My ‘Healing’ Game
Chapter 757: Dancer and Florist

Chapter 757: Chapter 757: Dancer and Florist

The elderly man’s description of a "petite" and kind-hearted florist who entered the back alley became distorted as her grotesquely altered body gave Han Fei an intense sense of oppression.

"There’s a problem here!"

The club was located on the edge of an unknown area, utterly ordinary, just the least noticeable among countless clubs, yet Han Fei encountered a florist here who emitted a terrifying aura.

Her strength couldn’t merely be categorized by grudge or regret; it seemed as if she had planted the Flower of Soul within herself, ready to burst forth with a power incomprehensible to ordinary people.

"Terrifying strength, keep rational, and she even has hobbies like gardening. What exactly are the backgrounds of the other club members?"

Han Fei slowly released his grip on the soil and blood vessels, watching the florist approach. With only a drop of blood left in him, he decisively gave up resisting and cast a pleading look towards the elderly man.

"I felt like a stranger had run into the club, so I came over to check, and the strange noise seemed to have come from here," explained the elderly man, clearly distancing himself from Han Fei. Indeed, those who could survive in the Deep World were no ordinary people.

"Stranger?" The florist didn’t buy into the elderly man’s narrative. She tossed the monster in her hand into the garden, looked down from a higher position at Han Fei and the directionless old man, "I’m asking you again, what are you doing?"

"I wanted to join your club, so I followed this elderly man in," Han Fei turned on his master-level acting, "Actually, I have a particular interest in gardening. Seeing your garden, I couldn’t help but walk in to learn and exchange experiences."

The florist didn’t believe a word Han Fei said as she slowly raised her misshapen arm.

The more critical the moment, the less panic is allowed. Han Fei’s eyes didn’t waver a bit, "Every word I spoke is true. There’s a saying popular in gardening circles - ’People nurture flowers, and flowers nurture people.’ In the process of cultivating flowers, these plants also affect me, constantly honing my temperament and cultivating my character. Being so fond of planting, you can surely understand what I’m talking about, right?"

Han Fei held the blood-soaked soil, smelling its fragrance as if having a deep conversation with the flowers.

"People nurture flowers, flowers nurture people?" The florist’s terrifying eyes blinked.

When she showed a slight hesitation, Han Fei immediately seized the opportunity.

"Previously, I was entangled in worldly affairs, running around daily for a house, money, and vanity. The more desperately I chased those external things, the more emptiness I felt. Later, I began to try gardening, and I gradually realized the true essence of life. I get excited about a sprouting seed, and a blooming flower can make my day. My barren spiritual world was filled by the flowers; it was the first time I felt fulfilled."

Han Fei grew more impassioned as he spoke, the real lies beguiling even himself as he spoke them.

"I’ve been through a lot of painful, desperate situations. I have no friends, no one to accompany me. I lack a sense of belonging, no concept of home. But since starting to garden, I feel the plants accompanying me as I grow. I touch their adorable leaves every day, smell the fresh fragrance of the flowers, and all my fatigue dissipates. The flowers adorn my home, not just as decorations but as integral parts of my home, and sources of all my happiness."

His heartfelt confession was touching; anyone would think Han Fei was a young man genuinely fond of gardening and growing flowers.

The florist retracted her extended arm. Finding someone with similar interests in the Deep World was too hard.

She didn’t treat Han Fei as fertilizer but started dealing with the nearby monster, apparently a native monster of the Deep World, each drop of its blood filled with agony.

As she cut the monster’s neck, the florist held it like holding a watering can, starting to water her flower field.

This habitual act for the florist sent chills down Han Fei’s spine. He had felt it when digging earlier; the soil of the flower field was different from other parts of the Deep World, and now he finally knew why. Each particle of soil here was saturated with blood, and the bodies buried below were too numerous to count.

Watching the diligent florist, Han Fei felt conflicted. You could say she was a ferocious evil ghost who indeed tenderly cared for the Soul Flowers, her actions as gentle as if she were caring for her children. But if you say she was a person who loved and nurtured flowers, what kind of flower lover would turn their garden into a mass grave?

It was too late to run away, as the florist could catch up at any moment. Instead, Han Fei decided to do the opposite and, acting like a puppy following the florist, approached her earnestly to ask and learn.

As long as it was about "flowers," the florist answered Han Fei’s questions, though her responses were always brief.

As their exchange deepened, Han Fei got fully into the act. He genuinely started discussing the feasibility of growing flowers in the Deep World with her, even raising professional questions such as whether flowers from the Mortal World could bloom in the Underworld.

After thoughtful consideration, the florist concluded it was impossible and that there were no opportunities to practice it.

Han Fei’s critical step came; he took out a flower seed and some gardening books from the Item Bar, originally brought by Huang Ying from the Shallow World.

Using his impressive memory, he almost learned and sold in the same breath, chatting with the florist more harmoniously.

The elderly man watching from a distance raised his eyebrows at Han Fei and the florist’s conversation; he was blind but perceptive, always feeling like Han Fei was like those salespeople who hawk health products to the elderly in reality.

When he finally closed the distance, Han Fei, very generously, gifted the florist with that "incredibly precious," "rare in the world" seed from the Mortal World.

"Player ID 0000, please note! The florist’s friendliness towards you has increased by one point."

This killer move achieved a great effect, and Han Fei also smoothly expressed his desire to join the club and follow the florist to learn the techniques of gardening in the Deep World.

After a seamless series of maneuvers, Han Fei finally got his wish.

The florist agreed to let Han Fei learn gardening with her and decided to give him a flower from the Deep World to try and nurture on his own.

However, before giving the flower, the florist also conducted some necessary tests on Han Fei, such as "fertilizing" and repairing "plant roots" and so on.

This might be hard to understand, but it actually involved killing and dismembering.

Once Han Fei had passed the assessment, the florist moved a huge crock from the back room, slowly dug out what looked like the strongest corpse, along with the continuously bleeding "soil" around it, and placed them together into the crock.

"You must keep this flower alive until it blooms."

"I will." Han Fei truly hadn’t expected that this E-level ordinary task would be completed so smoothly. Although ordinary tasks are the least difficult, if it’s an E-level, then it definitely involves hatred.

Not daring to be distracted, Han Fei thanked the florist repeatedly and very solemnly carried the crock out of the flower field.

"Player number 0000, please note! You have successfully taken a flower out of the flower field without letting it wither immediately, obtained Basic-level Planting Skill, achieved E-level special flower—Bu Kaixin."

"Basic-level Flower Cultivation: Planting flowers can continuously improve proficiency, and planting other things should also be possible."

"Bu Kaixin (E-level special flower): This flower bears a person’s name, he never smiled, everyone calls him Unhappy."

"Special Ability: ?????"

"Attention! Cultivating special flowers will greatly improve proficiency, special flowers will have special abilities!"

In Shallow World, florist is one of the most popular professions, many people have their own manors, and this is also one of the reasons ordinary players like ’Perfect Life’.

Having reached level twenty-five, Han Fei finally experienced the daily life of ordinary players, and began to slowly get involved in flower cultivation, calligraphy, and dance.

The elderly man outside the flower field noticed that the two did not erupt in conflict and walked into the courtyard while feeling along the wall: "You two seem to be having a good chat, eh? In that case, why not let him join our club? Anyway, there aren’t many people left in this club. Without new members, it probably won’t last much longer."

"If you want to join the club, you first need to identify your interests." The florist looked at Han Fei again: "Do you really want to learn how to plant flowers with me?"

"I’m sure." Han Fei looked at the corpses and Flowers of Soul in the flower field; the atmosphere could be said to perfectly match his temperament.

"Then from now on, consider this place your home, and remember to report at least once a week to let us know you are still alive." The florist opened the door of the storeroom and handed Han Fei an umbrella from the shelf beside the door: "This is your umbrella, don’t lose it. You can only move freely when holding the black umbrella; otherwise, you will end up like me."

The florist showed his severely deformed body and then entered the flower field, no longer paying attention to Han Fei.

"Player number 0000, please note! You have successfully completed the E-level ordinary task—Hobbies, successfully joined the Twilight Years Street Club, successfully triggered the interest in flower cultivation!"

"Player number 0000, please note! You have successfully triggered your first choice of hobby—flower cultivation! Based on player’s Luck Value, you will randomly receive a reward related to this hobby!"

"Player number 0000, please note! You have acquired E-level Talent Ability—Flower Language!"

"Flower Language (E-level Exclusive Talent Ability): Blessed with the Talent unique to the Hidden Profession of Pretty Man, Flattery, you can understand the language of flowers and communicate with them! Planting success rate increased by fifty percent!"

The game exit key had lit up, and Han Fei’s tensed nerves finally relaxed: "I will work hard to cultivate the most beautiful flowers in Deep World."

Carrying the crock, Han Fei prepared to leave.

"Let me see you off." The blind old man helped Han Fei hold the black umbrella, and they retraced their route, entering the warehouse.

"Old man, do you remember how you got here?" After the exit key lit up, Han Fei grew bold and dared to ask some sharper questions.

"I don’t remember either." The old man waved his hand, signaling Han Fei not to talk about these things.

"What if I told you I have a way to send you home, would you be willing to leave with me?" Han Fei was eager to try using the Soul-returning Ability on the old man.

"Home?" The old man paused for a while, then shook his head: "I’m just a blind old man who can dance; I’d be despised wherever I go. I can’t even support myself, let alone burden others."

"That might not necessarily be the case, I’ve been in show business, and nowadays the audience has a unique taste. There was a group called ’Riding the Winds and Breaking the Waves’ recently. You dance so well, we could make a ’Soul Scattering Grandpa.’"

Han Fei seriously strategized for the old man, but the latter just laughed and refused.

After opening the black umbrella for Han Fei, the old man listened to the footsteps of Han Fei’s departure, turned, and went back into the warehouse.

With his hands on the table, the temperature inside the room suddenly dropped. The florist appeared silently in the warehouse, his deformed hand placing an old radio in front of the old man.

"Thank you." The old man touched the radio, his lips moved slightly, hesitated for a while, and then spoke: "I might not be able to keep you company for much longer, with that kid around, you won’t be too lonely, at least."

"I know, that’s also why I didn’t kill him."