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)
…
Yin Jixue placed the feather on her bookshelf. Even if the Empress had shown interest in her, so what?
They were both women—and even if Yin Jixue liked girls, her type was either cute sweethearts or intellectual big sisters like Feng Xiu.
Of course, none of that mattered anyway. She still preferred her divine-faced boyfriend. Wasn't an innocent, pure-hearted guy the sweetest thing?
Baobao was in his luxurious den playing with a ball of yarn when two uninvited guests arrived.
One kept calling him "Little Brother," and the other always addressed him as "Your Highness."
Considering that these two idiots always let him eat first, Baobao begrudgingly allowed them to squeeze into his oversized nest.
All of this was thanks to his loving mommy, who had made him a super luxurious bed. Half the room was covered in bedding—no matter how he rolled, he never hit the floor.
Now, one groomed his fur, and the other served him food and water. Baobao's life was truly the pinnacle of tiger success.
Sigh... being unbeatable sure is lonely. It must've been the sheer might of his transformation that won them over.
Feeling content, Baobao patted Bai Buer's head. Bai Buer looked up in confusion. Then Baobao gave Bai Yan's paw a satisfied tap, and Bai Yan obligingly lay down to serve as a mount.
With these two attendants, life was good.
Today, many shops in Heilong City were relocating. It drew crowds of merchants to the roadside—watching the bustle and gasping in amazement.
The reason?
Heilong City had built a six-story commercial building—the Black Dragon Tower.
It was said to sell only the most representative specialty products of the entire city.
Ordinary items like glass wouldn't even make it onto the shelves.
Foreign merchants were green with envy. If only they had known Heilong City would develop this quickly, they would've snatched up property here long ago.
Now, all they could do was settle for buying homes in Black Dragon Mouth. Those who caught wind of the insider news were already calling their clansmen to join them there.
Housing in Heilong City simply wasn't for sale. No matter how much money they offered, no local demon was willing to sell.
These were locals, living close to the Demon Palace. For citizens who revered the Demon King and adored the Queen, they dreamed of living right outside the palace gates—why would they sell their homes?
The traveling merchants were filled with regret.
Especially one particular group that had just returned to the city.
They were the first merchants who had taken glass from Heilong City.
They had made a fortune auctioning it off, then spent ages lounging in luxury in Xuanwu City. Only now had they regrouped, hoping to score big again.
Who would've thought that Heilong City had already changed so much?
Their mood was heavy. Everyone in the demon realm now knew that Heilong City produced glass—reselling at high prices was no longer possible.
This time, they returned to the Chrysanthemum Inn only to find that the owner wasn't someone they could just see on a whim anymore.
The inn had hired two assistants and a chef. The owner, it was said, was now studying at a city school—and even planning to take a college entrance exam.
They had no idea what a "college" was—probably a school for adults.
They still remembered the unique food from their first visit to Heilong City, but now the menu was so dazzling they couldn't even understand it.
The city had grown too rapidly. There were so many demons, especially merchants from other clans. They even spotted two or three massive trade caravans.
Their feelings were complicated. They had thought the glass trade would stay profitable for at least six more months. Even if merchants learned about it, surely they wouldn't arrive so soon?
But things had changed too fast, and news had traveled too slowly. After squandering their wealth, they'd come back with a new batch of goods—
Only to trade it for a mere twenty Black Dragon Coins.
Twenty coins could buy a lot of glass. But outside the glass factory, merchant caravans were already lined up nonstop. The days of quick, easy profits were over.
Nearby, a young demon was handing out flyers and calling out loudly.
"Black Dragon Tower is open! Come check it out! Spend five Black Dragon Coins today and get 5% off!"
Wang Dahu took a flyer and huddled with his two brothers to read it.
"First floor: car showroom. Reservations available now, delivery in half a month with deposit."
Wang Xiaohu blinked in confusion. "Cars? Are those the things with the wheels?"
Wang Hu nodded solemnly. "Yes. A car costs thirty Black Dragon Coins. We can't afford it yet."
Wang Dahu kept reading. "Bicycles available for immediate purchase, only fifty in stock."
Wang Xiaohu had wanted to ride a shared bike earlier, but someone else had snatched it before him.
"We can afford that!"
Wang Hu shook his head. "It's useless. Not as good as a car."
Wang Xiaohu didn't get it. "But when you don't feel like walking, a bike's helpful."
Wang Hu stubbornly refused to buy a bike.
"Electric blankets… just need batteries to warm your bed."
"Electric kettle… five coins; electric bikes, fifteen coins; unbreakable bowls, two coins…"
The flyer was packed with over fifty products across two full pages—none of which even mentioned glass.
The glass had become ordinary in Heilong City. They were far behind the times.
The Wang brothers drooped their heads. Once, they had personally met the Demon Queen and made the first-ever trade deal with the Black Dragon Clan.
Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west. Now they couldn't even catch up with the Black Dragon Clan.
On the way back to their inn, they ran into an elder from their tribe.
The Wang brothers quickly bowed.
The elder remembered them—mainly because their names were so easy to recall.
"Oh, it's you three. Didn't expect our Winged Tiger Clan's merchants to show up. Heading to check out the Black Dragon Tower?"
Truth be told, their team wasn't purely Winged Tiger Clan—they also had partners from the Qingluan and Xuanwu Clans.
Their companions had gone off to mingle with their kind and gather intel. Only the three of them were still empty-handed.
"We're planning to, but we don't know what to buy. Elder, do you have any recommendations?"
The elder immediately shook his head.
"Heilong City is amazing. If it were up to me, I'd want to buy everything."
Wang Hu forced a smile. "We were part of the first merchant caravan to visit the Black Dragon Clan—we owe our lives to Heilong City. But coming back now… we're no longer worthy."
The elder grew curious and asked for more details.
"You mean when you came before, the city only had glass?"
Wang Xiaohu jumped in. "There was also this unique food—just one serving could fill you up. The flavor changed every day."
Wang Hu added, "They had paper and pens too. But we didn't buy many."
The elder nodded. "Seems Heilong City's depths are unfathomable."
Back then, they had already rebuilt the city's houses and streets, and the locals were all well-fed and clothed.
And yet, the Black Dragon Clan had waited until spring to launch its expansion—clearly, fortune now favored them.
The elder offered, "Since we've talked this much, let's go explore Black Dragon Tower together and see what treasures they have."
A few younger demons whispered among themselves. These three looked like clueless bumpkins—probably broke too. Why was the elder helping them?