Chapter 363: Ticket Scammers

A ticket originally priced at just twenty coins was driven up to two taels of silver. It was not even the biggest issue that the profiteers reaped the benefits from such inflated prices—what mattered most was that only the wealthy could afford them. This meant the audience base was drastically reduced, and events featuring sports stars might even sell fewer tickets than those without them.

Moreover, although the Lin Family Gymnasium existed to support the inn’s business—both the lodging area and the lobby were designed to attract wealthy patrons—if all attendees were wealthy, they would likely be too proud to behave freely, dulling the atmosphere and affecting the enjoyment of the matches. Over time, these drawbacks would surely have a severe impact on the gymnasium.

Sustainable development was what the Lin Family Gymnasium needed; extreme actions would definitely not lead to anything good.

“Hey, want some tickets?”
As Lin Dong pondered a solution, a young man in a short jacket, holding a small wooden stick between his teeth, appeared before him. In his hand, he waved a stack of tickets—more than a dozen—in front of Lin Dong.

Lin Dong remained calm and asked, “How much?”
“Six taels per ticket for the eighth row, eight taels for the seventh row—each higher row costs two extra taels,” the young man replied nonchalantly.
“Then the first row must cost twenty taels per ticket?” Lin Dong was surprised. “Would anyone buy that?”
“To the rich, twenty taels is nothing—just the cost of a meal,” the young man said dismissively.
“It seems the event starts in just half an hour,” Lin Dong said with a smile. “Aren’t you worried you won’t sell them?”
“It doesn’t matter. The most expensive ticket is only two hundred coins,” the young man said casually. “I’ll just go watch it myself.”
“That’s too expensive. I’ll ask someone else,” Lin Dong shook his head. He planned to use the remaining time to count the number of ticket sellers and tickets available before figuring out a solution.

“They’re all part of the same family. There’s no room for negotiation.”
An angry voice came from the side. Lin Dong turned to see two boys and a girl approaching. They seemed to be around fourteen or fifteen years old.
“All part of the same family?” Lin Dong frowned. Already in the first event, there were organized ticket scammers.
“Mm!” The leader, a boy with bright red lips and white teeth, dressed better than the others, nodded and stared at the young man. “Give me three tickets for the eighth row. I’ll give you ten taels now. If you trust me, I’ll pay the remaining eight taels later.”

“What are you talking about, Young Master Hua? It’s just eight taels of silver—how could I not trust you?” The young man said with a smile. “Of course, kindness should be repaid with kindness, but business is business. It’s fine if Young Master Hua writes me an IOU, right?”
Young Master Hua? Lin Dong couldn’t help but glance at the boy. There were very few people surnamed Hua in Lingnan City, and only the Hua family, one of the major families there, had a son addressed as young master.
“Liu Wanshan, it’s fine if I write you an IOU, right?” The dark-skinned, burly boy stepped forward and glared coldly at the young man.
The young man named Liu Wanshan shook his head slowly and said calmly, “Boss Niu won’t do.”
Lin Dong was completely confused. Boss? Someone surnamed Niu called himself boss? Or maybe the leader of some street gang? His build might qualify him, but with such a youthful face, where was his authority?
“Does it have to be our second son?” Niu Hong glared angrily.
Lin Dong was utterly bewildered. How could a young master from the Hua family become someone else’s second son?
“Buy if you want, don’t if you don’t,” Liu Wanshan said nonchalantly, completely ignoring Niu Hong’s anger.
Niu Hong flew into a rage, clenching his right fist and ready to charge forward. But Hua Wuqian and the girl Liang Ru pulled him back, one on each side.
“Brother, let it go. We can always find a way to get in.”
“Yes! It doesn’t matter if we don’t watch. We can just wait at the entrance for the result—it’ll save us a lot of money,” Liang Ru nodded eagerly.
Niu Hong’s chest heaved as he finally calmed down after a while.
“A young master from the Hua family and some street boss, not even eighteen taels of silver…” Liu Wanshan hummed as he turned around, ignoring the furious looks from Niu Hong and Hua Wuqian, and strode into the crowd.
“Bastards! If you’ve got guts, stop working for the Yang family. If I don’t beat you half to death, then I’m not Niu Hong!”
Hua Wuqian took a deep breath and said helplessly, “Let’s go! I’ll treat you all to a good meal at a restaurant. We can come back later to find out if Li Dafeng won.”
“Why not try to get in?” Niu Hong asked in surprise.
“There are no seats. We can’t just stand and watch, right?” Hua Wuqian shook his head. “Even if we get in, we’ll eventually be discovered. You know better than anyone that our Hua family recently stood up for Lin’s Gymnasium. It’s possible they’ll send guards there to help. If we get caught, I’ll definitely be trapped there for three to five months.”
“Hmm! Xiao Ru, where do you want to eat?” Niu Hong turned to Liang Ru.
Liang Ru hesitated for a moment before asking, “How about Lin’s Inn? I heard their pastries are delicious.”
“Okay, let’s go to Lin’s Inn!” Clearly the leader of the three, Niu Hong waved his right hand and made the decision immediately.

“Wait!” Lin Dong suddenly called out to the three of them from the side. The fact that the young master of the Hua family was a thug, not even the leader, was already interesting enough to him. The fact that the three seemed to know the origins of these organized scalpers gave him even more reason to intervene.
“What is it?” Niu Hong was clearly still angry, his tone not very friendly.
“I heard you say these ticket sellers are part of the same group. I wanted to ask what’s going on,” Lin Dong said with a smile.
“What’s there to ask? They just send people to buy some tickets and beat anyone who sells them,” Niu Hong snapped.
“If they charge such high prices and don’t allow others to sell at a lower price, it will surely anger people, right?” Lin Dong asked in confusion. “Who are they? I heard you mention them as the lackeys of the Yang family. Could it be the Yang family from the south of the city? They certainly don’t care about such a small amount of money.”
Niu Hong was about to speak when Liang Ru grabbed him by the arm.
“Xiao Ru, what’s wrong?” Niu Hong and Hua Wuqian turned to look at her.
Liang Ru glanced at Lin Dong a few times before whispering an explanation to the two of them, “This man must be from Lin’s Gymnasium.”
Her voice was as soft as a mosquito’s buzz. In this noisy street, it would be hard for anyone to hear unless they were right beside her. Of course, Lin Dong was an exception. With his current abilities, even without channeling spiritual energy into his ears, his hearing was far superior to that of ordinary people.
“You can guess my identity in just a few words. You’re smart, young lady!” Lin Dong couldn’t help but give Liang Ru a thumbs up, not denying it.
Liang Ru was startled and exclaimed, “You heard what I said?”
“I’ve had sharp ears since I was young,” Lin Dong nodded.
Liang Ru’s face turned slightly red as she stepped back quietly and hid behind Niu Hong, whispering a few words in his ear.
“Since you’re from Lin’s Gymnasium, you must have heard about the identity of my second son just now, right?” Niu Hong’s expression turned unfriendly.
Hua Wuqian was stunned, his expression suddenly tense.
“Relax. Do I look like the kind of person who likes to stir up trouble?” Lin Dong said with a laugh. “Besides, offending the young master of the Hua family won’t bring me any benefits.”
“Good to know!” Niu Hong and Hua Wuqian both breathed a sigh of relief.
“Well, now can you tell me more about these ticket sellers?” Lin Dong asked.
“Telling you won’t benefit us at all,” Niu Hong shook his head.

“Those who know I’m from Lin’s Gymnasium should also know that with ticket prices so high, our Lin’s Gymnasium is surely suffering more losses than gains. I inquired about their situation precisely with the intention of dealing with them,” Lin Dong said leisurely. “Without them, you won’t have to spend dozens of taels of silver just to buy tickets; the most expensive ones cost only 200 wen.”
“It’s useless. Even if you know about them, you can’t do anything about them,” Niu Hong hesitated. “Unless…”
“Unless what?” Lin Dong pressed.
“Unless your Lin’s Gymnasium can get the Huo family to step in,” Niu Hong explained.
“That’s easy. Our boss has a close relationship with the young master of the Huo family. It’s just a matter of saying a few words,” Lin Dong said with a smile.
“Then it’s simple.” Niu Hong looked pleased. Whether it was because he could buy cheap tickets or to avenge his earlier humiliation, there was no reason to hide anything.
“Those guys are just acquainted with the captain of the Yang family’s guard team. As long as the young master of the Huo family steps in and sends a guard to talk to the captain of the Yang family’s guard team, they’ll surely be forced to leave.”
“It’s that simple?” Lin Dong was surprised.
“How hard could it be?” Niu Hong explained. “These people used to hang around on the streets too. Like us, they were brought under Wang the Boss’s control some time ago. But half a month ago, their boss, Zhang Daliang, somehow struck up a relationship with the captain of the Yang family’s guard team, so they broke away. They used to set up gambling tables on the streets. With the Yang family’s backing, no one dared to trouble them. A few days ago, they started targeting the tickets for Lin’s Gymnasium. Compared to the young master of the Huo family, even their backer isn’t comparable, let alone they themselves.”
Lin Dong laughed. These words gave him an idea on how to address both the symptoms and root causes of the exorbitant ticket prices.
Aren’t all the scumbags on the streets his own people?
Speaking of which, these three in front of him could be considered his subordinates’ subordinates’ subordinates.
He controlled all the scumbags in Lingnan City. With the family’s help from the Huo family to deal with ticket scalpers, it would be a piece of cake.
“Alright, is there anything else you want to ask? If not, we’re leaving,” Niu Hong asked.
“I want to ask, why didn’t that guy named Liu Wanshan take the young master of the Huo family seriously?” Lin Dong asked, smiling at Hua Wuqian.
“He’s too lowly to even look up at me. Who would pay attention to me?” Hua Wuqian said disdainfully.
“Is that so?” Lin Dong smiled, his mind wandering as he rushed toward the three of them.
Hua Wuqian’s strength surprised Lin Dong slightly.

Not a trace of spiritual energy could be detected at all.
A young master from a prominent family who hadn’t even learned martial arts—this would be unlikely even among illegitimate children or those not well-liked in any family. Even if they didn’t want to learn, someone would force them to.
The only explanation was that this young master was a complete failure at cultivation; no amount of pressure would help.
If he was indeed a failure, it made sense.
A young master who was a failure in cultivation would undoubtedly become a laughingstock for his family. Even if he wasn’t ostracized or bullied within the family, he certainly couldn’t rely on his status as a young master outside. After all, the more rumors about a laughingstock spread, the easier it was for others to mock him.
Just like Hua Wuqian, who didn’t dare sneak into the Lin’s Gymnasium because of its connection to the Hua family. If it were Hua Wuyue who got caught, it wouldn’t matter much—just a slight loss in reputation. But if it were Hua Wuqian, the rumor alone that the Hua family’s worthless young master had been caught would bring shame to the family. Being confined at home for a few months would already be the mildest punishment.
“Does it have nothing to do with you?” Hua Wuqian was enraged by Lin Dong’s smile. “Am I funny just because I’m a failure?”
Niu Hong clenched his right fist, ready to defend Hua Wuqian at any moment.
Lin Dong knew Hua Wuqian had misunderstood but didn’t explain. He glanced at the three of them and said with a smile, “Do you need tickets?”
“You have tickets?” The hostile looks on their faces instantly vanished, replaced by eagerness.
“I don’t, but…” Lin Dong said meaningfully, “My friends do, and quite a few at that.”
“Really?” Niu Hong exclaimed excitedly. “Can you sell us three? Any seats will do. If we don’t have enough money now, we can owe it—we’ll definitely pay back when we can. You can ask around Wanma Street; I, Niu Hong, am definitely not the kind to default on debts.”
“No need for all that trouble. It’s not that valuable anyway. Since you just gave me an idea to solve a troublesome issue, I’ll give you three tickets. You can choose any seats you want,” Lin Dong said generously.
“Really?” The three were overjoyed.
Lin Dong asked, “How about waiting a moment? I’ll call my friends over.”
The three nodded eagerly, clearly unwilling to miss the match.
A little spiritual energy flowed from his dantian and poured into his throat. Lin Dong shouted loudly, “Tickets for sale! As many as you want, no restrictions on seats, set any price you like. Tickets for sale!”

“Wait, wait…” The three who were closest were all startled by this sudden loud voice. The shynest of them, Liang Ru, was the first to react—she grabbed Lin Dong’s arm as he shouted again.
“What’s wrong?” Lin Dong asked, looking at Liang Ru.
“Are you trying to steal Zhang Daliang’s tickets?” Liang Ru said anxiously.
“It’s just a few tickets. Since you all hang around in the streets,” Lin Dong said in confusion, “you should be able to handle it, right?”
“No, if you keep shouting like that, you’ll attract Zhang Daliang’s people over,” Liang Ru shook her head. “Even if we don’t take action, they won’t believe us! I have nothing to do with Brother Hong. If the Hua family finds out, Brother Hu Qian will definitely get scolded again and might not be able to go out for months.”
Niu Hong and the others clearly realized the seriousness of the situation and instinctively stepped back a few steps, trying to distance themselves from Lin Dong.
Lin Dong didn’t care at all. “It’s fine. Our boss knows Master Hua very well. You’ve helped a lot. I’ll talk to our boss, and he’ll surely be willing to ask Master Hua to intercede for you.”
“Hua Wu Yue is just like everyone else in the Hua family—disgraceful. Even if he were willing to help, I wouldn’t bother asking,” Hu Qian snorted.
“From the way you speak, it seems you’re dissatisfied with the Hua family?” Lin Dong was surprised.
“Everyone treats me like a disgrace to the Hua family. Do I really have to be grateful to them?” Hu Qian dismissed them with disdain.
“Brother Hu Qian…” Liang Ru hesitated.
“Actually, you’re not so bad,” Lin Dong said with a smile, shaking his head. “After all, the Hua family is one of the most prominent families in Lingnan City. It’s normal for them to care about face. As long as nothing serious happens, they’ll tolerate you hanging around as a thug, probably even trying to compensate you. With other families, even if you didn’t cause any shame, they’d just banish you for a few months. Just being a thug—unless you’re completely useless—would be enough to get you thrown out of the family. If I’m not wrong, none of the guards or servants in the Hua family would dare to trouble you, right?”
Hu Qian was stunned.
“Xiao Ru, why does it sound exactly like what you said?” Niu Hong looked at Liang Ru, who was still holding Lin Dong’s arm, scratching his head. “Could it be that those damned people from the Hua family really don’t look down on Hu Qian?”
Having not done any good deeds in a long time, and with someone as lowly as a junior’s junior’s junior, Lin Dong decided to go the extra mile and explained, “Master Hua is the most talented among the younger generation in Lingnan City. It’s only natural that you’d be looked down upon a bit in the Hua family. It’s not to the point of hatred.”

Hua Wuqian remained silent, clearly thinking over Lin Dong’s words.
“Think it through for yourself! Tickets are right here—who wants to join in the fun?” Lin Dong’s gaze shifted to seven or eight youths who had pushed their way out of the crowd, holding stacks of tickets.
“Wuqian, Xiao Ru, you two stay back for now. I’ve long wanted to settle scores with Zhang Dalang for the trouble he caused us on Wanma Street last time,” Niu Hong said, rubbing his hands together. “Anyway, they’re not under our boss anymore. Since Lin’s Gym is causing them trouble, this is a good chance to take our revenge.”
Hua Wuqian suddenly looked up and said, “I’ll stay too.”
“What about the Hua family…?” Niu Hong hesitated.
“It’s fine. I’ll see if my ‘elder brother’ will intercede for me,” Hua Wuqian shook his head.
“Alright then, Xiao Ru, hide first,” Niu Hong said excitedly. “Find a spot where you can see clearly. It’s been a long time since you’ve seen me and Wuqian teaming up to take on everyone, right?”
Liang Ru clearly had full confidence in their abilities, and a bright smile appeared on Bai Jie’s face.
By the time Liang Ru ran behind a small jewelry stall, the ticket scalpers had already approached. The leader, a youth with a scar on his left cheek, glanced at Niu Hong and the others before turning to Lin Dong.
“You’re the one who wants tickets?”
“Yes! How many do you have? I want them all,” Lin Dong nodded.
“The price isn’t cheap,” Zhang Dalang said, trembling his right leg.
Lin Dong opened his right hand, and a silver note appeared silently. Raising his arm, he waved the note in front of Zhang Dalang and the others and smiled, “Is that enough?”
“Enough, enough! Bring out all the tickets and calculate how much silver that is.”
Zhang Dalang nodded quickly, turned around, and spread his palm, moving it back and forth in front of his subordinates. Stack after stack of tickets was placed on his open palm. Before long, they formed a thick pile—roughly sixty or seventy tickets at least.