Heilong-kou (Black Dragon-Mouth/Pass)
Heilong-cheng (Black Dragon-City)
Censorate (Supervisory Court)
Yuling City (Jade City)
Jingui Town (Golden Turtle Town)
Xuanwu City (Black tortoise City)
Qinglong (Azure Dragron)
…
Yin Jixue squatted in front of a wine jar, mumbling to herself:
"The Immortal Brew will only show up on the last day of the event. Since we've already teased it, we have to reveal its true form, or it'll count as false advertising. By then, it'll have fermented for half a month—it should taste pretty good."
Should she have Lou Zhao taste it first?
She scooped a bottle's worth of Immortal Brew from the jar and sealed it up tight.
It didn't have much of a smell, and when she took a sip, it just tasted like water. But supposedly, all demons loved it.
She figured it was kinda like how humans couldn't resist soda or milk tea.
The system hadn't said it was a strong alcohol or anything, so it probably wouldn't make anyone drunk, right?
But Lou Zhao was currently working. If he got drunk again, he'd probably waste another whole day's worth of progress.
Cradling the bottle, she hopped into her vehicle. Halfway through the ride, a familiar little fuzzball jumped in after her—her chubby little white tiger cub. Those big round eyes locked onto the bottle, swirling with curiosity.
Yin Jixue gently pushed away its eager little head. "Nope. This isn't something for kids."
The little tiger widened its watery eyes and whimpered adorably:
"Awooo~ Awooo~"
"Not gonna work, mister. I've learned my lesson. You little liar."
Most of the fruit wine Li Na sent to the palace ended up in this cub's belly. Every chance it got, it would wrap itself around a bottle and chug like there was no tomorrow. And afterward? It would lie flat, belly bloated like a balloon, totally motionless.
Every time, Yin Jixue would worry the poor thing was about to explode.
Today, no matter how cute it acted, she wasn't giving in. So the tiger flopped onto its back in her lap, belly up, tongue out—playing dead.
Yin Jixue poked its tummy.
The cub twitched but didn't budge, still lying there like a corpse.
Hmph! If I don't get any booze today, I'm not moving!
Yin Jixue slammed on the gas, and the cub panicked—scrambling upright and clinging to her for dear life.
Scared me to death, woman!
She drove straight to the machinery factory, where Lou Zhao was intently focused on a mechanical part, not noticing her arrival.
She poked her head in through the door.
"Any progress?"
Lou Zhao looked pitiful. "Nope. Still stuck. I need a hug to fix it."
Yin Jixue gave him a sly grin. "I brought you something delicious. Want to try?"
Lou Zhao immediately spotted the plump little tiger at her feet and looked like he might cry.
"Why is that thing here? Doesn't it have a show to perform?"
Yin Jixue walked in casually. "It's the intermission. The little guy's been performing all morning."
Outside, workers kept passing by—hoping for a glimpse of their Queen.
Lou Zhao waved his hand, and the door automatically shut, blocking all the curious eyes outside… and kicking the tiger cub out too.
Workers who'd rushed over just to see the Queen: …
The Demon King is so stingy.
Yin Jixue uncorked the bottle. Lou Zhao leaned in instantly.
"Mmm… what's that smell?"
Yin Jixue sniffed. "What smell?"
Lou Zhao nodded eagerly. "It smells amazing—I really wanna drink it."
If he had a tail, it would be wagging by now.
The Immortal Brew was a catnip for demons.
Yin Jixue shrugged. "It's something I brewed myself. Weird, I really can't smell anything."
She figured the ingredients were probably one of the system's secret touches.
After all, she was just a regular human—being able to survive in the demon world without issue was already odd enough. But no one ever questioned it aloud.
She found the custom couple's cup she'd made for Lou Zhao and poured it full.
"Come on, try it! It's the grand finale item of our Gourmet Festival."
Lou Zhao guzzled it greedily, muttering between gulps, "Don't make it the finale."
He wanted to keep it all to himself—not let the other demons find out.
Meanwhile, outside the door, the little tiger was clawing at the wood, wailing like its soul was being torn apart.
Let me in! Let me in! I want some too! It smells so good!
Yin Jixue finally realized the poor cub had been left outside. She tried to open the door, but Lou Zhao stopped her.
Very seriously, he said, "The White Tiger bloodline is especially vulnerable to Immortal Brew. It gets addicted easily. Let me drink it for him."
Oh wow. So the cub can't handle it… but you can?
She didn't call him out. This was her man, after all—of course, she'd spoil him.
One bottle quickly vanished. Lou Zhao clung to her, refusing to let her leave.
"More."
Yin Jixue pushed his head away. "No more!"
"But I want more."
He hugged her like a child, resting his head on her shoulder—suffocating her with affection.
She sighed in defeat. "Okay, fine. Just one more bottle. But that's it!"
There were only a few bottles in total, and the ingredients were all from the system. She'd need to find more before she could afford to waste them.
"…And I want a kiss."
Yin Jixue squinted suspiciously.
So that's what you were after from the start, huh?
She cupped his face and planted a soft kiss on his cheek. "Happy now?"
Before she could pull away, Lou Zhao scooped her into his arms and gave her a real kiss.
Worried she'd strain her neck, he gently lifted her onto the table and let her sit there while they kissed.
Yin Jixue wrapped her arms around his neck, happily playing along.
Kissing while sober… huh? Not bad at all.
She might have to make this a regular thing.
When they finally emerged from the room, Lou Zhao was carrying her in a full princess carry.
It wasn't what it looked like. Nothing "happened" inside—they'd just been kissing for so long that she got lightheaded.
Lou Zhao frowned. "Even though we're sharing lifespans now, how are you still so fragile?"
Yin Jixue playfully thumped his chest—not hard, just teasing.
"I'm not fragile! If you weren't around, I could wrestle a bull to the ground."
Lou Zhao nodded halfheartedly. "Mm, yep. Believe you."
Yin Jixue puffed out her cheeks. "You're humoring me!"
Lou Zhao looked innocent. "I'm being honest. I do believe you."
Ugh. So annoying.
This is why men shouldn't be educated—they should just stay home and raise kids.
He set her down beside the car. "Your car looks great. Meanwhile, the one I got only has two wheels."
Yin Jixue felt a little guilty. She had forgotten to get Lou Zhao a car.
But he always showed up out of nowhere like magic—did he even need one?
"I mean… you are the Demon King. You can fly. What do you need a car for?"
Meanwhile, the little tiger had licked the last drops of Immortal Brew from the empty bottle and was frantically chasing after them.
Wait for me! Don't leave without your favorite child!
It leaped into the car just as the engine roared to life.
Phew!
It had almost missed its ride.
Yin Jixue realized she'd forgotten the cub again.
"Sorry, little guy. I left you behind again. I'll make it up to you with a tiny cup of Immortal Brew later, okay?"
The cub purred and rolled around in her lap—it loved its lovely, food-providing mom!
Lou Zhao, however, was leaking dark energy.
"All of that was mine."
Yin Jixue tried to soothe him. "It's all yours. You can drink as much as you want later. Little cub's still a kid—what if it suddenly grows up from one sip?"
Lou Zhao made up his mind right then:
When we get home, I'm hiding all the wine jars.
This little tiger was way too crafty.