Chapter 476: The Topmost Backing

The owners of the more than a dozen top-tier restaurants in the capital were all as cunning as old foxes, but when it came to ruthless tactics, Ling Zhengyang, the current head of Fenglin Restaurant, was the worst. Next was Xin Taqi, the owner of Junda Restaurant.
Having his own “God of Wealth” taken away by someone else was undoubtedly something Xin Taqi could not tolerate. After thinking for a while and realizing he couldn’t come up with any effective solution right away, he summoned a waiter and quietly instructed him to bring over the fine wines he had treasured for years. Then, he raised his right hand and knocked gently on the door several times.
An authoritative “Come in” came from inside. With a forced smile, Xin Taqi pushed the door open and entered.
Among the guests inside, aside from Prince Ruiqing, Xin Taqi didn’t recognize any of them. But judging from their earlier conversation, they were undoubtedly high-ranking officials who had come to the capital to report on their duties or handle matters. Such officials were unlikely to be regulars at Junda Restaurant, so Xin Taqi didn’t bother with excessive formalities. He first exchanged polite words with Prince Ruiqing, then, as usual, offered to serve him some fine dishes.
He didn’t stay in the private room for long. As usual, Xin Taqi waited for the right moment to leave, giving Prince Ruiqing enough face without delaying his affairs.
As soon as he left the room, Xin Taqi’s expression darkened. He saw that Prince Ruiqing’s cup contained not the tea prepared by Junda Restaurant, but plain water. It didn’t take much thought to realize that this water was the fragrant beverage from Lin’s Inn.
He rushed to the back courtyard and didn’t come out for three or four days. When he finally emerged, he didn’t check on the restaurant’s business but instead ordered his waiter to prepare a horse.
Knock… knock…
A knocking sound came at the door. In the room, Lin Dong opened his eyes irritably. Today was the day when the Snow Red Grass ripened, and it was also the first time he would consume it.
“What is it?”
Lin Dong didn’t get up, and behind him, Old Ding’s hands remained pressed against his back. Surging spiritual energy kept flowing into his meridians, refining the spiritual energy emitted by the Snow Red Grass.
“Boss, Lou Wanshan, the owner of Wanxian Tower, has come with an old man and several guards, saying there’s something important to discuss,” Ma Chun said helplessly. “I couldn’t push them away. I tried to assess those guards with my strength, but I couldn’t detect even one. I had no choice but to come to you.”

Lin Dong’s brows furrowed involuntarily. Ma Chun had a dual mental state, which meant he was nothing special to the sect—just an ordinary disciple. But in the secular world, it was rare to find warriors willing to serve as bodyguards. The fact that Ma Chun couldn’t investigate him at all indicated he was at least at the fifth level of the Mental State phase. With such strength and a considerable number of them, there was no reason for them to serve others as bodyguards.

This old man was likely the backing force behind the Ten Thousand Immortals Tower.

“Elder, I’ll be out for a while, maybe an hour or so. That shouldn’t be a problem, right?” Lin Dong turned to look at Old Ding. What was meant to happen would happen anyway. Since it had come to this, he had no choice but to face it. What worried Lin Dong was that the Snow Red Grass needed to be processed within three days; otherwise, its efficacy would drop significantly.

As spiritual energy surged back, Old Ding lowered his hands. With a suction motion of his right hand, he drew a jar of fine wine into his palm.

Such an attitude clearly meant there was no problem.

Lin Dong immediately stood up, opened the door, and asked, “Where have you arranged them?”

“I’ve arranged them in the front yard,” Ma Chun replied.

Lin Dong nodded. It was obvious they had come to threaten or coerce him, so there was no need to waste good wine and food on them.

The two walked to the front yard. As Ma Chun had said, two people were sitting at a stone table. One of them was someone Lin Dong had met before—Lou Wanxian, beautiful and charming, though her age seemed a bit advanced. Of course, Lou Wanxian’s actual age was much greater than her appearance suggested; doubling it wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

The other person was in his sixties. Even sitting down, his robust and strong build was evident. His square face was somewhat pale, and his brows were slightly furrowed, giving off an inexplicable sense of pressure from a distance.

“Shopkeeper Lin!” Upon seeing Lin Dong, Lou Wanxian stood up, twisting her waist slightly. Waving a white handkerchief lightly, she said in a coquettish voice, “Last time you visited our Ten Thousand Immortals Tower, I treated you very well. Now it’s my turn to visit, yet you settle for a simple stone table?”

“What are you saying, Sister Immortal? The stone table in my front yard is finely carved from ten-thousand-year-old white jade,” Lin Dong replied with a smile.

“Ten-thousand-year-old white jade?” Lou Wanxian was speechless. She couldn’t understand how this Shopkeeper Lin could have the mood to joke. He must have come for a reason—given the presence of the old man in front of him, Shopkeeper Lin should have realized the importance of the situation. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be the manager of Lin’s Inn at all.

Lin Dong walked over to the stone table and glanced at the old man who hadn’t even glanced at him, let alone stood up to greet him. He said calmly, “This is…”

“Dare you! You see the prince and still don’t kneel!”

The four guards behind the old man suddenly shouted in unison, their synchronization so perfect it sounded like a single voice. Truly a prince! Lin Dong felt frustrated inwardly—only those with royal bloodline could be granted the title of prince in the Great Han Kingdom. Without a doubt, this prince was of the same generation as Emperor Qianwei. Such old princes were rare these days. With Emperor Qianwei already in his seventies, he valued these remaining brothers even more; even the least powerful among them likely possessed considerable influence. Judging by this old prince’s demeanor, he was surely no less powerful, and might even have been one of Emperor Qianwei’s supporters during his ascension to the throne. If such a prince insisted on cooperation from Lin’s Inn, even Emperor Qianwei would find it hard to refuse out of courtesy. After all, on the surface, Lin’s Inn was just an inn—its value couldn’t compare to that of an old prince, let alone their familial ties. Though the royal family lacked true brotherly bonds, in their youth, or even in old age, even if they had once been enemies, as long as they posed no threat, their relationship was closer than that of ordinary brothers. Therefore, Lin Dong could only hope that this old prince wouldn’t confront Emperor Qianwei over the business of a brothel. “I am a registered strongman from the Military Assessment Institute. Please forgive my rudeness, Your Highness,” Lin Dong said, bowing to the old man. The four guards were surprised and instinctively tried to focus their minds outward, but were blocked by an impenetrable aura, forcing them to become cautious. The old man raised his head to look at Lin Dong for the first time. His eyes seemed to possess the power to see through people’s hearts. “Prince? What prince? Where’s the gold medal?” Ma Chun grumbled. He could tell that Lin Dong lacked confidence in winning against Emperor Qianwei and wanted to try to resolve things peacefully first. Thus, he immediately took on the role of the antagonist. To resolve things peacefully, one needed to at least know the other party’s identity to devise a strategy. Ma Chun believed his words would surely force the old man to reveal his identity. “Dare you doubt the prince’s identity?” The guards angrily shouted, even showing signs of wanting to attack Ma Chun despite the presence of another strongman. The old man looked at Lin Dong and said calmly, “Want to know my identity?” Lin Dong was stunned. He understood Ma Chun’s intention—to force Lou Wanshan to mediate by turning hostile on the spot, thereby revealing the old man’s identity. But he hadn’t expected the old man to see through it at a glance. There was no longer any need for Lou Wanshan to introduce him; both Lin Dong and Ma Chun could already confirm the old man’s identity.

Among the princes of Emperor Qianwei’s generation, the Prince of Qingliu was unmatched in talent; even when considering the entire Great Han Empire, he was among the finest. Unfortunately, he was too young, and the situation at the time was similar to that of Liu Xiu today. The late emperor’s days were numbered, yet the Prince of Qingliu had only just begun to emerge and still did not possess his own power base. Moreover, lacking Liu Xiu’s ambition, he, under the schemes of Fu Tongshan and Fu Chunjian, shifted from establishing his own faction to supporting Emperor Qianwei, who initially had slim chances of success.

Once Emperor Qianwei ascended the throne, the Prince of Qingliu stepped back from politics and devoted himself to a carefree life. Occasionally, Emperor Qianwei would invite him to attend court a few times, each time for some earth-shattering crisis, and his role was to step in and help the emperor resolve these problems even Fu Tongshan could not handle. His prestige in the Great Han Empire was second only to that of Emperor Qianwei.

A single word from him carried such power that it could split rocks and shake the entire Great Han Empire.

Lin Dong simply couldn’t understand why this Prince of Qingliu would travel all the way to Lin’s Inn just for the sake of a brothel’s business. Although Wanxian Tower brought in huge profits daily, in the eyes of the Prince of Qingliu, even if it were his property, it would likely seem like a trivial matter.

Ma Chun was also stunned. The Prince of Qingliu had accomplished many great feats in his life. Though not as remarkable as Liu Xiu, who used his entire household’s power to force all sects to compromise, his actions were still earth-shattering. His name was well-known throughout every corner of the Great Han Empire. If not for the fact that he had many daughters but no sons and held no real power, Emperor Qianwei would never have allowed him to stay in the capital. Even if Emperor Qianwei favored Lin’s Inn, facing such a figure would be overwhelming for them.

Sighing, Lin Dong sat down on the stone bench. Though he was already thinking about how to cooperate with Wanxian Tower while minimizing losses, he knew he couldn’t lose face. He understood the Prince of Qingliu wouldn’t allow him to sit. If he didn’t even dare to sit, there was no need for negotiations.

“Pretty bold!” The Prince of Qingliu smiled slightly despite his furrowed brows before returning to his usual expression. He shifted his gaze from Lin Dong to Luan Wanxian and said, “Xian’er, tell her how you want to cooperate!”

Xian’er?

Lin Dong’s mind stirred; it seemed he had grasped something. What an affectionate and cloying title—applied to a brothel owner.

“Stop thinking about it. If not for Xian’er’s poor reputation, I would have married her long ago as a concubine,” the Prince of Qingliu said indifferently.

Lin Dong was speechless. This person was extremely cunning; they were far more than just cunning. In his memory, even Emperor Qian Wei couldn’t reach such a level. The only one who could be compared to them was Xiao Tianchi, the great master of Tianhao and the leader of the Gu Huan sect.
Lou Wanshan smiled calmly and spoke slowly, “Shopkeeper Lin, I’ve come to pay my respects this time…”
“Wait!”
Lin Dong suddenly interrupted Lou Wanshan. From start to finish, he had been led around by the King of Clear Streams—this was a serious mistake.