Chapter 224 – Judging Talent?

Although Su Hao and Harmony Yashan’s performance was very convincing, under the joint accusation of eight miserable children, Su Hao and Harmony Yashan were still taken away by the skeptical Sister Bai.

The most miserable Bai Shansong was also taken away.

In Sister Bai’s small study, Bai Shansong tearfully accused Su Hao and Harmony Yashan of their crimes, feeling utterly humiliated.

After hearing this, Sister Bai rolled her eyes fiercely in her heart. To be beaten by two little kids despite being so big, and to still have the nerve to cry about it, how embarrassing!

That’s right, Sister Bai admitted she was biased. She impatiently said, “Alright, I know. You can go out first! I’ll deal with these two little brats properly next!”

Hearing this, Bai Shansong looked at Su Hao and Harmony Yashan with a smug expression.

Yashan was very surprised and thought to himself, “It seems we didn’t hit them hard enough!”

Sister Bai’s gaze swept over Su Hao and Harmony Yashan, finally settling on Su Hao, and she slowly said, “Jing Zhong, Jing Yi, is what Shansong said true?”

Su Hao spread his hands and vaguely replied, “Not entirely true!”

Yashan remained silent.

Sister Bai still didn’t quite believe it and asked again, “Jing Zhong, do you have anything else to say?”

Su Hao immediately said, “Yes, Sister Bai! I want to ask, how can I become a Summoner?”

Sister Bai covered her forehead and patiently said, “That’s not what I’m asking. I’m asking about the fight between Shansong and the others!”

Su Hao said, “Then I have nothing else to say!”

Sister Bai sighed helplessly. Jing Zhong was good in every way, and he was smart to an excessive degree, but he was difficult to communicate with. Every time she spoke to him, she felt something was strange.

Su Hao curiously asked again, “Sister Bai, I’m really curious about how to become a Summoner. Just briefly tell me!”

Sister Bai was about to find a casual excuse to shut him down, but as she thought, she couldn’t find a suitable one.

This was because Su Hao had been pestering her with the same question many times, and she couldn’t come up with a good excuse on the spot.

Sister Bai rubbed her temples, her headache clearly visible. “Fine! I’ll just tell you a little, you’ll find out soon enough anyway.”

Su Hao was overjoyed. “Thank you, Sister Bai!”

He then turned to Yashan. “Jing Yi, hurry and bring two small stools! Also, bring some candy from our stash to share with Sister Bai.”

Yashan chirped in agreement and scampered off.

Sister Bai was speechless again.

She was always the one in charge at the orphanage, yet she couldn’t understand why this seemingly foolish Jing Yi only listened to Jing Zhong. Everything required Jing Zhong’s approval; without his nod, nothing she said mattered.

Before long, Yashan returned with two small stools. After placing one for Su Hao, she set up her own and sat down.

Then, she pulled out a small bag of candy from her pocket and handed it to Su Hao.

Su Hao took it and offered it to Sister Bai. “Sister Bai, please have some candy! Don’t be shy!”

Sister Bai casually took out two pieces, weighing them in her hand. “Is this a bribe?”

Su Hao nodded. “If Sister Bai finds it sweet, you can tell us a bit more.”

Hearing this, Sister Bai burst into hearty laughter. “Hahaha! Sister Bai is in a good mood today, so I’ll tell you a little more.”

Su Hao and Yashan immediately sat up straight, their backs rigid.

Sister Bai smiled. “Alright, Jing Zhong, you may ask!”

Su Hao was taken aback, expecting her to say something like, “Then let’s start from the beginning…”

Su Hao quickly organized the main questions in his mind and then asked, “Sister Bai, I’ll begin. First question: What is the relationship between a Summoner and their Summoned Beasts?”

Sister Bai hadn’t expected that to be Su Hao’s first question. She thought for a moment and then explained in terms a child could understand, “It’s a master-and-slave relationship! Imagine you have a puppy; you are the Summoner, and the puppy is the Summoned Beast. Different Summoners treat their Summoned Beasts differently, and outsiders have no right to interfere.”

Su Hao indicated he understood and asked, “Second question: Can Summoners freely summon their Summoned Beasts in the city? Will they randomly attack others?”

Sister Bai chuckled. “All official Summoners must have a license. Licensed Summoners can freely summon their pets in the city. Conversely, unlicensed Summoners, if discovered, will be expelled from the Central Province, and severe cases will result in imprisonment! But don’t worry, Summoners’ pets won’t randomly harm people.”

Su Hao frowned upon hearing this. How could he possibly be at ease?

Su Hao asked again, “Are there no cases of Summoned Beasts attacking others?”

Sister Bai patiently replied, “Summoned Beasts were originally ‘Sub-Star Beasts,’ mostly wild and irrational. To become legal Summoned Beasts, they must be fully controlled by their Summoner.”

“Therefore, if a Summoned Beast attacks someone, it’s usually at the Summoner’s behest. Jing Zhong, you don’t need to worry. The possibility of a Summoned Beast attacking ordinary people in the city is very small, and it won’t happen to you!”

Su Hao thought to himself, “Who can really say for sure!”

Su Hao continued, “Sister Bai, third question: Where do Summoned Beasts come from? I mean, where are your two Wolves right now? Why can you summon them out of nowhere?”

Then, Sister Bai checked the time and said, “You don’t have much time left. I’ll allow you to ask one last question today!”

Su Hao said regretfully, “It seems the candies I collected from Harmony Jing Yi are only worth three questions!”

Sister Bai laughed heartily, “If it weren’t for the candies, I would have kicked you both out long ago! Hurry up and ask!”

Su Hao asked, “Then for this last question, Sister Bai, you can’t brush me off. How do I become a Summoner?”

Sister Bai first took a serious look at Su Hao, then chuckled, “It seems our little Jing Zhong wants to become a great Summoner in the future!”

Su Hao nodded decisively, “That’s right!”

Sister Bai said mysteriously, “Whether you want to become a Summoner, and whether Harmony can ultimately become a Summoner, has absolutely no relation!”

Su Hao asked curiously, “Why do you say that?”

Sister Bai said, “Because it depends on talent!”

Su Hao raised an eyebrow, “Talent?”

Sister Bai said, “That’s right, it’s talent. Whether a person can become a Summoner is decided from the moment they are born. Harmony and effort have no bearing on it.”

Sister Bai tried to find a look of disappointment on Su Hao’s face. Catalyst guided, “How is it? Aren’t you very disappointed? Hahaha!”

However, she was the one disappointed. Su Hao nodded calmly and said, “It’s alright! I don’t lack talent.”

Sister Bai scoffed, “Confidence is good, but don’t get your hopes too high. The higher your expectations, the greater the disappointment. You should know that the probability of a person having Summoner talent is only 1%.”

Su Hao indicated he understood.

Sister Bai continued, “Little Jing Zhong, don’t blame your Sister Bai for dampening your enthusiasm. You’re too smart and mature for your age, but that’s not necessarily a good thing.”

“If you take becoming a Summoner too seriously, and then discover you don’t have the talent, the blow would be devastating. There are countless examples of this!”

“So, please think of becoming a Summoner like buying a lottery ticket! A 1% chance of winning.”

Su Hao replied with a sweet smile, “Don’t worry, Sister Bai, I understand that! One last question, how do I know if I have Summoner talent?”

Sister Bai said, “That’s simple. When you turn six, someone will specifically conduct talent tests for you all.”

After speaking, Sister Bai stood up, walked to Su Hao and Harmony Yashan’s side, grabbed them by the scruff of their necks, and carried them out as she said, “I’ve said enough for today. You two go play!”

After speaking, Sister Bai put Su Hao and Harmony Yashan down and returned to the study.

“Bang!”

The door slammed shut forcefully.

The next second, the door was flung open again, and two small stools flew out, crashing onto the floor with a ‘ping pong’ sound. Following them was a bag of candy, which landed squarely on Yashan’s forehead!

Bai Shansong, hiding in the distance, chuckled triumphantly. It seemed those two hateful brats had been severely punished.

Su Hao happened to see this scene. Su Hao said, “Let’s go, Jing Yi. Someone’s asking for a beating again!”

Yashan blinked, then followed Su Hao’s gaze to see the bruised and battered Bai Shansong. He started chuckling.

(End of Chapter)