When I Become a Flower, I Am Just a Flower

"What are you looking at so intently?"

Lin Qing walked over with a smile, his voice startling Er Ni.

"Ah Qing!"

Er Ni looked up, her eyes instantly curving into crescent moons, sparkling with joy.

She held up the thick ledger in her hand.

"I'm looking at the restaurant's accounts from last month."

"Revenue is up fifty percent compared to the previous month, but... the growth momentum seems to be slowing down."

She pointed at the numbers, speaking with clear logic.

"Not bad, you've improved."

Lin Qing sat down beside her.

"It's normal for growth to slow down. Suotuo City only has so many people; the market is nearly saturated. Our business in Suotuo City is reaching its peak."

Er Ni blinked, asking with a hint of anxiety: "Then... what should we do?"

"Simple."

Lin Qing smiled mysteriously.

"Look further ahead. A restaurant doesn't have to be limited to Suotuo City."

"We can go to other cities, open branches, and expand one by one."

"First, we establish a firm foothold in the other major cities of the Balaque Kingdom, then slowly expand outward. Besides, we aren't limited to just the restaurant business; we can branch out into other ventures."

"Who knows, maybe in the future, our business will span the entire continent."

He gazed toward the horizon beyond the courtyard wall, his voice carrying a tone of certain indifference.

Er Ni listened, momentarily dazed, staring blankly at Lin Qing's profile.

Business across the entire continent?

The goal sounded as vast as the sky.

Yet, coming from Lin Qing's mouth, it sounded so natural, as if it were as simple as eating or drinking—a matter of course, something destined to succeed.

"I... I will study hard!"

She snapped back to reality, nodding vigorously, a small flame of determination igniting in her eyes.

She must help Ah Qing!

"No rush, one step at a time. Being down-to-earth is better than anything else."

Lin Qing smiled and patted her shoulder.

"As for money, there's never an end to what can be earned in this world."

"Also, Sister Er Ni, earning money from this restaurant is only one aspect. More importantly, it's about setting up a network to collect information and channels for the rapid circulation of news."

"You need to have the sharper staff keep their ears open and listen to what all sorts of people are saying."

"Especially regarding Spirit Masters—where rare Spirit Beasts have appeared, what movements certain Spirit Masters are making, what's new at the various academies... these pieces of information are sometimes worth more than gold."

Er Ni listened very carefully, memorizing every word, and nodded solemnly: "Mm, I've noted it down."

For Lin Qing himself, having enough money is sufficient.

In this day and age, Spirit Bones are priceless and rare; there's nowhere to buy them even if you have the money.

What is truly useful to him are some rare medicinal herbs and Whale Rubber.

Beyond that, he values the information and networking channels that flow through these trade routes even more.

A restaurant is a place where all kinds of people mingle, making it the perfect spot for gathering intelligence.

Of course.

He had a bigger plan in mind that he hadn't detailed to Er Ni yet.

Trying to pull together a commercial network that could span every city in the shortest amount of time.

Normally, this would be as difficult as ascending to heaven.

But who told him that his mind was filled with all the insights and experiences of a "great profiteer," and he even had a clear understanding of the future commercial trends of this continent?

He was very confident.

Moreover, this massive commercial network was crucial to his future plans; it was a trump card that could save his life at a critical moment.

"Right."

Lin Qing lowered his voice further, almost to a whisper.

"Have people you trust quietly collect Whale Rubber. This stuff isn't too expensive right now, but the benefits... Sister Er Ni, you know, it's an absolute treasure."

"Let's hoard as much as we can now and keep the bulk of this resource in our own hands."

"Very well."

Er Ni agreed without a moment's hesitation.

"Also, keep an eye on the movements over at the Soul Master Academy."

Immortal Herb Lin Qing pondered for a moment.

"See if there are any academies, especially high-level Soul Master Academy institutions, that are struggling financially and in need of sponsorship."

"Sponsoring an academy?"

Er Ni was a bit surprised.

She hadn't expected Ah Qing to be interested in such charitable deeds.

"Yes, sponsorship."

Immortal Herb Lin Qing smiled, a peculiar glint in his expression.

Having taken so many benefits from that "great profiteer" and earned so much money, it was only right to promote the philosophy of "being kind to others and investing in the future" on their behalf, wasn't it?

Of course, this was also to pave the way and build some goodwill for a move he planned to make in the near future.

Although Er Ni did not fully grasp the deeper meaning, she had absolute trust in Immortal Herb Lin Qing.

"I understand, I will keep an eye on it."

"Good, then you carry on with your work; I'm heading back to my room."

Immortal Herb Lin Qing stood up and had only taken two steps toward his room when—

"Hm?"

A familiar, strange sensation suddenly surged in his heart without warning.

He immediately quickened his pace.

He shoved the door open.

Sure enough!

A pitch-black urn was sitting quietly on the table in the center of the room.

[Ding! You have received the relic of 'Immortal Herb Lin Qing'!]

[Would you like to listen to the last words immediately?]

"Immortal Herb?"

Immortal Herb Lin Qing blinked.

He stared at the newly appeared urn on the table, muttering to himself.

He walked over to the table, leaned in, and examined it closely.

This box was different from the previous ones.

There was no portrait of a face on the lid; instead, it was carved with a flower—a flower so exquisitely detailed it was almost excessive.

The petals were layered and overlapping, looking as if they were alive.

In the center, a strange pattern was carved, which, at first glance, looked like a half-closed eye.

The corner of Immortal Herb Lin Qing's mouth twitched uncontrollably.

"Good grief..."

He muttered to himself, "This time, it's not even pretending to be a person? It just turned into a flower?"

The system's method of finding versions of himself in parallel worlds was getting increasingly wild.

He shook his head.

He complained internally about what kind of nonsense this was, but he still reached out and placed his hand on the lid.

"Play the last words."

[Ding! Playing last words!]

A familiar light screen unfolded before his eyes, and the image gradually became clear.

[My name is Lin Qing.]

The opening line was the same as always.

[I was reborn and transmigrated into the Douluo World.]

Hearing this, Immortal Herb Lin Qing nodded, thinking to himself that he was familiar with this routine.

But the next sentence nearly made him choke.

[But... damn it! Why was I reborn as a flower? I'm not even a human; how am I supposed to play this game?]

On the light screen, a black and white flower was swaying gently in the breeze.

The petals were spread out quite beautifully, and the stamen was trembling slightly.

It was beautiful, certainly, but it looked... helpless, no matter how one viewed it.

"..."

In reality, Lin Qing was left speechless, half-laughing and half-crying as he wiped his face.

"It really is a flower..."

"This is just too absurd."

He pulled over a chair and sat down, preparing to get a good look at what exactly this "Flower Brother" had gone through.

The scene in the light screen continued to play.

[Day 1, basking in the sun, absorbing the essence of heaven and earth...]

[Day 2, basking in the sun, absorbing the essence of heaven and earth...]

[Day 3, it rained, absorbing the essence of heaven and earth...]

Lin Qing watched the lines of text drifting by, question marks gradually appearing over his head.

"What is this junk? A play-by-play diary?"

He didn't believe that the last words from a parallel world could be just this, so he patiently continued to watch.

[Day 100, absorbing the essence of heaven and earth...]

[Day 365, absorbing the essence of heaven and earth...]

The scene in the frame had barely changed.

It was just that flower, stuck right there.

Basking in the sun by day, bathing in moonlight by night, getting rained on when it rained, covered in snow when it snowed...

Day after day.

Year after year.

The time digits on the light screen jumped rapidly, but the content of the scene was so monotonous it made his eyelids heavy.

Lin Qing felt his scalp begin to tingle.

"This is... just too boring!"

He finally truly understood what it meant to "transmigrate into a flower."

It couldn't move, couldn't speak, and couldn't even change spots to bask in the sun.

It was just a plant, not a soul beast; it didn't even have the most basic ability to move.

It could only stay in place, enduring the wind, sun, rain, and snow.

Day after day, year after year.