Beast Taming: Starting From Zero

Qiao Sang looked at Yabao\'s real body with anticipation.

The Flame Hound on the right opened his mouth, and scorching flames began to gather in front of him. The crimson firelight was especially dazzling in the night.

However, in the next second, the barely formed flame suddenly dissipated.

Qiao Sang was stunned. It failed...

But it wasn’t a complete failure. At least the flames had appeared while the clone was controlling the object with telekinesis.

So, what was the issue?

Qiao Sang recalled the times when Yabao used his clone to release skills.

At that time, all the clones could release skills, but they always used the same skill.

After thinking for a while, Qiao Sang figured it out.

The clones are not conscious; All their actions are controlled by the real body.

It\'s easy enough to control one behavior, but controlling multiple behaviors becomes difficult.

Both the real body and the clones have their own energy to release skills, so it wasn’t an energy issue but rather a mental strain issue.

Maintaining the clone\'s telekinesis while the real body attempted to use an entirely different skill made it hard for Yabao to manage both tasks efficiently.

Simply put, he couldn’t handle multitasking…

Qiao Sang gave Yabao, who was still dumbfounded, a complicated look.

"Yap?"

Yabao looked at the disappearing flame in front of him, both shocked and confused.

He had practiced the Ember skill the most, yet he failed to release it this time!

Due to his shock, Yabao forgot to maintain his clone. The stone that had been controlled by telekinesis fell into the pool, causing ripples.

At the same time, beneath the water where no one could see, a pair of dark eyes slowly opened.

Little Treasure sensed something and curiously looked toward the pool.

The eyes at the bottom of the pool closed again.

"Xun?"

Little Treasure tilted his head and stared at the pool for three seconds before losing interest and turning his attention elsewhere.

"It\'s fine, this was your first try. It’s normal for this to happen. We\'ll focus more on this kind of training from now on. But for now, it\'s late. Let\'s go back and sleep." Qiao Sang said, patting Yabao\'s head.

"Yap."

Yabao shook his head; he didn’t feel tired and was ready to continue training.

Qiao Sang felt a headache coming on. What should she do when her pet beast is too motivated?

"Staying up late will make you less handsome." Qiao Sang threatened.

Yabao froze, recalling his own handsome reflection.

Less handsome?

That won’t do!

"Yap!"

"Yap yap!"

Yabao crouched down, signaling his beast master to hop on so they could hurry back.

Qiao Sang: ...

So easy to manipulate…

After Qiao Sang left, the pair of dark eyes under the pool opened once more.

---

The next day.

After finishing training, Qiao Sang returned to her dorm room to pack her things.

She opened the package that had just arrived today, which contained a new leash for Yabao.

Standing at the door of the room, Jin Feifan looked heartbroken. "You\'re really going to live off-campus?"

"Yes." Qiao Sang reassured her.

"But I’ll still be at school every day, so we can see each other often."

She didn’t expect her roommate to be so reluctant to part with her after just a few days... Qiao Sang felt touched.

"I applied to live off-campus too, but the school didn\'t approve it." Jin Feifan said enviously.

"When did you apply?" Qiao Sang asked casually.

Jin Feifan replied instinctively, "Right after you moved in..."

The words trailed off.

Qiao Sang paused and looked up at Jin Feifan, whose eyes were filled with panic.

Why didn’t you finish your sentence? Now it sounds like you applied to live off-campus because I moved in, not before!

Seeing Qiao Sang staring at her, Jin Feifan quickly panicked, "It’s not what you think! At first, when you moved in, I did think about moving out. But after that, I never had that thought again!"

Qiao Sang: ...

So, it wasn’t a misunderstanding...

Thinking back, it was understandable. When she first moved in, her roommate was clearly seemed afraid of Yabao and Little Treasure.

She was probably still scared, otherwise, she wouldn’t be standing at the doorway, unwilling to come in.

Just then, a small Ball Pofu poked its head out from behind Jin Feifan.

It glanced around at the luggage being packed, then cautiously looked at the little Treasure-Seeking Ghost.

After hesitating for a few seconds, it gathered the courage to walk in.

"Ball."

"Ball ball."

Qiao Sang, Yabao, Little Treasure, and Jin Feifan all looked at it in surprise.

Under everyone\'s gaze, Little Ball Pofu\'s tiny legs started trembling.

Blushing, it stretched out its paw, plucked the dandelion puff from its head, and timidly offered it forward.

"Ball!"

"Ball ball!"

Qiao Sang blinked in surprise. "Is that for me?"

Little Ball Pofu froze.

Jin Feifan quickly jumped in to translate, "It\'s for the Little Treasure-Seeking Ghost."

Qiao Sang: ...

Little Treasure stared blankly at Little Ball Pofu, not understanding why this normally shy creature was suddenly offering him a dandelion.

After all, it usually cried when Little Treasure tried to give it milk.

"Ball."

"Ball ball."

Seeing that the little Treasure-Seeking Ghost wasn’t coming over, Little Ball Pofu mustered its courage and called out again.

"Xun~"

Little Treasure snapped out of his daze, floated over to the Ball Pofu, and hesitantly accepted the dandelion.

As he took the dandelion, he couldn’t help but wonder: Could this little one want my milk in return?

---

Chang’an Road.

Tianjing Garden, Apartment 1705.

The apartment had two floors. For convenience, Qiao Sang decided to stay on the first floor. She began organizing her things in the downstairs bedroom.

"Yap!"

"Yap yap!"

Yabao was running around the first-floor living room.

Where’s the mirror? Where’s my mirror?

Little Treasure perched on his beast master\'s head, still holding the dandelion, wondering why the Ball Pofu hadn’t asked for milk in return.

Hearing the commotion in the living room, Qiao Sang felt uneasy.

When she came out to check, she saw three Flame Hounds rummaging around the living room, as if searching for something.

"What are you doing?" Qiao Sang asked, looking at the Flame Hound peeking under the sofa.

Thanks to their contract, she could easily distinguish the real Yabao.

"Yap."

"Yap yap."

Yabao turned his head and let out a pitiful whine.

Where’s my mirror?

Qiao Sang: ...

She cleared her throat.

"I bought you a huge full-length mirror, but it won\'t arrive for a few days. In the meantime, you can make do with the one in the bathroom."

Yabao looked conflicted. The bathroom mirror was too small, and every time he went in there, he ended up getting a bath…

"Yap yap."

Recalling the feeling of getting wet, Yabao quickly shook his head.

It’s just two days, I can wait!

Seeing this, Qiao Sang wasn’t surprised. She had expected as much...

"If you\'re bored, you can watch TV." After turning on the TV, Qiao Sang returned to her room to continue organizing.

When she finished unpacking, she came out to the living room to find Yabao fully engrossed in watching a battle match on TV.

It’s been a while since I’ve watched TV…

Qiao Sang thought as she headed toward the sofa to watch for a bit.

But as she took a few steps, she felt something strange underfoot.

Looking down, she froze.

In disbelief, she asked, "Yabao, did you play with water?"

-----

T/N: Sorry for the late update. This was supposed to be out by 1 or 2 pm but I fell asleep after I got home.