Beast Taming: Starting From Zero

Chapter 412: What The Heck?!

Knock, knock!

At that moment, there was a knock on the door.

Qiao Sang was about to get out of bed when Lubao eagerly went over and stretched out a paw to open the door.

“Fei fei!”

The moment the door opened, the Emerald Python enthusiastically lunged forward.

Lubao instinctively sidestepped.

“Fei fei!”

The Emerald Python missed its mark, stumbled slightly, then turned and grinned. Its tail lightly swayed against Lubao, as if saying, "Ah, you’re still the same as ever, unchanged."

“Lu!”

Lubao immediately protested. Puffing out her chest, she called out, asserting, Can’t you see how much stronger I’ve become?

“Yap...”

Yabao stared at the Emerald Python for a moment but, finding nothing on it to ignite his fighting spirit, lost interest and looked away.

“Xun...”

In the corner of the room, Little Treasure stayed in his world of gloom, silently emo as ever.

Lubao\'s expressions seemed a lot richer after her evolution… Qiao Sang thought to herself, then shifted her gaze to the doorway.

She noticed Uncle Pei hadn’t stepped in but was instead standing outside, holding up his phone to snap a photo of the open door.

What is he doing? Qiao Sang was momentarily baffled.

Pei Shipan uploaded the photo to his social feed with the caption: "The door? Ice Xilu opened it for me."

“Uncle Pei.” Qiao Sang got out of bed to greet him.

Pei Shipan lowered his phone and stepped aside, revealing a woman in a beige mid-length coat behind him. She now entered Qiao Sang’s view.

“This is the Emerald Python’s beastmaster.” Pei Shipan introduced.

“Hello, I’m Wei Ying.” Wei Ying said.

“Hello, elder sister.” Qiao Sang replied with a smile.

Elder sister?

Wei Ying blinked in mild surprise before a smile tugged at her lips.

Although she was older than Pei Shipan by a few years, her appearance often made her look older than him. Hearing Qiao Sang call him uncle but addressing her as sister suddenly brightened her mood.

The two moved to the sofa by the floor-to-ceiling window and sat down.

Wei Ying turned to Qiao Sang with a serious expression.

“Thank you for getting the Emerald Python released early from the pet modification center.”

Her gratitude was sincere.

With Qiao Sang’s qualifications, 15 years old, three contracted beasts (two of them advanced-level), Wei Ying couldn’t see her as just an average lucky kid who happened to bond with an Ice Xilu.

“I didn’t do anything.” Qiao Sang quickly denied it.

“It was all Uncle Pei’s arrangements.”

Pei Shipan interjected, “But it was your idea in the first place. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have acted.”

Why does it sound like all the credit is mine…? Qiao Sang thought to herself.

She brought out the prepared potions and items, placing them on the glass coffee table to change the subject.

“This is a Grass Stone and an Energy Vitality Enhancer. They should help the Emerald Python evolve in a short time.”

On her way back to the hotel, she’d researched the Emerald Python and its details. As soon as she returned, she dug through Little Treasure’s storage ring to find the best-suited items for the Emerald Python.

She didn’t mention that the Grass Stone was Grade A and the Energy Vitality Enhancer was Grade S.

Pei Shipan glanced at the items on the table, his gaze sharpening slightly.

Although he wasn’t an appraiser, he’d encountered plenty of high-quality items in his time. He could instantly tell that the items were exceptional, though he couldn’t determine their exact grade.

“I can’t accept this.” Wei Ying said, pushing the items back.

“I believe anyone in Guwu District would’ve helped Ice Xilu if they’d encountered it. You don’t need to give me these.”

“If that were true, Lubao wouldn’t have wanted to flee to another district.” Qiao Sang replied.

While a group might treasure an endangered pet beast, a single individual’s thoughts could be much less altruistic.

“I still can’t accept them.” Wei Ying insisted firmly, her brow furrowing slightly.

Qiao Sang sighed helplessly.

“What a pity. I really thought these Grade-A Grass Stone and Grade-S Energy Vitality Enhancer would be perfect for the Emerald Python.”

Wei Ying: !!!

Pei Shipan: !!!

“I wasn’t done speaking!” Wei Ying suddenly pressed her hand onto the items.

Qiao Sang blinked in surprise.

“Go ahead.”

Wei Ying said seriously, “Since these were chosen especially for the Emerald Python, it wouldn’t be right to refuse your kindness.”

This sudden change of heart feels oddly familiar… Qiao Sang smiled. (T/n: Pretty much like you, Qiao Sang.)

“That’s wonderful. I truly appreciate both you and the Emerald Python. Without you, I never would’ve met Lubao.”

“Lu.”

Hearing this, Lubao walked over and affectionately nudged her beastmaster with her head.

How I wish I could switch places with Qiao Sang right now… Pei Shipan thought enviously.

“May I pet Ice Xilu?” Wei Ying asked hesitantly.

“Lubao?” Qiao Sang looked at it.

“Lu.”

Lubao glanced at the slightly familiar human next to the Emerald Python. After a moment of contemplation, she lowered her head, offering herself.

Pei Shipan: !!!

Wei Ying’s eyes instantly welled up.

Honestly, she wasn’t this emotional even when she heard about the Grass Stone and Energy Vitality Enhancer.

With trembling hands, she reached out and stroked Lubao’s fur.

Worth it. This life is truly worth it...

When she finished, Pei Shipan couldn’t help but ask, “Can I pet it too?”

Lubao shot him a glance, then flicked her tail and walked over to the Emerald Python, clearly expressing her opinion through action.

Qiao Sang gave him a helpless look.

Pei Shipan: …

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Until the evening, the two stayed before finally leaving.

Before leaving, Qiao Sang added Wei Ying as a friend and took a group photo with Lubao and the Emerald Python.

"Yap yap!"

"Lu!"

As soon as the door closed, Yabao and Lubao faced each other, calling out with full fighting spirit.

"It\'s already late. If you fight now, you won’t get enough rest, and what about tomorrow’s match?" Qiao Sang tried to persuade them.

"Yap..."

"Lu..."

Realizing the logic, Yabao and Lubao called out again, agreeing to postpone their battle until tomorrow.

Qiao Sang: ...

When is my match tomorrow again...? Qiao Sang decided to check the schedule.

The regional matches were divided into three time slots: Morning, afternoon, and evening.

Specific match times for each participant were announced the evening before at 6 PM.

Just as Qiao Sang was about to grab her phone to check the schedule, her fingers brushed the screen and froze.

The screen showed 99+ notifications.

Why are there so many messages...? Qiao Sang opened the chat app.

Out of nearly a hundred messages, almost half were from Xu Yixuan.

She clicked on the chat:

[Haven’t you seen it yet?]

[Quick, look! Look!]

[Don’t bother searching; I’ll screenshot it for you!]

[Image]

[Did you see it?!]

Qiao Sang opened the image to find a screenshot of trending topics in the Guwu region. At first glance, the list was almost entirely about Lubao:

[Is Ice Xilu a masochist?!]

[Ice Xilu!]

[Ice Qiya evolves!]

[Ice Xilu’s Ice Flower Seal!]

[Ice Xilu’s Aesthetic Beauty!]

[Conditions for Ice Qiya’s Evolution]

[Why Did Ice Qiya Evolve?]

[Ice Xilu’s Beast Tamer, Qiao Sang]

Qiao Sang stared blankly at the top trending topic for a moment.

A masochist?! What the heck?! The audacity of this slander against Lubao’s reputation was simply intolerable!

Ignoring all other messages, Qiao Sang immediately opened the trending topic to figure out what was going on.

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