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)
…
Yan Ye returned home with Lian Ze in tow. His house key had been delivered to the school by his father.
They say that the closer you are to home, the harder it is to go back. Yan Ye stood outside an identical-looking apartment block, frozen in place.
Lian Ze tugged on his hand, looking up curiously.
"Gege, why aren't we going in?"
How could Yan Ye admit that he'd forgotten which unit was his?
Luckily, he glanced at the key—the large numbers "1-6-1" were printed on it.
He guessed that meant Unit 1, 6th floor, Room 1.
The main gate wasn't locked. After passing through, there was the entrance to the unit itself, which required the same key.
From the gate to the unit door was about ten meters. Flower beds had already been built along the fence, filled with prepared soil, though the plants hadn't yet been brought in.
Privacy was excellent—railings encircled the entire courtyard. Outsiders could see in, but couldn't enter.
Overhead walkways connected the buildings—serving as emergency escape routes.
Yan Ye led Lian Ze into the building.
There were staircases on either side and an elevator straight ahead.
Yan Ye froze again—not because he was unfamiliar with elevators or anything!
Sensing the hesitation, Lian Ze kindly said, "Let's take the stairs, Gege!"
Saved from embarrassment, Yan Ye silently agreed.
Six floors was an easy climb for them.
When they reached the sixth floor, they discovered there were only two doors—true one landing, two households.
There was a button by the door and a small circular sensor.
Yan Ye pressed the button and knocked.
Suddenly, a giant eyeball appeared on the sensor. Lian Ze jumped in fright and nearly fell over.
"Coward," Yan Ye muttered, though he instinctively tightened his grip on the boy's hand.
The door opened—it was Yan Ye's father.
He was no longer called "Chief" but now went by "Captain."
"You're back."
"Mm."
Father and son were equally cold and aloof.
Inside, there was also a demoness—reportedly the father's future partner. She was the daughter of the Shadow Demon chieftain and looked only slightly older than Yan Ye.
Yan Ye didn't care. However many people his father fell for had nothing to do with him.
His father awkwardly said, "This is… uh, just call her 'sister.'"
Yan Ye blinked in surprise. "Not 'auntie'?"
That cracked the father's facade. "Shoo! We haven't even started anything yet!"
Lian Ze sweetly greeted her, "Hello, big sister!"
The demoness immediately beamed and waved him over to sit beside her.
"You're Xiao Ye's classmate, right?"
She had heard her blind date's son was studying at the city school—and even served as Her Majesty's guard.
"That's right! We live in the palace. We're both Her Majesty's people!"
Lian Ze puffed out his chest proudly, defending Yan Ye.
He'd heard that stepmothers could be abusive. He wasn't going to let Yan Ye be bullied.
Yan Ye could guess what he was thinking, and his feelings were… complicated.
The demoness, however, was genuinely delighted and praised Lian Ze from the heart:
"You're amazing too!"
Lian Ze felt like he had punched a pillow—why was this "auntie" so nice and smiley and not scary at all?
Yan Ye's father led him on a tour of the apartment.
"The door across the hall belongs to your uncle. If you ever come back and I'm not home, just go over there for dinner."
That "uncle" was the father's sworn brother—a blood brother in all but name and the second-in-command of the Night Demon tribe.
Yan Ye said coolly, "If you're not home, why would I even come back?"
The former chief was moved to hear that his son even considered coming home.
"You don't have class on weekends, right? You can bring Xiao Ze here to stay. We'll be heading to Black Dragon Pass soon to build a school—it'll be a big project, so we might not be back for a couple of weeks."
Yan Ye, ever defiant, replied, "Fine by me. If you're not here, I'm not coming."
Lian Ze clutched Yan Ye's hand nervously, afraid they'd fight.
But Yan Ye's father had a good temper. He didn't mind his son's rebellion.
"Come see your room! I had it set up just for you."
He scratched the back of his head, a little sheepish.
"I should've asked if you had any close friends. If I'd known you and Xiao Ze were tight, I'd have set up a room for him too."
Lian Ze looked up with a grin. "No need, Uncle. I'll just sleep with Gege!"
The man ruffled Lian Ze's hair affectionately.
"Good boy. You're always welcome here."
So this is what it's like to have a dad, Lian Ze thought. Yan Ye-ge is so lucky!
Yan Ye's room was spacious, complete with a huge desk. One wall was taken up by a wardrobe, and the other was an embedded bookshelf.
The bed was five meters by five meters, designed to accommodate his future adult form.
The whole room was 50 square meters—big enough for a small family elsewhere—but since the sixth floor had only two units, and the attic was part of their home, their total space was 200 square meters.
Originally, the entire sixth floor had been allocated to Yan Ye's family, as his father had once been chieftain.
But his sworn brother, who had loyally followed him through life and death, was allowed to live across the hall.
That uncle's place was 100 square meters—more than enough for one person.
Their home was fitted with the most advanced furniture in Black Dragon City—even soft-down quilts. The wardrobe held clothes for every season, all brand new.
It was clear the father had been hoping his son would return.
Although Yan Ye now served Her Majesty, she had stated clearly that she saw him only as a subordinate.
Even if he gave her his life, he still had his freedom—and could take time off.
This made his father deeply grateful to the queen. He had made the right decision after all.
Now, like an ordinary doting dad, he followed his son around happily.
"Next time you come back, the wardrobe will have clothes for Xiao Ze too. You two are brothers now!"
Lian Ze blinked his big eyes.
"Uncle, are you talking about me?"
The former chief picked him up and said warmly,
"You're Xiao Ye's best friend—that makes you my godson."
Lian Ze was overjoyed, waving his little hand.
"I have a daddy now too!"
Then, quietly, he mumbled,
"Can Godfather also adopt a daughter? I want my sister to have a dad too…"
"Of course! Your sister is Lian Rui, right? I've heard of her—she's the Prophet's disciple!"
Lian Ze was seven years old. Since he could remember, it had always been just him and his sister. Everyone who'd appeared in their lives had been kind to them.
Lian Ze clenched his fists. He had to make sure Yan Ye studied hard and did well.
Yan Ye, meanwhile, looked rather sour-faced.
His dad was just stealing credit for the friends he made!
The demoness quietly excused herself—she could tell this was a proper little family reunion. She was the outsider.
"You were trying to set me up with a stepmom. Why aren't you even talking to her?"
Yan Ye asked, unimpressed.
His father answered honestly, "I'm just trying to settle down. But it looks like you don't care about having a mother figure, so it doesn't matter much."
The Shadow Demon construction team was managed by the Night Demon chieftain—that's how his father had gotten to know people from the Shadow Demon tribe.
Of course, not all the Shadow Demon women were assigned to construction.
They were vital to industries like clothing, cosmetics, and household goods—delicate work that male demons weren't always suited for.
This particular demoness worked in the perfume factory. She had an incredibly sensitive sense of smell and, after just one month, had already been promoted to a full-time employee.
Her father, the Shadow Demon chieftain, had been hoping to find a match for her—so he set his sights on the Night Demon leader.