Chapter 278: Good Food and Drink

Before long, the sound of horses neighing came from outside the courtyard, followed by the clatter of hooves. In the blink of an eye, only Lin Dong’s table remained in the hall.
After waiting a while longer, a waiter came in from the back yard with a tray.
“Sorry for the wait, guests. Here’s your food and drink…”
Liu Hua and Wu Guang panicked and stood up, moving to the back. Huang Wanli and his grandson hugged each other, trembling violently. Seeing the tray in the waiter’s hands, they all looked terrified.
Lin Dong couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. He said helplessly, “Haven’t you seen the food on the other tables?”
“M-Master…” Liu Hua trembled, “They’re bandits. They must eat human flesh too. Didn’t you hear that man ask for a human thigh just now?”
Wu Guang and Huang Wanli nodded eagerly.
Lin Dong and Yun Lan exchanged a smile. Bandits were brave and violent, never caring about their own or others’ lives. But those who dared to eat human flesh were surely in the minority. It was unlikely to encounter such people at four tables at once.
“Here they are! Human flesh buns, human brain cake, human tendon pancakes…” With each dish placed on the table, the waiter announced a terrifying name.
Five dishes were quickly served, along with a pot of wine. Lin Dong sniffed it—its aroma was pleasant. As long as the wine wasn’t too poor, its scent alone indicated it was good quality.
Licking his lips, Lin Dong glanced at the dishes. Their aromas were tempting, stirring his appetite. Though he didn’t believe the food was actually human flesh, he still felt uneasy. He didn’t know where to start.
The bread-based dishes like human flesh buns and human brain cake were impossible to distinguish. As for the so-called roasted human legs, about forty centimeters long and dull red in color, they seemed similar in size to beef legs.
The braised human head, at first glance, looked somewhat like a real head, but upon closer inspection, it turned out to be just a monkey’s head.
It seemed fine, but Lin Dong couldn’t bring himself to eat. He looked at Yun Lan and said, “Forget it. We’ve finished our business. Let’s go back and eat solid food.”
Yun Lan shook her head slowly. “Knowing it’s fake yet still not daring to eat shows there’s a demon in your heart. If you can’t rid yourself of this demon, facing brutal bloody scenes in the future will disrupt your mind. A moment of distraction could be fatal.”
Lin Dong felt helpless. Everywhere he went, he suffered. He wanted to become a peak warrior, but not necessarily the strongest in the world. Did he really need to train to endure bloodshed?
Yun Lan remained silent, watching Lin Dong quietly.

Lin Dong retreated from the battle, gritted his teeth, and stabbed the chopsticks at the roasted human leg. The chopsticks pierced through it as easily as if it were tofu, tearing off a piece with ease. The aroma of the meat was overwhelming. Although Liu Hua and the others dared not look at the dishes on the table, they couldn’t help but swallow their saliva. Taking a deep breath, Lin Dong put the hot roasted meat in his mouth. The meat was crispy and had a pleasant flavor, prompting him to exclaim, “Not bad! The cooking skills are on par with those of the top restaurants.”

“Of course!” said the waiter who was already waiting at the door, smugly. “The cooking skills of our chefs at Humen Inn are simply unmatched, especially when it comes to pastries and baked goods—everything is taught by my wife.”

“Pastries and baked goods are even better?” Lin Dong couldn’t help but ask.

“You’ll know if you try them,” the waiter waved his hand.

After hesitating for a moment, Lin Dong put down his chopsticks, picked up a so-called human meat bun, and broke it open. A rich aroma spread out, and the greasy meat filling shone with a pale white glow. Glancing at Yun Lan, Lin Dong suppressed his discomfort, frowned, picked up the bun, and sniffed it. The scent was pleasant. Determined, he put the bun in his mouth and took a big bite. It was soft and delicious, with juices overflowing and coating his lips and tongue, leaving a lingering flavor.

“Good!” Lin Dong murmured. This bun might not be as unbeatable as the waiter had claimed, but it was definitely on par with Wang’s famous buns from Qiufeng City.

The waiters exchanged smiles, and one of them said proudly, “If it were my wife who made these buns, they’d make you bite off your own tongue.”

“Is that so?” Lin Dong clicked his tongue.

“Of course!” the waiter said confidently.

Lin Dong smiled without saying anything. His doubts vanished. He could tell what was in the meat filling—the fire beef unique to Jiuhu County. He had once made buns with this ingredient. Without hesitation, he picked up a piece of human tendon pancake and took a bite. It was crispy and refreshing, and after chewing a few more times, it turned out to be quite chewy.

“Waiter, are there any other pastries or main dishes?” Lin Dong asked. “Bring out your best ones.”

“Sure, young master. Just a moment.”

The waiter glanced at Lin Dong’s clothes and rubbed his palms. It had been a long time since they had such a big customer.

“Yun Lan, try it. It really tastes good,” Lin Dong called out.

Yun Lan shook her head gently.

“It’s really good,” Lin Dong assured her.

Yun Lan still shook her head and said softly, “I can’t even bear to eat it just by hearing the name.”

Lin Dong was surprised. “Can’t eat it? Haven’t you practiced with blood-related foods?”

Yun Lan shook her head slowly. “I haven’t.”

Lin Dong was stunned. It took him a long time before he forced a wry smile and said, “Then why do you still want me to practice?”
Yun Lan replied softly, “Your strength is weak, so of course you need to find ways to improve in other areas. Besides, you don’t have to eat it—I’m not forcing you.”
Lin Dong didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Even though he wasn’t forced, could he really refuse?
With no other choice, he had to find someone to take the blame. He turned to look at Liu Hua and the others.
Before he could speak, Liu Hua and the rest shook their heads vigorously.
Helpless, he had no choice but to eat it alone. Knowing it was fake, Lin Dong no longer had any reservations. He grabbed the entire leg of the unknown spirit beast and took a big bite.
Yun Lan smiled as she picked up the wine pot, tilted it slightly above Lin Dong’s empty wine glass, and slowly poured the bright red liquid into it.
Lin Dong drank it all in one gulp. The sweet taste was even better than that of thyme from a thirty-year-old vine. If enhanced with the formula of the Wine King, it would likely outshine all the local wines in Lingnan Commandery.
“Hey, what kind of wine is this?”
“It’s human blood wine brewed by Manager Liang of ours,” the clerk replied casually.
“Why do you always have to include ‘human’?” Lin Dong asked in confusion.
Inside the counter, Manager Liang, with his legs crossed, said leisurely, “If we don’t include ‘human,’ how exciting would it be for the bandits to drink it?”
Lin Dong was speechless. Thinking about it, this Humen Inn might also serve merchants who didn’t know much about it, but its main customers were undoubtedly the local bandits. The bandits might not dare eat human flesh, but hearing the name of a dish made of it might increase their appetite.
After some thought, Lin Dong asked, “Manager Liang, how’s business at your inn?”
“Business?” Manager Liang touched his nose and replied without hesitation, “It’s okay, as long as there are gullible people who come here. If we find such people, the profits are quite high.”
Lin Dong wasn’t convinced and pressed further, “How much silver can you make in a month?”
Manager Liang frowned slightly, glanced at Lin Dong and Yun Lan beside him, and said indifferently, “After deducting expenses, three to four thousand taels of silver should be no problem.”
Lin Dong nodded slowly. This inn was indeed profitable.
The Lin’s Inn in Xilan City, which served all the wealthy families in the city, only made four to five thousand taels in pure income per month. For an ordinary inn, twenty taels a month was already considered good. Especially for inns in remote areas, with low costs and few customers, after deducting various expenses, the owner’s earnings would probably be equivalent to the wages of four or five employees.
“To be able to intimidate a group of outlaws like tigers and wolves, and even set up boundaries,” Lin Dong said with a smile, “Your strength must be quite good, right? Why would you think of opening an inn in such a desolate place?”

“As we get older and missing limbs, it’s fortunate that the bossess is kind enough to take in us disabled people,” Manager Liang said, shaking his wooden leg leisurely. “Having food to eat and a place to sleep soundly—we should be satisfied.”
“Your bossess is indeed kind-hearted,” Lin Dong said with a disdainful smile. “She bullies the weak and old. I guess her heart can only be compared to that of bandits.”
“It seems this young man isn’t very satisfied.”
Manager Liang grew impatient. His gaze toward Lin Dong turned serious. He knew full well that even bandits didn’t dare cause trouble at the inn, and he knew the prices of food and drinks would be exorbitant. Yet this young man remained cheerful. Aside from a fool, only someone with absolute confidence could do such a thing.
The Humen Inn was likely in trouble this time.
“With such good food and drink, how could I be unsatisfied?” Lin Dong picked up the newly filled wine glass and took a sip, then said with a smile, “Is the bossess here?”
“She’s upstairs, sleeping with a guest,” Manager Liang replied indifferently.
Pfft…
The fine wine in Lin Dong’s mouth sprayed out, as if he had suffered an internal injury and spat out blood.
“You don’t have a boss?”
“We do, but she changes often,” Manager Liang said nonchalantly. “Every now and then, one of the guests becomes our boss.”
“Your bossess provides excellent service,” Lin Dong remarked in amazement. “I just wonder what she looks like.”
Manager Liang was speechless. Yun Lan kicked Lin Dong lightly under the table in dissatisfaction, and a hint of sourness seemed to fill the air.
Lin Dong ignored it. Seeing a waiter enter through the back door with a tray, he smiled, picked up his chopsticks, and began eating attentively.
As he tasted each dish, the sound of horses neighed outside. Moments later, the bandits who had left returned. But instead of four groups, there were only three left. Not a single member of Wang Laoqi’s group was seen.
Even these three groups had fewer members. What used to be at least five people per table now had only three.
“Damn it! I almost had my head cut off. Luckily, I dodged fast, but I lost an ear.”
“Truth is, Wang Laoqi is pretty skilled. No wonder he’s so arrogant. If we don’t team up, it’s hard to say who would win in a one-on-one fight.”
“It’s rare to have such a great time. Guys, I’ll treat you all to dinner today.”
The bandits started chatting enthusiastically. Perhaps because they had shared hardships, the three groups quickly became brothers, and they gathered around the same table.
Ugh…
After burping, Lin Dong glanced at the table piled with dishes, touched his round belly, and called out, “Time to pay!”

The bandits all glanced at Lin Dong’s table. Seeing the extremely large plates and dishes, they exclaimed in amazement and called out without restraint, “Manager Liang, the Humen Inn is making a fortune today!”
Manager Liang remained silent. As the waiter smiled and rushed over to Lin Dong, extending his right hand and about to speak, he simply said, “It’s eight hundred and twenty wen in total.”
The bandits were stunned and turned to look at Manager Liang. One of them couldn’t help but laugh and say, “Manager Liang, do you mean eight hundred and twenty taels of silver?”
Manager Liang stayed silent, giving Lin Dong a calm look.
Lin Dong touched his chin and shook his head, saying, “Is it a bit too expensive?”
The bandits burst into laughter immediately. Manager Liang had mistaken over eight hundred taels of silver for over eight hundred wen, which was a thousand times less—yet he still thought it was too expensive.
Wasn’t that slapping Manager Liang in the face?