Two Years of Change, The Foremost Restaurant—Qinglin Restaurant

[Ding! Listening to last words complete!]

[Obtained relic: "Merchant Knowledge"!]

A pale golden orb of light drifted shakily out from the old urn.

[Ding! The great profiteer Lin Qing has passed away peacefully, content and without any final wishes.]

"No final wishes?"

Lin Qing scratched his head, finding it quite novel.

This was the first time he had encountered a version of himself from a parallel world who hadn't left behind a single lingering thought.

He came as an ordinary person and left as an ordinary person.

His life was complete, without a single regret.

"This is for the best."

Lin Qing felt genuinely happy for this "great profiteer."

In a place like the Douluo Continent, living a peaceful and happy life until old age was better than anything else.

He reached out a finger and gently touched the orb of light.

"Hum--!"

A massive amount of information rushed into his brain like a floodgate bursting open.

Good heavens!

How to analyze the market, how to calculate risks, how to control capital, how to squeeze out profits... these business methods were now crystal clear.

How to deploy personnel, how to evaluate work, how to boost morale, how to smooth things over when trouble arose... these management techniques were also perfectly understood.

There were also countless negotiation tricks—how to read people during a deal, how to play psychological games, when to take a step back, and when to hold the line—along with a pile of vivid examples, both successful and disastrous. It was all there.

Lin Qing's eyes lit up instantly.

"These things are incredibly useful!"

He chuckled to himself.

Not only would they be useful for his future plans, but they would also be perfect for teaching Er Ni.

He had long been planning to get a storefront for Er Ni to manage.

Firstly, it would give her a career to settle down and stand tall.

Secondly, a place with a constant flow of people was the best place to gather information.

The knowledge sent by this "great profiteer" brother was truly a timely gift, solving his most pressing needs.

At the same time.

In the dilapidated dormitory of Shrek Academy on the outskirts of Suotuo City.

Ma Hongjun lay slumped on his bed, looking utterly dejected.

His eyes were vacant, and his face was as pale as paper.

He had changed his urine-soaked pants.

Yet, he felt as if that stench of urine was still clinging to him, refusing to dissipate.

"Fatty!"

The door was kicked open with a bang, and Dai Mubai strode in, shaking his golden hair.

His heterochromatic eyes flashed with their usual hint of wickedness.

"Let's go, let's have some fun. I managed to get a pair of twins today, they're absolute fire!"

He leaned in, winking and lowering his voice, full of temptation.

"Spring Breeze Pavilion also has some new girls. I heard they're so fresh you could pinch water out of them. Don't you want to go and have a taste?"

In the past, Ma Hongjun would have jumped up as if he'd been injected with adrenaline upon hearing this, his lecherous nature impossible to hide.

But today, he shuddered violently, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, and curled himself into a ball.

"No... I'm not going! I'm not going! Boss Dai, you go by yourself!"

He shook his head like a rattle, his voice trembling.

"Hmm?"

Dai Mubai looked him up and down suspiciously. Had this fatty taken the wrong medicine?

"Are you alright?"

He pointed at Ma Hongjun's face.

"Your complexion is so bad, you look like you've seen a ghost."

"It's... it's nothing..."

Ma Hongjun buried his head between his knees and muttered, "I just feel completely off, Boss Dai. I'm really not going..."

Dai Mubai frowned, not thinking much of it.

"Fine, then you rest up. I'm off to enjoy myself."

He turned and walked out the door, muttering to himself.

Has this fatso changed his nature? The sun must be rising from the west.

But then he thought about those twin sisters... Heh, it's better if this lecherous fatty doesn't touch them anyway; it would just ruin the mood.

Thinking of the pleasant times ahead, a smug smile curled his lips as he sauntered away.

The dormitory was left with only Ma Hongjun once again.

He clutched his legs tightly.

It was just that "nightmare," so terrifyingly real, churning before his eyes again.

The black-robed figure whose face he couldn't see.

The cold, gleaming, blood-stained blade.

And that... agonizing, bone-deep pain, like being sliced open bit by bit in a slow execution.

It was too real!

So real that his calves cramped just thinking about it, and his lower body still ached faintly.

It felt like a hallucination, yet also like reality.

Sun Moon Lin Qing probably never expected that the illusion he had casually created would leave such a deep psychological shadow on Ma Hongjun, one likely to haunt the fatty for many years to come.

Days passed one by one.

As fast as light slipping through one's fingers.

In a blink, two years had vanished without a trace.

On the busiest central street of Suotuo City, a grand five-story wooden building had risen.

With carved beams and painted pillars, the polished sign read—"Qinglin Restaurant."

The entrance was bustling with a constant stream of carriages and people; business was incredibly booming.

It was the lunch hour, and the restaurant was packed full, making it hard to find even a single empty seat.

Waiters carried trays piled high like mountains, weaving nimbly between the tables and chairs.

Loud shouts echoed one after another, filled with a steaming, vibrant energy.

"Coming through, guest! Your braised lion's head, watch out, it's hot!"

"One steamed sea bass, excuse me, coming through~!"

"Signature Qinglin Drunken Chicken arriving! Enjoy your meal, everyone!"

The aroma of food and wine mingled together, drilling straight into one's nose and making the appetite soar.

"The taste here is truly top-notch!"

A regular customer gave a thumbs-up, full of praise.

"Especially that Qinglin Drunken Chicken, it's incredible! If I don't come to eat it every couple of days, I feel completely off!"

"The wine is fragrant too; I heard it's the boss's secret recipe. You can't drink it anywhere else."

The diners were all satisfied, clinking glasses and chatting happily.

This restaurant had suddenly popped up in Suotuo City over the last two years and then spread like wildfire across the entire city.

Today, it sat firmly in the top spot among Suotuo City's restaurants.

And its mysterious owner was none other than Sun Moon Lin Qing.

In a quiet little courtyard in the south of the city.

Sun Moon Lin Qing sat cross-legged on the bed, slowly exhaling a long breath.

The invisible fluctuations of soul power around his body gradually calmed down.

In two years, he had grown taller, his frame had become sturdier, and he had shed much of his childishness, taking on the appearance of a handsome young man.

But the greater change was what lay within.

He had poured a lot of effort into Soul Tool Knowledge.

A spirit-type martial soul, a soul skill that could "slow down" movements, the ability to manipulate metal, plus the Soul Tool Knowledge he had obtained from Sun Moon Lin Qing...

Putting these things together was like adding wings to a tiger for his studies in soul tools.

Now, he was a bona fide Level 3 Soul Master.

Crafting a Level 3 Soul Tool is a piece of cake.

"What is Er Ni up to right now?"

Finishing his meditation, he stood up, pushed the door open, and stepped outside.

The sunlight in the courtyard was just right.

Er Ni was sitting on a stone bench beneath the grape trellis, her head lowered as she looked at something with a focused expression.

In the span of two years, the change in Er Ni could truly be called a rebirth.

The fourteen-year-old girl had blossomed completely.

Not a trace remained of that scrawny, timid village girl from before.

Her skin had been nurtured until it was fair and supple, and her features were as exquisite as if they had been painted.

Her figure was slender and graceful, and every gesture she made carried a sense of quiet, gentle poise.

Her eyes, in particular, were clear and bright, sparkling with such vivacity when she glanced around that they seemed to speak.

She had become a true beauty of refined temperament.