"Don't panic! As long as there's no evidence, we'll be fine!" Another teenager tried to sound calm.

"It's all your fault! I only wanted to have some fun, but you had to join in. Now we've woken her up. I didn't want to kill anyone!" the earringed teenager hissed, his voice filled with fear.

"Do you want everyone to hear that we killed someone with your loud voice?!" The other teenager slapped his companion across the face.

"I didn't want this either! Nothing like this has ever happened before. Why now? It's because you didn't put enough drug in!"

"So, what do we do now?" The earringed teenager calmed down slightly after being hit.

"Zheng Qingxuan doesn't have any powerful backing. I'll ask my dad for help. At most, we'll pay some money..." The teenager who hit him lowered his voice.

"Really? We'll be okay?" The earringed teenager seemed reassured by his companion's calm demeanor, and his hesitation grew.

"Definitely. We'll make it look like an accident and say she died from her own carelessness. It has nothing to do with us. Then we'll cremate her immediately to avoid an autopsy. My dad's done this before! No problem!" the teenager said confidently.

*

*

*

4:17 PM, Palace Garden Flower Shop.

This was the main branch of Suiyang's largest chain of flower shops, specializing in providing flowers for business receptions and grand openings.

The entire flower shop was housed in a beautiful white villa, its exterior covered in a variety of climbing plants and flowers.

Purple, pink, red, and white flowers of all shapes and sizes surrounded the entrance to the villa like stars.

Every customer who entered or exited could smell the rich, mixed fragrance of flowers and the fresh, negative ions.

Inside, the lighting was warm and dim.

A spacious and welcoming living room came into view.

Li Cheng頤, dressed in a formal suit, walked through the door and was immediately greeted by a staff member.

"Sir, are you here to browse or do you have an appointment?"

The staff member wore a goose-yellow dress and amber flower-shaped earrings. Her appearance was sweet, and her hair reached her waist. As she approached, a delicate floral fragrance wafted from her.

"I have an appointment," Li Cheng頤 said in a deep voice.

His eyes scanned the largest flower shop in Suiyang. The botanical garden he was negotiating for was being sold by Palace Garden, so they had agreed to meet at this main branch.

This was his first time here, and he hadn't expected the place to be so uniquely decorated.

The outside was a villa, but the inside was like this.

"Okay, which manager did you make an appointment with?" the staff member asked.

"Xu Zhongsheng," Li Cheng頤 replied.

"Mr. Xu? You must be Mr. Li. Please come this way."

The staff member led Li Cheng頤 through the softly lit hall and through a round doorway.

Suddenly, a bright and open space appeared before him.

Beyond the doorway was a pond filled with lotus leaves.

The pond was connected to a winding, clear stream, and in the distance, a gray stone bridge arched gently. Pavilions and courtyards were faintly visible among the clusters of flowers and trees.

"This villa is just a facade?" Li Cheng頤 paused, stunned.

This was the city center of Suiyang. To occupy such a large piece of land and build an ancient Yiguo-style garden was astonishing, to say the least. The financial resources required were immense.

"This was originally Mr. Xu's family home. After he inherited it, he used it as the main branch when he started his business. After all, this isn't ancient times. A large mansion can't house that many servants. Our company employees live here, which adds some life," the staff member explained.

"That makes sense." Li Cheng頤 followed her around half the edge of the pond and soon arrived at a white wall.

At the base of the wall, fallen leaves covered the ground. Under a bare golden osmanthus tree, a set of stone tables and chairs were placed.

A tall, thin man wearing a dark green robe and a silver-edged blue jade belt was sitting silently at the stone table, lost in thought.

As Li Cheng頤 approached, he saw that a semi-transparent Go board was floating in the air above the stone table. Black and white stones were scattered across it, indicating that the game was nearing its end.

Hearing footsteps, the man turned his face slightly. Seeing Li Cheng頤, a smile immediately appeared on his face, and he stood up.

"Mr. Li is punctual. There are still a few seconds before our agreed time."

This was Xu Zhongsheng, the seller of the botanical garden.

He had founded the entire chain of flower shops himself, and Li Cheng頤 had found his information online. The flower shop was only one of his businesses. His wealth was far greater than he had imagined.

"Mr. Xu is too kind. I don't like wasting my time or other people's time," Li Cheng頤 replied earnestly.

In the past, he would have felt pressured when facing a man of similar age but with a vast difference in status and power. He wouldn't have known how to best respond.

But now, it was different. The infinite potential brought by the Evil Flower was his greatest confidence.

Perhaps it was because Li Cheng頤 spoke with such confidence, without the cautious, fearful attitude of others.

Xu Zhongsheng narrowed his eyes and quickly sized up Li Cheng頤 again.

"Mr. Li is young and promising, and full of confidence. But taking over the botanical garden and trying not to lose money won't be easy. Have you thought this through?"

"Mr. Xu doesn't need to worry about that. I'm ready." Li Cheng頤 had no intention of actually running the botanical garden. His purpose was to cultivate a piece of land and grow the flowers he wanted. As for running the business and selling flowers, it would be great if he could make money, but it didn't matter if he didn't.

"That's good. Then let's sign the contract. You've already seen the botanical garden. All the documents are prepared. As long as we sign and change them one by one, we can complete the entire process." Xu Zhongsheng clapped his hands.

Immediately, a semi-transparent light screen floated into the air between the two men.

The light screen was square, and on it were stacked documents like transfer agreements and other contracts.

Li Cheng頤 picked up the virtual documents and carefully reviewed them.

He quickly confirmed that there were no problems and signed his name on each one. Then he transferred the money.

In just ten minutes, the money was received, the documents were confirmed, and both parties agreed that all other personnel would remain unchanged, maintaining the status quo. Any changes to the plants in the botanical garden would be decided by Li Cheng頤 later.

After the contract was completed, Xu Zhongsheng had someone bring over a set of Zisha tea sets, and he and Li Cheng頤 sat down facing each other, slowly brewing tea.

"Speaking of which, when Mr. Xindela first arrived in Suiyang, I wanted to visit him, but I couldn't find the time or opportunity. I didn't expect that after only a short while, Mr. Li would come to visit. It's all about fate," Xu Zhongsheng said with a smile.

"Mr. Xu knows the boss too?" Li Cheng頤 asked, his heart still aching from the four million yuan that had just slipped through his fingers.

"Of course, I know him. More than ten years ago, my father had a pleasant conversation with Mr. Xindela at a party. It's a pity that so much time has passed," Xu Zhongsheng said with a smile.

He picked up a cup of tea and took a gentle sip.

"I wonder if Hongjin is planning something with the acquisition of the botanical garden? In Suiyang, if there's anything my Xu family can help with, please don't hesitate to ask."

"Mr. Xu, let me correct you. It's not Hongjin who is acquiring the botanical garden, but me personally. This has nothing to do with the boss," Li Cheng頤 said, realizing that the other party had misunderstood.

"Is that so? Then I misunderstood. If Mr. Li is opening it himself, perhaps he is thinking about doing business too simply." The smile on Xu Zhongsheng's face faded.

"Is that so? No matter what, I still want to try," Li Cheng頤 said calmly.

"That's right. Mr. Xindela usually doesn't stay in one place for long. Mr. Li probably wants to leave a little foundation for himself in advance, right? That's human nature. I can understand," Xu Zhongsheng said with a smile.

"It's good that Mr. Xu can understand."

Li Cheng頤 felt that the other party's attitude was much colder than before, so he simply didn't stay long. He got up, said goodbye, and left.

Watching Li Cheng頤 walk out the door with the staff member,

The smile on Xu Zhongsheng's face completely disappeared.

"Not Xindela? Then this kid wants to save some money with his bonus." He said coldly.

"Xindela left the mainstream world long ago and spends all his time chasing dead ends, looking for his precious son. This Li Cheng頤 was just an ordinary student before. Suddenly, he got so much money. He's probably a dead-end participant." A miniature earpiece in his ear discreetly emitted a sound.

"It's good that he's not one of them. Really, the previous cases made everyone cautious and fearful, afraid that the Association would cause trouble." Xu Zhongsheng sighed. "Xindela has a good personal relationship with someone in the Association. These days, who doesn't have some old cases? If they were thoroughly investigated, no one would be able to escape."

"This Li Cheng頤 shouldn't really be representing Xindela. So, how should we respond next?" the voice in the earpiece asked.

"If he can get a bonus, then he must be a dead-end person. He won't be around for long. Why bother with him? Just ignore him. When he dies, we'll buy back the botanical garden."

"Then this matter will be shelved for now. Another thing, Kong Sichen from the Iron Peak Group's security department went to Bar Street last night."

"Kong Sichen? Isn't he watching the internal affairs of the group? The Association is investigating strictly right now. What's he doing going to Bar Street?" Xu Zhongsheng asked in surprise.

"Something happened with Zheng Jiayu, the Iron Peak Group's young master. The specifics are unclear. Kong Sichen dealt with it too quickly, and we didn't have time to check the recordings. But it's definitely a death." the voice in the earpiece replied.

"Zheng Jiayu has always been messing around with young girls. Has something finally happened?" Xu Zhongsheng smiled indifferently. "I always felt that something would happen to him. I didn't expect it to take so long. He's lucky."

"Yes. Because it was a crucial time, our people found out that Kong Sichen not only blocked the surveillance on Bar Street, but also sent people to Sicheng Mountain Road. As soon as his people arrived, a building on Sicheng Mountain Road caught fire. The investigation said it was due to aging wiring and a natural gas leak.

A total of five families were affected, and six people were burned to death, including the deceased's parents."

"That's Old Kong's style. As long as there's no evidence, even if you know he did it, you can't do anything to him." Xu Zhongsheng frowned.

"Kong Sichen also sent people to arrest someone, a woman, who should be the deceased's sister."

"This is a massacre..." Xu Zhongsheng said in a deep voice.

"The Iron Peak Group has always been ruthless. This time, it seems they plan to quickly settle everything before the Association finds out and eliminate all the evidence." the earpiece voice said. "Should we intervene?"

"No, don't act rashly. Everything depends on the Association," Xu Zhongsheng said in a low voice.

*

*

*

Li Cheng頤 didn't leave the flower shop immediately. Instead, he wandered around the garden and then asked the staff member to take him to the area where the gladiolus mutations were.

Fortunately, in a small courtyard, he saw another batch that had just been delivered and hadn't been transplanted yet.

"These are the newly delivered multiflora gladiolus. We just shipped out a batch of melancholic species. If Mr. Li had come any later, this batch would have been gone too." The staff member had an expression that said, "You're so lucky."

"Do they sell well? These gladiolus?" Li Cheng頤 looked at the white and red gladiolus piled together like weeds in the courtyard and asked in confusion.

"Because many large households, schools, and clubs use them as cut flower materials, they sell very well." The staff member nodded.

"Cut flowers... That makes sense." Li Cheng頤 nodded.

Cut flowers were the cut flower branches used for flower arrangements, flower baskets, or flowerpots.

He didn't expect gladiolus to be a common flower arrangement.

"Can I check them out?" Li Cheng頤 asked.

"No problem, but be careful not to knock off the buds." The staff member knew that the other party was the boss's big client, so she naturally agreed.

Li Cheng頤 felt a surge of confidence, rubbed his hands, and stepped forward.

He reached out and slowly touched the flowers from the outside to the inside.

The outermost ones were a few deep purple harbinger gladiolus, which were quite eye-catching among the white and red ones. They were probably freebies that came with the order.

As soon as Li Cheng頤's finger touched one, he immediately felt a wisp of cool floral energy rapidly being absorbed into the back of his hand and flowing into the Evil Flower.

The evolution level of the Gladiolus Floral Scale Armor also slowly jumped from the previous 91 to 92.

He didn't stop and quickly touched them one by one, not letting go of any blooming gladiolus.

Soon, a few minutes later, Li Cheng頤's body stiffened, and he stood up straight, exhaling a long breath.

The evolution level was finally complete...

The one-time evolution level of the Gladiolus Floral Scale Armor had finally reached 100%.

'Completed. Next is to absorb evil thoughts and the Wisteria Floral Scale Armor evolution level.'

'Evil thoughts... Where should I get them from?' Li Cheng頤 wondered in his heart.

The botanical garden could provide him with a stable source of floral energy, but what about evil thoughts?

Could he also imitate the botanical garden and build a similar garden of evil thoughts? To provide himself with a stable source of evil thoughts?