Chapter 39: Dragon Breath

It took a good while before Ming Shuang finally lifted his head again.

Yan Si had already looked away and was formally beginning the lesson.

His cold voice echoed through the lecture hall. After a brief explanation, he raised his hand and cast an alchemy spell.

Intense red flames appeared before Yan Si, laced with golden runes inside them. The temperature in the lecture hall rose slightly.

He didn’t use an alchemy stone or any aids—just his own magic to control the alchemy with perfect precision.

Ming Shuang didn’t understand alchemy, but from the shocked gasps and expressions around him, he knew Yan Si was incredibly skilled.

His own gaze was drawn to the intricate and beautiful alchemy spell, leaving him staring in awe.

At the same time, a spark of pride flickered in Ming Shuang’s heart. After all, such an impressive guest instructor was one of his own kind.

But in comparison, his own strength was limited, his shapeshifting unstable, and he was just a mixed-blood…

Books said that dragons had proud temperaments and generally avoided contact with other races—perhaps even disliking mixed-blood kin.

Mixed-blood elves and mixed-blood dwarves were often shunned by purebloods unless they had exceptional talent.

With that thought, Ming Shuang’s mood sank a little.

Xuzhi noticed the change beside him and quietly took his hand again.

The warmth of that palm brought Ming Shuang back to himself. He gathered his emotions and continued listening to the lesson.

The announcement had said Yan Si would stay at the academy for three days, with one class each afternoon.

The session wasn’t long and ended after an hour.

The assistant stepped forward promptly to summarize the lesson and invited the students to write down their questions and submit them. Yan Si might select a few to explain in tomorrow’s class.

The students immediately pulled out paper and pens. Ming Shuang hadn’t brought any and didn’t know what to write.

It was a shame he couldn’t reveal his identity yet; otherwise, he would have asked about attitudes toward mixed-blood kin…

Xuzhi didn’t write anything either, and Yan Si left right after the class ended.

Once the assistant had collected most of the students’ notes, Ming Shuang stood and followed the crowd out.

Ivan was waiting not far from the hall. On the way back, Xuzhi asked softly, “Want to go again tomorrow?”

Ming Shuang hesitated before replying, “I do…”

Besides seeing one of his own kind, he found the classes quite interesting.

Recalling Yan Si’s stern, unsmiling face, Ming Shuang pursed his lips. “But I don’t know if I should tell him… that I’m mixed-blood. He might look down on me.”

Ivan walked ahead to lead the way. With fewer people nearby, Xuzhi took Ming Shuang’s hand. “If he does, that’s his problem.”

Ming Shuang nodded silently, though his expression remained a bit lost.

To distract him and lift his spirits, Xuzhi asked, “Want me to show you around the rest of the academy?”

It was still early, and Xuzhi had nothing else that afternoon. Plus, Ming Shuang was wearing his uniform today.

When Ming Shuang agreed, Ivan suggested a few spots and continued leading the way.

In the time left, Ming Shuang first visited the academy’s Museum of Antiquities. It housed all sorts of aged relics—like extinct minerals, ancient contract scrolls, astrology disks… and even wax figures of the long-extinct beastmen.

These novel items improved his mood considerably, letting him temporarily forget about his kin.

Leaving the museum, Ming Shuang headed to the Beast-Taming Forest next.

Meanwhile, Wu Shao watched the scene through his undead fragments.

He had planned to ambush Xuzhi when he was alone that morning but hadn’t found an opening. Now Xuzhi was with Ming Shuang again.

The two young ones got along well, though they didn’t look like blood brothers.

Now that his target had entered the Beast-Taming Forest, Wu Shao hesitated about making a move—only to see them enter from another entrance, too far from his hiding spot.

Just then, his undead fragment ran out, and he couldn’t find a new one right away. Wu Shao gave up.

With a sigh, he lay back down and glanced over to see Xing Huai talking to her dragon egg.

Wu Shao: “…”

Suddenly, staying here felt pointless… Dragon breath wasn’t appearing anymore, so he might as well return to Dragon Island and dig a cave to sleep in.

~~~

On the other side, Ming Shuang entered the Beast-Taming Forest and spotted several docile little magical beasts.

There were bowls of academy-made food pellets nearby. He picked some up to feed them, noting how fragrant they smelled, so he quietly pocketed two and tossed them into his storage pendant for the fluffy plushies to try.

At the front of the woods lay a large lake. Ming Shuang sat by it for a bit before leaving, pulling Xuzhi along to check out the Scripture Pavilion next.

Ivan trailed behind as they all departed together.

At this hour, the Beast-Taming Forest was mostly empty, and the lakeside fell quiet.

Suddenly, a ripple spread across the still water surface, followed by two bubbles.

A blue shadow flashed beneath the water, slowly approaching the shore.

Two more bubbles rose, and a blue sea lion lurked below.

The blue sea lion had just woken from a nap and felt a bit dazed.

Earlier… it seemed to have caught the scent of a little dragon.

But now, that faint sense had vanished, as if it had been a hallucination.

~~~

Before nightfall, Ming Shuang returned to the courtyard with Xuzhi.

After half an afternoon exploring the academy, he stopped overthinking. Yan Si would be there for two more days, so there was no rush to figure out how to approach his kin.

Soon after, Xiang Lun hurried back with good news.

A light mage he knew had finally arrived in Central City.

Ming Shuang blinked curiously. “A mage?”

“Yes, light magic isn’t affected by miasma fog,” Xiang Lun explained. “He’s one of the last light mages, a master of healing techniques.”

The light mage was named Bai Telie, already one hundred thirty years old—like Xiang Lun, he was top tier, and the two had known each other for a century.

Xiang Lun didn’t fully trust Central City’s doctors and had specially summoned Bai Telie from afar in hopes he could examine and treat Ming Shuang.

Though Ming Shuang no longer suffered mana disorder after shapeshifting, his form was still unstable. He needed two magic stones each time to turn human and didn’t dare consume more.

On top of that, his strength was suppressed, keeping his true form in the juvenile stage for extended periods.

“He’s someone Grandfather trusts,” Xiang Lun continued. “After I told him, he set out despite the fatigue and will come to the academy tonight.”

Ming Shuang paused. “Tonight? That soon…”

Xuzhi frowned slightly upon hearing this.

Xiang Lun nodded. “Yes, around eight-thirty. He said he’ll take a preliminary look to get a general sense of things.”

Ming Shuang thought for a moment. “Alright… Could he check on Brother too?”

He had recently changed how he addressed Xuzhi—at least in front of Xiang Lun, no more calling him “Master.”

Xiang Lun agreed. “Of course…”

But before he finished, Xuzhi said, “Not for now.”

He didn’t want anyone probing his innate talent secret yet.

Xiang Lun didn’t press and turned to Ming Shuang with a gentle reminder. “Go eat dinner first. I’ll stay right here.”

After dinner, Ming Shuang’s shapeshifting time was nearly up.

He reverted to his little dragon hatchling form and played with the fluffy plushies in the hall for a while.

As eight-thirty approached, the fluffy plushies were stored away in the pendant, and Xiang Lun went out personally to greet the guest.

He hadn’t told Bai Telie all of Ming Shuang’s details—like why he had only recently reached adulthood—or about the guardian beasts, which needed to stay hidden for now.

The hall suddenly felt empty. Ming Shuang nestled in Xuzhi’s arms, waiting anxiously.

The doctor Xiang Lun found had to be exceptional. If he could fix things, Ming Shuang’s strength could recover.

Ming Shuang waited nervously until he finally heard footsteps outside.

Xiang Lun entered first, followed by an elder in a green robe.

He looked about Xiang Lun’s age, with green eyes, all-white hair and beard, and a tall, slender build.

Upon seeing the little dragon hatchling in Xuzhi’s arms, Bai Telie halted, his pupils contracting sharply.

“Indeed…” he murmured softly. “A silver frost dragon.”

Apart from those blue-gold heterochromia eyes, Ming Shuang’s appearance matched his kin perfectly, but Bai Telie instantly sensed something off in his aura.

Perhaps due to being mixed-blood, or some special circumstance—his true form should have been adult-sized.

Xiang Lun introduced him. “This is Grandfather Bai, just arrived from elf territory.”

Bai Telie was a mixed-blood elf, his green eyes the most telling feature.

Ming Shuang let out a soft “Awoo,” greeting him.

Ivan poured tea into a prepared cup, but Bai Telie ignored it and strode straight to Ming Shuang.

He examined the little dragon hatchling closely while saying, “Quite unusual indeed. The magic veins are too faint… For a mixed-blood dragon, he shouldn’t have even hatched.”

Not even a dragon egg should have been possible, but Ming Shuang was the exception.

Next, Bai Telie had the little dragon hatchling hop onto a nearby square table for a thorough check.

“The current state is stable enough,” he mused. “Fortunately, no excessive magic stones were used. That might fill the veins quickly but would definitely cause mana disorder.”

So Xuzhi’s limit on Ming Shuang’s daily magic stones had been the right call.

And Bai Telie discerned all this with the naked eye alone.

He sighed. “Still, this won’t do long-term. Mixed-blood dragons are innately deficient. Relying on magic stones and ordinary medicines alone, he won’t last two years.”

Xiang Lun asked quickly, “Is there a way to fix it?”

Ming Shuang was startled by Bai Telie’s words. The tip of his tail flicked anxiously as he turned to look at Xuzhi.

He subconsciously wanted to burrow into Xuzhi’s arms but was stopped by Bai Telie.

“Don’t move yet,” he said in a mild tone. “Let me use some magic to take a look first.”

Ming Shuang held still and obediently crouched in place without stirring.

Xuzhi remained silent, casting a glance at Bai Telie.

From the moment they had entered the room, Bai Telie’s gaze had been fixed on Ming Shuang.

He had paid no attention to Xuzhi, as if he were utterly irrelevant.

But Xiang Lun was there too, so Xuzhi hoped this Light Magic practitioner could truly be trusted.

Soon, a soft glow emerged from Bai Telie’s palm, gradually enveloping Ming Shuang.

Ming Shuang felt a pleasant warmth spread over his body, like basking comfortably in the sun. He closed his eyes and relaxed.

The Light Magic coursed through his magic veins, but soon he sensed something unusual.

It was a completely different kind of probe, also coming from Bai Telie.

Ming Shuang had felt this sort of probing once before, right before they returned to the Academy—when Xiang Lun had suspected he and Xuzhi had formed a Beast Taming Contract…

The Little Dragon hatchling on the table suddenly snapped his eyes open in disbelief.

Bai Telie was actually using a Beast Taming Contract to check whether Ming Shuang was uncontracted.

Ming Shuang immediately went on high alert and swiftly escaped the Light Magic’s envelopment.

Xuzhi reacted just as quickly. He scooped up the pouncing little dragon hatchling and retreated backward.

Bai Telie paused for a moment, then shook his head helplessly. “You’re quite perceptive, even at such a young age.”

Xiang Lun noticed Ming Shuang’s reaction and realized something was wrong. He frowned and demanded coldly, “What are you doing?”

Since he had been found out so quickly, Bai Telie dropped the pretense. With a wave of his hand, he summoned a patch of frost.

Xiang Lun saw it clearly and was stunned. “You have an innate talent for Ice Magic too.”

“That’s right,” Bai Telie replied, withdrawing his hand. “But what’s the point? Ice-type magic beasts went extinct long ago.”

Even if he found one, it wouldn’t be worthy of contracting with him. He had given up on that talent ages ago, but he never imagined opportunity would present itself here.

“So you’re after my precious grandson?” Xiang Lun exploded in fury. “You bastard! I’ve truly been blind!”

He had known Bai Telie for a century, and among all the healers, this was the only one he trusted.

But Xiang Lun had never dreamed Bai Telie had hidden his Ice Magic talent for so long… nor had he anticipated the greed and malice that could stir in someone’s heart upon laying eyes on the Dragon Clan.

Especially since Ming Shuang was a young dragon who had only recently reached adulthood. His true form was still restricted, and there were no other adult dragons to protect him.

Xiang Lun and the snow fox snarling at his side both lunged forward at once, intent on hurling Bai Telie out.

A glow wrapped around Bai Telie, holding him steady in place. “Dean Xiang, don’t fly off the handle. Contract with me, and I’ll pour all my effort into healing your grandson… Besides, the Dragon Clan vanished from Cangyuan Continent a century ago. If word got out about a young little dragon suddenly appearing, you know exactly what would happen, don’t you?”

His tone was mild, but his words dripped with threat. If Xiang Lun attacked, he would lose a top-tier magic healer for Ming Shuang—not to mention the risk of the secret leaking.

At the same time, Bai Telie’s glow expanded, quickly filling the entire hall.

Ming Shuang felt himself encased in invisible air. Pushed to its limit, Light Magic even resembled Space Magic in its control.

He watched as Xiang Lun and the snow fox were forced to retreat, while Tomato and Coal Ball were blocked from entering at the doorway.

Only Bai Telie remained unaffected. He turned around.

The Little Dragon hatchling met his gaze with a ferocious glare. Frost gathered beneath his claws as a wisp of dragon breath forcibly shattered his restraints. “Awoo—”

At the same moment…

In the Beast-Taming Forest, Wu Shao and Xing Huai both opened their eyes.

Atop the Alchemy Tower, Yan Si was sipping tea and chatting idly with Herl when the cup in his hand froze midair.

By the time Herl looked up, Yan Si’s figure had already vanished.

~~~