"Did you make this yourself?" Buck happily looked at and admired the wood carving in his hand, unable to let go.
"I made it myself. Does Buck like it?" Tianmiao asked with a smile.
"Love it! Love it!" Buck packed away the wood carving and said with a grin, "Come on, I’ll take you hunting. We’ll have a picnic in the woods at noon. You should go change your clothes first."
"Is the Princess coming with us?" Tianmiao turned his head to ask the Princess.
"Yes, yes, yes!" The Princess nodded repeatedly like a pecking chick.
"But you don’t have hunting attire." Buck frowned, not wanting this spoiled Princess to disrupt his joyful hunting time with his little treasure.
"I’ll have someone fetch it now. Tianmiao needs to change clothes too and prepare the picnic basket—there’s just enough time," the Princess hurriedly replied.
Tianmiao nodded with a smile, "Then we will wait for you."
Since Tianmiao had said this, Buck obviously had no choice but to wait for the Princess to change her clothes and return.
The Princess ordered the coachman to drive the carriage quickly back, changed into her attire, and brought along her bow and arrows—not forgetting to instruct the maids to carry delicious food—before rushing back to Buck’s residence.
Buck planned to take Tianmiao hunting in a grove behind the residence. The outskirts were populated with small animals, like rabbits.
Tianmiao wanted to ride a horse herself, but Buck refused to agree regardless. Instead, the Princess pleaded on her behalf, "Find a small horse and let Tianmiao try first. If it doesn’t work, I’ll take her."
"Yes, yes, Buck, let me try. I can do it." Tianmiao, carrying a bow and arrows specifically crafted for her, looked expectantly at Buck.
Buck finally nodded, "Alright then, let’s try it first. If it doesn’t work, I’ll guide you." He wasn’t comfortable with the Princess guiding her.
In the end, Tianmiao smoothly rode a horse and positioned herself between the Princess and Buck.
Buck blew his whistle, and a few hunting dogs quickly ran ahead of them. Then, the Princess blew her whistle, and the dogs she brought along followed suit.
"Can you summon them by whistling?" Tianmiao was quite interested in how people in the West had long relied on hunting dogs for assistance.
"Yes, but it’s a bit technical. Different whistles convey different meanings," the Princess explained, "Mr. Buck’s and my dogs are top-notch, chosen from hundreds, and have undergone rigorous training. They only respond to their owner’s whistle."
Before the Princess could finish speaking, she saw Tianmiao put her fingers to her lips and blow a whistle.
Then a scene unfolded that left both the Princess and Buck dumbfounded.
The hunting dogs of both the Princess and Buck simultaneously stopped, then turned to look at Tianmiao. When Tianmiao whistled again, all the dogs lined up and advanced in a straight line at a steady pace.
The Princess widened her eyes at Tianmiao, asking incredulously, "Tianmiao, how did you do that?"
"I just did what you said," Tianmiao blinked and answered seriously. "You said I can communicate my intent to them."
"My goodness! Little treasure, tomorrow I’m going to have someone test your Magic Talent. Could it be Natural Magic? Oh no, once we’re back, I’ll have someone test it," Buck also found this unbelievable and joked.
"Natural Magic, what is that?" Tianmiao asked curiously.
"It’s about being in harmony with nature and harnessing its power. It includes animals, plants..." Buck explained with a smile but internally thought it was impossible. Because Natural Magic is something that exists only in legends. Even the practically extinct Elf Clan was merely close to nature, capable of manipulating some plants. But controlling animals, that was almost impossible.