Traveling all the way from the Ancient Mist region to the Yuhua region just to work as a security guard, and happening to be employed in the same residential complex as Water Luana—it was hard not to link the two together.
It wasn't that Qiao Sang didn't believe in coincidences; it was just that, combined with that fellow's micro-expressions, her intuition told her that this security guard from the Ancient Mist region was not simple.
Of course, intuition is a bit of a metaphysical thing. Without concrete evidence, Qiao Sang couldn't judge whether the man was problematic, but she decided to keep an eye on him.
Returning home, Ya Bao immediately went to the courtyard to begin training its Fire Fang skill. Currently, Fire Fang's proficiency was nearly at the peak of Perfection; it was estimated that it would reach the realm of Secret Technique before long.
The Little Treasure-Hunting Ghost wasn't idle either, floating over to the virtual helmet and putting it on by itself.
This made Qiao Sang, who had just walked through the door wanting to lie on the bed for a bit, find it difficult to actually lie down.
Both of her pet beasts were working hard; how could she only think about resting!
Qiao Sang went to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator, thinking of grabbing something to eat while she read later.
But as soon as she opened it and saw the fridge stuffed with various fruits, vegetables, and drinks, Qiao Sang's thoughts began to wander.
With so much food in her own home, and the fact that she left a bottle of milk for Water Luana every day before leaving, would it really go out of its way to run next door to steal White Glutinous Fruits?
White Glutinous Fruits could allow a pet beast to recover from a paralyzed state, but they didn't seem to have such a strong attraction for Water-type pet beasts that weren't under an abnormal status.
After thinking for a moment, Qiao Sang suddenly realized a problem.
Others had only said they saw a blue pet beast that stole two White Glutinous Fruits run into her house; they hadn't said the thief was Water Luana...
Thinking of this, Qiao Sang took a bottle of milk from the fridge and went to the courtyard.
"Ya!"
Seeing Qiao Sang, Ya Bao immediately dissipated the Fire Fang it had just condensed and ran over, wagging its tail.
"Ya ya!"
Ya Bao noticed the milk in its beast tamer's hand and let out two happy cries.
Is this for me!
It wasn't... Qiao Sang smiled, opened the milk, and handed it over. "It's a bit cold, don't drink it all in one gulp."
"Ya!"
Ya Bao nodded, half-sitting down and taking the milk with its paws.
Qiao Sang smiled as she watched Ya Bao hold the milk, taking a sip and squinting its eyes happily. She turned back to the kitchen fridge, grabbed another bottle of milk, and returned to the courtyard.
Before she had even taken two steps toward the pond, she heard Ya Bao call out to her.
"Ya!"
Turning around, she saw Ya Bao looking at her with moist eyes, holding the now-empty milk bottle in its paws.
Qiao Sang hesitated for a moment, then opened the milk in her hand and handed it over again.
By the time she went to the courtyard for the third time with milk, Ya Bao was sitting in place holding the finished second bottle. It didn't call out; it just wagged its tail and looked over with moist eyes, its gaze full of trust, as if believing the milk in its tamer's hand must be for it.
Good grief, who could resist this... Qiao Sang struggled for two seconds, but in the end, she walked toward Ya Bao with the bottle.
"Ya ya."
After taking the milk, Ya Bao remembered its tamer's words and didn't drink it all at once, instead finishing it in two gulps.
"Do you still want more?" This time Qiao Sang learned her lesson and decided to ask first.
"Ya ya."
Ya Bao thought about it and shook its head.
It had to train.
Qiao Sang breathed a sigh of relief, but when she brought milk to the courtyard for the fourth time, Ya Bao stopped training and looked over with an expression that said, "I really can't do anything with you."
"Ya ya."
Didn't you say you wouldn't drink more?
Qiao Sang: "..."
...
After making things clear with Ya Bao, Qiao Sang went to the edge of the pond and set the milk down.
"Did you go out today?"
There was no movement in the pond.
Qiao Sang wasn't surprised and continued talking to itself: "When I came back just now, the complex security guard told me a blue pet beast stole two White Glutinous Fruits from next door and ran into my place."
"I don't think it was you, but did you see any suspicious pet beasts running in?"
"Oh, by the way, a new security guard arrived two days ago who is also from the Ancient Mist region. He couldn't be coming after you, right?"
"Actually, the bottle of milk I left this morning... Ya Bao peed in it..."
"Lulu!!!"
Water Luana instantly leaped out of the pond, letting out an angry cry at Qiao Sang, then turned and charged toward the training Ya Bao, looking as if it wanted to fight to the death.
"Ya ya!"
Ya Bao heard the commotion and turned around. Although it didn't understand why, seeing Water Luana in a fighting stance, it immediately got into position and let out an excited cry.
Fight then! Who's afraid of whom!
Seeing that Ya Bao and Water Luana were about to clash, Qiao Sang hurriedly spoke up in fright: "I was just joking!"
"Lulu!"
Water Luana cried out, expressing doubt.
"I was really joking! I just wanted to see if you'd come out. You drink milk every day; how could you not tell if the taste was different!" Qiao Sang was practically ready to swear to the heavens.
She had just said it casually; who knew Water Luana would be so agitated...
"Lulu! Lulu? Lulu! Lulu!!"
Water Luana looked at Qiao Sang angrily and kept pointing at the milk beside it with its paw.
Seeing Water Luana's pointing, Qiao Sang explained again: "I was really just joking with you. If you don't believe me, ask Ya Bao."
"Ya?"
Ya Bao looked bewildered.
Ask what?
"Lulu!!"
Water Luana became even more furious upon hearing Qiao Sang's words, using its paw to push the milk forward forcefully.
"Are you saying you never want to drink it again?" Qiao Sang paused, guessing.
"Lulu!!!"
Water Luana was so angry its paws were shaking.
The more they communicated, the angrier Water Luana became.
Finally, through Ya Bao's translation, Qiao Sang understood that Water Luana was saying it had never drunk the milk she provided before.
Qiao Sang felt mentally exhausted.
If that were true, why would the milk be watered down every day for no reason?
And if it had never drunk it, why was it so agitated when she said Ya Bao peed in yesterday's milk?
If you drank it, you drank it; what's so hard about admitting it? Truly a tsundere.
After complaining internally, Qiao Sang placed the milk in front of Water Luana and said seriously: "Whether you drink it or not, I will leave a bottle for you every day."
Since she put it that way, it would surely be so moved that it would want to contract with her immediately.
Water Luana looked down at the milk, then tilted its head back, flicked its tail, and jumped back into the pond, splashing water directly onto Qiao Sang's face.
Qiao Sang: "..."
...
10:56 PM.
Qiao Sang lay on her bed, her consciousness withdrawing from the Beast Codex.
At the same time, in the security guards' dormitory within the complex.
The fat security guard Qiao Sang had encountered earlier staggered over to a table covered in beer cans and kicked the man who was fast asleep on top of it.
"Old Xu, drunk already? Wake up, let's drink some more."
The man slumped on the table smelled of alcohol and didn't react with his eyes closed.
Seeing this, the fat security guard's eyes suddenly became clear, with no trace of drunkenness left.
"Little brat, trying to compete with me in drinking? I'll drink you to death."
As he spoke, a soft-bodied pet beast that was entirely blue, red-faced, looked like a shell-less snail, and had a moist, viscous surface crawled out from his collar.
"Water Snot-Worm, we're going again today. I refuse to believe we still can't find that guy," the fat security guard said, grabbing the Water Snot-Worm and holding it up to his eyes.
"Snot snot..." The Water Snot-Worm grinned, then closed its eyes and tilted its head.
"Holy crap! How can you be drunk too!"
(End of Chapter)