Chapter 12: Everyone Knows

Silence and darkness shrouded the surroundings, filled with an eerie stillness.

A black figure suddenly approached, emitting a cackling laugh.

It had no limbs, only a body the size of a human head floating in the air, its dark red eyes staring at the girl in white like a predator eyeing its prey.

The next moment, the limbless body suddenly grew a hand with only two fingers and reached toward the girl’s heart.

The hand passed through the girl’s body, grasping at nothing.

The black figure widened its eyes in disbelief.

The girl raised her head, and a face without any features slowly appeared on the screen...

"Ya!"

The Fire Tooth Dog dove into Qiao Sang’s arms.

It didn't want to watch anymore!

Qiao Sang stroked its head, feeling a bit regretful...

...

...

The next two days happened to be the weekend. Qiao Sang declined Fang Sisi’s invitation to go out and stayed home alone to study.

Aside from taking the time to go to the Beast Taming Center to register her identity as a Beast Tamer and the Fire Tooth Dog’s household registration, she spent almost all her remaining time with her books.

Perhaps due to the awakening of her brain region, her memory was much better than in her previous life; she could remember almost everything after reading it just once.

Soon, it was time to go back to school.

"Fire Tooth Dog, be good. I’ll let you out as soon as school is over," Qiao Sang coaxed.

Ever since the Fire Tooth Dog got bored of the game of entering and exiting the Beast Taming Tome, it hadn't gone back in.

This time, when Qiao Sang wanted it to go back in, it showed some resistance.

It preferred staying outside over the Beast Taming Tome.

"Ya."

The Fire Tooth Dog shook its head, indicating it didn't want to go in.

Qiao Sang felt a bit helpless. The school didn't explicitly forbid bringing pet beasts, but since no one else had contracted a pet beast yet, keeping the Fire Tooth Dog outside was too eye-catching.

Qiao Sang didn't want to be the center of attention.

"If you go in, I’ll buy you red jujubes to eat when I get back," Qiao Sang tempted.

The Fire Tooth Dog turned its head to the side, acting haughty.

It didn't want them.

Qiao Sang’s mouth twitched.

Her mother had bought six red jujubes last time. She had fed four to the Fire Tooth Dog on the first day, and one each on the following two days.

Had it really gotten tired of them just like that?

"If you don't go in, I’ll have to go by myself."

"I’m leaving."

"I’m really leaving."

Qiao Sang went to the entryway, squatted down to put on her shoes, and made a move to leave.

"Ya!"

The Fire Tooth Dog lunged into Qiao Sang’s arms, lifting its wet eyes to look at her pitifully.

"If you want to come with me, you have to go in first. I promise I’ll let you out as soon as school is over," Qiao Sang said.

"Ya." The Fire Tooth Dog hung its head and responded listlessly.

Qiao Sang’s heart melted.

It was still just a child.

Qingcheng Jiayuan was in the school district for Wencheng Junior High, only 9 kilometers away. It could be reached directly by bus lines 23, 36, 57, or subway lines 5 and 7.

Qiao Sang didn't choose to take the subway as she usually did.

On the number 36 bus.

The Fire Tooth Dog happily stuck its head out the window in Qiao Sang’s arms, the wind blowing against its face and ruffling its fur.

It looked at the outside world with excitement.

"Wait until we get to school, you have to be good and go inside, okay?" Qiao Sang laughed.

"Ya!"

The Fire Tooth Dog responded with high spirits.

Qiao Sang couldn't help but stroke its head.

After getting off the bus, the Fire Tooth Dog obediently let Qiao Sang put it into the Beast Taming Tome, even wagging its tail happily.

...

Class 3-7, Wencheng Junior High.

"Did you finish your homework? Lend it to me to copy."

"Don't you see I'm still copying?"

"..."

"Did you watch the competition in the Lianbo region yesterday?"

"Duh, I was waiting in front of the TV since 7 PM. Lin Jinyang’s Blood Azure Dragon was simply too cool!"

"Yeah, yeah, and that Scale-Eating Ant, it was gold! I’ve never even seen a golden Scale-Eating Ant! It almost blinded me!"

"..."

"I heard Dai Shushu from Class 9 got recommended to Holy Water Middle School."

"Wasn't the rumor last time that it was Litan Beast Taming High School?"

"Seems like she got cut from the list."

"As expected of our province’s ace high school, even Dai Shushu couldn't get in."

"You try getting into Holy Water Middle School and show me."

"..."

A slender figure appeared at the classroom door.

As she walked in, the discussions suddenly quieted down.

Qiao Sang sat at her desk and noticed some classmates secretly glancing at her.

Feeling the strange atmosphere in the classroom, Qiao Sang rubbed her nose and lowered her voice to ask Fang Sisi, "Did you tell the class about my self-awakening?"

Fang Sisi was still scribbling away at her homework and only noticed Qiao Sang had arrived when she heard the person next to her speak.

"Big thigh, you’re finally here." Fang Sisi leaned over with glowing eyes. "I wouldn't dare say anything without your permission. Do you need me to promote you to the class?"

"Absolutely not." Qiao Sang shook her head quickly, then asked, confused, "Then why are they all staring at me?"

"Didn't your mom come to school twice? Then you asked for a day off and skipped a day of school, so everyone is guessing if something happened to you," Fang Sisi explained.

Qiao Sang was stunned. "Skipped a day of school?"

"Yeah."

Although she had guessed that her mother might have forgotten to ask for leave, Qiao Sang still felt a bit stifled when it turned out to be true.

The teacher wouldn't call her to the office for a saliva-spraying lecture again, would he...

At this moment, Fang Sisi added, "Also, everyone knows you’re the one who got a zero on the mock exam."

The teacher hadn't called her out by name in class to save Qiao Sang some face, but he had the study committee member call Qiao Sang to the office afterward, and later, he even called her parents to school.

If it had ended there, no one would have been interested; after all, Qiao Sang’s grades were poor, and it wasn't the first time she’d been called to the office for criticism.

But the situation became serious when her parents were called in.

One had to know that, usually, the teacher rarely notified parents unless there was fighting or brawling.

At the time, after school, if Qiao Sang didn't say anything, the study committee member didn't say anything, and the teacher didn't say anything, no one would have known.

But then Qiao Sang asked for leave the next day, and skipped school entirely the day after.

Asking for leave and skipping school at such a critical moment spoke volumes. The flames of gossip burned fiercely, and it didn't take long for everyone to figure out the cause and effect.

Qiao Sang didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but she didn't feel much about it.

In the small world of a school, news of anything traveled exceptionally fast.

It wasn't a distortion of facts that she got a zero and her parents were called; children of this age might feel ashamed if others knew, but Qiao Sang didn't have that kind of psychological pressure.

"By the way, did you do the Spirit Plant Analysis homework? Lend it to me to copy." Fang Sisi poked Qiao Sang’s arm.

"I haven't even been here, how would I know what the homework is? Besides, you’re the fourth from the bottom of the class, isn't it embarrassing to copy from me, the third from the bottom?" Qiao Sang was speechless.

"Big thigh, I won't let you talk about yourself like that," Fang Sisi accused, then made a mournful expression. "I thought your mom brought your homework when she came to school on Friday. I really envy you people who don't have to do homework."

Qiao Sang: "..."

Ignoring Fang Sisi’s antics, Qiao Sang fell into deep thought.

She still didn't seem to know why her mother had come to the school last time.

(End of chapter)