Chapter 2 -  The State of the Demon Clan

Accompanied by her two attendants, Yin Jixue stepped onto the streets of the demon capital.

Ruoshui explained, "There are strict rules in the capital—combat is forbidden. The Demon King has assigned two hidden guards to protect you from the shadows."

Yin Jixue nodded. "Tell me about your capital."

Fengxiu proudly began, "Our Black Dragon Clan's capital is the largest and wealthiest city in the entire demon clan, ruled under the command of our king. This is where he was born. Countless lesser demons wish to join Black Dragon City, but very few are worthy."

If Yin Jixue hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she might have believed Fengxiu's words about the city's wealth.

The so-called wealth was only relative—compared to even poorer places, Black Dragon City merely seemed prosperous.

In reality, this so-called capital wasn't even as lively as a small town in the Yin Dynasty. There were barely any shops along the way.

Yin Jixue changed her approach, determined to understand the situation better.

"How big is the demon clan?"

Fengxiu's chest swelled with pride. "The demon clan rules the entire Cangqiong Continent. There are four demon kings in total, and our king is the strongest. When the other demon kings see him, they tuck their tails between their legs."

"Each demon king governs five major cities. The capital represents the demon king's authority, and fighting within it is considered a grave insult—anyone caught is executed on the spot."

Curious, Yin Jixue asked, "So… compared to the other three demon capitals, how does ours rank?"

Fengxiu's expression stiffened.

"Our king… is not skilled at managing resources," she admitted reluctantly. "Black Dragon City… ranks fourth."

"The Xuanwu Clan excels in trade and is the wealthiest; the Qingluan Clan controls birds that weave silk as thin as cicada wings, producing fabric that is one-of-a-kind; the Yihu Clan resides in fertile plains and forests, never worrying about food—they even have well-fed spirit beasts."

She clenched her fists in frustration. "If it weren't for our remote, mountainous location, where neither farming nor trade can thrive, the Black Dragon Clan wouldn't be at the bottom!"

Yin Jixue's lips twitched.

Even their "wealth" was only measured against each other.

The other three demon kings had their strengths. Meanwhile, Black Dragon City was barely surviving.

This was bad.

"What kind of food do you eat here?" she asked, already considering ways to improve the situation. She didn't want to starve in the demon clan.

No wonder the Demon King had said she needed to survive two years. This was starting in 'hard mode'—they were struggling to eat.

Ruoshui answered, "Those of us who live in the capital typically consume food infused with demonic energy and meat. As for the lower demons… they eat anything."

Her tone turned disgusted at the mention of lower demons.

Yin Jixue's curiosity was piqued.

"Are demons divided into classes?"

Ruoshui explained, "Yes. The more beautiful a demon is, the stronger its power. The average demons you see in the capital are just common demon citizens. The ones who don't even look remotely human… we call them lower demons."

"Do they have intelligence?"

Ruoshui replied, "They can take care of themselves, but they're hideous to look at. If you saw them, you'd be terrified. Their only value is their absolute loyalty to our king. But they are forbidden from entering the capital—we can't let them disgust visiting merchants."

Yin Jixue quickly grasped the situation.

Lower demons were ugly but self-sufficient, resilient, and loyal.

That was more than enough.

No wonder the Demon King had said the capital's citizens would follow her orders—they were all appearance-obsessed!

At that moment, her arm began to warm—the system was issuing a task.

She turned away, discreetly pulling up the system interface.

Ruoshui and Fengxiu didn't notice anything.

[Task: Collect 100 Faith Points.]

[Reward: 500 lbs of 'Sweet Yam'—a once-extinct fruit highly favored by demons.]

[Item Description: A long-extinct delicacy, highly nutritious, drought-resistant, easy to grow, and endlessly renewable after harvesting.]

She knew her system wouldn't let her down.

She and the system had been partners for a long time. As she completed more tasks, she unlocked new features, including a chat function.

She suspected that the system's capabilities were limited by energy—right now, all it could do was issue quests and distribute rewards.

Back in her past life, when the system had become more advanced, it had been her only conversation partner. Unfortunately, the final mission had been impossible.

But now, the system had brought her to a new world—a chance to start over.

Yin Jixue noticed her progress bar already displayed 4/100.

It seemed that whenever someone had positive feelings toward her, the points increased.

And positive feelings didn't just mean love.

Even if someone simply admired her beauty, it counted.

She had absolute confidence in her looks.

With her innocent, harmless face, she had personally eliminated many who underestimated her.

After wandering through the marketplace for a while, she easily collected enough Faith Points—most of them from female demons.

This surprised her.

She noticed that many demon women ran market stalls and shops, and no one seemed to find it unusual.

Intrigued, she asked Fengxiu about it.

Fengxiu explained, "In the demon clan, strength is everything. There is no gender discrimination. If a demon woman is stronger than her husband, she can work and provide for the family."

Yin Jixue nodded. This was good.

Back in the Yin Dynasty, the empress had constantly lectured her about "a woman's duty to obey her husband."

Yin Jixue had no intention of being trapped in that kind of life again.

The demon clan's values suited her perfectly.

She had bet on the right choice.

Ruoshui added, "The Qingluan Clan is ruled by a female Demon King, and their entire society is matriarchal."

Yin Jixue raised an eyebrow. "Sounds interesting."

Ruoshui hesitated before blurting out, "But the Qingluan Demon Queen has a habit of teasing young women. Your Majesty, you must never be alone with her!"

Yin Jixue smirked. "I'm not afraid."

She had just flirted with the Demon King last night.

But before thinking about queens, she needed to check out the lower demons' living conditions.

Despite Fengxiu and Ruoshui's protests, they had no choice but to obey her.

Fengxiu sighed, "Your Majesty, for your safety, Tengshe and Goucheng must accompany you."

Two shadow guards emerged ten meters behind her, clad in black combat attire, their faces stern, swords strapped to their backs.

Yin Jixue raised an eyebrow.

The Demon Queen only needed four guards?

Back in the Yin Dynasty, even a minor royal's entourage had hundreds.

Sensing her doubt, Fengxiu quickly explained, "Your Majesty, Tengshe, and Goucheng are second only to the Demon King in strength. No one in the demon clan dares challenge our king."

The Black Dragon Clan was poor, so the Demon King always traveled alone to challenge enemies.

For the Demon Queen to have four elite guards was already a luxury.

Yin Jixue smiled and clarified her curiosity to avoid misunderstandings.

Fengxiu and Ruoshui were shocked—the Queen was kind enough to explain herself?!

The difference between the inner city and the outer regions was stark—it was like stepping into another world.

Inside the city, the roads were paved with blue stone slabs—though uneven, they were at least walkable.

Outside the city, however, there were no real roads—only burnt black soil, a terrain completely unfit for farming.

Yin Jixue observed the huts with straw roofs and suddenly recalled the cave dwellings she had seen along the way.

"Are the caves also homes for the lower demons?" she asked.

Ruoshui nodded. "Yes, but we don't know much about their lives."

The path wasn't impossible to walk, but the surroundings were shocking.

What truly unsettled her was that all the wild grass along the road had been uprooted.

No one was maintaining the land.

These plants had been pulled out and eaten.

Sure enough, when they reached an area with actual trees, the bark had been completely stripped, and the leaves were gone.

The people here were starving.

This needed to be fixed—immediately.

Yin Jixue turned back. "Let's go. We'll return tomorrow."

She had seen enough—if even those living in wooden huts were starving, then the cave dwellers must have it even worse.

Fengxiu hesitated before explaining, "Your Majesty, the lower demons are only this poor because they can't enter the city to find work."

She knew it sounded unbelievable, but after spending the day with the Queen, she genuinely liked her and worried she wouldn't be able to endure the demon clan's poverty.

Yin Jixue smiled slightly. "That's exactly why I need to find a way to ensure they have food and a means to survive."

She didn't care what the demon clan was like before—now that she was here, she would rebuild Black Dragon City.

Not just for them—but for herself.

This would be her home for the next two years. If she didn't prove her abilities, she would just be a pretty decoration standing beside the Demon King.

At the end of the day, she still had a modern mindset—she refused to be dependent on anyone.

Her fate would be hers to control.

She would rather struggle and fight than cling to someone else like a parasite.

The Demon King belonged to her.

With the system on her side, she would turn Black Dragon City into the greatest city on the continent—until even the Demon King himself had no choice but to admire her.

Yin Jixue returned to the palace, bathed, and retired to her chambers.

The Demon King hadn't come back.

According to Fengxiu, this was normal—he rarely stayed in the palace.

He preferred fighting, and managing the other cities and often disappeared for months.

Yin Jixue sighed in relief.

At least he wasn't off having romantic affairs.

She had already subtly asked around—the Demon King had never shown favoritism to any female demons.

There was only her in the palace.

Aside from the palace attendants, there were no other women.

Since he had already acknowledged her status, she decided to trust him for now.

Besides, just thinking about his face gave her endless motivation.

Snuggling into her blankets, she peeked out with sparkling eyes.

Opening her system interface, she found the built-in map function—which automatically recorded locations she had visited within a 500-kilometer radius.

That was why she had gone outside today.

The Demon King wasn't restricting her out of cruelty—he didn't want her wandering alone in dangerous areas.

As long as she didn't recklessly venture too far, the outer city wasn't an immediate threat.

Yin Jixue wasn't just a princess—she was educated.

She still remembered her geography lessons—areas with lots of mountains usually had abundant mineral resources.

"There should be plenty of ore, but which ones are valuable to the demon clan?" she murmured.

"I'll ask Fengxiu tomorrow."

Satisfied, she pulled the blankets tighter around herself.

Sleep first. Plan later.

The palace had strong security, and the Demon King had placed protective wards—she had nothing to fear.

At sunrise, Fengxiu arrived to assist her with dressing.

Yin Jixue casually instructed, "Just do a simple bun today—I'm going out again."

Fengxiu hesitated. "Your Majesty… about yesterday… Ruoshui wasn't trying to be cruel—she just spoke carelessly."

She seemed nervous, as if afraid the Queen had taken offense.

"She doesn't hate the lower demons," Fengxiu continued. "But their appearance is so repulsive that outsiders judge us for it."

Yin Jixue's lips curled into a confident smile.

"I wasn't offended," she said calmly. "Because one day, the lower demons will change the way people see them."

Then, she glanced at Ruoshui and added, "And Ruoshui, prejudice is just a shackle others place on you. If you're strong enough, those same people won't dare to look down on you."

Ruoshui frowned, puzzled. "But… our king is already the strongest."

Yin Jixue smiled knowingly.

"Ruoshui, let me ask you—in the Yin Dynasty, who holds a higher status, the Emperor or a General undefeated in battle?"

Ruoshui immediately answered, "The Emperor, of course."

Yin Jixue nodded.

"Then why do dynasties fall when the Emperor is incompetent and mistreats loyal officials?"

Back in the Yin Dynasty, saying something like this would have been treason—even if she was a princess.

But this wasn't the Yin Dynasty—they had no power over her here.

She continued, "A truly powerful king isn't just personally strong—his kingdom must be strong, too."

"That's why no one dares to offend the Xuanwu Clan."

Fengxiu and Ruoshui had spent their whole lives in the palace, handling daily affairs, and had barely seen the Demon King himself.

Her words shattered their worldview.

To them, the Demon King was invincible—nothing could surpass his power.

Seeing Fengxiu's dazed expression, Yin Jixue wasn't upset—this was normal.

She reassured them, "It's okay if you don't understand yet—you'll have plenty of time to think it over."

"One day, when the Black Dragon Clan becomes as powerful as the Xuanwu Clan, the lower demons will no longer be mocked. Instead, people will seek their favor."

Fengxiu gasped, covering her mouth in shock.

"T-That's impossible…!"

Yin Jixue stood up, admiring herself in the mirror.

Her hairstyle was simple and neat—perfect.

She turned back, flashing a dazzling smile.

"Fengxiu, there's no such thing as 'impossible.'"