Heikou (Black Dragon Mouth)
Heicheng (Black Dragon City)
Censorate (Supervisory Court)
Yuling City (Jade City)
Jingui Town (Golden Turtle Town)
...
After returning to the palace, Yin Jixue emptied the medical supplies. There weren't many, but they were enough to supply the two clinics in Black Dragon City.
She realized that items like measuring cups could be produced by the glass factory. After picking out a few different styles, she sent them to the glass factory. On a whim, she also sketched a pair of wine glasses and asked the factory to figure out how to make them.
She didn't distribute the medical supplies as rewards but instead allocated them as clinic provisions.
The deeds of Paji and Pa Rou Rou were posted on the bulletin board. This was the first time in the city that someone had been publicly praised for winning an award and saving a patient. Overnight, the father and son became famous.
Everyone, whether they knew them or not, now knew about the extraordinary father and son from outside the city. The son had taken second place in the school's hunting competition, and the father had saved the life of Litu, the hunting team captain, at the clinic outside the city. It was said that Litu had been on the brink of death, with half his body torn apart, yet he was miraculously saved.
Who wouldn't want to know such a skilled doctor? If they ever had an accident, maybe they could be saved too!
For the next two days, Paji's clinic outside the city was bustling with visitors. Most came under the guise of visiting Litu, but their real goal was to get to know Dr. Paji.
As for Litu, still unconscious, he became an adjective—a testament to Dr. Paji's exceptional medical skills.
On the day Yin Jixue returned to the palace, she ordered the glass factory to install glass windows in both clinics.
Paji was overwhelmed by the constant stream of rewards and the city demons who came to befriend him.
He knew the Queen's rewards were for his successful treatment of Litu, but why were these demons seeking him out?
From their conversations, he learned that his and his son's deeds had been posted on the city's bulletin board. Everyone knew about his heroic act of saving Litu, which was why they had come to meet him.
Paji was filled with mixed emotions. He was a timid demon who avoided trouble at all costs. The boldest thing he had ever done was admit he had some medical knowledge and send his son to school.
Despite this, he had never elevated his status to that of the city demons. He carried a deep-seated inferiority complex, believing that demons from outside the city were born to be looked down upon.
He ran his clinic with the modest hope that his son would learn enough to find work in the mines. He didn't aspire to be respected by the city demons; he just wanted to ensure his family had enough to eat.
In his heart, there was always a line separating him from the city demons.
What he feared most was the judgmental looks from those demons.
When he treated Litu, half of Litu's body had been reduced to shreds. In that moment, all thoughts of status and differences were pushed aside. All he saw was a life that needed saving.
He had imagined every possible outcome, but he never expected the Queen to publicize his deeds. Even more surprising was that none of the demons who visited his clinic treated him as an outsider.
They didn't care that he was a lowly demon from outside the city. They didn't react with shock or disgust at the horns on his forehead or his dark skin. They simply smiled and talked to him.
At that moment, the line Paji had drawn in his heart began to fade.
Yin Jixue looked out the window in surprise: "It's done already?"
The old demon had said he would inform her once he had some ideas, but in just two days, the mechanical spinning wheel was complete.
"Let's go take a look!" Yin Jixue threw on her cloak.
Feng Xiu quickly stopped her: "Your Majesty, the machine has already been delivered."
"Perfect, let's test it out."
Yin Jixue hurried to the front hall, where she met the workers delivering the spinning wheel.
Among them was Gou Sheng's mother, Wu Xiang.
Wu Xiang stepped forward: "Your Majesty, the Prophet sent me to guide you."
Yin Jixue nodded: "If I remember correctly, aren't you from the printing factory?"
"The Prophet needed extra hands, so I volunteered."
Wu Xiang was deeply grateful to the Queen. After news of her pregnancy spread, the Queen had granted her six months of maternity leave—three months before and three months after the birth—during which she received two sweet potatoes each month.
The Queen had even offered to find her a lighter job so she could care for her child while still earning food.
Now that the printing factory was running smoothly, Wu Xiang, as the supervisor, was often given time off by her colleagues, who knew she was pregnant. Her hours were still counted as work time.
Feeling restless, Wu Xiang had come to the palace to personally thank the Queen.
Yin Jixue gently supported her: "Don't bend over. Be careful with the baby."
Wu Xiang smiled: "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. Please follow me to the back mountain."
Behind the mountain was a small river with rushing water, said to originate from a waterfall upstream. The spinning wheel had been installed there.
Wu Xiang stepped forward and attached the final driving tool. The large waterwheel began to turn, setting both the working machine and the engine in motion.
The spinning wheel was complete! Now, they needed to process the long-haired rabbit fur as soon as possible.
Without machinery, every step had to be done by hand.
Yin Jixue was full of enthusiasm: "Feng Xiu, gather the palace maids for me. Wait, pick out the ten most dexterous ones."
Turning wool into clothing required spinning the fibers into yarn, and then weaving the yarn into fabric, which was called greige. Only then could garments be made.
The long-haired rabbit fur likely followed the same process.
Feng Xiu thought the Queen had important news to announce, but instead, she handed each maid a pile of rabbit fur.
"Their task is to clean the fur and spin it into yarn of consistent thickness."
Feng Xiu relayed the orders, and the palace was unusually lively that day.
By evening, the maids had finally produced the yarn.
Although they were skilled maids—after all, the palace didn't tolerate incompetence—their strength lay in their combat abilities, not delicate tasks like this. They found it far more tedious than hunting, though they kept these thoughts to themselves.
Yin Jixue inspected the yarn. While it wasn't perfect, it was more than sufficient for handmade work.
Tomorrow, they would weave it into fabric, and by the day after, they could have rabbit fur vests.
The next morning, Yin Jixue braved the -20°C temperature to visit the river, her face flushed from the cold.
The demon realm's rivers were more resilient than she was; they didn't freeze in winter. She, on the other hand, would freeze to death if she stayed outside too long.
Ruo Shui helped secure the yarn, and the loom began to operate.
Before this, Yin Jixue had never seen a loom and had no idea how weaving worked. But after a crash course the night before, she couldn't help but marvel at the ingenuity of the ancestors who invented it.
Ruo Shui, who initially didn't understand the purpose of the massive machine, gradually realized that the yarn was being transformed into a solid piece of fabric.
"Your Majesty, what is this? Is it the King's magic?"
Yin Jixue sighed inwardly: 'Silly girl, if your Demon King had such powerful magic, why would he wear the same clothes every day?'
Of course, she wouldn't say that out loud and crush Ruo Shui's spirits.
"This is a loom. We have them in the human world too. Silks and satins are made this way. This is a special version of the demon realm."
That's right! Even the tough rabbit fur could be woven into soft fabric. It was a special version!
Ruo Shui exclaimed in awe: "I never thought mortals could create something comparable to magic!"
Yin Jixue thought: 'This girl just hasn't seen enough of the world.'