Chapter 41 — Preparing for the Competition

Following Lin Fan’s dramatic declaration, the imperial messenger hurriedly noted down the confirmation, handed over an official gold-sealed travel pass, and departed with his cavalry escort in a cloud of dust. The moment the imperial procession disappeared down the cobblestone road, the heavy reality of what they had just agreed to settled over the establishment.

At four o'clock the following morning, long before the first light of dawn touched the eastern peaks, Lin Fan convened an emergency corporate operational meeting around the central table of the main dining hall.

Lin Fan stood at the head of the table holding a piece of white chalk and a large slate board. His expression was serious, carrying the sharp, focused energy of a modern executive launching a major overseas branch.

"Team, let us be clear about one thing," Lin Fan began, tapping the chalk against the slate. "This trip to the Imperial Capital is not a vacation. Nor is it a wandering martial arts trial where we go around looking for trouble in deep mountain caves. This is an official, high-stakes corporate expansion expedition. Our singular objective is to secure the Imperial Hospitality License and establish Branch Number Two in the Imperial Capital."

Xiao Yu raised his hand politely from his seat. "Shopkeeper, if the core management team travels to the Imperial Capital, what happens to Lin's Inn here in Qingshui Town? We have fifty local farmers and gatherers relying on our daily produce purchases, and over a hundred token holders arriving at our porch every morning!"

"An excellent and crucial question, Xiao Yu," Lin Fan said, nodding approvingly. "We cannot afford to close down our home base. Shutting our doors would destroy our daily cash flow, ruin our brand reputation, and abandon the local economic network we worked so hard to build. Therefore, we are splitting our workforce into two distinct operational divisions: the Home Branch Maintenance Team and the Capital Expedition Force."

Lin Fan turned his gaze slowly toward the far end of the table, fixing his eyes on Scartail.

Scartail, who was sipping morning tea while wearing an oversized pair of wooden reading glasses, froze mid-swallow. He looked left, then right, before pointing a thick finger at his own chest. "Chief... why are you looking at me like that?"

"Scartail," Lin Fan said gravely, stepping forward and slapping a heavy wooden clipboard directly into the former bandit leader's calloused hands. "I am officially appointing you as Acting General Manager of Lin's Inn, Qingshui Branch."

Scartail nearly sprayed his morning tea across the table. "Me?! Chief, have you lost your mind?! I used to rob merchant carts in the forest! I don't know how to run a fine establishment! If a high-stage sword elder complains that his vegetable soup is two degrees too cold, my instinct is to hit him with a heavy iron pan!"

"And that is precisely why you are the perfect man for the job," Lin Fan declared with absolute confidence. "You know every square inch of this floor. You know how the token system works, you know the forty-five-minute incense rule, and you know Old Man Zhang, Uncle Li, and all our local suppliers by name. You will enforce the rules, maintain customer discipline, collect the spirit stones, and keep the kitchen running. Iron Bear will serve as your Head of Security."

Iron Bear stood up straight, puffing out his massive chest and raising a heavy iron scrub brush like an imperial spear. "No unruly sword cultivators shall cause trouble at the Qingshui Branch while Manager Scartail is in charge!"

Scartail looked down at the polished wooden clipboard in his hands, adjusting his reading glasses with a trembling, rough finger. A strange, unfamiliar wave of deep pride and responsibility welled up in his scarred chest. He wiped a stray tear from his single eye, stood up straight, and gave a sharp nod. "Understood, Chief. I'll guard this shop like my own life. If the daily revenue drops by a single copper stone, I'll personally scrub the kitchen floors twice every night!"

Lin Fan smiled with satisfaction before turning back to his slate board. "Now, for the Capital Expedition Force. I will act as Expedition Director and Head Chef. Sect Master Lu is our Chief Master Baker, responsible for all hearth bread, steamed dumplings, and baked goods."

Sect Master Lu slammed a flour-dusted fist over his heart, his eyes blazing with intense artistic passion. "My mobile hearth shall burn with unyielding fire, Shopkeeper! The epicurean elites of the Imperial Capital shall weep tears of absolute enlightenment before the majestic fluffiness of our hearth bread!"

"Crimson," Lin Fan continued, looking toward the dark corner where the ancient demon lord sat motionlessly. "You are Chief Security Officer and Supply Transit Guardian. Your primary duty is to ensure that no highway bandits, arrogant young masters, or rogue cultivators disrupt our travel along the Imperial Highway."

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Crimson gave a single, stoic nod, his red eyes gleaming faintly beneath his dark hood. "Any entity attempting to interfere with our commercial transit shall be swiftly erased from the provincial census."

"And finally, Xiao Yu, Xiao Ling, and Xiao Mei," Lin Fan looked down at the three eager siblings with a warm smile. "You three form our Elite Service Execution Team. Xiao Yu manages table rotations and order taking, Xiao Ling oversees tea brewing and drink delivery, and Xiao Mei manages napkin distribution and bread running. Our front-of-house service in the Imperial Capital must be just as flawless as it is here."

"Yes, Shopkeeper!" the three siblings chimed in unison, bowing with crisp, professional precision. Tiny Xiao Mei hugged her small wicker napkin basket tightly to her chest, beaming with unbridled excitement.

With the workforce division established, the team immediately transitioned to logistical preparation.

Out in the rear courtyard, Sect Master Lu was currently struggling to hoist a three-ton brick baking oven onto the back of a sturdy, wooden trade wagon. Sweat poured down his face as he channeled his qi to lift the massive stone structure.

"Lu! What in the world are you doing?!" Lin Fan yelled, running out onto the patio to stop him.

"Shopkeeper! I am packing my primary hearth!" Lu shouted back, wiping his flour-covered forehead. "How can I produce divine bread in the Imperial Capital without my seasoned brick oven?!"

"Put the three-ton oven down!" Lin Fan facepalmed hard. "We are traveling across two entire provinces! If we haul three tons of brick behind our wagon, we'll break the iron axles before we even clear the town limits! The System shop has portable, spirit-stone heated baking sheets designed specifically for mobile catering!"

Lu froze, slowly lowering the massive stone oven back onto the patio floorboards. "A... portable spirit-stone baking sheet? Truly, the sacred tools of modern hospitality are beyond human comprehension!"

Meanwhile, near the side storage room, Xiao Yu was carefully reviewing inventory lists on a long scroll while Lin Fan inspected the packing crates.

"What is our ingredient strategy, Xiao Yu?" Lin Fan asked.

"Shopkeeper, if we attempt to haul fifty sacks of local cabbages, thirty tubs of river carp, and ten wild pigs for a two-week journey, half of the produce will spoil in the heat, and the wagon will weigh as much as a small mountain," Xiao Yu reported smartly, pointing at his calculations.

Lin Fan nodded, thoroughly impressed by Xiao Yu's sharp business instincts. "Exactly. Hauling basic commodity produce across long distances is terrible logistics. It increases transport weight, risks spoilage, and wastes valuable storage space."

Lin Fan laid out his strategic procurement plan. They would pack only proprietary specialty ingredients—unique items that could not be easily purchased along the road:

• Three sealed, enchanted ceramic jars of Lin Fan's proprietary aged chili paste and spiced soy sauce.

• Five wooden barrels of specially dried spirit-soil radishes harvested from Old Man Zhang's valley farm.

• A crate of pure mountain flower honey gathered by local gatherers.

• Sect Master Lu’s aged starter dough culture, safely preserved inside an insulated clay vessel.

"As for standard daily ingredients—fresh pork belly, green vegetables, eggs, and poultry—we will purchase them fresh from local farmers and village markets along the trade route every single morning," Lin Fan explained, tracing their path on the imperial map. "This keeps our wagon light, guarantees our food is always freshly harvested, and allows us to maintain our farm-to-table procurement model on the road."

"A brilliant mobile supply strategy, Shopkeeper!" Lu praised, clapping his hands together. "We shall turn the entire Imperial Highway into our personal supply chain!"

Over the next two days, the expedition setup was meticulously assembled in the courtyard.

Instead of a single clumsy cart, Lin Fan arranged two heavy-duty wooden carriages. The lead carriage was plushly furnished with cotton cushions, small folding tables, and tea sets for Lin Fan, the three siblings, and Sect Master Lu. The second carriage was a reinforced, iron-strapped supply wagon built to carry their heavy iron woks, portable spirit-stone hearths, specialized baking molds, and specialty crates.

Harnessed to the lead carriage were two majestic black spirit steeds. Crimson sat calmly on the driver’s bench, holding the leather reins in his dark-sleeved hands.

It was dawn on the third day. The sky was painted in brilliant strokes of purple, pink, and gold as the morning sun crested the mountain horizon.

Old Man Zhang, Uncle Li the fisherman, and dozens of local farmers from Qingshui Town gathered along the edge of the courtyard to bid them farewell. Old Man Zhang brought a basket of crisp sweet apples for the journey, Uncle Li waved a damp towel from his fish cart, and local farmers cheered warmly.

Scartail stood on the front porch of Lin's Inn, wearing his sharp black apron and holding his wooden clipboard like a sacred symbol of authority. Iron Bear and the remaining former bandits stood proudly in formation behind him.

"Don't worry about a single thing, Chief!" Scartail called out, giving a firm, respectful salute with his clipboard. "The Qingshui Branch will run like a well-oiled clockwork array! We'll have the spirit stones stacked neatly in the iron vault when you return with that imperial license!"

Lin Fan stood on the wooden step of the plush lead carriage, looking back one last time at the gleaming golden sign hanging above the porch—LIN'S INN. He gave a warm smile to his local team, stepped inside, and pulled the wooden door shut. Inside, Xiao Yu, Xiao Ling, Xiao Mei, and Sect Master Lu settled comfortably onto the plush cushions.

Up on the driver's bench, Crimson snapped the leather reins with a sharp crack. The twin black spirit steeds let out a spirited cry, their hooves clattering rhythmically against the stone road as the two heavy wooden carriages rolled smoothly out of the courtyard and down the main street.

Lin Fan leaned back against his cotton cushion, watching through the glass window as the familiar buildings of Qingshui Town began to drift past. The carriages glided smoothly down the cobblestone road toward the large stone archway that marked the town boundary—and the edge of the inn's protective perimeter.