Chapter 61: Natural Beauty

Chapter 61: Chapter 61: Natural Beauty

A smile graced Qiao Suluo’s face as she spoke with refreshing generosity. "There’s no need. The method is very simple. We just sell things using a set menu model."

"A set menu?"

This was the first time Zhao Tingci had ever heard of such a concept. He extended his hand in a polite, inviting gesture, his movements elegant and noble. "Please continue, Miss Qiao."

Qiao Suluo explained, "Usually, when people come to a restaurant to eat, they order dishes one by one. Alternatively, guests visiting Drunken Immortal Tower for the first time might not be familiar with your menu and need you to introduce some signature dishes...

"I think you could offer a combination service. This means grouping several dishes together, balancing meat and vegetables, and selling them at a fixed price. By offering a slight discount, customer acceptance will be higher, and it will also save time spent on ordering..."

Qiao Suluo laid out a detailed explanation.

Listening to this, Zhao Tingci felt as if a whole new world had been opened to him. Ripples of excitement stirred within his usually calm demeanor. He could easily imagine that if Drunken Immortal Tower introduced this method, it would be immensely popular. It might even take the restaurant’s business to the next level.

When Zhao Tingci looked at Qiao Suluo now, his expression had grown completely serious. He wondered why everyone in Capital City called her a good-for-nothing. How could such a brilliant female possibly be useless?

"Thank you for sharing this, Miss Qiao."

Qiao Suluo waved her hand. "You’re too polite, Mr. Zhao. You are a straightforward person, and I am merely returning the favor.

"I might come to the county town often to do business in the future, so I will have to trouble you for your protection, Mr. Zhao."

She could still create many unique dishes, and having the Zhao family’s protection would make things much easier.

Zhao Tingci pondered for a moment before speaking. "There is a very spacious area right by the entrance of Drunken Immortal Tower. You could set up a permanent stall there, Miss Qiao. It would be much more convenient for your daily operations, and you wouldn’t have to carry your equipment back and forth every day. You can store your things in the restaurant’s backyard."

Hearing this, Qiao Suluo’s expression brightened. This was truly exactly what she needed just when she needed it.

The more she looked at this Mr. Zhao, the more pleasing she found him. Although she couldn’t clearly see his face, it didn’t stop her from thinking he was a great guy. She also understood why he wore a cloak. He was still an unwed male who hadn’t married yet, so wearing it was purely for the sake of preserving his good reputation. The Zhao family likely had strict rules that required this of him. Noble families generally had all sorts of demands like that.

"Alright, then I won’t stand on ceremony."

Next, Qiao Suluo revealed the secret recipe for making tofu. As for the coagulant needed to curdle it—which wasn’t yet available on the market—she simply bought it from her spatial dimension using points to supply the workshop.

Zhao Tingci was astounded after hearing the tofu recipe. He never expected it to be made from soybeans, an incredibly low-cost ingredient on the market. Because soybeans couldn’t be made into tastier dishes, combined with their high yield, their market price was dirt cheap. One could only imagine how staggering the profit margins would be if they made and sold tofu.

The only issue was that tofu spoiled easily. However, Miss Qiao had also mentioned that it could be processed into tofu skin or dried tofu for better preservation. Naturally, there were many other things tofu could be made into, but Qiao Suluo didn’t reveal everything.

The contract only covered a cooperative tofu workshop. She wanted to test the waters first, as she couldn’t completely trust this Mr. Zhao right away. Of course, through their conversation, she also learned that his name was Zhao Tingci. He was the eldest son of the Zhao family’s Direct Lineage and held a great deal of power. With that being the case, the tofu workshop should launch smoothly, and she wouldn’t need to worry about the sales side of things.

After leaving Drunken Immortal Tower, Qiao Suluo immediately headed to the underground auction house to redeem Chu Moyuan.

However, the steward of the underground auction house told Qiao Suluo bluntly, "Chu Moyuan has been sent out on an errand by our Patriarch. He is not here.

"If you want to redeem him, you’ll have to wait until he gets back."

Steward Qin looked at Qiao Suluo with contempt. With his nose practically pointing at the sky, he acted as if he couldn’t even be bothered to entertain her.

Qiao Suluo’s expression changed. "What kind of errand? Where did he go?"

The steward sneered disdainfully. "The affairs of our underground auction house are none of your business. What he’s doing and where he went isn’t something you are entitled to know."

Hearing this, Qiao Suluo’s heart sank, worried that Chu Moyuan might be in danger. "Then when will he be back?"

Steward Qin acted as if he had just heard a hilarious joke. He let out a scoff and refused to say another word, seemingly too lazy to bother with them anymore.

However, Qiao Suluo sensed that something was wrong based on his attitude. It was as if her question was ridiculous—as if Chu Moyuan was never coming back.

Remembering Chu Moyuan’s face, Qiao Suluo’s heart lurched. She couldn’t help but ask the system, "System, where did Chu Moyuan go? Is it very dangerous?"

The system replied, "Patriarch Qin sent him to lead a small squad into a Secret Realm to find a stalk of spirit medicine. That Secret Realm is fraught with danger, and it’s unknown whether he can make it back. However, he is the main villain boss of this world, so he won’t die easily.

"I can sense that he is still alive right now, so you don’t need to worry for the time being, Host."

Thinking back to the state she had found Chu Moyuan in that day, Qiao Suluo absolutely didn’t want anything bad to happen to him. They were good people who had been persecuted into their current state by her predecessor. If he lost his life because of this, it would simply be too unfair.

"Is there anything I can do right now? Or can I go save him?"

The system spoke up, "Not only do you currently have no power, Host, but even if you did, your abilities wouldn’t allow you to enter that Secret Realm.

"My current capabilities are also insufficient to track the route. Even if we asked the Qin Family, they would absolutely never tell us.

"Therefore, Host, you should just wait patiently for his return."

Qiao Suluo felt a deep sense of powerlessness. "I should have come earlier."

The system pointed out, "But even if you had come earlier, you didn’t have any silver, so you wouldn’t have been able to redeem him anyway. This is not your fault. You don’t need to blame yourself, Host."

Despite those words, a lingering sense of unease settled in Qiao Suluo’s heart, though she couldn’t pinpoint why. Since staying here was pointless, she turned around, ready to leave.

Just then, a strikingly flamboyant and beautiful woman strutted into the room. Seeing Qiao Suluo standing in the middle of the path, the woman unceremoniously lashed her whip straight at her. "Move aside, you damn fatso! How dare you block my way!"

The woman moved incredibly fast, but Que Hongjin’s reflexes were even quicker. He reached out and pulled Qiao Suluo into his protective embrace, dodging the whip with a flash of movement. Simultaneously, he deployed the Peacock Feather in his hand, striking the whip right back.

Que Hongjin didn’t spare the attacker a single glance. His immediate priority was Qiao Suluo in his arms. "Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere or feeling unwell?"

Qiao Suluo shook her head. Bai Qianluo had also stepped firmly in front of Qiao Suluo at the first opportunity to shield her.

The moment Qin Siyan laid eyes on Que Hongjin and Bai Qianluo, a flash of utter amazement and raw greed lit up her eyes. These two males were absolutely breathtaking—natural-born beauties. And beautiful things deserved to belong to her.

That disgusting gaze filled Bai Qianluo with intense revulsion. His cold, aloof features turned as sharp as winter frost, as if he could manifest blades of ice to stab Qin Siyan.

Qin Siyan curled her lips into a malicious smile. Taming males like these would only bring her an immense sense of accomplishment. When her gaze finally shifted back to Qiao Suluo, she found the woman vaguely familiar. She paused for a moment before finally recognizing her, and her malicious smile twisted into a mocking sneer. "You’re that ugly wench, Qiao Suluo?

"What, are you here to sell these two Beast Husbands of yours this time?"