Beast Taming: I Can Add Points

As night fell, the dazzling neon lights of Pearl Harbor dyed the sky a wine-red.

Embellished by the colorful lights, the city was exceptionally dazzling, as if it were daytime. Far from the hustle and bustle, on a quiet beach, the tranquil darkness gently embraced the tide. The evening breeze carried the fresh scent of the sea, a different kind of atmosphere.

A young woman sat on a stretch of beach, her long, bright white hair fluttering gently in the wind. Her sapphire-blue eyes reflected the countless stars, appearing exceptionally clear.

As a tender-green Light Array lit up, Xiaolan couldn’t wait to dart out from the Beast Taming Space.

Two trails of bubbles rose in the water not far away, and then two enormous heads poked out from the surface of the sea, filled with the joy of a long-awaited reunion.

[Xiaolan, long time no see.]

"HISS!"

The moment Han Lan’s voice entered her mind, Xiaolan happily darted over and rubbed vigorously against her father.

Han Lan and Chang Xi, their faces full of loving affection, rubbed against their daughter in return.

Shao Ya sat nearby with a fond, knowing smile, looking at the family of three’s happy reunion.

Seeing Xiaolan act like this, Han Lan couldn’t help but smile. [You’ve only been away for three days and you’re already this homesick? How would you manage if it were any longer?]

"HISS."

Xiaolan shrank back, indicating that she was just going through the motions and didn’t miss them *that* much.

[...] Han Lan’s smile froze.

Xiaolan gave a mischievous smile and burrowed into her mother Chang Xi’s embrace.

’It was a lie... How could I not miss them?’

No matter how far a child may roam, home is always the eternal anchor in their heart.

As they embraced, the sea breeze caressed them, the tide surged, and fine specks of light fluttered and swirled in the air, like a dream painted on clear watercolor.

This was a perfectly normal nighttime seascape.

But Xiaolan suddenly felt a pang of sadness.

’I know I won’t be able to see the sea for a long time...’

’And I won’t be able to see Mom and Dad for a long time either.’

[Child, you may feel sad and reluctant to leave, but this is part of growing up. Even without this journey, you would one day have to leave us and face a life of your own.]

Han Lan gently caressed Xiaolan’s head with his tail and gave a soft smile.

’My tail is usually for spanking her. Xiaolan normally dodges the moment she sees me raise it.’

’Not today. She’s really grown up.’

Han Lan then bowed his head to Shao Ya on the beach. [Thank you as well. I’m afraid Xiaolan has been a bother.]

Shao Ya smiled and waved her hand. "Not at all! Xiaolan is amazing! She did us all proud in the competition!"

[Oh? You did?] Han Lan sized up his daughter with a teasing, half-skeptical smile.

"HISS!"

Seeing her dad’s reaction, Xiaolan got fired up. She took out Shao Ya’s phone and pulled up the recording of the match.

’Let me show you the valiant fighting style of a Sea Ranger!’

Han Lan and Chang Xi watched side-by-side, then glanced at each other and smiled.

[I don’t know about a ’valiant fighting style,’ but you’ve certainly mastered the art of running away~]

"HISS HISS HISS!" Xiaolan had been found out and spun around on the spot in a fluster.

Shao Ya patted her comfortingly. "There, there. Next time, I’ll let you be the main attacker. You’ll be a tiger pouncing on lambs~!"

"HISS..." Only then did Xiaolan calm down, darting back into Shao Ya’s arms and holding on tight.

’This place is as warm as Mom and Dad’s embrace. This is my Beast Tamer’s embrace.’

Xiaolan understood that from now on, this would be her second home.

She and her Beast Tamer would become a new family, supporting each other.

[We’ll be going now. Take care, Xiaoya.]

Han Lan and Chang Xi exchanged a smile. Without another word, they turned and left.

Perhaps a brief farewell was more fitting for the moment than a long, drawn-out one.

The two Fish Dragons quickly disappeared into the sea.

Xiaolan had kept her head buried in Shao Ya’s embrace, but hearing the sound of the surging tide, she couldn’t help but turn her head and wave her fins, her eyes filled with reluctance to see them go.

"I’ll take good care of Xiaolan, please don’t worry, sir and ma’am!"

The young woman shouted to the sea.

The waves gradually subsided. Shao Ya looked down and rubbed Xiaolan’s head. "Let’s go back too. We’re going home tomorrow at noon... to your new home."

"HISS." Xiaolan nodded.

Behind her, she heard the sound of footsteps on the sand.

The young woman’s ears perked up. Her sapphire-blue eyes darted about, and the corners of her mouth curled into a massive grin.

Then, composing her expression, she pretended to calmly get up and leave. Just then, she saw the young man walking toward her and broke into a surprised smile. "You’re here?"

"Yeah. It’s getting late, so I used Shan Bao’s Flash Gold Teleportation. It’ll be faster on the way back."

Su Zhi walked up to her with a smile, and the two of them started back together.

Su Zhi thought for a moment. ’Was that a little too smooth? Could she have known I was coming and just pretended to be surprised so she wouldn’t give herself away?’

’But that’s actually pretty great, too. Isn’t it?’

·

「Late at night.」

They were all returning to Huai City tomorrow. Everyone was excited, packing their bags while chatting about anything and everything.

"Say, is this Gold Medal actually made of gold? The material doesn’t quite feel like it."

"Follow your heart, Brother Yuhang! Engrave your faith with sharp fangs, tear away the disguise hidden by the mist, and glimpse the truth!"

"Huh? What’s that supposed to mean?"

"Translated into human-speak: take a bite."

"As expected of my dear friend Fang Yuan, you always resonate with my ardent and sincere heart!"

"...How unfortunate for me, then."

"OM NOM—Damn, I can’t bite through it! It really is fake!"

"AHAHAHA~ Where are you gonna find a real Gold Medal these days? These are all mass-produced~"

The group enthusiastically discussed whether the Gold Medals were "guaranteed authentic."

Su Zhi didn’t have much luggage. After quickly packing, he took his two Pet Beasts to the small square outside their lodging.

The long-awaited ritual began!

"CHIRP CHIRP!"

First up was rubbing Shan Bao’s little bird head.

[Pet Beast: Shan Bao (Flash Gold Sparrow)

Power: 1.00

Agility: 1.05

Intelligence: 1.04