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)
...
While the demons of Black Dragon City were loading up tour buses for team-building trips to Black Dragon Mouth, the Xuanwu Demon Lord, carrying the Turtle Elder and accompanied by the Golden Turtle, arrived at the city, led by a young man from Yuling City.
Upon seeing Black Dragon City's seemingly idle state, the Turtle Elder poked his head out from the Demon Lord's embrace and scoffed,
"See? I told you. This Black Dragon City was only hardworking for a while. Now it's already going to ruin!"
But the Golden Turtle had a different take.
"On our way here, we passed a massive vehicle packed with Black Dragon demons. Maybe something happened at Black Dragon Mouth and they're going to help."
The gate area was just the start. Once they entered the city, it became clear the place was actually quite lively.
Especially surprising was the number of Xuanwu merchants already in town.
A merchant leading a major caravan instantly recognized the Golden Turtle—and just from that, he guessed the identities of the Demon Lord and the Turtle Elder.
The Demon Lord casually raised a hand, and the merchant instantly understood: do not reveal our identities.
He obediently led them to the Fortune Inn.
The Demon Lord instructed calmly,
"Just treat us as fellow merchants. No need for ceremony."
The merchant nodded profusely.
He'd seen the Turtle Elder a few times, but this was his first time seeing the Demon Lord in person. He was visibly excited.
"My lord, we're staying at Fortune Inn—it's the finest lodging in all of Black Dragon City!"
The Turtle Elder, even in his turtle form, couldn't help but jab sarcastically,
"You're this happy just staying in Black Dragon City?"
But the merchant wasn't offended. He thought to himself, You'll regret saying that soon enough.
Sure enough, once they checked in, the private bathhouse alone was enough to win over the Turtle Elder. He blissfully swam back and forth, completely forgetting everything he'd said earlier.
The young man from Yuling City was lucky enough to tag along. The merchant didn't recognize him and assumed he was part of the Demon Lord's entourage, treating him as a guest of honor.
The youth was overwhelmed by the treatment and quickly clarified his identity.
The merchant laughed. "So that's it. Seems the Demon Lord arrived a few days earlier than us."
No doubt he had seen Black Dragon City's development for himself—this single city was dazzling enough.
The other three cities of the Black Dragon Tribe were all under construction, each being developed with its unique characteristics. With roads already built, they were worth checking out—opportunities like this couldn't be missed.
The merchant shared a cautionary tale:
There had been a small merchant team made up of multiple tribes. They were among the first to sell glass and paper outside of Black Dragon City. But once they made some money, they started living it up and spent everything. By the time they returned to business, they had missed the golden window of opportunity and had to bow out in disgrace.
A sobering lesson.
Currently, most merchants in Black Dragon City were only temporary residents—staying in inns or renting. If they wanted to stay permanently, they'd need to live here for 200 years.
But development was booming in every corner of Black Dragon City. Even if they wanted to settle in, few had the wealth or time to qualify—after all, merchants had to travel.
Settling in Black Dragon Mouth or Black Dragon Bay, however, was much easier.
That's why most merchants were thinking:
Let's choose a city closest to Yuxu City and buy a house there. That way we can enjoy life and still get home easily when needed.
Merchants who couldn't afford property in the main city all had the same plan.
The merchant shared all this frankly. The Demon Lord didn't object—meanwhile, the Turtle Elder was still gleefully paddling around in the bath, too content to care.
The Demon Lord asked,
"What do you think of Black Dragon City?"
The merchant replied honestly,
"We think it's full of business opportunities."
"And Black Dragon Mouth is building a school, open to all demon tribes, teaching them specialized skills. It has major potential."
The Demon Lord raised a brow. "Why didn't you mention that first?"
The merchant wiped his sweat. "We don't know the exact enrollment criteria, and the school is still under construction."
Just as he said that the sound of festive drums echoed from the street.
Black Dragon City had a unique tradition: drums and gongs, supposedly a custom borrowed from the human realm, used to celebrate good news.
A team of demons headed toward the city gate, banging away. The merchant leaned out the window and shouted:
"What's the occasion, friend?"
A cheerful middle-aged demon looked up and responded,
"We're going to welcome back the construction crew—the school at Black Dragon Mouth is officially completed!"
Slap in the face. The merchant stood frozen.
The Demon Lord, mercifully, didn't say anything.
"It must've been the Shadow Demons," he said calmly. "Their construction speed is incredible."
The merchant nodded. "I've heard that Black Dragon City brought back the Shadow, Night, and Blood Demons—and even moved them all into the city."
"But no one knows what they do. Seems like the Night and Blood Demons are in charge of logistics, something called 'couriers.' I honestly had no idea what the Shadow Demons were up to—until you just mentioned it."
The Demon Lord looked out the window and said:
"Send the children of the Xuanwu Tribe here."
The Turtle Elder, just climbing out of the bath, heard this and immediately had a meltdown.
"Why?! Why are we suddenly sending all our kids here?!"
The Golden Turtle pulled him aside to explain. The Elder grumbled and resisted.
"Fine, I'll go. I'd like to see what Black Dragon City thinks it can teach our kids!"
He was going to return to deliver the message himself, but the merchant pulled him aside, whispering:
"Black Dragon City has Black Dragon Express. Orders placed today arrive tomorrow. Why not use them to send word to the elders?"
The Turtle Elder gave him a grudging nod of approval and asked a passerby to lead him to a Black Dragon Express station.
After sending off the letter, he wandered nearby—right into a massive plaza. It was filled with tightly packed demons, all staring up at something.
Curiosity got the better of the Elder. What's going on?
And then—scandalous! What kind of shameless demons were these, publicly hugging and cuddling like this?! Was this what Black Dragon City was teaching their young?!
On the big screen was Black Dragon City's latest film: "Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai."
Only this version had been adapted into a love story between a demon and a mortal.
Ma Wencai was now a villainous demon, the heroine was a kind-hearted demoness, and Liang Shanbo was a powerless human.
The Turtle Elder muttered curses under his breath—but still plopped down on the ground, determined to see what filth these people were watching. They've cast aside all shame. Let's see what this is.
But by the time the movie ended, the Turtle Elder was wiping tears from the corners of his eyes.
Too tragic...
He didn't know whose daughter Zhu Yingtai was, but if she were his granddaughter, he definitely wouldn't have let them die. He would've made sure she and Liang Shanbo lived happily ever after.
The film had been produced by three instructors from the new school, using equipment borrowed from Yin Jixue.
This time, the main leads were no longer Lina and Gou Chen.
But the villain? Still played by Tengshe.
Tengshe had felt off in the last role, but this time, hearing he'd get to play a demon who tried to forcefully marry a woman, he took the part eagerly.
With his naturally wicked features, he didn't even need to act—his face alone did the job.
The Turtle Elder seethed.
Is that bastard Ma Wencai still alive? If he is, I'm gonna beat him into the ground. I have to avenge that poor couple!
Too bad… if only Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai had fled to the Xuanwu Tribe. Such a waste...
As the movie ended, the Elder stood up in sorrow.
Around him, demons were chatting about the story.
He caught just two lines—and immediately turned to stone.
Those despicable Black Dragons… played with his emotions!