"Say, are we going to go make contact with her?" Hong Meiling asked with a touch of curiosity.
"Contact her for what? I don't grow flowers! If you want to ask for advice, just go right ahead." Flandre spread her small hands dismissively.
For her, admiring vibrant blossoms and running around the flower beds was a very happy pastime, but that didn't mean she had any desire to learn the tedious art of professional horticulture.
Since Hong Meiling acted as the part-time gardener back at the Scarlet Devil Mansion, if she wanted to seek advice from a local master, Flandre certainly wouldn't stop her. At worst, she and Koishi could just play around in the vicinity while they waited.
After giving it a moment's thought, Hong Meiling shook her head. "Forget it, such troublesome matters don't suit me."
With that, she turned back and continued to wander leisurely along the path alongside Flandre and Koishi.
At that moment, the Agricultural Master standing not far away seemed to have sensed their conversation and glanced over toward the bend.
Seeing three subtle back figures walking past in the distance, she scratched her head in confusion.
"How strange... wasn't someone staring directly at me just now?"
She didn't connect those three passersby with the distinct sensation of being observed. After all, from a glance, they looked like nothing more than two little girls taking their older bodyguard out for a stroll through the Plum Garden.
Yet, that brief gaze from a moment ago had been far too sharp, carrying a subtle, weightless pressure. It felt oddly similar to the intimidating sensation she used to get when facing the Elder back in her clan's main hall.
How could three young women who looked even younger than her give off such a formidable aura? But where else could that gaze have come from?
The specialist stretched her arms, shaking her head as she cast the minor mystery to the back of her mind. Since she couldn't figure it out, she wouldn't waste brain cells worrying about it. After all, this was well within the sovereign territory of Great Yan, so general safety was fully guaranteed.
Furthermore, no one should assume that just because she was an Agricultural Celestial Master, she only knew how to dig in the dirt with a shovel. It wasn't so easy for ordinary petty thieves or ruffians to get anywhere near her.
If pushed too far, she genuinely possessed the combat skills to plant an attacker head-first into the soil. An Agricultural Celestial Master was still a fully trained Celestial Master; although her chosen career path made her somewhat of a black sheep in her traditional family, she was by no means lacking in martial strength.
Having been influenced by her upbringing, her techniques might not be as flashy as those brothers and sisters back in the clan who wielded destructive lightning, but using her specialized Arts to handle a few common thugs was as simple as breathing.
Right—her family surname was Bai, the very same Bai of Bai Dingshan... Within the prestigious Tianshi Mansion of Great Yan, no one dared underestimate that name.
She was, of course, not a direct descendant of the renowned Bluethunder Count, but even a collateral branch was still noble blood. It was simply that she had been fascinated by plants and trees since childhood, choosing not to pursue the lightning-attuned Arts that the Bai family was most famous for.
After packing up her clipboards and soil testing kits, she began walking toward the southern sector, pondering her schedule as she went.
Spring was right around the corner, and managing the official opening of the Spring Garden would be no simple task. To be precise, once spring arrived, except for the Winter Garden where her daily duties would lighten, the other three seasonal estates would require her constant, rigorous oversight.
At this moment, she was considering whether to draft a formal letter to her former mentor back at the Celestial Master Academy in Flower County, asking him to send a couple of promising junior students over to assist her as research interns.
At absolute worst, when her major botanical paper was published later in the year, she could include their names in the acknowledgments. If their seasonal work significantly contributed to her core thesis, granting them second or third authorship wasn't out of the question either.
Pondering this plan, she arrived at her quarters near the Spring Garden. Just as she stepped inside the break room and collapsed onto the sofa, she suddenly sat bolt upright.
"No, this can't wait! I have to get those interns locked down right after the academic term starts. Otherwise, all the top students will be poached by other research institutes, and I'll be left with nothing but incompetent dead weight!"
Originally, she had intended to wait until mid-spring to see if her workload was truly overwhelming before requesting extra hands.
But lying down, she remembered that the Lunar New Year was fast approaching. Once the new semester began after the holidays, any student with genuine talent would be courted by major agricultural firms across the nation. If she didn't reserve them in advance, she wouldn't get a single competent assistant.
Realizing the urgency, she immediately pulled out her stationery and began writing to her professor. Just at that moment, an estate worker ran over to her door in a hurry, breathlessly announcing that a confrontation had just broken out over at the Plum Garden.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the park, Flandre's group had finished their tour of the Plum Garden and were preparing to head back to the villa to rest.
Just as they stepped past the main archway, Flandre's brow furrowed at a sight unfolding near the exit path.
A short distance ahead, several middle-aged tourists were walking back toward the main gates. Crucially, each of them was holding a large, freshly broken branch, upon which vibrant, blooming winter plum blossoms were prominently attached.
Flandre looked at the sight, her brow tightening in confusion. "I remember the Plum Garden's park rules clearly stated that damaging the trees is strictly forbidden, right?"
Hong Meiling nodded cleanly. The park entry rules were posted on a massive, highly visible sign right at the main gates. The two most prominent rules were plain for all to see: Do not litter, and Do not pick or break the flora.
Furthermore, to ensure no one could claim ignorance due to illiteracy, an automated loudspeaker played those exact guidelines on a loop near the entrance. After all, these rare winter trees and flowers had been transplanted by the Swire Family at immense financial expense, and having been moved less than a year ago, they were currently in their most delicate stage of root recovery.
Judging by their sharp winter coats, those tourists didn't look like uneducated ruffians. Yet despite the clear rules, where had those thick, flowering branches in their hands come from? It was physically impossible for healthy plum branches to just magically snap off on their own and fall neatly into their hands.
Checking the jagged ends of the wood, the break lines were pale, wet, and raw.
Flandre remembered very clearly that this entire Flower Village estate belonged to Beatrice's family enterprise. These people snapping off prize branches were directly damaging Beatrice's property. Recalling how generously Swire had taken care of their accommodations and meals, Flandre was naturally unwilling to stand by and watch her friend's property get vandalized.
"Meiling, go stop them!" Flandre pointed her small hand forward.
And our loyal gatekeeper Master Hong immediately sprinted into action.
Those tourists were chatting and laughing triumphantly amongst themselves when a sudden, powerful gust of wind rushed past them. By the time they blinked, they found a tall woman with long crimson hair and a sleek black suit standing squarely in their path, her posture completely blocking the exit.
"Excuse me, everyone. Please halt your steps for a moment."
Being abruptly stopped—and noticing the woman's sharp, unblinking eyes locked onto the plum branches in their hands—the tourists instantly realized why she was blocking them.
However, seeing that their challenger was just a single, slender woman standing alone, the group's fear evaporated, replaced by aggressive defiance.
"What do you want?!" one of the older men, who looked to be in his late fifties, snapped loudly, asking a question he already knew the answer to.
"Where did you break those branches in your hands from?" Meiling questioned plainly, relaying Flandre's intent.
"None of your damn business!"
The older man, far from showing a shred of remorse when confronted with his wrongdoing, actually stepped forward and shouted abuse right into Meiling's face.
In his mind, he had already concluded that this young woman and the two small children standing behind her were nothing more than ordinary tourists. Since they held zero official authority, what on earth did he have to be afraid of?
To his arrogant eyes, these young people were nothing more than naive brats whose heads had been stuffed full of useless school ethics—overflowing with a foolish sense of justice and thinking they were heroes standing up for park rules.
Dealing with such self-righteous youngsters was something he had done dozens of times before. As long as you yelled louder than them, puffed out your chest, and intimidated them physically, you could easily force them to back down in embarrassment. He had used this exact method to bully people for years and knew precisely how to get his way.
While barking insults, he took a heavy step forward, raising his large, calloused palms as he lunged toward Meiling with bared teeth and aggressive gestures, attempting to physically shove her out of the way.
Seeing him charge forward, Hong Meiling raised a single eyebrow.
For a grown man who not only refused to acknowledge his shameless vandalism, but also dared to rely on his physical stature to physically intimidate women and children... even with her famously easygoing temper, Master Hong's patience instantly snapped.