RIIDMDR chapter 145

Nan Xu had never felt this way before. When he saw Tingchuan’s stunningly beautiful face, he didn’t feel joy or infatuation; he felt deep regret.

He sighed, puzzling Tingchuan. “Tired?”

Nan Xu shook his head. He wasn’t tired, though. Unlike when he entered the formation at the summit of the main peak, this time he hadn’t walked for days and nights, leaving him exhausted and hungry. However, he was still preoccupied with the water from the pond he hadn’t tasted yet. He had scooped up a handful of water almost immediately. The pond water’s unique, refreshing fragrance still lingered in his nose, and Yun Yi’s satisfied sigh after drinking it still echoed in his ears.

What a pity.

He glanced back. The formation was already showing signs of disintegration. In a few hours, it would disappear completely.

Seeing that Nanxu was lost in thought, Tingchuan carried him down the mountain. When they reached the halfway point, Nanxu finally reacted, shifting his arm around Tingchuan’s neck so that he could rest his chin on Tingchuan’s shoulder.

“Entering the formation wasn’t dangerous this time. It was just a memory,” Nanxu said.

Tingchuan asked, “About Yunyi?”

Nanxu was somewhat surprised. “How did you know?”

Tingchuan chuckled. “Just a guess.”

Nanxu didn’t press further after hearing that and began telling Tingchuan about what he had seen and heard in the formation.

According to Nanxu, he had stayed inside the formation for about a day, but only one night had passed outside. His rapid return surprised even Tingchuan.

“I wonder if Yunyi got home safely after I left,” Nan Xu said worriedly.

Even recalling it now made him feel uneasy. The mural had somehow bewitched the unsuspecting Yun Yi. If Nan Xu hadn’t stayed clear-headed, Yun Yi might’ve been trapped in that cave forever. After all, they had snuck out in the middle of the night, and no one knew where they had gone. The path to the cave was filled with mysterious mechanisms.

“The you of today has come back, but the you of that time is still by the pond. You don’t need to regret missing that sip of water. You didn’t miss it back then,” Tingchuan said with a smile. “As for your question, I’ve actually heard a bit about what happened afterward.”

Nan Xu thought about it and agreed. Just like the seafood feast from the South Sea that he hadn’t gotten to eat at the main peak’s banquet—he must’ve eaten it back then. Likewise, he wouldn’t have missed the pond water in that memory. What he regretted was simply that he could no longer taste the flavor of the past.

Tingchuan smiled amusedly, teasing him. Nan Xu couldn’t help but urge him, “Hurry up and tell me.”

Tingchuan deliberately kept him in suspense. Nan Xu realized Tingchuan was still upset about being ignored when Nan Xu emerged from the array, caring more about that sip of ancient water than about Tingchuan. Eager to get a reaction, Nan Xu suddenly kissed Tingchuan’s cheek twice with loud smacks. The birds in the nearby trees couldn’t bear to watch and flapped away.

Only after getting his fill did Tingchuan relent. “I heard Yun Yi brought a water pouch full of that pond water back. The water had remarkable effects, and the Golden Crow clan was overjoyed. But when his escape from punishment was exposed, he was locked up in the clan for over a year. I don’t know if the rumor’s true, but I truly didn’t see him for more than a year afterward.”

Nan Xu: “…”

He knew it—trying to atone for one’s mistakes through merit never worked out well.

After finishing the story, Tingchuan and Nan Xu discussed what had happened inside the array. To Nan Xu, the experience wasn’t particularly dangerous. However, Tingchuan explained that if anyone else had entered, they would have died the moment Yun Yi saw them, not to mention what would have happened afterward.

“What if someone else with great cultivation entered?” Nan Xu asked.

Tingchuan replied, “Given how thin the spiritual energy in the demon realm is now, who could possibly compare to Yun Yi from three thousand years ago?”

Nan Xu was speechless. Then another thought struck him. “What if you went in? Or what if Jing Yuan entered instead? Yun Yi knew you both. Would he still kill you without mercy?”

Tingchuan fell silent for a few seconds before answering. “I can’t enter this mountain array. I suppose Jing Yuan couldn’t either.”

Nan Xu thought about it and realized he was right. Tingchuan must have discovered this flaw in the past, which is why he didn’t give them a chance to exploit it.

The two of them chatted all the way down the mountain. Nan Xu had a lot of questions, but Tingchuan didn’t seem annoyed at all.

When they passed the area where the canine tribe lived, Nan Xu dismounted to visit Xu Le’s mother.

For nearly a hundred years, it had been rare for demons to conceive and give birth. Zhixing once speculated that, because Zhu Yu Mountain had more abundant spiritual energy than the outside world, the chances were higher. After all, even newborn demons understood the importance of being born into better conditions.

Because of that, Zhixing was even more worried about the newborn’s safety. He had prepared many emergency medicines in the courtyard, considering every possible complication—he was quite thorough.

When Nan Xu reached the Xu household, he realized that Zhixing was already at the foot of the mountain. Yesterday was the day Zhixing and Xu Ji had agreed upon to go down, by his reckoning.

Zhixing was sitting under a canopy, treating patients. Outside, a line of canine demons waited—some holding hoes and others holding buckets—having apparently stopped by to watch the commotion.

When they saw Nan Xu, they greeted him warmly. Hearing their voices, Zhixing looked over. His eyes lit up when he saw Nan Xu and Tingchuan. He quickly said something to the canine demon sitting across the table and hurried over.

Seeing how eager he was, Nan Xu laughed and stepped forward. “It’s only been a day. Why so anxious?”

Zhixing stopped in front of him, almost in disbelief. “Owner, have you already entered the array?”

Nan Xu nodded.

Zhixing immediately asked, “Have you experienced any discomfort?”

Before Nan Xu could answer, Zhixing grabbed his wrist to check his pulse.

Seeing this, Nan Xu didn’t bother responding.

After a few moments, Zhixing released his hand and smiled. “Just a little qi deficiency from lack of rest. Go home and get some proper sleep.”

Nan Xu agreed. Seeing the long line of people waiting behind him, he urged Zhixing not to keep them waiting.

Nan Xu didn’t even need to ask; he could tell that Zhixing had set up this free clinic simply to keep busy. Checking pulses didn’t drain his energy or harm his health. The canine demons had all come to show support. After all, no one wanted to miss a charity clinic by West Mountain’s Bai Clan.

Once Zhixing returned to his patients, Nan Xu listened to the chatting demons in line and confirmed his suspicions. Then, he went to Xu Ji’s door and knocked. Xu Le opened the door and was delighted to see Nan Xu. Though they had met just a few days ago, Xu Le bounced around Nan Xu as if he hadn’t seen him in ages.

Xu Ji was home, too, tidying up the birthing room as Zhixing had instructed, while Xu Le chatted with his mother inside. Her belly was quite large now, making even Nan Xu feel oddly nervous just looking at it.

Nan Xu didn’t stay long after visiting. Since it was still early, he and Tingchuan went back up the mountain.

That spring, he had either been traveling to the South Sea or resting in the courtyard. He hadn’t had much time to enjoy the mountain scenery. Now that summer was approaching, they slowed their pace, walking leisurely and stopping occasionally. By the time they got back to the small courtyard, it was dark.

No one was home. Guan’er was sitting by the herb garden near the gate. When he saw Nan Xu return, he wagged his tail and ran over. When he first arrived, Guan’er barely reached his knees. After nearly a year, he had grown into a big dog and excitedly bumped his waist with his head.

Nan Xu laughed and rubbed its head before entering the courtyard.

He casually cooked two small dishes for dinner. After eating his fill, he sighed. “How do demons endure eating only once every few months—or even years?” Isn’t that kind of life empty?”

Tingchuan, who was washing the dishes, replied coolly, “Have you ever seen a guest miss breakfast?”

Nan Xu thought about it—true enough. Since food wasn’t a daily necessity, few demons bothered to grow crops or vegetables. The red-throated quails were an exception, not to mention those who actually studied cooking.

Zhuang Wu once said that it took a lot of effort to persuade buyers to purchase their cabbages, and the sales weren’t great. They made little profit. They mostly relied on “side jobs,” like highway robbery, to make extra money—something that made Nan Xu frown deeply. He was secretly glad Tingchuan had stopped those two thugs back then.

That night, he slept soundly. The next day, feeling refreshed, Nan Xu noticed his body seemed lighter, as if a burden had been lifted.

After the simple trial last time, his confidence in entering and leaving arrays safely had grown stronger. The fear had faded, and he started thinking about which direction to explore next.

Without Zhixing’s help, Nan Xu lounged in the courtyard, enjoying the sunshine. Tingchuan was busy from dawn till dusk. Though business was slow at the inn, the vast vegetable patch and flock of hungry animals kept him busy all day.

Nan Xu placed three copper coins inside a turtle shell, shook it six times, and stared at the coins on the table for a long while.

He couldn’t understand a thing.

As expected, different skills for different folks. Without proper training, not even a demon could interpret divination. He’d fancied himself as having some hidden talent, but that hope was quickly crushed.

After drawing an ominous lot from the system, Nan Xu put down the turtle shell decisively and turned to the inn’s endless chores instead.

In Zhixing’s herb garden, green mugwort grew. With prior permission, Nan Xu picked some, washed it, boiled it in water, strained and pressed out the juice, and filtered it through gauze.

There was still some glutinous rice flour left in the store, so he took a few bowls, mixed in sugar and cornstarch, poured in the mugwort juice, and added water to knead the dough.

Last spring, when he came to the mountain, food had been scarce, so there hadn’t been a chance to make qingtuan¹青团 (qīngtuán) means “green dumpling / green glutinous rice ball.” People often eat it during Qingming Festival, but now it shows up anytime spring wants to show off.. Besides, he wasn’t really interested in making them for himself.

Since making pork floss took too long, he made red date and sweet bean paste fillings instead. Demons on the mountain and below liked sweet things, so surely they would enjoy them.

He also used a filling of fresh bamboo shoots mixed with last winter’s pickled vegetables, frying a few pancakes. He kept some for himself and Tingchuan and brought the rest, along with a few qingtuan, to Zhuang Si and Zhuang Wu.

The brothers returned from the fields, drenched in sweat. Zhuang Wu panted heavily and said that farm work wasn’t fit for pigs. Recently, in order to feed four piglets, they had been feverishly cultivating land on which to plant sweet potatoes and corn. After only a few days, Nan Xu noticed that they had tanned several shades darker—dark enough to vanish into the night.

When he passed their pigpen earlier, he saw the four little piglets, pink and plump, snoring in their nap. Truly—different pigs, different fates.

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  青团 (qīngtuán) means “green dumpling / green glutinous rice ball.” People often eat it during Qingming Festival, but now it shows up anytime spring wants to show off.