RIIDMDR chapter 173

Wujiu’s clan hadn’t lost many members in this battle, but they were never a large clan to begin with. In the past few years, especially, when spiritual energy in the demon realm was scarce and few new demons were born, every member was extremely important. Because of this, Wujiu’s older brothers returned to their insufficient territory, leaving Wujiu behind—he was too stubborn to leave the mountain.

Seeing how leisurely he was at the inn, Nan Xu found it strange. “Why aren’t you going back with your clansmen?”

Wu Jiu replied carelessly, “Clan business is theirs to worry about. How would it ever be my turn to meddle?”

He spoke with a heartless tone, clearly not considering those relatives at all. Nan Xu could tell that his relationship with the clan was not good.

After thinking carefully, the reason he had become so extreme back then became clear: the pressure of his environment. His older brother, who had once accompanied him, said that Wujiu had been a very lively child, but after his antlers fell off and never grew back, some relatives viewed it as a bad omen—a punishment from the Dao of Heaven. They urged Wujiu’s parents and siblings to send him away. If not for their firm refusal, who knows where Wujiu would be now? Even so, the attitude of the elders influenced the younger generation’s attitude toward Wujiu: they mocked him, despised him, and excluded him. Slowly, Wujiu became sensitive and quick-tempered.

Nan Xu despised Wujiu’s relatives for their actions. Blaming illnesses on heavenly punishment was ridiculous—how could the Dao of Heaven be so petty as to punish a child? However, as an outsider, Nan Xu couldn’t comment too much. Wujiu likely didn’t want to go back and pretend to grieve.

So Nan Xu didn’t treat him like a special guest. As before, he served him good food and drink as long as he paid.

You’an was badly injured this time. While Nan Xu slept deeply in bed, he was the same. However, he couldn’t stay indoors. Zhixing had the Bai couple closely caring for him, so You’an didn’t want to disturb them. After several days of boredom, he ran off with his injuries, and Nan Xu simply couldn’t stop him.

He laughed and said, “I’m going to take a look at the Northern Lands. Since the demon realm’s spiritual energy has returned, it must be very different now.”

Seeing that he was determined and not acting on impulse, Nan Xu said helplessly, “The Northern Lands aren’t going anywhere. At least heal your injuries first.”

Tingchuan saw through something and said, “Let him go.”

After You’an left eagerly, he told Nan Xu, “It must’ve been something Yun Yi told him when the Heavenly Cave was repaired that day.”

Nan Xu suddenly understood. You’an’s admiration for Yun Yi ran deep. Hearing even a few words from him was enough to make You’an restless. The fact that he managed to stay in the mountains for over ten days must be because of his injuries.

Once the guests at the inn had recovered and left, only Zhixing and the Bai couple remained. During the more than ten days of handling the Heavenly Cave crisis, Zhixing managed and coordinated all the western demon clans, forcing his weak body to hold on until the repairs were complete. Only then did he collapse.

Nan Xu cared for him the most. Zhixing had struggled on the brink of life and death before, and Nan Xu had seen him when he was clinging to life. Even though the Bai couple was caring for him, Nan Xu still made soups for him every day: crucian carp tofu soup, pork rib winter melon soup, and more.

As Zhixing ate, he felt like something was off. It was only when Nan Xu insisted on killing a hen and stewing chicken soup for him that he suddenly realized everything he had been eating recently resembled meals for women recovering from childbirth in the Canine Clan. He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Nan Xu didn’t know how to care for the sick, but he had seen a family bring their daughter-in-law to the countryside to recover after giving birth. That kind of diet could nourish a new mother until she became plump and healthy. He thought it must surely work.

Sure enough, after half a month, Zhixing’s complexion became visibly rosier. He was no longer pale, and even the Bai couple felt that Nan Xu genuinely cared for their child. They thanked him repeatedly.

Once Zhixing could move around again, the Bai couple felt embarrassed to keep troubling Nan Xu and began packing their things.

Seeing this, Nan Xu realized that with the demon realm’s spiritual energy restored, Zhixing had no reason to remain in the mountains. He should return with the Bai couple. After all, Xishan was his real home.

Though reluctant, Nan Xu knew that no banquet lasts forever. He prepared a few words of farewell and made Zhixing’s favorite foods, planning to send them back with him in a few days.

Several days later, the Bai couple came to bid farewell. Knowing they weren’t good at socializing, Nan Xu said a few polite words to try to keep them, but then he looked toward Zhixing.

Zhixing smiled at him. Looking into his smiling eyes, Nan Xu couldn’t bring himself to say any of the words he had prepared. He felt reluctant, thinking that Zhixing was a bit heartless. Although they could still visit each other in the future, it wouldn’t be daily, and their feelings would fade. Yet, Zhixing didn’t seem the least bit sad.

After feeling depressed, Nan Xu thought he was being petty. Why argue with a child? After all, Zhixing had already been away from home for over a year, so it was understandable that he wanted to return as soon as possible.

He took out the local specialties he had prepared one by one and handed them over. After looking at them, Zhixing smiled and asked, “If the owner is sending away everything I like, what am I supposed to eat if I stay here?”

Nan Xu froze for a moment, staring at Zhixing without saying anything. After a long pause, he finally stammered a question. “You’re not leaving?”

“Why should I leave?” Zhixing countered. “Didn’t the owner hire me to work here? Don’t tell me you’re firing me. I’ve worked so hard for so long and haven’t seen a single coin of wages—I’m definitely not leaving.”

Nan Xu was usually quick with his words, but he was dazed right now and was completely outplayed by the usually quiet Zhixing. It wasn’t until Zhixing’s mother lightly slapped him on the back and scolded, “How can you talk to the owner like that? You’ve been recuperating on the mountain this whole time, and the owner has taken such good care of you. How could you even think of asking for wages?!”

Zhixing and Nan Xu exchanged a look and burst into laughter. The Bai couple glanced at each other, unable to figure out what the two were laughing about.

Having met so many guests at the inn, Zhixing had long since changed his socially anxious temperament. With the demons he knew well, he could make jokes, too. The demons at the inn were used to it, but the Bai couple didn’t know. To them, it looked like their honest, gentle son was trying to act like an ungrateful brat who was asking for wages, so they scolded him. It was truly amusing.

Once they had laughed enough, Zhixing finally grew serious and said, “Zhuyu Mountain is close to the spiritual vein, so you can recover twice as effectively with half the effort. Besides, I’ve grown accustomed to living here. I hope the owner doesn’t mind.”

Nan Xu had been with him for so long that he treated him like a friend—or even family—and thought he was too polite, which he didn’t like. “I never treated you like a guest. You can stay as long as you want.”

Even though Zhixing wasn’t leaving, Nan Xu gave the Bai couple everything he had prepared. They refused again and again, but Nan Xu said he would deduct it from Zhixing’s wages and told them to accept it without worry. Zhixing persuaded them a little more, and only then did he send them down the mountain.

Once the inn returned to its peaceful quiet, Nan Xu suddenly felt uneasy. He opened the system and checked his silver balance, wanting to see how much he had earned recently from all the business. He was a little stunned when he saw that the amount had suddenly increased significantly—so it really was true that customer flow was the most important thing.

As he thought about how to develop the inn further, a notification sound from the system rang. He opened the email and found that it was actually a farewell letter.

Nan Xu’s first reaction was that someone else had sent him the letter. Then, he abruptly realized that this was his system and that spiritual power couldn’t possibly do something like that. He opened the letter and read it line by line. He remained dazed for a long time.

It turned out to be a farewell letter from the system. It stated that Nan Xu had regained his memories from the demon realm and restored his spiritual power. The hidden task had been completed. The system would shut down in forty-eight hours and send him one final gift pack at that time. The system wished him well in the demon realm.

Although the letter was written clearly, Nan Xu read it with a frown.

Back when he had arrived in the demon realm for no apparent reason, the system had suddenly appeared in his mind without explanation. He suspected the system’s intentions, but it was old and sluggish. Its task-sending was slow and plodding, and the rewards it gave were never malicious. The functions it unlocked provided him with a great deal of convenience and helped him survive in this unfamiliar world. Nan Xu gradually accepted its presence to the point that he sought it out for help whenever he was troubled.

Though the system seemed cold and indifferent, it couldn’t withstand Nan Xu’s persistent, soft coaxing. Yet, upon careful reflection, he realized that the system had never allowed him to become dependent on it. With each upgrade, the system gradually weakened its own usefulness—like the increasingly sparse and expensive items in the shop or the persistent lag that no upgrade could fix—allowing Nan Xu to slowly forget its presence as his real life became richer and fuller. Perhaps the system knew from the beginning that they would part ways and had always prepared for its departure.

Thinking of this, Nan Xu suddenly found himself wondering how the system had appeared in his mind in the first place. Everything in this world has an origin and a purpose—there are no exceptions. The system couldn’t be an exception. Yet, the system had never revealed anything, and Nan Xu had never considered this question.

The forty-eight-hour countdown appeared in the upper right corner. Nan Xu browsed through the familiar applications repeatedly, and slowly, he began to see a pattern.

The Zhuyu Mountain map, weather forecasts, and encyclopedia that identified everything within the mountain were abilities that Nan Xu should have possessed because Zhuyu Mountain was his true body. Since he had lost his memories and powers, the system delivered them to him in the form of rewards. This allowed him to control Zhuyu Mountain and live steadily within it.

As for the inn’s goods, recipes, and crafting formulas, these were things that Nan Xu had encountered in the human world. They had brought him great convenience in his current life.

All of these discoveries made Nan Xu feel a strong sense of closeness and familiarity toward the system. He couldn’t figure out where that sense of familiarity came from, so he gave up thinking about it.

Over the next two days, Nan Xu visited the shop several more times. Aside from daily necessities, he bought many more items for the inn, including expensive recipes and other things he had been reluctant to purchase before. Knowing he would never have another chance to make purchases, he no longer worried about the cost. However, this wasn’t a good habit. In the blink of an eye, the large sum of money he had recently earned had been poured back into the system once again.

Nan Xu thought that this surge of shopping desire was practically stronger than finding a massive clearance sale.