All the materials were laid out in a row.
The little Treasure Hunter Ghost put the ring back on its head, then pressed its claws together, mobilizing the energy within its body to draw the energy out of the materials and into the ring.
Visible purple and red specks of light continuously transferred from the materials to the ring, which was glowing with a yellow light.
*Looks like I'll have to buy a new batch...* Qiao Sang felt a twinge of pain in her heart as she looked at several of the materials that had withered.
She used to think buying pets was expensive, but she later realized that compared to the cost of nurturing them, that amount of money was practically negligible.
Ultimately, she was still short on cash.
The seven-figure balance in her bank account no longer gave her a sense of security.
Thinking of this, Qiao Sang returned to her room, picked up the phone on the desk, and dialed her mother's number.
"Hello, Mom, it's been two days already. When are you coming over?" As soon as the call connected, Qiao Sang asked impatiently.
"I just got back to Hanggang this afternoon; I'm already on my way to your place," her mother replied.
*Just got back to Hanggang?* Qiao Sang paused. "Where have you been these past two days?"
"...I can't talk right now, the signal is bad up here. We'll chat when I arrive."
"Jiu-bi~"
"Beep, beep, beep..."
Qiao Sang looked at the disconnected call, feeling quite speechless.
In this day and age, with the flight altitude and speed of a Fat-House Pigeon, she claimed the signal was bad? Who would believe that?
...
An hour later.
In the living room.
Ye Xiangting placed several bags of things she was carrying onto the coffee table. "I bought some Red-Grain Fruits, Tuoyou Fruits, and Niannian Fruits. They're all things Yabao and the Treasure Hunter Ghost love to eat. Hurry and call them over to have some."
Qiao Sang glanced at the fruits on the coffee table and asked, "Mom, where's mine?"
Ye Xiangting paused, coughed, and said, "How old are you now? Can't you go buy your own snacks?"
*Fine, looks like she didn't buy any for me...* Qiao Sang went to the courtyard and called out to her two pets, "Yabao, Little Treasure, come quickly! There's something delicious!"
"Xun!"
The little Treasure Hunter Ghost let out a cheerful cry and instantly vanished from the courtyard.
After finishing the energy absorption and practicing skill releases for half a day, it was starving.
Yabao, on the other hand, recalled its clones and came to stand before its beast tamer, looking up and blinking its eyes.
"Ya ya?"
Qiao Sang paused and replied, "It's not food I made."
"Ya!"
Yabao's eyes lit up, and it immediately trotted excitedly toward the living room.
This left Qiao Sang standing in place with a look of confusion.
Was it just her imagination, or did Yabao seem exceptionally happy upon hearing that the food wasn't made by her?
When Qiao Sang returned to the living room, she saw her mother holding her phone, frantically taking photos of Yabao, who was eating a Red-Grain Fruit.
The little Treasure Hunter Ghost floated beside her mother, eating a Tuoyou Fruit while curiously peering at the photos on the phone.
Yabao wasn't just eating the Red-Grain Fruit; it held the fruit in the middle of its mouth and struck a pose for the camera.
"Yes, just like that! So handsome!" her mother praised profusely while looking at the photos.
"Let's do one more, lift your head slightly." Her mother crouched down to change the angle and continued taking photos.
Yabao, still holding the Red-Grain Fruit, tilted its head up by about 15 degrees.
"Too handsome, simply perfect!" her mother said with satisfaction.
After taking photos for a full three minutes, her mother finally put down the phone, but then she turned and saw the little Treasure Hunter Ghost beside her.
"Do you want some too? I'll take a few for you as well," her mother smiled.
"Xun~"
Without a second thought, the little Treasure Hunter Ghost began striking poses.
Qiao Sang: "..."
Five minutes later.
Sitting on the sofa and watching Yabao and the Treasure Hunter Ghost still eating, her mother remarked with emotion, "You've nurtured them so well. Yabao goes without saying, but look at the Treasure Hunter Ghost. When it first came to our house, it wasn't nearly this lively."
"It's just grown up." Qiao Sang suddenly remembered something. "Right, Mom, you didn't say on the phone—where were you these past two days?"
Her mother gave a dry cough and said, "Since you weren't home anyway, and Fuzhou happened to be hosting a beast competition recently, I went to take a look."
Qiao Sang was stunned. "Fuzhou is on the border of the Yuhua region, right? You went that far just to watch a competition?"
"It's because the signature from the Sharp-Peak Bear was lost last time. I heard that Wang Dian'ao would be at the Fuzhou competition, so I wanted to try my luck and see if I could get a signature from the Armored-Tread Sharp-Peak Bear," her mother said wistfully.
*This topic is not suitable for further discussion...* Qiao Sang naturally changed the subject. "What have you thought about opening the breeding shop?"
"Everything else is fine, it's just that the shop can't be opened in a short amount of time. If I wait until the shop is open, will there be no one left wanting to buy Fire-Fang Dogs by then?" her mother worried.
"It'll be fine," Qiao Sang replied. "Right now, the method for Fire-Fang Dogs to evolve into Flame-Listening Hounds is still unknown. By the time the research institute figures it out, it'll likely be several months from now. That's when more people will be determined to buy Fire-Fang Dogs."
"Just proceed with the preparations for the shop normally. We'll specialize in pet eggs. Even if the research is delayed, we can prevent management issues."
"Your brain has become so much sharper since becoming a beast tamer," Ye Xiangting said gratifiedly. "Alright, Mom understands. You just focus on your studies; don't worry about the rest."
"I have some money here, I'll transfer some to you for the shop," Qiao Sang said, picking up her phone to operate it.
Ye Xiangting snatched the phone away with one hand and frowned. "Your mother still has some savings; there's no need to use your money. You've just become a beast tamer and have two pets to nurture; this is a critical time. Keep the money for yourself."
Qiao Sang paused, then said solemnly, "Mom, I knew you had money!"
Ye Xiangting: "..."
...
Night.
In the dead of night.
Once Qiao Sang and Yabao were both asleep, the little Treasure Hunter Ghost took off the ring and quietly placed the virtual helmet inside.
Then it floated out of the room into the living room. Just as it put on the virtual helmet and was about to flip the switch, it suddenly noticed a puddle of water on the floor directly in front of it.
And emerging from the puddle was half a head, with a pair of dark, gloomy eyes staring straight at it.
The little Treasure Hunter Ghost and Water-Luan looked at each other.
After staring for three seconds, the little Treasure Hunter Ghost took some milk out of the ring and held it out to Water-Luan.
"Xun xun..."
*Keep it a secret...*
Water-Luan hesitated while looking at the milk, then revealed half its body, reached out a claw to take it, and nodded solemnly.
"Lu lu!"
...
The next morning.
When Qiao Sang woke up, she saw the little Treasure Hunter Ghost sleeping on the bed.
This had happened for three consecutive days. Was this situation normal for a Ghost-type pet?
Qiao Sang didn't think too much of it. She did a quick wash, ate a piece of bread, drank a glass of milk, and set off for school.
Just as she reached the school gate, she saw Shi Gaofeng in a tug-of-war with a fair-skinned girl.
She heard Shi Gaofeng roar loudly, "Stop following me!"
"I won't, unless you change your mind!" the girl insisted stubbornly.
"I'm not changing my mind!" Shi Gaofeng shouted angrily.
"If you don't change it, I'm not leaving!" the girl persisted.
*High school love and hate...* Qiao Sang shifted her steps, attempting to avoid their line of sight and enter the school.
Just then, Shi Gaofeng suddenly looked over and waved excitedly. "Qiao Sang! Come help me!"
*Does his eyesight have to be this good...* Qiao Sang walked over helplessly and asked, "What happened?"
Shi Gaofeng said aggrievedly, "You be the judge. Just because the Phantom-Water Baby wasn't professional, Zheng-Tyrannosaurus called my mom yesterday. I had no idea what I was walking into today, yet this person has the nerve to come here and ask me to change my rating."
"When I got a one-star bad review, I never went looking for other people."
Qiao Sang: "..."
*So it wasn't high school love and hate...*
(End of Chapter)