Chapter 591: One Step Too Late

“Send someone to clean up, then go inform Ma Chun to find reasons to bring back his men and guests.”
Lin Dong gave this order to Wang Liuzhi beside him before walking toward a corner of the courtyard.
About ten meters away from Emperor Qianwei, two guards suddenly appeared in front of him, blocking Lin Dong’s path. Without orders from Tianwei Pavilion, their only task was to ensure the emperor’s safety. The reconciliation between the two sides earlier had nothing to do with them.
“Your Majesty, the battle is over. If Tianwei Pavilion can propose peace, I believe You Majesty won’t insist on fighting to the death, right?” Lin Dong stopped and asked.
“Peace? Reconciliation?” Emperor Qianwei’s mind was in chaos, and he was dazed due to the appearance of the Tianpeng Bird. He couldn’t understand Lin Dong’s words for a moment.
“That’s right, reconciliation!” Lin Dong nodded.
The emperor’s body still trembled, but his senses had somewhat returned—though only slightly.
“Why would you propose peace?”
“I’m just a innkeeper. I have no interest in ruling the world or anything like that,” Lin Dong said calmly. “As long as Lin’s Inn’s business isn’t affected and meets my expectations, I prefer to sit in a rocking chair with a pot of tea and a book.”
The emperor was stunned. He finally understood Lin Dong’s meaning, which made it even harder for him to believe it.
With Lin’s Inn’s current strength, if they could first eliminate Tianwei Pavilion and then take over the palace, declaring themselves rulers, it would take only twenty or thirty years to conquer the entire country. If they could control those thousands of seventh-tier spirit birds from Tianwei Pavilion to speed up troop movements, it would take less than ten years.
Who wouldn’t want to be an emperor above everyone else?
But this innkeeper, judging by his attitude, seemed to take it all in stride.
“It’s getting late. Your Majesty has an early court meeting tomorrow. Lin Dong thinks it would be better if You Majesty returned to the Tianzi Room and slept comfortably in the colorful bed.” Seeing the emperor still stunned and at a loss for words, Lin Dong reminded him.
“How… how do you plan to reconcile?” The emperor took a deep breath, looking at Lin Dong nervously.
After the appearance of the Tianpeng Bird, he had given up hope, convinced that Tianwei Pavilion was doomed to defeat and that he would become the last emperor of the Han Dynasty.

Throughout the night, from easily repelling the first wave of attacks from Tianwei Pavilion at Linji Inn to an endless number of powerful warriors from the Heart-Reversal Phase emerging from Linji Inn, enduring Tianwei Pavilion’s earth-shattering attacks, and even the appearance of divine birds capable of destroying everything and effortlessly killing peak-level warriors… the blows he faced grew heavier, and his despair deepened. Who would have thought things would take such a turn? Manager Lin actually had no intention of destroying the Great Han Kingdom to proclaim himself king.

For Emperor Qianwei, this was no less good news than when he was confirmed as the new emperor back then. As long as the Great Han Kingdom remained intact—even if only not under his control—he would unhesitatingly agree to any conditions put forward by Lin Dong.

“It’s simple. The battle tonight will surely shock the entire capital. As long as the emperor can find a way to refute the rumors, clear Linji Inn of blame, and allow it to resume normal operations within a few days, we can pretend nothing happened today,” Lin Dong said slowly.

“As long as we refute the rumors, it can be as if nothing happened?” Emperor Qianwei was stunned. This condition seemed far too lenient for him; it was so low that he couldn’t believe his ears.

“The emperor thinks it’s not enough?” Lin Dong asked in return.

“No, no… it’s just… is this the only condition?” The emperor stared at Lin Dong in confusion.

“That’s the only condition!” Lin Dong nodded slowly. He disdained everything about Emperor Qianwei and could take whatever he wanted at any time. The top priority was to avoid disrupting the inn’s business; its normal operation was what mattered most.

“I agree! I agree!” Fearing that Lin Dong might change his mind, the emperor quickly agreed and promised, “I swear, for as long as I live… no, I will issue an imperial edict ensuring that as long as Linji Inn exists, the court will never interfere in the slightest.”

“It doesn’t matter. The emperor can decide as he sees fit! As long as it doesn’t affect Linji Inn’s business,” Lin Dong said nonchalantly.

The emperor nodded repeatedly, feeling an uncontrollable sense of having survived a catastrophe.

“In that case, the emperor should return to his room and rest. The smell of blood here is too strong,” Lin Dong said calmly.

The emperor nodded silently. The words “return to his room and rest” suddenly made him detest the Colorful Bed immensely. If not for the bed’s powerful effects and the fact that it couldn’t be stored in a spirit ring, why would he have devised a plan to target Linji Inn? Without targeting Linji Inn, Manager Lin wouldn’t even be interested in overthrowing the Great Han Kingdom after such a great battle, let alone before that. Since Linji Inn wouldn’t provoke trouble on its own, why would he need to go through such a thrilling ordeal tonight?

“By the way!” As Emperor Qianwei turned around, Lin Dong suddenly slapped his own head.
Emperor Qianwei’s heart skipped a beat; he turned back with difficulty, his gaze toward Lin Dong filled with caution.
“Does Manager Lin have any further instructions?”
“What if I ask the emperor for someone?” Lin Dong asked.
After forty or fifty years, Emperor Qianwei finally experienced once again what it meant for imperial power to be unpredictable. To him, Lin Dong was like heaven and hell in one—controlling his honor, disgrace, rise, and fall.
“Please speak, Manager Lin!” Emperor Qianwei hurriedly replied. Even if Lin Dong asked for ten thousand, a million people, he wouldn’t frown at all.
“Eunuch Yang!” Lin Dong nodded toward Yang Shun.
“Alright!” Without hesitation, Emperor Qianwei agreed. In his view, since Lin Dong wanted Yang Shun, it meant his strength had already been revealed, and there was nothing left to hide. He might as well use Yang Shun to settle the accounts for all the times Lin Dong had reprimanded him.
As for Yang Shun, Emperor Qianwei had already been thinking about how to deal with this eunuch supervisor who knew so many of his secrets. If Lin Dong wanted him, the outcome would be the same—it’s just that he couldn’t use Yang Shun’s life to assert authority over the new emperor.
Yet Yang Shun’s reaction exceeded Emperor Qianwei’s expectations. He appeared overjoyed and immediately knelt before Lin Dong, saying, “Thank you, Manager Lin, for saving my life. In this life and the next, I will serve you wholeheartedly as an ox or a horse to repay you.”
“Get up! You’ve helped me a lot too.” Lin Dong used his spiritual energy to lift Yang Shun. Originally, he planned to intervene only when Emperor Qianwei attacked Yang Shun—whether he could arrive in time depended on Yang Shun’s luck. This battle was a matter of life and death for Lin’s Inn. To be honest, he was tired. Physically, he was fine, but mentally, he was exhausted.
When people are tired, they don’t want to do many things—Lin Dong was no exception. He no longer wanted to spend time guessing when Emperor Qianwei would act and rush to save Yang Shun. He simply resolved the matter with a few words.
Emperor Qianwei’s gaze toward Yang Shun changed, becoming sharp and angry.
Yang Shun remained calm. Having witnessed this battle, he didn’t believe Emperor Qianwei would dare risk offending Lin’s Inn by attacking him.
“Manager Lin, I take my leave!” After a long while, seeing that Yang Shun still treated him as worthless, without even offering an explanation or begging for mercy, Emperor Qianwei had no choice but to bow to Lin Dong.
“May the emperor go safely!” Lin Dong returned the bow.

Emperor Qianwei turned slowly, stepping one by one toward the dormitory building. At that moment, he suddenly wished Yang Shun would step forward to support him, and for that sake, he was even willing to forgive Yang Shun’s betrayal.
But Yang Shun only showed a cold smirk, with no other expression or action. Emperor Qianwei could forgive his betrayal, but he couldn’t forgive Emperor Qianwei for targeting his family.
“Dad…”
A voice suddenly came from the door of the storage room.
Lin Dong turned to look and was momentarily speechless—Xiao Tianchi and Tianhao were standing at the door.
The two quickly approached Lin Dong. Tianhao said resentfully, “Dad, did I arrive too late?”
“Not at all! In a few days, I’ll take you to arrange the marriage.” Lin Dong smiled.
“Really?” Tianhao was overjoyed. His broad shoulders swelled as his fighting spirit surged. “Don’t worry, Dad. I don’t need any spiritual materials sent to help with my training. In another ten days or half a month, I’ll be among the top fighters. Moreover, I’ve created several advanced spiritual techniques. Once I join the Sky Sword Sect, who would dare to refuse Dad’s and Sister Yun’s marriage proposal? Tianhao will punch them to dust!”
“Don’t forget to bring Xiao Shuang. I remember that a pair of virgin boys and girls are required as a dowry for a marriage.” Lin Dong glanced at Tianhao, who, having not been seen for some time, was now almost as tall as him. He laughed and said, “Are you still a virgin?”
Tianhao’s domineering face instantly turned red, and he stammered, unable to say a word.
“Master Xiao, if Tianhao is so shy, does that mean you haven’t fulfilled your promise to me?” Lin Dong turned to look at Xiao Tianchi.
“That depends on what’s being asked!” Xiao Tianchi laughed. “Apart from matters of the heart, Tianhao has quite a thick skin. Although he hasn’t yet received my true teachings, he’s not inferior to ordinary people.”
“Master Xiao, please!” Lin Dong had merely said it casually. He didn’t really care whether Tianhao had thick skin or not. Initially, when he sent Tianhao to the Ancient Huan Sect, he hoped Xiao Tianchi would guide him so he wouldn’t go astray or become too naive and violent.
Over the years, Xiao Tianchi had done quite well. Every time Tianhao returned, he would talk about how he upheld justice, his words filled with integrity. Clearly, the thing Lin Dong was most worried about hadn’t happened. As for being naive and violent, Lin Dong could see that although it hadn’t improved, Tianhao now knew when not to be naive or violent.
With such progress in just five or six years, Lin Dong thought that even if he couldn’t train and guide Tianhao as effectively as before, he still wouldn’t have Xiao Tianchi’s ability.

“Please, Manager Lin!” Xiao Tianchi said as he followed Lin Dong toward the stone table. “We only received the news an hour ago. Please forgive us for being late, Manager Lin.”
Lin Dong stopped in his tracks and gave Xiao Tianchi a meaningful look.
“Master Xiao, your words carry some hidden meaning!”
Xiao Tianchi’s face turned red. After about a year apart, Manager Lin’s scheming skills had advanced even further, reaching the level of a cunning old fox.