Chapter Sixty-Nine: Teacher or Student? (Unlocked)

The engagement ceremony had ended, and after leaving Selena alone in the palace, dazed and lost in thought, Chu Tian returned to his estate, solitary and silent, under the protection of Paige and a few other guards. Strictly speaking, Chu Tian could not be called a good man; he was, in fact, somewhat base and shameless. Otherwise, he would never have so readily accepted this political marriage, even after learning that Selena was only engaged to him on imperial orders. Yet despite this, Chu Tian found it hard to accept a woman who did not belong to him fully—even if that woman was the princess of the empire, the most beautiful woman in the imperial capital.

Though it was already deep into the night, and though he had been exhausted by days of continuous strain, Chu Tian still walked home with energy undimmed. His unusual stamina was in no small part thanks to the Dragon Emperor’s blood. Ever since the essence of the Dragon Emperor had mingled with his own, Chu Tian had never again known fatigue—a fact with which the Grand Duke was immensely satisfied. He had also made another astonishing discovery: while his skin retained its elasticity, its toughness had increased greatly; even ordinary blades could barely scratch his hide.

He had once tested this by using Dracula’s Fury. The flames along the blade had no effect on him, naturally, but what was truly alarming was this: the favorite sword of the tenth-tier magical beast, the vampire bat Dracula, could at most draw a few streaks of golden blood from him.

Yes, golden blood! The very same as that of the Dragon Emperor Aristolde! Though the hue was paler, it was no longer the normal crimson of human blood. At first, this discovery terrified Chu Tian, but soon he was beside himself with delight. Did this mean he now possessed the body of a dragon? Thrilled, he tried countless experiments, but alas, after shattering dozens of magic crystals, he was forced to admit: though his body now contained immense magical energy, he was still unable to cast even a single spell.

The crimson moon hung in the sky, casting its eerie glow. Beneath that blood-red light, Chu Tian saw the gates of his estate ahead—and at the same moment, heard a shrill cry for help: “Help!” A thin, frail figure, pursued by dozens of wild wolves, was fleeing toward him in utter panic.

“My lord, be careful!” Paige, seeing the figure rush toward Chu Tian, quickly drew his sword and leaped in front of the Duke, shouting, “Halt!”

“Teacher, it’s me! Help!” The newcomer, seeing Paige’s determined stance, dared not throw himself at Chu Tian, but instead circled them anxiously while shouting, “It’s me, Dio! Teacher, save me!”

“Praise be to the Goddess of Life! What happened to you…” Chu Tian stared in astonishment at his student. Dio’s face was contorted with terror, his tattered mage’s robe shredded and stained with blood, and the frenzied pack of wolves behind him made the cause all too clear.

“Hummer! Call your little friends off!” Chu Tian shouted toward his estate. Though these wild wolves were nominally his pets, they tended to obey Hummer’s commands more—a fact that irritated Chu Tian no end.

Thump, thump, thump—a thunderous rumbling drew closer, and soon Hummer’s mountainous form appeared. “Alright, little ones, back inside!” He swung his long trunk, shooing the wolves away.

“Thank you, Teacher!” Dio, still trembling, patted his chest in relief. “Your magical pets are too formidable—if I hadn’t run so fast…”

After the engagement ceremony, Dio’s mind had been consumed by the thought of learning the ancient arts of sacrificial healing. He had thrown all considerations of time and place to the wind. In his haste, he’d packed his bags and left the academy, only to realize—once standing in the middle of the street—that he didn’t even know his teacher’s address.

Fortunately, the Duke of Vladino’s mansion was a well-known landmark in the capital, so Dio managed, with some difficulty, to inquire his way there. By the end, though, he was too exhausted to speak. Thus, in the dead of night, with the crimson moon high above and the butler and servants of Chu Tian’s household sound asleep, the higher magical pets off about their business, only Hummer and his surplus of energy remained, watching over the estate with his pack of wolves.

At that moment, a small, ragged figure, panting and laden with bags that looked suspiciously like a thief’s kit, appeared at the gate and slipped silently inside. To Hummer—three years old and overflowing with energy—Dio was the very image of the shameless thief Auntie AK so often described. With a swing of his trunk, he set the pack of wolves upon poor Dio…

After Dio finished recounting his ordeal, Chu Tian led him inside, fished out a ceremonial robe, and handed it to him. “Go change your clothes—throw that old robe away.”

“No, Teacher!” Dio’s response caught Chu Tian off guard; for the first time, he refused his teacher’s request, clutching his robe tightly. Realizing his own rudeness, he lowered his head in embarrassment and murmured, “I’m sorry, Teacher. My mother made this robe for me…”

“Praise be to the Goddess of Life! Well done.” Chu Tian nodded. A good child—one who honors his parents will surely honor his teacher as well. “Go pick any bedroom you like. Rest well tonight. Tomorrow, I’ll teach you the ancient art of sacrificial healing.”

“Teacher, I don’t want to sleep!” Dio looked up at Chu Tian, his eyes filled with longing. “Do you have any notes? I’d like to read them tonight…”

Notes? Chu Tian mused. Would I need notes to train a veterinarian? He did not think this arrogant—though he had no idea what ancient sacrificial healing truly was, his confidence in veterinary medicine was unshakable.

“I don’t have any notes, but since you’re not tired, I’ll teach you now.” Chu Tian spoke with the air of a noble pedagogue, as if gratified by his student’s diligence. The Dragon Emperor’s blood had brought him many advantages, but also some troubles—insomnia from his inexhaustible vigor was one of them.

“Thank you, Teacher!” Dio’s excitement matched that of Chu Tian when he’d first won Princess Selena’s hand.

And so, in the highest tower of the Duke of Vladino’s mansion, a lesson began—one that future generations would call the “Divine Inheritance.”

“Ahem.” Chu Tian cleared his throat and, from within his ring, produced a set of veterinary tools—forged with the combined efforts of every high-ranking mage in the nation. Laying them out on the table, he began, “The greatest difference between ancient sacrificial healing and ordinary sacrificial arts is this: the former requires no magic, only tools.”

“Tools? I see…” Dio’s eyes shone as he gazed at the powerful instruments, scratching his head. “Ordinary sacrificial arts heal by stimulating the body’s life force, but if ancient sacrificial healing uses tools, does that mean it can heal without activating life force at all?”

“Exactly!” Chu Tian smiled. It was a joy to have such a clever student. “Ancient sacrificial healing relies on knowledge of magical beasts’ bodies to treat their injuries according to their physical structures. For example, when I replaced Apache’s bones, from start to finish—except when I stimulated his life force after the operation to speed healing—I never once activated his life force otherwise…” Chu Tian carefully translated his veterinary knowledge into the language and concepts of ritual healing on the Fantastical Beast Continent, though he still worried Dio might not fully grasp it. “Do you understand what I’m saying?”

“I do! Ancient sacrificial healing is amazing!” Dio exclaimed, clenching his fists. He continued, “Ordinary sacrificial healing only works after stimulating life force. You said your magical pet, Mr. Apache, was wounded by a ninth-tier dragon, so the dragon’s ninth-tier magical imprint was left on him. It’s these imprints that suppress his life force. To activate life force under their suppression, you’d need power at least equal to a ninth-tier expert!”

Dio’s excitement grew; he clapped his hands and concluded, “So: the higher the level of the one who inflicted the wound, the stronger the sacrificial healer required! But your ancient sacrificial healing doesn’t need to activate life force, so it ignores professional ranks!”

Praise be to the Goddess of Life! Chu Tian was dumbstruck. Veterinary medicine had such uses?

“Yes… Very good! Dio, you’re absolutely right. That is the true greatness of ancient sacrificial healing!” It seemed the future of veterinary medicine was bright indeed.

“Yes, it’s truly great…” Dio nodded in admiration, but soon drifted into deep thought. “No, it’s not just that simple!”

Chu Tian was startled. Could the future of veterinary medicine be even brighter?

A moment later, Dio’s eyes lit up. “I see! Mr. Apache’s bones—some were gone entirely, yet you created new ones for him!” His voice rose with mounting excitement. “Ordinary sacrificial healing could never achieve that! So ancient sacrificial healing can create body structures—something only gods can do!”

“And that’s not all!” Dio pressed on. “The warhorses you healed—none of the nation’s sacrificial healers could cure them, but their conditions weren’t even that serious! Their life force simply couldn’t be activated. Yet your ancient sacrificial healing accomplished what ordinary arts could not!”

Chu Tian was speechless; Dio’s imagination had soared far beyond his own.

“And finally, Teacher, you even raised Mr. Apache’s rank—could it be…” Dio’s eyes were ablaze with worship as he looked at Chu Tian, his voice trembling, “Could the ancient sacrificial healing you’re teaching me be… be a divine skill, like the domains of tenth-tier magical beasts?”

Praise be to the Goddess of Life! Divine skill!? Chu Tian smiled with narrowed eyes. Dearest goddess, who would have thought—veterinary medicine was this formidable!

All his life, Chu Tian had racked his brains to hide his inability with magic, using veterinary skills as a mere smokescreen. He’d never imagined that this ordinary profession from Earth could, on the Fantastical Beast Continent, possess powers on par with the divine!

If veterinary medicine could have the power of a divine skill, then what about himself? Chu Tian closed his eyes, pondering its value. And in his heart, he mused: Dio, you rascal, you’re the real teacher here…

As Chu Tian weighed the benefits veterinary medicine might bring him, Dio was utterly lost in adoration for his mentor. Little did Dio know that it was his own insight that would set Chu Tian on the path to ushering in the age of veterinary medicine on the Fantastical Beast Continent!