Chapter 358: Billboards

To have both fish and bear paws, in Lin Dong’s view, there was only one word: delay!
Delay until all three parties became anxious and fearful, worried that the other side would succeed. Then, propose a compromise—after being tormented all day, neither side would refuse.
“Boss!” Ma Chun stepped forward from behind.
“No matter who comes, find a reason to turn them away tomorrow,” Lin Dong said.
“Haven’t we reached an agreement yet?” Ma Chun was surprised.
Lin Dong smiled and took out two brocade boxes from the inner pocket of his sleeve, handing them to Ma Chun.
“What’s this…” Ma Chun opened the boxes and was shocked to see the huge characters “100,000 taels” on the paper inside.
Silver bills of 10,000 taels were already extremely rare, yet these bills in the boxes were worth 100,000 taels each.
“In total, it’s 2 million taels of silver,” Lin Dong said casually. “It’s from Chen Yantian. There are also two brocade boxes in the private room given by Hong Wanfu. If nothing goes wrong, they contain 4 million taels of silver. Consider it a settlement fee for the gambling match!”
“Does that mean there’s a total of 6 million taels of silver?” Ma Chun was stunned, hardly believing that each of the brocade boxes contained 1 million taels of silver, with another 4 million taels in the private room.
“Yes, and…” Lin Dong continued, “After you handle the silver bills, go to the back yard. Besides the publicity for tomorrow morning, I have some other tasks for you.”
“Okay!” Ma Chun carefully stored the brocade boxes and nodded happily. 6 million taels of silver would be enough for Lin’s Inn to open branches in several counties.
Lin Dong went straight to the back yard, sat down on a stone bench, reviewed the details of the publicity to ensure nothing was overlooked, and then began thinking of a solution that would satisfy both Tianlai Gambling House and Hongfu Gambling House, benefiting Lin’s Inn in the process.
Before long, Ma Chun rushed in.
After Ma Chun explained the publicity plan in detail and Lin Dong checked it against his own plans to confirm there were no mistakes, he set the publicity aside and said, “Next is Tianlai Gambling House and Hongfu Gambling House. During the day tomorrow, no matter who they send, tell them I have urgent matters and have left the city suddenly. At night, after closing, go to see Hong Wanfu and Chen Yantian in order. Remember, Hong Wanfu first, then Chen Yantian—don’t get it wrong.”
“Understood. What should I say to them?” Ma Chun asked.

“When you see Hong Wanfu, tell him I’ve made up my mind—I intend to agree to let Tianlai Gambling House help Hongfu’s Gambling House earn profits from the gambling games.” Lin Dong smiled. “Two brocade boxes, four million taels of silver—give it all back to him.”
“Give it back to him?” Ma Chun was shocked. So far, Lin’s Inn had never received such a large sum of extra money, and giving back most of it would be a real shame.
“It’s up to you to see if you can get Hong Wanfu to force it onto you. I believe that with your abilities as the chief manager, and considering Hong Wanfu’s state of anxiety all day long, plus the sudden shock, you’ll definitely be able to confuse him.” Lin Dong said with a laugh.
Huh…
Ma Chun let out a long sigh. It’s good it’s not really going to be given back. What the owner said earlier was terrifying; he thought he’d really lose four million taels of silver for nothing.
“Owner, what should I say to Hong Wanfu?” Ma Chun asked again. As long as he knew the task, even if Hong Wanfu wasn’t in a state of anxiety, he was confident he could confuse him.
Of course, with Hong Wanfu’s state of mind as a foundation, it would be even easier to complete the task.
“You need to think it through carefully. Leave the publicity for tomorrow to Liu An. For the inn, assign everything to the staff. Except when people from Tianlai Gambling House and Hongfu’s Gambling House come, you only need to handle those situations. Everything else has nothing to do with you. Your task is to figure out exactly what to say and do after meeting Hong Wanfu and Chen Yantian tomorrow, what reactions those words and actions will cause in them, and how to handle any unexpected interruptions during your conversation.” Lin Dong said seriously. “In other words, no matter what happens, you must be able to handle it calmly.”
Although Ma Chun didn’t understand what could require such caution, he wisely stayed patient and didn’t ask further, nodding firmly.
Seeing that Ma Chun was fully focused, Lin Dong explained in detail everything that had happened in the private room and his own plans, bit by bit, before giving instructions: “After meeting Hong Wanfu, your top task is to show him a glimmer of hope when he’s utterly despondent. That hope is that you, as the chief manager of Lin’s Inn, have the ability to influence my decision.”

Ma Chun pondered for a moment before saying confidently, “This is easy. Hand over four million taels of silver to me, and let me handle everything at Lin’s Inn. That alone will prove my status in the owner’s eyes. At that time, I just need to casually mention a few things where I influenced the owner to change his mind at the beginning of our meeting.”

“You decide how to do it, as long as Hong Wanfu doesn’t realize you’re doing it on purpose. Also, don’t drag it out—finish it during the initial pleasantries. Otherwise, after chatting about trivial matters for a long time, knowing Hong Wanfu is anxious and that you’re bringing bad news, yet still continuing the small talk, even if Hong Wanfu is a bit confused, he’ll find it strange.” Seeing Ma Chun nod, Lin Dong continued, “Next, once Hong Wanfu fully trusts you and starts asking for your help with banknotes, then you can decide. Figure out when to agree to his request. After agreeing, discuss with him whether there’s a compromise. What I want is for Hong Wanfu to agree to let the Tianlai Gambling House go, and for the Tianlai Gambling House to stop using Yang Yankang’s position to pressure Hong Wanfu’s gambling house.”

“What about us?” Ma Chun suddenly asked with a smile.

Lin Dong couldn’t help but give Ma Chun a thumbs up. “As for us, after Hongfu Restaurant fails and closes down, if Hong Wanfu wants to sell it, Lin’s Inn can buy its signature dishes and chef first. Of course, the price will satisfy Hong Wanfu—at least not less than one million taels of silver. That amount is enough to buy the failed Hongfu Gambling House, so just for the signature dishes and chef, I’m sure Hong Wanfu won’t refuse.”

“In that case, it’s also leaving a backdoor for Hong Wanfu. Without Yang Yankang’s pressure, Hongfu Gambling House won’t be doomed to failure,” Ma Chun said confidently. “Don’t worry, boss. I’m over 90% sure I can convince Hong Wanfu to agree.”

“You figure out what excuse to use for this compromise. It’s basically that I value the chef and signature dishes more. And then there’s Chen Yantian…” Lin Dong smiled. “I believe there’s no need for me to go into the details. Still, first tell Chen Yantian that I’ve chosen to agree to Hong Wanfu’s proposal. There are only two goals: to get Yang Yankang to agree not to interfere with Hongfu Gambling House anymore, and for Yang Yankang to take full responsibility for helping a friend I’ve known since childhood, who’s a troublemaker, subdue the troublemakers in various counties.”

“Okay!” Ma Chun nodded firmly. If not for the enormous benefits involved and the psychological pressure from Lin Dong’s arrangements, he was confident he could complete the task just by improvising on the spot.

“There’s nothing else. Go back and sort out your thoughts first. Regarding the Lin’s Gymnasium matter, just give Liu An and the guys a heads-up early tomorrow,” Lin Dong waved his hand.
Ma Chun nodded, stood up, and hurried off to the front yard excitedly.
After Ma Chun left, Lin Dong went back to his room to practice alone.
After more than ten large Zhou cycles, Lin Dong put away the branches of the Lingyun Tree, whose color had faded significantly, got out of bed, and opened the door.
Fresh air rushed in. Outside, the sunrise still lingered on the horizon.
In the dim light, in the front yard, Liu An was directing the workers to organize the flat wagons.
There were ten wagons in total, most of which were empty. Only on two wagons were two huge iron frames placed.
In a corner of the yard, hundreds of three-meter-long scrolls were piled up, being carefully moved onto the wagons by the workers one by one. Not far away, several three-meter-long wooden boards lay quietly on the ground.
“Boss!” Liu An stepped forward as he saw Lin Dong coming from the back yard.
“Is everything okay?” Lin Dong asked.
“I’ve checked all the scrolls, and there are plenty of backups, so there shouldn’t be any problems,” Liu An explained. “As for the wooden boards and flyers, with Sixth Brother and the others around, there should be no issues either.”
Lin Dong nodded and waved his hand. “Go ahead with your work. You’re in charge today; I’ll just go around and take a look.”
“Don’t worry, boss. Everything will be fine,” Liu An immediately turned around and resumed directing the workers to move the scrolls.
After taking in the situation in the yard, Lin Dong walked over to the side door of the front yard, opened it, and stepped outside.
As he walked forward to the end of the street, Lin Dong stopped.
In the sky, a hint of dawn was slowly spreading. Although it was still somewhat dark around, vendors were already gathering on both sides of the street. Shops that were stricter with their workers were also opening up, ready to welcome the new day.
Across from Lin Dong was the corner leading to another street. In front of the big locust tree at that corner stood a five-meter-tall iron frame. On the frame, a three-meter-long wooden board hung straight up, remaining motionless even in the breeze.
Walking up to the iron frame, Lin Dong grabbed an iron bar and applied slight force, causing the frame to tremble slightly.
“Not bad!”

The iron frame consisted of over fifty iron bars, buried beneath the soil, including the uppermost part. Lin Dong also jumped onto it and shook it a few times. He was very satisfied with the stability of the entire frame. Unless attacked desperately by a warrior at the third level or above of the Spiritual Movement phase, no one could move this frame even slightly—its strength was sufficient to lift off the entire roof even in a hurricane.

With his arms crossed, he waited under the frame for half an hour. By then, the sun had begun to rise, and pedestrians started appearing on the streets. The sound of rolling wheels came from afar.

Before long, a flat wagon pulled by two horses appeared at the corner first. On the wagon’s flat surface lay another iron frame, similar in structure to the one beside Lin Dong but clearly smaller. On this frame as well hung a wooden board three meters long and wide, which almost covered the entire frame.

Unlike the wooden board on Lin Dong’s frame, the one on the wagon’s frame held a giant scroll three meters long and wide. On the scroll was a large, colorful painting. There were two people in the painting: one was tall and muscular, with a bare upper body. His powerful muscles seemed to contain immense energy, emitting a dark glow. The burly man clenched his fists, turning sideways toward the other side of the scroll. In his bright eyes burned a fierce flame.

If one ignored the blazing flame in his eyes and the six red characters inscribed all over his body, depicting battle, he would appear incredibly lifelike. From a distance, it would be impossible to tell if it was real or not. With that flame and the red battle characters surrounding him, along with the anger shown on his resolute face, the painting added an even more menacing aura.

Next to the burly man were several rows of small characters written in an elegant style. Lin Dong poured spiritual energy into his eyes and carefully examined them, and the characters became clearer. It read: Li Dafeng. Thirty-one years old, from Li Family Village in the east of the city. He possessed extraordinary strength, agility, and endurance. He had shown strength beyond his age since childhood—at ten, he had subdued a wild bull with a single move; at twenty-two, when bandits attacked his village, he led over a dozen strong men to block them at the village end, holding them off for an hour until the soldiers arrived to rescue them. His record at Lin’s Gymnasium: two victories, both in less than fifteen minutes on average; no losses. Directly opposite Li Dafeng was a young man facing outward from the scroll. Compared to Li Dafeng, the young man was much thinner.

Dressed in a robe, standing with hands behind his back and a slight smile on his lips, at first glance the young man fell far short of Li Dafeng in terms of presence. But upon closer inspection, one could see that he possessed a calmness and ease that Li Dafeng lacked.

When the entire painting was viewed as a whole, it was clear that Li Dafeng was seething with anger toward the young man, who, in turn, seemed utterly unbothered. The superiority between the two was not necessarily proportional to their physical strength.

Next to the young man, there were also several lines of description.

Wang Liang.
28 years old, from Liuhe County of Taifang Prefecture.
His leg speed is astonishing, and his leg strength is immense. Three years ago, when the Feng family, a prominent family in Lingnan City, was recruiting guards, he stood out among hundreds of competitors and became one of the twenty selected guards, also one of the three untrained guards chosen.

Record at Lin’s Gymnasium: Two victories, with an average winning time of less than fifteen minutes. No losses recorded.

“Not bad!” Lin Dong nodded slowly. Although he had seen this painting before, looking at it again after several days, he still couldn’t help but praise Zhang Jiufang’s painting skills. His gaze instinctively shifted to the upper center of the painting, where several larger characters were displayed—visible clearly even without channeling spiritual energy into his eyes.

Lin’s Gymnasium
Third round of combat matches: Li Dafeng — Wang Liang.
Time: Noon on the tenth day of the seventh month.

Pre-match declarations:
Li Dafeng: If I don’t knock you down, I’ll be letting my grandfather down.
Wang Liang: My opponent is only on the stage where the top two are determined in the winter finals.

Commentary: Three years ago, during the Feng family’s guard recruitment, the two had fought once, with Li Dafeng losing. Logically, Wang Liang should have been stronger. But three years later, Li Dafeng, unwilling to accept defeat, trained hard every day after being beaten by someone far less physically fit and also untrained. His strength is now much greater than it was three years ago. As for Wang Liang, since becoming a guard for the Feng family, he has been accompanying the third young master almost daily, with little time for training except at night, so his progress has lagged far behind Li Dafeng’s. Moreover, Li Dafeng is fighting with a desire for revenge, while Wang Liang speaks with utter contempt for his former defeated opponent. The odds are fifty-fifty in favor of Li Dafeng and forty-five percent in favor of Wang Liang.

“What does it have to do with his grandfather if he can’t win?”

A puzzled voice came from behind Lin Dong. Turning around, he saw that many onlookers had stopped to watch as the carriage came to a halt.

“I guess it’s because this Li Dafeng is very filial. After winning the prize money, he must have given it to his grandfather!” an old man in his fifties said approvingly. “Don’t let his fierce appearance fool you; he’s actually quite filial. It’s rare to find such a good young man these days. That Wang Liang, on the other hand, is no good. Look at the way he speaks—arrogant and conceited, as if he’s already sure to win first or second in the fight.”

“In my opinion, he’s letting his grandfather down by losing. I bet his grandfather would chase him around the streets with a stick!” a young man remarked. “It’s just like when I was a kid. If I did something wrong, my grandfather would be the first to rush out, always with a stick in hand. But thankfully, after the fight, he wouldn’t let my dad hit me anymore.”

“I think he’s just nervous, afraid he can’t win, so he’s bringing up his grandfather to gain sympathy. Look at his age—he’s already 31, while his grandfather must be over 60. Now, look at that Wang Liang—he clearly seems cold on the outside but warm inside. It would be too pitiful if the old man got disappointed. Wang Liang will definitely go easy on Li Dafeng.” Another young man said resentfully. “This Li Dafeng is really sneaky. Look at him—he speaks with such dominance, which makes people excited. He’s also kind-hearted, and in many ways, he reminds me of me.”

The noisy discussions kept a smile on Lin Dong’s lips. The most talked-about topics were Li Dafeng’s somewhat mysterious pre-fight declaration and then their potential victory or defeat.

Although the order and focus differed from Lin Dong’s expectations, the effect was the same. His original expectation was that the most discussed topic would be their victory or defeat, followed by Li Dafeng’s pre-fight declaration.

This fight was the first promotional match carefully selected by Liu An. Li Dafeng and Wang Liang were also among the first sports stars to be promoted.

Lin Dong was very satisfied with the first choice made by Liu An. First, the timing of the match was perfect—on the third day after the planned five-day promotional period. Second, both Li Dafeng and Wang Liang were top performers in combat sports, and without surprise, they would both rank within the top ten. Third, they had fought each other before, which could serve as a great gimmick. Fourth, Li Dafeng was tall and robust with a simple personality, while Wang Liang was good-looking but cold and arrogant. Moreover, both had a competitive spirit, giving them all the qualities needed to become famous.

Lin Dong believes that, barring any surprises, after the match, whichever of the two wins or loses will have a loyal following. The loser, with their indomitable spirit, could even gain a group of steadfast supporters through this first round of promotion.