Heilong-kou (Black Dragon-Mouth/Pass)
Heilong-cheng (Black Dragon-City)
Heilong-yuan(Black Dragon Wall)
Heilong Bay (Black Dragon Bay)
Heilong Ridge (Black Dragon Ridge)
Censorate (Supervisory Court)
Yuling City (Jade City)
Jingui Town (Golden Turtle Town)
Xuanwu City (Black tortoise City)
Qinglong (Azure Dragron)
——
The child arrived one night—three months later—without warning.
Yin Jixue, drifting between sleep and wakefulness, suddenly felt a warm trickle and, half-asleep, thought her period had come.
Then she jolted awake.
Pregnant women don't get periods!
She sat up abruptly, only to feel something hard pressing near the top of her thigh.
Not daring to move recklessly, she slipped her hand under the covers—and pulled out her baby.
It was an egg—oval-shaped and no bigger than her palm. If someone didn't know better, they'd think it was just a goose egg. It would grow gradually over time.
The dragon egg wasn't the black color she'd imagined. Instead, it glowed faintly with a soft white hue, and its surface was slick with a layer of mucus.
She didn't have time to be grossed out. That mucus, she figured, was what had helped the egg slide out of her body so easily—without her even noticing. Not the slightest bit of discomfort.
Lou Zhao, meanwhile, had been roped into a midnight quest to fetch her some candied hawthorn after she'd whimsically craved it. But no sooner had he left than Yin Jixue had dozed off again.
The moment the Demon King sensed the child had been born, he tossed a black dragon coin onto the vendor's table and vanished on the spot, candy in hand.
The old man making the candy had poor eyesight. Just a regular human, he didn't even realize the customer had disappeared into thin air. He didn't recognize the dragon coin either—he thought it was some fancy ornament from a wealthy family.
He wrapped the coin in a peace charm and hung it around his grandson's neck. Years later, that boy grew up to be wildly successful, always seeming just a little luckier than most people.
—
Yin Jixue sat on the bed, staring at her egg child. Or perhaps more accurately, gazing blankly while the egg happily bounced around.
At just three months, it was already moving. It hopped up and down on the bed and adored her.
Lou Zhao returned in a whirlwind and immediately scooped Yin Jixue into his arms, eyes filled with worry.
"Are you hurt anywhere?"
Yin Jixue shook her head, still a little dazed. "He came out while I was sleeping. I didn't feel a thing."
Indeed, during her pregnancy, she hadn't experienced any of the typical symptoms. Even three months in, her belly showed no change. The only sign had been a slight moodiness and a tendency to order Lou Zhao around more than usual—which he didn't mind at all. He seemed to enjoy it.
In Lou Zhao's eyes, nothing in the world ranked higher than his wife. Even their child had to queue up for affection.
Sensing it was being ignored by its father, the egg child bounced even more enthusiastically on the bed, trying to grab attention.
The couple turned their eyes toward it.
"What's up with Eggie?" Yin Jixue asked.
Lou Zhao smiled. "Eggie? That's a good nickname. Maybe it wants a hug from you."
Yin Jixue blinked. Eggie? The name sounded way too much like "Egg Tart" or "Egg Puff"...
Before she could come up with something more dignified, her silly son launched himself a full meter into the air. Lou Zhao explained that it was a sign he was very, very happy.
"Eggie, are you sure you want to go with that name?" Yin Jixue asked, a little worried. "Don't blame me for it when you grow up."
Eggie cannonballed into her arms like a soft little missile. It didn't hurt at all—more like being bopped by a ping-pong ball.
Faced with such an adorable baby, Yin Jixue gave in. "Alright. Eggie it is—for now. That'll be your nickname. When you hatch, you can pick your real name yourself."
She and her son played together joyfully, while Lou Zhao stood behind them and asked in a faint voice, "Do you still want the candied hawthorn?"
Yin Jixue glanced back. "Not really. Let's save it for tomorrow. I don't want to have to brush my teeth again."
Then she turned right back to playing with her son.
Eggie seemed to love acting like a ping-pong ball, and Yin Jixue's hand had become his paddle. She batted him gently across the bed, laughing all the while.
Thankfully, they were on a big, soft bed. Dragon eggs were tough—fire couldn't burn them, and a bit of bouncing wouldn't crack the shell.
At first, Yin Jixue had felt a pang of guilt. But seeing how delighted her son was, she happily played along.