Chapter 34: Aftermath

“Owner, sir…”
Over by the side, Thin Bamboo Stave grew anxious. Although Lin Dong couldn’t understand what Yun Lan and the old man had done, he could tell from their presence that the old man was a peak-level expert. But Thin Bamboo Stave hadn’t noticed anything at all.
Over eighty taels of silver for wine, plus free food and lodging and unlimited drinking, just in exchange for a few secret spiritual techniques? That was a huge loss—eighty taels of silver! It would take a young worker seven or eight years of hard work to earn that much, and now it was given away for free?
“It’s fine, it’s fine!”
Lin Dong tried to appear calm, but he couldn’t suppress his smile.
Eighty taels of silver… If there was a “ten thousand” added to that amount, Lin Dong would still agree right away and try his best to raise the money.
Eighty taels of silver, free food and lodging, plus ten pounds of wine per day, in exchange for a peak-level expert’s secret spiritual technique—Lin Dong believed he would never find a better deal in his life. Of course, that was assuming the old man wouldn’t keep anything back.
As for that, Lin Dong wasn’t too worried. Due to Silver Rabbit’s injury, Yun Lan would need to stay at the inn for a while. Since he couldn’t judge the quality of the spiritual techniques himself, he could just ask Yun Lan.
“If it’s fine, take the old man to my room.” The old man rubbed his stomach. “When you’re full and satisfied, sleeping is the most comfortable thing.”
“Okay!” Lin Dong nodded quickly, then swallowed the words that were on his tongue. Guest rooms only gained experience points when occupied by guests—having the old man stay there would be a waste. After thinking for a moment, he ordered Thin Bamboo Stave, “Take Old Man Ding to my room. Replace all the bedding with new ones.”
“New or old doesn’t matter. Even a wooden shed will do. Just bring a few pounds of ten-year-aged thyme for mouthwash,” the old man said nonchalantly.
“That won’t do. My room is the best in the back yard—he must stay there!” Although Lin Dong didn’t have any ill feelings toward the old man, his habit of choosing the most expensive options while freeloaded didn’t earn him much goodwill. But before the spiritual technique was revealed, he couldn’t let the old man feel dissatisfied in the slightest—otherwise, who knew if the old man was petty or not.
Smiling, Lin Dong asked, “What should I call you, sir?”
“Hmm, old acquaintances call me Old Drunkard. Strangers call me senior… My mentor gave me the name Ding Tian.”
“Bamboo Stave, take Old Man Ding to his room to rest,” Lin Dong ordered.
“Owner, where will you stay then?” Thin Bamboo Stave was still hesitant. There were only a few rooms in the back yard—surely the owner couldn’t sleep in the same bed as them?

“Just do as I tell you. There’s more work waiting for you!” Lin Dong didn’t want to explain further. Where to stay made no difference to him. He could stay in Tianhao’s room for a few days and tidy up the woodshed when he had time.
Shou Zhugan instinctively glanced at Kuang Dazhi and the other two still lying on the ground, then quickly realized that the hall was in complete disarray. Sixth Brother and the others had gone to see a doctor—surely he couldn’t expect the shopkeeper to clean it up himself!
“Old man, come with me!”
Shou Zhugan called out, not waiting to see if Old Man Ding would follow, and headed straight to the back yard.
Lin Dong touched his nose. He’d have to tell the staff later—the old man didn’t shout for no reason, especially before the spiritual skill was used.
Seeing the two leave, Lin Dong didn’t bother with Kuang Dazhi and the others. He found a intact bench and waited for the staff to return.
It only took a few minutes before Shou Zhugan rushed back to the hall, carrying three bundles of rope.
Binding people came naturally to Shou Zhugan—he was even more skilled at it than the staff. In no time, he tied Kuang Dazhi and the others tightly. Without Lin Dong’s orders, he immediately started cleaning up the broken tables and chairs in the hall.
Meanwhile, the staff returned together, including Wang Liuzhi.
“Shopkeeper, what should we do with these three?”
Wang Liuzhi touched his chest wrapped tightly in bandages, his gaze toward Kuang Dazhi and the others turning fierce.
“What else can we do? They attacked my staff, destroyed my inn, and even ate for free… If they don’t compensate me tenfold, they’ll never be free of this trouble.” Lin Dong’s face was grim. There was another important point he hadn’t mentioned: the impact on the inn’s experience points for the day.
Wang Liuzhi patted his abdomen under the bandages and declared bravely, “Just tell me, shopkeeper. I’ll take the lead through fire and water.”
“Shopkeeper, Fulai Restaurant isn’t easy to mess with!” One of the staff members said worriedly. “I heard the owner of Fulai Restaurant often entertains the county magistrate. With that connection alone, it’s beyond our reach.”
“The county magistrate?” Liu Hao and the hooligans following Wang Liuzhi laughed. The shopkeeper had wanted to take action against the county magistrate some time ago but hadn’t figured out when he would leave the county office. If they dared to interfere, it would be a good chance to settle both matters at once.
But Lin Dong’s expression darkened. His thoughts were different from Wang Liuzhi’s. Even the strongest warriors would resort to underhanded tactics when they suffered losses. He certainly wasn’t afraid of some county magistrate. But after all, the inn was located in Xilan City. If the officials kept causing trouble or even threatened guests not to come to the inn, the inn would be unable to continue operating.

The profit was trivial, and the inn gained no experience points for days or even months. In Lin Dong’s eyes, this loss was something not even the death of the county magistrate could compensate for, not even in one ten-thousandth. After careful consideration, Lin Dong firmly ordered, “Liu Hao, send a message to the owner of Fulai Restaurant. Tell him that his nephew ate for free at the inn, refused to pay, and even injured people. The total cost for medical treatment, table and chair fees, etc., amounts to two thousand taels of silver. If he doesn’t pay or reports it to the authorities, he can go look for someone at the mass graveyard.”

“I’m good at this. I’ll go,” Wang Liuzhi said, rolling up his sleeves before Liu Hao could respond.

Lin Dong shook his head. “Liu Hao can’t go in person; it would be like delivering a hostage to them. Just find anyone on the street and pay a few taels of silver. You definitely can’t go either, as you have more important tasks… Go to Qiufeng Mansion in person and buy all the good wine they have, preferably returning within ten days.”

“Buy wine?” Wang Liuzhi was confused, as he had already left to follow his companions to see a doctor after the old man admitted he couldn’t withstand Yun Lan’s attacks.

“It’s very useful. Don’t worry about the price—buy as much as you can. The sooner you bring it back, the better,” Lin Dong said seriously.

“Okay, I’ll go right away!” Wang Liuzhi nodded firmly without asking further questions.

“And then there’s…” Lin Dong glanced at Zhang Ye and the others, feeling a headache coming on. “The owner of Fulai Restaurant will definitely go to the county magistrate later. We need someone to stay at the county yamen and watch. As soon as the owner leaves, that person should go in, give the county magistrate five hundred taels of silver, and convince him to pretend to cooperate while actually ignoring whatever happens at Fulai Restaurant for three days. Who will go?”

Liu Hao and the others exchanged glances. They were good at fighting and using force, but giving money and spitting…

“Boss…” After a long silence, Liu Xiu suddenly spoke up. “If you trust me, I can go and give it a try.”

Lin Dong was momentarily tempted but then shook his head. Liu Xiu was only fourteen years old and not suitable for getting involved in such matters. Having finally found an opportunity to repay his kindness, how could Liu Xiu let it slip away? Seeing Lin Dong shake his head, Liu Xiu thought he was underestimating him and grew anxious. “Boss, I promise I can convince the county magistrate not to interfere.”

“That’s right! Liu Xiu is good at speaking and smart. He’ll definitely handle this well,” Liu Hao said, clapping his hands. “Why not let him try? I’ll go with him.”

After hesitating for a while, Lin Dong nodded reluctantly. “Alright! Leave this task to Liu Xiu. You don’t need to go—everyone else has things to do.”

“Boss…” Liu Xiu was overjoyed, but soon felt troubled again. “Should I ask Brother Hao or Brother Bamboo to go with me?”
Lin Dong knew exactly what Liu Xiu was thinking and immediately shook his head. “It’s just 500 taels of silver. If you can’t trust your own employees, who else can you trust?”
Liu Xiu gritted his teeth and thumped his chest. “Don’t worry, boss. I guarantee I’ll persuade the county magistrate.”
“Then I’ll wait for good news from you,” Lin Dong said sternly. “Liu Hao and Bamboo, go to the account first and get some silver. Buy the tables and chairs as soon as possible. Give each injured employee 10 taels of silver. After closing up, all of you should set out. Recruit as many hooligans as you can—more the better. Don’t tell them what to do yet. Tell them it’s 10 taels each, and that you’ll take them on a fun outing in a few days.”
Liu Hao and the others instantly became excited, as if injected with energy, forgetting even their own injuries.
A fun outing…
Undoubtedly, the boss wanted to use the money from Fuji Restaurant to hire people to smash Fuji Restaurant itself!