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)
....
The young Qingluan noble Qingyuan sat in a vegetable delivery truck headed for Black Dragon Pass.
Dressed in fine royal garments, he retained the elegance befitting a member of the imperial clan.
Surrounded by bundles of fresh vegetables, his face shone with the bliss of a peasant celebrating harvest season.
So what if his mother came to the city? She wouldn't be able to find him anyway.
He patted the large package beside him—a snack bag packed by the Black Dragon Queen herself. He was already looking forward to the amusement park.
Back at the royal palace, Yin Jixue's batch of celestial brew had finally matured enough to release its aroma.
It was said that celestial brew tasted better the longer it aged, though hers had only been fermenting for a week.
The moment she lifted the lid, a small head popped out from her arms.
The little tiger nearly dove into the barrel—fortunately, Yin Jixue reacted quickly and grabbed it by the scruff of its neck.
She tapped its nose. "You little rascal. You're just a cub—trying to sneak a drink already?"
Fengxiu chimed in from the side. "Young cubs of the Winged Tiger Tribe are allowed to drink alcohol."
The little tiger nodded furiously—yes yes, tiger cubs can drink!
Yin Jixue ruthlessly refused, pushing the fuzzy head away.
"In this household, no drinking until you're an adult."
The tiger cub froze, then collapsed to the floor, limbs splayed dramatically in a pose of tragic death.
Yin Jixue checked the brew again—no harm done—and scooped up the sulking cub.
"Too naughty. No fruit salad today."
That was too much for the little tiger to bear. It immediately stuck out its soft pink tongue to lick her hand in protest.
Yin Jixue turned to Fengxiu. "Have you noticed it's getting smarter?"
Fengxiu watched the cub curiously. It was licking its paw and staring up at her.
"It does seem... sharper. Not as dumb as before."
The little tiger swiped at her—Who's dumb?!
Yin Jixue lifted it for closer inspection. "It can understand us now."
When it had first arrived, it had done nothing but cling to her, eat until it passed out, and then sleep until it was hungry again. Every day, it just lay around. If its tiny chest hadn't been moving, she might've thought it had died in its sleep.
But the good news didn't stop there.
"You're saying that one of the students—Xiao Ye—has shown signs of atavism?"
The ones reporting this were Lianze and Gousheng, both temporarily appointed by the school to deliver the news to the palace.
Gousheng shouted, "Yes! Xiao Ye turned into a shiny black snake!"
Lianze, sounding like a little grown-up, corrected him, "Not a snake. A black flood dragon."
Fengxiu's eyes sparkled. "Your Highness, Xiao Ye might be of the same bloodline as me. May I go take a look?"
Yin Jixue rose to her feet. "Let's go see together."
On the way, Gousheng chattered nonstop. Yin Jixue listened, thinking what an amusing child he was.
They soon arrived at the school. Xiao Ye was now under special supervision, as this was the first recorded case of atavism in the city—and from an outland demon, no less.
In the otherwise empty classroom, a sleek two-meter-long black flood dragon swayed its tail. Its body was slender, but its movements were graceful—despite the constant tail swishing, none of the desks were knocked over.
Pressed against the classroom window outside were squashed little faces.
"Xiao Ye's real form is so pretty."
"I wish I could awaken my ancestral bloodline too…"
"Should we ask Xiao Ye how he did it?"
"Xiao Ye's always been awesome—first place in every hunting class."
"I want to touch his tail…"
"You perv! Only Xiao Ye's mate can touch his tail!"
"Then I'll marry Xiao Ye!!"
The children's voices rang out in chaotic glee.
"Xiao Ye has awakened. You haven't. You don't deserve him!"
A squabble broke out, and soon the kids were wrestling on the ground.
Meanwhile, Xiao Ye's mother and grandmother paced anxiously around the campus. They couldn't abandon their duties to check on him.
"Her Highness is here!"
Everyone quickly made their way. Fengxiu hurriedly opened the classroom door, and the little flood dragon inside raised its upper body, round eyes blinking curiously at her.
Yin Jixue stood outside, observing the phenomenon. It was her first time seeing a demon in their full beast form.
Xiao Ye's true body was indeed beautiful. Its black scales shimmered faintly, though they still looked soft. Its round little eyes were adorable, with two tiny horn buds on its head and a pair of whiskers near its mouth.
She hadn't seen the Demon King's real form yet either. So technically, unless he turned into a dragon, their relationship wasn't interspecies.
Not that she was against interspecies love or anything… but she preferred to let things happen naturally.
Fengxiu cradled Xiao Ye's head in her arms, and the little flood dragon lay obediently still.
A moment later, she emerged from the room.
"Your Highness, I believe we should bring Xiao Ye back to the palace."
Yin Jixue nodded. "Alright."
It was clear Fengxiu was very fond of Xiao Ye.
With the demon population in decline, pureblood lines were becoming increasingly rare.
For the Flood Dragon Clan, there were only two known purebloods—Fengxiu and Ruoshui. Now, with Xiao Ye showing signs of atavism, how could she not be excited?
With his grandmother and mother's consent, Xiao Ye was taken back to the palace.
After school, Yanye returned to the palace, face dark and sullen.
It was only then that he realized—there were other kids around the Queen. And they were rivals.
Now, with the addition of Xiao Ye and his ancestral powers, Yanye felt even more left behind.
Why couldn't he awaken some ancient bloodline?
Frustrated, buried under a pile of homework he didn't understand, surrounded by classmates who were literal children—how was he supposed to prove himself to the Queen?
"Ow!"
A high-pitched voice rang out. He'd just bumped into someone.
It was Lianze, zipping around on his scooter.
Lianze liked anyone who wanted to protect the Queen.
He got up, brushing the dust off his clothes. "Big bro, why do you look so unhappy?"
Yanye already saw Lianze as a rival and didn't want to talk. He glanced once and walked away.
But Lianze chased after him on his scooter.
"Big bro, why aren't you talking? Are you shy?"
Though Yanye was already around ten years old, he hadn't received formal education before and was now in preschool—the same class as Lianze.
"Shut up." Yanye's voice cracked with the raspy edge of puberty. He hated the sound of it—so ugly.
Lianze was confused. "Why do I need to shut up? The teacher says if you don't understand something, you should ask questions."
Thus the chatter continued to Yanye's room.
He shared a courtyard with Lianrui, Lianze's sister, so the palace maids could better take care of them.
Yanye stopped at his door. "Stop following me. You're so annoying."
Lianze's eyes turned red. He rolled away on his scooter, sniffling with grievance.
He found a quiet corner to hide and cry, not wanting the palace maids to see him.
Yanye tossed his pencil aside in irritation. He didn't even know how to sharpen it. What was the point of school?!
And that noisy brat—crying so loudly—it was driving him mad!
As a member of the Night Demon Clan, his kind had exceptionally sensitive hearing and sight due to the harsh environments they evolved in. Even whispers felt like shouting in his ears.
Agitated, he flung open the door and found Lianze crouched in a corner, drawing circles on the ground.
"Hey. Stop crying."
Lianze looked up with tear-filled eyes. "I wasn't even bothering you… why won't you let me cry?"
Yanye grabbed him by the collar and dragged him inside.
"Sharpen this pencil for me."
If he was going to be annoying, he might as well do something useful.