Chapter 61 - My Dream is to Be a Bus Driver 

Heikou (Black Dragon Mouth)

Heicheng (Black Dragon City)

Censorate (Supervisory Court)

Yuling City (Jade City)

Jingui Town (Golden Turtle Town)

… 

When Yin Jixue was invited to inspect the progress, she never expected the road construction to be completed so quickly. 

She couldn't help but ask tentatively, "Do you all get enough rest every day?" 

The construction team unanimously assured her they did, but Yin Jixue suspected these people were working without sleep. 

She could only urge them earnestly, "Though Black Dragon City needs development, everyone must not rush recklessly. Our future progress still depends on everyone here, so you must rest when it's time to rest." 

Team Leader Ping'an hung his head in shame and confessed, "We wanted to connect the two cities as soon as possible. The brothers from Black Dragon Mouth said they were worried about their families, so we aimed to finish the task early. Your Highness, rest assured—we've implemented a shift system with day and night teams to ensure everyone gets enough rest." 

Yin Jixue: *Actually, it's not that urgent…* 

The Black Dragon Mouth city lord had brought back food supplies, so the demon citizens wouldn't starve for now. 

Though their intentions were good, she still had to reprimand them: "Next time, if you want to speed up progress, remember to submit a request to your superiors. Don't make decisions on your own." 

This was a matter of regulations. Since they were still in the early stages of development, it was the perfect time to refine the system. 

Above the two construction teams was a chief supervisor stationed at the Surveillance Bureau, responsible for handling all construction-related matters. Shift changes would be approved as long as they were reported. 

Team Leader Ping'an: "We understand." 

The road was now open, but unfortunately, the second bus hadn't been built yet. 

The old demon had insisted on taking an apprentice, so he refused to lift a finger himself. As a result, there wasn't even a glimpse of the bus frame yet. 

Thus, the bus driver became the first profession in the city without any days off. 

Well, the doctors at the medical clinics also had no days off. However since there were two clinics, they could take turns requesting leave. 

Fortunately, both doctors—one inside the city and one outside—were men, so there was no risk of them falling in love. Otherwise, if two doctors were in love but couldn't meet, they'd truly become like the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl. 

Recently, a new profession has become wildly popular in the city: the bus driver. Countless demon citizens were clamoring for the job. 

Unfortunately, bus drivers were selected from among the soldiers, so ordinary citizens had no chance to compete. 

Gousheng stood at the podium, loudly reading his essay aloud. Surprisingly, he had written an outstanding composition, and Teacher Nan Lü had asked him to present it to the class. 

*"My dream is to become a bus driver… Bus drivers can work on Saturdays and Sundays… But my father, who is a supervisor at the mine, can't even work on weekends… That's why my dream is to be a bus driver!"* 

He spoke with pride and excitement, his little face flushed red. This time, even Lian Rui's essay wasn't as good as his. He wondered if his speech would be recorded and broadcast on the city's screens. 

Lian Rui refused to look at Gousheng. She sat upright, hands folded neatly on her desk, her gaze fixed straight ahead. 

Gousheng had gone back on his word. Last year, he had promised that when they grew up, they would protect Her Majesty the Queen together—that was why she had befriended him. But now, after just one winter, he had changed his goal. She wouldn't be friends with someone who broke promises! 

Gousheng was confused. Why had his good friend Lian Rui stopped playing with him ever since his essay was praised by the teacher? 

When Yin Jixue received the news, she was stunned for a long moment before bursting into laughter. "Is that really what everyone in the city is saying? They all envy bus drivers?" 

Feng Xiu, smiling, replied, "Yes. They don't understand why weekends are necessary. Even though it's time off, they'd rather keep working." 

Yin Jixue was torn. The biggest concession she had made was implementing a 16-hour workday. If she took away their days off too, she'd truly be worse than a slave driver! 

The days off were non-negotiable. After thinking for a while, she said, "Here's what we'll do—spread a little 'unverified rumor.' Let them speculate: *If everyone wants to work on weekends, then we'll have to revert to the old four-hour work shifts.* That'll get them talking." 

*These adorable demon citizens are lucky they don't live in the modern world.* 

Yin Jixue shook her head and returned to planning the next phase of development. 

She had already finalized the systems for weights, measures, and currency, as well as the city's future development direction. All that was left was to discuss the material for Black Dragon Coin with the Demon King when he returned. It was time to start minting their currency. 

As for weights, measures, and currency, she had referenced history books. To help the citizens understand quickly, she planned to record an explanatory video to loop on the city's broadcast screens. 

The thought made her feel a little shy. 

Feng Xiu had the rumor spread discreetly. No one knew where it originated, but word got around that it was an "internal leak"—if they wanted to work weekends, they'd have to go back to four-hour shifts. 

The mathematically inclined citizens did the calculations: working seven days straight would only add up to 28 hours, whereas five days already totaled 40 hours. 

Opinions were divided, but in the end, the consensus was that working five days with two days off was better. 

Especially after someone mentioned a human laborer who had worked year-round without a single day off, coughing up blood from exhaustion before he could even marry, dying young. 

Though demons were much harder than humans, no one wanted to test whether a demon could also be worked to death. 

What if they were the unlucky ones, dying at the tender age of a hundred? That would be such a waste! 

Besides, as long as they lived long enough, there would always be more work. There was no need to rush. 

Once everyone came to this realization, no one brought up envying bus drivers again. 

The first trial run of the bus route from Black Dragon City to Black Dragon Mouth was about to begin. 

Of course, Yin Jixue had to experience it firsthand. 

This time, all four of her guardians accompanied her closely—it was her first long-distance trip since arriving in the demon realm. 

*Honestly, I'm a little excited!* 

But with all of Black Dragon City's strongest away, if they were ambushed now, it'd be a direct hit to their home base. 

"Is it really okay for all of you to leave?" *I'm not that weak, am I? Isn't Tengshe's strength second only to the Demon King? With him and Feng Xiu, shouldn't that be enough?* 

Gouchen: "Our duty is to protect you." 

Yin Jixue: 'So Black Dragon City is just expendable?' 

'Well, whatever. Probably no one would be bold enough to attack Black Dragon City—unless they had a death wish.' 

Technically, this road was an expressway. Since there was no chance of a second vehicle appearing, Yin Jixue told the driver to floor the "accelerator." 

*…I spoke too soon.* 

This was her first time experiencing a bus ride that felt like a high-speed chase. If Feng Xiu hadn't held her steady, the first one to go tumbling out would've been the Queen herself. 

'So embarrassing. Truly embarrassing.' 

Thankfully, Feng Xiu reacted quickly. Yin Jixue leaned into her embrace. 

Snuggling with a sweet, soft big sister like this… If I were a man, I'd marry someone as considerate and capable as Feng Xiu. 

Meanwhile, in maid Feng Xiu's eyes, their Queen was still too delicate. 'She needs more nurturing before she can handle long trips.' 

Mother-hen Feng Xiu made a mental note to scour the palace kitchens for nourishing ingredients to strengthen the Queen's constitution when they returned. 

After a bumpy, jolting ride—where Yin Jixue kept dozing off in Feng Xiu's arms only to be jostled awake repeatedly—she finally arrived at Black Dragon Mouth, utterly drained of energy. 

I was too naive. Next time, I'm not traveling unless it's by flying vehicle. 

The moment she stepped off the bus, Yin Jixue felt like a filter had been applied to her vision. The air ahead was hazy—not just ordinary fog, but filled with fine particulate matter. Probably called smog, if I remember correctly.