About six kilometers from Qingcheng Jiayuan was Cha Gui Park.
Under the dense shade of plane trees, a slender figure sat cross-legged, reading a book.
Firefang Dog had long since lost count of how many laps it had run around the park.
Every time it grew tired and returned to its Beast Tamer, it would see its trainer encouraging it with a trusting gaze, making it feel capable and motivated to keep going.
Before it realized, it was already running again…
Qiao Sang closed her book and shook her head at Firefang Dog, which was plodding along in slow motion.
Firefang Dog wasn't cut out for speed. Ten laps and it was already exhausted.
Morning runs didn't improve its speed—they were mostly for stamina, and to let Qiao Sang gauge Firefang Dog's limits.
When Firefang Dog finally reached her again, the morning run came to an end.
Qiao Sang handed it a bottle of Qi Yuan Milk.
Qi Yuan Milk was a specialty beverage for pets, one of the better-known brands on the market. It provided a slight stamina boost and was purchased at a pet-focused breakfast shop by the roadside.
Such pet-oriented products were often overpriced, but Qi Yuan Milk had maintained a consistent price for decades—just 98 Alliance Coins per bottle.
Firefang Dog weakly stretched out its paw to grab the milk and gulped it down in just a few sips.
"Ya."
It looked up at Qiao Sang with eyes full of longing.
Qiao Sang froze. She'd only bought one bottle…
Unable to resist those pleading eyes, she handed over the small serving of tofu pudding she had bought for herself for 3 Alliance Coins.
Firefang Dog stared at the single bite in front of it for a moment, then…
"Ya!"
Its damp eyes glistened with accusation.
"Alright, alright, I'll get you more in a bit," Qiao Sang comforted it.
Even hardship shouldn't come at the expense of a pet. How could it train properly if its stomach wasn't satisfied?
Now that she had 50,000 Alliance Coins, a few bottles of Qi Yuan Milk were nothing. Buy!
Fifteen minutes later, Qiao Sang was staring thoughtfully at a large bag of Qi Yuan Milk.
This 50,000 Alliance Coins should last her some time…
After Firefang Dog finished three bottles, seven were left in the bag.
After four bottles, Firefang Dog finally perked up, though its limbs were still weak, and it wobbled when walking.
Qiao Sang decided not to begin skill training just yet.
"I'll take you to get something nice," she said with a smile.
"Ya."
Firefang Dog's eyes brightened—it was clearly excited about this "something nice."
…
Viere Square.
The largest shopping center in the Tangxin district, a boutique commercial complex combining leisure, shopping, dining, and entertainment.
As soon as Qiao Sang arrived, a young man with a handsome face and a blue wolf-tail hairstyle blocked her path.
"Hey, beautiful! Interested in learning how to make your pet more attractive? Come to our Mengli Pet Styling Studio! We have a professional team of pet stylists, and our chief designer even styled Purple Magic Vine for player Luo Gang."
"Thanks, I'm not interested," Qiao Sang declined.
"Wait, don't reject me yet—look at my Qingyue Butterfly," the wolf-tail youth said, stepping aside.
Behind him, a blue-and-purple butterfly-like pet appeared, its wings streaked with cyan veins.
It spun elegantly in the air, scattering iridescent scales in the sunlight.
So pretty… Qiao Sang's eyes widened for a moment.
The young man grinned as he saw her captivated by the pet. Seizing the opportunity, he continued, "See? The blue-purple color is gorgeous. Our stylist tailored it to the Qingyue Butterfly's preferences. Your Firefang Dog has good coloring, but it's too plain. Why not come to our studio and design a unique look just for it?"
"Ya!"
Firefang Dog barked indignantly at the wolf-tail youth.
How dare he say it had no personality!
With the development of the Beast Taming society, many derivative professions emerged, mostly to serve pets. Pet stylists were one of them.
Millions of pets existed in the world, but pets of the same species generally looked alike, with only minor differences in size or shape.
With the spread of information, rare-colored pets began appearing in public.
Rarity added value.
While still not as valuable as dragon-type pets, rare-colored pets could fetch prices comparable to fairy-type pets.
Extremely rare species could cost hundreds of times more.
Thus, the profession of pet styling was born.
No rare-colored pet? Dye one!
Though tempting, almost no competitive Beast Tamer would color their pet for tournaments.
Reason: fading.
A pet might get injured in a match, shedding fur or losing skin pigment, ruining the whole styling effort.
Still, some renowned Beast Tamers couldn't resist the allure of rare colors.
Recently, contestant Lin Ruochu used a golden Silver Frost Centipede in a nationwide high school league. In the first match, the opponent used a water-type Splash Turtle.
Ice had a massive advantage over water.
Under a barrage of high-pressure water attacks, most of the gold on the Silver Frost Centipede's body washed away, leaving it in shambles. Lin Ruochu's mindset and performance collapsed, costing them the match.
Qiao Sang was momentarily mesmerized by the Qingyue Butterfly, but there was no way she'd dye Firefang Dog for styling.
Its blazing red was perfect as is!
This guy clearly had no taste.
"No thanks," Qiao Sang repeated firmly.
The youth shrugged and went on to block another young woman passing by.
"Hey, beautiful! Want to see how to make your pet more attractive? Come to…"
…
Qiao Sang led Firefang Dog to a pet accessory store on the third floor.
Following the signs, she reached the items she wanted.
"Come on, Firefang Dog, see which one you like," she said with a smile.
Curious, Firefang Dog examined the display.
There were beads strung together and wristbands of various colors and designs.
"Ya."
It pointed with its paw at a blue bead necklace.
Qiao Sang picked it up, weighing it, and her hand instinctively lowered it by about fifty centimeters.
"Better the wristband. This isn't good for your neck," she said, glancing at Firefang Dog's neck.
Firefang Dog tilted its head, confused.