Chapter 48: The Owl and the Dragon Egg’s Revival

Ming Shuang blinked, mumbling hesitantly. “I…”

He just felt that everything had fallen into place perfectly, almost miraculously.

If he had learned about the marriage contract before realizing his master liked him, his feelings would have been entirely different.

Ever since confirming his true heritage, Ming Shuang had gradually come to sense how much his mother had prepared for his future.

Even if certain circumstances had prevented them from ever spending time together.

By this logic, Xuzhi must also have been someone his mother had chosen for him. Something as important as a marriage contract couldn’t be decided lightly.

So Ming Shuang was convinced that Xuzhi had to have something special about him to have been selected by her.

He was already lost in wild thoughts, and now that they were alone, his words came out without any filter.

Xuzhi leaned in closer. “You want to have little dragons?”

It sounded like the meaning had shifted somehow… Ming Shuang answered honestly. “I was just saying it offhand.”

“And,” Xuzhi said, planting a kiss on the tip of his nose, “don’t call me master.”

But he had clearly said before that it was fine to use that in private.

Ming Shuang muttered softly. “I’m used to it…”

Xuzhi said nothing. Instead, he took Ming Shuang’s hand and pulled him even closer.

Ever since they had “confirmed their relationship,” the two of them spent most of their time together just as they always had.

Ming Shuang never resisted their kisses or embraces and would even initiate them himself sometimes. Yet he always seemed so innocently pure, leaving it unclear whether he truly understood what it meant to be partners.

Talking about having little dragons with that completely bewildered expression—it was like unconsciously teasing him.

Remembering their last kiss, Xuzhi leaned in experimentally and pressed his lips to Ming Shuang’s.

It was just a gentle touch. Ming Shuang’s eyelashes fluttered, and his fingers tightened on Xuzhi’s sleeve, but he didn’t pull away.

Xuzhi drew back slightly and murmured, “I don’t know how to kiss.”

Ming Shuang instinctively wanted to say he didn’t either, but Xuzhi kissed him again.

As their lips and tongues met, Ming Shuang’s mind went completely blank, his breathing halting in his chest.

The kiss ended quickly, like an initial experiment. Seeing Ming Shuang still dazed, Xuzhi touched his cheek. “Ming Shuang?”

Ming Shuang snapped back to himself, finally rediscovering his breath and heartbeat.

He felt a little lost and tense all at once, so he simply buried his face in Xuzhi’s chest.

Xuzhi calmly used light magic to soothe his emotions while asking, “Do you hate being kissed like this?”

A long moment passed before Ming Shuang mumbled from his chest, “No…”

He furtively licked his lips, savoring the sensation in innocent confusion. Suddenly, he noticed that Xuzhi’s heartbeat was racing too.

Ming Shuang couldn’t quite put words to what he had felt. It was nothing like their usual cheek kisses. He hadn’t been prepared for it at all, but he didn’t dislike it.

He had even nearly shifted back to his juvenile form at the last second, barely holding himself back.

So this was part of being partners too, bringing feelings like these.

In comparison, Xuzhi seemed utterly calm aside from his quickened pulse—like nothing had changed at all.

Ming Shuang looked up at him, wondering if it was because he hadn’t been the one to initiate.

Xuzhi gazed down at him patiently, waiting for him to recover. “Will you sit with me and read for a bit?”

Ming Shuang gave a soft “mm,” his ear tips still faintly flushed, though he was oblivious to it.

~~~

After leaving the courtyard, Xiang Lun went to Herl’s place to rest and inquire about the situation in Beast-Taming Forest.

“The Miasma-Clearing Team is still there,” Herl said. “No matter what I say, they refuse to leave.”

He had told them the miasma fog’s appearance and disappearance was a false alarm, and the barrier beast was doing just fine now. But they wouldn’t believe him.

Lobe Academy was such an important place that it had detection instruments everywhere. The Miasma-Clearing Team was convinced it hadn’t been a false positive, even though the fog had truly vanished.

“Let them keep guessing then,” Xiang Lun snorted lightly. “If they figure it out, that’ll be quite the feat.”

Ming Shuang’s abilities were far too unique. Once exposed, he would surely draw covetous eyes. But with Yan Si and the other two dragons around, Xiang Lun felt somewhat reassured.

He hadn’t expected the Dragon Clan to be so accommodating. And now, with Ming Shuang and Xuzhi…

Remembering how Ming Shuang had clung protectively to Xuzhi, insisting that he wanted his big brother as a partner—Xiang Lun’s mood soured terribly.

He knew Ming Shuang was grown now and entitled to his own choices, but this… Sigh!

Xiang Lun had only one son, Xiang Yuan. He had never opposed Xiang Yuan being with Ming Xue. But now, with Ming Shuang… it felt like his own fine cabbage was being devoured by a wild pig.

He took a deep breath, talking himself down.

Compared to the relationship between Ming Shuang and Xuzhi, Xuzhi’s identity was the real cause for concern.

He was most likely the last surviving member of the God Clan. If that came out, it would spell even bigger trouble.

Even if Xuzhi’s condition was stable for now, his God Clan bloodline was seen by many as a walking heavenly disaster waiting to erupt.

Seeing Xiang Lun’s furrowed brow, Herl offered some words of comfort. “Give it a few more days. They’ll leave eventually.”

Xiang Lun sighed. “One can only hope.”

Meanwhile, in the academy’s Beast-Taming Forest.

Several tents had been pitched around the outer edge of the central lake, and a team of beast tamers patrolled on a fixed schedule, covering the entire academy grounds.

The captain at their head looked to be in his thirties. He wore the long robe of a beast tamer, with an azure snake coiled around his shoulder. His sharp, piercing eyes stared at the lake surface, lost in thought for a brief moment.

When the Miasma-Clearing Team had arrived at Beast-Taming Forest, there had been nothing here—no trace of magic at all. It had clearly been cleaned up.

He could tell the academy was hiding something, but he had no proof.

As for those two deans, he couldn’t afford to cross either of them.

Just then, one of his team members hurried up. “Captain, we’ve found some clues.”

The captain turned sharply. “What kind?”

“A while back, there was an incident at Netherworld Mountain near White Cloud City,” the team member said. “A group of beast tamers went up the peak searching for treasure and ended up disturbing the Element River at the summit.”

The Element River had later been tainted by miasma fog, making it extremely dangerous. At the critical moment, Xiang Lun had happened to be there.

It was he who had stepped in to rescue everyone trapped inside.

Most importantly, when the local Miasma-Clearing Team had approached the Element River, they found the miasma fog had inexplicably vanished.

Once the team member finished, the captain pondered. “Dean Xiang again…”

The fog’s disappearance was good news, sparing them a lot of trouble and potential casualties.

But something was off about it. Confronting heavenly disasters was the Miasma-Clearing Team’s duty—he had to get to the bottom of this.

“I’ve gotten in touch with one of the beast tamers who was there at the time,” the team member asked. “Should we talk to him?”

~~~

The next day, classes at the academy resumed as normal.

The Miasma-Clearing Team was still holding position in Beast-Taming Forest, which had been temporarily sealed off. All the magical beasts were under strict supervision to prevent any accidents.

Some of the more timid students had requested leave to go home, wanting to put as much distance between themselves and the academy as possible.

The academy had also distributed miasma resistance potions to everyone. They boosted owned magical beasts’ resistance to miasma fog, making them far less susceptible than wild ones.

Herl had sent a full crate of the potions to the courtyard—for the fluffy plushies and the three magical beasts.

Ming Shuang uncorked a small vial and sniffed it. “I probably don’t need to drink any, right…?”

Strictly speaking, he counted as a magical beast too, as did the three dragons living in the courtyard.

Xiang Lun wasn’t around at the moment, and Xuzhi was off at class. Yan Si spoke up from nearby. “No need.”

Wu Shao was quicker on the draw. “You’ve got ice magic—the miasma fog would steer clear of you anyway. And the Dragon Clan isn’t afraid of miasma fog…”

The Dragon Clan couldn’t be corroded by miasma fog, though dragon eggs could be affected.

To avoid any contaminating aura that might hinder hatching, the Dragon Clan would still give it a wide berth when they encountered it.

But Ming Shuang froze. He remembered reading in a book that the Dragon Clan’s disappearance was due to the miasma fog.

If the Dragon Clan wasn’t afraid of it, then why had they left Cangyuan Continent?

The thought had only just surfaced when one of the fluffy plushies suddenly leaped into Ming Shuang’s arms, scattering his train of thought.

“Awoo awoo?” Thinking the vial in his hand was a treat, the fluffy plushie grabbed the bottle in its mouth and tilted its head back, downing the contents.

Another fluffy plushie quickly shoved its way forward, demanding some too.

Ming Shuang fumbled in a panic, uncorking a fresh vial. “Okay, okay! Everyone gets some! Don’t crowd!”

Once all twenty-odd fluffy plushies had lined up and drunk their fill, Tomato and the others crowded in.

Ming Shuang fed them one by one, then scooped up the blue sea lion riding on Coal Ball’s back.

“Taro Ball,” he said, pinching the blue sea lion’s stubby paw. “In a few days, won’t you have to head back to Beast-Taming Forest?”

It had been away for so long, and the lake’s barrier needed replenishing. Taro Ball would have to make at least one trip back.

Ming Shuang still wasn’t used to his card beasts suddenly having “jobs” outside.

Tomato had explained it was called working, unlike itself and Coal Ball, who had nothing to do all day and could keep Ming Shuang company.

Taro Ball let out a “mmph” and drank the potion from Ming Shuang’s hand.

Replenishing the magic was no big deal; it didn’t have to live in the lake full-time. It wanted to stay by Ming Shuang’s side too.

Taro Ball hugged Ming Shuang’s wrist tight, nuzzling it with squinted eyes.

“Then I’ll go with you when the time comes,” Ming Shuang decided. “Though Grandpa said there’s a team of unfamiliar beast tamers there, and no one knows when they’ll leave.”

At the same time, far outside the academy, an owl was using Thousand-Mile Vision to spy.

No barrier or space magic could block Thousand-Mile Vision. It had a clear view of everything in the courtyard.

The academy’s outer magic shield prevented it from entering easily, however.

Ming Shuang was right there in the yard, surrounded by people and three familiar magical beasts.

The owl struggled to observe calmly, but a hint of sour jealousy still crept into its gaze.

Just then, another figure entered its field of view.

Xuzhi had returned.

The owl’s gaze turned icy in an instant, fixed intently as he walked over to Ming Shuang’s side.

Just then, Thousand-Mile Vision reached its limit. The owl closed its eyes and slumped headfirst onto the branch, needing a moment to recover.

In the courtyard, Ming Shuang tugged at Xuzhi while they talked, asking about the progress of his morning classes.

Over the past few days, Ming Shuang had started to feel a bit like going to school himself, though mostly he just wanted to have some fun. It would be even better if Xuzhi came along with him, but he worried that it might hold Xuzhi back.

“It won’t,” Xuzhi said, sitting down beside Ming Shuang and feeding him a piece of cookie. “What class do you want to sign up for? I’ll go with you.”

Ming Shuang munched on the cookie. “Hmm… Alchemy?”

Yan Si jumped in right away. “In that case, I can apply to be the official instructor.”

Wu Shao had been staring at Xuzhi’s hand as it fed Ming Shuang the cookie. Refusing to back down, he declared, “Too many people know Alchemy—it’s no fun learning from a crowd. Why not have Uncle teach you Necromancy instead!”

“In that case, I…” Xing Huai arched a brow, but her words suddenly cut off.

Wu Shao noticed something was wrong and turned to her. “Hm? What’s up?”

Xing Huai clutched the Green-Shell Dragon Egg in her arms, snapping back to her senses. “Nothing.”

Just moments ago, she had felt it—the aura inside the dragon egg stirring.

It was a distinct spark of vitality, rolling and stretching languidly within the shell, as if it had finally woken from a long slumber.

But soon enough, the faint movement settled down.

…Had it been her imagination?

How many years had passed? The dragon egg had long been lifeless and still, never once showing any sign like this.

~~~