Xiao Ze and Xiao Xun'er walked side by side down the busy street.
The sight of the golden boy and jade girl drew frequent, admiring glances from the passersby.
Neither of them paid any attention to the stares, focusing instead on reaching their destination.
By the time they arrived at Shengde Restaurant, the streetlights had just flickered on.
Inside, the restaurant was brightly lit and buzzing with a lively crowd.
"What a bustling restaurant. It truly lives up to its reputation as the finest establishment in Wutan City!"
Xiao Ze watched the steady stream of people coming and going, and said to Xiao Xun'er, "It looks like we'll probably have to wait for a while."
"Don't worry, Brother Xiao Ze. Xun'er has already taken care of everything. We can just walk right in."
Xun'er flashed a mysterious smile and led Xiao Ze straight into Shengde Restaurant.
Guided by a waiter, they were soon escorted to a private room upstairs.
The room was ingeniously designed.
Looking inward, they could see the performing singing girls and the diners in the main hall below.
Looking outward, they had a view of the market streets that remained brightly lit despite the encroaching night.
"Xun'er, you really picked a wonderful room!"
"Hehe, I made sure to reserve this specific one to keep any blind fools from coming over to bother us."
Xiao Ze nodded in agreement. He knew all too well that Xun'er's striking beauty would inevitably attract unwanted attention from certain people.
Dining in a private room would save them a lot of unnecessary trouble.
"By the way, how much does a room like this cost?"
Xun'er held up a delicate, slender finger and smiled playfully. "Including the Magical Beast feast we're having tonight, it comes to a total of fifteen hundred gold coins!"
"Hiss! That expensive? If I remember correctly, the Xiao Clan's annual profit is only around one hundred thousand gold coins!"
Xiao Ze couldn't help exclaiming, "Tsk tsk, the entire annual profit of the Xiao Clan would only be enough to eat at Shengde Restaurant for a little over two months!"
"Well? Would you say Xun'er's treat shows plenty of sincerity?"
"Utterly sincere!"
As the two of them spoke, the dishes of the Magical Beast feast began to arrive.
These were edible Magical Beasts that had been specially raised and prepared. Consuming them offered numerous benefits to humans, such as enriching the blood and strengthening the physique.
Although they couldn't compare to an Alchemist's medicinal pill, they were still enough to drive people into a frenzy.
After all, this was the Dou Qi Continent, a world where the strong ruled supreme!
Anything capable of enhancing one's strength would always be fiercely pursued.
With the rich aroma of meat filling the air, Xiao Ze took a deep breath. Looking at the table full of Magical Beast meat, his mouth watered.
"Don't just sit there staring, Brother Xiao Ze. Dig in!"
"Let's eat together!"
Chatting and enjoying the scenery, the two of them savored the delicious Magical Beast feast.
Happy times always passed quickly. Xiao Ze picked up a glass of ice-blue juice and clinked it against Xun'er's.
The moment it touched his lips, it felt icy cold, but as he swallowed, it suddenly felt as though a fire was blazing in his throat.
This novel sensation made Xiao Ze look down at the cup in his hand with curiosity.
"This juice is quite unusual."
Xiao Xun'er explained, "It's made from low-grade medicinal herbs cultivated by Shengde Restaurant. Drinking it regularly can slightly increase one's Dou Qi..."
Xiao Ze paused at these words, carefully sensing the condition within his body.
Fortunately, he had a thorough grasp of his internal state, allowing him to detect that pitifully microscopic growth in his Dou Qi.
"...You really do have to drink it regularly just to get that tiny bit of growth. Still, using this as a gimmick is enough to make people scramble to buy it."
Xiao Ze placed heavy emphasis on the word "slightly," which brought a cascade of light laughter from Xiao Xun'er.
"Even so, for Shengde Restaurant to offer so many things that drive people wild with desire, the backing behind it must be quite extraordinary, right?"
Xiao Xun'er nodded and said, "Actually, it has a slight connection to the Xiao Clan. The force behind Shengde Restaurant is none other than the Nalan Clan!"
"The Nalan Clan! One of the three major families of the Gama Empire, and a family that once maintained close ties with the Xiao Clan?"
Xiao Ze was somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected the power behind the restaurant to be the Nalan Clan.However, as one of the three major families of the Gama Empire, it was normal for the Nalan Clan to have a presence in every corner of the empire.
"No wonder Shengde Restaurant is able to operate safely in the heart of Wutan City despite its lucrative business—turns out the Nalan Clan is behind it."
"My third brother's betrothed, arranged since childhood, is also the eldest miss of the Nalan Clan."
Xiao Xun'er took a sip of fruit juice and said with a meaningful tone.
"In previous years, the Nalan Clan frequently kept in touch with the Xiao Clan, but starting this year, things might not be the same."
Xiao Ze also understood what Xiao Xun'er meant.
With Xiao Yan reduced to good-for-nothing status, it was uncertain whether the Nalan Clan would continue to interact with the Xiao Clan as before.
However, judging by the original story, the head of the Nalan Clan kept his promise and did not break off the engagement even after Xiao Yan became a good-for-nothing.
"Then again, maybe not. Perhaps the head of the Nalan Clan doesn't care about such things?"
Xiao Xun'er nodded. Who could predict the future?
"Young Master Ouba! Please behave yourself!"
Just as the two of them were enjoying the scenery outside the window, a sharp cry of indignation suddenly rang out inside the restaurant.
The two couldn't help looking downstairs, where a beautiful woman wearing a qipao stood displaying an alluring figure.
Right now, however, her face was frosty and her voice was stern!
Standing opposite the woman was a short, plump teenager, around thirteen or fourteen years of age.
Yet it was obvious he indulged in excessive debauchery: his eye sockets were deeply sunken, his skin was pale, and his eyes appeared somewhat hollow and lifeless.
The youth seemed startled at first, but upon recovering, his eyes turned lecherous as he gazed at the woman with a wicked grin.
Before the dispute could escalate any further, the restaurant manager already arrived before them.
Halting any further conflict, the manager warned the youth not to cause trouble in the restaurant.
Perhaps wary of the restaurant's manpower and influence, the youth didn't fly into a rage; instead, he simply found a table in the main hall and sat down.
As for the beautiful woman, she headed upstairs, choosing to dine on the upper level.
Having watched the entire scene, Xiao Ze and Xiao Xun'er exchanged glances.
"That looks like Ya Fei, the chief auctioneer of the Midel Auction House?"
Xiao Xun'er blinked in surprise. How did Brother Xiao Ze know Ya Fei?
"Brother Xiao Ze, how did you know that was Miss Ya Fei?"
Xiao Ze glanced at Xiao Xun'er, noticing the confusion in her eyes.
"What are you thinking? Weren't we invited to have Miss Ya Fei come watch the Coming of Age Ceremony at the Xiao Clan last year?"
"Oh, oh! I remember now... And judging by what Miss Ya Fei said, that other person seems to be from the Ouba Family."
Xiao Xun'er stuck out her tongue, then hurriedly changed the subject.
"Even though the Ouba Family is one of the three major families of Wutan City, provoking Miss Ya Fei of the Midel Auction House doesn't seem like something they're qualified to do."
Xiao Ze nodded and remarked with a sigh: "That's what you call being blinded by lust! Besides, judging by his appearance, he doesn't seem ready to give up yet."
Xiao Ze signaled Xiao Xun'er to look downstairs. Sure enough, the young master of the Ouba Family was eating while casting his gaze toward the stairway from time to time.
"Good thing we came early and booked a private room."
Xiao Xun'er patted her chest and said with relief.
"Otherwise, if we ran into this guy, even if we weren't afraid of him, our good mood would be completely ruined."
"Indeed. I imagine Miss Ya Fei probably isn't in much of a mood to enjoy her dinner right now either."
Xiao Ze thought for a moment, then suddenly said to Xiao Xun'er: "Why don't we wait a bit longer before heading back and watch a good show!"
Smart and quick-witted, Xiao Xun'er soon understood what good show Xiao Ze was talking about.
She tilted her head to think, then agreed, and the two ordered a few more desserts.
During this time, Xiao Ze checked the price of this lavish feast.
It was just barely within his budget, but after today, he would be flat broke once again!