The dream lingered on for quite some time, leaving Ming Shuang feeling a bit groggy, though his sensations remained perfectly clear.
He stared blankly for a moment, gazing at Xuzhi. “Then why… aren’t you embarrassed?”
As he spoke those words, a faint blush still colored Ming Shuang’s cheeks, and his eyes held a serious, inquisitive gleam, like a student eager for knowledge during class.
Xuzhi replied, “I do get embarrassed.”
Ming Shuang kept staring at him and muttered softly, “You clearly don’t…”
Xuzhi was about to say something more when Ming Shuang suddenly nipped at him again.
It was meant to be a kiss, delivered casually without much force, leaving only a faint mark on his lip that would fade soon enough.
Ming Shuang gazed at the shallow tooth mark, then innocently leaned in to lick it.
Just like when he shifted back into his little dragon hatchling form, Ming Shuang always liked to lick Xuzhi’s chin, cheeks, or fingers in moments of closeness.
His movements were slow and deliberate, licking with utmost seriousness.
The two of them were very close, and Ming Shuang vaguely noticed Xuzhi’s breathing grow erratic.
Just as Ming Shuang was about to investigate further, strong arms wrapped tightly around his lower back.
Neither of them was very practiced yet, so their brief kiss was a bit clumsy and stumbling, but far more complete than Ming Shuang’s earlier impulsive nip.
When they parted, Ming Shuang still looked dazed, his cheeks flushed, as he sniffed the scent of himself on Xuzhi’s body.
He noticed that Xuzhi finally showed some reaction—his breathing unsteady, his heartbeat quicker than before.
Ming Shuang pondered thoughtfully, feeling as if he’d learned something new, his eyes lighting up faintly.
Unaware of what was going through Ming Shuang’s mind, Xuzhi touched his cheek. “Not sleepy yet?”
Ming Shuang shook his head, only to let out a yawn right after. He nestled into Xuzhi’s arms of his own accord.
Just before drifting off in a haze, Ming Shuang murmured with his eyes closed, “I’m really happy that Brother’s memories are coming back…”
Xuzhi could finally recall those past events, the memories that belonged solely to the two of them.
In the future, he could confidently tell his grandfather and clanmates that he’d raised Ming Shuang himself.
Ming Shuang rarely brought up such things unprompted, knowing Xuzhi’s position was sometimes awkward. He always made a point to protect him.
Yesterday, Tomato had quietly told Ming Shuang that Xuzhi’s strength had surged recently—it and Coal Ball and Taro Ball together couldn’t beat him anymore.
But Ming Shuang thought that was a good thing. The old Xuzhi had been very powerful; even all four card beasts combined couldn’t defeat him.
Now, with Xuzhi’s strength and memories recovering, he would return to his former self.
Though Ming Shuang didn’t know the reason for Xuzhi’s amnesia and weakened state, it always tugged at his heart to see him so busy.
First, he’d been scrambling to make money, and now at the Academy, he was constantly cultivating…
Ming Shuang had suggested several times that he had more than enough money to spend and wanted to go out and play with Xuzhi. Xuzhi would agree, but even outside, he remained restrained and never touched Ming Shuang’s funds.
Ming Shuang could vaguely understand such behavior, yet not fully grasp it.
So, it would be best if Xuzhi fully returned to his original self… back to the Xuzhi who had raised him.
Shifting from “master” to partner hadn’t been too hard for Ming Shuang to adjust to—after all, they were the closest of companions either way.
Xuzhi heard his words and responded with a soft hum.
He stroked Ming Shuang’s silver hair, feeling the contract within the dream gradually settle into calm.
Once Ming Shuang fell into deep sleep, the dream would end on its own.
Xuzhi lowered his gaze, examining his own magic vein.
Within it lingered a cluster of black miasma that had yet to be absorbed.
His recent surge in strength had been too rapid; he couldn’t hide it from Xiang Lun and the three dragons in the Courtyard, and that was even with him deliberately holding back.
At first, Xuzhi had absorbed the black miasma slowly to prevent any side effects from it lingering too long.
But during the last treatment of a magical beast, the concentration of black miasma had exceeded his expectations.
This remaining portion had already persisted in his magic vein for over three days.
And as for side effects… there were indeed some.
Whenever his mind wandered or he let his guard down, he would faintly hear overlapping voices in various tones whispering in his ear, telling him he wasn’t strong enough yet and needed to absorb more of their kind.
At other times, the voices grew furious, berating him as a noble-born member of the God Clan for mingling with magical beasts all day. Magical beasts were meant to be tamed and commanded—dragons included.
Xuzhi remained unmoved, as if he heard nothing at all.
Holding the sleeping Ming Shuang, he leaned down to kiss his forehead, then closed his eyes, waiting for the dream to end.
~~~
Two days later, while Ming Shuang was in class, he secretly checked his communication device and learned of a new outbreak of miasma fog.
The location was again in the outskirts of Central City, though a bit farther this time.
The message came from Xuzhi himself—he never hid these things from Ming Shuang.
Distracted after reading it, Ming Shuang lost patience with tending the furnace flame. Seizing a moment when no one was watching, he quietly finished the potion with ice magic.
Coal Ball hovered nearby, inhaling deeply to swallow up every trace of the lingering ice magic.
Afterward, Ming Shuang submitted his potion results and hurried back to the Courtyard.
But he was one step too late—Xuzhi had already set out with Tomato.
“Little Shuang,” Xiang Lun said upon seeing him, his expression softening. “Class ended so soon?”
Herl was there too. Ming Shuang greeted him politely as “Dean” and asked worriedly, “Has Brother already left?”
“Yes,” Xiang Lun reassured him. “Don’t worry. He has enough ice magic on him.”
Ming Shuang pressed his lips together and murmured a soft “Mm.”
He knew the frequency of these miasma fog outbreaks was unusual, but aside from sending Xuzhi to handle them, there didn’t seem to be a better option.
If left alone, it could lead to far graver consequences.
Herl sighed. “But this isn’t a sustainable solution. I’ve consulted Mu Qing—we should try the standard method soon and seal off the area.”
Mu Qing was an elder in Central City’s Miasma-Clearing Team and an old friend of Herl’s.
Lately, miasma fog outbreaks had spiked everywhere, though the Purification Squad could still manage to keep them in check.
Central City had the most anomalies. It was unclear if this was inherent or if Xuzhi’s interventions were somehow making the fog appear more frequently.
After much thought, Herl believed they couldn’t keep relying on Xuzhi forever. Using conventional methods to clear and seal the areas might calm things down for a while.
Truth be told, their understanding of the miasma fog was still too limited. Maintaining stability for so many years had already been no small feat. If the Heavenly Disaster truly spiraled out of control and shattered the current balance… the consequences didn’t bear imagining.
Xiang Lun deliberately avoided mentioning such matters in front of Ming Shuang, but the recent changes had still made him sense the underlying unease.
After a brief moment of distraction, Ming Shuang slipped out of the front hall and pulled out his communication device. He messaged Xuzhi, telling him he was back at the Courtyard and waiting.
Xuzhi replied almost immediately: “Okay.”
Then came another message: “Shuang Shuang, don’t worry.”
Ming Shuang relaxed a little upon reading it.
He stared at the “Shuang Shuang” in the device, imagining the tone Xuzhi would use when calling him that.
The Xuzhi from before, the amnesiac Xuzhi, and the one recovering his memories now…
Hmm… they didn’t feel all that different.
Ming Shuang thought about it quietly for a moment before replying: “Okay, Brother (hug).”
Just as he sent it, someone knocked on his room’s window.
Xing Huai called out, “Little Shuang?”
Ming Shuang opened the door. “Auntie, I’m here.”
Xing Huai grinned and walked over, placing the green-shell dragon egg in his arms. “I’m heading into the city for a stroll. Watch this for me, will you?”
She often did this lately, handing the dragon egg to Ming Shuang under the pretense of “watching it,” though it was really just letting him hold it for a bit.
Ming Shuang cradled the egg carefully. “Okay…”
He didn’t think much of it, assuming it was some Dragon Clan custom. And he was happy to “look after” the dragon egg.
After seeing Xing Huai off, Ming Shuang sat in a corner of the sofa, holding the egg and reading a book while waiting for Xuzhi to return.
Meanwhile, Xuzhi pocketed his communication device and turned toward the magical beast before him.
He had come alone this time, a sign that Xiang Lun and Herl had come to largely trust him.
Tomato waited a short distance away. The miasma-possessed magical beast was a four-winged wind bird, wreathed in black miasma. It staggered about unsteadily and flew at Xuzhi in attack the moment it spotted him.
Xuzhi blocked it effortlessly, observing the wind bird calmly without immediately deploying ice magic.
Would the black miasma yield more if the possession lasted longer?
But the thought didn’t linger.
This four-winged wind bird reminded Xuzhi of the gale wind bird from before, and in turn, of Ming Shuang dispelling the miasma from that one.
If Ming Shuang were here, he certainly wouldn’t want to see the magical beast suffer for too long.
Besides, Ming Shuang was back at the Courtyard, waiting for him.
Xuzhi lowered his eyes, losing interest in further observation or testing. He crushed the magic stone in his hand.
Pure ice magic surged forth at once, forming a magic array beneath the wind bird’s feet.
The wind bird let out a cry and collapsed, powerless.
Standing close, Xuzhi felt the chilling aura of the array as well.
Manipulated solely through the magic stone, the frost assailed indiscriminately, whipping at the skin like a gale, yet it sharpened the mind to clarity.
Soon, the black miasma vanished from the wind bird’s body. Xuzhi followed up with light magic to heal it, successfully extracting the black miasma.
With that done, he returned to Tomato’s side. “Let’s go.”
Tomato shook out its fur and lowered its back.
The area was remote, and the path back was empty, with scarcely anyone visible below.
Xuzhi opened his communication device and told Ming Shuang he was on his way back.
After sending the message, a faint sense of being watched made him glance sideways.
Oblivious, Tomato focused only on getting back for a meal and flew with vigor.
In the distance, the owl hastily withdrew its Thousand-Mile Vision.
Damn it… I thought Xuzhi had weakened a lot, but he was still so perceptive.
The trap it had set midway went unused. Tomato had flown a closer route, deviating just a little.
Damn it! The owl kicked a branch hard.
Lately, it had been secretly observing and discovered that Xuzhi had ventured out several times to dispel miasma fog from magical beasts and treat them.
Would Xuzhi be so kind-hearted? He must have some ulterior motive!
He was a cold-blooded God Clan member. Little Dragon probably had no idea.
With the miasma fog aura so dense in the outskirts lately, the owl didn’t dare linger in place too long. It quietly followed Tomato’s silhouette.
An hour later, Xuzhi returned to the Courtyard.
Ming Shuang was the first to greet him, but Tomato hugged him first with its wings.
He petted Tomato and fed it a snack. “You’ve worked hard!”
“Cheep!” Tomato ate the snack and released its wings, finally giving Ming Shuang a chance to speak with Xuzhi.
He nervously pulled Xuzhi close and scrutinized him carefully. “Brother, everything’s okay this time too, right?”
“No problem,” Xuzhi said, glancing at Xiang Lun and Herl approaching from behind. “It went smoothly.”
Herl relaxed a little. Xiang Lun spoke up. “We’ve noted your assistance these past few times. In the future, we’ll calculate rewards according to the Miasma-Clearing Team’s rates.”
Xuzhi wasn’t yet in a position to reveal his identity, so no one knew about his successive efforts to clear the miasma fog.
Rewards?
Xuzhi wasn’t particularly interested, but he agreed anyway.
Herl continued right away. “Next time miasma fog appears, I’ll contact the Miasma-Clearing Team to handle it the usual way. But it’ll depend on whether the timing works.”
If things were too rushed, they might not be able to arrange it properly, so they’d have to postpone.
Handling it the usual way… Xuzhi betrayed no reaction on his face. He nodded obediently and let Ming Shuang pull him back to their room.
Xing Huai still hadn’t returned. Ming Shuang cradled the Dragon Egg as he listened to Xuzhi describe this time’s Four-Winged Wind Bird.
“It must be so grateful that Brother helped it,” Ming Shuang said, nuzzling into Xuzhi’s embrace. “I have no classes this afternoon. I want to stay with you.”
He had always been so clingy. Xuzhi couldn’t help lowering his head to kiss him. “Then come to class with me?”
Ming Shuang nodded. “Mm.”
A short while later, Xing Huai returned from her shopping trip and finally took the Dragon Egg from Ming Shuang.
~~~
Two days later, in the afternoon.
Xuzhi came to accompany Ming Shuang to his Miasma Resistance Potion class. He quietly used his newly advanced 4th Tier Fire Magic to help Ming Shuang with the classroom task.
Ming Shuang was terribly nervous, terrified that someone might notice. He kept glancing around furtively.
The furnace fire burned slowly. Xuzhi controlled it with great care, and success seemed just moments away.
Suddenly, he frowned faintly. The flame flickered, and with a crack, the potion bottle atop the furnace split open.
Ming Shuang froze, then reflexively made excuses for Xuzhi. “It was Brother’s first time—he was already amazing…”
Xuzhi murmured in response and soothingly took Ming Shuang’s hand while pulling out his Communication Device.
Seeing the gesture, Ming Shuang quickly realized that more miasma fog must have appeared, sensed by Xuzhi.
He leaned in and whispered, “Is it far?”
But Xuzhi fell silent for a moment, offering no answer.
Could it really be because of him?
The recent outbreaks of miasma fog had been frequent, almost as if anticipating Herl’s intentions—knowing they planned to handle it conventionally.
But this time, the locations he sensed weren’t just one spot. There were five.
Meanwhile, back in the Courtyard.
Xing Huai had shut herself in her room. A pale green light array glowed in her palm.
The Dragon Egg hovered in midair, slowly floating before her.
Under the array’s effect, the eggshell turned faintly transparent, revealing the conditions within.
Xing Huai could see it crystal clear: a small clump of shadow inside the Dragon Egg rose and fell like a breath, a sign that the egg was gestating normally.
Her expression dazed, she stared at it for a long time before confirming it wasn’t some hallucination of hers.
~~~
