496: Immeasurable merit

Shang Wan Ning looked at the three of them, observing their expressions of utter despair and deep resentment, and the pleasure she felt from winning money was inexplicably mixed with a trace of guilt.

She cleared her throat, attempting to soothe them: "Victory and defeat are common occurrences for soldiers... How about this, it's my treat. The Imperial Kitchen Department just got in some new milk tea, something called 'Orchid Latte' and 'Underworld Cheese'. One cup for each of you, with double pearl taro balls, plus a plate of osmanthus cake. Consider it a reward from me."

Qing Dai's eyes lit up for a fraction of a second before quickly dimming again, and she said aggrievedly: "No matter how good the milk tea and osmanthus cake are, they can't fill the hole in this servant's heart! Your Majesty~"

"Exactly," Su Bi chimed in, which was rare for her, "saving money is not easy to begin with!"

Shang Wan Ning picked up her teacup and took a tactical sip of water.

Pay them back? That was impossible.

Once the incense points entered her pocket, there was no reason to spit them back out. Besides, she was actually helping them!

After this battle, surely these girls would develop a twelve-fold reverence for mahjong. In the future, they would at most dare to play for a yuan or two, and would never dare touch this "high-stakes gamble" of fifty points per round again.

In the long run, this was helping them break their gambling addiction; it was an act of immeasurable merit.

Xiao Si rolled her eyes wildly within the System Space, "Ah, this!!!"

[This bad woman is incredibly scummy!]

If she hadn't watched Shang Wan Ning buy a three-hour luck buff from the System Mall, she would have almost believed this nonsense about "helping people quit gambling."

However, Xiao Si didn't dare let the Empress know about her internal monologue. Even if she wanted to complain, she could only roll her eyes elegantly.

Fortunately, she was a System, so when she rolled her eyes, she wouldn't use too much force and cause her face to cramp.

The card game ended, and the winner took all.

Shang Wan Ning truly treated them. Not only did she provide the "Orchid Latte" and "Underworld Cheese" specially made by the Imperial Kitchen Department, but she also sent someone to quickly go to "Quan Ju Yin," the most famous shop in the Underworld Market, to pack up three of their signature "Netherfire Roasted Soul Ducks"—which were said to be an Underworld specialty, but were actually a netherworld reproduction of Beijing roast duck from the mortal realm.

The mahjong table in the warm pavilion was cleared away and replaced with a mahogany round table.

Several ghost attendants filed in, carrying trays lined with ink-colored velvet, and efficiently set the dishes.

In the center were slices of duck meat as thin as cicada wings, glowing with an amber luster and neatly arranged on a white porcelain plate. Each slice had both skin and meat, with the edges shimmering with an alluring caramel color—the distinctive mark of being slow-roasted over netherfire.

Beside it were seven or eight small blue-and-white porcelain dishes: glistening sweet bean sauce, finely shredded scallion whites, tender green cucumber strips, pickled hawthorn strips, and "Water-Tender Green" vegetable leaves, a specialty of the Underworld.

Stacks of lotus leaf pancakes, as thin as rice paper, were steamed until they were wreathed in white steam, served in small woven bamboo baskets, and kept warm by a layer of clean, damp gauze underneath.

There was also the remaining duck carcass; half was boiled into a rich, milky-white, fragrant soup sprinkled with chopped cilantro, and the other half was sprinkled with salt and pepper, fried until crispy, and served on another plate.

The aroma, mingled with the sweetness of the milk tea, spread throughout the warm pavilion.

Qing Dai and the others had originally been wearing long faces, and facing the pile of milk tea and snacks in front of them, they had no appetite.

But now, hit by the hot, fragrant roast duck, their stomachs betrayed them with a "rumble," and their eyes couldn't help but drift over.

"Alright, stop pulling such long faces."

Shang Wan Ning picked up a lotus leaf pancake, dipped a pair of silver chopsticks into some sweet bean sauce, and skillfully spread it: "I said it was my treat, would I shortchange you? Taste it. The master chef at the Underworld Market's 'Quan Ju Yin' has excellent slicing skills. It's said their ancestors did this in the mortal realm, and after they died, they used this skill to open seven more shops down here."

She picked up two slices of duck meat with crispy skin, dipped them thoroughly in the sweet sauce, placed them on the pancake, added scallion shreds and cucumber strips, rolled it up with her fingertips into a little parcel, and handed it to the wide-eyed Qing Dai.

"Here, you lost my money and ate my duck; we're even."

Qing Dai took it.

The warm sensation and the intoxicating aroma made her subconsciously swallow her saliva.

She took a careful bite.

The pancake was soft and chewy, the duck skin was crispy and fragrant, and the meat was tender and juicy. The salty sweetness of the sweet bean sauce, the slight pungency of the scallions, and the refreshing crunch of the cucumber exploded in her mouth in distinct layers.

The gentle warmth of the soul power infused by the netherfire slid down her esophagus, spreading warmth throughout her chest and abdomen, and the gloom of losing money faded by more than half.

"...Delicious."

She mumbled vaguely, then took another big bite, saying indistinctly while chewing: "It's just that the price is a bit heavy."

"This servant saved up for two months for the 'Succubus Sister Tip Fund'... One bite, and I feel like the tip fund for the Succubus Sister has directly decreased by half a level."

Seeing this, Su Bi and Shen Yan stopped being polite and started rolling their own pancakes.

Lin Zhu was young and had originally only dared to watch from the side, but Shang Wan Ning also stuffed a pre-rolled one into her hand.

Su Bi's pancake-rolling movements remained elegant, and she sighed softly: "The pancakes Your Majesty rolls truly taste extraordinary."

"It's just that when I think of my partner's birthday next month, the 'Frosty Moon Snow' themed incense pastry gift box I had my eye on will likely have to be downgraded from an inlaid jade gift box to loose items in a paper bag."

Shen Yan silently finished rolling one, and before taking a bite, she whispered: "Wuwu, the newly released 'Other Shore Cinnabar Red' rouge, I'm afraid I'll have to watch it get sold out."

Lin Zhu held the duck roll, eating it in small bites, her eyes narrowing in happiness. Hearing her sisters, she whispered: "B-but it's really delicious... The ones Your Majesty rolls are especially fragrant. Sister Qing Dai, didn't you also say it was 'delicious' just now?"

Qing Dai choked slightly, swallowed the duck meat with effort, and poked Lin Zhu's forehead: "Eat your food! You little ingrate, it's not your money that was lost, so you don't feel the pain."

"This bite of duck meat cost fifty incense points!"

For a time, in the warm pavilion, besides the slight sounds of chewing and the occasional slurping of milk tea, there was also the conversation among the maids, filled with sorrow yet unable to resist being captivated by the delicious food.

Shang Wan Ning herself was slowly rolling pancakes, taking a bite of duck meat, a bite of crispy salt and pepper duck carcass, and then a sip of the icy "Orchid Latte."

In the "night" of the Underworld, water mist swirled outside the window, the Nether Lotuses in the pond were quietly unfolding, and a pale purple halo rippled across the water's surface...

The pleasure of winning money, the satisfaction of delicious food, and the relaxation of stealing a half-day of leisure from life were all intertwined.

Of course, if one could completely ignore the fact that every few bites Qing Dai took, she would subconsciously touch the empty incense pouch at her waist, a look of heartache flashing across her face.

Su Bi stared at the duck soup, likely calculating how many pieces of her partner's favorite osmanthus cake this meal could have bought; Shen Yan chewed the duck meat with a vacant gaze, perhaps thinking about which newly released rouge shade she would miss out on next month.

That would be even more perfect.

Shang Wan Ning pretended not to see, focusing on the duck roll in her hand.

Eating with pain and pleasure, that was probably just how it was.

As she was eating, her fingertips suddenly trembled slightly.

It wasn't a physical reaction; it was a spiritual sense.

A wisp of her consciousness left at the Internet Cafe to monitor the progress of the chat between Star and Zhulong sent back a slight fluctuation.

There was a new development.

Shang Wan Ning's movements didn't stop; she put the last bit of the duck roll into her mouth and chewed it thoroughly.

However, a wisp of her mind had already separated and sunk into the System Space.