RIIDMDR chapter 138

After hearing that, Nan Xu was silent for a long time. He suddenly understood why, on that ordinary afternoon, he had felt an overwhelming impulse to confront a past completely foreign to him and accept an identity he had never imagined.

Even if his memories were erased, when faced with his former close friend and the sorrow he had carried for years, the invisible connection in his heart would still make him respond without hesitation.

After those words, neither of them spoke again. Nan Xu didn’t think to change the uncomfortable topic of conversation. The moonlight faintly illuminated the path beneath their feet. A cool evening breeze brushed past them. After walking for an unknown amount of time, Nan Xu suddenly felt a chill and shivered slightly. Instinctively, he reached out to hold Tingchuan’s hand. The warmth in his palm gave him some comfort.

“If the demon realm continues like this, spiritual energy will eventually be exhausted, and all demons will face the same ending. But I don’t think it should be this way,” Nan Xu said.

Tingchuan turned his head to look at him. Nan Xu pressed his lips together, thinking for a moment, then continued, “Perhaps the self-destruction of those near-divine great demons angered the Heavenly Dao, leading to punishment. But three thousand years have passed, and those involved are long gone. The Heavenly Dao wouldn’t leave no trace of hope; otherwise, it would be far too unfair to the demon realm.”

“But who can say for sure that the Heavenly Dao has ever been fair?” Tingchuan countered.

Nan Xu shook his head. “I don’t know. But my intuition tells me otherwise. You’re right, though. Perhaps I’m imagining something too beautiful.”

Upon hearing this, Tingchuan didn’t rush to reply. “Actually, Bai Feng, the ancestor of the bird tribe, once told me something similar. She said that if the Heavenly Dao truly wanted to wipe us out, it wouldn’t have allowed us to survive for the past three thousand years. And…”

“And what?” Nan Xu asked.

Tingchuan looked deeply at him before answering.
“When the Heavenly Cave was sealed and those days and nights of darkness came, no one knew what had happened. That uncertainty might be our only hope for survival—only those who were there would know.”

Nan Xu thought that if Yao Lin’s version of the story was true, then perhaps he himself was the only one who could know.

Unfortunately, those memories still couldn’t be retrieved.

…

The next morning, Nan Xu was peeling bamboo shoots he had dug up the previous day in the courtyard when Dan Yin came over with a troubled face. Seeing him, Nan Xu asked, “Why are you up so early today?”

Dan Yin glanced toward the main hall. “Last night, I knocked on Zhixing’s door, but he ignored me. I think he’s really upset, so I figured I’d get up early today. He can’t go without eating forever, right?”

Last night, Zhixing had locked himself in his room and skipped dinner, which was unusual for him. Worried, Nan Xu knocked and went inside. The room, which usually smelled of herbs, now carried a faint stench—likely thanks to Dan Yin accidentally spilling some medicinal liquid earlier that day. Zhixing’s room had been specially arranged. Yi Shui had built a wall of cabinets for him, each with neatly arranged drawers labeled with herbs. The room looked like an apothecary.

A small medicine stove sat by the window, its fire still burning. Zhixing stood before his desk, fully focused on his work. As Nan Xu approached, Zhixing smelled the unpleasant odor again. Perhaps the medicine hadn’t been refined properly, or maybe it had been modified, but the stench was milder now. Dan Yin’s reaction yesterday had clearly wounded Zhixing’s pride as a naturally gifted physician.

He looked a little tired but smiled at Nan Xu. “Owner, I need to watch the fire in the stove, so I’ll skip dinner tonight.”

“Mm. I’ve got soup simmering on the small stove. You can have some later,” Nan Xu said, nodding and looking at the herbs in Zhixing’s hands. He asked curiously, “Is this custom-made for Dan Yin? Is it all made from herbs?”

Zhixing looked confused but replied, “Of course.”

Nan Xu: …

He let out a wry laugh and said nothing more. But the usually straightforward Zhixing suddenly stopped what he was doing and looked up. “Owner, what do you mean by that?”

How could Nan Xu admit that he thought Zhixing was making fertilizer? The smell really did resemble manure. Afraid to reveal his thoughts, Nan Xu mumbled something vague and hurriedly left.

Dan Yin, unaware that Zhixing was determined to improve the formula, assumed that he was still angry. When Zhixing didn’t show up for breakfast again, Dan Yin lost his appetite. He stared pitifully at Nan Xu as if to say, “I helped you dig bamboo shoots yesterday. You can’t just ignore me now.”

Before Zhixing could figure out how to remove the foul odor from his medicine, he knew Dan Yin wouldn’t be using any upgraded hair-growth potion anytime soon. After cleaning up the dishes, Nan Xu glanced at the flowers in the courtyard. It was spring—the season of blooming. After a year of growth, the flowers and plants were even lusher and more colorful.

Then, he suddenly remembered the distillation equipment he had built for brewing liquor. A spark of inspiration flashed through his mind. He instructed Dan Yin, “Go pick some roses from the courtyard and outside.”

Although his problem hadn’t been solved yet, and he was being forced to work, Dan Yin reluctantly obeyed after scratching his sparse hair.

By the time Nan Xu had finished slicing the bamboo shoots and laying them out to dry in the sun, Dan Yin had gathered plenty of roses. Nan Xu dusted off his clothes and went inside to fetch the equipment.

Making floral perfume wasn’t hard. After washing the petals, he put them in a container, added water, and distilled them over a fire. Dan Yin silently added firewood, unaware of what Nan Xu was doing. After several rounds of refining, they finally produced a small bottle of liquid.

Nan Xu lifted it to his nose. One whiff of the overly strong fragrance made him sneeze repeatedly.

Though the changes in his body weren’t obvious, his five senses had definitely become sharper. Seeing this, Dan Yin leaned in to sniff it and ended up sneezing, too.

Nan Xu was speechless. How could one mountain ginseng be so curious?

“What’s this?” Dan Yin asked after he recovered.

Nan Xu poured two drops onto his wrist and rubbed them in. “Perfume.”

Then, he fanned his hand toward Dan Yin. The breeze carried the faint rose scent to Dan Yin’s nose. Dan Yin sniffed several times, intrigued.

“If everyone wore this perfume, wouldn’t they all smell like flower demons?” Dan Yin joked.

Nan Xu capped the bottle and casually asked, “Are all flower demons fragrant?”

Dan Yin froze for a second. “Not necessarily. At least the geranium demon smells bad.”

Nan Xu: …Got it. It depends on the species.

Without saying another word, Nan Xu handed the bottle to Zhixing, who had just finished perfecting his potion. Though there was still a faint odor, Nan Xu thought it was fine. However, Zhixing, a perfectionist when it came to medicine, wasn’t satisfied yet. Just as he was about to modify the formula again, Nan Xu softly interrupted and handed him the clay bottle. “Maybe this can help?”

Zhixing opened the bottle, sniffed it, and had the same reaction as Nan Xu and Dan Yin.

Nan Xu told Zhixing the ingredients and method, asking if they could mix it into the potion. Zhixing said there was no conflict. He added a few drops, stirred, and after concentrating it, the strong floral scent completely masked the unpleasant odor.

Zhixing’s eyes lit up as he nodded repeatedly. Nan Xu silently thought: Perfume really is a useful invention.

Dan Yin finally got his new hair-growth potion. Holding his breath, he opened the bottle and was relieved to find that it didn’t smell bad. Leaning closer, he inhaled the familiar floral scent and felt his mood instantly brighten. He finally understood the purpose of perfume. Thinking of how much trouble the owner went through for him, he felt ashamed for grumbling while picking flowers earlier.

While Dan Yin stayed in the mountains testing the medicine, Nan Xu wandered around the area. Now that he had successfully made floral perfume, he scattered last year’s saved flower seeds around the courtyard. After a year, when the flowers bloomed again, he could try starting a perfume business.

A few days later, Dan Yin’s hair began to grow again. The results were so immediate that Nan Xu gained new respect for Zhixing’s medical skills. When Nan Xu praised Zhixing privately, he blushed. “My parents brought me some old medical notes last time—mostly left behind by Senior Tíng Shū. The Bai family of West Mountain used to rely solely on spiritual power for healing, considering medicine secondary, so they didn’t study pharmacology deeply. But Senior Ting Shu must have foreseen the changes in the demon realm’s future. In his final days, he recorded many formulas he’d developed. Some were never tested, but they’ve inspired me greatly. By combining them with my own research over the years, I feel that I now understand medicine much better.”

Nan Xu felt gratified and sighed at how farsighted Tíng Shu had been. Having such friends in the past was indeed a blessing.

“Oh, right, owner, there’s something I need to tell you.” Zhixing suddenly looked embarrassed, as if he had done something wrong.

Unable to believe that the always diligent Zhixing could make a serious mistake, Nan Xu said gently, “Go ahead.”

Zhixing glanced toward the storage room, then leaned in and whispered, “I should’ve told you when you got back, but things got busy and I forgot. Shortly after you left, items in the storeroom and cellar started disappearing. I think the inn was robbed.”

Nan Xu blinked. “Robbed?”

Zhixing’s face flushed as he nodded slightly. “It’s my fault for not keeping watch. You can deduct the loss from my meals if you must.”

Nan Xu couldn’t help but laugh. “What do you take me for, a heartless owner? There’s nothing valuable in the storeroom or cellar. If it’s gone, it’s gone. You already run the inn and do all the chores. You can’t be expected to guard everything. Still, for safety’s sake, did you find any clues?”

Zhixing’s face reddened further as he shook his head. “I sprinkled tracking powder at the entrances. Anyone going in should have left traces, but there was nothing. I once sat by the cellar all day without leaving, and things still went missing.”

“That’s impressive, huh?” Nan Xu grew curious. “Tell me what was taken and when.”

Zhixing tried to recall, and the more Nan Xu listened, the more familiar it sounded—especially when Zhixing mentioned that even the scallions and ginger had been stolen. Nan Xu’s eyelid twitched. Thinking back on the timing, he was speechless.

He had forgotten about his system’s item retrieval function. How could anything not have been stolen from the warehouse and cellar? He spent nearly ten thousand silver coins on retrieval fees alone.

Author’s note:

Nan Xu: So the master thief was me all along?!

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