Chapter 31: Free Feast

There’s a difference between cultivators and martial artists. Anyone who has practiced spiritual energy or learned spiritual techniques can be called a cultivator, while only those who have broken through the Spiritual Mobility stage and reached a higher realm can be called martial artists.

The burly men were in their twenties or thirties. No matter how much they practiced, Lin Dong didn’t believe they could split a table several meters away as effortlessly as Yun Lan could. If he couldn’t defeat them, he could just ask Yun Lan to come from the back yard.

Yun Lan would agree to help erase the traces of the original owner from the stolen spiritual rings, let alone deal with a few troublemakers.

The old man was different. At such an age, he still dared to cause trouble, which undoubtedly meant he had practiced spiritual energy. In cultivation, one either progresses or regresses; only by persisting in practice can one maintain strength. If the old man dared to cause trouble, it was highly likely he had been cultivating for decades.

Lin Dong was a bit worried that Yun Lan might not be able to handle someone who had cultivated for decades, given his age. Even if he was strong, the old man couldn’t possibly be a thug for others, but who knew if he was tired of conflicts and preferred to live a quiet life in a small county.

The old man clearly noticed Lin Dong’s gaze. After looking up, his cloudy eyes showed no emotion as he lowered his head and downed a cup of thyme whose fragrance spread outside the door.

Lin Dong turned to look at the thin man: “Are the two tables together?”

The thin man shook his head. “Only the table with three people. After the fight started, that old man didn’t run away with the other guests. Strangely enough, the chaos in the main hall didn’t affect him at all.”

Lin Dong breathed a sigh of relief. If it didn’t affect him at all, maybe he was pushed away using spiritual energy?

At least they weren’t all causing trouble together to enjoy a free feast.

“Do you know their backgrounds?”

“They’re all guards from Fu Ji Restaurant,” the thin man said resentfully. “The leader, around twenty-six or twenty-seven, is Kuang Dazhi, the boss’s own nephew. He used to be the king of Xilan City before taking charge of his uncle’s guards. The other two are his subordinates.”

Lin Dong was stunned, then laughed. “Isn’t Fu Ji Restaurant a bit too arrogant? They blatantly send guards to cause trouble—aren’t they basically telling me who my enemies are?”

“The boss doesn’t know. It’s said Kuang Dazhi used to practice martial arts. Aside from the Liu family and the county government, there’s no one in Xilan City he can’t fight,” the thin man whispered. “The other two aren’t easy either. When Sixth Brother went with us, Kuang Dazhi didn’t even lift a hand—those two guards took care of everything. Sixth Brother had no choice but to send me to find you.”

“It’s fine! If I can’t beat them, I’ll go to the backyard and call Yun Lan over.” Lin Dong casually grabbed a bench with only one leg left and strode forward.
Like scholars, warriors also enjoyed privileges such as immunity from punishment and imprisonment. With such privileges, coupled with their own strength, who would take the county yamen seriously? Since these three didn’t dare provoke the county yamen, they clearly weren’t strong enough to be warriors.
Having been in this world for some time now, Lin Dong had never fought against trained fighters before. After all, he had system privileges that allowed him to kick even the strongest opponents out instantly using the “close the shop” tactic, ensuring his safety. It was the perfect chance to test them.
“Guys, all the staff in my shop are injured, so we’re temporarily closed. Should you settle your bills?” Lin Dong approached Kuang Dazhi with a smile.
Glancing at the broken bench in Lin Dong’s hand, Kuang Dazhi snorted.
“Get lost! I just saw my men beat up a few fools. I’m hungry—don’t bother me.”
“Brother Kuang, there isn’t much food left. Should we get more?” suggested a man in his late 30s with a grin.
Kuang Dazhi picked up a plate of leftovers and hurled it at Lin Dong.
Lin Dong dodged to the side, not a drop of soup hitting his robe. A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. Kuang Dazhi tutted, “Not bad reflexes. Go, bring out all the good wine and food in the shop.”
“Sure!” Lin Dong swung the bench at Kuang Dazhi’s head.
“Looking for death!” Kuang Dazhi sneered, raising his right arm to block the attack.
Bang!
The bench shattered into pieces, with wood shavings flying everywhere. Kuang Dazhi wasn’t faring any better either; he groaned as his arm drooped limply.
The two guards immediately stood up and threw punches at Lin Dong.
Lin Dong didn’t engage head-on. He ducked aside and punched Kuang Dazhi, who was still holding his arm.
Kuang Dazhi was at the fourth level of the Agile Phase and had vast combat experience. In terms of strength, he was definitely on par with Lin Dong. Unfortunately, his initial underestimation cost him an arm. Seeing Lin Dong’s punch coming, he quickly pushed off the ground and flipped backward.
Lin Dong smirked coldly. Now that he was targeted, there was no chance to catch his breath.
With the sound of wind rushing past his ear, Lin Dong leaped downward at Kuang Dazhi, reaching out with his right hand to grab his hair instantly.
Kuang Dazhi was terrified. Having already lost an arm due to being struck by spiritual energy was shocking enough, but he never expected the opponent to be fast enough to leave him no chance to react.

His body was still falling backward, but his hair was pulled slightly upward—clearly he was using the momentum to slam his head into the ground. Kuang Dazhi couldn’t care less about the excruciating pain from his broken right arm; he kicked the ground desperately with both legs and swung his left hand, trying to get free from Lin Dong.
Bang!
It was all in the blink of an eye. Just as Lin Dong’s downward momentum was about to be broken by Kuang Dazhi, a muffled thud suddenly erupted between Kuang Dazhi’s back of the head and the ground.
Without even time to utter a harsh word, Kuang Dazhi’s head tilted, and he collapsed unconscious, dark red liquid slowly spreading at the back of his head.
“Kuang… Brother Kuang…”
Two burly men let out a fierce roar and rushed at Lin Dong, who was also dazed from the impact.
“Boss…”
Shou Zhugan rushed over urgently, while Wang Liuzhi and the others struggled to get up.
Lin Dong regained some clarity. The two men were already close, throwing punches and kicks at his forehead and chest with great force.
It was too late to dodge. Lin Dong simply covered his head with one hand and grabbed Kuang Dazhi’s clothes with the other.
Bang! Bang! Lin Dong felt pain in his chest and flew backward with a groan, but his right hand still firmly held onto Kuang Dazhi.
The two men stopped and stared at Lin Dong, not daring to take another step forward.
With a hostage in hand, there were no worries in the world!
Lin Dong touched his throbbing chest, stood up slowly after grabbing Kuang Dazhi’s legs.
“Back off!”
He ordered Shou Zhugan, who was about to rush behind the two men, to retreat. Lin Dong glanced at Wang Liuzhi and the others, who were grimacing in pain, took a cold breath, and suddenly swung Kuang Dazhi’s heavy body around.
“B-Brother, he…”
The two men’s teeth were trembling. If this hit his head or broke his arms and legs, with Brother Kuang’s temper, wouldn’t he be skinned and pulled apart?
Bang!
As Lin Dong swung Kuang Dazhi’s body at them, the two men didn’t even dare to dodge, let alone fight back. They simply stretched out their hands, supporting Kuang Dazhi’s head wherever it was swung.
Every time Kuang Dazhi’s head avoided their hands and hit them instead, their hearts trembled violently.
Since they didn’t dare to dodge, the fight became boring. Unfortunately, Lin Dong realized this only after they were knocked out.
“Tie him up, Shou Zhugan. Go get a doctor,” Lin Dong said, tossing Kuang Dazhi aside with a dismissive wave, clearly uninterested.
Uh!
A burp sounded. Lin Dong turned to look at the source—the old man.

The old man rolled up his sleeve to wipe his mouth, looked at Lin Dong, and grinned, “I don’t have any silver to pay the bill. Let’s be like them! You can hit me with a bench or just use me to smash the bench—do whatever it takes until you’re satisfied.”
Lin Dong was stunned.
Another free-rider!