Chapter 587: Unrest

“Whoa, in the dead of night, and there are still people coming to watch the fight!”
Qiao Tianhao glanced at Emperor Qianwei with a teasing look in his eyes.
Emperor Qianwei’s face turned red with embarrassment; he was speechless. Of course, he didn’t believe that Tianwei Pavilion had sent just some lowly figures. Undoubtedly, the strength of Lin’s Inn had been underestimated.
“Your Majesty, we failed to greet you properly at your arrival—please forgive us!” Lin Dong bowed to Emperor Qianwei. His attitude wasn’t particularly respectful, but it wasn’t as disrespectful as Qiao Tianhao’s.
“Manager Lin, you’re overreacting!” It took Emperor Qianwei some time to utter a few words.
“Dareful rebels! With Your Majesty here, how dare you not kneel!” Yang Shun snapped at Qiao Tianhao and the others. “Do you really think Tianwei Pavilion can’t deal with you?”
“What? You don’t agree?” Qiao Tianhao picked up the black iron kitchen knife he hadn’t wanted to discard in favor of a better spiritual weapon, slowly cleaning the dirt between his fingernails.
“Your Majesty, it’s already late. Shall we go back?” Yang Shun glared fiercely at Qiao Tianhao before turning to Emperor Qianwei.
Emperor Qianwei wanted to leave but had to look at Lin Dong. He knew he didn’t have the final say—Manager Lin did. If Manager Lin said they couldn’t leave, even as the emperor of the Great Han Nation, accompanied by two peak-level warriors, he might not be able to go.
Fighting against Tianwei Pavilion and killing many of its experts and peak warriors had already created an irreconcilable feud. Killing another emperor wouldn’t be a big deal either.
“Your Majesty, please go back!” Lin Dong didn’t make things difficult for Emperor Qianwei. Although it was all started by him, this old man didn’t have much time left anyway. Besides, he had helped Lin’s Inn a lot. If they couldn’t defeat Tianwei Pavilion, it made sense to flee and avenge themselves by killing him. But there was no need to defy Tianwei Pavilion—after all, if Emperor Qianwei died, the new emperor would likely be Prince Liu Feng.
Using force to interfere in the throne succession or even overthrow the Great Han Nation—Lin Dong had thought about it in his free time before, but since Lin’s Inn had gained the strength to fight Tianwei Pavilion, he hadn’t given it much thought anymore.
No need!
With a guard team capable of dominating the world and Lin’s Inn ensuring their strength remained unshaken, Lin’s Inn’s status was secure even against imperial power. There was no need to waste time on such things. What Lin Dong wanted most was to run Lin’s Inn well. With its unique features and no pressure from the monarchy, there was no worry about a lack of customers.

Level 10, Level 20, Level 30… With each level increase, the inn gains even better attributes. With Lin Ji Inn’s current Level 9 attributes, it is already strong enough to surpass Tianwei Pavilion. After rising a few more levels, Lin Dong had no doubt that things like imperial power would not be worth his attention at all.

The proper path was to upgrade Lin Ji Inn thoroughly and devote most of his time to cultivation, aiming one day to break through to the ninth stage of the Heart Riding Phase and become a being beyond even the peak warriors. Once he became such a being, Lin Dong couldn’t imagine how powerful he would become. But at the very least, even if his lifespan wasn’t infinite, it could surely reach thousands or tens of thousands of years.

With thousands or tens of thousands of years, it would be no problem for Lin Ji Inn to reach Levels 180. Among the additional 180 attributes or the medicinal recipes it might obtain, those that increased lifespan would certainly not be strange at all. In Lin Dong’s view, this was the true path. As for the imperial court, as long as they didn’t provoke Lin Ji Inn or cause suffering among the people, there was no need for Lin Ji Inn to destroy them.

“I appreciate Manager Lin’s kindness, but…” Emperor Qianwei was somewhat surprised by Lin Dong’s words. After thinking for a while, he still shook his head. He understood that even if he could leave safely today, if Lin Ji Inn were able to defeat Tianwei Pavilion, it could come after him whenever it wanted. He wanted a promise from Lin Dong.

“If the Emperor wants to watch the spectacle, then let him!” Lin Dong knew what Emperor Qianwei was waiting for but said nothing. He had no interest in arguing with the emperor, nor did he want to reassure him.

Emperor Qianwei nodded slowly and stepped aside, his heart filled with mixed emotions. He couldn’t understand how Lin Ji Inn could rival Tianwei Pavilion, and even more so, remain calm knowing that Tianwei Pavilion wouldn’t give up easily—clearly confident enough to resist or even defeat the entire Tianwei Pavilion. Such a force shouldn’t exist, according to logic.

But the facts were right before his eyes, leaving him no choice but to believe.

The inner turmoil of Emperor Qianwei was beyond the comprehension of ordinary people. He regretted having devised the Tianwei Pavilion to deal with the Lin Family Inn just for a colorful bed. Yet even without that plan, the Lin Family Inn would still have remained extremely powerful. If left unchecked, it would eventually become a huge threat to the Great Han Kingdom. But without his provocation, such a threat could not erupt in the short term—meaning it would be a problem for his descendants, not him. If the Great Han Kingdom perished, the culprit would not be him, Emperor Qianwei. Fortunately, there was still hope of eliminating this threat.

After all, no one knew exactly how powerful the Tianwei Pavilion was, not even past emperors. If even he, the emperor, didn’t know, the Lin Family Inn certainly couldn’t. No matter how confident Manager Lin might be, just as the Tianwei Pavilion might have misjudged the Lin Family Inn’s strength, it was equally possible they had misjudged the Tianwei Pavilion’s own strength.

If that were the case, it might actually be a good thing—rather than letting the Lin Family Inn grow unchecked, it would be better if the Tianwei Pavilion suffered heavy losses and thus eliminated this threat.

With no clear path forward, Emperor Qianwei could only remain conflicted. Of course, his confusion was mixed with anxiety. He couldn’t bear to imagine that if the Tianwei Pavilion failed to deal with the Lin Family Inn and the Great Han Kingdom was on the verge of collapse, he might die from grief.

In future historical records, he, Emperor Qianwei, would not only be the last emperor of the Great Han Kingdom but likely also be portrayed as utterly worthless. As far as he knew, to highlight the greatness of the founding emperor and legitimize him, the last emperors of previous dynasties were almost always severely denigrated—described as corrupt, cruel, foolish, and responsible for plunging the people into suffering. Emperor Qianwei wasn’t afraid of death; at over seventy, he had accepted the possibility of dying. But he couldn’t endure such a disgrace. He didn’t consider himself a wise and virtuous ruler, but he certainly refused to bear such a terrible reputation.

Beside him, Yang Shun was also deeply conflicted. His reason for concern was the same as Emperor Qianwei’s—fear that the Lin Family Inn might not be able to withstand the Tianwei Pavilion’s fierce attacks. However, unlike Emperor Qianwei, who hoped for a decisive victory for the Tianwei Pavilion, he hoped for a decisive victory for the Lin Family Inn. Though they stood together, their supported sides were completely opposite.

For Yang Shun, the stronger Lin Ji Inn became, the better—ideally, it should be able to destroy Tian Wei Pavilion with just a single blow. That way, his parents and brothers would be safe and could live openly under the sun instead of hiding. As for other things, such as whether the Great Han Kingdom would collapse or if Emperor Qian Wei might kill him in a fit of anger, he paid no attention at all. His heart was too narrow, narrow enough only to hold his parents and brothers—indeed, not even himself.

Not far away, Lin Dong stopped paying attention to Emperor Qian Wei and Yang Shun. He nodded at Yu Linglong and said, “Inform Wang Liu Zi to bring his men over, but don’t let them come out right away. Have them wait in a secret room. Once Tian Wei Pavilion appears, decide whether to send reinforcements based on the situation.”

“Understood!” Yu Linglong nodded.

Lin Dong closed his eyes slightly and waited quietly. All the necessary arrangements had been made. His strategy was to gradually lure Tian Wei Pavilion into a trap. First, he would let Tian Wei Pavilion discover that Lin Ji Inn only had four peak-level fighters. Once Tian Wei Pavilion sent a team strong enough to defeat those four, he would use his slightly superior strength to wipe them out. This would weaken Tian Wei Pavilion’s considerable strength for free.

When Tian Wei Pavilion then sent more fighters based on the strength displayed by Lin Ji Inn, Lin Ji Inn could increase the number of peak-level fighters and, after defeating them, deal another heavy blow to Tian Wei Pavilion. Through this back-and-forth, just by eliminating Tian Wei Pavilion’s initial ten peak-level fighters and nearly a hundred fighters above the Fifth Stage of Xin Ni, Lin Dong already had over 90% confidence in defeating them. If he could further mislead Tian Wei Pavilion and weaken them again, he would be certain of victory.

At the entrance, the drowsy residents, after Ma Chun’s persuasive explanations, gradually started heading back home to sleep. No one could imagine that an even greater storm was brewing.

Suddenly, Old Ding raised his head abruptly.

In the next moment, everyone looked up at the sky. In that sky, adorned with countless stars like countless diamonds embedded in a dark canvas, thousands of small black dots appeared.

These small black dots were not obvious in the sky. Even ordinary people, or those trying hard to observe from below, would not notice anything unusual. But Old Ding could sense the pressure they exerted. Soon, everyone else felt it too.

“Wow, quite the move!”

Qiao Tianhao couldn’t help but exclaim.

Lin Dong frowned slightly. Tianwei Pavilion’s actions made it clear that they no longer cared about the potential consequences of causing too much upheaval. While disturbing the locals was one concern, if other major sects found out, it would surely cast doubt on Tianwei Pavilion’s strength. Their willingness to ignore such risks undoubtedly meant they were determined to succeed this time—gathering all their forces near the capital to swiftly destroy Lin’s Inn and intimidate all sects, thereby minimizing future risks. It seemed there would be no peace today. Lin Dong couldn’t help but look at Yu Linglong. Yu Linglong nodded slowly and said, “At the owner’s command, we can come to support at any time! The Tianpeng Birds are also ready.” Lin Dong remained silent, activating the inn’s system as he waited quietly for Tianwei Pavilion’s decisive strike.