The morning sun blazed brightly, yet the gray fog in the Mining District grew thicker, like a illusory barrier isolating it from the world.
The Giant Scorpion hadn’t died. It still clung to a single breath, its body hollowed out.
Remnants of ice magic lingered in the air around it, and miasma fog seeped from its nostrils. When the fog touched the scattered flecks of frost, it scattered in panicked retreat.
Xuzhi missed this scene entirely. His attention was fixed on Ming Shuang.
His face was grim as he carefully examined the unconscious little dragon hatchling from head to toe, finding no wounds anywhere.
Then Xuzhi stripped off his work clothes and tore strips from them to bandage his arm simply. He wiped away the excess blood.
His toolbox lay discarded nearby. The crystal ore inside had shattered, and the blast had left the box a mangled wreck.
The surroundings were eerily quiet, but someone could arrive at any moment. Xuzhi pulled himself together, cradled the little dragon hatchling, and stood.
He yanked out the short knife embedded in the Giant Scorpion’s eye. Confirming that his movements wouldn’t leave bloodstains on the ground, he quickly departed the area.
About ten minutes later, a small, pitch-black shadow emerged from the fog.
The black-furred magical beast had followed the noise and scent, only to find a scene of devastation and the motionless Giant Scorpion sprawled on the ground.
Bloodstains on the earth, traces of lightning attacks, and lingering ice magic all attested to a fierce battle that had taken place here.
Catching the whiff of released dragon breath, the black-furred magical beast felt a mix of joy and anxiety. It started to pursue the trail but doubled back after just two steps.
It paused to think, then inhaled deeply, devouring all the remaining dragon breath and ice magic.
Next, its claws slashed through the air, and thick, inky-black flames erupted, swiftly engulfing the surroundings.
The flames consumed the Giant Scorpion and erased most of the evidence.
Only after finishing this did the black-furred magical beast dart away.
Another ten minutes passed before a Golden Crow descended steadily from the sky.
Three beast tamers dismounted from its back. One immediately unleashed water magic, extinguishing the growing fire around them.
Seeing the charred corpse of the Giant Scorpion on the ground, the leader in golden robes furrowed his brow. “There was another 3rd Tier Thunder Scorpion here. How did we miss it in our scans?”
They had approached from the side and already spotted several miners killed by the Giant Scorpion’s assault.
Perhaps there had been an error in their detection, leading to this incident.
The Miasma-Clearing Team had indeed been negligent. They had been focused on hunting that high-tier fire-element magical beast and overlooked other areas.
That beast was at least 6th Tier, with aggressive fire-element attacks. If the miasma fog corrupted it, things would only get worse.
Moreover, any unclaimed high-tier magical beast was a valuable resource. Capturing and taming it alive would be ideal.
One of his companions remarked, “Looks like it fled here and ran into the Thunder Scorpion?”
At first glance, the scene suggested the black-furred magical beast had clashed with the Thunder Scorpion.
The captain surveyed the area and shook his head. “No, if it wanted to kill the Thunder Scorpion, it could’ve done so easily without turning the place into this mess.”
Even though the flames had burned away most traces and devoured all residual magic elements, subtle anomalies remained.
There were blasted craters in the ground, snapped tree trunks, and even farther off, the Giant Scorpion’s crawl marks.
The captain stepped forward over the blackened, scorched earth and spotted another pile of unrecognizable ashes in the corner, surrounded by scattered crystal ore powder.
He crouched to inspect it, then called back to his subordinate. “Have them tally the miners. I want a list of everyone who entered the Mining District today.”
His companion acknowledged, “Got it. I’ll go right now.”
~~~
Xuzhi took a remote path out of the Mining District, encountering no obstacles along the way.
The miners were ordinary folk without magic innate talent. With the valley recently sealed off, the usual overseers and patrols hadn’t shown up.
After such a major incident, the miners had either fled on their own or were too far away to know yet.
At the exit, Xuzhi grabbed a spare set of clothes from a storage locker and threw them on to conceal the bloodstains covering him.
The Little Dragon hatchling remained unconscious. Xuzhi shielded him carefully in his arms and headed in a different direction, away from the camp.
The wounds on his arm and back were healing slowly, but the pain showed no sign of easing.
Xuzhi pressed on without pause, weaving through several side paths until he reached the town beside the camp.
At this hour, the town still bustled with people. He pulled up his hood, kept his head down, skirted the crowds, and arrived at the back courtyard of a medical clinic.
He knocked on the courtyard door. A physician’s assistant opened it and greeted him routinely. “You’re here. What herbs did you bring today?”
Xuzhi shook his head. “I have something urgent. I need to see the Pavilion Master.”
He had long been selling his gathered herbs to this town’s medical clinic and was acquainted with its Pavilion Master. Outside of Lante, this was the only person he somewhat trusted.
In his current state, he had nowhere else to turn.
The assistant noticed Xuzhi’s pallid face and the dried bloodstains peeking from his collar. He quickly ushered him inside.
Xuzhi was led to a partitioned room on the second floor of the medical clinic. He politely declined the assistant’s offer to check his wounds, insisting on speaking only to the Pavilion Master.
The assistant had no choice. He poured Xuzhi a cup of water and left.
Soon after, the door swung open again.
A short, elderly man strode in and eyed Xuzhi, who sat huddled in the corner.
His hair was streaked with white, his beard long, and his eyes a light brown—hallmarks of dwarf race heritage.
Tuji scowled, his eyes narrowing. “What happened to you? Take off your outer clothes so I can see.”
But Xuzhi said, “It’s not me. It’s…”
His expression was taut, laced with lingering wariness. In a low voice, he continued, “I have… a young magical beast cub here. It’s injured and unconscious. I need your help treating it.”
“A young magical beast cub?” Tuji was surprised. He stepped closer. “Yours?”
Xuzhi lowered his gaze. “A friend’s.”
Tuji didn’t pry. He dragged over a chair and sat. “Where is it?”
Xuzhi hesitated, then gently parted his outer coat.
The Little Dragon hatchling lay nestled against him, eyes shut tight, wrapped in torn strips of inner clothing that hid most of his features.
Tuji leaned in for a closer look but found no visible injuries. He instructed Xuzhi to expose the little dragon hatchling’s chest.
Then Tuji rolled up his sleeves, and a soft glow emanated from his wrist.
The light took on a tangible form, extending slowly forward until it touched the little dragon hatchling’s body.
Xuzhi held his breath, more tense and anxious than he’d ever been.
Tuji examined carefully. “Magic power depleted, body exhausted.”
Xuzhi finally relaxed a fraction. If it was just magic depletion, that meant Ming Shuang hadn’t been struck by the Giant Scorpion’s lightning.
Tuji’s beard twitched. He added, “Malnourished… and a bit backed up? What have you been feeding him?”
Xuzhi’s expression froze.
He hadn’t had Ming Shuang for long, and he certainly hadn’t given him anything fancy.
Just meatball porridge or smoked meat porridge.
Tuji withdrew the beam of light from his wrist with a sigh. Finally, he said, “Congenital deficiency, weak constitution.”
Xuzhi frowned at once. “What does that mean?”
“Born frail, prone to early death,” Tuji explained. “Beasts like this need meticulous care and conditioning to survive, or they won’t grow properly.”
Xuzhi fell silent.
Tuji’s words caught him off guard.
He had never imagined that this clever, obedient hatchling—who even had combat prowess—could be congenitally weak.
It made sense, then, that he’d encountered him in the Thorny Jungle. Some magical beasts had peculiar habits, abandoning the weakest of their young.
So the little dragon hatchling he’d picked up had been discarded?
Xuzhi’s eyes darkened, and he instinctively tightened his hold on Ming Shuang.
“Magic depletion is easy to fix,” Tuji said, stroking his beard. “But the congenital issue requires external aid—regular medicines or healing magic to nurture him gently. Daily diet and care need attention too, though it’ll be expensive. You, ahem, your friend…”
Xuzhi listened quietly, then asked, “What medicines does he need?”
Tuji turned to fetch paper and pen. “Hold on. I’ll write you a list.”
Some herbs and items weren’t in stock here, and buying from the clinic would cost a fortune. If Xuzhi needed them, he could gather them himself.
In addition to the medicine list, Tuji fetched a small medicine bottle from outside.
“Twice a day, two drops each time. He’ll wake by tomorrow at the latest, but needs seven days of rest after.”
Xuzhi took the bottle and pulled out his coin pouch. “This is all I have now. The rest…”
Tuji glanced at him and took only half the coins. “Owe me the rest for now.”
“Thank you,” Xuzhi said, head bowed. “I’ll pay you back soon.”
Tuji nodded. “Want some medicine for yourself too?”
Compared to the beast cub in his arms, Xuzhi’s injuries looked far graver.
He shook his head. “No need.”
Tuji didn’t push. He had the assistant escort Xuzhi downstairs.
Passing through the first-floor lobby, Xuzhi glanced at a signboard on the wall.
It listed high-price acquisitions: herbs, ores, magic beast cores, and more.
The higher the price, the harder to obtain—something only capable beast tamers could manage.
Xuzhi averted his eyes quickly and slipped out the back door.
Once Xuzhi was gone, Tuji tugged at his beard, pondering the beast he’d glimpsed.
Silvery-white scales all over, a pair of horns, maybe even wings…
Xuzhi had guarded him so protectively that Tuji hadn’t gotten a full view. His diagnostic light couldn’t detect magic elements either.
Tuji mulled it over for a while, struck by a nagging familiarity he couldn’t place.
Whatever…
He shook his head and walked off down the hall.
~~~
At noon, Xuzhi returned to the camp.
He did not enter through the main gate. Instead, he circled around to the rear and flipped over the wall while no one was watching.
Hearing the sound of the door opening, Lante straightened up in surprise and delight. “Xuzhi? Are you all right? I heard something happened in the mining district…”
Before he could finish speaking, he caught the faint scent of blood lingering in the air.
Xuzhi knew he could not hide it. “I’m fine,” he said. “I got a minor injury while escaping.”
Before coming back, he had discarded the bloodstained shirt beneath his jacket, so he looked much better now.
Lante let out a breath of relief. “That’s good, that’s good. What about your little magical beast…?”
“It was terrified,” Xuzhi said in a low voice. “It just fell asleep.”
Lante had the feeling that Xuzhi was not telling him everything, but he did not press the issue. Xuzhi’s tone sounded calm enough, so Lante nodded and lowered his own voice. “That’s good then…”
He rolled over and lay back down, listening as Xuzhi headed toward the back door.
The Little Dragon Hatchling remained unconscious, curled up into a small ball in Xuzhi’s arms.
Xuzhi fetched some water and wiped down the Little Dragon Hatchling. He had used up all the previous Flame Stones, so he warmed the towel using the heat from his palm.
Only after patiently wiping him down bit by bit did Xuzhi return the Little Dragon Hatchling to the bed. Then he went off alone to bathe.
The wounds on his arm and back had mostly healed. The cold rush of water gradually washed away every trace and scent.
Once he had changed into fresh clothes, Xuzhi stood in place, gazing down at his palm.
Suddenly, a faint spark of electricity flickered across his fingertip before vanishing in an instant.
It was the Giant Scorpion’s Thunder Magic element.
Recalling everything that had happened that morning, Xuzhi was certain that he had not formed a Beast Contract with the Giant Scorpion.
Yet when he had plunged the dagger into its left eye, something had changed within his own body.
That sensation… it was as if the magic elements inside the Giant Scorpion had been plundered and completely devoured by him.
A moment later, Xuzhi snapped back to awareness.
He returned to the room and opened the medicine bottle that Tuji had given him. He fed the liquid inside to Ming Shuang.
After taking the medicine, the Little Dragon Hatchling lay there quietly, showing no signs of waking.
Xuzhi put away the medicine bottle and gently stroked the Little Dragon Hatchling’s cheek with his hand.
No matter what… it seemed he now possessed the one thing he had once desired most.
—Innate Talent.
And with an innate talent, the most pressing matter was making money.
