RIIDMDR chapter 165

While the two were bickering, Tingchuan brought out a pot of chicken soup that he had just cooked. He scooped out some of the meat that Nanxu liked best, put it in a bowl, and handed the bowl of soup to Nanxu.

Tingchuan usually wouldn’t eat food not cooked by Nanxu, and this time was no exception. He sat quietly, watching Nanxu enjoy the meal. Guan’er lay sprawled at Nanxu’s feet, its imposing body practically pressed against Nanxu’s legs. Whenever Nanxu tossed a bone, Guan’er immediately tilted its head back to catch it. It devoured the bone with loud crunches, clearly showing its support.

Meanwhile, though constantly complaining, You’an didn’t miss a single bite of the dishes Zhixing had cooked. He ate until his plate was completely empty before putting down his chopsticks. Touching his still-empty stomach, he looked at Nanxu again.

“Owner, how’s the chicken my uncle raises?” he asked, resting his chin on his hand.

Having filled his stomach with the previous bowl, Nan Xu ate much more politely and slowly this time, praising the food with a “delicious.”

You’an wasn’t actually craving the two extra bites of meat in Nan Xu’s bowl. He was just curious about everything, especially the chickens his uncle raised. He figured eating one might help him gain a few ounces.

After all, back in the East Sea, his uncle wouldn’t lift a finger, let alone raise chickens. He would even frown in disgust when a fox demon killed a chicken in front of him.

Zhixing put down his bowl but didn’t leave. He stared at Nan Xu. It had been quite a while since they last met, and he wanted to see if he was any different.

Four demons sat around the table, three of them staring at Nan Xu. Even with his thick skin, Nan Xu was starting to feel the pressure. He gestured toward You An with his chin. “You should try some, too.”

“Okay!” You An’s eyes lit up as he looked at his uncle. “The owner was kind enough to invite me. I can’t refuse.”

As if he were afraid Tingchuan might change his mind, You An quickly stood up, grabbed a ladle from the earthenware pot, and filled Zhixing’s bowl first before ladling some into his own.

Zhixing hadn’t expected him to do that. It was food that Senior Tingchuan had gotten up before dawn to make for the shop owner. How could he possibly eat it? His face flushed red, and he hurriedly tried to refuse. However, You An interrupted him. “The owner has already agreed. What are you refusing for? Don’t treat yourself like an outsider.”

You An was always quick-witted, acting as if he weren’t an outsider. Nan Xu found it amusing. He’d suffered a lot lately, and it was rare to be able to sit peacefully and calm down.

The porcelain bowl obscured most of You An’s face. Nan Xu’s gaze swept over the upper half of his face. The familiar features reminded him of someone else. You An really did look like his father. It seemed a demon could indeed give birth to a child with a personality completely opposite his own.

After dinner, the sun had set, leaving only a faint glow in the sky. Zhixing and You An cleared the dishes away, and Nan Xu sat on the swing to enjoy the cool evening breeze for a while. Tingchuan picked two loquats from a tree and handed them to Nan Xu. “They’re almost out of season. These are the ones the loquat tree saved especially for you.”

Nan Xu took them, peeled off the skin, and took a bite. They were juicy and sweet. He looked at the loquat tree. As if sensing his gaze, the tree immediately swayed its branches.

Once it was completely dark, Tingchuan carried a bucket of hot water to the bathroom, then turned back to ask Nan Xu if he wanted to bathe.

It was hot, even in the mountains, and it was hard to avoid sweating. Despite his magical abilities, Nanxu preferred to bathe in water. Some things become habits from the very beginning. For example, over three thousand years ago, no matter how many times Yunyi and the others taught him the Cleansing Dust Technique, he would still jump excitedly into any river he saw during his travels.

They were always worried he might get swept away by the current; it had happened before. Although it wasn’t dangerous, afterward, they all reluctantly followed him into the water and took cold baths together.

While Nan Xu bathed, Tingchuan brought his clean clothes and told him he would leave them outside the door. Nan Xu responded but didn’t hear Tingchuan’s footsteps leave. He must have been expecting Nan Xu to call for him at any moment.

He didn’t know when Tingchuan’s attentive care had begun. Had he not entered the Eastern Array and experienced firsthand how cold Tingchuan had been, he would have thought Tingchuan was inherently considerate.

As night fell, the chirping of insects and birds faded. Nanxu lay awake in bed, perhaps because he had been in a coma for the past few days. He sorted through his memories. In truth, he wasn’t that old. He was over three thousand years old, but he had spent the long years in between in the darkness of time and space—the six or seven years before entering that space and the twenty-odd years after leaving. That was all.

Tingchuan, beside him, hadn’t slept either. Honestly, Nanxu had no idea how much rest Tingchuan got each day. It seemed that when Nanxu was awake, Tingchuan was fully alert. When Nanxu slept, Tingchuan remained awake. Was the nine-tailed fox bloodline so powerful that Tingchuan didn’t have dark circles under his eyes despite staying up all night?

In the spring when they went to the South Sea, Jingyuan told him that he hadn’t slept well in over three thousand years. Without that torment, many of the demons who had survived the disaster wouldn’t have returned to the underworld willingly and perished.

Tingchuan seemed to be the same way.

Nan Xu rolled over and landed next to Tingchuan. Tingchuan instinctively reached out and pulled Nan Xu into a tight embrace. In the quiet night, his voice was deep and slightly aggrieved: “Before, in winter, you always craved the warmth of my body. Now that summer’s here, though, you’ve started ignoring me. You’re truly heartless and ungrateful.”

Nan Xu chuckled and pulled Tingchuan closer. “Don’t blame me. If what you say is true, then who are you holding now?”

“We’ve been lying here for two hours, and we’ve only just bumped into each other,” he said.

The two bickered in bed for a while before getting down to business. Nan Xu didn’t want to talk about the hardships he endured after transforming into his true form, but he couldn’t resist Tingchuan’s repeated questions. Reluctantly, he recounted how he was pulled into another dimension and how he set up an array in the mountains.

“Your magical weapon is on the main peak. Why didn’t you take it?” Nan Xu asked.

This had always puzzled him. He hadn’t hidden the sword—he’d just set up a formation near the main peak for protection. The formation was dangerous, and Tingchuan and the others couldn’t enter it. He should have discovered it long ago. Even if he had missed it back then, after staying at the inn for over a year, he had thoroughly explored the main peak and its surroundings. How could he not have sensed it?

Moreover, magical weapons and their owners are inherently connected, and the weapons could sense each other long ago.

“I didn’t know if your spirit was still in this mountain. If it was and you couldn’t appear or speak, then you must have had your reasons. I was gravely injured and never knew when I would die, so I wanted to leave the weapon for you as a form of companionship.”

Tingchuan said softly, “I’ve always regretted not finding a safer way to save Jingyuan and leaving you alone in the Heavenly Cave.”

He had no intention of being a savior. From beginning to end, he only wanted to protect the few demons he cared about. Jingyuan shared the same sentiment; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been so agitated and furious after awakening.

Yunyi’s blood stained the yellow earth. The little demon’s whereabouts were unknown. Tingshu, after holding on for hundreds of years, also died. Of the entire group, only the two remaining demons refused to see each other again. Sharing their pain, they realized that the living are the loneliest.

If he could do it all over again, he wouldn’t care about the demon realm. He would rather face death with them.

Fortunately, the outcome wasn’t as bad as he had imagined: the little demon was still alive.

Nanxu’s heart tightened upon hearing this. He sensed Tingchuan’s immense struggle in his words and the relief expressed by his pounding heart as he hugged him.

He was relieved that he and Jingyuan had barely managed to hold on until now, preventing the little demon from being alone in the demon realm.

After all, the little demon didn’t belong in the demon realm. He only realized this when Zhuyu Mountain rose from the ground in an instant.

“Back then, my abilities were limited. I could only temporarily suppress the trembling mountains and rivers, and the Heavenly Cave disappeared due to the lack of spiritual energy. However, suppressing the spiritual veins like this will deplete the demon realm’s spiritual energy. When that energy disappears, the demon realm will face destruction,” said Nan Xu. “To revitalize the demon realm, we must reopen the wounds of the past and finish repairing the Heavenly Cave.”

The Heavenly Dao says that gods are not omnipotent. To survive for countless millennia, they must rely on the demon realm itself. A few demons cannot save the crumbling demon realm. They are like ants trying to shake a tree or a drop in the ocean—utterly insignificant.

“The demon realm is now mostly populated by young people with scarce spiritual energy and low cultivation levels. Can they withstand the resurgence of the formidable Heavenly Cave?” Tingchuan countered.

The surviving demons rarely witness the carnage and bloodshed of those days. Only those who experienced it firsthand know its extent. Even the thousands of powerful demons of the past couldn’t cope. Attempting it again now would undoubtedly present even greater difficulties and dangers.

Nanxu understood Tingchuan’s concerns, but there was no other way forward.

“I don’t know,” Nanxu replied.

The rise and fall of the demon realm rests solely in the hands of the current demon race. They must decide whether to accept the status quo and await destruction or fight a desperate battle for survival.

He had been pondering this question since waking up at dusk. Had he not regained his memories, he could have simply drifted through life, living and perishing aimlessly when the demon realm was destroyed.

But he had regained his memories. He had witnessed the Golden Crow clan’s selfless sacrifice and heard Yun Yi’s roars and struggles. Even when he was blinded by blood mist, Jing Yuan went against the retreating demons. He wanted only to fight alongside them.

He could no longer bring himself to let the demon realm perish.

Although he couldn’t bring back Yun Yi and Ting Shu, who had already died, he wanted Jing Yuan to wake up healthy and free to enjoy the rest of his life.

Nan Xu opened his eyes, and in the soft moonlight streaming through the window, he clearly saw Tingchuan’s face. He noticed Tingchuan’s bright eyes and felt that Tingchuan must have thought of this as well.

Tingchuan patted Nan Xu’s back twice, lightly, his mind racing. They both knew this arduous journey might be more difficult than three thousand years ago. Failure could mean devastation for the demon realm and sever their recent reunion forever. But this time, as long as Nan Xu wanted to do it, Tingchuan was willing to disregard the consequences and stand by his side forever.

“I’ll send a message to all the races in the demon realm, asking them to participate in the decision-making process. I can’t sleep anyway. Get me some paper and a pen. Let’s make a draft,” said Nan Xu, nudging Tingchuan.

Tingchuan had no choice but to get up, not bothering to light the candles. He went out and brought in the covered luminous pearl. He spread paper and a pen out on the table, and Nan Xu began revising and rewriting on the white paper. He finished the draft just before dawn, inviting the clan leaders to Zhuyu Mountain.

After covering the luminous pearl again, Nan Xu lay on the bed and opened his long-neglected system space. He found the blank flyer he had obtained from a previous quest. Initially, he’d thought he’d use it to run his inn and make a fortune. Unexpectedly, however, he’d used it to determine the fate of the demon realm.

He copied the finished draft onto the blank flyer and clicked “Use.”

[Are you sure you want to use the blank flyer?]

Nan Xu clicked “Confirm,” and the flyer in the system warehouse disappeared. Simultaneously, a letter appeared on the bedside table of each race in the demon realm.

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