Chapter 10: Mixed Blood Part 2

Ming Shuang licked Coal Ball on the forehead, then leaned closer to lick the scar on Xuzhi’s arm.

The Little Dragon hatchling’s tongue tip was ice-cold, bringing a slight numbing and soothing effect. Xuzhi scooped up Ming Shuang and tore off a softer, cleaner strip of cloth, preparing to wipe his face as well.

Seeing Xuzhi clutching the cloth and cupping it in his hand, Coal Ball couldn’t resist blowing a puff of air.

The hot breath enveloped the fabric, heating it up in an instant.

Coal Ball turned back to Xuzhi and let out a muttering “woo,” though it was unclear what it meant.

“Thanks,” Xuzhi said evenly, continuing to wipe Ming Shuang’s face.

Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the town.

Four beast tamers arrived and extinguished the flames that were still smoldering.

Three of them were injured, all from attacks by the fire-type magical beast. With the task looking impossible to complete, they had no choice but to call on the captain for help.

But far worse than mission failure was the more serious incident that had occurred.

Staring at the two charred corpses on the ground, no one could believe their eyes. Their faces twisted in grim horror.

De Ya and the Golden Crow… both dead.

The captain at the front forced down his emotions and gave the order. “Search for any clues, then bring the bodies back.”

~~~

Deep in the jungle, it was around two-thirty in the morning by the time Xuzhi finally settled down to rest with Ming Shuang.

He took the opportunity to wash his bloodied clothes as well and hung them from nearby branches. For Ming Shuang’s sake, Coal Ball blew several hot breaths over them—they would be dry by morning.

The jungle was quiet. Xuzhi leaned back against a tree trunk, with Ming Shuang already fast asleep in his arms.

Coal Ball sprawled out beneath another tree nearby. It was tired from the night, having chatted endlessly with Ming Shuang before curling up into a deep slumber.

Xuzhi opened his eyes and gazed at the faint moonlight filtering through the treetops.

A golden glow stirred slowly in his palm, forming an invisible halo that completely enveloped Ming Shuang.

The Little Dragon hatchling remained oblivious, sleeping soundly as ever, though his aura was now fully concealed.

The Golden Crow had been a fifth-tier magical beast. Before its death, Xuzhi had absorbed every last trace of its magic elements.

But it went beyond that—he had directly inherited the Golden Crow’s special abilities: tracking and concealment.

The thunder magic from the giant scorpion hadn’t faded either. Now both forms of magic could operate within him simultaneously.

His strength had already surpassed that of the beast tamer he had killed.

Xuzhi lowered his gaze in silence, stroking the little dragon hatchling’s icy claws before closing his eyes without a word.

~~~

The next morning, Xuzhi returned to the town.

Coal Ball trailed along behind him the whole way but refused to enter the town itself, so it hid temporarily in a spot just outside.

The night before, there had been two patches of scorched earth from the flames on the outskirts, and many residents had heard strange noises in the middle of the night without knowing what had happened.

Fearing it was connected to the miasma fog, the townsfolk were even more reluctant to venture out.

The streets were nearly deserted. Bolstered by the Golden Crow’s magic and abilities, Xuzhi’s senses were far keener now. He confirmed that no suspicious figures were tailing him before arriving at the medical clinic.

The moment Tuji spotted him, excitement lit up his face.

“You and… your magical beast,” Tuji whispered, “you’re both okay?”

He led Xuzhi up to a private room on the second floor and shooed his assistant away.

Xuzhi replied, “We’re fine.”

As he spoke, Ming Shuang poked his head out from Xuzhi’s arms and waved his claws at Tuji.

Tuji let out a breath of relief. He couldn’t help but stare at the little dragon hatchling for a few extra moments before forcing his gaze away.

The hand clutching his beard trembled slightly. He wasn’t sure how to broach the subject.

Xuzhi broke the silence. “I need to leave this place. Something happened last night.”

“That’s what I figured,” Tuji said with a nod. “The one who broke into the clinic last night—he was from the Miasma-Clearing Team, wasn’t he? And this morning, two more beast tamers showed up in town. They…”

Tuji trailed off. Beast tamers from the Miasma-Clearing Team were powerful, which meant they held high status. But power didn’t always equate to integrity or kindness.

“In any case, you should get out of here and lie low for a while,” he said with a sigh. Then, unable to hold back, he added, “Do you know… what race your magical beast belongs to?”

Tuji’s choice of words was a touch delicate, but Xuzhi didn’t dwell on it.

He answered honestly. “No idea.”

Xuzhi went on. “I’ll pay back every coin I owe you.”

Tuji waved it off, as if he understood completely.

He told Xuzhi to wait in the room while he stepped out. He returned shortly, placing a small storage bag on the table. He pulled out its contents one by one as he explained. “These are all for nourishing the body. Just take one a day—no need to use them all at once; they’re expensive. This one, you hold in your mouth before bed…”

There were three small jars of medicine in total; that was all he could spare.

The bag also contained the items Xuzhi had left behind in his room the day before, along with some dry rations.

Tuji went over every detail meticulously before doing the math. “Without a storage bag, it’d be hard for you to carry everything. Adding that to what you already owe, we’ll call it fifty gold coins total.”

Fifty gold coins was an astronomical sum for Xuzhi in his current state.

He looked at Tuji and murmured, “Thank you.”

Xuzhi still didn’t fully understand why Tuji was willing to go this far to help him.

They had known each other for a while and built up some trust, but they weren’t exactly close.

Tuji had never pried into the origins of Xuzhi’s medicinal herbs. He preferred not to get involved in other people’s business.

Tuji snorted. “You think I’m joking? You have to pay it back.”

“Don’t worry. I will.”

As Xuzhi spoke, he tucked the storage bag away.

Ming Shuang listened quietly to their exchange, then glanced across the table at Tuji.

He had never interacted with anyone from the human race besides Xuzhi. Last night’s events had made it clear that the dangers in this place came not only from unfamiliar magical beasts, but from unfamiliar people as well.

Yet looking at Tuji now, Ming Shuang thought that there were good humans too.

The Little Dragon hatchling wriggled out of Xuzhi’s arms, hopped lightly onto the table, and tilted his head to study Tuji. He leaned in close and sniffed at the man’s beard.

At last, Tuji got a full look at him. He fought to contain his excitement, even lightening his breathing.

The silver-white scales, the still-tender dragon horns… Xuzhi had protected Ming Shuang well; the hatchling looked to be in fine shape.

Ming Shuang dipped his head and rubbed against Tuji’s beard—a gesture of affection and gratitude.

Noticing Tuji’s odd reaction, Xuzhi silently scooped the little dragon hatchling back up and tucked him into his jacket once more.

Tuji regained some composure and cleared his throat. “You’d better get going.”

Handing over those items had pained him greatly. Any longer, and he might have second thoughts.

Afterward, Tuji personally escorted Xuzhi out through the back door of the yard.

By then, two more beast tamers had arrived in town. Tuji’s assistant spotted them from afar—they were going door to door, knocking.

Tuji hurriedly directed Xuzhi down a side path and told his assistant to provide cover.

He watched Xuzhi’s figure recede into the distance, a complicated mix of emotions on his face. With a sigh, he turned away.

Xuzhi truly had no idea what race Ming Shuang belonged to, and Tuji hadn’t voiced his own suspicions. He didn’t want to burden the young man.

He hadn’t slept a wink the night before, poring over the contents of that book again and again.

“Dragon Clan, golden pupils. Their bloodlines are extraordinarily unique, incompatible with other races or magical beasts.”

In other words, the Dragon Clan produced no hybrids. Even if a mixed-blood dragon egg somehow appeared, it likely wouldn’t hatch properly.

Yet Ming Shuang’s mismatched eyes and his innately frail constitution matched the hallmarks of a hybrid.

Tuji pushed the thought aside and massaged his temples.

He knew Xuzhi wasn’t ordinary either. What normal person could take a severe injury one day and be full of energy the next?

If his suspicions were correct, raising a mixed-blood young dragon to adulthood wouldn’t be easy.

The book had also noted that the Dragon Clan was fiercely protective of their own, holding grudges without fail and placing special value on their young.

Perhaps someday soon, the Dragon Clan would make a full return to this continent.

The items he had given weren’t really for Xuzhi at all.

They were for Ming Shuang.

Or rather, for the Dragon Clan.

At his age, forging such a good karmic tie was no small thing.

Only when Xuzhi was completely out of sight did Tuji head back to the clinic and have someone secure the back door.

On the other side, Xuzhi left the town and sought out Coal Ball, who was huddled in a corner.

He looked down at the balled-up black creature and asked, “Are you still planning to keep following us?”

Coal Ball uncurled itself slowly and fixed him with a stare.

Of course it was. It had to protect the little dragon.

Xuzhi was still too weak right now. If Ming Shuang hadn’t chosen to stay with him… it might have found a way to kill him.

“Then let’s go,” Xuzhi said flatly. “Just make sure you stay hidden along the way.”

Since it was Ming Shuang’s friend, he could bring it along—and its strength would be useful.

When necessary, he could even absorb its magic elements.

Coal Ball let out a “woo” to show it understood.

It waited until Xuzhi had gone on ahead a short distance, glanced around to confirm it was safe, then followed his scent.

The sky had fully brightened by now. With the residents too afraid to go out, the town outskirts felt especially desolate.

The blazing sun climbed higher, burning away the morning chill mist.

At noon, three figures appeared before the Thorny Jungle.

“Seal locked?” Wu Shao frowned at the notice posted on the fence. “Miasma fog perimeter? What kind of nonsense is this?”

The jungle before them was the exact location where the dragon breath had appeared.

Xing Huai tossed a medicine pill to Wu Shao. “Hurry up and cover your eyes and hair. Don’t let anyone catch a glimpse by accident.”

Yan Si took a pill as well and considered their options. “It’s the humans’ way of fending off the miasma fog. We shouldn’t rush in blindly.”

He swallowed the pill. His golden pupils and red hair in human form shifted abruptly to black. He suppressed his aura entirely, and from the outside, he looked no different from an ordinary human.

Wu Shao popped the pill into his mouth too, his eyes sweeping the surroundings. “Let’s search nearby for clues first.”