The chaos in the woods quickly died down. Everyone’s path forward had been roughly the same, so they weren’t too far apart from one another.
These fluffy plushies had appeared from up ahead. They didn’t make much noise, but they moved with incredible agility and strength. They didn’t seem to use magic at all, and their tough hides gave them extraordinary defenses—even fire couldn’t harm them.
The sudden collision had caught even several Tier 7 Beast Tamers off guard, and a few of them took a beating before the quick thinkers managed to dodge far away.
Afterward, the explorers saw the group of magical beasts “awooing” as they suddenly surged toward the rear.
Some of the Beast Tamers were baffled but didn’t dare follow to investigate.
Many had been injured, and there wasn’t even time to treat their own wounds, let alone help others. Stirring up that pack again would spell disaster.
And so, aside from those who had been knocked unconscious, everyone else fled in the opposite direction from Xuzhi.
The snow fox, hiding in a corner, saw what was happening and swiftly turned to give chase.
It couldn’t say why it wanted to follow that little magical beast.
The snow fox hadn’t even gotten a full look at it, but it had memorized those strikingly unique blue-gold heterochromia eyes. For some inexplicable reason, it felt drawn to get closer.
As a 10th Tier magical beast with special magical power, the snow fox was about the same age as Xiang Lun. Situations like this were exceedingly rare for it.
Magical beasts were different from humans, though. No matter how intelligent they became, they still possessed the primal instincts of beasts.
Curiosity won out, and the snow fox stealthily trailed behind the fluffy plushies.
Meanwhile, Xuzhi accelerated through the woods using wind magic.
Once he was certain no other Beast Tamers were nearby, he finally came to a stop and turned around.
The large pack of fluffy plushies was still hot on his heels, glaring at him with predatory intent.
The leader was somewhat larger than the rest. It stood amid the grass, “awooing” insistently as if demanding that he bring out the Dragon God Lord at once.
The fluffy plushies assumed that Xuzhi and the beasts at his side were all Ming Shuang’s servants, which was why they hadn’t pressed the attack.
But with Ming Shuang tucked away inside Xuzhi’s coat, they couldn’t see him—and they had no patience for these unfamiliar “servants.”
Xuzhi couldn’t understand their calls, but he had seen Ming Shuang “communicate” with one of them earlier, so he could guess the gist.
His main goal in fleeing had been to put distance between himself and the other Beast Tamers.
Soon, even the stragglers caught up. By a rough count, there were more than twenty of them.
Xuzhi hadn’t witnessed the attack on the Beast Tamers firsthand, but from the sounds of it, he had a good idea of what had happened.
More than twenty fluffy plushies like these could easily wipe out every Beast Tamer who had entered the ruins.
Xuzhi kept his composure and took half a step back.
Tomato guarded his side while Coal Ball poked its head out of the backpack, eyeing the fluffy plushies warily.
So the ruins really did have guardian beasts after all… Tomato and Coal Ball had never seen them before, though, so they weren’t entirely sure it was real.
At that moment, Xuzhi’s coat rustled.
Ming Shuang cautiously poked his head out. He had only emerged partway—head and paws—when the fluffy plushies spotted him and erupted in cheers.
“Awoo! Awoo!”
“Awooo!”
Ming Shuang heard them shouting “Dragon God Lord!” at the top of their lungs. They were thrilled and exuberant, with two or three trying to rush forward before the leader blocked them.
The Little Dragon hatchling was a bit bewildered. With a “whoosh,” he ducked back inside.
The big yellow plushie at the front saw this and forcefully patted the ground, silencing the others.
Then it called out softly: “Awoo?”
Dragon God Lord, don’t be afraid. We are your servants!
Ming Shuang knew they meant no harm. After steeling himself, he poked his head out again.
The Little Dragon hatchling hesitated for a moment before leaping down from the grass and slowly approaching.
Ming Shuang asked tentatively: “Awoo?”
Are you the guardian beasts? The ones from the ruins?
They all spoke the dragon language, yet they weren’t part of the Dragon Clan.
The big plushie nodded and inched closer to Ming Shuang, finally prostrating itself on the ground to sniff his paw.
Its black eyes sparkled brightly, on the verge of tears. “Awoo…”
Dragon God Lord… you’ve finally returned…
The other fluffy plushies couldn’t hold back any longer. They crowded around, all visibly excited as they jostled and shoved one another. They took turns sniffing Ming Shuang’s scent or gingerly touching the tips of his wings with their paws.
Ming Shuang was still in his juvenile phase, and each of the fluffy plushies was a full two sizes larger than him.
“Woo woo…”
“Awoo!”
It’s the little Dragon God Lord!
Where are the other Dragon God Lords? Why aren’t they with the little Dragon God Lord…
The Dragon Clan placed great importance on their young. They would never allow such a tiny young dragon to venture out alone without at least one adult dragon to accompany and protect it.
Ming Shuang froze in shock.
Other… Dragon God Lords?
Did that mean there were truly other members of the Dragon Clan besides himself?
Ming Shuang hesitated before murmuring: “Mm?”
The big plushie nodded vigorously. “Awoo!”
Of course!
Then its gaze turned forlorn. “Woo…”
But the other Dragon God Lords… they still haven’t come back…
Ming Shuang sat dazed in the grass for a long while, struggling to process the revelation.
He had speculated about this before, but having it confirmed stirred entirely different emotions.
So he really had kin here?
Ming Shuang instinctively glanced at Xuzhi. The young man stood there with the light at his back, his expression as inscrutable as ever.
Perhaps… Xuzhi hadn’t known before either. That would explain why he had once said Ming Shuang was the last dragon in the world.
Now, with his amnesia, he remembered nothing at all.
But what did the fluffy plushies mean by saying the other Dragon Clan members had never returned?
Ming Shuang pressed for more details, but the fluffy plushies knew nothing. They were simple creatures by nature and couldn’t even keep track of how many years they had lived here.
All that mattered was that they had seen Ming Shuang. They were overjoyed and thrilled. One of them even grew bold enough to touch the tip of his tail before rolling onto its back, hoping for a lick on the head.
Ming Shuang didn’t refuse. He climbed onto a nearby stone and gave its forehead a lick.
The plushie clutched the spot with its paws, on the verge of happy tears. Another quickly shoved it aside, demanding its turn.
And so the fluffy plushies lined up, each one receiving a lick from Ming Shuang in turn.
There were more than twenty of them altogether. By the end, his tongue felt completely numb.
Xuzhi stepped forward, knelt down, and offered the little dragon hatchling a drink from his water flask.
By now, the fluffy plushies had caught Ming Shuang’s scent on Xuzhi as well. Their gazes toward him softened considerably.
After taking a sip of water, Ming Shuang heard the big plushie ask: “Awoo?”
Dragon God Lord, will you use your dragon breath to cleanse our territory for us?
Ming Shuang nodded without thinking and curiously asked where their territory was.
Did that mean this really was a Dragon Clan ruin, hiding Dragon Clan treasures?
The big plushie tilted its head. “Woo!”
What’s a “ruin”…? But there should definitely be treasure!
The Little Dragon hatchling perked right up and flicked his tail tip. “Awoo!”
At his command, the pack of fluffy plushies hurried to take the lead, guiding Ming Shuang onward.
The big plushie even crouched low, offering its back for him to ride.
But it would be awkward for jumping like that and would take far too long. In the end, Xuzhi scooped up Ming Shuang and settled him onto Tomato’s back.
Coal Ball tucked itself into the backpack, and Tomato beat its wings to take flight, following the horde of bouncing yellow fluffy plushies ahead.
In the rear, the air shimmered and twisted as the snow fox materialized. It watched Tomato’s receding figure with curiosity.
It didn’t dare get too close. Once it confirmed Ming Shuang was unharmed, it settled for observing from a distance.
Unfortunately, the fluffy plushies clustered too tightly around him. The snow fox still couldn’t make out Ming Shuang’s appearance.
Still, it couldn’t shake the feeling that…
Meanwhile, in White Cloud City, Xiang Lun sensed the snow fox’s complicated emotions.
He was lounging alone on the roof of a teahouse, letting the breeze ruffle his hair. With his eyes closed, he murmured softly, “If you want to go, then go. Just be happy.”
The snow fox’s thoughts weren’t conveyed to him in full—he simply assumed it had stumbled upon something fun and interesting.
At his age, he was too old to play those games anymore. He’d lived long enough that waking up each day felt rather pointless.
But the snow fox was a magical beast, and that made it different.
~~~
About half an hour later, at the summit of Netherworld Mountain.
A team of Beast Tamers halted in the woods for a rest and dispatched one of their magical beasts to scout the nearby terrain.
One team member voiced his confusion. “Is this really the Dragon Clan ruins? There’s nothing here at all.”
In their imaginations, the ruins should have been brimming with treasures—at the very least, rare minerals or medicinal herbs.
Yet after shaking off that pack of fluffy plushies, they had trekked onward without seeing a single thing.
Their team had a flying magical beast, but the midair was choked with thick fog that made it all too easy to lose one’s bearings. They had no choice but to proceed on foot.
A companion tried to reassure him. “We’re already here. Let’s press on a bit farther—maybe the real ruins are in the central area.”
Someone else chimed in. “Yeah, the guardian beasts have already shown up. There has to be something here.”
With that in mind, their hopes reignited. After a short rest, they set off once more.
At that very moment, in the distant heart of the jungle, Tomato—guided by the fluffy plushies—flew past a colossal ancient tree.
Ming Shuang poked his head out to look. Beyond the tree lay a grassy clearing dotted with mushroom-shaped wooden stumps that seemed to serve as the fluffy plushies’ homes.
And at the edge of his vision stood a small house.
It looked simple and unadorned, built from ordinary stone bricks and appearing drab and gray at a glance.
Compared to anything the Dragon Clan might inhabit, it seemed far more like a human dwelling…
As soon as Tomato touched down, Ming Shuang grew eager to fly over for a closer look—but Xuzhi held him back.
“Don’t rush. Let’s go together.” Xuzhi held Ming Shuang protectively in his arms, bringing Tomato and Coal Ball along as they headed toward the house.
The Fluffy Plushies didn’t stop them, obediently trailing behind.
As they drew closer, Ming Shuang could finally make out the details. The house had three stories in total, and the wooden door at the base was tightly shut but unlocked.
After confirming there were no signs of any humans nearby, Xuzhi pushed the door open and stepped inside.
The wooden door let out a creak, and a thick cloud of dust billowed out to greet them. It was clear no one had set foot here in ages.
Xuzhi retreated a step, then raised his hand and unleashed a gust of Wind Magic to give the interior a quick cleanup before venturing back in.
Ming Shuang nestled in his arms, peering around with wide-eyed curiosity.
It was unmistakably a place where humans had once lived. The first floor appeared to be a living room, furnished with a sofa, table, and chairs, along with various everyday household items.
After giving the room a quick once-over, Xuzhi headed upstairs, clearing away the dust from the staircase as he went.
The second floor held a bedroom and a study. Ming Shuang’s eyes widened at the sight of bookshelves lining two entire walls. The bedroom featured a large bed with two pillows in different colors.
Adjoining the bedroom was another small room, but it stood completely empty, devoid of any furnishings.
One floor higher was the attic, cluttered with miscellaneous junk and two large chests.
The chests weren’t locked. Xuzhi bent down to open one of them, surprise flickering across his face.
He had thought…
So there really was “treasure.”
The Little Dragon Hatchling in his arms widened his eyes. “Wu!”
The chest before them brimmed with gold coins.
Xuzhi opened the other chest next, his breath catching for a moment.
Inside lay an entire chest full of high-rank magic stones.
~~~
