Beast Taming: Starting From Zero

Shi Gaofeng, Wang Yao, and Xu Yajie instinctively took two steps back in sync.

Qiao Sang stiffly turned her head. Normally, it was Shi Gaofeng getting caught, but now it was her turn. Her feelings were truly indescribable...

Just as Shi Gaofeng and the others were mentally lighting a candle for Qiao Sang, Zheng Guoping spoke up with a grim expression, "Shi Gaofeng, if I hear the name Zheng Baolong again, you\'re going to clean all the school toilets."

Shi Gaofeng froze, dumbfounded.

"Teacher, I didn’t say those three words just now."

Zheng Guoping snorted coldly, "If it weren\'t for you constantly saying nonsense in front of Qiao Sang, how would she know to call me that?"

Shi Gaofeng looked bewildered. How is this even possible???

Qiao Sang blinked, her eyes lighting up.

Zheng Baolong is majestic! He was absolutely right! If it weren’t for Shi Gaofeng constantly bringing it up, how would she even know that nickname?

"Teacher, you\'re so wise." Qiao Sang said sincerely.

Zheng Guoping turned to Qiao Sang, his tone calm.

"You’ve taken the task, right? Post it in the group, let me take a look."

All tasks taken from the Beastmaster Center could be viewed by logging into the official website with a Beastmaster\'s credentials.

As long as the Beastmaster agreed, they could also share a link for others to track their task progress in real time.

Qiao Sang quickly took out her phone and posted the task details in the Invincible Shengshui group.

This cringeworthy group name belonged to the second-year high school team, a group she joined on the first day of their training camp.

Zheng Guoping looked down for a while. When he spoke again, his tone remained as calm as before: "If this task isn\'t finished by the next gathering, you\'ll be cleaning the girls\' restroom."

Qiao Sang: ...

Zheng Baolong was clearly still holding a grudge about her calling him by that nickname earlier...

This was definitely revenge…

---

At the Liao City Pet Beast Training Center.

As soon as Qiao Sang entered, she was greeted by a familiar sight: A man in a white short-sleeved shirt, sitting on a low stool, enthusiastically throwing cards.

But this time, instead of sand moles on either side of him, there was a small scorpion and a white sand fox.

Ruining beasts, huh...

Hearing footsteps, the man turned around. The moment he saw Qiao Sang, his eyes lit up, and with a flick of his cards, he sprang to his feet, excitedly rushing over with a flushed face, "You’re here!"

If someone else had seen this scene, they might have thought it was a touching reunion after a long separation.

Qiao Sang was puzzled by his enthusiasm. The last time they met, he didn’t act this way, since the negotiation had been so tough that he couldn’t even force a smile by the end.

"Hello, are my energy pills ready?" Qiao Sang asked politely.

"They\'re ready, ready! Finished two days ago, I\'ve been waiting for you to come pick them up." The man beamed.

"Where’s Flame Hound? Why didn’t you summon him?"

Upon hearing this, Qiao Sang realized what was going on. No wonder his attitude had changed so quickly.

Last time she hadn’t mentioned Yabao, but he must have seen the news, recognized Yabao from the police interview, and realized it was a Flame Hound.

"He’s too handsome. I’m afraid someone might steal him." Qiao Sang joked.

The man froze, then nodded earnestly, "You have a point."

Qiao Sang: ...

The man quickly brought out two large containers of energy pills.

The packaging for both containers was identical, except for the labels: one for a Flame Hound, and the other for the Treasure-Seeking Ghost.

After verifying them, Qiao Sang pulled out her bank card, ready to pay the remaining balance.

The man stopped her, "Meeting is fate. Of all the pet training centers, you chose us, so it must be destiny. Therefore..."

Qiao Sang’s heartbeat quickened. She knew the value of Yabao’s new form.

As long as the research institute hadn’t figured out how Fire Fang evolved into Flame Hound, Yabao was considered more precious than rare pet beasts in the eyes of many.q

Could it be that this shop was willing to give her a 50% discount, or even waive the fee entirely, just to win her over?!

Their goal was probably to get her to promote their center.

If they were that business-savvy, maybe she could consider it…

"So, just forget about the small change. The total is 181,000. You already paid a 20,000 deposit, so just give the remaining 160,000." The man said sincerely.

Qiao Sang: "…Thank you."

---

After leaving the Liao City Pet Beast Training Center, Qiao Sang went to a nearby alley and summoned Yabao.

"Yap."

Yabao looked at his Beastmaster with a resentful gaze.

"A few more days, okay? Do you remember how we were surrounded for almost an hour last time?" Qiao Sang comforted.

"Xuuuun~" Little Treasure appeared, echoing her words.

"Yap..."

Yabao pouted.

"There’s nothing we can do. You\'re just too handsome." Qiao Sang sighed.

"Yap!"

Yabao perked up instantly, ears standing straight and tail wagging energetically.

Yeah, that’s true. What can he do when he\'s this handsome?

Qiao Sang watched his reaction with amusement. What an easy one to please...

After chatting a bit more, Yabao’s eyes curved with joy, and he happily wagged his tail as he returned to the Beastmaster\'s codex.

"Nice job." Qiao Sang praised Little Treasure standing by.

If it weren’t for Little Treasure echoing her words, Yabao wouldn’t have agreed to return so quickly.

"Xun~"

Little Treasure shyly hid away, embarrassed by the praise.

Soon after, Qiao Sang felt a gentle tug on her hair from two small forces.

She smiled and, without a word, turned and walked in the opposite direction from home.

---

Xiying District.

Unit 5, Apartment 702.

In a large city, searching for a lost ghost-type pet beast was an incredibly difficult task.

With only five days left before the next task report meeting, Qiao Sang didn’t want to waste time, so she went straight to the task location instead of going home.

Unlike most of the high-rise buildings in the city, this community had a nostalgic feel to it.

Quiet, peaceful, and without elevators...

Fortunately, after the running training she’d been doing at school, Qiao Sang climbed to the seventh floor without breaking a sweat.

The door was opened by a plainly dressed woman who appeared to be in her fifties.

"Who are you?"

"Hello, my name is Qiao. I’m here for the task from the Beastmaster Center." Qiao Sang replied.

The woman was stunned, glancing at Qiao Sang in surprise.

"Wait a moment, I’ll go check."

She turned and walked into the house, returning shortly after.

"Come in. You don’t need to take off your shoes." The woman said from the doorway.

Qiao Sang glanced inside. Though the decor was simple, the house was clean, with shiny, dust-free floors.

After a moment\'s hesitation, she decided to take off her shoes anyway before entering.

The woman looked surprised, then smiled, her face creasing with crow\'s feet.

She glanced at the inner room, then turned back, hesitating before lowering her voice.

"The person who posted the task is our old lady. She’s eccentric, reclusive, and since her Ghost Lamp disappeared, her temper’s only gotten worse."

"Two other Beastmasters came before you, but the old lady gave them poor reviews. You\'re still young, so I’d advise you to drop the task."

Qiao Sang stood stunned for a moment.

It wasn’t the fact that the task poster was an eccentric old lady that made her hesitate, but rather that she hadn’t expected the poster to be an elderly woman!

She had always assumed the Ghost Lamp belonged to a novice Beastmaster...

Since it’s an elderly person, she must have had the Ghost Lamp for a while.

After such a long bond, the Ghost Lamp should know its way home by now. How could it have gotten lost.