RIIDMDR chapter 160

The next day, Nanxu learned from the construction-working fox demons that the fox demon who had planted the flowers had been scolded by Tingchuan’s brother and slunk down the mountain.

Nanxu was puzzled. Wasn’t he rewarded just a few days ago? How could he be fired so quickly? Was working in the garden really that exciting?

Nanxu quickly learned the reason. As usual, he finished his work before Yunyi and the others. Having finished the handful of walnuts he had collected last time, Nanxu was craving more. On his way to find the female demon who was working in the kitchen, he encountered Tingchuan standing under the peach tree.

Tingchuan seemed to be in a bad mood today. Although he had hidden it well, Nanxu had spent every day with his future self and could sense the difference in even the slightest gesture. Nanxu stopped, hesitating about whether to force himself on Tingchuan again.

He wanted to be with Tingchuan, but the Tingchuan from three thousand years ago felt too unfamiliar. His unconscious actions and words seemed particularly strange to Tingchuan now.

Nanxu hesitated, but Tingchuan turned to look at him. “Why are you staring at me from so far away?”

Nanxu took two steps forward, then stopped again. He was somewhat dazed. If he wasn’t mistaken, he thought he saw that Tingchuan’s eyes were a little red. Was he crying secretly? Wouldn’t approaching him only make him more awkward? What if Tingchuan got angry and reminded him that he hadn’t received payment for the clothes he had given him? What if he went to collect the debt?

Tingchuan noticed the wary look in Nanxu’s eyes. Remembering the sprouted sweet potatoes he’d just dug up, he furrowed his brow slightly. “Come here.”

His tone was somewhat harsh. A gust of wind blew by, making Nanxu shiver. It was summer, so why did he feel cold?

“It’s cold out. I’ll go back and put on another layer.” Nanxu turned to leave.

He fled as if he were escaping, but after taking only a few steps, someone grabbed him by the back of his collar.

Nan Xu’s temper flared. Why did everyone always tug at his clothes? The fox demon did it last time, and now Tingchuan did it, too. If they just casually tugged, it wouldn’t be a problem, but they always pulled upwards. Last time, when the fox demon grabbed the front of his collar, Nan Xu had to stand on tiptoe to keep his balance. This time, Tingchuan grabbed the back of his collar, and he had to stand on his tiptoes again.

What, did it make them seem taller?!

Nan Xu’s aura of rage was unleashed, startling Tingchuan and making him sense danger. Tingchuan instinctively released his grip. Caught off guard, Nan Xu whirled around and lost his balance, plunging headfirst into Tingchuan’s arms.

With a thump, he wasn’t sure if his chin hit Tingchuan’s collarbone or his heartbeat, but either way, Nan Xu’s fierce momentum vanished, and he was embarrassed.

“Why did you grab me?” Nan Xu straightened up, trying to appear serious and avoid further embarrassment.

Tingchuan lowered his gaze, looking at the person only an arm’s length away. The anger he felt at seeing the sweet potato seedlings had inexplicably dissipated.

His elder brother had heard that he rewarded someone with a treasure, and also heard that after half a year the nursery finally sprouted flower seedlings—seedlings of a type never seen before—so his interest was piqued and he brought his wife to have a look. Seeing the entire nursery filled with purple, lush and thriving, though vaguely strange, they didn’t overthink it.

The couple speculated about what kind of flower it would eventually bloom into. Finally, they took matters into their own hands, loosening the soil and fertilizing it. However, they accidentally dug up a sweet potato, and an awkward silence fell between them.

His older brother had never been embarrassed like this in front of his wife before, so he took out his frustration on Tingchuan. Tingchuan was scolded all afternoon. It was his mistake to begin with, and since he’d been scolded since childhood, he was used to it.

However, the rare flower seeds he sent the little fox demon to buy had sprouted into sweet potato seedlings after six months of watering with spiritual water. He had even rewarded someone for them. This series of developments felt like a blow to the head for Tingchuan.

In the late afternoon, he searched the nursery everywhere, only to find that everything that had sprouted were sweet potato seedlings. Not a single flower seed had emerged. As he pondered the reason why, he suddenly thought of Nan Xu’s face. He had constantly told him what to plant that would taste good. It seemed only Nan Xu would be sensible enough to plant sweet potatoes in the nursery.

“Did you bury those sweet potatoes in the soil?” Tingchuan asked, his face dark.

Nan Xu paused for a moment, then nodded. “Yes, why?”

Tingchuan stared at him, but he saw no trace of remorse on his face. He couldn’t help but feel disappointed. After spending several days together, Tingchuan had developed a fondness for Little Demon, finding him straightforward, innocent, and honest. He never expected him to do something like this.

Tingchuan wanted to turn away and ignore the little demon, but he couldn’t help asking, “Why did you plant a sweet potato nursery? If you want some, just have the fox demon buy some for you.”

Nanxu didn’t know how he knew about the sweet potatoes. “You asked me to plant flowers, but I couldn’t find any seeds. I decided to plant something else first so that the nursery wouldn’t be empty and would look nicer. I planted a few sweet potatoes, but they didn’t sprout. I guess the soil wasn’t good. Then, I planted rapeseed. You told me to pull up all the rapeseed, and I did as you asked. What does that have to do with the sweet potatoes?”

Nanxu spoke slowly and deliberately. After listening to him, Tingchuan didn’t know which issue to address first.

Bad soil? The soil had been irrigated by spiritual water for thousands of years, yet he complained about planting sweet potatoes. Wait, why did he only mention rapeseed flowers and not sweet potatoes?

Tingchuan’s expression shifted repeatedly. Nanxu realized something belatedly, saying, “Those flower branches in the nursery look so familiar!”

His eyes lit up almost instantly. He stared intently at Tingchuan and asked, “Did my sweet potatoes survive?”

Tingchuan met his surprised gaze and felt as if he had met someone who had come to collect a debt. It took a lot of courage to withstand that burning gaze and say, “Go pull up your sweet potato seedlings.”

His tone wasn’t as cold as it had been with the rapeseed flowers last time. However, the joy in Nan Xu’s eyes gradually faded, and his bright eyes dimmed considerably. Tingchuan felt a pang of pity.

“Go pull them up now, before the sun sets,” Tingchuan said.

Nan Xu wanted to glare at him with his large, bell-like eyes and make him feel the urge to bite, but Tingchuan didn’t give him the chance. He was already heading toward the nursery.

Nan Xu had no choice but to follow. Seeing the lush purple foliage filling the flowerbed, Nan Xu felt regret. He pulled up sweet potato vines with a dark expression, quietly apologizing to them.

“You were born at the wrong time. You can wither away in peace. Three thousand years from now, I will reincarnate you, replant you in the soil, and water and fertilize you daily. I will not mistreat you…”

He muttered to himself, never stopping as he worked. Tingchuan, who was helping pull the vines, overheard everything. He knew demons often spoke to sentient plants to increase their chances of becoming demons, but he had never seen one talking to ordinary vines before.

After finishing with all the sweet potato vines, Nanxu carried them away. He wanted to find the female demon again and ask if there was any more space next to where he had planted the rapeseed flowers that could be used for sweet potatoes.

He didn’t want to talk to Tingchuan. He had planted the sweet potatoes and the rapeseed flowers with his heart and soul, like his beloved children. Tingchuan was taking them away, and he hated him for it.

“Where are you going?” Tingchuan called out to Nanxu.

Nanxu, clutching the sweet potato vine, looked sorrowful. “Naturally, I’m going to find a place to throw them away.”

Tingchuan was silent for two seconds, as if he had come to a decision. “Come with me.”

Nanxu was confused. “Why?”

Tingchuan didn’t answer. He turned and walked away. Nanxu hesitated for two seconds, then followed him.

The garden was large. Although Nanxu wandered around daily, he always visited the same few places. He hadn’t explored as many areas since he first arrived and toured the garden with Yunyi, so he assumed they were taking an unfamiliar path.

But the truth was, Nanxu had walked this path before. He carried a large bundle of sweet potato vines and looked at the roadside scenery. Most of the previous damage had been repaired. The reason Yunyi and the others couldn’t descend the mountain yet was partly due to Tingchuan’s constant harassment.

Looking at the somewhat familiar scenery, Nanxu remembered that this was the same path Tingchuan had taken him on a few months ago. At that time, Tingchuan said his lodgings had a damaged roof, so he arranged a beautiful, secluded courtyard for Nanxu, but he refused it.

After walking for another fifteen minutes, they arrived at the courtyard. However, Tingchuan didn’t stop. He continued walking, and Nanxu had no choice but to follow.

Tingchuan stopped outside an inconspicuous courtyard gate. He pushed it open to reveal a rockery and flowing water. The scene was serene and elegant — far more beautiful and spacious than the small courtyard Nanxu had just seen. Tingchuan stepped inside, then turned to look at Nanxu. “Come in.”

Nanxu entered and looked around, finding everything beautiful. The care put into the courtyard’s design was evident. “Where is this?”

“My other residence,” Tingchuan replied.

Nanxu was surprised for a moment, then decided this answer made sense. Still, it was surprising that wealthy families would have such concerns—needing multiple residences because of the size of their gardens. Nanxu was envious of their wealth.

“Why did you bring me to your residence?” Nanxu asked, still puzzled.

Tingchuan took a deep breath, pointed to the flowers and plants in the yard, and said, “You can arrange these flowerbeds however you like.”

Nanxu looked in the direction he pointed. The flowers were vibrant and beautiful, their colors perfectly matched and complementing the rest of the yard. Nanxu was surprised. “Arrange them as I like? I’m going to plant sweet potatoes.”

Tingchuan’s eyelashes trembled. “Whatever you say.”

Nanxu saw that Tingchuan had his back to him and guessed that he must be feeling regretful. But the words were already out, and he couldn’t take them back. Remembering the heartache he felt when he pulled up the rapeseed flowers, Nanxu’s eyes lit up and he made up his mind.

For the next few days, Nanxu carried a hoe to Tingchuan’s yard each day. He dug up all the beautiful flowers and plants, then planted his own sweet potatoes in their place. The vines meandered, and they were actually quite beautiful if you didn’t compare them to the previous flowers and plants.

After planting all the sweet potatoes, Nanxu dusted off his hands. His palms were blistered from days of constantly turning the soil with a hoe, but he was in a wonderful mood. He wasn’t in a hurry to leave today. He sat in the courtyard waiting for Tingchuan to return after dark.

Since bringing him here last time, Nanxu hadn’t seen Tingchuan. He didn’t know if Tingchuan was genuinely busy or if he simply didn’t want to face the courtyard’s current state.

He waited until it was completely dark, but Tingchuan still didn’t appear. Realizing his attitude was childish, he chuckled self-deprecatingly and got up to leave.

The moment he pushed open the door, his vision went black for a moment. This brief instant blended with the pitch-black night. Before his brain could react, his feet stepped out first. When he looked again, Tingchuan was standing before him.

This Tingchuan was slender, composed, and reserved; his eyes reflected Nanxu’s image.

Nanxu stared at him for a long time, utterly bewildered. He had merely pushed open the door without saying goodbye to the Tingchuan of three thousand years ago and found himself outside the formation.

Outside the formation, it was also night. Having been inside the formation for so long, Nanxu felt somewhat at a loss facing Tingchuan again. He had felt this discomfort when he first entered the formation as well.

Back then, when he saw Tingchuan, he always subconsciously wanted to hold his hand or hug him like a lecherous man. He ultimately restrained himself, but Yun Yi saw those little actions and ridiculed him many times.

Now, he had to adapt to being close to Tingchuan again.

As Nanxu froze, unsure of what to do, Tingchuan seemed to sense his estrangement. His heart skipped a beat as a sudden emptiness washed over him. He pulled Nanxu into a tight embrace, feeling his body soften beneath his touch. Gradually, the void in his heart was filled.

Nanxu reached up and wrapped his arms around Tingchuan’s waist. He tilted his head back and gazed at Tingchuan for a long time—so long that the moon shifted and the birds and insects in the mountains repeated their chirping countless times—before finally licking his lips and tentatively kissing Tingchuan.

Tingchuan was initially surprised but didn’t miss the fleeting fear in Nanxu’s eyes.

The long and arduous journey hadn’t obscured his memories, but it had changed his habits. Every moment he spent with Tingchuan, Nanxu constantly sought to confirm which Tingchuan he was facing and questioned whether his actions were appropriate for the situation.

“You’re finally out,” Tingchuan said, his heart pounding with anxiety.

His voice carried relief and joy, but it also sounded like longing and worry.

That familiar voice belonged only to the Tingchuan he loved because he only conveyed such affection and helplessness when speaking to him.

Nan Xu nodded heavily and said, “Yes, I’m out.”

Tingchuan then said, “I thought you didn’t want me anymore.”

Nan Xu quickly denied it. “How could that be? You were so cold and heartless to me in the formation.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Nan Xu and Tingchuan’s eyes met, and they both saw different emotions in each other’s eyes. Nan Xu suddenly stood up straight and said, “Wait. We’ll continue with our warm reunion later. Let’s settle our old scores first.”

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