Chapter Text
CHAPTER 1
Shen Yuan found himself in his room one more time again as usual.
He was lying on his comfortable bed surrounded by soft pillows with his back against the wall while he was holding a laptop in his lap.
He was criticizing in the comments the last published chapter of one of his most hated web novels. It was a routine he did every time the worthless novel author published some new chapter.
The plot during this chapter was, of course as always, the protagonist meeting a beautiful lady positioned in a suspicious strategic place to be saved from a predator with an incredible, impressive and blablabla heroic act.
According to the exact words said by both the protagonist and the lady, both had fallen madly in love with each other as soon as they met. Like some kind of love at first sight or some nonsense like that.
And now they were getting married a day after they just met, a stupidly luxurious wedding, and on one side stood about 200 wives jealous of their husband's new acquisition.
Ridiculous.
Shen Yuan was giving his twelfth reason why what was happening didn't make any sense and why it was impossible for them to fall in love like that when he suddenly died.
Yes, that simple.
Shen Yuan believes that he had a cardiac arrest since his good health was not one of the things he could boast of.
And now he was in the middle of a small green meadow surrounded by flowers like roses, jasmine and rosemary and other ones which he could not identify.
He woke up when the sun was about to set at its highest point and Shen Yuan found himself in this situation from one moment to the next, aware of having died just some minutes ago, having woken up again alive, safe and sound in such a magical place. surrounded by nature he could only come to one conclusion.
He was in the heavens.
Although after about five minutes of analyzing himself, like the strange clothes he was wearing, his hair that was suddenly long and full of little white petals everywhere like decorations and out of nowhere he started hearing movements in the grove that was two meters in front of him he changed his mind.
Maybe this wasn't heaven, where are the angels then? Or had he gone to hell? Anyway, did something like heaven or hell even exist?
Then again his thoughts were interrupted when he heard a mechanical voice in his mind, as if that thing was speaking to him.
A blue rectangle appeared in front of him.
[Error in the selected character to transmigrate]
'Transmigration?'
[User has been moved to NPC jasmine flower man in Proud Immoral Demon Way due to an error in the originally assigned character "S### Q######". We apologize for the delay in providing the information.]
"What!? Proud Immortal what!? That thing must be kidding, or this was all a dream, or…"
[Please request a claim in the forms part if the user is not satisfied with §`#=$##o19(/######*8]
The rectangular box that had appeared in front of him, before blue, was now red.
[##&####&&&&###]
[System error, self-destruct protocol activated in case of failure in the programming codes.]
'Oh…'
'Now that thing has disappeared.'
Proud Immortal Demon Way, the web novel he hated the most.
And on top of that, he had transmigrated into a character that didn't even have a name. NPC jasmine flower man? What the fuck? Am I a flower or something?
Shen Yuan remembers reading how the great protagonist of the novel married women who claimed to be flowers, thus turning them into one of the many rare species created to satisfy readers' weird fetishes and brought into the harem as if they were pieces of a collection.
These women, like many others, only appeared occasionally to fill in chapters. He remembers reading that Luo Binghe had married roses and lilies, maybe a few more others.
These women could normally go from being literally flowers to adopting a human appearance.
And was he now supposed to be part of that weird fetish species himself?
Well…
If he thought about it, it wasn't that bad as far as it went.
Leaving aside that in PIDW anything can kill you, at least he hadn't transmigrated into a cannon fodder character like some villain with no IQ or some servant.
Shen Yuan was a person who relied on logic as normal life style. (As long as one of his obsessions was not involved)
And now that he was a flower, he had to adapt.
Okay, he had transmigrated into a nameless NPC, that meant that the original owner of this body probably wouldn't have known anyone important, so no one could complain about his sudden change of personality.
On the other hand, according to what he had read from the novel, the flower species only needed the same resources as a normal flower to survive.
Sun, water and mineral salts. He supposed that in order to get mineral salts, since he didn't see roots anywhere and seeing them would be something a bit disgusting, it would be useful to touch the earth with his feet to feed on it, take sunlight and drink water.
Drinking water would be the most appropriate, watering yourself? Oh please.
As for dying, they were simply immortal in a certain way, they didn't die by age, only if they withered from not eating correctly.
Shen Yuan didn't even want to think how it would feel to wither away, would it be little by little? Would you notice how it dries? Or would it be suddenly and quickly?
Well, he hadn't planned to die yet, he had just done it a few minutes ago and now he had no intention of repeating it.
Sure he might die if his throat was cut or attacked, but he would make sure he lived a quiet life from now on and didn't get into too much trouble.
He was also in a meadow surrounded by other flowers, he supposed that now he was like part of his group or something like that, and... Did the flowers protect each other?
Shen Yuan had no idea, but, at least he had a home or something.
He felt a little down when he didn't see a mattress nearby to sleep on, did the original product sleep on the floor?
Shen Yuan felt the ground with his hands and found that the grass muffled his touch.
For now it would work.
And then he cried.
Yes.
It's not something to be ashamed of, give him a little time, he was still in shock and also no one was there to witness it.
______________________
It had been months since Shen Yuan had transmigrated, and in fact, there were almost no negative things about it.
Putting aside the fact that he died in his first life, somehow now his lifestyle had taken on a more rural and quieter way.
His home was now the meadow.
The river that passed through it served as a bathtub, as a mirror and of course to drink it.
He didn't miss the taste of food in his mouth, and surely it was because his body had never tasted anything other than water and sun.
Furthermore, he had realized that the body he had transmigrated into was not too different from his original one in the moderno world.
He was now a few inches taller. His eyes, which once were dark brown, now were green like the plants and his hair was much longer, reaching almost to his waist.
He had realized that the petals he had in his hair as decorations were actually part of his own body. A way of indicating what species of flower he belonged to while he is in his human form.
He wasn't complaining about it, in fact, he thought they were pretty cute.
He had also figured out how to turn into a plant just two days after transmigrating in the novel.
In the middle of the night, while he was trying to think about what he could do the next day to improve his quality of life, an animal from the nearby forest stepped on a small branch which broke from the pressure of his paw. And Shen Yuan got one of the biggest scares of his all life causing him to turn into a jasmine flower instantly.
The sensation was weird but not painful, he couldn't see anything but still could tell what was happening due to the vibrations in the ground.
It was a curious experience, he noticed the movements around him but he didn't hear anything either.
Shen Yuan had heard throughout his life that plants could hear, many even said that if you put music to a plant, they would listen and grow much better.
But that was a lie, he was deafer than when he put his headphones on at maximum volume and then took them off.
Later, turning back into a human was as easy as just wanting to and thinking about it.
He almost got scared when he thought that he would stay like a flower forever because of his incompetence.
At first, Shen Yuan believed that he would become a jasmine only through strong emotions, such as being scared, terrified, or happy. Later he realized that he could channel an energy inside him that in the xianxia world was called "qi" and thus he would turn into a flower whenever he wanted.
And yes, even if he could now become a flower whenever he wanted, he would also continue to become one when he had strong emotions against his will, he couldn't control that yet.
Shen Yuan decided that he was going to study his own species more deeply, and the other plants as well.
He was never very interested in botany, but now that he was living the experience of a flower in his own flesh, a certain curiosity arose in him.
Putting aside the matter of his investigations with unorthodox methods like experimenting on himself, Shen Yuan still didn't know how the guy who lived in this body before survived with a single change of clothes. And just that.
They weren't even normal robes from the xianxia world, the clothes he woke up wearing in this body were almost more like the modern world than this world.
He deduced that flowers have a different sense of fashion than cultivators, just as the demons have a different conception opting to wear more revealing clothes.
But it wasn't unpleasant to look at and it was even much easier and lighter to handle than it seemed to be to wear 7 layers of robes on the body.
Now, he only had one change and that was absolutely disgusting.
Ok, now he was a plant and all that, but plants can be hygienic too!
Shen Yuan, the third generation rich kid needs cleanliness at least in the clothes he wears.
He could accept sleeping in a meadow in the middle of the grass, but that was because the meadow didn't smell bad either and looked clean, the flower essences making the air feel pleasantly scented and sweet.
So, Shen Yuan, who didn't possess the skills of a designer or a dressmaker, chose to go to the nearest village, which was behind a mountain after crossing the forest, and he simply stole.
Life was hard and Shen Yuan had to survive.
'I'm sorry lady who sells clothes, I need it more than you do' he thought as he grabbed a few pairs of pants and tunics and ran behind into the woods like a rat.
He didn't feel bad, these people were just characters in a book anyway. Or something like that, he supposed.
While he wasn't a designer, he did tailor the robes a bit to make them the same as the clothes which the original product was wearing.
He tried.
He had also stolen a few pages to make his own research book, he needed to write things down somewhere or he would end up forgetting all his new discoveries.
He hid several of his belongings inside an empty tree trunk he had found while exploring the meadow further, keeping the things he had collected there for safekeeping.
Sleeping in the open air was pleasant, except when it rained.
In one of the storms in the middle of winter, he thought how great it would be to build himself a little house in the meadow, so he wouldn't get cold and his clothes wouldn't get wet for the water of the rain, but he didn't have the skills of a carpenter or an architect, he couldn't cut a piece of wood and even if he tried and if by some chance of life he succeeded, the house would collapse in five minutes.
His mood suddenly improved quite a bit once spring came. Yes, the mood of flowers did have some subtle changes as the seasons progressed, he was discovering that firsthand.
It wasn't anything exaggerated like an abrupt change of mood depending on the season, but it was more prone to have a certain mood.
He had transmigrated here with a month to go until the end of autumn and it was quite nice with a cool environment, then winter came, it was one of the worst months ever since he was always cold, so he chose to become a jasmine and take refuge in bushes at night, and later spring finally came.
The meadow became even more filled with flowers, and many of those that withered or closed over the winter bloomed again to see the light of day.
The weather was much more pleasant and warm, the sun was warm in the morning and the bees kept it company.
From the outside it would be an idyllic image, although sometimes at night Shen Yuan lamented his loneliness and lack of technology.
He missed his mobile phone and his latest generation computer.
And suddenly his daily routine changed during a fairly sunny morning.
He had entered the forest in search of some fruits to be able to sell the town. He had gotten tired of stealing and knew that sooner or later they would catch him since he was not very skilled and more than once they had chased him into the forest.
So if he sold some moras or some berries, he would earn legal money to buy writing materials.
He had crouched down towards a bush which had some red berries that would "probably" be edible to the people of the village.
And if they weren't, then he wouldn't show up in the village again for a while until the little incident was forgotten.
As he plucked the second fruit, he heard a hissing from behind the bush.
Shen Yuan was a bit scared, but then he remembered that the animals would not do anything to him, he had already come across many before and had never been attacked.
Yes, animals might be aggressive, but he was still a plant, animals don't attack plants unless they're part of their menu. And jasmine wasn't on anyone's menu. (Or so he hopes)
Shen Yuan pushed the bush aside to get a better look at what was hidden behind it.
It was a snake.
A hideous looking snake.
Shen Yuan got a little scared, this could be the ugliest animal he had ever seen since he transmigrated into this world.
In fact, the snake wasn't even quite a snake at all, instead of a normal snout, the animal had like an attempt at a misshapen human head.
A normal and consistent reaction would be to run like crazy after seeing such an aberration.
Even so, the little animal looked at him in the eyes, as if it had a conscience of its own.
And even though it might be horrible, in his eyes he could see a little glint, and it was enough to make him feel sorry for him.
There was also no need to judge someone by their appearance. He had been educated by his family in that regard.
They had told him to only start judging if this person looked like they wanted to rob him. And this snake didn't have it, he didn't have anything on it either.
He stopped looking at the snake's face for a moment and moved his gaze over the entire body of the animal.
His snake body was in a horrible state, full of cuts, some deep, others more superficial, and was covered in blood and dirt.
Shen Yuan's heart filled with sorrow.
It was a poor little animal who had been attacked, he was sure that these cuts were made by human action, no other animal could attack with such precision with such straight cuts, they seemed to be made by machetes or swords.
"Oh little snake, those humans have done you a lot of harm, haven't they?"
Shen Yuan raised his hand, and the snake was about to react as if it were defending itself from an imminent attack until it noticed how the touch, instead of strong and with intent to harm, was soft and warm.
A caress.
No.
Lots of caresses.
The snake opened the eyes that it had instinctively closed and saw how the man in front of it smiled warmly at him.
"I'll help you, if you promise to not attack me."
Shen Yuan only received a hiss in response, and after noticing that the snake didn't try to attack him or run away, he made up his mind.
"We have to go to the meadow, I know of some flowers with healing effects that would be willing to lend us some of their petals."
Shen Yuan turned around, intending for the snake to follow him, but after two steps he noticed that the snake was sliding too slowly.
"You're very hurt, aren't you?"
The snake just looked at him, expectant and at the same time attentive to leave at maximum speed at any time in case it was a trap.
Shen Yuan crouched down.
"Little one, I'm going to carry you myself."
Before the snake could creep away, he felt how the man captured him with his delicate arms and lifted him up while placing him in his arms.
The snake wasn't very small or very thin, but it wasn't exaggeratedly huge either.
Then, the snake was taken to the field to which the man was referring, curled up in the middle of two warm arms while a part of its body up to its tail hung in the air without touching the ground.
Shen Yuan noticed how the snake did not move an inch during the entire journey, it was as if it had remained completely stiff and frozen.
He was not afraid or uncomfortable having the snake's face so close to his, he noticed how the animal's eyes were watching him carefully but he didn't feel that the animal would suddenly behave aggressively towards him.
As he had already deduced before, animals do not usually attack flowers.
Upon reaching the meadow, which was only a few meters from where they had first met, he first approached the river.
"I'm going to remove the excess blood to make it easier to apply the medicine"
Then, he spread the snake's body straight out on the side of the river to gain access to the entire body.
The animal didn't move, and Shen Yuan smiled at that.
Shen Yuan rolled up his pants and pulled them up to his knees, then he entered the river and stood near the animal to gradually wash it with his hands.
"Sorry if your wounds burn, in a way, if they burn, it's because the water is helping to disinfect..."
The snake felt warm hands rubbing all over its body, noticing how the river water cleaned its scales of blood and dirt.
When he finished washing, the snake was covered in water and Shen Yuan could hear a hissing from the animal, as if it was suffering from the burning of your wounds.
"Poor thing... don't worry, now in a few minutes it won't hurt at all."
He slowly lifted the snake up again, the docile animal stopping its hissing to go back as still as a statue.
Then he went all the way to the left, where there was a small area with vermilion flowers called Red Flowers of Passion.
Airplane didn't bother to think too much about such simple names either. But in some ways they were easier to remember than any more scientific name.
He sat on the ground while crossing his legs and put the snake on top of them, which was still not moving.
"The petals of these flowers are a double weapon," he explained. "if you eat them they can have the same effect as an aphrodisiac, but if you only apply the petals superficially to cover wounds, they have an instant healing effect."
Shen Yuan thought that it was logic for this world to all be some aphrodisiac.
Shen Yuan used to speak alone as a tool to memorize his new knowledge faster and practice, but now that another living being other than flowers was listening to him, he decided to take advantage of it a little.
Shen Yuan delicately plucked numerous petals from different flowers so as not to leave a single one flower without any petals and when he collected a large number of them making a pile on the ground, he proceeded to place them one by one on top of the snake's cut wounds.
He started with the cuts closest to the snake's head and continued through the middle of its body.
Throughout the process he was giving him small caresses on the head to calm him down.
Then, he slid his body so that he could reach the end of the snake.
When he finally finished placing the petals around all the cuts, Shen Yuan, seeing that some petals were left over, decided to pile them on the wounds that seemed deeper so they would heal faster, thus finishing off all the petals.
After a few minutes, the properties of the petals along with the help of PIDW's logic healed all the wounds on the snake's body.
Shen Yuan told the snake, after finishing placing the petals, not to be impatient and not to leave yet. So when they took effect, Shen Yuan removed the petals from the snake's body.
"Done, I'm sure you feel better now."
He patted it a few more times, then without warning he picked up the animal and hurried into the woods.
Shen Yuan stopped near the bushes where they had met earlier and set the animal down.
"Now you're free, I don't need you to thank me." He gave him a last smile and went back to his task of picking berries again without noticing that the snake hadn't moved from the place where it had been left and had been watching him the whole time.
Then, when Shen Yuan left, the snake also disappeared into the plants.