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)
…
Gousheng's family had moved into their new home.
Ever since the construction of the Black Dragon Tower, their street in the residential district had become lively and bustling.
Their old home, though also on a busy street, mostly saw passing foreign merchants staying overnight or hunting for shared bicycles.
Sometimes, those merchants would party late into the night. Loud voices could still be heard well past midnight, with drunken traders staggering back in groups. Both Gousheng's and his younger brother's room windows faced the street, and the glass wasn't even soundproof.
So either the merchants kept the baby white dragon awake, or the white dragon howled all night, keeping everyone else awake too.
Now, as residents relocated due to demolition, moving into this new area has been a blessing for all involved. Night vending was strictly prohibited in this residential zone.
Looking at their new place, Wu Xiang smiled softly. "I wonder if our son will like the new house."
The resettlement office had given them a spacious flat in a residential complex as compensation. Their original home had been fairly large already—two floors and even a backyard.
The advantage of the new unit was that each son had his room, plus high-end bathrooms and toilets. All the furniture and beds were fully furnished, saving them a great deal of money.
It was said this type of unit was called a model home, and Wu Xiang was quite fond of it.
Gou Fugui muttered, "Wasn't he always going on about wanting a desk? Complaining that the old one was too low and would make his back hunch. Since when do demons get hunchbacks? That only happens to old demons whose bones have bent with age. Silly kid."
Wu Xiang chided, "Don't talk about your son like that. He's fourteen now—practically a young adult. He's sensitive to that kind of talk."
Gou Fugui shrugged. "Yeah, yeah. I'm his dad—can't I say anything?"
Wu Xiang handed the baby white dragon over to her husband. "You sure do talk a lot. Today you take the baby."
Although everyone else was enjoying their Labor Day holiday, as parents, the couple had to stay home and look after their kids—no vacation for them.
But next year, when the kids were older, they planned to take a self-driving trip as a family.
Currently, Gou Fugui supervised the magic crystal mines, and Wu Xiang was a manager at the clothing factory. Both held positions of real authority and earned salaries far above the average citizen in the city.
Their son was also very capable. The family was thriving.
It had only been a year, but it felt like a whole lifetime had passed.
Just last year, Gousheng didn't even have a proper name. Wu Xiang hadn't been named either, and Gou Fugui was just an ordinary demon. Their lives were numb and joyless. What was a smile? They didn't even remember how to do that. They'd long since accepted they might freeze or starve to death on some winter night.
Now, their lives had become the envy of foreign merchants. They had something those traders didn't: local residency status. Even the residential complex they lived in didn't allow sales to foreign merchants.
Their smiles came from the heart. So this is what it feels like to smile freely.
Wu Xiang was in a good mood every day. Just knowing that the clothes she made would be worn not only by the royal family but also by other demons brought her a strong sense of accomplishment.
Gou Fugui was full of confidence in the future. He trained wave after wave of miners and sent them off again.
There were no longer any local miners at the magic crystal mine—everyone had found better, stable jobs.
Now, workers from other clans came to fill those roles. Life was steadily improving for all.
"Come on, let's cook. Today's our moving-in day. Let's invite Qiuju too, and our son's classmates. Qiuju's been so busy lately, but remember how seriously she used to study even while raising her kid? Now she's hired staff to manage the inn and taken a side job as a career guidance teacher. Her life is getting better and better."
Gou Fugui was surprised—he hadn't kept up with Wu Xiang's friend circles.
"Qiuju's doing that well?"
Wu Xiang replied proudly, "Of course. She told me the last time we met. She was such a good student that the school kept her on as a teacher. I heard she might even become a lecturer at Black Dragon Mouth University."
Gou Fugui suddenly felt a sense of urgency. "Wife, we can't fall behind Qiuju! I've decided—I'm going to start self-studying at the mine this year. When I'm too old to work manual jobs, I'll go become a teacher too!"
Wu Xiang shot him a glare. "You make it sound like Her Majesty the Queen is making you do hard labor!"
Gou Fugui chuckled, "I'm exaggerating a little, that's all. But still—when we're old, we can't expect Wangwang to support us, right?"
Even if his son was willing, Gou Fugui couldn't bring himself to ask his child for money.
"You're right," Wu Xiang agreed. "I want to continue my education, too—get that designer certification. The higher the certification, the more valuable my clothes become. I want people to see a piece of clothing and immediately think of me—I designed that."
Gou Fugui was surprised. "Whoa, there's so much involved in clothing design?"
Wu Xiang gave him a playful smack on the arm. "Our son just peed on me. Go change his pants. I'll head to the supermarket to grab groceries and tell Qiuju to come over for dinner tonight."
Gou Fugui would've rather gone out himself than be stuck babysitting a drooling toddler.
But their son had been born as a white dragon—that alone meant he was ahead of the pack.
Meanwhile, Gousheng tidied up his lab station and invited Lian Rui and Qingyuan over for dinner that evening.
Labor Day meant nothing to the three of them. Their projects still needed to be completed—if they didn't finish now, they'd be pulling all-nighters after the break.
Qingyuan was enthusiastic. "Housewarming party? I'm in! I've got nothing else planned—I'll be there!"
Lian Rui was initially hesitant, but then got a message from her younger brother: he'd gone to the amusement park at Black Dragon Mouth.
"I'll come too. My brother's off vacationing at Black Dragon Mouth."
She hadn't expected her little brother to enjoy his childhood more without her around.
Lian Rui felt deep guilt. She'd been so busy with school lately that she hadn't even realized her brother had left the city. It was Her Majesty who had granted him leave and arranged protection for him.
Gousheng tried to comfort her clumsily. "Don't feel too bad. Xiao Ze can't rely on you forever. Wasn't his dream to protect the Queen? You have to give him room to grow."
Lian Rui smiled bitterly. "I know. I just feel like I've been neglecting him lately. He probably doesn't blame me—he even said he'd bring back a gift."
Lian Rui and Lian Ze had always depended on each other since childhood. Their bond ran especially deep.
In the demon realm, emotional closeness was often strongest within a single generation. Grandparents and grandchildren weren't close, and the same went for Demon Kings and their uncles. Those uncles weren't even allowed on the Demon King's territory.
Not because the Demon King was petty—it was just the age-old truth: two tigers can't share one mountain.
The demolished housing units were quickly cleared, and the entire street of former residents was relocated to the same complex, mainly in Units 19 and 20.
Qiuju didn't move—her home was her inn—but Black Dragon City had preferential housing policies for local demons in business.
If their current residence were repurposed into a commercial property, they could purchase a new residential home.
That purchase, however, came with a one-time housing tax.
Qiuju stayed at Gousheng's place for two hours and, without hesitation, paid in full for a new apartment in the same complex.
She lived with her child, so she didn't need anything too big—a cozy three-bedroom with a living room, fully furnished.
Her child was still in preschool boarding and wouldn't move up to primary school for another two years.
The inn was too chaotic, with demons coming and going. She didn't feel safe letting her child stay there.