Beast Taming: Starting From Zero Chapter 1009: You City Market

Mikayla pulled up the navigation app, pinpointed their target spot, and positioned the phone right in front of Qiao Sang, instructing: "Practice Emphatic Positioning with Ghost Ring King."

Without any tasks or contests on the agenda, simple daily matters turned into perfect impromptu drills for sharpening the skills of the Tamer and their pet alike.

Qiao Sang and Little Treasure both bent closer to the screen, etched the path into their minds, and shut their eyes in unison.

Onlookers kept glancing back at the group.

"Look, isn't that Qiao Sang?"

"It looks like her..."

"What do you mean? It is her! Check out that Ghost Ring King's hair and rings—they're golden. Only Qiao Sang's Ghost Ring King has that shade!"

"Holy crap! It really is! Why's she here in our Zidia Region? Didn't she just claim the championship in the Central Hollow Region yesterday?"

"Should we go up and ask for a photo?"

"Sure!"

The crowd nearby buzzed with excitement, ready to approach.

Mikayla eyed Qiao Sang, decked out in a hat and shades for full cover, then shifted her gaze to Ghost Ring King's telltale hair and rings, lost in contemplation.

All at once, darkness enveloped her sight.

She blinked her eyes open to find they'd teleported to a quieter, more secluded spot.

You City lay at a considerable distance, and with Little Treasure's present skills, a single leap couldn't bridge the gap there instantly.

Qiao Sang and Little Treasure huddled near the phone once more, set to verify their new location.

Right then, Mikayla uttered: "Wait."

"What's wrong?"

"Xun xun?"

Qiao Sang and Little Treasure lifted their heads to stare at her together.

Mikayla explained deliberately: "We're in the Zidia Region, where folks here are super tuned into Ghost-type pets. Ghost Ring King stands out way too much to the natives. As long as he's visible, nearly everyone spots you, so he requires some camouflage."

"Xun xun..."

Little Treasure's mouth curved into a grin as he pretended to heave a dramatic sigh.

Qiao Sang pondered briefly: "Then why not just have Little Treasure go invisible?"

"Xun xun..."

Little Treasure backed away a step, clutching the pet egg, his expression screaming reluctance.

"No need." Mikayla replied.

"The main clue folks use to identify you via Ghost Ring King stems from his mutated form. Simply altering his colors will do the trick."

"Xun xun!"

Little Treasure bobbed his head eagerly in support.

"Fine, then switch up the hue of the rings and the hair." Qiao Sang decided.

"Xun xun~"

Right as she prepared to scout for a local pet styling salon, Little Treasure extended the pet egg to his left side.

"Qing Qing."

Qingbao materialized on the right, drifted over to the left, and accepted the pet egg.

Qiao Sang caught on to Little Treasure's scheme immediately and dropped the notion of hunting down a salon.

"Xun xun~"

Little Treasure slipped off his rings, fished out a pink afro wig from within, and slipped it onto his head. Next, he grabbed some fabric scraps, wound them around the rings, and reattached them.

"Xun xun?"

Once done, Little Treasure spun around in place, floating to show off and query if the outfit nailed the disguise.

Mikayla: ...

"Yap yap."

Yabao eyed the ensemble approvingly and dipped his head, signaling it worked well.

"Lu Di..."

Lubao peeked from the backpack, glanced once, and ducked back inside, unable to stomach the view.

"Qing Qing..."

Qingbao propped up the pet egg with a gust of wind, then used a free paw to prod Little Treasure's afro wig out of sheer curiosity.

"Gang Zhan?"

Gangbao observed briefly before vocalizing, tossing out an idea.

"Xun xun~"

Little Treasure's gaze sparkled, deeming it a brilliant notion.

"No need." Qiao Sang interjected.

"This setup's good enough. The goal is just to avoid recognition, nothing more."

Since witnessing the wild getup Little Treasure sported for the Coordination Competition back on Chaosu Star, Qiao Sang had grown more accepting of his style shifts. To her, this version paled in comparison to that one—way less over-the-top.

Mikayla stared in shock, whipping her head away with a face screaming disbelief.

Qiao Sang overlooked Teacher Mikayla's reaction and pivoted to suggest: "Should we camouflage Yabao and the rest too?"

Yabao and Gangbao would likely draw easy identification as well.

Lubao and Qingbao posed no issue, since one hunkered in the backpack while the other merged seamlessly with the breeze.

"Xun xun~"

Catching wind of his Tamer's intent, Little Treasure deftly removed his rings again, gearing up to scrounge gear fitting for Big Bro Yabao and the others' disguises.

Images of the Blazing Divine Lion and crew donning rainbow afro wigs just like Ghost Ring King's raced through Mikayla's thoughts. Her lips quirked in a twitch, and she blurted: "No need for all that hassle. I packed some Presence-Dulling Powder; it'll work fine on the Blazing Divine Lion and the gang."

Presence-Dulling Powder worked to dim the aura of humans and pets alike. Even up close, it prompted folks to overlook details subconsciously. Qiao Sang had employed it during her time on Chaosu Star, so she was well aware of its properties.

"Xun xun..."

Little Treasure recalled the powder's impact too. Donning a crestfallen look, he resecured his rings and reclaimed the pet egg from Qingbao.

Moments later, Spengami materialized from nowhere, extended a hand pulsing with azure glow, and swept it ahead.

The instant after, the air rippled like crinkled fabric from the gesture. A one-meter tear in the void ripped open, clear to the eye.

Its depths yawned black and endless.

Spengami delved a hand inside to search, then extracted a vial of white powder and passed it to Mikayla.

As its hand pulled free, the tear sealed itself shut and faded. The atmosphere settled back to stillness, as though no breach had ever occurred.

Mustard Space, an advanced Psychic technique that summons a personal pocket dimension for hauling and stashing assorted goods. Higher mastery expands the dimension's capacity.

Mikayla always had Spengami demo this whenever handling bags or gear, leaving Qiao Sang unfazed by the display.

"Yes, that's the one." Mikayla confirmed with a quick peek.

Spengami cloaked itself and stepped back from service.

Qingbao appeared to sense the upcoming step and dissolved into the wind.

Mikayla uncapped the vial and dusted a pinch onto Yabao, Gangbao, and Qiao Sang.

Then her eyes landed on Little Treasure rocking the pink afro.

"Xun xun..."

Little Treasure clutched the pet egg tighter and edged backward in silence.

Mikayla inched nearer to Little Treasure.

"Forget it." Qiao Sang cut in, noting Little Treasure's aversion to the powder.

"He's already in disguise, so no one should peg him like this."

"Xun xun!"

Little Treasure zipped to his Tamer's side at once and nodded vigorously.

. Mikayla griped to herself. In the end, she held her tongue and stowed the vial.

"Xun xun..."

Little Treasure exhaled in clear relief at that.

---

Five minutes passed.

The team popped into existence amid a lively marketplace.

Neon glows in crimson and deep violet bathed the scene. Flanking the paths stood refined Chinese-inspired structures, simple yet graceful. Street vendors dotted the way, each manned by an owner plus a Ghost-type pet playing greeter.

The market's entry arch displayed the inscription

"Xun xun..."

Little Treasure gawked at the Ghost-type pets weaving through the throng, wide-eyed like a total newbie.

... Qiao Sang inwardly marveled at the array of unseen Ghost-type pets surrounding her.

The Zidia Region earned its fame as the Dragon Nation's prime hub for Ghost-type pets in numbers and appeal. Elsewhere, you'd rarely witness such a massive assembly unless a dedicated event or tourney drew them.

Everywhere she scanned, the Ghost-type pets boasted odd forms. Many sported flashy styles, making Little Treasure's pink afro wig blend right in without drawing extra stares.

Mikayla surveyed the nearby stores and booths, then declared: "This place definitely stocks evolution items for Ghost Ring King."

With that, she ventured in.

Qiao Sang hurried after her.

Gripping the pet egg, Little Treasure trailed his Tamer, peering everywhere. Every shop and stall's wares struck him as utterly captivating.

Qiao Sang and Yabao scanned their surroundings with intense curiosity.

They spotted crowds of people and Ghost-type pets hawking outside.

"Pet massage. Care to try a massage from a Ghost-type pet? Mo Mo Ling's your top pick. It pinpoints your acupoints and health status to deliver the ideal treatment." In front of the "Mo Mo Massage" storefront, a promoter distributed leaflets.

"Mo mo."

"Mo mo."

At their side, a forty-centimeter-tall Ghost-type pet, mainly dark grey with seven stubby toes per foot, clutched flyers too.

Yet neither humans nor beasts drew any takers, showing the shop's trade was middling at best.

By contrast, a lengthy line snaked at the adjacent "Hundred Ghosts Night Walk" shop. An attendant kept order: "Queue up, queue up! Stay in line, folks, take turns. Everyone gets a shot, no jumping ahead!"

Even amid the boom, he pitched to passersby: "You City's scariest escape room awaits inside. Our place features a hundred varied Ghost-type pets. We're tops on the Youzhou escape rankings."

Qiao Sang itched to join in, but she recalled their priority and held back.

A bit further along, another shop snagged her focus.

A light-purple Ghost-type pet around two meters high, topped with a sleek black hat and exuding charm, posed gracefully at the door. A cluster of tiny Ghost-type pets orbited it, emitting assorted eerie calls.

Qiao Sang glanced upward at the sign: Perfect Ghost.

Qiao Sang pressed on, deep in thought.

After a few paces, a odd vibe hit her. She spun around to spot Little Treasure wedged among the gaggle of Ghost-type pets by the "Perfect Ghost" door, hanging on the top-hatted pet's words.

Qiao Sang: ...

"Little Treasure." Qiao Sang called.

"Xun xun!" Little Treasure whirled, responded, and drifted back.

"Something catch your eye to purchase?" Qiao Sang probed gently.

"Xun xun! Xun xun! Xun xun!"

Little Treasure's eyes gleamed. He balanced the pet egg in one paw while jabbing the other at nearly all the close shops and stalls.

Qiao Sang's lips twitched, so she steered elsewhere: "Let's hunt down the Underworld Bamboo Flower first."

"Xun xun~"

Little Treasure agreed with a nod. Evolution goods clearly trumped these distractions.

In the time that followed, Qiao Sang and Mikayla checked multiple outlets for Ghost-type pet goods and supplies, asking around, but none carried the Underworld Bamboo Flower.

At last, one store had it, though only at A-rank quality.

An A-rank evolution material remained scarce, yet Qiao Sang now viewed it with mild disdain. Her prior gathers for Little Treasure's evolution had all hit S-rank at minimum.

"Jue jue."

As the pair geared to push further into You City, a fifty-centimeter Ghost-type pet popped up next to Mikayla. Topped with dark red hair-like tufts, sporting beady eyes and a jagged mouth, it offered a business card alongside its call.

Mikayla accepted it and read: "A guide?"

"Jue jue." The pet with the dark red tufts affirmed with a nod.

Qiao Sang's mind raced with the pet's details. Before Teacher Mikayla could respond, she turned it down fast: "Thanks, but we don't need one."

"Jue jue." The Shadow-severing Doll blinked in astonishment, as if shocked by the extra company.

"Sorry." Mikayla returned the card.

"Jue jue..." The Shadow-severing Doll retrieved it, face falling into solitude, and shuffled off.

Qiao Sang watched with a twinge of remorse.

This was You City, no wild secret zone or ravine. Even if the Shadow-severing Doll misguided them, it couldn't trap them fatally. Plus, this one seemed like a seasoned local guide with cards to boot, bound to know the lay well.

"Ren gui."

While mulling, yet another Ghost-type pet neared Mikayla—this one swathed in white bandages like a mummy, green eyes the only visible feature. It cried out and proffered a card.

The info surged in Qiao Sang's thoughts.

"Are you a guide?" Mikayla queried after scanning the card.

"Ren gui." The Patience Ghost confirmed.

Mikayla inquired: "Do you know where to find the Underworld Bamboo Flower?"

.. Qiao Sang shot Mikayla a quiet side-eye.

"Ren gui."

The Patience Ghost beamed and nodded, then promptly guided them onward.

"Xun xun?" Little Treasure floated up to chat.

"Ren gui."

The Patience Ghost shot Little Treasure's pink afro a withering glare of contempt, but schooled its features quick, grinning as it yipped to say any tip would do.

"Xun xun~"

Little Treasure beamed with a "You're awesome" vibe.

No one caught the Patience Ghost's face twisting briefly.