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Three years?
Qiao Sang was shocked.
Beastmasters typically entrusted their beasts to beast training centers for short periods, daycare, weekly care, maybe a month at most.
She had never heard of long-term care spanning years!
And this was a full three-year stint!
Three years!
How many three-year spans does one have in life?
For young beasts, three years could mean half their lives. If Lubao hadnât evolved back then, she might have only had three more years before her time was up, a huge portion of her short life!
No normal Beastmaster would ever make such a decision!
âHave they really not come to see it in all this time?â Qiao Sang couldnât help but ask.
âYeah.â Liuâs father nodded.
âTo be exact, itâs almost three and a half years. Theyâve paid the boarding fees every year, but havenât shown up once.â
Great, so itâs been even longer than three years.
âCould it be that theyâreâŠgone?â Qiao Sang speculated.
From her perspective, unless the Beastmaster had passed away, she couldnât imagine any reason why they wouldnât come to see their own beast in three years.
Liuâs fatherâs mouth twitched.
âHeâs still alive, actually. He lives just two kilometers away in Tianjing One. He comes back every New Year, but hasnât stopped by to see Jianzhan at all.â
Qiao Sangâs initial question already had her realizing that her assumption was off.
If a Beastmaster had died, no matter how far away, their bonded beast would immediately sense it.
Jianzhan wouldnât be standing around foolishly waiting for a Beastmaster who was no longer alive.
Qiao Sangâs second guess was that Jianzhanâs Beastmaster might be stuck somewhere due to an emergency, but she hadnât expected heâd come back every year and still not check on Jianzhan.
This left her a bit baffled. Frowning, she asked, âWhy?â
Perhaps because the young girl before him didnât come off as an immature high schooler, or maybe he just needed to get it off his chest, Liuâs father shared his thoughts.
After a brief silence, he said, âMost Beastmasters who board their beasts here are nearby residents. I havenât had much interaction with Spike Warriorâs Beastmaster, but Iâve heard a bit from people who stop by.â
âApparently, a few years back, that guy hit it big and formed a bond with a Fairy-type beast in a secret realm. Since then, heâs poured all his attention into that beast, neglecting the ones he bonded with previously.â
âFrom what Iâve heard, the Fairy-type beast didnât get along well with Spike Warrior. Later, Spike Warrior sustained an injury in a battle, which wasnât treated promptly, leading to lingering issues. Even if it heals, high-intensity training could trigger a relapse.â
âSo, he sent Spike Warrior here. Seeing as he hasnât visited in over three years, I think itâs fair to say heâs abandoned it.â
âSome people are like that. Once they get a favorite beast, the others just feel like burdens.â
âBut theyâve already formed a bond, and while they canât break it, they donât want to invest in caring for the others. So they send them off somewhere.â
âLike here.â As Liuâs father spoke, his tone grew heavier.
âAs long as the beast stays alive, itâs fine by them. If it evolves, even better, theyâre only paying a bit of money and donât consider what their bond means to the beast!â
Qiao Sang stayed silent, tightening her hold on Lubao slightly.
Lubao looked uncomfortable but didnât struggle or make a sound. She simply glanced up at Qiao Sang, seeming to sense her mood, and cleared her throat.
âLu luâŠâ
âXun xun!â
Next to them, Little Treasure had a look of panic and hurriedly tugged at a strand of Qiao Sangâs hair.
Stop daydreaming! Somethingâs happening!
Qiao Sang snapped back to attention and rubbed the spot on her head that was tugged, wincing.
âWhat is it?â
âXun!â
Little Treasure, trembling, pointed a paw at Lubao.
The moment he did, Lubao opened her mouth:
âLu lu~â
âXun!â
Qiao Sang: !!!
What the heck! Why are you singing all of a sudden? And why does it sound worse than yesterday?!
Qiao Sang instinctively covered Lubaoâs mouth.
Please! Stop singing!
âLuâŠâ
Lubao stopped singing, gazing up at Qiao Sang with a questioning look.
Feeling uncertain, Qiao Sang said, âOkay, Iâll let go, but donât start singing again.â
Lubao nodded.
Relieved, Qiao Sang let go.
âLu?â
After being released, Lubao called out, maintaining her usual aloof look. But if one looked closely, theyâd notice a hint of seriousness in her gaze.
Is that better?
Qiao Sang blinked.
âBetterâŠhow?â
âLu.â
Lubao responded.
Your mood.
Realizing what Lubao was getting at, Qiao Sang was surprised to find that her earlier discomfort had completely disappeared.
She was stunned.
What?!
Could its song actually have an effect?!
Did it just master a healing soundwave?!
If Little Treasure knew what his Beastmaster was thinking, he might just have a heart attack on the spot.
âXunâŠâ
Little Treasure sighed wearily beside them.
He had no idea if his master was feeling better, but he definitely was notâŠ
Just then, Liuâs father looked at Lubao with a pale face and asked, âWhat kind of beast is this? Why did it suddenly use a soundwave attack?â
âYan!â
On the sidelines, a beast that had been doing a stable one-handed handstand suddenly wobbled for the first time that day due to Lubaoâs song.
Qiao Sang: âŠ
âLu!â
Before Qiao Sang could answer, Lubao turned to glare at Liuâs father.
A soundwave attack? It was a healing soundwave! A healing skill!
âItâs an Ice Qiya, a beast from the Ancient Guwu Region.â Qiao Sang introduced.
As she finished speaking, Liu Qijia and his Power Monkey entered, carrying three chairs.
âDad, Qiao Sangâs the one who beat me with her Treasure-Seeking Demon in the bare-handed Brick-Breaking event I told you about.â Liu Qijia said as he placed a chair beside Qiao Sang.
âYou didnât believe me, so now that sheâs here, let her Treasure-Seeking Demon demonstrate its Brick-Breaking move for you.â
After saying this, he gave Qiao Sang a meaningful look that clearly said,
Itâs all up to you now!
Qiao Sang was taken aback, remembering her original reason for coming here.
Oh wow, she had almost forgotten about the golden glove!
âReally?!â Liuâs father looked astonished, as if his whole understanding of the world had been shaken.
Qiao Sang, however, was calm.
âYes.â
She nodded serenely and said, âUncle, can my Treasure-Seeking Demon demonstrate now? I still need to get home and finish my homework.â
âXun!â
Little Treasure floated forward, flexing his paws with a
ready to go
expression.
âLu.â
Lubao glanced at Qiao Sang, then at Little Treasure, before turning toward the door.
After looking at it for a few seconds, Lubao jumped down from Qiao Sangâs arms and headed outside.
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