RIIDMDR chapter 155

Jingyuan flew very fast yet remained remarkably stable. Initially tense and prone, Nanxu eventually relaxed on the dragon’s back with his legs crossed and hummed a few lines of a song.

The dragon soared through the clouds, sometimes brushing past dozing cloud demons and startling them. They flew away, screaming. At an altitude of ten thousand meters, Nanxu could clearly see the magnificent landscape below: rolling hills, vast plains, and a rushing river that appeared as a thin line.

The Golden Crow’s most comfortable flight altitude wasn’t as high, so his sarcastic remarks didn’t reach Nanxu. Half a day later, Jingyuan slowed down. Nanxu had fallen asleep, utterly bored.

Jingyuan glanced at the mountains rising from the plains below, then slowly descended. Fast asleep on the dragon’s back, Nanxu was unaware and tumbled straight down, only opening his eyes halfway through the fall. He suddenly realized he was plummeting rapidly, his heart leaping into his throat. He was unable to utter a sound.

Just then, the Azure Dragon turned, its tail attempting to lift him up. But faster than the tail came a fiery red figure that rushed toward him, caught him steadily, and swiftly flew away.

Nan Xu sat on the back of the Golden Crow, his heart pounding wildly. He remained stunned for a long time, still shaken.

“You almost got smashed to pieces trying to ride the Azure Dragon!” Yun Yi’s voice, as always, was incredibly irritating. “I had to catch you. Its scales were cold. How could they be as comfortable as my feathers?”

“If you ask me, you just needed to learn this lesson twice to understand the goodness of the Golden Crow.”

“After all, you’ve already reached the level where you can take human form. How can you still blindly worship the Azure Dragon?”

“… ”

Yun Yi’s words utterly belittled Jing Yuan one after another, finally easing the resentment he had felt throughout the journey.

Nan Xu hadn’t spoken a word. He was too terrified to make a sound. Who would have known that, when he opened his eyes, he would find himself in midair? Thinking it was a dream, he pinched his thigh, which still throbbed slightly.

Yun Yi, not hearing a response, finally realized it was too quiet. He turned his head to see if Nan Xu had been scared to death. However, his neck could only twist so far. No matter how he strained, he couldn’t see Nan Xu properly.

He glanced at the terrain below, then landed slowly. Nan Xu, trembling with fear, regained feeling in his limbs. He slowly climbed down from the golden crow’s back and sat on the ground in a daze.

The golden crow transformed into human form, squatted down in front of Nan Xu, pinched his ear, and tugged at his hair. “Were you really scared out of your wits? Why are you so timid?”

Nan Xu looked up and shook his head. “No, I’m just a little shaken.”

After all, he wasn’t a true demon. He had lived in the human world for a long time, suppressing his spiritual power for many years. In his intense feeling of weightlessness, he hadn’t realized that he needed to use his spiritual power to save his life.

“What are you afraid of? Even if Jing Yuan is unreliable, I’m always nearby. I won’t let anything happen to you,” Yun Yi said softly. He must have seen his distracted look and, for once, restrained his irritable personality.

Jing Yuan landed and walked over. Seeing Nanxu’s dazed expression, he was momentarily speechless. He stood to the side, unsure what to say.

Yun Yi glanced at him and said, “Look at you, Azure Dragon! So incompetent! You can’t even carry a demon properly. Luckily, I reacted quickly.”

Jingyuan subconsciously replied, “My tail caught him.”

Yunyi, however, stared wide-eyed, stood up, and said, “Caught him? Then why was he on my back just now?”

The two argued back and forth. Amidst the bickering, Nanxu’s mind slowly regained its rationality. He rested his chin in his hand and looked up at the two demons debating.

Although Nan Xu was sound asleep and didn’t notice, he had indeed fallen off Jing Yuan’s back. Jing Yuan felt somewhat guilty, and Yun Yi naturally prevailed in the end.

After they finished speaking, Nan Xu stood up and asked, “Which way do we go now?”

This was no longer the spot that Jing Yuan had originally planned to land. Hearing this, Yun Yi looked around and pointed in a direction, saying, “Over there.”

Nan Xu looked in the direction Yun Yi pointed. Several lush mountains stood tall. They weren’t very high, but they were shrouded in mist above the halfway point, which gave them a mysterious air.

The demons walked toward the mountains. The path was flat until a lake blocked their way near the mountains.

Beyond the lake, a winding river flowed into the mountains. It was difficult to tell whether the mountains stood majestically in the water or the river meandered around them.

Nan Xu wondered if they would need to use spiritual power to cross the lake when a small boat approached. On the long bamboo raft stood a muscular man wearing a bamboo hat.

He was shirtless, and his skin was a tanned wheat color from years of sun exposure. His muscles were clearly defined, making Nan Xu quite envious.

Nan Xu had a slender frame and lean physique. Eating more would only result in gaining a little weight. Achieving the man’s strength and power was truly difficult.

The man poled to the lakeside and pulled down his straw hat, revealing striking features: sharp eyebrows and bright eyes. Nan Xu’s eyes lit up again.

Initially, he had thought the man was just good-looking, but he hadn’t expected his face to be so striking as well.

“Are you guests heading into the mountains?” the man asked from a distance.

Yun Yi replied, “We’ve come to find Tingchuan.”

The man nodded slightly. “It’s five hundred silver coins per demon for a boat ride.”

Nan Xu’s goodwill towards the man instantly plummeted. He was a shady boat operator! Before Nan Xu could refuse, Yun Yi deftly pulled out some money and tossed it to the man. “This is for me and the demon beside me.”

He paid, then pulled Nan Xu toward the boat. He didn’t care at all about Jing Yuan, and Jing Yuan didn’t need his concern. Jing Yuan simply took five hundred silver coins from his purse, tossed them over, and boarded the boat.

The bamboo raft floated on the lake, swaying gently with the slightest movement. It was Nan Xu’s first time on a boat, and he found it quite novel. Every now and then, he reached out and touched the water beside the raft. The coolness of the water sent a sensation through his fingertips and into his brain.

After crossing the flat lake, the bamboo raft traveled through a mountainous area where the current became much more turbulent. The raft moved quickly, and Nan Xu’s initial excitement wore off. He withdrew his hand, sat up straight, and said to Yun Yi, “That’s still five hundred silver coins.”

Yun Yi chuckled and explained, “If we don’t follow this raft, the road to the Nine-Tailed Fox’s dwelling is filled with traps and dangers. It’s not worth the trouble. Besides, five hundred silver coins is nothing to the demons of the East Sea.”

Nan Xu could only see the green mountains and clear water; he couldn’t discern any of the traps or dangers that Yun Yi had mentioned. However, Yun Yi wouldn’t use such a scare tactic. He figured that for Yun Yi and Jing Yuan to pay without question, it must be something extraordinary.

“Then won’t it cost another five hundred silver coins to get out?” Nan Xu asked. “No, it costs three thousand silver coins to leave the mountain,” Jing Yuan said from the side.

Nan Xu asked in astonishment, practically shouting, “Three thousand silver coins? Why don’t you just rob us?”

Jingyuan scoffed. “Robbing us would be too disgraceful for the Fox Clan. They love to make their shameless acts seem respectable.”

However, Yunyi said, “If you gain the favor of a nine-tailed fox demon in the mountains, they will treat you as an honored guest and won’t charge you silver coins.”

The two demons’ words were completely contradictory. Nanxu didn’t know who was telling the truth, but, seeing that both demons’ expressions were normal, he seemed to understand something.

The bamboo raft was small, so naturally, the burly man overheard the demons’ conversation. However, he focused solely on punting and controlling the raft’s position, unconcerned about others’ opinions.

After about half an hour, Nan Xu was quite dizzy from being lost in the mountains. Not even the most beautiful scenery could compare. Fortunately, before his enthusiasm could wane, the raft reached a quiet dock.

“We’ve arrived.”

Yun Yi jumped off first and stretched lazily. Nan Xu’s few steps made the raft wobble.

After disembarking, Nan Xu looked around. The place was surrounded by mountains, and there was a clear lake in the center. A short walk from the pier was a long wooden bridge that seemed to float on the water. It led to a small island in the middle of the lake. On the island, a peach tree stood in full bloom beside a pavilion.

The peach tree’s abundant blossoms were like a finishing touch against the verdant mountains. Nanxu lingered for a moment before following Yunyi and the others into the mountains.

Hidden among the trees were houses. Yunyi explained that these were the dwellings of fox demons. He led Nanxu to one of the houses. Unlike ordinary farmhouses, its design and layout were sophisticated. The fox demons they passed were all exceptionally beautiful. Their clothing and accessories were exquisite and refined, though not elaborate.

“Are they all fox demons?” Nan Xu asked.

Yun Yi nodded. “From where we boarded the ship all the way in, only fox demons live.”

Nan Xu was astonished. He had already used the grand array to recall the situation within the territories of the other major clans. The Azure Dragon Clan was the only clan to occupy a territory as large as the East Sea Fox Clan’s, yet even within their territory, fish demons and turtle demons still lived.

“The East Sea is extremely wealthy. You should have noticed that, too,” said Yun Yi, his tone tinged with envy.

Nan Xu nodded enviously. Although he possessed the vast Zhuyu Mountains, stretching thousands of miles, he could clearly feel the difference between them and the East Sea.

As they ascended the stone steps to the top of the mountain, the number of houses decreased considerably. Having seen countless beautiful sights along the way, Nan Xu had no high expectations for the summit, figuring the difference wouldn’t be too great.

However, upon reaching the top and seeing the view, Nan Xu was speechless. He had bought tickets to visit several nearby gardens in the human world and marveled at their exquisite beauty. But compared to what he saw now, he could only say that he had been too…

Rugged rocks, pavilions, towers, winding corridors, and picturesque water curtains—the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan had built a tranquil garden on the mountaintop as their residence, nestled against the mountainside.

Every detail showed the designer’s meticulous care, yet it blended seamlessly into the natural landscape.

Seemingly oblivious to the world around him, Nan Xu kept praising the scenery, his entire vocabulary failing to adequately describe it. Yun Yi and Jing Yuan remained silent, though they feigned disdain. They were undeniably impressed by the East Sea fox demon’s aesthetic sense.

The vast garden was inhabited by very few demons. Yun Yi explained that there were the fewest nine-tailed fox demons of all the races. This was due to limitations in bloodline inheritance and the difficulty of attaining nine tails without sufficient cultivation.

Nan Xu was no longer paying attention to Yun Yi. He had arrived in Tingchuan’s hometown, but he had yet to see him, and he was growing impatient.

Just as he was thinking about this, a familiar figure slowly approached from afar. Although familiar, the figure was slightly different from the Tingchuan Nan Xu remembered.

He seemed younger and more rebellious and had more vigor for his age.

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