RIIDMR chapter 172

When Nan Xu opened his eyes again, tears had blurred his entire face. He wasn’t sure if he was imagining it, but he could have sworn he heard that familiar voice, as if it had traveled through thousands of years to reach his ears once more.

In endless darkness, he had once regretted not having a proper farewell with them. He never expected this knot in his heart to suddenly be untied at that moment. He looked at where the heavenly cave had once appeared. Now, it was a clear, unbroken blue as if the calamity that had oppressed the demon realm for over three thousand years had never existed. Although he felt joy, he also felt an undeniable emptiness in his heart.

When demons perish, it’s said that their spiritual energy returns to the demon realm and dissipates completely, leaving no trace of their souls. Yet, Nan Xu always thought that the spiritual energy returning to the demon realm merely takes another form of existence and still coexists within the same world.

Now, he couldn’t even allow himself that small comfort. Ting Shu’s words—”leaving with no promise of meeting again”—marked the end of their fated connection. He wondered if they would go to another realm. If such a thing were possible, Nan Xu would be happy for them.

Nan Xu was lost in thought, and Tingchuan remained silent. He had just heard too many voices—those of close friends and clan members—all fading into stillness.

It was like a clear sky after a rain shower. At a time when they should have been rejoicing, the demon realm fell into a long-lasting silence. Nan Xu didn’t know if the other demons had heard anything either. When repairing the heavenly cave, thousands of spiritual energies had been mobilized—not just from the demons on the mountaintops. Most were lower in cultivation and barely able to hold on for so long; they had little energy left. The real heavy lifting came from the demons who had perished over three thousand years ago. Their lingering will in the demon realm gathered scattered spiritual energy into sharp blades and fought alongside their descendants three thousand years later.

Nan Xu looked at Tingchuan, who was bowing his head, and then at the peaks. The demons’ expressions varied. Like him, they were shaken and unable to believe that, just moments ago, they had thought everything was lost. Now, light had returned after darkness.

Suddenly, Nan Xu understood why the Heavenly Dao said that only the demon realm itself could save it. A few demons risking everything could only hold on temporarily. It was the will of the fallen and the unyielding spirit of the living that allowed the demon realm to flourish for so long.

…

The calamity that had shackled the demon realm for over three thousand years had ended. Spiritual energy slowly became rich once more. Heavy rain fell like sweet nectar, and everywhere burst forth tender greenery and life.

The demons in the mountains numbly tended to their fallen clan members. Only when they saw wounds heal rapidly and their exhausted faces regain vitality did they realize that spiritual energy had returned. They no longer needed to fear the demon realm dying due to depleted energy the next day. The nightmares that had been haunting them at midnight finally ended.

That day, Nan Xu descended from the peak and returned to the small courtyard, where he slept for four or five days straight. When he finally woke up, his stomach was growling. His gaze immediately fell on the chickens Tingchuan raised.

Without a word, he pulled Tingchuan along and went to the back mountain twice to check on the chickens’ food, which was unusual for him. Tingchuan immediately understood his desire, grabbed the fattest chicken, and headed toward the courtyard.

Nan Xu followed, laughing heartily at how well Tingchuan understood him.

“Why don’t you fight for the survival of the chickens you’re raising?” Nan Xu picked up a foxtail grass by the roadside and waved it back and forth, clearly enjoying himself.

“They’re food. What life is there to fight for? Besides, if I didn’t catch one for you today, I’d worry you’d lie awake all night thinking about it,” Tingchuan said mischievously.

Nan Xu shook his head helplessly. “How long ago was that? And you still remember?”

He recalled last year when the tomatoes were about to ripen. Birds had been hovering around the vegetable plot in the mountain. Nan Xu hadn’t thought much of it. One morning, he saw two tomatoes starting to turn red. At sunset, he happily returned with his basket, only to find that the birds had already pecked one. He was so annoyed that he lost his appetite for dinner.

It wasn’t that he was stingy; most of the crops weren’t ripe yet. They mainly ate wild game that Tingchuan hunted or successive batches of vegetables. His craving wasn’t fully satisfied. Just seeing a big, round tomato made him imagine its sweet, sandy texture. The first tomato eaten by birds made him furious.

After venting, he gave up. He couldn’t roast the birds for revenge. But that night, as he was lying down, he suddenly remembered the other almost-ripe tomato. He couldn’t sleep, so he got up and went to the vegetable plot.

Only Nan Xu stayed up at night to guard the vegetables. His craving was so intense that he lost all reason. Tingchuan could only accompany him and shoo away the mosquitoes vying for Nan Xu’s attention.

Thinking of this, Nan Xu laughed at how ridiculous he had been back then. Tingchuan hadn’t tried to persuade him and had gone along with the nonsense. The more he thought about it, the harder he laughed—so hard that he nearly slipped, almost falling to the ground. However, he managed to steady himself.

Hearing Nan Xu’s exclamation, Tingchuan turned and tossed the foxtail grass aside. He held Nan Xu’s hand and walked forward with him. “Why are you laughing? If you want it, just say so. It’s all for you.”

They drank the chicken soup at dusk. Tingchuan didn’t want anyone disturbing the chickens he raised, so he simmered the soup over low heat for more than two hours himself.

The aroma wafted far. Demons resting nearby, recalling the delicacies they’d tasted in the shop before the battle, licked their lips and asked what dish was being cooked.

Peeking into the courtyard, they saw Tingchuan sitting by the stove. He swallowed back the words he was about to say. The owner was kind and friendly, but Tingchuan rarely smiled, especially when he saw Nan Xu being bothered by them. His face darkened considerably, making him quite intimidating.

One demon noticed Nan Xu holding a chicken drumstick under the grape trellis and immediately asked, “Owner, can I buy a bowl of that chicken?”

Nan Xu shook his head. “No, I haven’t eaten enough yet!”

The demon sniffed the fragrant aroma and remembered the delicacies from before. Realizing he wouldn’t be staying long in the Zhuyu Mountains, the demon touched his purse and said, “Then cook another one for me. I’ll pay double.”

Nan Xu watched Tingchuan fan the fire faster. Amused, he shook his head. “There are no chickens for sale, nor any other dishes these days.”

The demon left, disappointed. Nan Xu looked at Tingchuan and saw that his annoyed expression had returned to normal.

He was truly easy to appease.

Now that the demon realm’s spiritual energy was abundant, Nan Xu’s exhausted strength recovered mostly after just a few days of sleep. Previously, it would have taken him six months to regain such vigor. Had he not returned to the demon realm after losing his memory, he probably wouldn’t have adapted so quickly.

He wanted to give himself a couple of days off. However, after the demons in Zhuyu Mountain recovered, many came to ask if the inn sold food. He could ignore a few customers, but refusing more triggered his stingy side. With a sigh, he picked up the big ladle and continued the endless grind of making a living.

Technically, he ran an inn, but it was treated as a restaurant. If business was good, expanding the range of services wasn’t impossible. After all, diversification was the ultimate goal.

Just as he thought this, Tingchuan and the canine clan brought two big buckets of crayfish up the mountain.

Nan Xu’s eyes lit up. He remembered staying late at work and eating night snacks with colleagues—one beer and two pounds of crayfish—which was pure delight. It was a shame to miss this in the hot summer.

“Where did you find these? How did you catch so many?” Nan Xu asked, astonished.

Before, he used to rely on fish traps to catch small fish and river shrimp when vegetables were scarce. Later, with more work, he had less time to forage and almost forgot these existed.

Xu Ji chuckled, “After the recent rain, the river in the valley rose quite a bit. Perhaps feeling restless, many of the crayfish crawled near the riverbank. Our clan caught quite a few of them easily. In the past, we cooked them, but the meat was tender yet flavorless. We thought you might know a better way to prepare them, so we sent two buckets for your advice.”

Nan Xu listened and thought, “Well, you definitely asked the right demon.” He looked at the two large buckets of crayfish and calculated how many demons were still on the mountain. It wasn’t enough, so he told Tingchuan, “There are plenty of small crayfish this season. Let’s go down the mountain and catch some more. I’ll cook them all and invite the other demons living on the mountain. It’ll be a farewell snack for everyone!”

Tingchuan nodded in agreement. Xu Ji interjected, “There’s no need for the owner to catch them. Our clan still has a few buckets—more than enough to eat.”

Nan Xu shook his head. “Those are for you to eat. I can’t just take your two buckets to entertain the other demons. How could I use your things to do you a favor?”

Xu Ji hurriedly waved his hand. “Owner, you said there are plenty in the river. We live nearby, and anyone can catch them easily this season. There’s no need to fuss over it. Besides, our canine clan is accustomed to hard work. Getting pinched a few times doesn’t matter. You and Senior Tingchuan don’t need to suffer for it.”

His half-joking words amused Nan Xu. He was also a farmer and laborer. Although Zhuang Si and Zhuang Wu had saved him a lot of work since they came to the mountains, his palms were still covered in calluses.

As he opened his mouth to argue, Xu Ji extended his hand. Nan Xu froze when he saw it. Canine demons were skilled carpenters and rarely idle. Their palms and fingers were both rough and callused. Nan Xu couldn’t compare.

They started talking about crayfish but somehow ended up comparing whose calluses were tougher. Xu Ji realized this and pulled his hand back, smiling bashfully. “My little daughter won’t let me hold her hands. She looks so pitiful whenever I touch them. I guess they pricked her.”

Just then, Zhixing passed by, paused, and said, “Easy fix. I’ll get some ointment for you. Apply it a few times, and it won’t sting so much.”

Xu Ji thanked him profusely. Having become a father again after many years, he had so much love to give.

Seeing how determined Xu Ji was, Nan Xu couldn’t refuse. He accepted the crayfish from the canine clan.

Seven or eight buckets filled the courtyard. Cleaning them was quite a sight. If left unattended, the crayfish crawled all over the place. Some demons wandering by were creeped out by their sheer number and tried to leave quickly.

However, when they heard Nan Xu at the well say that he would cook them for everyone, the terrifying creatures somehow seemed cute again.

“I’ll call some demons to help,” said one, hurrying off.

Nan Xu thought he was just using that as an excuse to leave. He smiled and didn’t pay much attention to it.

Tingchuan thought the dishes were too simple, so he went into the mountains with a few little fox demons and returned with some wild game.

Nan Xu was telling Tingchuan how to skewer and grill the game when dozens of demons came bustling into the courtyard. Turning his head, he saw demons of all clans. Leading them was the one who had just gone to fetch the others. Nan Xu couldn’t help but admire him—what a vast network!

The demons surged forward and instantly freed Zhuang Si, Zhuang Wu, and a few canine demons who had been peeling shrimp. One demon even snatched the knife Nan Xu had been using to chop garlic.

With his job stolen, Nan Xu stood with his hands on his hips and looked around for a long time. He had heard that the demon had originally only gone back to call about ten of his own people, but on the way, he encountered other demons one after another. Hearing about the inn’s hospitality, they all came to help. Nan Xu was amused yet exasperated because it was all a misunderstanding.

Most demons at that time were simple and honest. They had endured the era of thin spiritual energy together, fought for the future of the demon realm, and shared hardships. Because of this, their bonds naturally grew stronger.

Before he started cooking, Nan Xu went to the cellar and brought up several large jars of wine. Most were made from snow water the last year. Some were infused with osmanthus; others were made from sour wild plums, grapes, loquats, and hawthorns. There were many flavors, but the alcohol content was low—Nan Xu treated them as refreshing beverages.

Once the crawfish were cleaned and the seasonings were ready, Nan Xu tied on an apron and stirred the pot. Meanwhile, Tingchuan, You An, and Zhixing set up the barbecue racks in the courtyard. Zhuang Si and Zhuang Wu went to notify those who hadn’t received the news yet.

Once nearly all the demons had arrived, Nan Xu had Zhuang Si and Zhuang Wu set up tables and chairs in the large, open courtyard area. On the tables were two basins of small crayfish—garlic-flavored and spicy—alongside grilled fish and various skewers, laid out abundantly.

Even though the slight spiritual enhancement in Nan Xu’s dishes was unnecessary after the spiritual energy returned, his cooking still impressed the demons. Although eating wasn’t essential, they enjoyed a full, satisfying meal. By the next day, most of the demons had left. They reminded Nan Xu to grow his business and maybe even open another inn outside the mountains to make it easier for them to enjoy good food.

…

After ninety percent of the demons left in a single day, the canine clan descended the mountain. The lively courtyard returned to calm. Now free, Nan Xu noticed Wu Jiu nearby. He hadn’t rushed back to his clan; instead, he was observing Nan Xu.

Nan Xu sat on a swing and closed his book. “Do you want to say something?” he asked.

Wu Jiu shook his head and grabbed a stool, sitting not far away. “I just wanted to see what kind of demon you are. You’re so young, yet you have profound cultivation. I couldn’t tell before, and even now, after making some progress in my own cultivation, I still can’t figure it out.”

Nan Xu smiled. He thought to himself that he had had an advantage from the start. Even though he had given up on becoming a god, he was still a demigod. In today’s demon realm, few could see his true form. He glanced at Wu Jiu and noticed some improvement. He hadn’t expected the young deer demon to gain insight during the ordeal in the heavenly cave, which had significantly increased his cultivation. It was truly a blessing in disguise.

His half-grown antlers hadn’t progressed much yet, but they would soon grow more imposing. Nan Xu lingered his gaze on them. Unlike before, Wu Jiu didn’t seem sensitive, allowing Nan Xu to look without irritation. In fact, he raised his chin slightly, seemingly proud of them.

Nan Xu couldn’t help but laugh. Wu Jiu had once been moody and hard to read, but now his pride showed openly—it was kind of cute.