161: Chapter 161 A billion in pocket money, let's cook two menus first!

A breeze blew into the alley of the urban village, making the oversized underwear hanging overhead flutter and snap.

Sewage flowed across the ground, and the base of the walls was covered in mold.

Ye Xiao followed behind, his mind full of question marks.

"Brother Ming, are you sure we haven't taken the wrong path?"

Su Ming pushed open a dilapidated wooden door, the hinges emitting a dying creak.

It was less than ten square meters. There was a broken table, the walls were covered in dense physics formulas, and a few tattered textbooks were piled in the corner.

Ye Xiao stood stunned at the doorway, half his face still swollen.

This is the place where that peerless Genius—who holds one billion, solo-killed a Tier 7, and is fought over by the six top academies—lives?

Even a pigsty would be better than this.

The imagination machine in his brain began to run wild. The more he thought, the more excited he became.

"I understand now." Ye Xiao suddenly clenched his fists, a fanatical light in his eyes, "This is 'Mortal World Dao Heart refinement'!"

"Using suffering to temper the Dao Heart; the deeper one is in the mire, the more one can forge an invincible Physical Body! Brother Ming, your Realm... is beyond my reach!"

Su Ming: "..." Is this kid going to drool even after he's cured?

He couldn't be bothered to deal with this overthinker. He waved his hand across the room, and the broken table, textbooks, and those few tattered clothes all vanished in an instant, entering the System Space.

Anyway, with the background consumption, even a mosquito's leg is meat.

"Let's go." Su Ming clapped his hands. "Time to eat."

The two went downstairs. The streetlights were dim and yellow.

Su Ming pulled a card from his pocket and flipped it between his fingers. The pitch-black card surface gleamed with a low-key, metallic cold light.

Ye Xiao recognized it at a glance and gasped. "This... this is an interstellar black card?!"

His voice went out of tune. "Awesome, Brother Ming! I've only seen this card in my dad's financial magazines! There are fewer than fifty in circulation across the entire Federation! I heard it's not just usable in the Federation; you can swipe it directly for purchases in the Divine Court Empire! It clears across factions!"

"This card... what's the limit?" Ye Xiao swallowed hard.

Su Ming glanced at him sideways, looking smug. "Not much." "Just... one billion in pocket money."

Ye Xiao froze on the spot. One billion.

His father was considered a wealthy merchant in Demon City, and he had never lacked money growing up, but his pocket money topped out at a few million at most. That was already explosive among his peers. Compared to Su Ming...

"Brother Ming." Ye Xiao's voice was weak. "Take me in as your underling."

"Get lost." Su Ming stuffed the card back into his pocket and threw his arm around Ye Xiao's neck.

Tsk, I really am the Child of Destiny. A corporate slave sent to an early grave by 996 in my past life, I've finally tasted the fruits of my labor in this one. This newbie village of Jiang City, I've officially cleared it!

"Today," Su Ming chuckled, "let me also experience what it means to live a life of debauchery."

Being held by the neck, Ye Xiao, with half his face still swollen, nodded vigorously while pulling out a recovery potion and chugging it.

To be honest, Ye Xiao had seen plenty of debauchery growing up. Top-tier clubs in the Imperial Capital, private yachts, limited-edition sports cars... The flow of money from one of his father's casual banquets was enough for an ordinary person to spend a lifetime.

He never thought these things were anything special. In fact, he felt a bit repulsed by them. But spending money with Su Ming... that was different. This wasn't indulging in vices, this was... following the example of a role model!

...

Moon-Gazing Pavilion. The only top-tier private restaurant in Jiang City specializing in spirit meals for the Awakened, located in the middle of the busiest commercial street in the old city district.

The storefront wasn't large, but the vehicles parked outside were all million-level hovering cars.

Two mature hostess sisters stood at the entrance, their figures ripe, their chests particularly... tumultuous. Su Ming's eyes went straight. Hmm, the lights are very bright!

The two hostesses' gazes swept over, lingering on Su Ming for 0.3 seconds... old school uniform, sweatpants, messy hair blocking his eyes. Their gazes quickly shifted away, landing on Ye Xiao.

By this time, Ye Xiao had fully recovered. But his designer casual suit and the storage bracelet on his wrist were the best passes.

"Hello, sir, are you here to dine?" They greeted Ye Xiao with smiles. Su Ming: "..."

Ye Xiao's face darkened. He stepped aside, clearing the way, and pointed at Su Ming. "Brother Ming, these people judge books by their covers; let's go somewhere else!"

Su Ming slowly pulled the interstellar black card from his pocket, held it between two fingers, and raised it in front of the hostesses. "Call your manager."

The two hostesses exchanged glances, and one of them said politely but clearly dismissively: "Sir, we require advance reservations here..."

She didn't finish her sentence. The two were only hostesses, so they naturally didn't recognize the Star Dome Heavy Industry logo on the card. But the star-blue light patterns flowing in the night looked just like a Dragon Awakening. Realizing this card was extraordinary, they ran off to call the manager.

Thirty seconds later, a middle-aged man in a three-piece suit, his hair combed meticulously, rushed out. When he saw the card, his legs went weak. He knelt down immediately.

"Distinguished, distinguished guest! Please, please go upstairs!" "... I am Liu Mingyuan, General Manager of Moon-Gazing Pavilion! The top-floor private room has been prepared for you!"

Su Ming walked inside with his hands behind his back, moving slowly. When he passed the two mature hostesses, their faces turned pale, and they bowed their heads in unison.

Su Ming glanced at them, waved his hand, and said in a casual tone, "We're all just working for a living; I understand." "But don't judge people by their appearance next time. Who knows, maybe next time I'll come in slippers and pajamas."

Manager Liu nodded frantically beside him, breaking out in a cold sweat.

...

Top-floor Emperor Suite. The owner of the Moon-Gazing Pavilion brought the head chef to welcome him personally.

"Mr. Su!" "Your presence in our Moon-Gazing Pavilion truly brings great honor!"

Su Ming was taken aback; he hadn't expected to be this famous. The owner greeted him warmly while saying, "Who in Jiang City doesn't know you, Mr. Su? If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have dared to believe that such a figure had emerged in our Jiang City."

He spoke very quickly, with the crisp, straightforward style typical of Jiang City locals, but every word carried just the right amount of respect, neither appearing sycophantic nor making one feel uncomfortable.

The head chef wasn't very old, dressed in a white tunic, but his presence was extraordinary. He was a lean man in his forties, with the "Tier 2 Awakened Chef" certification badge embroidered on his apron.

His Awakening talent was a B-rank life-type [Myriad Flavor Extraction]... capable of purging the violent residual Source Energy from Source Beast meat and converting it into gentle, nourishing energy.

"Two distinguished guests, I am the head chef of the Moon-Gazing Pavilion." Zhang Wangshan handed over the menu. "Our specialty here is Source Beast spirit meals. Ordinary people eat them to strengthen their bodies, while Awakened can eat them to nourish their Meridians and boost their Qi and blood."

Su Ming flipped through the menu. Good heavens. Charcoal-grilled Tier 3 Earth Dragon spine... 380 grams per serving, priced at 180,000 Federation dollars. Source Energy Hundred-Beast Soup... brewed from the marrow of twelve selected Tier 2 Source Beasts, priced at 260,000. Abyss Spirit Dolphin Sashimi... limited supply, priced at 420,000.

Ye Xiao was gasping beside him. This place wasn't much cheaper than Demon City!

Su Ming didn't change his expression, slapping the menu onto the table. "Everything on the menu with 'Tier 3', bring two servings of each. Bring all the Tier 2 ones."

Zhang Wangshan was stunned: "Sir, we have seven Tier 3 dishes in total. If it's two servings of each..." "So few? Forget it then..." Su Ming waved his hand.

Zhang Wangshan was stunned. "Just fry two menus worth first."

Zhang Wangshan: "???" The owner had never seen such a big client... Seeing Su Ming didn't seem to be joking, he immediately ordered, "What are you waiting for! Go!"

"Yes, yes! Distinguished guest, please wait a moment, I will go cook for you right away!" Zhang Wangshan cupped his hands, turned, and went to start the fire.

Ye Xiao leaned in and whispered: "Brother Ming, can we finish all this?" Su Ming smiled mysteriously. Can't finish? You are too young!