...
By the next morning, Lou Zhao was still curled up in Yin Jixue's arms in his true form.
Yin Jixue needed to get up, though. She asked Lou Zhao to shrink himself even smaller—small enough to wrap around her wrist like a bracelet.
Lou Zhao thought it was a great idea.
From now on, I'll stick to my queen like this all the time!
Thus, he righteously got to witness Yin Jixue getting dressed, washing up, and putting on makeup.
Beneath her pajamas, there was another layer—a thin, insulated inner garment, specially modified for warmth. Normally, she would only remove it when changing clothes.
Although he didn't see anything indecent, he did catch a glimpse of her small, fair feet.
So adorable he almost couldn't resist snuggling against them.
But he held back.
As Yin Jixue groomed herself, Lou Zhao became her little assistant, carrying her eyebrow pencil in his mouth.
Still, he couldn't help asking, "Why do you need to get all dressed up when you're already so beautiful?"
Yin Jixue's heart melted.
What a top-tier compliment!
"Makeup and dressing up are part of social etiquette," she explained patiently. "It's not just to please oneself—it's to present a good appearance to guests and to lift one's spirits. It makes you look more energetic and less tired."
Lou Zhao, who usually just brushed his teeth and washed his face, was a pure-blooded, straightforward male—he had never thought there could be so many reasons behind it.
He didn't entirely understand, but he silently accepted it and continued handing her things like a good little dragon.
"So, the civilization campaign you launched in the city—is it related to this too?"
"Not exactly," Yin Jixue said as she fixed her hairpin.
"Now that Black Dragon City is bustling with visitors from all over, we must raise the standards of our local demonfolk. Manners aren't just about how you talk; they also include your dress and hygiene. We're not asking every demon to wear clean, tailored clothes all the time—but at the very least, they should have no body odor and cover up appropriately without exposing private parts."
"If a demon wants to open a shop, then they must maintain personal cleanliness—their hands and face especially. When making food, they must even wear masks to prevent saliva from getting into the dishes."
The little dragon shivered at the thought.
He couldn't help recalling the traumatic scene yesterday—when he was treated like a toy by that silly tiger cub.
Yin Jixue patted his little head.
"I think the city's been doing pretty well. For example, Fortune Inn has truly embraced and enforced the civilization campaign."
Of course, many other shops had also made great efforts.
Only when a city's appearance and hygiene improved would outsiders feel safe and happy visiting.
Overall, the demonfolk of Black Dragon City had finally grasped the concept: wash your face and brush your teeth every day. Unless you were a miner, ordinary workers were expected not to show up in rags.
Even if some demons tried to slack off, their coworkers would be the first to complain about the smell.
When everyone around you brushed their teeth and bathed daily, not doing so made you the odd one out—and no demon wanted to be that.
Lou Zhao lay on the study desk, occasionally using his tail to roll around the inkstone.
Unfortunately, Yin Jixue mostly used pencils these days, so there wasn't much work for him.
Today, she was planning the construction of a shopping mall in the city.
The location had already been chosen—west of the city, near the old housing area of the construction team.
Those workers would soon be relocated to brand-new, upgraded housing provided by the Ducha Court, with no need to sacrifice working hours. They would become the city's first batch of "resettled" residents.
The western district had once been the poorest part of Black Dragon City—originally built as a shelter for refugees. Harshly speaking, it was no better than a relief station.
But now, as the city rapidly developed, this area became prime land for renovation.
Many traveling merchants had mixed feelings about the west side.
When they first came to Black Dragon City, they always instinctively headed west to claim a dry, non-leaking house—before others could beat them to it.
Now, this entire area was about to be redeveloped into a grand shopping mall, with buses passing through, and proximity to the food and hotel districts.
The location was simply perfect.
Yin Jixue sketched out the detailed construction plans using her system tablet, making the interior design crystal clear. As long as the builders could read, they could perfectly replicate the design.
The mall would even feature escalators—created using materials already available to demonfolk.
Within a few days, demolition in the west would begin.
The demon folk who lived there were deeply attached to their community, so when assigned new homes, many requested to live near their old neighbors.
The community canteen was the only building left standing. It hadn't been operational for a long time since most residents had been dispatched for road construction projects, only returning once a month. Only a few children attending local schools still ate there.
The Ducha Court approved Chef Xiulan's request to rent the canteen.
Soon, this area would become a booming commercial hub, and the canteen's prime location guaranteed business success.
The Shadow Demon construction team quickly arrived.
Only five shadow demons were needed to build the entire shopping mall—each one as efficient as ten regular workers.
The mall would have six floors and could rival even the Ducha Court's grandeur.
While the Ducha Court appeared massive due to its elevated platform, it only had about four and a half actual floors—with a restricted fifth floor for official use only.
...
Meanwhile—
The elder and Bai Yan finally sobered up an hour later.
They exchanged helpless looks.
They hadn't expected Black Dragon City's fruit wine to be as strong as human spirits. Just one jar had knocked them both out cold.
And the wine had tasted excellent. It seemed that Black Dragon City had figured out agricultural production—otherwise, how could they suddenly have so much food?
Still, trying to uncover the secret wasn't a good idea.
The elder decided it was better to mind his own business.
He only came here to broaden the young ones' horizons—and to pick up Bai Baobao, of course.
Even if Black Dragon City could grow vegetables in the sky, it wasn't his place to pry.
That was a basic respect owed to the Demon King.
Poking around might very well get him killed.
The elder and Bai Yan quickly found the kids—who were now having a blast at the bumper car arena.
Just reading the ride description made the elder back away in horror.
"I'm too old for that nonsense. Bai Yan, you go play with them for a bit."
Bai Yan didn't want to, but he had no choice but to obey.
The moment the boys spotted Bai Yan coming over, they shouted at Bai Bu'e:
"Let's call a truce and gang up on Bai Yan instead!"
Bai Bu'e raised his head proudly and refused.
"No way! He's my little brother's bodyguard. I'll team up with Bai Yan, and you guys can stay together. How about that?"
After exchanging glances, the other boys agreed.
After all, Bai Yan didn't even know how to play—he would drag Bai Bu'e down!
"Fine, but you said it! If Bai Yan slows you down, you can't just ditch him and blame us!"
Bai Bu'e puffed out his chest confidently.
"Don't worry! A man's word is as good as gold! I, Bai Bu'e, keep my promises!"
And so Bai Yan was assigned to Bai Bu'e's team.
They would fight together—two against many.
Full of fighting spirit, Bai Bu'e ordered:
"You hide behind me. Just don't slow me down!"
Bai Yan frowned.
He was supposed to be the bodyguard. How could he possibly hide behind the young master...?