’t bandits, he wouldn’t believe it even if beaten to death.
The clanging sound started again—Manager Liang’s wooden leg successfully drew everyone’s attention.
“Wang Laoqi and Hua Zi, your two tables don’t have enough money. One is short by three taels, the other by two taels. You need to make up the difference,” Manager Liang said casually. “If anyone wants to have their body collected, it’ll cost five taels each. I guarantee I can stitch it back together even if it’s torn to pieces. Also, if you want a coffin and a grave, that’ll cost another five taels each. Top-quality coffins and a feng shui-optimized burial site chosen personally by my wife—everything is worth its price.”
“Alright!” The young man who had first mocked Wang Laoqi took out a money bag and threw it on the counter. “I’ll cover Wang Laoqi’s coffin and grave. Manager Liang, calculate if it’s enough.”
Manager Liang unzipped the money bag and saw it gleaming with gold.

“Two taels more of gold.”
“Add a few more coffins for Wang Laoqi,” Hua Zi said nonchalantly.
“Alright. The inn only has three coffins of different sizes, so we can only provide three coffins. As for the extra five taels of silver, it will be recorded in your account,” Manager Liang replied.
Wang Laoqi wasn’t to be outdone. He glanced at his companions, who quickly took out their money bags and threw them on the counter.
“There are many of them, and they don’t have enough silver. Just bury as many bodies as you can,” Wang Laoqi said domineerously.
Manager Liang nodded and ruthlessly shoved all the money bags into the drawer.
“Have a good journey, gentlemen. If anyone survives, please let us know so we can come and collect the bodies,” the two remaining staff members at the inn said enthusiastically. “Come back often! This inn is your home!”
Lin Dong was speechless. This Humen Inn was amazing!
The Lin’s Inn didn’t just focus on accommodating guests honestly; it was already unusual enough to compete with large restaurants for customers. And the Humen Inn even dabbled in body collection. Other than being amazing, it was simply amazing!