Heilong-kou (Black Dragon-Mouth/Pass)
Heilong-cheng (Black Dragon-City)
Censorate (Supervisory Court)
Yuling City (Jade City)
Jingui Town (Golden Turtle Town)
Xuanwu City (Black tortoise City)
Qinglong (Azure Dragron)
...
The Sixth Princess looked up and said, "Royal Sister, do you think we could send someone to open a shop in Black Dragon City? That way we could also look after Qingyuan. I'm worried he might not eat well or dress warmly enough."
The Empress originally intended to say that Qingyuan wouldn't starve in Black Dragon City, but then a thought struck her.
At the moment, there were no other demon clans operating businesses in Black Dragon City. If they allowed the Qingluan Clan to set up shop, it could be greatly beneficial for them.
"Let's go, to the palace."
The Sixth Princess had only been grumbling, thinking her royal sister would never agree — but to her shock, the Empress said yes!
Yin Jixue could hardly believe it: one moment she learned that Qingyuan would temporarily settle in Black Dragon City, and the next, the Empress herself was heading to the palace.
She even suspected they had planned this all along.
But since she had already agreed, she could only brace herself and try to persuade Qingyuan's guardians.
Before she could react further, Lou Zhao suddenly appeared, likely sensing the Empress approaching the palace.
Lou Zhao was seriously worried. His little wife was a frail human with no strength to even truss a chicken; how could she withstand the Empress?
The Empress watched Lou Zhao leave and remarked, "He's quite protective."
The Sixth Princess understood — her royal sister was feeling envious — but she dared not say a word.
Throughout her life, the Empress had loved many, but her love was always fleeting. Once the initial passion faded, she would discard them, and no one had ever truly loved her.
Thus, whenever the Empress saw genuine lovers, she felt jealousy.
At least, that's how the Sixth Princess saw it.
With Lou Zhao's help, Yin Jixue changed into a splendid palace gown.
As they walked, Yin Jixue asked nervously, "Is the Empress easy to get along with? What's her temperament like? Are there any taboos?"
She didn't want to accidentally say the wrong thing and trigger a war between two clans!
Lou Zhao squeezed her hand. "No worries. She's a few thousand years older than you — you think she'd fuss over anything?"
The Empress caught the first part and curled her lips slightly. This queen consort was quite likable.
As for that demon king — his face might be pretty, but his mouth was still as irritating as ever.
"What brings you two here?" Lou Zhao asked casually, pulling Yin Jixue to sit beside him.
Among demon kings, everyone was equal; no formalities were needed.
Yin Jixue nodded politely at the Empress before speaking. "Is Your Majesty here about Qingyuan?"
The Sixth Princess quickly explained, "No, no! Our Qingyuan is obedient and sensible. Staying in Black Dragon City to study and learn is perfect. As parents, we all want him to succeed. The schools in Black Dragon City will help him become a proper demon."
Though the phrasing sounded odd, they didn't seem to mind Qingyuan staying in Black Dragon City.
Yin Jixue breathed a sigh of relief. "I feel a special bond with Qingyuan. He looks carefree on the outside but is pure and kind inside — truly a good child. If it weren't for the school's age restrictions, I would have enrolled him from the start."
Lou Zhao frowned. "What's going on with Qingyuan?"
Yin Jixue whispered, "My uncle has taken him as his third disciple. He'll be staying here to study."
Lou Zhao thought the old man was such a troublemaker — always taking in disciples! Could he even manage them all?
If he had that much free time, why didn't he teach him instead?
The Sixth Princess liked the queen consort more and more. No wonder the demons of Black Dragon City adored her.
Just listen — every word praised her precious Qingyuan. She practically wanted to grab Yin Jixue's hand and have a good heart-to-heart.
Meanwhile, the Empress was momentarily dazzled by Yin Jixue's beauty. She had never seen anyone whose looks could surpass even her own.
Before she could say something foolish, Lou Zhao released a burst of demonic aura, snapping the Empress back to reality.
Yin Jixue was bewildered — what just happened?
Lou Zhao used a private voice transmission, only audible between the two of them: "The Empress was getting lovestruck."
Lovestruck?!
Over Lou Zhao?!
Yin Jixue instantly felt uneasy.
She had initially thought the Empress was beautiful too — but turns out she was the type to steal someone else's man. No way. She needed to watch Lou Zhao closely.
Yin Jixue also tried voice transmission, telling Lou Zhao: "You shouldn't go out alone for a while. Boys need to protect themselves outside."
Surprisingly, it worked!
Ever since Lou Zhao casually mentioned that they now shared their lifespans, Yin Jixue had been wondering whether she could also use demon magic, since technically, she was no longer fully human.
Lou Zhao found it amazing too — he had never heard of shared lifespans resulting in shared magical abilities.
But now wasn't the time to dwell on it. They had more pressing matters.
"Your Majesty, what brings you to the palace today?" Yin Jixue asked.
"Liu'er..." The Empress interrupted.
She smiled sweetly at Yin Jixue, her voice so soft it was almost like a cartoon squeak.
"We came to discuss a business collaboration with Black Dragon City."
Collaboration?
Yin Jixue motioned for her to continue.
"We noticed that the soft bedding at the Fortune Inn was made using low-grade feathers from the Qingluan Clan. Perhaps we could discuss a cooperation regarding this?"
Yin Jixue shook her head. "We can already mass-produce those items. There's no need for collaboration. Sorry."
Facing such divine beauty paired with that squeaky voice, Yin Jixue almost couldn't handle it.
Honestly, it was the voice that terrified her.
Wait, could it be that Lou Zhao liked this kind of thing?!
But glancing at Lou Zhao frowning in disgust, Yin Jixue secretly rejoiced — the Empress hadn't charmed him at all.
Lou Zhao finally realized: that his little wife misunderstood the Empress's intentions.
The last time he met the Empress, she had flirted shamelessly and he had beaten some sense into her. Since then, they had stayed out of each other's way. Even if the Empress wanted to "kidnap" a handsome man, she had to charm him willingly — force didn't work.
He had a brilliant idea — better to let his little wife keep this misunderstanding. If she saw the Empress as a love rival, she would naturally stay on guard and resist temptation.
He was truly too clever!
As for those low-grade feathers, the Empress didn't care; she just switched to another excuse.
"Queen Consort, I heard that all the shops in Black Dragon City are newly opened. But we didn't see any operated by other clans. Why is that?"
The answer was simple: initially, it was to protect local businesses, and now it was because there simply wasn't enough commercial space.
All the local demons with ambitions had already opened their shops or rented them to out-of-city clans. No room remained for outsiders.
Guessing their true intentions, Yin Jixue replied preemptively, "If outsiders wish to open shops in the Black Dragon territory, they should go to Black Dragon Port."
The Sixth Princess immediately asked, "Why?"
Yin Jixue patiently explained, "All the shops in Black Dragon City are full. Unless we open up street vendor zones — but that would mean instability for out-of-town demons. Black Dragon Port, however, is a new development area with a very bright future. Plus, it's only an hour's drive from Black Dragon City."
Development in Black Dragon Port was just as promising as in Black Dragon City, but being so close, it was overshadowed.
Yin Jixue seized every opportunity to promote Black Dragon Port.
"Oh, and Black Dragon Port has purchase limits! Each demon can only own one property and one storefront. The Xuanwu Clan's traders are already inspecting properties. If you want in, you'll have to hurry."
Throw in some urgency — act fast if you want good spots!
As expected, the Sixth Princess got anxious.
"Royal Sister, should we go look at shops now? Otherwise, the Xuanwu traders might snatch all the best locations!" Strictly speaking, the Sixth Princess was the Qingluan Clan's finance minister. The power within the clan was monopolized by those of imperial blood.
The Empress's eyes were glued to Yin Jixue, but she knew to prioritize business: "Then, Her Majesty the Queen, would you accompany us?"