Chapter 72: The Small Inn

In the capital city, at the Ling family’s private residence.
It was deep at night. In the study, Ling Weifeng leaned back in a reclining chair, eyes closed, resting.
On the desk, stacks of account books were neatly piled up—so thick that they could dizzy any accountant.
Knocking sounds came through the door, particularly clear in the quiet night.
“Second brother, it’s me!” Ling Zhengyang’s voice came from outside.
Ling Weifeng got up and opened the door. What appeared before him was a handsome face filled with excitement.
Ling Zhengyang held up an envelope in his hand and said excitedly, “For the county-level branch plan, we’ve finally found the first county that might be lost.”
Ling Weifeng gave it a indifferent glance. The emergence of strong rivals in the county-level branch plan was within expectations. Even losing a third of the counties was within the anticipated range. After all, at a scale like Fenglin Restaurant, it was already risky enough—calling it walking on thin ice wouldn’t be an exaggeration.
The more powerful and wealthy one became, the stronger and more numerous the opponents would be. Sending a few prefects or county magistrates to cause trouble was the simplest trick. Just a small county—if it faced difficulties and lost, it wasn’t something that would excite or upset the third young master of the Ling family.
Unless… it could bring some astonishing benefits to the Ling family.
Sitting back down in the reclining chair, Ling Weifeng said calmly, “Go on.”
“A real strong rival!” Ling Zhengyang waved the envelope excitedly. “Without relying on any government power, they’ve forced Fenglin Restaurant into a corner—right there in Xilan City.”
“Xilan City?” Ling Weifeng frowned. That troublemaking disciple of Jiang Yichu seemed to have been sent to Xilan City.
Though that brat was annoying and his cooking skills were several levels below his senior brother’s, he should still be capable of being the head chef at a prefectural-level restaurant like Fenglin.
“Is that all?” Ling Weifeng looked up at Ling Zhengyang. There were hidden talents everywhere—what did it matter if a small county had a highly skilled cook? If he could be recruited, great; if not, it didn’t matter. If he posed a threat to Jiang Yichu’s position, just make him disappear.
“It’s not just that. Take a look at the messages that came through first.” Ling Zhengyang placed the envelope on the table.
After skimming through the letters, Ling Weifeng nodded calmly and said, “Not bad idea!”

“Not just good!” Ling Zhengyang clenched his right fist and said, “The consultation board—this idea is absolutely more genius than the poetry, calligraphy, and painting boards I came up with. Because those are only suitable for county-level Fenglin Restaurants, while this consultation board becomes more valuable the higher up it is used.”
“No wonder you’re so excited!” Ling Weifeng tapped the table and said, “You want to promote this consultation board in all restaurants?”
Ling Zhengyang’s face turned red. “Yes! And he’s genius—so am I. He merely provides businessmen with a place to exchange information and find partnerships. With our Fenglin Restaurants spread across the entire Great Han Kingdom and our connections with officials, we can add something even more attractive—collecting information from various parts of the Great Han Kingdom and the latest developments in the court.”
Ling Weifeng glanced sideways. Though he believed power and money were the ultimate competitive advantages, he couldn’t help but become interested in this idea.
The prefecture- and county-level Fenglin Restaurants relied not only on their superior drinks and cooking skills but also on winning over the local officials first, then using those officials to attract wealthy clients. When facing competitors, they would either use greater power to crush them or more money to drain them.
That’s why many Fenglin Restaurants had to retreat in other places—many of their behind-the-scenes owners were prefects or county governors, or those prefects and governors were part of the competitors’ networks. Fighting too fiercely could easily lead to courtly disputes.
If they could defeat their opponents through legitimate means first, then even if those prefects or governors resorted to underhanded tactics, the Ling family’s counterattacks wouldn’t be blamed.
“Second brother, I want to go to Xilan City,” Ling Zhengyang said firmly. “It’s rare to encounter such a strong rival, and it’s just a small inn—I have to see how its owner operates.”
“It was you who proposed the plan for county-level branches, and only you can handle it well. Now, with this consultation board added, do you still have the time?” Ling Weifeng said firmly. “Stay in the capital honestly. Xilan City is the responsibility of the prefecture-level Fenglin Restaurants.”
“Second brother, can we pull back the Fenglin Restaurant in Xilan City?” Ling Zhengyang asked softly.
“No!” Ling Weifeng replied coldly. “Even the smallest enemy is still an enemy!”
Ling Zhengyang’s expression darkened slightly. He preferred open strategies, while his second brother favored covert ones.

Since this second brother took charge of Maple Forest Restaurant, the shop owners in various counties gradually developed the habit of using power and money to crush their rivals. Though their methods were crude, their advantages were clear. Unless this Lin’s Inn had significant backing, to avoid conflicts in the court, Maple Forest Restaurant would not withdraw from Xilan City. Otherwise, a small inn, no matter how extraordinary its business tactics, was doomed to be crushed under the pressure of power and money.
…
The Martial Aptitude Testing Institute in Xilan City was still empty. Entering the main hall, Yang Laiting was idly fiddling with the ledger in front of him. Compared to last time, though still listless, his complexion was much healthier.
Seizing the presence of someone approaching, Yang Laiting looked up and, upon seeing it was Lin Dong, exclaimed in surprise, “What are you doing here?”
Lin Dong smiled and said, “I’m here to pick up the Spirit Gathering Pills.”
“Pick up the Spirit Gathering Pills?” Yang Laiting was puzzled. “Weren’t you given a supply for two months? Why have you come already after just one and a half months… Are you going on a long trip?”
Lin Dong shook his head and laughed, “I’ve already used them all.”
Yang Laiting frowned. “Did you give them to someone else?”
“No, just me.”
Lin Dong didn’t bother to elaborate further and went to the counter. Without being polite to Yang Laiting, he grabbed the spirit sensing stone from the counter, placed his palm on top of the pillar, and sent spiritual energy from his dantian toward the stone.
Below the blood-red pillar, a layer of silver-white light slowly rose. After reaching slightly below the middle, it stopped progressing any further.
“Fourth level of the Spirit Mobility Phase, one sub-level—not bad, not bad. Significant progress.”
Yang Laiting couldn’t help but nod in approval. In just one and a half months, he had advanced from the third level to the fourth level of the Spirit Mobility Phase. Such talent…
His approving smile suddenly froze. Yang Laiting reluctantly lowered his head to look at the spirit sensing stone again. Although Lin Dong had withdrawn his spiritual energy, the energy poured into the stone hadn’t dissipated yet, and the position of the silver-white glow remained unchanged.
With a gulp, Yang Laiting swallowed hard before turning around and rushing into the back yard.
A moment later, Ren Qingsong rushed into the main hall first, his face glowing red with uncontrollable excitement.
Having found a genius who could advance from the third to the fourth level of the Spirit Mobility Phase in just two months, Ren Qingsong hadn’t been able to focus on his own cultivation these past one and a half months. To think the speed could even increase further…
This undoubtedly meant he was taking another big step closer to becoming the director of a fourth-rank prefectural-level Martial Aptitude Testing Institute.

After being modest for a while, without Lin Dong’s reminder, Ren Qingsong happily and promptly ran back to the backyard. When he came out again, he was holding a small porcelain bottle tightly in his hand.
“Based on your progress from the third level of the Lingdong Phase to the fourth level, it will take less than two months to reach the fifth level. Inside are seven Spirit Gathering Pills, enough for two months’ worth,” Ren Qingsong said with a growing smile. “Of course, it would be even better if you could use them faster.”
Lin Dong was speechless. Being able to advance half a month earlier was thanks to the inn having just reached level 3. To speed things up further, it would depend on the inn gaining a 4x cultivation bonus after upgrading. The inn was currently at only 33% of level 3 in experience points, and even with full occupancy every day, it would take at least two months.
“By the way, Manager Lin…” Seeing Lin Dong’s expression, Ren Qingsong said cautiously, “When I’m free, can I bring a Spirit Testing Stone to the inn to see you?”
The registration book could show addresses and names, so Lin Dong wasn’t surprised that Ren Qingsong knew his identity. After thinking for a moment, he nodded and said, “Of course.”
Ren Qingsong was overjoyed and quickly took matters into his own hands to help Lin Dong complete the registration for his realm advancement.