Immortality: Raising an Ant Queen to Cultivate by increasing stat points

Chapter 469: Chapter 461 World Rules_1

Ordinary shops, those priced cheaply at seventy to eighty taels per unit, could be bought. This street was the busiest street in the city, and these five shops had wide frontages, each shop facade being eight meters wide and twelve meters deep.

The location, situated at a central crossroad’s gold-standard section, was why the asking price far exceeded that of ordinary shops.

Qin Niu went in with his wives and concubines.

“May I ask what the three honored guests would like to eat?”

The server greeted the trio warmly as he came up to serve them.

The servers in the restaurant were not dressed in local attire; the male waiters wore straw raincoats, bamboo hats, turned-up felt shoes, with holes in their ears and silver earrings.

They sported mustaches, carried curved knives and ox horns at their waists, and moved with agile steps.

Female waiters, on the other hand, wore brocade dresses with paired horse and bird patterns, phoenix crowns on their heads with tassels hanging down, and earrings as well.

Each of them had a slim figure, beautiful curves, a sweet smile on their face, and light steps as if they were always dancing. It was a pleasure to watch.

“It seems to be a restaurant run by foreigners!”

Wang Wanyan curiously surveyed everything inside the restaurant.

Perhaps it was close to dinner time, the restaurant was packed with diners.

Looking around, the food on the tables was also quite distinctive, with roasted beefsteaks or lamb chops, blood sausages the size of radishes, as well as large chunks of lamb and beef. Besides, various exotic delicacies were in sight.

The cruelest scene was that of a gibbons shackled under a table, with its head perfectly fixed in a circular hole at the center of the table—unable to rise further or retreat back.

The top of its head was opened up, revealing the white brain tissue, so diners could scoop up the living brain to dip in sauce and eat.

This scene was extremely brutal.

The appearance of the gibbon was quite similar to that of humans, and its face showed a pained expression. Perhaps because its brain tissue was damaged, it kept emitting piercing screams.

The heart-wrenching cries could bring a listener to tears.

“Ah, that monkey looks so pitiful!”

Wang Wanyan, kind-hearted, instinctively clung tighter to Qin Niu’s arm and turned her head away, unable to bear watching any longer.

“Madam must be visiting Delicacy Pavilion for the first time! Animals are meant for human consumption. This gibbon might look miserable, but if it were our human children caught by it, it would show no mercy either. This gibbon was captured because it stole a three-year-old child from a village, then cruelly tore the child’s arm off and gnawed on it, before being taken down by hunters from the village.

Don’t be misled by its current pitiful state; it was very fierce when it first arrived.”

The waiter said, explaining by the side.

“Do you have private rooms?”

Qin Niu asked.

“Yes, yes! There is just one private room left upstairs, the three honored guests are very lucky, as all the others have been reserved by clients.”

“Take us to the private room, bring up a few of your signature dishes, and a pot of fine tea.”

Now Qin Niu could be considered the richest man in Black Tiger City, with a fortune that at least ranked among the top.

Even ordinary major families were not necessarily as wealthy as him.

Taking advantage of the chaos of war, he had purchased a large amount of prime farmland and shops, which had further skyrocketed his wealth.

Not to mention having a meal of delicacies; even if he dined on delicacies from the mountains and seas every meal, it wouldn’t be a problem.

“Alright! Honored guests, this way upstairs, please!”

The waiter wasn’t blind and naturally could tell that these three guests were of exceptional bearing and needed to be treated well.

After going upstairs, the decoration was like a natural world, ingeniously laid out, with various vines, flowers and plants, and low bushes everywhere. There were also terrariums with lizards, turtles, white cranes, and other animals.

The owner of Delicacy Pavilion had an extraordinary business acumen and had put thought into every detail.

There was a reason the business here was booming.

After the three of them were seated in the private room, a beautiful waitress came up with a teapot.

White steam rose ceaselessly from the spout of the teapot, indicating that the water inside must have just boiled.

“Distinguished guests, may I ask what flavor of tea you would prefer?”

She asked with a smile, her gaze landing on Qin Niu.

It was clear to her that Qin Niu was the decision-maker.

“There are different flavors of tea?”

Qin Niu knew nothing about tea ceremony; in the past, whenever he was thirsty, he would just drink a bucket of cool well water. Now that his family’s conditions had improved, he could finally enjoy a cup of hot tea.

However, he had a strong distaste for the aristocrats’ method of sipping and savouring tea with refinement and leisure.

With the time it took to drink tea in such a manner, he would rather read a few more pages of a book or spend more time cultivating.

“Hehe, look at what you’re saying, sir. People come in all ranks and sorts, and so does tea, each with its own characteristics. Some teas need to be boiled, some infused with boiling water, some require steeping, some teas are bitter and stimulating, and some are slightly bitter with a sweet aftertaste, which can clarify one’s eyes…”

One of the tea-serving waitresses spoke about tea ceremony with clarity and professionalism.

After listening, Qin Niu nodded repeatedly.

“Bring us a pot of tea that refreshes the mind and invigorates the spirit!”

After a busy day, he really felt somewhat groggy.

Dealing with various tenants in managing the shops had left him feeling especially exhausted. Such matters would be better handled by a steward in the future.

The waitress prepared their tea, pouring a cup for each person, and with a bow, she then left the private room.

At that moment, a series of sorrowful braying sounds came from outside the window.

“They must be killing a donkey outside. Although the restaurant does good business, it’s cruel to be killing animals every day.”

Wang Wanyan covered her ears, unwilling to listen to the pitiful cries of the donkey.

Tang Caixian seemed to have a more tolerant attitude toward these things, not showing any signs of disgust.

“Sister Wanyan, this world is inherently a jungle ruled by the law of the survival of the fittest. Not to mention monkeys or donkeys, if our husbands were not strong enough, or they lacked the ability to protect us back at our parental homes, our fates would have been far more tragic than these animals. I’ve seen a lot while learning singing and dancing with my master in the city. There were many girls who were abandoned by their families or tricked, and they were forced to entertain clients with forced smiles.

Any slight disobedience could lead to hunger or even beatings.

In the countryside, such cruelty is not as apparent, and neighbors are relatively polite to each other. In the city, however, there are too many cruel things, and everyone survives by their own means. Those with schemes and ruthless hearts live better lives.

Those who are kind-hearted and soft in every respect, who do not compete with others, end up struggling at the very bottom of society.

In some families, it is common to sell sons and daughters when they cannot make ends meet.

Others may force their wives to sleep with other men to make money for the household.

I used to be like you, unable to bear the suffering of the world and feeling sympathy for everyone. It was only after I had helped a beggar, who then almost sold me to a brothel, that I learned my lesson. Thankfully, because my master had connections with many brothels in the city and my uncle Tang Yan held an official position and had influence in the city, I was found and rescued just in time.

I cried for two days and nights, and it was only after my master’s guidance that I gradually understood.

I was only twelve years old at the time, and I had never imagined people’s hearts could be so sinister.

Lucky for me, I was young; otherwise, I might have been prepped and presented to some high-ranking officials for their pleasure that very night. Other than being frightened and slapped a few times, I suffered no further harm. But from that day forward, I no longer trusted anyone lightly, and my kindness never again overflowed.

Once you’ve interacted more with various people in the city, you’ll realize that the seemingly pitiful people at the bottom are often the darkest inside.

They might betray a friend over a meal.

Those at the bottom, in fact, often have the fewest scruples.”

Tang Caixian may have long noticed Wang Wanyan’s naivety and kindness, and now seized the opportunity to share her own experiences to warn her.

So she wouldn’t suffer or be deceived in the future.