Chapter 281: There Are Even More Dangerous Ones

“Shopkeeper Yu, I’d like to ask…”
Lin Dong glanced at Liang Shangtian and the chefs behind Yu Mudan and said leisurely, “Where did you get these chefs?”
“They all came to us on their own. I originally thought to use them as easy targets,” Yu Mudan explained. “But later, seeing that they were quite skilled and wanted a stable life, I decided to take them in.”
“Each of them seems pretty fierce,” Lin Dong asked. “Are they bandits?”
Liang Shangtian and the chefs were speechless. Coming from Lin Dong’s mouth, it sounded rather strange.
Yu Mudan shook her head. “Bandits are extremely vicious and hard to control. Humen Inn doesn’t accept such people. Besides, our main business here is dealing with bandits. How could we possibly take guests and make them chefs? That would mean the end for Humen Inn.”
Lin Dong wasn’t convinced. “If they’re not bandits, then why are they even more ruthless than bandits? Don’t tell me you made the bandits pay by reasoning with them.”
Yu Mudan smiled seductively, her affectionate eyes blinking at Lin Dong. After just a few blinks, she felt a cool sensation on her neck. Soon after, shouts from Liang Shangtian and the others came through.
Looking down, she saw a blue spiritual sword resting on her neck—it was clearly not an ordinary weapon.
Glancing at Yun Lan and then at Lin Dong, Yu Mudan understood. She stepped back carefully. Her originally delicate voice became rougher as spiritual energy filled her. “It’s all because of the bandits. If we can’t even control them, how can Humen Inn continue? Thankfully, we’re stronger than the bandits. Even though they’re missing limbs, the weakest one is already at the sixth level of the Spiritual Movement stage. With a little harshness—killing a few of them as a warning—over the past fifteen or sixteen years, these bandits have gradually become more subdued.”
Before she finished speaking, the blue sword flew back into Yun Lan’s hands.
Lin Dong wasn’t too concerned about Yu Mudan’s voice not matching her appearance. Surprised, he asked, “You’ve been running this for fifteen or sixteen years?”
“Otherwise, how would I have so many people missing limbs? If Young Master Lin wants to ask about my age, just say it directly…” Yu Mudan puffed out her chest before suddenly remembering Yun Lan. The seductive expression on her face was quickly suppressed.
“Did you teach them all cooking?” Lin Dong asked.
“Of course. They’re old, ugly, and missing limbs,” Yu Mudan said matter-of-factly. “Of course I had to give them something to do. Otherwise, I’d be feeding them for nothing.”

Lin Dong nodded and began tapping his index finger slowly on the table. Since it wasn’t bandits, the only issues left were grudges and feuds. In that case, the Humen Inn could truly be considered a gift from heaven. Six master chefs, a top-tier winemaker, and a top-tier pastry chef. It seemed this pastry chef also had a talent for mentoring apprentices… The benefits were numerous, but what would be the cost? Seeing Lin Dong remain calm and continue tapping the table, Yu Mudan grew anxious and pressed, “Young Master Lin, what benefits can you offer me?” Lin Dong acted as if he hadn’t heard her, casually tapping the table, completely unaware that over a dozen pairs of eyes were watching him. Filled with resentment, Yu Mudan was about to speak when Lin Dong suddenly asked, “What benefits do you want?” “Me?” Yu Mudan was stunned for a moment before gritting her teeth and saying, “As long as you promise to help my Yu family destroy the Taqing Sect and ensure the safety of everyone at the Humen Inn, I’ll follow you with the entire inn, no matter what it takes.” Lin Dong smirked—so that was the condition. If he could agree, he would have said so already. Destroying a mid-tier sect wasn’t something trivial; unless Old Ding stepped in, they would have to rely on the Guhuan Sect. The Guhuan Sect was still waiting for the Ningji Sect and Xingli Sect to fight each other—why? To minimize losses. The Ningji Sect was only mid-tier at best, while the Taqing Sect was likely even stronger. Besides, using a group of chefs to destroy another sect was one thing, but doing it himself—Lin Dong simply couldn’t justify it in his mind. Seeing Lin Dong fall silent, Yu Mudan grew impatient. If he had agreed right away, she might still have doubted him. But his hesitation, in her eyes, was clearly due to unequal benefits, not the inability to destroy the Taqing Sect. This was probably the best chance to avenge her entire Yu family. “Young Master Lin, as long as you can avenge my entire Yu family…” Yu Mudan could no longer bear his silence. Gritting her teeth, she said, “I, Yu Mudan, swear that I will obey your commands forever, with absolute loyalty.”

Lin Dong slowly shook his head; he had already made up his mind. He looked up at Yu Mudan and said calmly, “I won’t interfere in your Yu family’s affairs. But as long as you’re loyal enough, I promise to let you advance to a higher realm once a year. Whenever you think it’s time to take revenge, you can go to the Taqing Sect at any time. Also, as long as these chefs promise to work for me honestly, I’ll ensure their safety. Of course, if they deliberately cause trouble or if their enemies come looking for them and they’re at fault, I’ll only protect them once—after that, they’ll be kicked out.”

“Advance to a higher realm once a year?” Yu Mudan found it hard to believe Lin Dong’s words.

Lin Dong nodded and said nonchalantly, “It would be easy for me to kill you, so there’s no need to deceive you. If you don’t trust me, you can just leave after things are settled.”

Yu Mudan nodded slowly, then glanced at Liang Shangtian and the others and asked, “What do you think?”

Liang Shangtian smiled bitterly. “Since the bosswoman has made the decision, what more can we say? She saved our lives, so of course, it’s up to her to decide.”

Everyone nodded in turn. Clearly, Yu Mudan held a high status in their hearts.

“Alright, I agree!” Yu Mudan declared firmly. “I hope Young Master Lin will keep his word.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll definitely keep my promise!” Lin Dong stood up and smiled. “From now on, you’ll be the chefs at Lin’s Inn. Yu Mudan will be your leader. For now, she’ll also handle spiritual beasts and materials, while in the future, she’ll specialize in noodles and pastries.”

“Lin’s Inn?” Yu Mudan exclaimed. Liang Shangtian and the others exchanged puzzled looks.

“What, are you afraid Lin’s Inn isn’t big enough for you all?” Lin Dong asked with a smile.

Yu Mudan smiled bitterly. “I thought Young Master Lin was a disciple of some sect, with a shortage of chefs there. I never expected him to be the owner of a mundane inn…”

“And so what?” Lin Dong asked with a smile.

Yu Mudan said helplessly, “If it were a sect, we could indeed ensure Liang and the others’ safety. But even if you’re strong, without the power of a sect, two people, no matter how strong, might still…”

“That’s my problem.” Lin Dong took out a fiery red wooden box and threw it at Yu Mudan, saying leisurely, “Inside are three Level 7 Wanhong Fruits. I believe you’ve heard of them. I don’t have any other spiritual fruits on me, but just these three Wanhong Fruits should be enough to leave you with no choice, right?”

Yu Mudan’s throat moved as she slid it open, glanced inside the wooden box, carefully closed it again, then nodded firmly. Even a sliver of hope for revenge was enough to leave her with no other choices. Moreover, giving away three seventh-tier Wanhong Fruits so easily was far more than just a sliver of hope.
“Since that’s the case, pack your things and head to Lin Ji Inn in Qiufeng City. Meet Ma Chun, the manager—he’ll arrange things for you. Also…” Lin Dong looked straight at Yu Mudan, “I still have some matters to attend to, so I won’t be joining you. I hope you’ll be careful. I don’t need to explain the consequences, right?”
Yu Mudan nodded slowly. Seventh-tier Wanhong Fruits were extremely valuable. If she were to run away, as long as the news spread, there would be countless people chasing after her to seize the treasures.
“By the way, shopkeeper…” Yu Mudan said cautiously, “if there are plenty of spiritual fruits, could we add one more person?”
“Add one more person?” Lin Dong hesitated slightly.
“Yes! My sister is stronger than me. If she can also advance by one realm each year, the two of us working together should be able to take revenge on the Taqing Sect in seven or eight years.”
“Your sister?” Lin Dong was surprised. He didn’t know Yu Mudan had a sister.
Yu Mudan nodded eagerly. “Don’t worry, shopkeeper. My sister won’t take the spiritual fruits for free. With her cooking skills—just in terms of noodles and pastries—across the Great Han Kingdom, no one dares claim to be better than her.”
Lin Dong’s eyes widened instantly.
Fearing Lin Dong wouldn’t believe her, Yu Mudan quickly explained, “My sister and I loved noodles and pastries since childhood, so we often went to the kitchen of Tiandi Tower. Wei Youliao, the head chef there, saw our talent and took us as disciples.”
“Wei Youliao?” Lin Dong’s mouth stretched back to his ears.
That name, twenty-odd years ago, was even more renowned than Jiang Yichu’s. And that was only because Wei Youliao specialized in noodles and pastries. If his other cooking skills were on par with those in noodles and pastries, he could have left Jiang Yichu far behind.
Of course, Jiang Yichu was also in his early thirties back then and hadn’t yet reached his current masterful level.
Later, Wei Youliao passed away, and with no outstanding disciples, Jiang Yichu became the undisputed number one chef in the Great Han Kingdom.
A starving camel is still bigger than a horse. Wei Youliao’s disciples, even if inferior, were still better than Jiang Yichu by comparison. Any one of them could become famous throughout a whole province.
Yu Mudan’s words weren’t entirely impossible.

There is a master chef in the Great Han Nation who ranks among the top in noodles and pastries; even if he could make it into the top ten, his culinary skills alone would be enough to make him stand out in the nation. If that were the case, Lin’s Inn would be crowded with guests every morning as well.
Among the three leading chefs in the kitchen, Cheng Bao’s chances were slim. Unexpectedly, another candidate emerged after he left.
“Alright, just like you, I promise to advance by one level each year. If her cooking skills are truly as good as you say, I have no problem helping you prepare the spiritual tools and pills for revenge.” Lin Dong hesitated no longer and asked, “Where is your sister now?”
“I don’t know. I want to train a group of people to take revenge, so I opened this Humen Inn here,” Yu Mudan shook her head. “She trusts her own abilities more, so she keeps traveling outside. She comes back once a year—about four or five months at most.”
Lin Dong felt slightly disappointed, but four or five months wasn’t too long after all.