Heilong-kou (Black Dragon-Mouth/Pass)
Heilong-cheng (Black Dragon-City)
Heilong-yuan(Black Dragon Wall)
Heilong Bay (Black Dragon Bay)
Heilong Ridge (Black Dragon Ridge)
Censorate (Supervisory Court)
Yuling City (Jade City)
Jingui Town (Golden Turtle Town)
Xuanwu City (Black tortoise City)
Qinglong (Azure Dragron)
…
Yan Ye only stayed home for one night before returning to the palace with Lian Ze the next day.
Along the way, they paid a visit to the Queen.
The Queen was surrounded by two small tigers wrestling on the floor, with a large tiger trying to break up the fight. Yan Ye glanced at the scene briefly before looking away.
Lian Ze, on the other hand, ran over and patted the two tiger cubs on their heads. The cubs were surprisingly tame; upon seeing a child, they obediently stopped fighting and allowed themselves to be petted.
"Thank you, Your Highness."
Yan Ye rarely appeared before Yin Jixue.
He wanted to become a better person before standing beside the Queen—only then would he feel worthy of protecting her.
But Yin Jixue would never allow a child laborer, especially one who hadn't even finished compulsory education, to serve as her protector.
Still, once Yan Ye graduated, she would consider letting him assist her. That way, she could finally relax and leave the hard work to others.
She wasn't worried about any secrets being leaked. From the moment the Night Demon leader entrusted Yan Ye to her, he had sworn an oath—an oath to remain loyal to her alone and never betray her. Demonic oaths were not to be taken lightly.
"You've grown taller. I've seen your recent grades—they've improved rapidly. I heard Lian Ze has been tutoring you?"
Yan Ye's heart leapt in joy. The Queen was concerned about his studies?
"Yes. He goes over the lessons with me every day after class so I can keep up with the school curriculum."
Yin Jixue, knowing the importance of balancing work and rest, encouraged them with a promise: "If you both get full marks in two subjects for the midterms, I'll send you to the amusement park in Black Dragon pass for two days."
Though the amusement park in Black Dragon pass wasn't officially open yet, all facilities had passed safety inspections and were ready for use.
Lian Ze ran over with Bai Bue in his arms, face lit up with excitement.
"Really? I'll definitely drag Brother Yan Ye to study hard with me!"
Yin Jixue reached out and patted his head. "Of course it's true."
After the two children left hand in hand, Lou Zhao suddenly appeared.
"You really like kids, don't you?"
The Demon Palace was turning into a children's playground.
Thousands of years ago, just the mention of Black Dragon City would've sent children crying in terror.
Yin Jixue retorted, "Don't you think children are innocent and adorable?"
Lou Zhao casually scooped up Bai Baobao into his arms. "They're just okay. Annoying as hell."
Yin Jixue could only shake her head with a sigh. What a contradictory man. He had given Bai Baobao all kinds of silly nicknames—calling it dumb or silly—yet he couldn't bear to be apart from the tiger cub.
…
Just as the school gates were about to close in the morning, a group of small tigers dashed in, leaving the student on gate duty thinking he was hallucinating.
The students were especially rowdy in class today.
Especially Lian Ze, who had his hand tucked into the cubby of his desk, petting a small tiger lying belly-up inside.
Every student had a tiger cub hiding in their desk—except Yan Ye.
He couldn't understand what was so fun about these furry things. Why did everyone seem so obsessed?
Mr. Zhong Shang walked into the classroom and immediately sensed something was off.
With a cheerful smile, he asked, "Do we have a new student today?"
Everyone shook their heads in unison. "No."
The teacher feigned seriousness: "You know, lying will make your nose grow longer."
Lian Ze instinctively touched his nose.
Yan Ye scoffed.
What an idiot. That gave everything away.
In the end, the tiger cubs were discovered and made to sit in neat rows at the back of the classroom, quietly attending the lesson.
The children who lied had to write a journal entry confessing their fibs.
Lian Ze was utterly aggrieved.
"But the tiger cubs wanted to come to class! Sir, you said all demons have the right to attend school!"
Yan Ye remained indifferent. "The point is you lied to the teacher. If they'd just walked in properly, no one would've stopped them. You're only getting punished because you got caught in the lie."
Lian Ze pouted. "Don't care. Still feel wronged."
Yan Ye tugged at his cheek. "You're feeling wronged? No being wronged!"
Lian Ze looked at him pitifully. Why was he being so mean?
When Yin Jixue heard what had happened at school, she didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"Is there any way to deal with this?"
The teacher shook his head. "Not really. As long as the cubs stay in Black Dragon City, they want to be in class. Ask if they understand the lessons and they all shake their heads—but they still insist on learning with the kids."
Yin Jixue sighed. "Then let them audit the class—but they can't disrupt order."
After all, it wasn't like the curriculum was confidential. Preschool classes were focused on basic phonetics, reading, and arithmetic. Most of the learning was fun and designed to build good values and worldview.
The only dangerous course was hunting class—but the tiger cubs, in their natural forms, weren't really at risk.
And so, Black Dragon City's First Primary School welcomed its first group of non-human auditors.
The Prophet's student, Qing Yuan, was green with envy.
"I wanted to audit classes too, but I was too tall to sneak in. And I'm overage. Had I known, I'd have come in my beast form."
The Prophet gave him a smack on the back of the head. "Shame on you! You're my student. Do you want people saying you spent two months in preschool?"
Qing Yuan had only stayed in preschool for a few days. As soon as he learned phonetics, reading, and math, the Prophet dragged him out.
His school life only lasted a few short days.
What he didn't expect was that his school days would resume—only this time, he had become a teacher.
…
After the roads were completed, the demon citizens of Black Dragon Bay, Black Dragon Wall, and Black Dragon Ridge would gather at the road entrance each day.
They were no longer starving; their basic needs were now met.
They wanted to personally thank the Queen—but didn't dare to leave.
Even though the road was finished, the empty path still made them wary of wandering beasts.
Their homes were simple huts made of branches and leaves—blown down and rebuilt every year.
The city lord who returned from Black Dragon City spoke of houses there being solid and sturdy. The Queen had promised that once the roads were open, she would send people to build them proper homes and even help them find work.
The city lord had seen it with his own eyes—they couldn't imagine how wealthy Black Dragon City was.
Their idea of wealth was being able to eat three sweet yams per meal, wearing clean animal pelts, and living in a sturdy house.
After finishing work in the fields, the demons from the three towns would gather by the road and sit like stones. If they stared too long, their eyes would start to blur and they'd hallucinate that vehicles were arriving from Black Dragon City.
"It's just another mirage. Give it up."
The demon next to him suddenly smacked him hard.
"Ow! What was that for?!"
The demon shouted excitedly, "It's not a dream! It's not a mirage! The cars are really here!"
Everyone snapped to attention.
Not just cars—there was even a bus.
The driver who stepped off the bus said, "This is the shuttle bus from Black Dragon City to Black Dragon Wall. One trip every three days. You can ride for free for the first year—after that, there'll be a fee."
The other two towns also welcomed construction vehicles and buses.
They actually had a chance to visit Black Dragon City!
The bus only had eighty seats, and everyone wanted to go. In the end, the city lord had to make the decision.
He slammed down the final verdict: "Send the young and strong first. When you come back, get to work. Women and the elderly can go later—maybe earn a bit while they're there before returning."
No one objected. No one said women or the elderly couldn't work. In fact, even at four hundred years old, the elderly could still dig in the mines.