Su Wen left after only a few sips of tea; the taste was too strong, too bitter.
Old Lin stood by the top-floor window of the Treasure Pavilion, supported by a maid, watching Su Wen's departing back until he disappeared from sight.
"Elder Mu, this child has a mind of his own…"
After a long while, the old woman sighed softly.
"A ten-year-old child who can resist the temptation of having clothes handed to him and meals served—many adults can't manage that. So independent, charismatic, decisive. He will indeed be an excellent leader in the future, but… is the Academy really not going to help at all?"
"Hehe, isn't the Academy already helping?"
From the shadow on the other side.
Mu En sat in a wheelchair, his figure slowly emerging.
Smiling, he reassured the old woman: "Old Lin, I know what you're worried about, but letting him live in a golden wooden hut on Sea God Island—that's treatment even Xiao Tao hasn't enjoyed. The kid has his own ideas. If he runs into a problem he can't solve, he definitely won't stubbornly shoulder it alone. That shows he doesn't reject the Academy. Right now, the Academy just needs to make its stance clear… and that's enough."
"I understand." The old woman nodded slightly, a glint of relief returning to her eyes.
…
"Flynn Trading House."
Su Wen watched as workers took down a signboard. The goods inside had been carried out by movers until almost nothing was left—save for lingering medicinal fragrance.
The previous owner had been in the dried-herb business, buying herbs from villagers near the Star Dou Forest or from soul masters, then reselling them to Shrek City. Even if the price doubled, there were plenty of buyers. The core, of course, was traffic—the more people who saw the sign, the more potential customers.
In this world, many herbs carry soul power. Though they lack the sapience of plant-type soul beasts and are far from as precious as immortal herbs, they contain spiritual energy and thus have unique effects—healing injuries, replenishing soul power, etc.
For example, the Xuanwu Divine Pill of the Xuanwu Sect is refined from several kinds of medicinal materials with techniques unique to soul masters.
"…"
"A shop totaling several hundred square meters, with three lofted floors. Tsk, tsk—these beams are exquisitely designed. To blend Eastern aesthetics with Western delicacy to this degree… that's a hallmark of this continent."
Su Wen sighed.
And best of all, no need for a full renovation.
"Xiao Wen, you've got a good eye."
Ma Xiaotao looked around, curiosity glittering in her beautiful eyes.
"But what are you going to sell?" The girl slid closer and slung an arm boldly around Su Wen, striking a pose like she was surveying the realm—while her ample chest shone straight at him.
"Milk tea!" Su Wen grinned.
…
…
Restricted kitchen area.
The Ice Emperor looked dead inside, using tongs to hold a knife and crush ice, then flicking the shards neatly into a cup of milk tea. The surface rippled slightly, but the cup didn't move an inch. That wasn't just precise control of strength; it was also skill born of practice…
After a month of experiments, Su Wen had roughly recreated the flavors from his previous life, then added popular local fruits—fresh orange juice, watermelon, etc. The taste was slightly astringent, but pure and authentic. Compared to the premix-and-stir half-finished stuff back home in the early days, this was many times fresher.
Naturally, with milk tea came ice cream. In this world, freezing techniques are quite convenient—beast labor like the Ice Emperor is almost too useful.
"Hm? Delicious!"
Ma Xiaotao took a sip of watermelon milk tea, her eyes turning into little stars. She insisted Su Wen taste it too—then pressed her red lips to his. Her tongue darted out playfully, teasing his lips apart as the sweet, cold watermelon flavor mingled between them. The kiss deepened as she pressed closer, her warm tongue sliding sensually against his, making him taste every drop of the fruity sweetness she'd saved just for him.
Soft, warm, tinged with cool watermelon juice—her eyes burned so close to his that Su Wen felt both pain and pleasure. The contrast between her hot mouth and the chilled drink sent shivers down his spine as she explored him thoroughly, her tongue dancing and twirling with his in a passionate dance.
"...If you're feeding me, fine, but don't use your tongue…" he protested weakly, though his body betrayed him as he leaned into her kiss, savoring the intimate way she shared the refreshing drink. His hands found her waist, pulling her closer despite his words.
She giggled against his lips, giving one final, deliberately slow lick before pulling back just enough to whisper, "Too late for that..." Her eyes sparkled with mischief as she took another sip, clearly planning to "feed" him more.
Fortunately, the kitchen was restricted-access.
Only they and the Ice Emperor were there.
…
"Huff, huff~"
After a long while, Su Wen was finally released and greedily gulped fresh air. Just now, Ma Xiaotao hadn't given him a single breath, even trying to take what little air he had.
"So cute." Ma Xiaotao's fair cheeks were flushed. With red-tinted nails, she patted Su Wen's face, thoroughly satisfied.
"What other flavors? Let big sis help you try them." She licked her red lips, eager. Her eyes sparkled with mischief as she reached for more of the fruit-flavored candies, already imagining how each would taste when shared between their mouths. Her tongue darted out to wet her lips, still tingling from their previous kiss.
"Mango, lemon, and... mmph, mmph!" Before he could finish listing the flavors, she pounced again, crushing her mouth against his. This time she had popped a mango candy between her lips first, and her tongue pushed it into his mouth along with her passionate invasion. Her fingers tangled in his hair as she tilted his head back, deepening the kiss while the tropical sweetness dissolved between them.
Su Wen looked resigned to his fate as she thoroughly explored his mouth once more, her tongue tracing every contour while she hummed in delight. Her body pressed closer, pinning him against the wall as she savored both the candy and his increasingly eager responses. Despite his pretend protests, his hands had found their way to her waist, pulling her even nearer as their tongues danced and twisted together.
The mango candy was long gone, but Ma Xiaotao showed no signs of stopping. She nipped his bottom lip playfully before diving back in, determined to steal his breath away all over again. Her satisfied purrs and his muffled moans mingled together as she continued "helping" him sample every flavor, one deep, passionate kiss at a time.
…
…
…
"Congratulations on your grand opening. If Xiao Tao hadn't made a huge fuss about it in the inner court, we wouldn't have known you actually opened a… er, milk tea shop?" Wang Yi looked surprised. "By the way, Xiao Wen, what even is a milk tea shop?"
"Here, try some. One for each. Big sis is treating!" Ma Xiaotao generously handed out several cups of milk tea.
"Big Sis Xiao Tao is the best!"
"Heh, since someone else is buying, of course I'll try."
The inner court students laughed and joked.
Then came a chorus of astonished exclamations.
Milk tea and ice cream are a lot like instant noodles—the first bite is always the most fragrant and stunning. The novelty might fade over time, but there's no denying these inner court students were hooked.
"I'll take five! Bringing them back for my girlfriend."
"Make it ten. I'll store them in my soul-guide ring and sip one when I'm craving it."
"…"
"One coin per cup—one gold soul coin each, folks. Pay over here."
Ma Xiaotao, appointed cashier by Su Wen, called out heartily as she collected payments.
"One gold soul coin. Damn, that's worth it," an inner court student sighed.
For ordinary civilians, a single cup of milk tea could be a month's household expense.
But for these rich young masters—or soul masters—it's just a routine afternoon tea. So they were Su Wen's main target—whoever has money, that's whose money he'll earn.
As the sign went up,
the benefits of foot traffic began to show.
All three floors filled to bursting. At least one cup sold every second. Shrek City is never short of the wealthy, and many onlookers—though finding one gold soul coin pricey—decided to splurge once to try the fad after seeing how booming the business was.
Before long, even inner court students spontaneously pitched in to help. They were desperately short-staffed.
The Ice Emperor in the back kitchen was working so fast he was practically leaving afterimages.
In the end, Su Wen simply summoned the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear to help.
It nearly scared the crowd into bolting.
Fortunately, a few inner court students explained, and seeing a fearsome Dreadclaw Bear obediently running errands shocked many passersby into wide-eyed curiosity. Driven by that curiosity, they suppressed their fear—for now.
"Roar~"
Little Gold handed a bagged milk tea to a nearby youth.
But the latter froze.
Because just last month, during trials at the Great Soul Arena, this very Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear had swatted him flying with a single slap…
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Advanced chapter here: p-atreon.com/Sajaboyzzz
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