437: Night Market (Part 1)

The little monsters that crawled out from the bottom of the river were best at acting innocent, acting cute, and sniffling. In her previous life, she had learned enough about people like this.

She wasn't afraid of green tea bitches, she was only afraid of green tea bitches coveting your partner.

Half a month later, inside the inner hall of Jiaotai Palace, Shang Wan Ning tossed the last jade slip waiting for approval onto the desk.

She leaned back into the phoenix couch, her bones making a faint sound as the stiffness from burying herself in official business for half a month finally eased a little.

Her divine sense swept over the empty desk, and the Empress curled her lips in satisfaction.

The follow-up plans for the expansion of the Ativi Continent, the new budget for the Research Institute, the miscellaneous matters reported by various departments... Everything was finally taken care of.

She stood up, her bare feet stepping on the cold floor tiles, and walked to the window.

For several days in a row, the Netherworld had been shrouded in deep, dark tones, and even the light carried a chill that made it feel truly dull to look at.

A trace of the human world's bustling atmosphere, mixed with the unique scent of pickled bamboo shoots from Luosifen, seemed to drift over across the plane barrier, causing the "Big Gluttonous Girl" to feel a slight stir in her stomach.

The believers were never stingy with their offerings, and the delicacies were endless, with Granny Snail's craftsmanship being impeccable.

But sitting in the main hall of Jiaotai Palace, facing a table full of offerings arranged according to the rules, it always lacked the bustling atmosphere of street food.

Moreover, letting a Subordinate smell the scent of Luosifen on the Empress would ultimately damage her dignity.

"AQi." She tilted her head, her voice clearly penetrating the palace door.

Less than two minutes later, Ling Qi's figure appeared at the entrance of the inner hall, her gold-rimmed glasses chain swaying gently with her steps.

"Your Majesty, have you finished handling the official business?"

"Mmm~" Shang Wan Ning turned around, her brows and eyes revealing a long-lost relaxation, "Accompany Me to the human world for a walk and stroll through the night market."

Ling Qi pushed up her gold-rimmed glasses, her gaze sweeping over Shang Wan Ning's loose long hair and bare feet: "Is Your Majesty going like this?"

"I just need to change my appearance." Shang Wan Ning didn't care at all, a faint light flashing around her body, and that majestic phoenix robe instantly changed into simple modern attire.

A white T-shirt paired with jeans, her long hair tied into a ponytail, and a black mask covering her face, revealing only a pair of clear, bright eyes.

Seeing this, Ling Qi didn't say anything more. The standard cheongsam on her body also faded away, replaced by a sharp shirt and trousers, though the glasses still remained on the bridge of her nose.

"You are quite persistent with these glasses; you don't even take them off when you change clothes." Shang Wan Ning glanced at the gold-rimmed glasses on her nose and teased her casually.

Ling Qi touched the frame with her fingertips: "I'm used to it, and I can see clearly."

[Besides, Your Majesty has always had a thing for the abstinent Older Sister Type, and when you let your guard down in private, you happen to be very passionate...] The thought spun around in her mind, but she didn't dare to say it out loud. She was afraid that a certain Empress would blow up on the spot and end up pestering her to make a scene.

The two passed through a secret passage and silently stepped into a night market in a small southern city in the Xia Kingdom of Mercury.

The noisy human voices, the mixed aroma of food, and the bright lights instantly enveloped them.

Shang Wan Ning took a deep breath. That familiar, pungent, and enticing scent of pickled bamboo shoots rushed directly into her nasal cavity, making her squint her eyes in satisfaction.

"This way. I ate at that Luosifen place last time, it was amazing." She pulled Ling Qi along, familiar with the route, passing through the shoulder-to-shoulder crowd, and headed straight for a permanent stall hanging red lanterns deep in the night market.

"Boss, two servings of Luosifen, extra spicy, add extra pickled bamboo shoots and yuba, and double the peanuts!" Shang Wan Ning leaned in front of the stall, her voice sounding a bit muffled through the mask, but the gleam in her eyes could not be hidden.

The boss was a middle-aged man wearing a greasy apron. Hearing this, he responded loudly: "Got it! Two beauties, please wait a moment, it will be ready soon."

While waiting, Shang Wan Ning looked around with great interest and nudged Ling Qi with her elbow: "Look at those sugar paintings over there. I saw them in the human world decades ago. I didn't expect them to still exist now."

Ling Qi looked in the direction of her gaze and nodded gently: "The craft hasn't been lost. That's good."

"Do you want to try one? Shall we go buy one after we finish the noodles?" Shang Wan Ning's eyes sparkled with anticipation.

"If Your Majesty wants to eat it, then we shall go." Ling Qi still gently agreed, but her gaze did not stop, calmly scanning the surrounding crowd, assessing potential security risks.

Just then, four young girls arrived at the table next to them, sitting down noisily, which immediately made the surroundings much livelier.

Among them, the girl wearing a camisole dress held a milk tea, and in a coquettish voice, sent a voice message on her phone: "Sister~ I just secretly took a sip of your taro ball milk tea. Your boyfriend won't be jealous, will he?"

The girl with a high ponytail immediately leaned over and deliberately pinched her voice to chime in: "Yeah, yeah! Sister, I even shared a straw with you. Will he think I'm trying to steal you away?"

The girl in the camisole dress laughed until she couldn't straighten up, and continued to act spoiled toward her phone: "But Sister's milk tea is so delicious, much sweeter than my cup of 30% sugar one—oh my, he won't be angry at me, right? I'm so scared~"

The short-haired girl slapped her with a "smack" and rolled her eyes: "Stop pretending! Who was it that snatched the barbecue skewers bought by someone's boyfriend last time, ate half a dozen and still said they weren't full, and finally even swiped the boyfriend's cola? Have you no shame?"

"That's different!"

"Barbecue is salty, milk tea is sweet. I'm just spreading the love evenly."

The girl in the camisole dress was righteous and bold, and added another line in a soft voice to her phone: "Sister, if your boyfriend is angry, you must help me speak up for myself. I really didn't mean it~"

The high-ponytail girl laughed until she was leaning backward and forward, leaning toward the phone and shouting: "Brother-in-law, she is doing it on purpose! Next time you buy milk tea, just buy two cups, don't let her covet yours!"

"Go to hell!" The girl in the camisole dress reached out to tickle her, "I am testing your boyfriend for Sister! If he gets angry over such a small thing, then he's too narrow-minded!"

The short-haired girl rested her chin on her hand and slowly added a finishing blow: "Cut it out, you just purely want to sponge off food and drinks. Last time you even said that Brother-in-law was handsome and wanted to recognize him as an older sworn brother."

"That's called appreciation, appreciation, understand?" The girl in the camisole dress retorted with her neck stiff, then softened her voice toward the phone again, "Sister, I was wrong, okay? I won't sponge off your milk tea next time. I'll ask Brother-in-law to buy me one separately, okay~"

The four girls laughed together, rowdy and noisy, filled with the intimate bickering between best friends.

Shang Wan Ning raised an eyebrow and smiled, the corners of her mouth unable to help but curl up.

Ling Qi noticed A Ning's abnormality and turned her head to ask: "A Ning, what's wrong?"

Shang Wan Ning shook her head, her tone carrying disdain: "Nothing, just thinking of some people who make others uncomfortable."

Suddenly leaning close to Ling Qi, a mischievous glint flashed in her eyes, and she said in a breathy voice: "But AQi, if one day someone speaks to you like that, what would you do?"

Ling Qi pushed up her glasses expressionlessly, the lenses reflecting the light of the night market: "Subordinate would suggest she go to the neurology department to check if her language center hasn't developed properly."