Chapter 44: Enjoying a Good Meal
Chapter 44: Enjoying a Good Meal
"Haha, I spent all that time training Fangflare, didn't I? Otherwise, how could I have topped the Special Recruitment exam? Fangflare, what do you think?" Qiao Sang gave an awkward laugh and patted Fangflare, applying a bit more force.
Now that they had graduated, explaining things to the homeroom teacher wasn't as important as explaining to her mother.
"Teeth."
Fangflare nodded seriously, responding with perfect cooperation.
Before her mother could speak, the homeroom teacher said, "Getting first place in the Special Recruitment exam is really impressive."
He smiled at Qiao Sang but addressed her mother, "Qiao Sang's mom, how are you doing?"
Qiao Sang's body tensed. The homeroom teacher was definitely doing this on purpose!
Her mother glanced at Qiao Sang with a knowing look and then smiled, "I'm doing well."
"Mom, Aunt called me. I'll go over there first." Seizing the opportunity when someone from another table called her, Qiao Sang quickly excused herself.
"Aunt, you called me?" Qiao Sang breathed a sigh of relief as she approached the adjacent table.
Most of the people at this table were her mother's relatives.
Her mother had three brothers and one sister.
Apart from her third uncle, who still lived nearby, her other uncles and aunt had moved to other provinces for work.
Her third uncle didn't live in Hanggang City either but in Qi Tang Town, which was about 90 kilometers away.
Qi Tang Town, Qiao Sang's hometown, where her mother was born.
Her third uncle had stayed in this small town all his life, not for any other reason but to take care of their grandparents. Aunt had stayed with him as well.
They had two children, and even though their eldest son was in college, they had never taken a proper vacation.
For Qiao Sang, her mother's side of the family, especially her third uncle's branch, felt closer.
They were in the same province, so they would visit each other during holidays.
"Qiao Sang, do you want to come over for the summer? The grandparents miss you. If it weren't for their poor health, they would have come to see you this time", Aunt said with a smile.
Aunt wasn't a Beastmaster, so without the benefits of the Beastmaster Codex and a familiar, the signs of aging were more evident on her face.
"Sure, I'll come in mid-July", Qiao Sang agreed, giving a specific date.
Actually, she had already planned to spend the summer in her hometown, even without Aunt's invitation.
Qiao Sang's home was on the sixth floor, and training Fangflare in the neighborhood wasn't convenient.
Fangflare was a fire-type familiar, and a small mishap with fire could easily damage the neighborhood's greenery.
Qi Tang Town was different.
Qiao Sang's family house had a large yard at the back.
There was also a small forest near Tan An Township, which was a perfect place for training.
Qiao Sang had calculated the timing. On June 30th, there was an F-Class Beastmaster competition in Hanggang City, which she could sign up for. After the competition, she could head back to her hometown.
To Qiao Sang, the competition wasn't about the contest itself but about the Points!
"Great, we'll be waiting for you", Aunt said, her eyes shifting to Qiao Sang's arms. "Is this your bonded familiar? It's so cute."
She reached out to pet Fangflare.
Fangflare closed its eyes in contentment.
Seeing this, Qiao Sang felt relieved. Sometimes, whether a familiar liked someone or not was a mystery.
...
After the banquet, while her mother went shopping with Aunt, Qiao Sang returned home first.
Not daring to ask Fangflare for help again, she cleaned the entire house by herself.
Only when the house looked spotless did Qiao Sang's heart finally settle a bit.
Now that the High School Entrance Exam is over and I've been accepted to Holy Water High School, it's time to move forward.
Even though I've been on leave for almost two weeks without telling my mother, I doubt she'll say much when she sees how clean everything is at home...
Qiao Sang brought Fangflare to the neighborhood building and planned to start their usual speed training.
"Ya."
Fangflare shook its head, clearly unhappy.
It had taken so much effort to look so handsome, and training would just ruin everything, wouldn't it?
"You seem to have a bit of an idol complex", Qiao Sang said, crouching down to pet Fangflare with a smile.
Fangflare usually requested training on its own, but this time, it was rare for it to avoid training to preserve its appearance. Qiao Sang didn't push it.
"Ya~"
Fangflare hesitated for a moment.
"I'll take you to get something good to eat", Qiao Sang said, picking up Fangflare.
"Ya?"
Fangflare called out in confusion.
Hadn't they just eaten?
Another meal?
It thought for a moment.
Actually... it could be okay...
Fangflare didn't resist as Qiao Sang carried it to a local snack shop.
"Boss, three skewers of super spicy wings."
"Coming right up!"
Qiao Sang found an empty seat and sat down with Fangflare.
"Ya?"
Fangflare blinked its wet eyes.
Three skewers? Is that enough?
"Enough", Qiao Sang laughed. "After we eat, you'll try to release Spark. Focus the energy into a single point, compress it, and then release it."
Her real purpose for coming here wasn't to eat but to test her hypothesis about skill development.
Qiao Sang had the Golden Finger and didn't need to worry about skill proficiency, so she had been thinking about how to teach Fangflare new skills.
The vice principal of Holy Water High School had mentioned using medicinal baths, but Qiao Sang couldn't afford that.
She also couldn't afford to send Fangflare to a specialized skill training facility, and there were no other bondfire-type familiars in the area to guide her.
So, developing new skills would have to be a matter of trial and error.
Junior fire-type familiars could learn many skills, but Fangflare currently only knew Flame Fang and Spark.
Qiao Sang had already had Fangflare try compressing the energy before releasing Spark, but it didn't make much of a difference.
It was still just a Spark.
Then Qiao Sang thought about the super spicy wings.
The chili oil on them wasn't ordinary; it was extracted from the seeds of the Plant-Type familiar Pepper Vine.
Even non-fire-type familiars might start spewing fire after eating it.
For a true fire-type familiar like Fangflare, it would surely activate all its internal energy.
If it then focused, compressed, and released that energy, the effect should be different.
Although Fangflare didn't understand Qiao Sang's reasoning, the task of compressing and releasing Spark wasn't a challenging one for it. It wouldn't even break a sweat.
Since it wouldn't affect its appearance, Fangflare nodded in agreement.
The super spicy wings were soon brought out.
The wings, coated in red chili oil, looked crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, emitting a mouthwatering aroma.
Fangflare's appetite was instantly aroused, and it extended its paw to grab a skewer.
Qiao Sang quickly picked up all three skewers.
"Ya?"
Fangflare looked puzzled. Weren't they going to eat?
"We'll eat outside", Qiao Sang said.
If they ate in the shop, they wouldn't be able to practice the skill of compressing and releasing energy.
If Fangflare accidentally spewed fire, they'd end up washing dishes to pay off the debt.
(End of Chapter)
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