Beast Taming: I Can Add Points

When Liu Yuhang was mentioned, Wang Sujuan’s eyes crinkled, her expression comical.

It was unclear whether by "his luck turning around," she was referring to Xue Li finally evolving or some other kind of fortune.

Everyone shared a knowing laugh, and a cheerful atmosphere filled the dining table.

Su Mao leaned forward eagerly. "Oh right, Son, has your Beast Taming Space reached Tier Four?"

"Woo?" Wu Bao perked up as well.

Su Zhi gave a smirk and, by recalling and then resummoning Yu Bao, showed off his own pale blue, master-level aura.

A wave of satisfaction washed over him.

’No wonder Yu Bao loves to show off,’ he thought. ’It feels amazing!’

Yu Bao rolled his eyes. Because Su Zhi had used him for the demonstration, the piece of meat in his mouth had fallen to the ground and was now covered in dirt.

It was perfectly reasonable for an Earth Element Pet Beast to be disgusted by dirt on its food.

Wu Bao grew even more excited. "Woo woo!?"

Su Zhi gave a wry smile. "Not yet. I need to reach Tier Five to contract a third Pet Beast."

Wu Bao hung his head, dejected.

Yu Bao mocked him relentlessly.

Not knowing whether to laugh or cry, Su Zhi patted Wu Bao. "Next time for sure!"

"Wooo..." Wu Bao looked as if all hope was lost.

’If this follows the usual script, won’t Su Zhi have found a new favorite Pet Beast by then? Even if his Beast Taming Space ranks up, there will only be one spot left. I’ll have to compete with the new pet for his affection... WOOO, SOB, SOB...’

Su Mao patted Wu Bao. "Probably not. If an author wrote a story like that, the readers would riot."

The light returned to Wu Bao’s eyes.

Su Zhi asked curiously, "Right, now that Wu Bao has learned Doubling, can’t he move back into the house?"

"Oh, that’s right! Wu Bao can come and go without any trouble now. We’ve been bothering you all this time, Xiaoya!"

"Hee hee, it’s no trouble at all~"

"Wooo..."

Though this should have been great news, Wu Bao seemed hesitant and a little reluctant.

’If I really move back in, won’t my grand writing career be exposed? The sound of typing is so loud, where could I possibly hide?’

’If I were writing a traditional fantasy novel like Su Mao’s, it wouldn’t be so bad. If someone saw it, they saw it. They’d eventually get used to it...’

’The problem is, I’m writing the kind of stuff... that would make you die of cringe if anyone you knew in real life saw it.’

"Chirp?" Shan Bao seemed to sense her big brother’s anxiety and tilted her head.

Wang Sujuan also grew curious. "Hold on, you two are just talking amongst yourselves. It looks like Wu Bao doesn’t really want to move back in."

"Huh? Is that right?"

"Why not? Is it not comfortable at home?"

"Woo woo woo... Woo woo!"

Wu Bao slowly raised its head, giving them a look that said, ’You’re all thinking too small.’

Wu Bao conveyed that while the warm comforts of home were certainly nice...

...one could not become the strongest Pet Beast by relying on a comfortable bed.

During his days in the garage, he had learned and matured a great deal. His journey as a Pet Beast was far from over; he needed to keep striving.

Therefore, for the foreseeable future, he hoped to continue his quiet cultivation in the garage.

Su Zhi tucked his hands in his pockets. "I mean, you can do all that deep reflection at home, too, can’t you? Just wake up early to train..."

"Woo!" Wu Bao stared at Su Zhi, his eyes burning with intensity.

’But I just want to do my deep reflection in the dark, cramped garage! Even if there’s no reason, I have to stay in the garage!’

’This is... YOUTH!!!’

"Alright, he’s fired up!" everyone cheered, applauding and raising their glasses.

Not quite knowing whether to laugh or cry, Su Zhi joined the toast. He didn’t understand what strange quirk Wu Bao had suddenly developed, but if he liked the garage, so be it.

’No point in overthinking it,’ he mused. ’Maybe it has something to do with the natural habits of a Black Fighting Emperor?’

Su Mao scratched his head and looked over at Shao Ya. "Well, Xiaoya, since Wu Bao wants to keep sleeping in the garage, we’ll have to trouble you for a while longer..."

Shao Ya gave him a thumbs-up and a reassuring look. "No problem. I’m not using it anyway. I’ll just pretend I’m renting it out to help with the bills."

With his hands in his pockets, Su Zhi shot her a sideways glance. "What’s this about rent? How much are you planning to charge a month?"

Shao Ya blinked. "Two meals a week?"

"Haha, forget two meals! As long as you like my cooking, Xiaoya, I’ll make you a meal any time you want!"

Su Mao smiled, refilling the two kids’ glasses with juice. He then patted Wu Bao’s shoulder. "In that case, Wu Bao, you can keep sleeping in the garage. But if you ever want to sleep in the house, you’re welcome back anytime."

"Woo!" Wu Bao nodded gratefully at Shao Ya.

Watching this scene unfold, Shan Bao had a little question mark pop into her head.

’Why do I get the feeling Big Brother Wu Bao just breathed a sigh of relief? It’s like he was desperately trying to hide something super embarrassing and finally succeeded.’

’Looks like Big Brother Wu Bao is a little guy with secrets of his own!’

Shan Bao’s eyes filled with anticipation.

Hearing this, the nearby Yu Bao scoffed and went back to his food.

’What secrets could he have?’ he thought with a sneer. ’He’s just throwing a fit because he can’t get Shan Bao.’

"Woo!"

Wu Bao wolfed down the food on his plate, waved goodbye to the others, and eagerly scurried back to the garage to write.

"Finished already?" Su Zhi watched Wu Bao’s retreating figure, curious. "Is he in that much of a hurry?"

Su Mao chuckled. "Wu Bao is very diligent. He often gets right to work after eating, and sometimes he’s at it until the middle of the night... Ah!"

Wang Sujuan threw a punch at him. "Don’t you be making those crude jokes in front of the children!"

Su Mao covered his head, ducking for cover. "What crude joke? Maybe you’re the one with your mind in the gutter... AH, OW, OW, OW! Okay, it was me! My bad!"

Su Zhi and Shao Ya sat side-by-side, rice bowls in hand, watching their mother whale on their father. The cheerful atmosphere at the dining table continued unabated.

"Heh heh!"

Yu Bao carefully peeled a shrimp, placed it in Shan Bao’s bowl, and wagged his tail vigorously.

"Chirp..."

However, Shan Bao’s mind clearly wasn’t on her food. She gave a simple thanks, her eyes darting toward the garage every few moments, brimming with curiosity.

Yu Bao looked toward the garage as well, an annoyed expression on his face.

’That darn Wu Bao,’ he fumed. ’What’s with the mysterious act? He’s completely stolen my Shan Bao’s attention.’

’How infuriating!’

The more Yu Bao thought about it, the angrier he became. After a moment’s consideration, he headed for the garage.

’As Su Zhi’s number one pet, it’s my duty to follow Big Brother Xiaoyue’s example, enforce the pecking order, and make sure this disobedient junior learns his lesson!’

Xiaoyue watched on with a blank expression, his paws tucked away.

’Nothing to do with me,’ he thought. ’Don’t drag me into this.’

...

Inside the garage, Wu Bao’s eyes were gleaming. His gaze was fixed on a "room" invitation from another author in his group chat—

[Purple Gold Sheep]: Parents aren’t home, just me and my ☞ passionate writing session ☜

This was a "writing sprint" feature in a writer’s assistant app. Each "room" was set with a specific word count or time limit, allowing multiple authors to join and write simultaneously, with a real-time leaderboard displaying everyone’s word count.

Those who fell behind would be utterly crushed by the leaders, their hearts filled with shame and humiliation, which in turn served as motivation to write faster.

Slacker authors would typically join a 4,000-word room to meet their daily minimum, but they’d usually procrastinate until the last hour, which turned into a frantic, last-minute sprint.

The saying "a deadline is the greatest motivator" was just as true in the world of web novels.

But a king of the grind like Wu Bao? He always went for the 20,000-word "king-sized suite"!

If you’re going to party, you might as well go all in and see it through to the end!

[Jiuyue]: It’s over. Sheepy’s room is doomed.

[Purple Gold Sheep]: Fuck, a grind-fiend snuck into the room!

[Seven Curves Falling Flower]: Great God Wu Bao, stop grinding, please! Give us a break...

[Purple Gold Sheep]: No, next time I open a writing room, I’m kicking Wu Bao. It’s impossible to survive like this...

And in the ten minutes they spent complaining, Wu Bao had already churned out two thousand words.

Wu Bao didn’t think he was being hyper-competitive. His typing speed wasn’t even that fast; he was just a little more diligent than most.

To follow in the footsteps of the Great God Gou Mao, Wu Bao had to rely on diligence to make up for his shortcomings and surpass his own limits!

The forceful sound of keyboard keys echoed through the garage—CLACK CLACK CLACK—like a powerful symphony.

Wu Bao was in a state of literary ecstasy, and just as he was about to pick up the pace, he sensed strange footsteps behind him. He quickly switched screens and snapped his tablet shut.

He whipped his head around. Sure enough, Yu Bao had snuck in at some point and was now scrutinizing him with a strange expression.

He hadn’t seen Wu Bao’s writing screen, only the browser window that came up after. In fact, he hadn’t even gotten a clear look at that, because Wu Bao’s reflexes were too fast.

"⌓‿⌓ Woof-woo?"

Even though he hadn’t seen what it was, that didn’t stop Yu Bao from plopping down behind Wu Bao with a sly grin.

’Ah Wu, playing video games again?’

’Switching screens that fast... It couldn’t be anything inappropriate for the kids, could it?~’

"Woo!" Wu Bao panicked, lowering his horns and charging.

"Heh heh~" Yu Bao turned and fled.

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