Chapter 47 - Hunting Class

T/N:

Heikou (Black Dragon Mouth)

Heicheng (Black Dragon City)

Censorate (Supervisory Court)

...

However, the Demon King's words made sense. After all, these were demon children, so they were naturally stronger than ordinary kids.

"Then how do you suggest we change it?"

In the end, the sports day and military training were combined into a hunting competition.

But it wasn't about hunting in the forest. Instead, a designated area was marked as the hunting ground, and several low-threat demon beasts were released into it.

"Are you sure nothing will go wrong?" Yin Jixue couldn't help but worry. These children had never seen demon beasts before, and now they were expected to fight them.

"Someday, I'll take you to see the outside world. You'll realize that the young of the Qingluan tribe are abandoned at birth. Whether they live or die depends entirely on luck, and only the survivors are taken back. By the age of five, they are sent out to survive on their own. As for the Winged Tiger tribe, if a child can't hunt by the age of eight, they are considered useless and lose the right to enter Winged Tiger City for life..."

Yin Jixue felt like she was hearing a real-life fable. Perhaps these stories became fables because they were based on real events.

She had indeed been living in the relatively lenient environment of Black Dragon City, and she had subconsciously wanted the children to grow up carefree.

Lou Zhao thought he had scared her and was about to comfort her by saying that the Xuanwu tribe was more protective of their young, as they struggled to reproduce and might only have one child in their lifetime.

Unexpectedly, Yin Jixue suddenly looked up: "I understand what you mean. The outside world is dangerous, and we need to ensure the children develop comprehensively so they won't be at a disadvantage when they venture out."

The words of comfort never had a chance to be spoken: "I'm glad you understand."

Demon children were indeed tough. When Yin Jixue arrived at the school, it was during recess.

She saw the children playing a game she remembered from her childhood, called "leapfrog."

One child bent over, and the others took turns jumping over them.

Many of the children had poor balance, and some fell headfirst into the ground while jumping. Before Yin Jixue could even call out, the children got up, dusted themselves off, and continued playing as if nothing had happened. There wasn't even a scratch on their head.

It seemed she had worried too much. Perhaps demon children really could run a marathon right after birth.

Yin Jixue wasn't very familiar with the resilience of demon children, so the hunting activity was largely out of her hands.

After informing the three teachers that the sports day had been changed to a hunting activity, the matter was handed over to the patrol team, and the event was renamed "Patrol Team and First Elementary School Joint Hunting Exercise."

Among the refugees at Black Dragon Mouth was a mother and daughter. The mother was the daughter-in-law of an elderly demon woman. Her mother had passed away, and her husband had also died of illness, leaving her separated from him by death.

She lived with her daughter and mother-in-law, and this time, they stayed in Black Dragon City.

Because she was quick and efficient, while staying in the dormitory, she took the initiative to clean every day or help Lina with cooking.

So when jobs were assigned, she and her mother-in-law were both assigned to work at the school. She was responsible for cooking in the school cafeteria and cleaning the classrooms, while her mother-in-law was in charge of overseeing the dormitory, cleaning the playground and hallways, airing out the children's rooms, and making sure they went to bed on time.

She had initially been worried that her daughter would be bullied at school. But when she arrived at the school, she saw her gentle daughter sitting on top of a little boy, punching him.

A group of children surrounded them, but no one stepped in to stop the fight.

Her name was Tuhua, and she quickly stepped forward to pull her daughter up: "How could you bully someone at school!"

Tuhua was both anxious and scared. She and her mother-in-law had worked hard to get these jobs. If they were kicked out because of her daughter's fighting, how would they survive outside Black Dragon City?

Her daughter was startled by her mother's sudden appearance: "Mom, I wasn't fighting..."

The students quickly chimed in to explain to Tuhua.

"Auntie, Xiaoye was hunting with Rou Rou. Rou Rou was playing the demon beast, and we all have to fight the demon beast!"

Tuhua, with tears streaming down her face, laughed and cried at the same time: "Good, good, as long as you're not causing trouble. Xiaoye, be good. Mom's going to cook."

Xiaoye watched in surprise as her mother walked away. Why had her mother stayed?

What made her even happier was that night, as she was about to sleep under her animal skin blanket, a rough hand suddenly appeared on her head.

Xiaoye had long memorized the feel of those hands. She whispered, "Grandma, are you in my dream?"

The old woman stroked her head: "Xiaoye, Grandma, and your mom are both working at the school now. You'll see Grandma every day from now on."

Xiaoye thought she was dreaming. She nodded obediently and closed her eyes. The old woman got up to check on the other children, making sure they were all asleep.

Yin Jixue was having breakfast when she heard about the hunting class misunderstanding. She put down her bowl and laughed: "We should probably publicize it more. Otherwise, parents might think their kids are getting beaten up at school."

Lou Zhao's face darkened. It had been his idea, and now it was being questioned by the parents.

Yin Jixue tried to soothe him: "Don't be upset. At least the kids love the hunting class. That means your decision was right!"

Lou Zhao: "My decisions are never wrong. They've never seen the cruelty of the outside world, so they're too lenient with their children."

Yin Jixue tried to reason with him: "Our demon population is small. It's good to improve the children's self-defense skills, but there's no need to imitate the Qingluan tribe."

She didn't care about other tribes. She didn't want Black Dragon City to become a cold, emotionless place. What would be the point of developing it then?

Her sense of accomplishment came from watching these suffering demons gradually live better lives. The more they smiled and the more satisfied they were, the more points she earned.

Of course, the last part could be omitted, but she didn't want to seek fame. She wasn't that noble—she just wanted to achieve a win-win situation within her capabilities.

Yin Jixue didn't see the demons of Black Dragon City as tools for completing tasks. That's why she didn't agree with imitating the child-rearing methods of the Qingluan or Winged Tiger tribes.

"I'm guessing the Qingluan and Winged Tiger tribes raise their children that way because they can't afford to do otherwise. Demons have long lifespans, and if the population grows too large, resources become scarce. So they have to let the strong survive and the weak perish. Is that it?"

Lou Zhao was surprised by how quickly she grasped the situation: "You're right. The Qingluan and Winged Tiger tribes live in mostly hot and humid regions with abundant food, so they reproduce frequently..."

Yin Jixue was speechless: "So they're just bored and have nothing better to do than make babies, but the tribe is practicing population control, so they secretly abandon a few and only take back the ones that survive?"

Lou Zhao thought her phrasing was odd, but it made sense.

"You could say that."

Yin Jixue stared straight at him: "The Qingluan tribe has so many demons. Our Black Dragon tribe probably doesn't even have as many as one of their cities. I agree with you about giving the children self-defense skills, but I refuse to let parents imitate their methods."

Lou Zhao felt misunderstood. He didn't even get a chance to defend himself: "You're being so harsh with me. I didn't even finish speaking."

Yin Jixue: "Is speaking firmly considered harsh?"

Lou Zhao: "Isn't it?"

In the end, Yin Jixue understood Lou Zhao's perspective.

Because an article was posted on the city's bulletin board, roughly stating: "Parents, do not hesitate to discipline your children when they misbehave. The more a child is disciplined, the tougher they'll become, and the less likely they'll be to get hurt in the future."

Although it was unclear which teacher had written the article (the handwriting was atrocious), the parents found it very convincing after reading it.

*Note: Domestic violence is not encouraged, but playful banter is fine.*