Beast Taming: Starting From Zero

Unexpectedly, she encountered two rare pet beasts within such a short time, ones that were usually hard to come by.

She wondered if the lost Crowned Meow had been found yet...

"Let's head back." Qiao Sang decided, turning to Little Treasure.

With his mouth full, the little ghost couldn't speak and instead looked at his trainer with a pitiful expression.

"Do you want to play a bit longer?" Qiao Sang asked.

The little ghost nodded vigorously.

"Alright, let's stay a bit more." Qiao Sang checked her phone. It was only 8:34 PM, and for many, the night was just beginning.

"Xun~"

Little Treasure swallowed the hotdog he was eating and happily floated around his trainer in a circle.

Watching the surprisingly rhythmic little ghost, Qiao Sang praised, "Nice moves!"

"Xun~"

The little ghost swayed even more enthusiastically.

Qiao Sang couldn’t help but chuckle.

Constant training could be monotonous; it felt nice to relax occasionally. But if anyone had the toughest training, it had to be Yabao. Maybe she should summon Yabao for a break too…

Just as she hesitated, a young father nearby crouched down, showing his phone to his daughter, and asked softly, "Do you think it looks like this Crowned Meow?"

The little girl, around five or six with a short bob, looked at the saved photo on the phone, then at the Crowned Meow ahead, and exclaimed loudly, "It does!"

The young father quickly covered her mouth in a panic.

Once he confirmed no one was paying attention, he sighed in relief and then grinned with restrained excitement, "It's a good thing you insisted on coming out tonight. Our family is about to strike it rich!"

"Why?" The little girl asked.

"I’ll explain at home." He whispered, ruffling her hair.

"Dad’s got something big to do. Things might get a little chaotic, so stay put, okay? If you listen, I'll buy you that Fire Fang Dog model you like."

The little girl’s big eyes blinked.

"I want a Flame Hound."

"Deal!" The father agreed without hesitation.

Once he rescued the Crowned Meow, forget a model, he could buy her a real Fire Fang Dog and have it evolve into a Flame Hound!

His gaze locked onto the Crowned Meow watching a violin performance up ahead, eyes determined.

Providing information was worth 200,000; escorting it home, a million. Anyone could see the better option.

He made hand signs, indulging his inner nerd even as a dad.

"Desert Tail Fox, it’s time to uphold justice!"

Meanwhile, Qiao Sang, after some thought, summoned Yabao.

From the gray star formation emerged a striking red-and-white figure that immediately drew the attention of most people around.

"Mom, what kind of pet beast is that?"

"I think it’s called a Flame…"

"Flame Hound." Someone nearby completed.

"Right, a Flame Hound!"

"It really is a Flame Hound! I think there’s only one in Hanggang right now."

"I saw it! The girl with the ponytail beside it must be its trainer. Should we go take a picture?"

"Uh…wait! Isn’t that a Treasure-Seeking ghost next to it?!"

"Maybe we shouldn’t…"

"Yap!"

Upon appearing, Yabao gave a lively bark.

He quickly noticed the crowd watching him and raised his head proudly, adjusting his posture.

"Yabao, I got milk tea and hotdog for you. Let’s see if you like them." Qiao Sang said, inserting a straw into the milk tea.

"Yap yap!"

Yabao’s eyes lit up, and he immediately nodded, momentarily forgetting about his image as he half-sat on the ground in joy.

"Xun~"

Little Treasure treasure held up the bamboo stick from his finished hotdog, signaling his desire for more.

"There’s plenty for everyone." Qiao Sang said, handing treats to both of them with a smile.

Just then, a young voice chimed in. "Big sister, is that Flame Hound yours?"

Qiao Sang looked over to see a little girl, around five or six, staring up at her.

"Yes." She replied.

The little girl beamed.

"Can I pet it?"

Qiao Sang looked at Yabao, silently asking.

"Yap."

Yabao understood and nodded.

"He says yes." Qiao Sang told the girl with a smile.

The little girl gently extended her small, soft hand, patting Yabao with satisfaction.

Noticing the girl had no adults with her, Qiao Sang asked, "Where are your parents?"

"My mom’s playing mahjong, and my dad’s off doing something important." The little girl replied.

Qiao Sang raised a brow.

"Who brought you here, then?"

"My dad." The girl said.

Qiao Sang paused.

"What important thing is your dad doing?"

The little girl pointed to a tall man arguing with another person not far off, explaining everything she knew in one go:

"That’s my dad. I don’t know what he’s doing, but he said we’re going to be rich and that he’ll buy me a Flame Hound model when we get home."

Qiao Sang stared at the direction the girl pointed, her mind racing as realization dawned.

Impossible. Absolutely impossible!

There’s no way that Crowned Meow could be the lost one! She couldn't be this unlucky, missing out on 200,000 first, then a million right after…

Unwilling to accept it, she listened carefully to the conversation.

Thankfully, their argument was loud, and people around had gone quiet to watch, leaving only the violin music as background.

"Are you crazy?!"

"No, you’re the crazy one!"

"Why’d you have Desert Tail Fox attack me for no reason?"

"You’re a beast trafficker! You kidnapped someone else’s Crowned Meow and still act so arrogantly! I just called the police; you’re going to jail!"

"Are you insane?! Open your damn eyes! This is an Iron Paw Cat, not a Crowned Meow!"

"Tie Tie…" The Iron Paw Cat beside him nodded in agreement.

The young father stood frozen in shock at the sound of the Crowned Meow’s meow.

After a long pause, he finally found his voice. "You-you’re talking nonsense! An Iron Paw Cat doesn’t look like this."

"Ever heard of cosplay? You can’t even tell an Iron Paw Cat from a Crowned Meow, yet you call yourself a hero. What a joke!"

"…"

So it wasn’t a Crowned Meow after all. Qiao Sang’s spirits lifted, and a smile spread across her face.

Iron Paw Cats and Crowned Meow looked similar enough that, with the right costume, they could be easily confused.

During the day, subtle differences might be apparent, but at night, if you didn’t look closely, they’d be hard to distinguish.

"Big sister, there’s a pet beast over there looking at us. Do you know it?" The little girl suddenly asked, pointing.

Qiao Sang looked in the direction and reflexively shook her head.

"Not… wait, no way!"

A huge head, short limbs, a hooked tail, it might look like an Iron Paw Cat, but the bag around its neck was the exact one from last night’s Crowned Meow!

The little girl, seeing Qiao Sang’s stunned expression, called, "Big sister?"

"Jackpot…" Qiao Sang murmured.

Little girl: ???