Heilong-kou (Black Dragon-Mouth/Pass)
Heilong-cheng (Black Dragon-City)
Heilong-yuan(Black Dragon Wall)
Heilong Bay (Black Dragon Bay)
Heilong Ridge (Black Dragon Ridge)
Censorate (Supervisory Court)
Yuling City (Jade City)
Jingui Town (Golden Turtle Town)
Xuanwu City (Black tortoise City)
Qinglong (Azure Dragron)
…
As eager as Lou Zhao had once been for the birth of his child, that was exactly how much he now disliked his kid.
Not that he didn't love the eggling—of course he did. But the little guy had none of the awe-inspiring presence Lou Zhao himself had when he was born. He seemed just as dumb as a baby tiger.
What made it worse was that this little green dragon couldn't even beat his dumber little white tiger of a brother. Every time he lost a scuffle, he'd come home teary-eyed to report it—looking so pitiful that Lou Zhao could hardly believe this was his child.
Yin Jixue's heart ached every time.
"Don't cry, Eggy, be good. Your big brother's just playing with you. But why did you bite his tail?"
Bai Baobao couldn't bear to hurt his brother. Even when they played "catch the mouse," he always let Eggy win. Not that he had much to worry about—Eggy didn't even have teeth yet, so his bites didn't hurt at all.
But somehow, Eggy loved it when he fought back. If Bai Baobao didn't resist, Eggy's eyes would instantly fill with tears and he'd go sobbing into their mother's arms.
Bai Baobao only ever wanted to pamper his little brother and saw his "bullying" as just fun and games. The imbalance in strength between them certainly contributed.
Back in the day, Bai Baobao wouldn't have stood a chance—dragon bloodline trumps all. But growing up in Black Dragon City and being nourished daily with Yin Jixue's divine brews had supercharged him. He now outpaced even his tiger-clan brothers and had become a contender for Crown Prince of the Tiger Clan.
Eggy, on the other hand, wasn't as powerful at birth as Lou Zhao had been, because he hadn't inherited the Demon King's powers directly—he was born naturally from the womb. While his genes guaranteed future greatness, his strength would only fully bloom in adulthood.
Still, compared to the average bloodline of other clans, Eggy's development was already incredibly fast—he had practically reached the finish line from the moment of birth.
Lou Zhao knew all this well. As a Demon King, he could live for millennia, enjoying health, vitality, and boundless longevity. Eggy simply had to absorb his inherited legacy slowly—he couldn't inherit powers directly from his father.
Even so, Lou Zhao couldn't help but feel his son lacked the proper manly bearing. A green dragon prince crying at the drop of a hat? That wasn't how a demon crown prince was supposed to act.
At 60 centimeters long, Eggy was a tiny creature who had to crane his neck just to look up at his parents if no one was holding him.
He tilted his head, big round eyes full of confusion: Why isn't Daddy picking me up?
Lou Zhao, a first-time father, wasn't immune to the pleading look in his son's eyes. But he reminded himself: This is the Black Dragon Clan! No Demon King ever cried as a kid—if word got out, what would people think?
He patted Eggy's little head. "You're still young, but I'll start teaching you how to inherit the Azure Dragon legacy."
Each age stage had its tailored inheritance training. Better to start early—maybe the training would toughen him up and reduce the crying.
But perhaps Eggy was still too young. He just stared at his father with wide, innocent eyes, clearly confused and not understanding what was happening. There wasn't even the slightest change in him.
After two full hours of training, the only result was Eggy going "Waaah waaah"—his little dragon feet hurt from standing too long.
Dragons had both fore and hind claws, and to mimic his father's posture, Eggy had tried standing on his hind legs. But with his limbs still underdeveloped, he quickly grew sore and tired.
Lou Zhao finally picked him up with a sigh.
"I tried, alright? If people make fun of you for being a crybaby when you grow up, don't blame your dad."
Eggy had no clue what he meant. He just blinked up at his father with shiny, dewy eyes—unaware of how ridiculously cute he was.
Lou Zhao was powerless in the face of that adorableness.
"Forget it. If anyone ever bullies you, I'll beat them up myself."
Yin Jixue happened to walk in just in time to hear his bold declaration.
"Is it appropriate for an adult to get involved in kids' squabbles?"
Lu Zhao's back stiffened—caught red-handed in his plan to bully elementary schoolers. He tried to defend himself.
"It's not like Eggy wants to cry—he's just too young to grasp the legacy right now. I'm his dad. I have to back him up."
Eggy stretched out his stubby front claws toward his mother. Yin Jixue scooped him up into her arms.
"Who'd dare bully your son? You've got their entire economic lifeline wrapped around your finger."
Lou Zhao wrapped an arm around Yin Jixue's slender waist, buttering her up.
"Only because I've got such an amazing queen. All credit goes to Eggy's mother."
As he said that, a smug satisfaction filled Lou Zhao's heart.
Ever since the other Demon Kings found out that all the prosperity of the Black Dragon Clan was thanks to Yin Jixue—and that she had even restored long-extinct plants and authentic celestial brews—they had been gnashing their teeth in envy.
The guy had hidden his treasure way too well. If not for a few scholarly elders snooping around, they'd never have realized that the Black Dragon City Botanical Garden contained demon flora that had supposedly gone extinct eons ago.
When they came to confront him, Lou Zhao and his queen conveniently vanished to go on a "world tour."
Everyone was certain it was a deliberate escape. Lou Zhao could teleport anywhere instantly—why pick now to travel? He was hiding the queen from them!
If it weren't for the fact that none of them could beat Lou Zhao in a fight, they would've kidnapped Yin Jixue and worshipped her in their clans long ago. Traveling meant camping, hardship, and discomfort. In their clans, she could've been a Demon King herself!
Then came news that Lou Zhao had a son and that the queen needed postpartum rest. The Demon Kings and their elders had to temporarily give up their plans—but they weren't done yet. They started offering astronomical prices for a property just outside Black Dragon City, hoping for a "chance encounter" with the queen.
Before long, real estate outside Black Dragon City became more expensive than within.
As for property inside the city?
What a joke. Local demonfolk flat-out refused to sell—and real estate transactions weren't allowed anyway.