Chapter 41 - Go Find a Factory Job

T/N:

Heikou (Black Dragon Mouth)

Heicheng (Black Dragon City)

Censorate (Supervisory Court)

...

The two of them locked eyes and Yin Jixue noticed that the Demon King looked even more striking in daylight. The indoor night pearls seemed to dull his appearance instead.

This divine level of beauty was simply unfair. Her youthful heart couldn't be restrained, leaping and bounding at the sight of him, as if it wanted to jump out of her chest. She just wanted to appreciate the Demon King's beauty innocently—she wasn't some perverted old creep!

The Demon King stared at her without speaking, so Yin Jixue had to take the initiative to break the ice: "What a coincidence."

Zhong Shang took the opportunity to excuse himself, while Ruo Shui glanced at the Demon King. His gaze remained fixed on the Queen, making his intentions clear.

In the end, it was the Queen who saved her: "You can go back first."

Ruo Shui left with the others, leaving only the two of them standing there.

Yin Jixue silently complained to herself. If no one spoke soon, the situation would become awkward.

Fine, she'd do it. What a taciturn guy!

"You said you had something to talk about. Now that there's no one else, shall we talk?" she asked.

Lou Zhao coldly replied, "They sure listen to you."

What did that mean? 

The comment sounded oddly sour. If she were to overthink it, she might assume the Demon King was jealous.

She couldn't figure out what was wrong with him: "Even if they listen to me, they're still your subordinates. Didn't you order them to obey my commands?"

Lou Zhao was left speechless. While that was true, he couldn't help but feel that his subordinates seemed to prefer his little wife, which irked him.

"Let's talk business first. I happen to have a lot of questions that need your explanation," he said, forcefully changing the subject.

Yin Jixue didn't push the argument further. There was no point in provoking him.

"If you're asking where the things came from, I can only tell you they're part of my dowry," she said, her tone making it clear that he could take it or leave it. That was her story, and she was sticking to it.

Lou Zhao felt a headache coming on: "Can't you at least try to make it convincing?" At least come up with a few more lines.

Yin Jixue was baffled: "It's just you and me here. Who am I putting on an act for?" Wouldn't it be better if they both just spoke plainly?

She didn't see herself as an outsider.

This left Lou Zhao feeling helpless: "Then what can you tell me?"

Yin Jixue seemed to be reminiscing: "I want to live, and I want to live as I please." She wasn't entirely lying. The oppression of women in ancient times was brutal.

Lou Zhao was puzzled. As far as he knew, a human princess had a high status. Even without marrying him, she could have lived comfortably.

Yin Jixue guessed what he was thinking and smiled nonchalantly: "Do you think if I tried to reform a city like this in the human realm, I'd survive?"

To be honest, Lou Zhao wasn't sure. If Yin Jixue were a man, she could have easily used her talents to establish herself as a ruler.

But she was a woman. Unless she had the strength of the Qingluan Clan's leader, even if she developed her city, she wouldn't be able to protect it.

As the strongest demon, marrying him provided her with a layer of security.

But Lou Zhao didn't understand: "How did you know I wouldn't harm you?"

"That's a secret," Yin Jixue said, placing a finger on her lips and teasing him.

She would never admit that she had used the system to draw lots to choose the Black Dragon Clan and that she had even cheated the draw, essentially letting the system recommend her. At the time, the Black Dragon Clan's envoy was in the human realm, so she had deliberately spread the word.

Of course, she had done her research. Demons rarely killed humans unless it was for retribution. The Black Dragon Clan, despite their poverty, had never plundered the human realm, which gave her a favorable impression of them. And the most crucial point—demons practiced monogamy.

These were all secrets she kept in her heart. Unless the day came when she revealed her reincarnated identity to the Demon King, she would never bring them up.

And that day was still far off.

Lou Zhao was both amused and exasperated. She refused to say anything, yet she claimed she wanted to talk.

"What do you want me to do?" he could only ask in return.

Yin Jixue thought seriously for a moment: "Don't cause trouble, don't die, and just be a mascot."

As long as Lou Zhao maintained his title as the strongest demon, the Black Dragon Clan would remain safe.

Lou Zhao: ...

She had the guts to say that!

"Woman, do you even understand how powerful I am?"

Yin Jixue was so put off by his choice of words that she looked up at his face to cleanse her mind of the cringe.

Lou Zhao felt uncomfortable under her gaze: "Is there something on my face?"

"Nothing, I just wanted to see how strong you are."

Lou Zhao felt like this little wife of his was here to torment him. She wanted to see how strong he was, yet she was staring at his face. What did that even mean?

He took a deep breath: "Little bean sprout, I'm the Demon King of the Black Dragon Clan. My strength isn't written on my face."

Yin Jixue absentmindedly perfunctory: "Yeah, yeah, you're right."

Lou Zhao suddenly had a mischievous idea. He wanted to scare Yin Jixue and see her frightened expression.

He grabbed her shoulders and suddenly took off into the air.

Yin Jixue was startled, then clung tightly to Lou Zhao, afraid of falling.

She buried her face in his shoulder, thinking that if he dared to let go, she'd tear a chunk of flesh off him.

"Are you crazy? Put me down!" Her voice trembled. Someone who had never even been on a plane suddenly being taken into the sky—even the toughest girl would cry.

Lou Zhao laughed heartily, flying even higher with Yin Jixue in his arms. She trembled in fear, her head buried in his shoulder, which satisfied him immensely.

Lou Zhao hovered above a mountain peak: "Look, it's just trees below. Not scary."

Yin Jixue refused: "Put me down!"

Lou Zhao mimicked bungee jumping, moving up and down abruptly. Yin Jixue resisted to no avail, not daring to struggle too much for fear of destabilizing Lou Zhao.

She opened her eyes with a sense of fatalism, determined to at least know where she'd die.

Huh? Wait, she didn't seem to have a fear of heights?

Yin Jixue peeked out again, looking over Lou Zhao's shoulder at the scenery behind him. Lou Zhao flew steadily, and aside from worrying about his stamina giving out and dropping her, she realized she wasn't afraid of heights.

Though she still felt a bit unsure, she began to feel the same thrill as when she'd floored the gas pedal while driving.

In her previous life, Yin Jixue hadn't been old enough to get a driver's license. She'd only learned to drive out of necessity when the apocalypse hit. Speeding across desolate plains, crashing through zombies blocking the road—her terrible driving skills had gone unseen.

"Fly higher, let's try it. I want to see the panoramic view of Black Dragon City," she even took the initiative, asking Lou Zhao to go higher.

Lou Zhao almost choked. He had wanted to scare her, but now he'd become her chauffeur.

This little girl had quite the nerve.

Unable to scare her, the game lost its appeal. After flying for a while, he brought her back down.

Yin Jixue was still somewhat reluctant: "Do you think I could fly if I installed mechanical wings?" It sounded so cool.

Lou Zhao didn't want to talk to her. The Demon King was feeling defeated.

He mimicked her perfunctory tone: "Yeah, yeah, you're right."

This city couldn't contain him anymore. Maybe he should go hunting. He hadn't brought back any demon beasts this year.

He usually hunted for the other cities first before returning. Large demon beasts were hard to find and incredibly cunning. It always took a long time to track them down, though the actual fight was quick—one punch per beast.

Yin Jixue watched him leave, dejected: "Where are you going?"

"Hunting," Lou Zhao waved without turning back, almost shrinking the distance with each step.

Yin Jixue shouted after him: "But the city already has meat. We don't need more food this year."

Lou Zhao paused, then suddenly reappeared in front of Yin Jixue: "You've already done everything I was supposed to do. Why don't you just take my position!"

Though it sounded like a joke, there was a hint of seriousness in his tone, and he seemed genuinely aggrieved.

Why was he acting so wronged? Didn't he know she couldn't refuse him with that face of his?

Yin Jixue tentatively suggested: "How about you go find a factory job? I can pull some strings for you."

The city only had paper, printing, and glass factories—all technical jobs the Demon King might not be suited for.

But he was strong. Mining might work. It was perfect for a restless Demon King with too much time on his hands.

Yin Jixue: Go find a factory job. I've got the connections ready. No salary, two meals a day, and lodging provided. Twelve-hour shifts, no holidays to trouble demons, fully demonic management.