39: Chapter 39 I deserve to die!

Though the woman's voice was gentle, it carried an indescribable and inexplicable authority. Combined with the guards beside her who exuded Killing Intent, it was clear she came from no ordinary background.

Upon hearing this, Su Mo pulled out a chair and sat down generously opposite the woman.

He was just here to eat a meal. Who she was had nothing to do with him.

Seeing this, Yellow Three and the other two eagerly sat down beside Su Mo. Their rough movements caused the guard beside the woman to frown slightly.

"Waiter, bring the food quickly!"

The waiter hurriedly bowed and nodded before going to prepare.

Soon, one exquisite dish after another was brought out.

However, although Yellow Three and the others were drooling with desire, they tacitly did not reach for their chopsticks first, instead sitting ramrod straight.

Looking at the three of them in this state, Su Mo couldn't help but find it somewhat amusing, recalling his own awkwardness as a child attending banquets.

"The food's here, so let's eat. There aren't so many rules."

As he spoke, Su Mo was the first to pick up a piece of meat with his chopsticks, though he wasn't sure what kind it was.

As the piece of meat entered his mouth, the first sensation was its slippery tenderness. The savory meat juices burst open in his mouth and, before he could chew properly, slid down his throat, leaving a sweet aftertaste.

"What kind of meat is this?"

As soon as Su Mo asked, the waiter standing nearby eagerly replied.

"Sir, this is our signature dish 'Golden Armor Treading Snow.' It uses the freshest, most tender pangolin of the right age, cooked with a ten-year aged brew, and paired with snow lotus from the mountain peak..."

"Pangolin?!"

Hearing this, Su Mo was somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected to encounter an animal that could land you in prison here.

He silently opened his personal panel.

Sure enough, behind the Myriad Races Furnace, a new talent had been added: [Pangolin Keratin Scales, Hydraulic Foreclaws].

Su Mo clenched his fist, feeling the immense strength in his fingertips, and secretly rejoiced in his heart.

He was practically a human tunnel-boring machine now; he'd be a master at mining.

Immediately, Su Mo took a bite from each dish. Soon, several more talents appeared on his personal panel: [Bear's Strength, Sense of Smell], [Tiger's Strength, Bite Force]...

As the talents increased, Su Mo's muscles writhed beneath his skin like living creatures. Fortunately, his loose clothing concealed this, preventing others from noticing.

The middle-aged man standing beside the woman narrowed his eyes slightly, a flash of suspicion and surprise within them.

His battle-hardened perception from the battlefield keenly detected a sudden aura around Su Mo, fierce and overwhelming like a flood or a wild beast.

The middle-aged man's expression grew serious, his hand unconsciously moving to the hidden hilt of the blade at his waist.

The food on the table was soon mostly finished by the four of them.

That woman hadn't taken a single bite, constantly drinking tea instead.

Su Mo, on the other hand, only sampled lightly, taking just one bite of each dish.

Most of it had gone into the stomachs of Yellow Three and the other two.

The three of them ate until their mouths were greasy and their bellies were round. They loosened their belts and slumped in their chairs, unable to stop belching.

"B-Big Bro... *burp*... The food here is pretty good... but I still don't think it beats Big Big Bro's instant noodles..."

"I feel... *burp*... after this meal... I won't need to eat for three days..."

"You two... *burp*... are so pathetic..."

"When I... become the manager of this restaurant... I'll let you eat until you're stuffed every day..."

Yellow Three mocked the other two between belches, then suddenly his expression changed, his mouth puffing up. He hurriedly covered it with both hands.

*Gurgle!*

Yellow Three's face turned crimson as he forcibly swallowed back what had rushed up into his mouth.

His two underlings looked at him with strange expressions, wanting to say something but hesitating.

The woman sitting opposite stiffened slightly, the tea in her mouth suddenly hard to swallow.

Su Mo seemed to detect a hint of disdain in her eyes.

"Is everyone full?"

"We're full."

Everyone quickly affirmed.

"Good."

"Waiter..."

The waiter leaned forward, nervously rubbing his hands together.

"Sir, are you ready to settle the bill?"

"Another tableful."

The waiter, who had been thinking about the hefty tip he was about to receive, stumbled, nearly falling to the ground.

"Sir... You, you want to eat more?!"

Su Mo took out two hundred taels in silver notes from his robes, looking at the waiter with a faint, ambiguous smile.

"Yes. But I don't want dishes we've already had, or common ones like chicken, duck, or goose. Bring some game that ordinary people can't usually eat. The rarer, the better."

"You can keep the rest."

As he spoke, he stuffed the silver notes into the waiter's arms.

With two hundred taels in his embrace, the waiter felt his head go fuzzy. He left with a silly smile.

"Big Bro, we're already full. Ordering so much more, I'm afraid..."

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

This Fragrant Pavilion was a real treasure trove. Sitting here, he could eat all sorts of game and acquire talents much faster than by painstakingly collecting them himself. He couldn't let this opportunity slip by.

The veiled woman, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke.

"Young Master, isn't this too extravagant and wasteful? You're already full, yet you order so many more dishes."

"Do you know that outside, many common people have no food to eat and starve to death on the streets?"

The veiled woman immediately took the moral high ground, her large, watery eyes fixed intently on Su Mo, as if that alone could make him change his mind.

Su Mo, however, unhurriedly took a sip of his light tea.

"May I ask, Miss, how should I address you?"

The middle-aged man beside her abruptly stepped forward, his waist blade half-drawn before the woman raised her hand to stop him.

"My surname is Xue. Young Master may call me Miss Xue."

"Miss Xue, do you know why there are poor commoners starving to death?"

Miss Xue shook her head.

"What does that have to do with your extravagance and waste?"

"It's related, of course it's related."

"Why do the commoners starve to death?"

"Because they have no food to eat."

"Why do they have no food to eat?"

"Because they have no money to buy grain."

"Why do they have no money to buy grain?"

Miss Xue suddenly faltered, unconsciously looking at the teacup in her hand.

Su Mo didn't give her time to think. He took a sip of tea and continued.

"Because the money is all in the homes of corrupt officials and gentry!"

"They spend their days busy amassing wealth, piling up mountains of gold and silver in their homes."

"If all the money is in their hands, how can the common people have money to buy grain?"

Miss Xue opened her mouth, wanting to retort, but found herself at a loss for words.

"Miss, do you know," Su Mo lightly tapped the table with his fingertip, "why I'm doing something that seems so extravagant and wasteful?"

Su Mo deliberately heaved a deep sigh.

"Actually, everything I do is for the sake of those commoners!"

"Every piece of game I eat means the restaurant buys one more. The poor families hunting in the mountains will have a little more silver in their hands."

"There will be one more bowl of rice on their tables, one more piece of clothing on their children."

As he spoke, Su Mo lowered his head, pretending to be choked up, and 'sobbed' intermittently.

"Actually... I also... came from the countryside... Since I was little... my mother... told me... if I ever had money... not to forget... those poor families..."

Su Mo buried his head in the table, his shoulders shaking violently.

Seeing this, Miss Xue was flustered, her eyes filled with guilt. She wanted to comfort Su Mo but didn't know how to begin.

"Young Master, please don't be sad..."

"It's all my fault!"

"I actually misunderstood Young Master's good intentions..."