A huge flower peeked out from the broken wall on the second floor, its colorful petals swaying violently in the air, flinging out all the pollen from its stamen.
At this moment, the Flower Tender appeared. She looked extremely disheveled, her head covered in blood as if she had just been pulled from a pool of blood, and the blood was still gushing upwards.
Blood streamed down her cheeks, some even getting into her eyes. She hastily wiped the flowing blood from her eyes with her sleeve, then cautiously looked down at Fan Daoyi and asked, "Is this enough pollen?"
Rewind to a short time ago, when the Flower Tender was engrossed in a room with walls covered with illustrations of various plants and experimental records, and a pile of data sent by the Apothecary scattered on the table.
She conducted research and analysis on this, applying the technology to cultivated flowers to test the stability of the 'gate'.
Just then, three crisp knocks came from outside, startling her.
The Flower Tender merely raised his head slightly, a hint of impatience flashing in his eyes, before choosing to ignore it without hesitation, continuing his data research and feeding the new varieties he had cultivated with the items sent by the Apothecary.
After three knocks, there was a brief silence. The Flower Tender didn't pay much attention, only secretly guessing that someone had knocked on the wrong door or that someone unimportant had already left.
Just as he was thinking this, suddenly, the once incredibly sturdy door burst open with a loud crash. The Flower Tender looked over in displeasure and saw Fan Daoyi Flower Tender towards him without saying a word.
The Flower Tender seemed to be trying to say something...
Smack! Thud! Thud! The words were left unsaid.
He smacked her three times on the head. The Flower Tender looked at the person who hit her, clutching her head in grievance. Three knocks to open the door weren't enough, so he hit her on the head instead? If she knew who it was, how could she possibly pretend no one was in the room?
These three blows were quite severe. The Flower Tender's forehead instantly caved in, revealing several deep wounds. Blood gushed out like a fountain, flowing down her cheeks and neck, soon staining her clothes red.
However, after the fight, Fan Daoyi acted as if nothing had happened, his expression returning to a calm state, as if the violent act had never occurred.
Where's the Flower Tender? Can she get angry? Does she dare to get angry? She doesn't dare!
This is the boss, their direct superior. They're all old hands who've been with the boss for a long time. It's perfectly normal that the boss would want to beat them up if he found out they were secretly taking on side jobs behind his back.
After all, what boss would allow their employees to neglect their work and instead diligently engage in activities unrelated to their job?
Fan Daoyi picked up the experimental data on the table, then glanced at the little flower that had drunk the medicine. Its petals trembled slightly, as if it too could sense the tense atmosphere.
When Fan Daoyi asked what she had been doing, the Flower Tender's heart skipped a beat. But she reacted very quickly, almost the instant Fan Daoyi finished speaking, she immediately pointed it out, her face full of righteous indignation.
This was all the Apothecary's doing!
Hmph, shifting blame, they're professionals. Apothecary' reputations are already ruined, so taking a few more blames won't be a big deal.
They bear the blame, I'll take the credit—what a fine virtue!
Achoo! The Apothecary was stitching up the body parts, suddenly sneezed, and a tremor in his hand caused him to have to start all the stitching again. He rubbed his nose to relieve the itch, and a bad feeling rose in his heart.
The Flower Tender wasn't idle; she immediately launched into a dramatic performance, launching into a tearful tirade against Fan Daoyi.
That Apothecary is despicable! He threatens us and is always plotting to dissect us. Now he's set his sights on my little flower. How could I let him get away with it? Of course I resisted! As a result, the Apothecary colluded with Xuan Miao!
Fan Daoyi asked briefly in confusion, "Xuan Miao?"
The Flower Tender quickly covered his mouth, blinking innocently.
It seems she let something slip.
Forget it, might as well go all in. With the Apothecary's actions being so drastic, there's no way to hide it anymore.
The Flower Tender told Fan Daoyi their plan, "Open up a passage and let the Guixu invade."
She explained that the gate established by Fan Daoyi was one-way; only those from the Present World could enter the Guixu, but those from the Guixu could not leave this area.
So they studied this and connected the boundary between the Present World and the Guixu. Using her flower as a medium and a hub, they temporarily connected the path.
She chuckled awkwardly, "My lord, think about it. If the creatures from the Guixu suddenly descend upon the Present World on a large scale, wouldn't that be a huge source of fear revenue? We are following your instructions carefully."
We would never harm you.
With blood streaming down his face and forcing a smile, he looked utterly pathetic.
Unlike his treatment of the traitors they created and modified later, Fan Daoyi was exceptionally merciful to the group of guys he had personally created.
Aside from their somewhat unserious and irresponsible personalities, they do have some merits... right?
Suddenly, Fan Daoyi's gaze toward the Flower Tender was filled with disdain.
The Flower Tender shuddered, a hint of doubt in his voice. "Sir, you wouldn't kill...?"
Looking up at her, Fan Daoyi still looked at her with the same eyes that looked at trash, without any change. At this moment, the Flower Tender was worthless in his eyes.
The Flower Tender's tone weakened further, his voice barely audible. "Surely... not?"
Fan Daoyi did have a fleeting thought of reworking them, but then he thought of Dao Er and Dao San, who were born from his own consciousness. Those guys were also always acting frivolously, not much better than these guys.
Could it be that everything born from him is somewhat unreliable, all bearing the imprint of his personality? But is his personality really that unreliable?
"Hey, do me a favor." Fan Daoyi finally spoke, his voice calm, yet it made the Flower Tender feel as if he had been granted a pardon.
It seems the matter has been successfully resolved; at least for now, there's no longer any need to worry about being killed or sent back for retraining.
Blood was still flowing, obscuring half her face, but it couldn't stop the Flower Tender's sincere praise at that moment: Ah, praise to the magnanimous, generous, and benevolent Dao Yi. So tolerant, so loving.
Back in the present, the Flower Tender was diligently spraying pollen onto the enormous flower, as if afraid of failing to achieve Fan Daoyi's desired result.
The pollen filled the air like a golden snowfall, making the surrounding air feel thick and dense.
Fan Daoyi's lips twitched. "If you sprinkled a little more fire, it could cause a dust explosion."
Only after Fan Daoyi spoke did the giant flower stop scattering its powder.
"Sir, is there anything else I can do for you?" The Flower Tender's words were as obsequious as could be.