“Ya?”
Fire-Fang Dog tilted its head, quite puzzled by its subordinate's actions.
“Xun~”
Little Treasure-Hunting Ghost let out a sweet cry toward the Wind Eagle.
The Wind Eagle didn't know Little Treasure-Hunting Ghost, but it knew Qiao Sang.
As a member responsible for maintaining order in Qitang Town, it was no stranger to this kind of behavior from Little Treasure-Hunting Ghost.
People often tried to bribe it with food and drink, but it always rejected them with righteous indignation.
However, this little fellow before it was the pet of its master's sister, which meant they were practically family.
Should it give some face and accept it...
The Wind Eagle was conflicted.
It looked at the small bottle of milk.
If this was a bribe, it seemed a bit too meager; it had been weaned at three years old...
This must just be a friendly gesture from the other party.
What bad intentions could a tiny thing that still drinks milk have?
The Wind Eagle quickly convinced itself.
“Feng xiu.”
It slightly spread its massive wings, lowered its head, and used its beak to open the bottle cap from Little Treasure-Hunting Ghost's paws.
Then, it gripped the mouth of the bottle and finished the entire bottle of milk in one go.
After catching the empty bottle with its wing, the Wind Eagle gave Little Treasure-Hunting Ghost a friendly smile.
“Xun.”
Seeing the Wind Eagle finish the milk, Little Treasure-Hunting Ghost cried out happily.
Then, it pointed to the Wind Eagle's tail and began to gesture.
“Xun.”
“Xun xun.”
“Xun.”
A gust of wind blew past, and the Wind Eagle froze in place like a stone statue.
So this was the little thing's plan!
It suddenly took a step back, shaking its head like a rattle.
“Xun xun!”
“Xun!”
Little Treasure-Hunting Ghost pointed to the empty bottle still held by the Wind Eagle.
The Wind Eagle stood stunned, struggling internally.
Its master had told it that as a public official, it couldn't just take things from others, otherwise, it would be reported.
If it were reported, its master might lose their job...
After hesitating repeatedly, the Wind Eagle extended its wing backward.
“Feng xiu!!!”
Qiao Sang and Ye Ranran, who were chatting, were startled. Turning around, they saw a tearful Wind Eagle and an innocent-looking Little Treasure-Hunting Ghost.
Fire-Fang Dog witnessed the entire process, dumbfounded.
Its heart fell into an unprecedented state of confusion.
So, you could actually do it this way...
...
Qiao Sang's hometown was not in the town center, but on Water Trade Road, near Liugan Creek.
There were no high-rises here; instead, there were old houses with courtyards.
The mountains, water, and air were all great, though it was somewhat inconvenient for food delivery or handling business.
A few years ago, her eldest uncle made some money in business and renovated the old house, giving it the feel of a wealthy estate among the neighboring courtyards.
After dropping Qiao Sang off at the old house, Ye Ranran suggested accompanying her to check out the blind date candidate to help vet them.
Qiao Sang decisively refused.
Wouldn't that just make her a third wheel?
Third Aunt had already cleaned out the room Qiao Sang used to stay in.
After simply putting her things away, Qiao Sang went to visit her maternal grandparents.
The two elderly people were in poor health and rarely went out.
Her grandmother used to be quite strong-willed, but as she aged, she became very easy-going.
If she had seen a junior's contracted pets being this uncontrollable in the past, she probably would have picked up a shoe and chased them with it.
Now, she simply smiled and chatted about everyday life.
Her grandfather had high ambitions in his youth and had participated in various competitions.
Later, after entering a secret realm designated as Danger Level C by the Alliance, the pet he first contracted perished inside.
After coming out, he lost his spirit and abandoned his former ambitions, eventually marrying, having children, and settling down in Qitang Town.
It was said that his Strong-Winged Flying Owl could have escaped on its own, but it died after desperately holding back the enemy to save its master.
Grandfather looked at the Fire-Fang Dog and Treasure-Hunting Ghost surrounding Qiao Sang, remained silent for a long time, and only said to treat them well.
...
After lunch, Qiao Sang took Fire-Fang Dog and Little Treasure-Hunting Ghost to the courtyard, wanting to conduct a training session without any worries.
But when she saw the courtyard filled with flowers, vegetables, and fruits, she was bewildered.
Was the courtyard always like this...
Just then, Third Aunt walked over with a spray bottle. Seeing the stunned Qiao Sang, she smiled and asked, “How is it? Isn't it beautiful?”
Qiao Sang snapped back to reality and asked, “Third Aunt, when was all this planted?”
Third Aunt said with a face full of pride, “Isn't your sister Jingwen wanting to take the exam for South Plant University to become a Spirit Botanist? Your uncle specifically got these from outside for her to study.”
Qiao Sang: “...”
Spirit Botanists were specialists responsible for planting and cultivating plants containing energy.
Third Aunt had two children; Ye Jingwen was the younger daughter. When she was fifteen, her brain domain had not awakened.
If she had been born into a family of ordinary people, she would have had almost no way to access these things, but the Ye family had many Beast Tamers, which allowed Ye Jingwen to continue learning about pets.
According to the normal university entrance process, one had to be a Beast Tamer to major in pet-related fields.
The Spirit Botany major was the same.
However, there was also an independent recruitment path.
In independent recruitment, professional scores usually accounted for the majority, which gave those who weren't Beast Tamers a glimmer of hope.
Due to household registration issues, Ye Jingwen attended high school in Qitang Town and had just finished her second year and entered her third.
Having a goal, it was normal to consider the independent recruitment issue a year from now.
“Where is Sister Jingwen? I didn't see her during lunch,” Qiao Sang asked.
“She went to a teacher's house for tutoring. The teacher lives in town, and it's a hassle to go back and forth, so she ate there,” Third Aunt replied.
So competitive...
Qiao Sang couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
This courtyard seemed even less suitable for training than the area under her apartment building...
The greenery in the residential complex was, at the very least, ordinary plants, but these were actually Spirit Plants...
This must have cost a lot of money...
...
Liugan Creek.
Located about one kilometer from the old house, this place was secluded; one could stay for twenty minutes without seeing a single soul.
“Ya-bao, use the clone and then release Flame Vortex, until there's almost no energy left in your body,” Qiao Sang said.
Fire-Fang Dog nodded and skillfully began the training.
Little Treasure-Hunting Ghost watched curiously from the side.
Qiao Sang took out her phone, preparing to record the number of times in her notes.
The purpose of this training wasn't to increase the proficiency of Flame Vortex, but to test how many times Fire-Fang Dog could release Flame Vortex when at full strength.
After recording Flame Vortex, she would also need to record the release counts for Spark, Blazing Charge, and other skills.
This way, she could effectively observe what kind of skills Fire-Fang Dog's internal energy was sufficient to release.
In future battles, she would have a clear understanding of Fire-Fang Dog's limits.
Soon, the energy in Fire-Fang Dog's body was exhausted.
Seeing Fire-Fang Dog panting for breath, Little Treasure-Hunting Ghost skillfully removed the ring and handed over the milk.
Fire-Fang Dog's body stiffened; it took a step back and then trotted over to its Beast Tamer.
“Ya.”
Fire-Fang Dog's eyes were full of longing.
Qiao Sang understood, took the milk out of her backpack, opened it, and handed it over.
Only then did Fire-Fang Dog take it and drink peacefully.
“Xun?”
Little Treasure-Hunting Ghost tilted its head.
It didn't understand why things were fine in the morning, but had changed now.
Qiao Sang didn't notice the undercurrents between the two pets.
She looked down and made her records.
For Flame Vortex, Fire-Fang Dog could clone 7 times, releasing a total of 56 times.
However, the fire required for Fire Fang wasn't as much as Flame Vortex, yet the energy consumed by Fire Fang was still more significant.
Qiao Sang didn't think about it for long.
Fire Fang had already reached the Small Success level, while Flame Vortex was still at the Proficient level.
The higher the proficiency, the greater the power and the more energy consumed; there was nothing strange about that.
Just as Qiao Sang figured it out, her phone rang. She answered it casually: “Hello, Mom.”
“Daughter, did you give the local specialties to your aunt and grandmother?”
“I gave them all.”
“What about Auntie Wang?”
Qiao Sang: “...”
(End of Chapter)