True dung green.
Li Miao had never seen such a "vibrant" color before—especially with the hideous scratch marks still lingering on it. The sharp metal fragments were like barbs, and the glass windows on both sides seemed patched together with adhesive tape, haphazardly holding the shattered glass in place. Occasionally, there were some mottled black stains that looked like dried blood. Before they even got close, a faint, metallic smell already reached their noses.
The students were stunned by the shuttle bus's appearance, falling into a brief, eerie silence.
Even Li Miao was shocked by the vehicle's design.
"Instructor, are you sure this is the bus that's picking us up?"
She turned to Chen Bin. "This thing has to be at least ten years old, right?"
"Nonsense, it's only been around for two years at most."
Chen Bin laughed and scolded good-naturedly. "Don't let its shabby looks fool you—this thing is actually sturdy as hell. It's survived at least three minor beast tides already."
"Whoa!"
Beast tides!
The students instantly erupted with excitement.
After all, though beast tides nowadays couldn't cause much of a stir, they were still remnants of the very force that had nearly wiped out humanity a thousand years ago.
A millennium back, beast tides had first appeared, emerging alongside spatial rifts. Unfamiliar creatures poured out from those fissures, their alien presence permeating the air and reshaping the world in unseen ways.
From then on, the beast-taming profession was born. Humanity struggled to survive amidst the endless waves of beasts until the first powerful warrior stepped into a spatial rift and blocked the tides beyond it once and for all.
To this day, that history remained etched in people's memories—even elementary school students knew the tales of those times.
Nowadays, beast tides still occurred, though infrequently. Plus, with the Flower Nation's military standing guard, the country remained peaceful and prosperous, its citizens rarely encountering beast tides firsthand.
No wonder the students were so fascinated.
Li Miao was curious too.
But that shuttle bus was really a sorry sight—she was half-convinced it would fall apart the moment it started moving.
Fortunately, her worries were unfounded.
After boarding, she quickly realized the interior was much more spacious than it appeared from the outside. Though the windows were cracked, a light tap revealed they were still sturdy, showing no signs of weakness.
Most importantly, the inside was clean and well-organized. Each student's seat had a dedicated spot next to it—specifically designed for their tamed beasts. These came equipped with fold-out trays, non-slip straps, safety belts, and even food and water bowls.
It was only now that Li Miao truly grasped the fact that she had arrived in a world where beast-taming was the norm.
Just look at these accommodations—pets even got better treatment than humans!
Glancing at Er Ha, she had an idea.
Li Miao: "Come here, I wanna try something."
Er Ha: "Awoo?" (Why are you looking at me like that?)
It eyed the small seat beside Li Miao's feet. Though reluctant, Er Ha knew better than to refuse—after all, she was its tamer, and tamers had to be respected.
So it shuffled over slowly, but before it could react, the whole dog was plopped onto the seat.
"What's with the dawdling? I call you over, and you still drag your feet—who's the dog here, you or me?"
Li Miao rolled her eyes and started figuring out how to fasten Er Ha's safety belt.
Meanwhile, Er Ha lay frozen in existential despair—body still present, soul already departed, its face screaming Do Not Disturb.
"Your tamed beast is so well-behaved."
Yao Chen had chosen the seat beside Li Miao and watched enviously as Er Ha endured its master's manhandling without complaint.
"If it were my Huo Huo, it would've swiped at me with its claws by now..."
Li Miao paused mid-dog-paw-squeezing.
"Then smack it back."
Yao Chen blinked. "But... wouldn't that be bad?"
"Why? Your Huo Huo's a precious treasure to you—but aren't you a treasure to your parents?"
Yao Chen: "..."
"Hah! Damn right."
The boy in the seat in front of them turned around to chime in. "Classmate, you just spoke straight from my soul."
Then, addressing Yao Chen: "Listen, canine-type beasts can't be spoiled too much. They naturally follow a hierarchy—the more you pamper them, the more they think of themselves as the alpha, while you're just some lowly pack member feeding the big boss."
"That's not good for our growth as tamers."
Yao Chen fell into deep thought.
"So you're saying... I shouldn't be so nice to it?"
Suddenly called out, Huo Huo: ?
What the hell are you saying, servant?!
"Arf-arf-ARF?!" (You're actually buying this nonsense?!)
Yao Chen wavered for half a second—but then she glanced back at Er Ha, limp as a giant plushie under Li Miao's ministrations, and hardened her resolve.
"You're right! You're absolutely right."
She nodded firmly at the boy. "I have been too soft on my beast—thank you."
"And Mian Mian, thank you too. I... I see the light now."
Li Miao: "..."
What exactly did you "see"?
She watched, baffled, as Yao Chen resolutely ignored Huo Huo's outraged barks, then turned to shoot the boy a questioning look.
"What exactly did you tell her just now?"
The boy shrugged. "Just that canine-type beasts operate on hierarchy, so you can't treat them too kindly."
Li Miao: "... And who fed you that line?"
"My teacher."
The boy grinned. "Oh, right—I'm Gao Yuanzhi. And you?"
Li Miao sighed.
"Li Miao."
"Listen, Gao—your teacher's wrong. Tamed beasts don't work with hierarchies. Doesn't matter if they're canine-type or not; as long as they're tamed beasts, they can't form that kind of dominance structure."
Gao Yuanzhi frowned. "But... my teacher said—"
"What kind of teacher is this, leading students astray?"
Chen Bin appeared out of nowhere, scoffing coldly.
"Tamed beasts possess intelligence. At their baseline, they're as sharp as an eleven- or twelve-year-old, and the more they develop, the more their wisdom grows."
"Pack hierarchy is incomparable to the relationship between a beast and its tamer. The former is like an employer-employee dynamic—the latter is family. Kin. Partners and comrades."
"Tell me your teacher's name. I'm reporting them. Disgraceful, feeding kids this garbage."
Li Miao: "..."
Gao Yuanzhi choked, suddenly hesitant about whether he should actually name names.
"Enough."
The driver suddenly spoke up—without any microphone, yet his voice rang crystal-clear in everyone's ears:
"Bus is about to depart."
"Everyone, listen up: return to your seats. No noise, no disturbances—and that includes your beasts."
"One last reminder: if your beast's antics disrupt this bus's operations, I will have no choice but to kick you off. And that means no participation in this combat training session."
The cabin instantly fell deathly silent.
After all, the combat training came with credit bonuses—and missing out on those would make the already-grueling college entrance exams even harder.
At that, no one dared let their beasts misbehave anymore. Instead, they all rolled up their sleeves and forcibly dragged their unruly companions back into line.
The bus rumbled to life.
Only a few discontented grumbles from the beasts and the sound of breathing remained in the cabin.
Seizing the moment, Li Miao swiftly pulled out two eye masks from her pocket—one for herself, and one for Er Ha.
Er Ha tilted its head. The eye mask was comically oversized, yet still couldn't cover its entire face.
"Awo?"
"It's night now."
Li Miao manually adjusted the mask over its eyes, then added in a sinister whisper:
"Time for bed, Er Ha."
Er Ha: "..."