RIIDMDR chapter 168

Tingchuan didn’t know how to tell Nanxu. He figured Nanxu would be disappointed when he found out. Since the important matter was imminent, he decided to wait until Nanxu had come up with some comforting words. If he was fortunate enough to have a long-lasting relationship with Nanxu, he could explain later.

After playing gently with the newborn demon cub for a while, Nanxu was led by Xu Ji to the prepared room. Xu Ji hadn’t farmed much this year to care for his wife and daughter, giving all the land he’d cleared last year to his relatives. Therefore, he had a lot of free time. Since Zhixing sometimes came down the mountain to check the little canine demon’s pulse and would stay overnight, Xu Ji had added two rooms next to his house, making it much more spacious.

The new room had a newly made bed with soft, light poultry down bedding that smelled sun-dried and was exceptionally comfortable.

Nan Xu hadn’t had a moment’s rest all day. He wanted to lie down on the bed as soon as he saw it. However, although the dust covering him was invisible, he still felt uncomfortable. After Xu Ji left, Nan Xu pulled Tingchuan out the back door and went to the reed-lined riverbank where they had bathed before.

Back then, their relationship wasn’t nearly as close as it was now. Nan Xu could clearly remember asking Tingchuan to watch his clothes while he stood naked in the river. Even through the layers of reeds, he felt awkward.

However, times had changed. That awkwardness was no longer a factor between them. Nan Xu had just quickly taken off his shirt when Tingchuan asked from behind, “Want me to scrub your back?”

Nan Xu nodded repeatedly. Tingchuan was very experienced at scrubbing him. The pressure was just right, and it felt incredibly good.

As night fell and the dew became heavier, the two returned to their bedroom under the moonlight. Their clothes were damp with dew, and they fell asleep in each other’s arms.

The next day, when Nanxu awoke, dawn had already broken. Unlike usual, Tingchuan was still asleep, staring at Nanxu with wide eyes. His long eyelashes trembled slightly, and the light filtering through the curtains illuminated his face, making him exceptionally handsome.

Despite having spent so much time together, Nanxu had grown accustomed to his beauty; still, occasionally, a fleeting glance would leave him momentarily lost in thought.

After a moment, Nanxu asked, “Why aren’t you up?”

Tingchuan put his index finger to his lips and pointed toward the window. Only then did Nanxu notice the faint sounds coming from afar. Listening intently, Nanxu realized that Xuji had gathered his clansmen to discuss the letter. As Nanxu had predicted, some were willing to gamble everything because they were haunted by past hardships. Others were content with their comfortable lives, which they had achieved through hard work. They simply disagreed on the point. Each side had its own logic, and neither was inherently wrong.

Hearing the arguments, Nan Xu didn’t rush to get up. He lay in bed, lost in thought. Every demon race faced two conflicting decisions; it was just a matter of how they chose. Once they reached Zhuyu Mountain, another heated debate would ensue.

Nan Xu could easily use magic to remove the suppression of the spiritual veins from his body. The demon realm was cornered. Those demons had no choice but to fight to the death if they wanted to survive.

However, Nan Xu’s past decision to use his last breath to suppress the spiritual veins stemmed from his desire for peace in the demon realm. Having witnessed horrific scenes and experienced the utter darkness of a lifeless world, he longed for peace and tranquility more than anyone else.

As for repairing the Heavenly Cave, the Heavenly Dao revealed the secret to him over three thousand years ago. Unless the demon realm united as one, there was absolutely no chance of success.

From early morning until late morning, the canine demons on the outskirts of the village finally finished their discussion. Xu Le, his wooden clogs clicking, ran to Nan Xu’s bedroom. “Is the owner awake? My mother boiled some eggs.”

Nan Xu sat up, pretending to have just woken up, and said, “Awake? Get up now.”

On the wooden table was a small plate with about five or six boiled eggs. Xu Le and his parents sat around the table while the little demon lay in a cradle beside them. The cradle was designed by Nan Xu last time, and Xu Ji and Yi Shui had made improvements to make it more suitable for the little demon.

Nan Xu and Tingchuan sat down, and Xu Le eagerly served them porridge. Then, Xu Ji handed them several eggs from the plate.

The eggs were from the chickens Tingchuan had raised himself. Now that they were in front of Nan Xu, Tingchuan felt a strange sense of pride. He picked one up, tapped it lightly on the corner of the table, and rolled it a couple of times. The shell broke off. He held the egg to Nan Xu’s lips.

Embarrassed to eat what Tingchuan was feeding him in front of others, Nan Xu put down his chopsticks and took the egg himself. He bit into it. It was springy and tender with no fishy taste, as he had expected. The yolk was bright yellow, and its unique fragrance gave him an indescribable sense of satisfaction.

Nan Xu didn’t rush to swallow. While chewing, he gave Tingchuan an enthusiastic thumbs-up, praising the chickens for their prolific breeding. After all, he was a picky fox demon and a chicken-raising expert.

Tingchuan chuckled and put another piece of his favorite side dish with his porridge on Nan Xu’s plate.

Nan Xu took small bites of his egg. Only then did he notice that Xu Ji’s bowl contained only plain porridge and side dishes. Xu Le’s mother had one egg beside her, while Xu Le had two and was happily eating them.

Nan Xu looked at Xu Ji and asked, “Don’t the eggs suit your taste, brother?”

Xu Ji was about to nod when he glanced at Tingchuan. He quickly looked away and said somewhat awkwardly, “They’re useless to me. I’ll save them for my wife and Xu Le.”

Nan Xu didn’t find him stingy at all. Instead, he recalled his experiences in the human world. In every harmonious family, there seemed to be a pillar silently sheltering them from the storm and saving the best for their loved ones. His father was that pillar, and his mother might be too.

Nan Xu didn’t offer any polite suggestions, like asking Xu Ji to go up the mountain and get more. He was honest and straightforward, never wanting to owe him anything.

Nan Xu planned to have Zhuang Si and Zhuang Wu deliver eggs more often. When the new chicks hatched, he planned to have Xu Le catch a few and bring them down the mountain. With more eggs, they wouldn’t seem so precious, and they wouldn’t have to keep passing them around.

The little demon cub peeked at them through the crack in its rocking crib. Its mouth smacked, and drool wet its fur. Nan Xu found this amusing and showed Xu Ji how to make egg custard so that he could make some for the little medicine cub in a few days.

After breakfast and lunch, Nan Xu didn’t ask Xu Ji about the results of the canine clan’s discussion. He went back up the mountain with Tingchuan.

Over the next few days, Nan Xu was busy with the fields. The potatoes and tomatoes in the vegetable garden were ripe. Zhixing had planted them in the spring, but since he had little experience with vegetable cultivation, he had planted too many seeds. The Zhuang brothers, Zhuang Si and Zhuang Wu, had broken their backs transplanting the seedlings, so Nan Xu had them help with the harvest.

However, it wasn’t free labor. Nanxu didn’t intend for the brothers to work for him indefinitely. He stored most of the produce in the cellar and allowed them to take the rest home. The cabbages they had planted in the spring weren’t ripe yet. The brothers had tightened their belts to raise pigs. The tender piglets had grown fat and strong, while the brothers had grown thin.

A few days ago, Zhuang Wu stole leftover vegetable leaves from Nanxu’s courtyard to feed the pigs—even stealing from the chickens. Tingchuan was naturally displeased. After a few times, he threatened to chop off their pig hooves and feed them to the chickens if they dared sneak around again. Only then did Zhuang Wu stop. Now that they had legitimate feed, they didn’t mind harvesting potatoes or even digging with their butts in the dirt if needed.

Life in the courtyard seemed no different than before, but Nanxu’s frequent glances toward the outside revealed his inner thoughts.

Just as he was wondering which tribe would be the first to arrive from outside the mountains, a demon hurriedly appeared outside the courtyard at dusk.

Luminous beads illuminated the courtyard, making it appear as if it were daytime and clearly lighting up the entrance. Nan Xu, shears in hand, looked up from under the grape trellis, searching for early-ripening grapes. He had noticed the demons entering the main peak, but he hadn’t paid much attention afterward because he hadn’t expected them to be so fast.

As soon as the three young demons stepped into the courtyard, Nan Xu put away his shears and looked over. He was somewhat surprised yet not entirely upon seeing them.

They were from the Flying Bird Clan and looked travel-worn, indicating that they had been in a hurry. Ning Sui walked beside them. Nan Xu greeted him, and Ning Sui smiled back. Then, he introduced the two beside him: the white phoenix demon in the middle and the black stork demon.

“After the clan finished discussing it, they sent a few of us to reserve the rooms. I reckon the rooms will fill up in a couple of days,” said Ning Sui, half-jokingly.

Nan Xu was somewhat surprised. “So it’s already been decided?”

Ning Sui nodded. The Black Stork Demon said solemnly, “The calamity of the demon realm is our inescapable duty as the Bird Race!”

The white phoenix demon standing in the middle spoke politely: “Our ancestor often reminisced about the days when spiritual energy was abundant. She always said that her cultivation was too low back then and that she lacked the courage to contribute. By the time she made up her mind to go, it was too late. She taught us to live with spirit and courage so that we won’t have any regrets, because we’ll regret it for the rest of our lives if we do.”

Seeing the seriousness and determination in the eyes of the three young bird demons, Nan Xu felt ashamed for assuming all demons were cowardly and conservative.

He asked, “How many rooms do you need?”

“Two rooms to start with. Once the demon clans arrive, we’ll return one and keep one for our ancestor,” said Ning Sui.

“Your ancestor is coming?” Nan Xu was somewhat surprised but then thought about it and realized it wasn’t so strange. He asked Ning Sui, “What about you?”

Ning Sui smiled and looked a little embarrassed. “We booked rooms with the Canine Clan when we passed by the foot of the mountain,” he said.

They were shrewd enough to know Nan Xu wouldn’t have a room for them and had made plans in advance.

As Ning Sui predicted, a few days after the Bird Clan arrived, demon clans from nearby areas began arriving one after another, each clan leader bringing one or two junior members.

Many demons had never been to Zhuyu Mountain, although they had heard countless legends about it. Even after seeing the huge, dazzling billboard, they still dared not step inside. They gathered outside the mountain and waited until there were enough people to head in as a group. The path into the mountain was filled with the constant chatter of voices and trampled weeds. The mountain had never been so lively.

Those who lived far away had not yet arrived. The five or six rooms in Nanxu’s inn were already booked, and the rooms in the Canine tribe below the mountain were also in high demand.

Amidst the chaos in his mind, Nanxu saw some familiar faces: Danyin, Wujiu, Cloud Demon, the golden-haired cat demon, and her cold-faced lover.

The demons who had stayed in the mountains knew that the innkeeper was a skilled cook. They boldly ordered food, only to be dragged back by their clan elders. They still had no idea how that letter had quietly ended up on their bedside tables. How dare they ask the master of Zhuyu Mountain to cook for them? Didn’t they see how much care and attention the elder Tingchuan from the East Sea showed him?

The few demons who had been caught looked aggrieved but dared not say a word. Seeing this, the demons who had only ever purchased Zhuyu Mountain specialties from traveling merchants also retracted their eager paws.

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