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)
…
Time flew by, and even Bai Bu'e, who used to hate school, had come to enjoy it.
Well, it wasn't exactly school he liked, but rather playing with kids his age.
And the school was just so much fun!
He hoped his little brother could come to kindergarten soon, too, that way he could look after him.
But alas, his silly little brother had only just learned to crawl.
July was the hottest time of the year, and yet the school wasn't hot at all.
Whether the kids were heat-sensitive or not, everyone was cheerful.
Aside from the Black Dragon Clan, who weren't afraid of the heat, the Azure Luan Clan and the Winged Tiger Clan were practically melting.
Who would've thought the school would be so cool and comfortable? Classrooms had electric fans blowing cold air, and dorms had bamboo mats—so refreshing at night that the kids had no trouble falling asleep.
Because of the hot weather, the summer camp canceled overnight tent stays. The tent activity had already lost its novelty back in May and June.
Even so, the children remained enthusiastic about school, as they were learning so many things they'd never even heard of before.
For example, if you didn't wash your hands before eating, tiny worms would grow in your tummy. Those worms would bite your stomach, and then you'd get a bellyache.
After one such lesson, some kids clutched their stomachs in terror, convinced they were already doomed.
There was a wealth of similar knowledge, and the kids all dutifully wrote it down in their little notebooks.
Lian Ze and Yan Ye had officially graduated from kindergarten and entered primary school. Lian Ze had enrolled a bit earlier—he was part of the first batch of primary school students. He'd only stayed an extra year in preschool because of his young age. Now, students were placed based on aptitude, not age.
Yan Ye managed to make it into primary school entirely thanks to Lian Ze. Without the intense tutoring sessions from Lian Ze, he would've stayed stuck in preschool.
Now that he had peers to interact with, Yan Ye wasn't nearly as awkward and overdramatic as before. But deep down, he was still determined to serve Yin Jixue one day.
Lian Ze felt the same. It only made him study harder.
Yin Jixue, meanwhile, was nodding off at that very moment, because this was a meeting between the Four Demon Lords. Technically, it had nothing to do with her, since Lou Zhao was the one chairing the meeting.
Unfortunately, the entire meeting revolved around her, so she had no choice but to dress formally and attend. Yet she could hardly stand listening to these demon lords dragging out ancient history from thousands of years ago, twisting bloodlines and relationships just to convince the Black Dragon City's construction team to help them build roads.
As far as Yin Jixue was concerned, her stance was simple: Pay enough, and we'll pave the road.
But these demon lords were notoriously stingy. Even the Tiger King had the nerve to try and pull strings through his son.
Too bad his son didn't acknowledge him at all, which left the Tiger King utterly shocked.
He'd just wanted his son to acknowledge some godparents… how did he end up being the godfather?
The Black Tortoise Demon Lord had no shame left to lose. "How about this—we fight for it. Whoever holds out the longest gets the biggest discount?"
Yin Jixue: "…"
Well, it wasn't the worst idea. Back when the Black Dragon Clan was starving, their Demon Lord had challenged other demon lords in battle to win back food.
Yin Jixue nodded in support. "I respect your demonic traditions."
Besides, she had complete faith in her boyfriend's strength.
In the end, the Black Tortoise Demon Lord walked away with a 20% discount. The Tiger King got a 10% discount. As for the Azure Luan Empress, she left fuming.
The Minister of Finance, Sixth Princess, whispered in her ear:
"I've told you time and again not to slack off. But you never listen. You think the demon realm's peace means you don't need to strengthen yourself. Well? Are you still going to slack off now?"
The Empress's face was frosty. "I'll go into seclusion for a hundred years. The Azure Luan Clan will be your responsibility until I return."
Mission accomplished.
A hundred years of closed-door cultivation? By the time the Empress came out, all those pampered consorts in the harem would be way past their prime. Disbanding the harem would save a fortune.
Sixth Princess's mental abacus was already rattling away.
Next step—full trade partnership with Black Dragon City!
They had more styles and more fabric, but even Black Dragon City's goods couldn't compare with the Azure Luan Clan's luxurious, all-natural textiles.