A test from the city lord

After Luo Congwen agreed, Song Qing and Zhu Huan accepted without hesitation.

Back then.

Luo Congwen had casually handed over two hundred taels to send Lin Bai on his way. Anyone who mingled with him naturally had a comparable fortune, so five thousand taels was no great sum to them.

What they valued was Lin Bai himself, along with this intriguing Chef God Restaurant. Plenty of people knew how to do business, but few could shake things up with fresh ideas the way Lin Bai did.

Besides, Lin Bai had also put together a "Heavenly Fragment Collection." Investing in him was a sure bet.

Lin Bai kept insisting he was a merchant, yet not one of the things he did was something a merchant would dare do...

The young noblemen trusted their own judgment.

The three men's ready agreement to join was exactly what Lin Bai had expected.

And what he valued was not their money, but the family wealth and connections behind them.

In any world, fighting alone could never lead to success.

The game could enter open beta at any moment.

In this world, which could descend into chaos at any time, all the NPCs were his natural allies.

That was why he put just as much care into connecting with blacksmiths and carpenters at the bottom of society as he did into cultivating relationships with the privileged sons of powerful families, such as Luo Congwen.

Through every means available, Lin Bai was rapidly integrating himself into this unfamiliar world.

Against the disorderly players, the NPCs of the entire world ought to unite as one family.

Lin Bai smiled. "Young masters..."

"Brother Lin, calling us young masters makes us sound like strangers. Just use my name," said Song Qing, who had fully recovered, waving a hand.

"Old Song's right. Now that we've invested, we're partners." Luo Congwen chuckled. "Come to think of it, this is my first time doing business!"

"Find me a pair of trousers to change into before we discuss anything else." Zhu Huan swept his gaze over them and threatened through gritted teeth, "And nobody is allowed to breathe a word about what happened today."

Everyone exchanged smiles.

Song Jinnan floated over to Zhu Huan and said respectfully, "Young Master Zhu, please follow me upstairs."

A short while later.

Only after Zhu Huan came back downstairs, clean and neatly dressed, did Lin Bai turn serious. "Brothers, tonight is our first Night Service. Plenty of people outside are waiting to laugh at us. In a little while, I'll need you to show your faces out there and drum up some business for the restaurant."

"Of course." Luo Congwen now followed Lin Bai's every instruction.

"I'll give them a night they'll never forget. After all, joy shared is better than joy alone!" A trace of cruelty crossed Zhu Huan's face. "Brother Lin, you've prepared enough trousers, haven't you?"

"More than enough." Lin Bai nodded firmly.

"Good. Whatever happens tonight, we're selling a few extra pairs of trousers." Zhu Huan snorted and looked at Song Jinnan and the others. "I'll go out to bring in customers shortly. You three had better put your backs into it. Don't let it end too easily. Remember your duties: make sure the customers get their money's worth..."

Song Jinnan and his family nodded, then looked at Lin Bai in admiration. Good heavens, Zhu Huan had barely recovered himself and was already plotting to trap others. The Shop Owner's grasp of human nature was truly meticulous.

"Brothers, I'm afraid you'll have to work with Old Song's Family to run the Chef God Restaurant tonight. I won't be able to stay here with you," Lin Bai said with a smile. "You've been through it once, so you know the procedure."

"Do you have something to attend to, Brother Lin?" Luo Congwen asked.

"I do. Really, I should have stayed to share a drink with you and discuss the future of the Chef God Restaurant's Night Service. After all, Old Song's Family has too narrow a repertoire of scares. Once people have enjoyed the novelty a few times, they'll find it boring. We should work out a few more story scripts to keep the restaurant thriving," Lin Bai said. "But a Shadow Guard from the City Lord's Residence just came to summon me there."

"A Shadow Guard?" Luo Congwen frowned.

"You haven't been out today, Brother Luo, so I suppose you don't know what happened in the city!" Song Qing gave a derisive laugh. "The Shadow Guards of the City Lord's Residence used to be a secret known only among a few prominent families. Who would have thought a mob would run over there today, making a racket and demanding to enlist as Shadow Guards? Those fellows practically turned perfectly good Shadow Guards into Open Guards, spreading the news until everyone knew. I wonder who's been tripping up the city lord behind his back?"

He sent a Shadow Guard straight to my door with his identity out in the open, and you still haven't guessed who's been tripping him up? Lin Bai shot Song Qing a sidelong glance, inwardly grumbling that his brains were rather lacking.

"Brother Lin, what does the Shadow Guard want with you?" Luo Congwen asked.

"Perhaps I've stirred up too much commotion these past two days!" Lin Bai said. "I may have a few skills, but the city lord is an official, after all. Maybe he wants to put me in my place..."

"Hmph." Luo Congwen snorted coldly. "Just go, Brother Lin. If the city lord gives you trouble, mention our families. Here in Jiamao City, he still can't cover the sky with one hand."

This is exactly why I brought you in as shareholders!

When strength falls short.

Connections fill the gap!

One more friend means one more road to survival!

Lin Bai smiled, stood, and cupped his hands. "I'm sorry to trouble you brothers with running tonight's Night Service. Once I return from the City Lord's Residence, we can discuss the Chef God Restaurant's development in detail..."

The others stood and returned the gesture.

After giving Song Jinnan a few instructions, Lin Bai headed toward the door.

Everyone followed him.

Outside.

The Shadow Guard Zhou Jiang watched Luo Congwen and the others, who had been wailing for their parents just moments earlier, escort Lin Bai out with cheerful conversation. His breath caught. After being put through all that, they were still so close to him. What bewitching potion had Lin Bai fed them?

"You're the Shadow Guard from the City Lord's Residence?" Luo Congwen's gaze settled on Zhou Jiang. "Do you have a written order and an identity token?"

Zhou Jiang glanced at Luo Congwen and remained silent.

"Brother Luo, don't make things difficult for our Shadow Guard friend." Lin Bai smiled and stepped in to smooth things over for Zhou Jiang. "As the name suggests, Shadow Guards carry out missions that cannot bear the light of day. If one unfortunately dies during a mission while carrying an identity token, wouldn't that expose everything? Clean of any ties, nameless and unknown—that makes for a clean death. Even if they do carry a token, it would belong to someone else. Isn't that right, my Shadow Guard friend?"

[Resentment from Zhou Jiang: +1]

Zhou Jiang glared at Lin Bai and gave an inward snort. It sounded like Lin Bai was explaining on his behalf, but all that talk of dying was decidedly unpleasant. I'm a fucking Shadow Guard, not a death soldier!

He looked coldly at Lin Bai. "Shopkeeper Lin, we should leave. We've already wasted a great deal of time. The city lord must be growing impatient."

"All right, let's go!" Lin Bai nodded with a smile.

"Master, I'll go with you." [Deng Libuduo] suddenly stepped forward.

"No need," Lin Bai said. "Xiao Deng, stay here and help Young Master Luo and the others run the restaurant. I forgot to tell you: like Qingfeng Daoist, they're now shareholders in our restaurant. You must respect them just as you respect me. Help them with anything they don't understand."

[Resentment from Deng Libuduo: +1]

[Deng Libuduo] looked plaintively at Lin Bai. "Master, I still want to go to the City Lord's Residence with you and broaden my horizons."

At that moment.

[Deng Libuduo] was inwardly on the verge of collapse.

It had been two days, and he had barely left this little restaurant.

If this keeps up, what's the fucking point of playing? Am I really supposed to spend my entire life as a waiter? I'm a mighty gaming expert, yet my life isn't even as exciting as the shopkeeper's. Could Lin Bai be the real protagonist?

"Xiao Deng, only by respecting your master can you honor the Way." Lin Bai shook his head and looked gently at [Deng Libuduo]. "Don't be willful. Stay here and temper your resolve. I have high hopes for you."

Respect your fucking mother!

[Deng Libuduo] roared inwardly, then withdrew to one side in dejection. "Yes, Master."

At that moment.

He truly felt himself completely shackled by this bullshit Virtue of a Gentleman.

Watching Lin Bai and the Shadow Guard from the City Lord's Residence disappear into the darkness, [Deng Libuduo] even felt a faint twinge of regret. If only he had never met Lin Bai at the Blacksmith Shop, perhaps he would still be happily hammering iron right now!

Night had deepened.

A crescent moon hung high in the sky, providing just enough light to make out the road.

Perhaps the Shadow Guard was accustomed to living in darkness. He carried no lantern, merely following close behind Lin Bai without saying much.

They reached a secluded spot.

A faint whistle of wind suddenly reached Lin Bai's ears.

Ah!

Lin Bai sighed inwardly, shifted his feet, and spun. His right palm shot out from beneath his armpit as he unleashed Divine Dragon Waves Its Fur. Half a dragon claw flew from his palm and slammed into Zhou Jiang's dantian, sending him flying.

Zhou Jiang struck the wall and spewed great mouthfuls of blood. With a clang, the dagger he had used for the sneak attack fell from his hand to the ground.

Lin Bai frowned. "Why does the city lord want to kill me?"

Zhou Jiang's constitution was clearly inferior to the old Qingfeng Daoist's. A single palm strike had left him unable to move. Slumped on the ground, he spat out another mouthful of blood. "How did you notice?"

"First, he shouldn't have sent a Shadow Guard. Second, you were too composed. I deliberately dragged things out for so long, yet you never once urged me to hurry," Lin Bai said. "It was far too unusual."

"Heh!" Zhou Jiang spat out more blood and smiled bitterly. "You really are shrewd, Shopkeeper Lin. Just go straight to the City Lord's Residence. The city lord does indeed want to see you."

"You still haven't told me why you wanted to kill me," Lin Bai asked, perfectly at ease.

"The city lord said that if you defeated me, you could go see him. If I killed you, you could also go see him. Either way would do," Zhou Jiang said between mouthfuls of blood.

Fuck!

The city lord has mistaken me for a player!

Lin Bai cursed inwardly. In an instant, every hazy detail fell into place.