RIIDMDR chapter 147

Nan Xu’s dark eyes darted around the room. He thought he was scanning it discreetly, unaware that Ting Shu was watching him intently with a smile.

Nan Xu looked around the room, finding nothing amiss yet still feeling uneasy. He had a feeling that a scorpion might emerge from a corner and bite him. However, Ting Shu’s room was very tidy, much like Ting Shu himself. This gave others a strange sense of comfort.

“I’ve prepared a guest room for you according to my own ideas. Take a look and see if there’s anything you don’t like. Let me know, and I’ll make changes,” Ting Shu said as he opened a door to show Nan Xu the room.

Nan Xu peeked inside. Everything he needed was there. There was even a small couch by the window with a soft cushion that looked incredibly comfortable.

“There’s nothing I dislike. Thank you for your trouble,” Nan Xu replied.

“You’ll be staying here for a while, so don’t be shy. Yun Yi is being punished and can’t leave, so he entrusted you to me. I promised to take good care of you,” Ting Shu said gently. His tone was like a warm breeze.

Nan Xu then realized that this memory stemmed from after he left Yun Yi’s place. Yun Yi had been sentenced to a year of solitary confinement, and it was inappropriate for his friend to remain in the Golden Crow tribe’s territory.

However, Yun Yi hadn’t forgotten to write to his friend and find him a place to stay, which amused and exasperated Nan Xu. He found it hard to believe that someone as carefree as Yun Yi could be so thoughtful.

Nan Xu nodded obediently, agreeing to Ting Shu’s request. Seeing this, Ting Shu asked him to wait a moment before leisurely leaving.

Nan Xu smiled as he watched Ting Shu close the door. He immediately turned and thoroughly checked every dark corner, even under the table, bed, and behind cabinets. After quickly ensuring there were no poisonous insects, he finally sat down at the table with peace of mind.

Ting Shu returned quickly with a plate of watermelon and a dish of snacks. Seeing the watermelon, Nan Xu’s eyes lit up. He had eaten many watermelons last year, but he could never get enough of this delicious fruit.

Ting Shu placed the watermelon and pastries on the table beside Nan Xu and said, “It’s late, and there isn’t much food in the kitchen. Make do with this for now, and I’ll have one of the aunts in the clan make you something better tomorrow.”

Nan Xu hadn’t eaten all day, and his stomach was empty. After thanking him, Nan Xu picked up a slice of watermelon and began to eat. It tasted better than he had expected: incredibly juicy and sweet. It made him want to jump up and run around. He realized that Zhixing’s comment that the watermelons grown by the Bai family of Xishan weren’t as good as those from Zhuyu Mountain was too modest.

Munching on watermelon, Nan Xu glanced at the plate of pastries. They were white and square, with no elaborate patterns—quite simple and unpretentious. They reminded him of the pastries he’d seen the village elders buy in town during the New Year when he was a child in the human world.

“It’s tuckahoe cake¹Tuckahoe cake (also called fu ling cake, 茯苓糕 in Chinese) is a traditional Chinese pastry made from Poria (fu ling), mixed with rice flour, sugar, and honey or syrup.. Try some,” Ting Shu said, noticing his interest.

Nan Xu took the handkerchief Ting Shu offered him, wiped the watermelon juice from his hands, and tasted a piece. It seemed to be made from poria²Poria (fu ling, 茯苓) is a type of edible medicinal fungus that grows on the roots of pine trees. powder mixed with glutinous rice flour. One bite revealed a chewy, glutinous texture that was surprisingly sweet, unlike the sweetness of fruit.

Nan Xu loved eating one piece after another, even though there wasn’t much on the plate. He was still quite satisfied.

As Ting Shu cleared the plates, Nan Xu’s eyes were still glued to them. Ting Shu chuckled and said, “Eating too much at night isn’t good. If you like it, I’ll ask Auntie to make another serving tomorrow.”

“Oh.” After finishing his meal, Nan Xu climbed down from his chair and followed Tingchuan outside. “Can I watch Auntie cook tomorrow?”

Ting Shu glanced back at Nan Xu, seemingly surprised that he was interested in cooking. “I’ll ask her tomorrow.”

Nan Xu: “Okay.”

The Bai clan of Xishan kept the kitchen and living quarters separate. The living quarters were mostly thatched or mud houses, while the kitchen was stone-built and spacious, containing four or five stoves and pots.

Ting Shu rolled up his sleeves, washed the dishes, and put them back in the cabinet. Nan Xu watched with great curiosity. He always thought it was incongruous that Ting Shu’s beautiful hands were used for washing dishes. He inexplicably thought of Tingchuan helping him with chores in the shop. Tingchuan’s ethereal appearance contrasted sharply with his mundane tasks, making Nan Xu feel like a heartless boss.

However, Tingchuan wasn’t clumsy with a woodchopper, and the sight of Ting Shu washing dishes was particularly pleasing. Indeed, good-looking people look good no matter what they do.

They both shared a common characteristic: they didn’t rely heavily on spiritual power.

For example, the first time Tingchuan boiled water, he didn’t know how to start a fire, so he used spiritual energy. After learning how to use a stove, however, this never happened again. When he first came to the mountain, he was severely injured and occasionally used spiritual energy to wash dishes. But once he had recovered somewhat, he did everything himself.

Nanxu had thought that it was because the spiritual energy in the demon realm was scarce and that people conserved it wherever possible. However, this was the demon realm three thousand years ago, when spiritual energy was abundant. Judging from Tingshu’s behavior, it seemed that he and Tingchuan shared a tacit understanding.

“Why not just use spiritual energy directly?” Nanxu didn’t understand, so he simply asked.

Ting Shu wiped the water by the sink dry and replied softly, “Everything in the world is constant. Spiritual energy is born from heaven and earth, but it’s not inexhaustible. Such a small task requires only a little effort; using spiritual energy for it would be a waste.”

Nan Xu had difficulty describing how he felt upon hearing this, but he vaguely understood Zhixing’s reverence for Ting Shu. Even before the calamity struck the demon realm, Ting Shu had his own internal scale.

After blowing out the kitchen candles, the two returned to the house under the moonlight. Seeing that Ting Shu was exhausted, as if it were well past his usual bedtime, Nan Xu didn’t disturb him further. He said, “Goodnight,” before going to his room to sleep.

Perhaps the place was unfamiliar, or maybe Nan Xu hadn’t yet adjusted to the bed, because he couldn’t fall asleep for a long time. He turned his head and saw the wide-open window. Nan Xu recalled Ting Shu’s words. His body jolted, and he sat up.

He lit the candles, closed the window tightly, and walked around the room with the candlestick. He was constantly worried that he might have missed something and was reluctant to go back to bed.

Finally, after checking everything, he lay back down. Less than fifteen minutes later, however, he got up again and searched the bed and under the bed.

This went on until midnight. Nan Xu felt that his eyes were almost too tired to stay open, yet his mind remained highly alert, making it impossible to fall asleep.

He couldn’t help but feel a dark pang of doubt, wondering if he had somehow offended Yun Yi, who had sent him to this place where every household raised poisonous insects—to torment this delicate flower of his?

During the third part of the night, Nan Xu could no longer resist. Clutching his blanket and pillow, he knocked on Ting Shu’s door. He didn’t want to disturb Ting Shu’s sleep, but Ting Shu was the only person he recognized in this place, and Ting Shu made him feel secure. At least if he was bitten by a poisonous insect, Ting Shu could treat him promptly.

Still in his undergarments, Ting Shu opened the door and was startled by the dark circles under Nan Xu’s eyes. “What happened? Did you have a nightmare?”

With his eyes half-closed, Nan Xu looked utterly exhausted and asked pitifully, “Can I sleep on the soft couch in your room?”

Given his condition, Ting Shu naturally wouldn’t refuse. He tidied up the bed for Nan Xu and slept on the couch himself.

Nan Xu declined a few times but, unable to refuse further and utterly exhausted, accepted the arrangement.

Lying on Ting Shu’s bed, which was much firmer than his usual mattress, Nan Xu couldn’t focus on that at the moment. He heard Ting Shu’s breathing on the small couch not far away, which finally calmed him down.

“Ting Shu, if there are any poisonous insects, you must stop them for me!” Nan Xu muttered before drifting off to sleep.

Hearing this, Ting Shu paused, then murmured helplessly, “You’re so timid. You dare touch the most poisonous weeds, yet you’re afraid of poisonous insects.”

Nanxu slept until dawn. When he opened his eyes, he saw the small quilt by the window neatly made and realized he had overslept. However, having gone to bed so late, waking up early was unlikely.

He pushed open the door and stepped out of the room. He saw several middle-aged men carrying hoes walking down the mountain from another location.

Nan Xu followed them for a few steps, wanting to see where they were working. But he saw a brightly colored, venomous snake coiled around one of their hoes. It was hissing and flicking its tongue at him. His face instantly turned pale. He stopped in his tracks and silently took a few steps back.

Just as fear filled him, he bumped into someone behind him. He was startled so much that he jumped up and down, screaming, “Ahhh!” but unable to utter a complete sentence.

Someone handed him a sachet and said, “This sachet contains herbs to repel snakes and insects. Carry it with you, and the snakes and insects won’t get near you.”

Nan Xu took the sachet, feeling as if he had been granted a pardon.

“Auntie is making cakes. I’ll take you to see her. Tell me what you’d like to eat, and I’ll go down the mountain to buy it,” Ting Shu said, leading him into the kitchen.

The auntie was a middle-aged woman, her hair pulled back with a hairpin, with a few gray hairs interspersed throughout, giving her a weathered look.

Nan Xu greeted her. The auntie looked at them, her gaze lingering on Nan Xu for a moment.

Tingshu introduced Nanxu, and the auntie smiled kindly and said, “You’ve been here before. I remember.”

Nanxu didn’t dare reply. Lacking memories of his past, he didn’t know how many times he had been to West Mountain.

“The last time you came, the Azure Dragon broke his tail. I was the one who brewed the medicine then. I remember you kept eating wild fruits, so I gave you a bowl of porridge because you must have been hungry. You said it wasn’t enough and asked for three more bowls. I’ve lived here for many years and have rarely seen a little demon with such an appetite,” she said with a laugh.

Nan Xu: …

Nan Xu didn’t realize how embarrassing his mistake was. His face flushed involuntarily. How could he have given people the impression that he was a glutton on his first visit to Xishan? However, when he thought about the Azure Dragon with the broken tail that the aunt had mentioned, his embarrassment seemed to fade a bit.

“I must have been hungry then,” he muttered, trying to justify himself.

The aunt’s smile widened. Puzzled, Nan Xu turned to look at Ting Shu.

Ting Shu also smiled, though he was trying hard to suppress it. Seeing Nan Xu’s confusion, Ting Shu reminded him, “You drank six bowls of porridge that night.”

Nan Xu felt as if he had been struck by lightning. Was his true form a gluttonous beast? Then maybe he and Jing Yuan were distant relatives.

While Nan Xu was stunned, his aunt’s smile faded. She said, “Ting Shu said you wanted to learn how to make cakes. I’ve prepared the ingredients. Come and see!”

Nan Xu immediately snapped out of his thoughts and ran to his aunt’s side. Ting Shu handed Nan Xu over to her and went down the mountain to buy more ingredients.

Nan Xu watched Ting Shu’s departing figure and thought, So that’s why. It must be because of that embarrassing incident last time. No wonder, even though demons usually eat only once in a while, he’s only been here for a day yet Ting Shu keeps trying to find food to fill him up.

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• 1
  Tuckahoe cake (also called fu ling cake, 茯苓糕 in Chinese) is a traditional Chinese pastry made from Poria (fu ling), mixed with rice flour, sugar, and honey or syrup.
• 2
  Poria (fu ling, 茯苓) is a type of edible medicinal fungus that grows on the roots of pine trees.