73 The Gardener's Flowerbed (The End)

Congratulations, player! You have successfully detected a loophole in the rules.

He noticed the mayor's slight contraction in his pupils and continued thoughtfully, "After all, I visited all the gardeners except the mayor, but I didn't see any exotic plants in their gardens. Most of them were just rare. So, is it that they don't want to grow advanced plants, or that they simply can't grow them?"

"If I can't grow them... Mayor, I think you should give me a reasonable explanation? Why is it that as gardeners in Hundred Flowers Town, others don't have to take exams, but I have to face constant and urgent assessments? If I fail the assessment, I'll be turned into fertilizer. Can I reasonably suspect that you're deliberately targeting me?"

The mayor, despite asking the question calmly, seemed unable to bear it and staggered back three steps, his gaze towards Qin Fu'an filled with deep wariness and fear.

Seemingly pleased by his reaction, Qin Fu'an lowered his eyes and chuckled, then, holding the equally bewildered Xie Yunhuai's hand, quietly watched the town mayor, awaiting his reply.

The viewers in the live stream were completely dumbfounded.

Before Qin Fu'an asked this question, not a single viewer in the entire live stream had such a question.

Just like players who have entered Hundred Flowers Town before, who would question the quests given in the dungeon? Who would look for differences between themselves and others in Hundred Flowers Town?

Doesn't it all assume that players are inherently different?

It's all assumed that every step of the task requires the player to work incredibly hard to complete it!

How can you question it?

How could you ask so calmly and curiously, asking if the mayor was giving players special treatment?

Shouldn't players be treated specially? Otherwise, why would they be allowed to enter dungeons or complete quests? Isn't all of this a natural consequence, a rule that everyone tacitly agrees must follow?

Why was Qin Fu'an able to ask such a direct question?

How can he break free from the vicious cycle of the rules?

Doesn't his behavior make the audience seem stupid, and make those players who died in Hundred Flowers Town seem foolish and their deaths seem pointless?

I used to be quite dismissive of him. Even when I saw the streamer overpowering others in dungeons and using fancy tricks to complete tasks, I didn't think he was amazing. After all, such methods of clearing dungeons are not applicable to other players. It's a shortcut and another form of cheating, so I never thought the streamer was that great.

But now, with just a few words, he overturned all my preconceived notions about him. It's not that he's not skilled; he's far beyond what's acceptable! How could he see through the loopholes in the rules? Players never question dungeon completion quests, at least not new players who have just entered the game!

[My mom asked me why I was kneeling while watching the live stream...]

[I finally understand what "a sudden enlightenment" feels like. It's like the host lifting my head up like a ball and shaking it around, then finding it completely empty, and then, disgusted, shoving knowledge into it like crazy!]

[I also agree with the streamer's statement that it went too far. Previously, I also felt that the streamer's various actions were either a personal show or cheating through brute force, and that such a method of clearing the game wouldn't work for other players. But what the streamer just said is practically throwing the standard answer in the NPC's face!!!]

[Understood. As a notoriously difficult dungeon, Hundred Flowers Town's arrangements for players are meticulously planned, pushing them into a dead end from every angle. But the solution isn't difficult at all! It's practically right in front of the players, exploiting their obedience and trust in dungeon quests. It's so close yet so far; if you don't realize it, you're essentially giving up your life in the dungeon.]

[Ughhhhh, is this how insidious the Evil Demon level dungeon is? Luckily, the streamer I was watching was Qin Fu'an. If it were any other streamer, I'd probably be praying for them by now!]

[But... how did the streamer discover that? We were all watching the same instance from the same perspective, so how could he see through it? What went wrong?]

[Upstairs, maybe there's something wrong with our brains... QAQ.]

[QAQ~]

For a full three minutes, under Qin Fu'an's watchful gaze, the town mayor remained completely silent.

But his forehead, beneath his straw hat, was already covered in fine beads of sweat, which visibly slid down his cheeks in large drops.

He was afraid.

He racked his brains but never imagined he would face such a predicament.

If a reasonable explanation cannot be given, it is tantamount to admitting that there is a problem with the entire Hundred Flowers Town and that there is a flaw in the rules of Hundred Flowers Town.

The consequence of this is... demotion!

The entire Hundred Flowers Town will be weakened and downgraded in all dungeons!!

It will be removed from the evil-level dungeon by the game. Because Qin Fu'an's way of breaking the deadlock is too simple, the rules will be changed and the range and lethality will be reduced. The residents of Baihua Town will also face an unprecedented disaster!

Once that happens, once that happens!!

The century-long efforts of Baihua Town will be completely reduced to dust, and will be easily destroyed by this young man with such a careless attitude!

The town mayor will not allow such a horrific thing to happen. It is even more terrible than Xie Yunhuai, the polluter, entering Baihua Town and completely polluting it!

So, in those three whole minutes, he had never used his brain so intensely before, but in the end, every method led to only one result—downgrade!

He didn't have time to wipe away the cold sweat that had suddenly appeared on his body. His chest heaved rapidly, and in his panicked state, he tried to remain calm as he stammered, "Young man, you..."

Qin Fu'an calmly observed his current state. When he couldn't find any excuse, Qin Fu'an said as if suddenly realizing something, "Let me guess... Is this a test that Hundred Flowers Town is giving to newcomers? It seems very strict on the surface, but in reality, it's just to help and guide new gardeners to quickly become familiar with the plant growth knowledge of Hundred Flowers Town. In fact, even if they can't complete it, there won't be anything too excessive, and they won't have to pay a heavy price with their lives, right?"

His light green eyes were curved, making him look extremely harmless.

In fact, Qin Fu'an, who provided the town mayor with the most suitable excuse at this moment, was indeed seen by the mayor as a savior and a deity descended from heaven...

Even if he was the source of the mayor's fear.

"Yes, yes, yes!!!" The mayor nodded hastily, his smile stiff as if he were crying. His trembling hands gripped the hoe to hide his momentary weakness and leg collapse. His eyes were filled with tears of relief as he sobbed, "You're right, that's how it is... that's how it is. Our Hundred Flowers Town just wanted to teach the new gardeners a lesson. Those things about turning unfinished work into fertilizer are just alarmist talk. In reality, in reality, every gardener can take it one step at a time..."

The moment he began to speak and acknowledge Qin Fu'an, both Qin Fu'an and the audience could hear a cold, mechanical voice ringing in their minds (in the live stream).

[Congratulations, player! You have successfully exploited a loophole in the rules of the Evil-level dungeon "Hundred Flowers Town". In ten minutes, the dungeon will enter a long break. To "thank" you for your contribution, Hundred Flowers Town has prepared a big gift for you. In addition, all the residents unanimously acknowledge your planting skills and agree that your completion result is: Perfect.]

[Congratulations to the player for successfully clearing the Evil-level beginner dungeon: Hundred Flowers Town.]

[We are about to exit the instance. Countdown: 0:09:58. Please prepare to exit.]

At this moment, the barrage went completely wild, with donations so dense that the barrage started to lag, and the colorful lights were even more dazzling than fireworks during the Lunar New Year.

Even Qin Fu'an was taken aback at this moment.

He subconsciously looked up at the town mayor, who was suddenly relieved, and received a wretched smile from him. The smile contained the joy of surviving a disaster, as well as the relief of getting rid of a plague.

Qin Fu'an: "..."

Are you sore losers?

You can clear the game without even saying a word?

But my wife is still planting them in the flowerbed!

The town mayor turned to run away, but Qin Fu'an didn't care about anything else. He suddenly stepped forward and grabbed him, pulling him so hard he stumbled. He said in a deep voice, "If you dare to bully him again, no matter where Baihua Town hides, I will come back!"

The town mayor looked in the direction he was pointing and saw Xie Yunhuai, who was in a daze and hadn't come to his senses yet, as well as the dark clumps of grass in the flowerbed behind Xie Yunhuai.

He opened his mouth, then nodded hesitantly: "Don't worry... no one dares to bully him, absolutely not."

It's hard to say whether he existed before, but there's absolutely no chance he'll ever exist again.

Neither he nor Baihua Town itself would allow any man-made accident to bring Qin Fu'an, this jinx, a second time.

If they could, they would gladly pack Xie Yunhuai up, along with the grass, and send him to Qin Fu'an, so that the two of them could stay far, far away and never have to touch Baihua Town again.

If we can't afford to offend them, can't we at least avoid them?!

Having received such a promise, Qin Fu'an gave him a verbal hint before releasing him, watching the chubby figure flee hastily as if being chased by a ghost.

Only then did Qin Fu'an turn around and meet Xie Yunhuai's still bewildered gaze.

Perhaps it wasn't confusion, but rather a lack of composure in the face of the unexpected turn of events.

After Qin Fu'an looked over, Xie Yunhuai opened his mouth and asked softly, "You can leave here now, right?"

Qin Fu'an remained silent for a moment, then nodded.

Upon receiving a positive answer, Xie Yunhuai seemed to fall into a daze again, his gaze towards Qin Fu'an unfocused.

Qin Fu'an stepped forward, reached out and grasped his thin wrist, pulled him closer, and pressed his cool forehead against his.

"Want to come with me?" He asked the same question again.

Xie Yunhuai was quiet for a moment, then flipped his wrist to grasp Xie Yunhuai's hand, shook his head, and softly refused, "No."

There was a hint of a smile in his eyes as he said gently to Qin Fu'an, "It's a promise, you can't go back on your word."

Qin Fu'an smiled and said helplessly, "Okay, I won't go back on my word. I'll continue to nurture my beloved when we get back."

"...Will you come looking for me a fourth time?" Xie Yunhuai didn't know when, but he saw through Qin Fu'an's last lie in this instance, the lie of pursuing three lifetimes.

He had clearly seen through it all along, but only asked the question now, just to inquire whether there would be a fourth time they would meet.

The heart of the cold-blooded beast seemed to be soaked in a warm spring at this moment, both warm and suffocating. Qin Fu'an's eyebrows softened a lot, and he chuckled and promised: "I will, again and again, until you agree to go home with me."

"Um."

Xie Yunhuai slowly released his hand, looked up into his deep green eyes, and then leaned in to kiss him.

"I'm waiting for you."

[Author's Note]

Anzai: You can't take a joke, can you? My wife is still pregnant, and you want to kick me out?!

Yunzai: You're too smart, it makes the dungeon seem stupid.

Mayor: Waaaaaah! One source of pollution, one jinx! Our ancestral graves in Baihua Town were almost dug up!!

Author's note: Before writing this chapter, I had no idea it could be speedrun...

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Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution:

Ducklings rushed to Beijing to roast 50 bottles;

20 bottles (long-lasting);

ftugfj 10 bottles;

2 bottles of Yu hanggg;

Snowball, Coward, Time, and One Bottle of Lonely Boat in Clear Rain;

Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!