Rules of the Shop

"Sister, why are you hitting me?!" Bu Lige cried out indignantly, clutching his head.

Bu Shiyi sighed, pressing her fingers to her temple. She felt her brother might truly be a lost cause.

"Eight times ten? Why are you overthinking it? It's addition, not multiplication!" she snapped, glaring at him.

Yao Ziyan, standing nearby, couldn't help but cover her mouth to stifle a laugh.

The dynamic between the two siblings was always entertaining.

"But even if it's just one hour, an eighteenfold increase in cultivation speed is terrifying," Bu Shiyi admitted after taking a deep breath.

Both Yao Ziyan and Bu Lige nodded in agreement.

"Let's buy two more buckets of instant noodles!" Bu Shiyi decided on the spot.

"The stuff in the boss's shop is ridiculously expensive, though," Bu Lige muttered, feeling a headache coming on as he glanced at his space ring after paying the spirit crystals.

Today alone, he had spent a total of 460 spirit crystals.

Even as the son of the Southern Protector, with considerable wealth at his disposal, his resources couldn't handle this kind of spending for long.

Fine. No cola or spicy bars today.

A few minutes later, the instant noodles were ready.

Bu Lige began eating, and all his earlier concerns disappeared from his mind.

Who cared about the price? As long as it was practical and delicious, it was worth it!

And these instant noodles? Absolutely delicious!

After finishing their meal, the siblings bid farewell to Luo Chuan and Yao Ziyan before leaving the shop.

Meanwhile, Gu Yunxi and Jiang Wanshang remained engrossed in their games, completely unaware of what was happening around them.

However, their immersion didn't last long.

Not long after, two frustrated shouts echoed through the shop:

"Ahhh! So close! I almost cleared the first normal mode!"

"What happened?! Why did I suddenly get kicked out of the game?!"

Both turned toward Yao Ziyan, their faces filled with anger and confusion.

"The shop rules," Yao Ziyan explained calmly. "Each person is only allowed three hours of gameplay per day."

At that moment, Luo Chuan, who had been resting, stood up and walked into the shop after hearing the commotion.

"There are rules for how long you can play," he confirmed, nodding.

Gu Yunxi and Jiang Wanshang looked at each other in shock.

"There's such a rule?"

Luo Chuan nodded again.

"Boss, isn't it just ten spirit crystals per hour? I'll pay double—no, ten times the price! Let me play for just a little longer!" Gu Yunxi pleaded, trying her best to look pitiful.

"Yes, boss," Jiang Wanshang chimed in. "Rules are made by people. Can't you make an exception just this once?"

Yao Ziyan, having seen this play out countless times before, knew exactly what the outcome would be.

The boss's rules were absolute, without exception.

To Luo Chuan, the two girls looked like gaming addicts who needed intervention. To save them from themselves, he could not compromise.

He shook his head firmly, his voice final: "No."

Pointing to the small whiteboard on the wall behind him, he added, "The rules are clearly written there."

The two turned to look where he was pointing and saw the board covered in handwriting outlining all the shop's regulations.

"Boss, there are so many rules in your shop..." Gu Yunxi muttered, her tone somewhere between amazement and dismay.

After a moment, Jiang Wanshang sighed in resignation. "Fine. I'll be in Nine Stars City for a while, anyway. I'll just come back tomorrow."

Realizing there was no way around it, the two girls reluctantly chose to compromise.

"But honestly, boss, your prices are way too high!" Gu Yunxi exclaimed suddenly, crossing her arms.

In just a few hours, she had spent more than a hundred spirit crystals.

And all for a game!