Chapter 53: Lending a Hand – Serving the Dragon Clan Like a Dog

The owl had taken to spying every day lately. It was no longer in a rush to find Ming Shuang. Instead, it just wanted to see what Xuzhi was really up to and when he would finally reveal his true intentions.

But during this time, it hadn’t noticed Xuzhi doing anything else unusual. After healing each magical beast, he simply left.

The previous time, the owl had intercepted one of those healed magical beasts but hadn’t gotten much out of it. It only learned that Xuzhi had used ice magic and light magic to purge the miasma fog from the creature’s body.

The owl knew the ice magic had to be the little dragon’s. This vile god clansman had ultimately laid his hands on the little dragon and formed a beast taming contract with him!

Yet when it used Thousand-Mile Vision to observe Ming Shuang and Xuzhi, their relationship still seemed intimate. The owl realized Ming Shuang had likely gone along with it willingly—he didn’t appear unhappy at all.

This left the owl with complicated feelings, especially upon seeing the other three magical beasts back by their side.

Hah, had they all forgotten? How Xuzhi had forcibly captured them back then, threatening death if they didn’t obey.

If he truly wanted to be their master, perhaps with some patience and proper training, they might have accepted him eventually.

But Xuzhi clearly wasn’t skilled at that—or perhaps he simply didn’t care. He seemed more like someone acting on a whim, picking them out just to give the little dragon some playmates.

As a result, the magical beasts all harbored some resentment toward Xuzhi to varying degrees. After all, they were beasts with beastly natures. Since Xuzhi had no intention of truly mastering them, let alone treating them as friends, they remained wary of him— even hostile.

The little dragon was different. He was of the dragon clan: cute, affectionate, kind… and once grown, he would possess a uniquely pure aura unlike those messy, corrupt races out there.

For Xuzhi to raise such a little dragon, he was truly fortunate. It was only because of the little dragon that the magical beasts had stopped constantly plotting to escape.

The owl began to reminisce about the old days, thinking back to when the little dragon was at his youngest, and all their usual playful antics with the other beasts.

Coal Ball was the most timid, Tomato exploded at the drop of a hat, Taro Ball was always so honest…

Actually… Xuzhi hadn’t treated them that badly. He never skimped on food or magic stones, and there was certainly no abuse—though the little dragon remained his favorite.

The owl mulled over these memories in silence for a good while. When it checked Xuzhi’s whereabouts with Thousand-Mile Vision again, it discovered he hadn’t returned to the academy. Instead, he had headed in another direction.

What was going on? Was there still more miasma fog to deal with?

Including the one just healed, Xuzhi had already cleared three patches of miasma fog on this outing.

The owl’s gaze grew solemn. It decided to keep tailing him and see what happened.

It sprang into action immediately, its form streaking away like a bolt of gray lightning, slicing through the wind.

Meanwhile, two beast tamers from the Miasma-Clearing Team were searching the area nearby.

They recognized Xuzhi because of that bizarre incident at the academy, and later investigations had linked him to Xiang Lun and Netherworld Mountain…

Xuzhi had quite a reputation at the academy. He had enrolled as an adult, yet his innate talent had already reached 7th Tier, and he aced every class.

He had probably met Xiang Lun at Netherworld Mountain during that time and been brought into the academy by him.

The Central City Miasma-Clearing Team was powerful and had no trouble digging up such details. They even knew Xuzhi had a younger brother also at Lobe Academy—likely brought in later by Xiang Lun.

That said, Ming Shuang’s public persona was that of a low-tier fire element beast tamer specializing in miasma resistance potions. In terms of strength, he barely registered.

The team had originally been investigating Xiang Lun to uncover the reason behind the vanishing miasma fog, only to stumble upon Xuzhi here by chance.

The healed magical beast had long since fled. The two searched the spot where Xuzhi had lingered and found only faint traces of fire magic—likely left deliberately to cover his tracks.

They reported every detail faithfully before departing.

At that moment, Xuzhi was en route to the fourth location.

He sat astride Tomato’s back, first sending Ming Shuang a message to say he was safe, then contacting Xiang Lun.

“Time’s short. I might run into the Miasma-Clearing Team.”

There were four sites in total, and he was tackling them one by one. The longer he delayed the later ones, the greater the risk of detection by the team.

Xiang Lun replied swiftly: “Handle what you can. If it’s risky, pull back immediately.”

The implication was clear: check it out first if possible.

Xuzhi sent back a simple “Got it” and stowed his communication device.

From Xiang Lun’s perspective, the less miasma fog, the better. Without it, there would be no casualties or dangers.

Back at Netherworld Mountain, he had risked his own life to rescue every trapped beast tamer. Naturally, he had no desire to see heavenly disasters ravage the land.

And Xuzhi, willingly wielding ice magic on these outings, was practically the perfect tool to end it all.

Xuzhi, for his part, didn’t mind at all. Clearing one more patch meant more magic power for him.

Tomato raced onward with all its might while Xuzhi closed his eyes.

Within his magic vein, more and more black mist was gathering, stored away unused for now.

The voice emanating from the black mist grew ever clearer, mocking him once again. It claimed he wasn’t fit to be a god clansman.

“You’re busting your ass like this for nothing, slaving away like a dog. Do you think the human race will even appreciate it?”

The shrill, biting tone shifted suddenly, as if a new speaker had taken over. “The human race? He’s clearly slaving away like a dog for the dragon clan. He doesn’t outright kill that ice magic dragon—instead, he even keeps the magic power preserved around his neck…”

Xuzhi showed no anger. Instead, he chuckled softly.

Tomato sensed something amiss and twisted its head, eyeing him quizzically.

Xuzhi composed himself. “It’s nothing. Just wondering if you’re hungry.”

As he spoke, he pulled some jerky snacks from his storage ring. “Shuang Shuang was worried you’d tire yourself out on the road and said to check on you.”

Tomato’s eyes lit up at once. It opened its mouth wide, signaling him to toss them in.

Back in the courtyard, Ming Shuang clutched his communication device, still with the three dragons.

They were debating who should return to the dragon clan to report.

Xing Huai pressed close to Ming Shuang. “I need to watch over the dragon egg. It has to stay near Little Shuang…”

Yan Si declared righteously, “If I leave, and something happens to Xuzhi, the alchemy array on him might fail.”

Wu Shao looked glum. “So that leaves me? Fine, I’ll be the one to make the trip.”

But this time was different from before. Last time, they had found Ming Shuang, but Xiang Lun’s presence had prevented them from taking him straight back. There had been no urgent need to return to the dragon clan then.

Now, things had changed. The dragon egg had been revived by Ming Shuang’s ice magic… The thought of saving the thirty-odd eggs back home made Wu Shao’s breath quiver with excitement.

The best solution would still be to bring Ming Shuang home, but the current situation was delicate.

After some thought, perhaps it really was time for the dragon clan to return to Cangyuan Continent.

Wu Shao mused to himself that once that happened, he wouldn’t have to maintain his human form all day or live in this crappy courtyard with its uncomfortable beds. Caves were far cozier.

He said gravely, “All right, leave it to me. I’ll notify the others and bring every dragon egg back safely.”

“Uncle Wu,” Ming Shuang said earnestly, “be careful on the road.”

He paused, then pulled out a small magic stone.

It was a half-finished magic array Xuzhi had made earlier. Though it could no longer function normally, it still held pure ice magic within.

Wu Shao accepted the magic stone as proof, but felt it wasn’t quite enough.

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, then had Yan Si help craft an alchemy array. Using dark magic’s unique ability to capture memories, they created something to record an image.

For this, Ming Shuang shifted back to his juvenile form.

The Little Dragon hatchling stood before the alchemy array, striking a pose. His blue-gold heterochromia eyes sparkled as he threw his head back and bellowed, “Awoo—”

The alchemy array captured the moment perfectly, sealing it into a magic stone.

Wu Shao examined the stone with satisfaction. “Perfect.”

Once back with the clan, he’d play this for everyone. The dragons wouldn’t know what hit them when they saw the little dragon hatchling!

Ming Shuang obediently returned to his chair in his normal form. He sniffed at the dragon egg in Xing Huai’s hands, fiddled with his communication device, and opened it to check on Xuzhi.

Having just shapeshifted, he couldn’t do so again right away. Instead, he sent Xuzhi a real-time call request.

But the connection timed out without an answer.

Unease stirred in Ming Shuang’s heart, though he reassured himself that Xuzhi was probably just busy. He’d be back once it was done.

At the same time, in the outskirts of Central City.

Unlike other areas, this suburb was a barren, scorched-yellow plain with no trees. A 4th Tier earth rat, corrupted by miasma fog, was rampaging wildly against two Miasma-Clearing Team beast tamers.

On the other side, several more beast tamers blocked Xuzhi’s path.

The captain at their head barked sharply, “What are you doing here?”

They had tracked a miasma fog signal to this spot and run into Xuzhi, whose behavior seemed suspicious. Contacting another team confirmed he’d appeared at yet another site earlier.

“I told you, I’m just passing through,” Xuzhi replied coldly. “If you have questions, ask Dean Herl and Dean Xiang Lun. They’ll explain.”

He had no patience for more debate—especially since these people had caused him to miss Ming Shuang’s call. His tolerance was wearing thin.

The captain ignored him, assuming it was all a ploy to slip away.

“Miasma fog has spawned here. For safety’s sake, you’re coming with us,” the captain said, raising his longsword brimming with magic power. “I suggest you don’t resist.”

No sooner had he spoken than an earth array materialized beneath his feet.

His expression shifted. He shattered it with his sword while ordering the others, “Grab him!”

Tomato was about to carry Xuzhi away when a dazzling golden barrier appeared in midair, followed by a barrage of attack spells hurtling toward them.

Impatience darkened Xuzhi’s eyes, a flicker of killing intent rising within.

A voice echoed in his ears from within the black mist, urging him on. “These ants—hurry up and kill them.”

Far off, the owl hid in the bushes, peering out anxiously.

It watched as Xuzhi was surrounded. After a moment of schadenfreude, it grew uneasy.

Why wasn’t this guy fighting back? He was just dodging around. Did that mean he couldn’t beat them? No way!

What if he actually got captured? Little Dragon would be devastated…

After wrestling with the thought, the owl finally charged out.

At that very moment, a purple glow lit up in Xuzhi’s palm.

These beast tamers were no pushovers. The earth magic alone was no longer enough to break him free.

If he revealed his innate talent, then killing them all would be the only safe option.

But how would he explain that to Ming Shuang?

The thought of Ming Shuang made Xuzhi hesitate for just a moment. Then, a whistling wind howled in from the distance, growing louder by the second.

The beast tamer at the rear sensed it first. The instant he whipped his head around, a gray shadow shot toward him.

He didn’t even catch a glimpse of what it was before three deep gashes appeared across his forehead. He cried out in pain.

The gray shadow darted through the beast tamers like a bolt of gray lightning.

Xuzhi frowned slightly at the sight.

Tomato, meanwhile, chirped excitedly. “Cheep!”

Only when the gray shadow landed in the nearby bushes did Xuzhi realize it was the owl.

The owl shot him a fierce glare before flapping its wings and unleashing wind blades that shattered the metal formation.

~~~