Chapter 26: Lady Gongsun, the Wealthy Widow

Swish! The three of them appeared once again before the gates of the ancient castle.

“Shouldn’t we take a break?” Prince Hao’s feet hadn’t even touched the ground before he was teleported inside.

“It’s already eleven—maybe we should have lunch before continuing?”

“Lunch can wait! Let’s clear a few more rounds!” Song Qi pointed, and Lu Bu’s massive figure crashed heavily to the ground.

“Lu Bu, go!”

“At your command!”

This time, Lu Bu had already gauged the enemy’s strength. He didn’t rush to kill the guards, but deliberately advanced at a calm, measured pace.

Click.

Lu Bu drew ever closer to the castle, his footsteps alerting the guards. Once they confirmed an intruder, the guards immediately blew their whistles.

Beeep!

“Enemy attack!”

“Enemy attack!”

Creak...

The gates of the castle swung open, and several blood thralls rushed out. On the upper balcony, two more appeared, armed with crossbows, alongside one holding a staff, poised for battle.

Without a word, two bolts—each encased in icy shards—shot through the air.

“Hmph!” Lu Bu didn’t even glance up. His halberd traced two arcs in the air.

A gust of wind swept past, and the bolts and icy shards veered off course, shattering against the stones nearby.

“Cowering vermin—neither fight nor die with any satisfaction. How disappointing!” Lu Bu even found himself missing the swarms of zombies from before; at least he could slaughter them to his heart’s content.

“Squawk!” One blood thrall, clad in heavy armor and wielding a spear, charged at him.

But in the next instant—

Bang!

Lu Bu swiped his halberd horizontally, smashing the thrall into a cloud of blood.

Without further delay, he stormed into the castle.

From a distance...

“One, two, three, four... Only seven blood thralls summoned? And Baron William hasn’t appeared. What a shame,” Song Qi lamented.

He had hoped to lure the boss out directly, finish the battle swiftly, and rack up experience in no time.

The Crimson Blood Nest dungeon was different from the Corpse Tide dungeon. Though its difficulty was higher, it was still considered an ordinary dungeon. As someone with a super S-class talent, he could clear ordinary dungeons infinitely, with no limit on attempts.

He could have amassed a vast amount of experience by speed-killing the boss.

But his plan was easier imagined than realized. Reality refused to cooperate.

Lu Bu had to search every room in the castle one by one.

“Another ten minutes wasted.”

“Forget it—let’s play cards!”

Song Qi turned, smiling as he sat between the other two.

“Hurry up, Prince, get your cards out. We’ve time for another couple of rounds.”

“No way! You still owe me ten flicks to the forehead from last game.”

“We’ll settle up later—once we finish all the runs. We’re not the kind to renege.”

“Well... fine. But remember, ten flicks, not a single one less.”

“Got it, got it.”

...

Just as Song Qi expected, this dungeon took them only fifteen minutes.

They earned three pieces of ordinary-quality equipment, none particularly useful, which Song Qi pocketed.

Without delay, the moment they stepped out onto the plaza, they were instantly teleported back in again.

As Prince Hao put it, his foot barely touched the plaza’s tiles before he was whisked back to the castle gates.

Even on their third entry, they couldn’t lure the boss out. Fortunately, Lu Bu found Baron William in the last minute before the triple experience card expired—and finished him off with a single blow in the coffin.

[Congratulations on clearing the dungeon!]

[Calculating rewards...]

[Congratulations! This run’s overall rating is... S-class!]

As the system notification rang out again, the three appeared once more in the plaza.

“Brother Song, are we continuing? We’ve been grinding since morning—maybe we should take a break?” Prince Hao pressed his hand to his forehead and hugged his stomach.

During the past half hour, at his insistence, the forehead flicks were settled immediately after each round.

He ended up losing not only his previously accrued ten flicks, but when the tally was done, Song Qi and Gongsun Wuyue flicked him a total of thirty times.

His forehead was tinged with red.

Gongsun Wuyue covered her mouth and chuckled.

“Can’t take it anymore? Immediate settlement was your rule.”

“Who says I can’t take it! I... I’m just a bit hungry, skipped breakfast, and have no strength for cards.” Prince Hao retorted stubbornly.

“If you don’t believe me, let’s play a few more rounds!”

“All right, all right. Let’s go eat,” Song Qi interrupted.

His triple experience card had expired. There was no need to keep going—the afternoon was soon enough.

“Fine, I’m starving too,” Gongsun Wuyue agreed.

“I know a good restaurant nearby. Why don’t we eat there?”

“Oh, a place recommended by the Gongsun family’s little princess?” Prince Hao’s interest was piqued, though he hesitated.

“But... it’s not too expensive, is it?”

“Right. We don’t have much money. He’s a rich kid, but his father doesn’t give him much allowance,” Song Qi echoed his concern.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t afford it. He had a credit card with a ten-million limit.

But after years of frugality, spending tens of thousands on a meal would still make his heart ache.

Gongsun Wuyue laughed brightly.

“Relax, this meal is on me!”

“You’re treating us?” Both their eyes instantly lit up.

If she was paying, that was a whole different story.

“A treat from the rich lady? What are we waiting for, let’s go!”

“Come on, it’s not about the treat—it’s about giving Gongsun our respect!”

“Yes! Gongsun deserves our respect!” Prince Hao echoed eagerly.

...

Soon, the three, led by Gongsun Wuyue, arrived at the entrance of a luxurious restaurant in the inner city.

“We’re here—this is Jingming Pavilion.”

At the entrance, Prince Hao’s eyes widened.

“My god... Jingming Pavilion! You really are a rich lady.”

Song Qi was puzzled. He rarely ventured into the inner city and was unfamiliar with such extravagance.

“Is this place famous?”

“Very famous,” Prince Hao nodded. “My dad’s factory has an annual output of over a billion, and he’s reluctant to come here—only when meeting clients. It’s absolutely one of Seventh District’s top-tier restaurants.”

Gongsun Wuyue turned and explained further.

“Well, it’s not the absolute pinnacle, but they specialize in all kinds of monster meats—it’s quite renowned. Their most famous and delicious dish is Magic River Fish. In all of Seventh District, only they can handle this fish. I made a reservation yesterday. It’s a bit pricey, but worth every credit—it’s truly delicious.”

Prince Hao quickly agreed, giving a thumbs-up.

“Brother Song, Magic River Fish lives up to its reputation. That texture, that flavor—it’s incredible! I had it once half a year ago, and I still remember it. You have to try it.”

“Thank you, Lady Gongsun. I’ve dreamed of eating it again, but my dad never allows it. Now you’re treating—I’ll call you Big Sis from now on!”

Halfway through, Song Qi noticed that Prince Hao was already drooling.

He wasn’t lying, which made Song Qi genuinely look forward to the meal.

“Thank you, Lady Gongsun!”

“It’s nothing,” Gongsun Wuyue waved it off, summoned a waiter, and led the two upstairs.

But to their surprise, just as they reached the third floor and took their seats—

Suddenly...

A mocking voice sounded from beside their table.

“Well, look who’s here?”

“Isn’t this the super S-class talent holder from Third High? Why aren’t you still farming the Slime Calamity dungeon?”

The three turned, puzzled, and saw Chu Shaojiang and his group seated at another table on the third floor.