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)
…
Just moments ago, Yin Jixue had been able to hold back her tears. But now, she was truly misty-eyed.
The little tiger leaped into her arms, clinging tightly to her arm as if asking why his mommy was abandoning him.
Yin Jixue buried her face into the soft, snow-white belly of the little cub.
"Baobao, I won't leave you behind again. If you don't want to go home, then we won't."
Lou Zhao slid down from her wrist and flicked out his long, thin tongue to lick her cheek.
Hmm… no taste of tears. That dumb tiger just avoided a beating.
Yin Jixue grabbed Lou Zhao and plopped him on top of Baobao's head—turning him into a fluffy hat.
She called out to the guards, "Stop the car. We still need to talk this through with them."
The elder and the boys transformed into their beast forms and rushed over.
As soon as Yin Jixue stepped out, she was greeted by the sight of a giant old lion leading a bunch of round-headed baby tigers.
Well, there went her dramatic resolve—all melted by these adorable little furballs.
"Elder, Baobao doesn't want to leave. Can he stay in Heilong City? I can take good care of him."
The elder looked troubled.
The Tiger King had sent him to Heilong City but hadn't specifically ordered him to bring the little prince back. Still… leaving the prince behind? What kind of precedent was that?
Seeing the elder waver, Yin Jixue pressed on. "You saw it yourself—Baobao doesn't want to leave. He has his thoughts now, and shouldn't we respect a child's wishes?"
Bai Buer, who had originally wanted to bring his brother home, instantly agreed with her wholeheartedly.
Exactly! The Demon Queen was right. No wonder Baobao didn't want to leave.
"Elder, since Baobao doesn't want to go, let's just hang around the city for a bit before we leave!"
Yin Jixue looked at the elder expectantly.
The elder hesitated and struggled inwardly, but eventually gave in.
"I'll need to report back to the Tiger King. For now, the little prince can stay in Heilong City. Sorry to trouble you, Demon Queen."
Yin Jixue offered a faint smile.
"Thank you, Elder. You can report Baobao's changes truthfully—His Majesty the Tiger King will understand."
The elder's brows furrowed with confusion.
"How is the little prince able to instantly shift into adult form?"
Bai Buer had come over to circle Yin Jixue's feet.
He and Baobao looked quite similar, differing mainly in markings and size—Baobao had more white fur, while Bai Buer had more black. Baobao's face was round, Bai Buer's more pointed.
Yin Jixue didn't hide anything. "It likely has something to do with our Heilong City's diet. You probably noticed when you entered—many of the local demons are showing signs of atavism. We haven't pinpointed the exact cause, but it seems related to the food."
Atavistic bloodlines?!
The elder's heart trembled.
Then the little prince had to stay. He had nearly made a terrible mistake.
"Thank you, Demon Queen. I'll leave the little prince in your care."
Bai Buer tried to climb up onto the Demon Queen to cuddle with his little brother.
But Yin Jixue's clothes were so smooth that Bai Buer ended up sliding down like he was on a playground slide.
The elder scolded sharply, "Bai Buer!"
Just as Bai Buer had climbed up to Yin Jixue's shin, he was startled and tumbled to the ground.
Yin Jixue was distressed. Such a cute little tiger—he better not knock himself silly.
She quickly crouched down and scooped him up.
"Don't scare the children."
Bai Buer finally got the chance to nuzzle his brother, but Baobao wasn't having it. He pushed his brother's head away with a paw.
Baobao held grudges. It was their arrival that made his mommy try to give him away. If they hadn't shown up, that never would've happened.
He might be a little dumb, but he remembered everything.
Bai Buer was heartbroken. "Baobao, I'm your big brother! I even groomed you before—why won't you snuggle with me anymore?"
Yin Jixue felt her heart twist.
She wasn't a heartbreaker; she just wanted to give every little tiger a loving home.
She looked to the elder.
The elder: …
"Let Buer stay too. He's Baobao's real brother."
Bai Yan stepped forward. Among the young tigers, he was the largest.
"Elder, I'll stay behind to look after the little prince."
The elder explained to her, "He's the prince's guard. Back when Baobao couldn't understand words, it was always him taking care of him."
So Yin Jixue agreed to let Bai Yan stay as well.
The other little tigers also wanted to stay, but they were only cousins. The elder wouldn't allow it.
Yin Jixue, however, waived their lodging fees at the Lucky Inn. They were welcome to stay as long as they liked.
That made the young tigers like the Demon Queen even more.
The elder could only sigh repeatedly. He hadn't expected that not only would he fail to bring the little prince home, but he'd also lose Bai Yan and Bai Buer to Heilong City.
Still, considering how the little prince had already learned to understand speech and could shift into adult form in just a few months, this must've been the "opportunity" the Tiger King spoke of.
Empress Qingluan had returned from Black Dragon Mouth and wanted to visit Yin Jixue.
But before she could step outside, her Sixth Sister dragged her back forcefully.
This time, Sixth Sister was unyielding.
She told her plainly: with the Black Dragon Clan developing so aggressively, they had to seize the initiative. There was no time for romance.
The Empress recalled the news she'd heard—that the Black Dragon Mouth was planning to open a school—and knew she had to return home and send all the Qingluan children there.
When that place developed, it would be no less prosperous than Heilong City.
She looked longingly in the direction of the Demon Palace, then sent out one of her tail feathers.
"What is this?" Yin Jixue was writing at her desk when a dazzling, iridescent green feather floated in from the window.
It shimmered in the sunlight with brilliant colors.
She immediately thought of the Empress of the Qingluan Clan—but would she have nothing better to do than send a feather?
Lou Zhao lazily lifted his head and said offhandedly, "If she sent it, just keep it."
"Wait—it's really from the Empress? Then it must be meant for you!"
Lou Zhao thought for a moment and decided not to hide the truth.
"The Empress is fond of beautiful things, and there's bad blood between us. She wouldn't send me anything. It's always been you she's interested in."
Yin Jixue wasn't too bothered. She just gossiped casually:
"So even Demon Kings have drama? Are your clans going to go to war?"
Lou Zhao didn't care. "Of course Demon Kings have drama. But it won't escalate to a full-scale war. The first time I met her, she wanted me to marry her—I beat her up, and she behaved after that."
Yin Jixue almost heard the sound of her jaw hitting the floor. She had to manually close her mouth.
"Awesome." That was all she could say.
Thankfully, her first meeting with the Demon King hadn't ended in a beatdown. Otherwise, she might've skipped straight to the story's finale.
But she was curious. "Why didn't you beat me up when we first met?"
She remembered teasing Lou Zhao with cheesy pickup lines back then.
Lou Zhao sprawled lazily on the desk. "How could that be the same? You were already my properly wedded wife. Why would I beat my wife?"
Turns out, Lou Zhao had solid values.
Sure, the Empress might've been a woman, but coming up to someone and demanding marriage on the first meeting was still… borderline harassment, right?