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)
…
The two demon women who had watched the movie with Elder Turtle left arm in arm, completely unaware of how deeply their casual remarks about the plot had wounded an old man's heart.
"Lord Tengshe is playing the villain again! Every time I see his face, I admire him more, but it's so conflicting—why does he always play the bad guy?"
The other demon woman chimed in excitedly, "Don't you think he's so charming when he's bad? I love it when Lord Tengshe plays a villain. The last time he kidnapped Xiao Lian, I wished I were her! I'm completely obsessed with his looks!"
Swooning over their idol, the two demon women walked off, leaving Elder Turtle muttering angrily to himself as he returned to the inn.
The traveling merchant saw the elder's grim expression and immediately panicked.
"Did Black Dragon Express refuse to take the order?"
Elder Turtle snapped, "The letter's been sent. I just ran into something especially infuriating."
He launched into a rant about his experience watching the movie.
The traveling merchant fought to keep a straight face and ended up pinching his thigh hard to hold back laughter.
"Don't be mad, Elder. Remember the first movie we watched when we came to Black Dragon City? It was also about two demons fighting over a demon girl. We wanted to beat up the bad guy ourselves to avenge Xiao Lian, but then we found out it was all staged."
Who would've thought Elder Turtle would get emotionally invested in a film?
The merchant added, "It's called a movie—they say it's an art form inspired by human shadow puppetry."
Elder Turtle grunted, "Humans and their trickery, always turning everything into 'art.' I can't stand those demons walking around with fans on their belts, imitating humans. Their homes filled with human calligraphy and paintings—what's the use? Can it feed them?"
The merchant nodded along absentmindedly, but privately thought: If humans are so cunning, why haven't they brought their business into the demon realm already?
Their Xuanwu Clan had done some trade with the barbarians, but that wasn't necessary anymore. Black Dragon City had become the cultural and commercial hub of the demon realm.
Not just the Xuanwu Clan—news had also been passed back to the Qingluan Clan, and they had already gathered all their eligible children.
Of course, they didn't inform their old neighbors, the Winged Tiger Clan. The fewer who knew, the fewer rivals. What if a child from the Winged Tiger Clan got chosen instead of theirs?
Not that the Winged Tiger Clan were as honest as they appeared—how could a big tiger not have some cunning?
The elder of the tiger clan wasn't in Black Dragon City just for sightseeing. Sure, he bought a house here, but that didn't stop him from constantly sending letters to the Tiger King.
Thanks to the little prince, all the tiger cubs in the clan could now tag along and benefit from the educational opportunities.
After all, who could resist a cute little tiger?
Yin Jixue certainly couldn't.
Take Black Dragon City's preschool, for example. It was originally meant only for children under fifteen. But the tiger clan youths turned into cubs and managed to slip in as auditors.
Of course, the most promising one was still Qingyuan, who had been taken as a disciple by the younger brother of the previous Demon King of the Black Dragon Clan—a man also known as the clan's prophet. His future was beyond bright.
Meanwhile, the Xuanwu Clan was lagging—perhaps due to the natural slowness of turtles.
…
The school had only just been built, and Yin Jixue hadn't even finished buying all the teaching equipment when letters from various factions started pouring in.
All of them were addressed to Yin Jixue—
—But the recipients were always Lou Zhao.
Lou Zhao was annoyed and left them all on read.
"Why should the Black Dragon Clan's school take in their kids?!"
Yin Jixue tried to soothe him. "Don't be mad! It's just basic subjects, and not all students will pick them up. Plus, even if they learn something, it'll only be useful here in Black Dragon City—we're the only ones developing an industrial society."
That wasn't quite what Lou Zhao meant, but he calmed down anyway.
"I just think they're annoying. Why can't they bring their cubs themselves? Why make us run around?"
He didn't want the queen to be swamped with work and have to reply to those thick-skinned people.
"Then how about you help me write the replies?" she asked.
Lou Zhao scowled. "Send them back a paw print. Let them figure it out from there."
Since Lou Zhao said so, Yin Jixue went along with it.
Who knew? Maybe a paw print had a special meaning.
Anyway, she'd never admit she just didn't want to write the letters.
In recent days, Yin Jixue had been working on city planning, specifically for a park.
Black Dragon City still lacked entertainment facilities. She planned to build a large park, preferably with a statue of a black dragon inside.
Next, a swimming center that could also serve as a family recreation area.
Finally, a botanical garden with a small amusement park inside. Once those three were done, Black Dragon City would have its foundational amenities completed.
The outdoor cinema would stay where it was for now. No plans to move it indoors—it would continue operating in the open-air plaza, rotating a few films each day.
That had already become a tradition in Black Dragon City. Every weekend, workers would gather to watch movies, helping broaden their social circles—and even boosting the city's marriage rate.
Lately, a few demon women had gotten pregnant in Black Dragon City. Six had officially registered their marriages. Three others had unknown fathers.
Still, it was consensual, and since they weren't married, Yin Jixue didn't interfere.
Black Dragon City had laws. If a demon woman was unwilling, she could take the matter to the Court of Censors. Since no such cases had been accepted, she respected their decisions.
Once the park location was finalized, it meant some demons would have to move.
But they would be compensated with apartments of equal size—moving from standalone houses to buildings with permanent usage rights.
However, if they chose to sell their units, there was no guarantee they could buy them back. Property transactions in Black Dragon City were tightly regulated. Each sale went through three verification stages to confirm the seller's intent.
If it was due to financial hardship, the Court of Censors had departments that offered low-interest loans. But once a property was sold, it would be very hard to get it back.
Of course, at the moment, not a single demon in the city was willing to part with their home.
Moving into the new units meant no renovation required. The apartments came fully furnished, complete with kang beds and cozy central heating.
This level of comfort had long been a dream for many.
The Shadow Demon Construction Crew had just returned from vacation when they received the new assignment—construction of the park, swimming center, and botanical garden.
Only the park and the swimming center would be next to each other. The botanical garden would be farther away, near the North Gate.
Gousheng's family happened to live on a street slated for demolition. Even if it hadn't been, his parents had already planned to apply for a new unit.
There were still units left in the Shadow Demon Residential Complex, and many demon families in the city were hesitating—should they move?
Moving meant separating from friends and relatives, and even if they'd still be in the same city, it felt like a big change.
But the Shadow Demon Complex was the most luxurious community in Black Dragon City. Anyone who visited couldn't help but want to move in.
Still, each family was only allowed to own one unit. Only when children got married could they apply for a separate one.
Owning multiple properties meant paying taxes—and if the ownership couldn't be explained, there'd be fines.
Black Dragon City had strict regulations against property speculation. Real-name ownership was required, and no gifting was allowed. Even close friends couldn't pass on properties—if they had no heirs, the property would be reclaimed.
Back to the main point: Gousheng's street was scheduled for demolition, but the Qiuju Inn across the street was spared.
The entire road opposite Qiuju Inn would be transformed into the Black Dragon City Central Park.