Heilong-kou (Black Dragon-Mouth/Pass)
Heilong-cheng (Black Dragon-City)
Censorate (Supervisory Court)
Yuling City (Jade City)
Jingui Town (Golden Turtle Town)
Xuanwu City (Black tortoise City)
Qinglong (Azure Dragron)
…
Yin Jixue kicked Lou Zhao off the bed.
Of course, she wasn't actually that violent—nor did she have the strength. It was mostly Lou Zhao knowing he was in the wrong and obediently going to run the bath.
He soon returned. "The water's ready. I'll carry you to the hot spring."
Yin Jixue had only gotten half-dressed and gave up altogether.
"You do it, then."
The rice had already been steamed into a full pot—what was the point in pretending to be a demure little maiden now?
Lou Zhao cheerfully carried her into the hot spring, and the moment she slipped into the water, Yin Jixue felt alive again.
"Ah… Nothing beats a hot spring. Hot springs are my one true love."
Lou Zhao pouted. Why didn't she ever appreciate how attentive I was?
Not long after, Feng Xiu and Ruoshui returned—but their timing couldn't have been worse.
By then, Yin Jixue had already finished her bath and fallen asleep again, completely missing Bai Baobao's brief transformation into a baby.
Lou Zhao, on the other hand, had spent some time holding Bai Baobao by the legs, curiously inspecting him while the little guy drooled and smiled dumbly up at him.
"What an idiot… The dragon breath should've triggered an ancestral reversion in our Black Dragon Clan. Why did you turn into a baby?"
Lou Zhao couldn't figure it out. After playing with Bai Baobao for a while, he settled him on his lap.
Baobao was perfectly content to snuggle with Lou Zhao, lying on his legs and playing with his fingers. Soon enough, his drool was soaking through Lou Zhao's clothes.
With a disgusted frown, Lou Zhao lifted him and tossed him into the hot spring.
Baobao dog-paddled happily in the water. He's got White Tiger blood, and he likes swimming? Lou Zhao was thoroughly baffled.
Leaving the child behind, Lou Zhao's thoughts drifted back to his queen.
He didn't want to be this clingy, but the queen did smell too good.
After cuddling up under the blankets with her for a while, Yin Jixue finally woke up from hunger.
She sat up, bleary-eyed. "Is it dark out already?"
"You're hungry, right?" Lou Zhao asked. They hadn't gotten out of bed since noon—it was already the middle of the night.
Yin Jixue rubbed her now-flattened stomach. "Starving. Hurry and bring food!"
Earlier in the evening, a maid had come to ask if they wanted dinner, and Lou Zhao had ordered something light to be prepared in advance. Now, with the sound of movement from the bedroom, Feng Xiu and Ruoshui personally headed to the kitchens.
For the first time, they could look forward to the birth of a little prince.
Yin Jixue slowly came to her senses. Everything that had happened that afternoon… hadn't been a dream.
Her first time… and in broad daylight?!
And to think the entire Black Dragon Clan probably knew—it was mortifying.
Then again, she remembered how, in ancient times, there were official court historians whose job was to record every time the emperor visited a concubine. The emperor wasn't embarrassed, so why should she be?
If I'm not embarrassed, then it's everyone else who has to feel awkward.
The maids brought green porridge and small side dishes. Yin Jixue ate until she was half full, and Lou Zhao polished off the rest.
So this is what it's like dating a puppy-type boyfriend.
Aside from certain… less-than-stellar techniques, everything else—the face, the personality—was perfection.
Just looking at his face every day was enough to lift her mood.
"By the way, where's Baobao?"
They had left Bai Baobao behind. Surely he wasn't still out playing?
Lou Zhao suddenly remembered with a guilty jolt—he had left Baobao in the hot spring.
"I'll go check if he's back yet!"
He practically fled the room.
Yin Jixue turned to Ruoshui. "Did Baobao not come back this afternoon?"
Ruoshui was confused. "He did! We all returned together. His Highness even transformed into a baby. His Majesty took him into the study himself."
Yin Jixue could pretty much guess what Lou Zhao had done.
Fortunately, Bai Baobao had reverted to his original form. After hopping out of the hot spring, he had fallen asleep while drying off on the edge of the pool.
Normally, a maid would help dry him off after his bath, but since both the Demon King and Queen were in the bedroom, Feng Xiu and Ruoshui hadn't dared to go in.
Seeing the poor little guy curled up there, Lou Zhao felt even guiltier.
With a wave of his hand, he instantly dried Baobao's soaked fur.
Baobao blinked awake. "Awooo?"
Lou Zhao scooped him up.
"No telling Her Majesty. Or I'm never taking you out to play again."
Baobao let out a whimper—whether in agreement or protest was unclear.
Lou Zhao assumed it was a noncommittal answer.
Still feeling guilty, he brought Baobao back to Yin Jixue.
"I thought he turned into a baby?" she asked, frowning when she saw the little white tiger.
Lou Zhao rubbed his nose. "Maybe he ran out of energy?"
"You forgot him in the hot spring again, didn't you?"
Lou Zhao handed Baobao over. "I did. By accident. I promise this is the last time."
Yin Jixue hugged Baobao close, heart aching.
The little cub licked her hand with his soft pink tongue.
Lou Zhao pretended not to see it. He was in the wrong, after all.
And so, that night, a little tiger shared their bed. Lou Zhao lay on the far side, radiating silent resentment.
Yin Jixue still felt a little regret at missing Baobao's baby form. She lazily stroked his soft fur.
Then a serious thought popped into her head:
"Wait… when I have a baby, am I going to lay an egg?"
Dragons… were egg-laying, right?
They hadn't used any protection—what if she ended up with an egg?!
"Have you never read the Dragon Clan annals?" Lou Zhao asked.
She had intended to, maybe even read some general demon history too… but the books were so thick she gave up.
"Does it say in there?" she asked sheepishly.
Lou Zhao replied, "A demon child was born in the city today. After receiving my dragon breath, he awakened a dragon bloodline and became a white dragon."
Yin Jixue let out a breath of relief. So it was the baby that transformed, not… something else.
"But your physique is unique. If it's too strong, the child might be born as an egg—from birth, fully dragon."
"…How big is the egg?"
"About the size of a fist at birth. But it has to be nurtured for a while, then it'll grow."
Lou Zhao sighed.
"A long time ago, a newly laid dragon egg would be placed in a proper dragon nest. Dragons born from those were incredibly powerful."
Yin Jixue was fully reassured now. Honestly, laying an egg didn't sound so bad—especially if it was small. Way easier than childbirth.
Still, there was this weird feeling… like she was no longer human.
At this point, she felt more at home among demons than in the human world.
—
The next morning, Lou Zhao was jolted awake by a warm, wet sensation.
"Bai Baobao!"
He gritted his teeth and peeled the little guy off him.
Not only had Baobao peed on him—he'd also bitten him on the face.
And after falling asleep in the queen's arms, the little traitor had crawled over to him just to pee!
Yin Jixue slowly opened her eyes and was greeted by the sight of an adorable, naked baby boy.
"Is that… Baobao?"
She reached out from under the covers and scooped him into her arms, completely unaware of what had happened to Lou Zhao.
Until she spotted the bite mark on his face.
"Aww, what a cute little toothmark! Did Baobao do that?"
Lou Zhao's expression was cold. "He didn't just leave a tooth mark on me…"
Curious, Yin Jixue asked, "What else did he do?"
Lou Zhao glanced at her and suddenly got an evil idea.
"Move your hand a little lower, and you'll find out."
Yin Jixue's face turned red. "Hey! The baby's right here—what are you doing?!"
She tried to turn away with Baobao in her arms, only for her hand to land on something… cold and damp.
A moment later, the entire chamber echoed with her horrified yell:
"Why didn't you tell me Bai Baobao wet the bed?!"