RIIDMDR chapter 55

 

Wash the loquats thoroughly, peel them, and remove the seeds, then place them in a pot, add rock sugar, and simmer. No water is needed. The loquats are done once they have become a paste. This process isn’t difficult. Nan Xu had made it just a few days ago, so it wasn’t new to him. He was afraid the loquat paste would burn if it was overcooked, so he had to wait by the stove, which was too hot.

Nan Xu fanned himself relentlessly, feeling so hot that he almost wanted to stick out his tongue like a dog. Seeing this, Zhi Xing offered to watch the fire for him. Nan Xu waved his hand. “Go out first. Don’t let your fever come back just when you’ve gotten better.”

Zhi Xing felt guilty for being unable to help Nan Xu. He squatted by the kitchen door looking pitiful. Gou Er squatted beside him, feeling greasy and sulking in the heat. Nan Xu couldn’t help but smile when he glanced at the two figures: the demon and the dog.

Steam rose from the kitchen, and the voices of Zhuang Wu and Tingchuan greeting each other came from the courtyard.

Nan Xu peeked out the window and saw Zhuang Wu clutching two watermelons. His eyes lit up. Despite being in the kitchen, he leaned over the window and asked, “Are the watermelons ripe?”

Zhuang Wu and Ting Chuan were scared facing each other. Upon hearing this, they looked over and, seeing Nan Xu felt like seeing a savior, quickly replied, “Not yet. I estimate they’ll be ripe in about ten days. These two are early-ripening, and I brought them to you to try first.”

He looked eager to please and clearly wanted to mend their relationship. Nan Xu’s mind was almost entirely on the watermelons. Hearing that they would be ripe soon made him very happy. Since early July, when the weather first got hot, he had been thinking about watermelons. After more than a month of Zhuang Si and Zhuang Wu occasionally reminding him to care for the watermelon patch, he finally saw results.

Zhuang Wu carried a large watermelon and a small one, though the early-ripening watermelons were probably not very big. Nan Xu didn’t worry about the variety. After many trials, he knew the seeds sold by the system shop were excellent.

“Just leave them by the well. You can take the smaller one home and let Zhuang Si taste it,” Nan Xu said.

Although his relationship with the wild boar demon brothers wasn’t particularly close, Zhuang Si and Zhuang Wu were responsible for the watermelon patch from start to finish. They hadn’t been lazy, so Nan Xu didn’t mind being generous.

Zhuang Wu happily left with the smaller watermelon. Nan Xu then asked Tingchuan, who was in the yard, to put the watermelon in the well to chill it. The well water was warm in winter and cool in summer, making it a perfect natural refrigerator.

The loquat jam was ready, filling twelve small ceramic jars. Nan Xu kept two jars for himself, put one on the counter, and stored the rest in the warehouse. Although the warehouse was sheltered from the sun and cooler, Nan Xu was still worried. Even in the heat of summer, the jam wouldn’t last two months.

Unable to find an immediate solution, Nan Xu could only leave it as it was. Out of the corner of his eye, Nan Xu noticed two exquisite wooden boxes in a corner of the warehouse. He realized that he had been so busy lately that he had only used the system to buy things from the mall and had forgotten to check the quest rewards he had received.

He opened the first blind box and found a glass bottle filled with white lotion. A note on the bottle read “Baby Cream” in demonic script. Nan Xu was speechless for a moment before taking it out. Perhaps it was because he was used to seeing the ugly pottery jars and bowls he crafted every day, and suddenly touching such a beautiful, smooth glass jar made him feel otherworldly.

After all, it had only been a few months since he’d left the human world.

As for the baby cream, Nan Xu set it aside. He hadn’t been in the habit of cleansing his face in the human world, so starting to use the cream in the mountains felt awkward.

The other blind box yielded a pair of snow boots, which he wouldn’t need for the time being, so he left them in the warehouse.

Walking out of the house, he was hit by the blazing sun. Nan Xu scooped a watermelon out of the well. The rind was icy cold, and with two gentle taps, it made a crisp “pop” sound, confirming that it was ripe.

He couldn’t wait to carry it to the main room. Zhixing had already found a fruit knife and was waiting by the table. Nan Xu sliced into it. The rind was thin and crisp, and the bright red flesh inside was particularly tempting. He handed Zhixing a large piece and called Tingchuan, who was busy in the backyard, to join them.

After taking a big bite, Nan Xu’s eyes curved into crescents. The watermelon was cool and juicy, and its sweetness spread throughout his mouth. This was the unique enjoyment of midsummer.

“What a sweet watermelon!” Zhixing exclaimed. “Even better than the ones we grow in West Mountain!”

Nan Xu had thought that few demons in the Demon World would grow watermelons. After all, only the bird tribe willingly cultivated grains like rice and wheat.

“Do you grow them in West Mountain?” Nan Xu asked.

Zhi Xing smiled shyly. “There probably aren’t many species of demons in the demon world. Our tribe cultivates the mountains to grow herbs. Every year, we set aside a small area to grow fruit, but we don’t grow watermelons very often.”

Nan Xu nodded in understanding. As it turned out, they were growing the watermelons alongside the herbs.

Zhixing wasn’t one to exaggerate. He said this watermelon was sweeter than the ones from Xishan, thanks to the system’s higher-quality seeds. Nan Xu couldn’t help but look at Tingchuan. Initially, he’d gritted his teeth and bought the watermelon seeds, partly out of his own love for them and partly because he wanted Tingchuan to try them.

However, if the Bai clan of Xishan grows them too, it wouldn’t be surprising if other demons did as well. Tingchuan had probably already tasted them.

Tingchuan slowly ate a watermelon, his eyes slightly narrowed and the corners of his mouth turned up. He met Nanxu’s gaze and smiled faintly.

Nanxu was so mesmerized by his smile that he lost his mind. It took Nanxu a long time to come back to his senses. He decided the watermelon seeds were worth it.

Two days later, the soap had solidified in the wooden molds. Nan Xu removed the pieces from the molds one by one. The soaps didn’t smell, nor did they have a noticeable fragrance. After washing his hands with them, Nan Xu knew the soaps were ready because his hands came out perfectly clean.

Wrapping them in leftover colored paper made them look much more attractive.

As dusk fell, Nan Xu and his friends were enjoying dinner in the courtyard when another guest arrived at the hotel. He was a menacing man. Though not yet seventy years old, his face was filled with ravines, and his eyes were like bottomless pools. He wore a worn gray-black cloth and carried a large package on his back.

In Nan Xu’s former human world, this appearance and demeanor would have frightened a child to tears. Nan Xu would have avoided him.

However, the guest had chosen to stay at the inn, so Nan Xu couldn’t turn him away because of his appearance alone. He opened the gate and let the man in. The man looked around, seemingly with just a casual glance. But with him, it seemed as if he were about to destroy the inn.

His gaze finally landed on the stone table in the courtyard. Ignoring Tingchuan and Zhixing, who were eating, he stared at the food. In a rough, hoarse voice, he said, “It smells delicious, innkeeper. What do you have? Give me two large bowls.”

Nan Xu and his family always kept their evening meals simple. Tonight’s main course was steamed buns with pork and cabbage stew. Nan Xu asked the man if he minded, then simply scooped out the remaining bowl of soup and added four steamed buns.

The food was ready, and Nan Xu was quick. As soon as it was served, the man began to devour it with gusto, savoring every bite. Nan Xu returned to his seat to continue eating but couldn’t help but glance back. Something seemed amiss. Halfway through his steamed bun, Nan Xu finally realized that the man was still carrying a large backpack while eating.

Nan Xu was accustomed to his behavior, though, so he didn’t judge him. He simply stared a few more times before looking away again. A bowl of soup appeared before him, and Tingchuan was about to put down his spoon.

“Eat first,” Tingchuan said. “If you keep looking at him like that, how could he not notice?”

Nan Xu thought about it and quickly put his curiosity aside.

Tingchuan was being frank, and his lips curled up. Teasing Nan Xu was indeed a pleasure.

The man ate quickly. After finishing, he wiped his mouth and said to Nan Xu, “The food here is truly unusual. It’d be perfect with some wine!”

Nan Xu decided that this dish and steamed buns would be enough for tonight. He was still thinking about wine. He hadn’t tasted any since coming to the mountains.

He maintained his usual friendly smile, although he secretly resented it. “So you know about my inn?”

The man grinned, his smile becoming even more ferocious. “Yes, I’ve been a trader for many years. A few days ago, I saw a bird tribe in the south. They told me about it.”

The Bird Tribe in the south?

Nan Xu asked subconsciously, “Yao Lin?”

The man was momentarily surprised. “The innkeeper actually knows him. I was indeed in trouble in the south, and he helped me. When he heard that I was heading north, he told me about this new inn in the mountains. It’s definitely worth the trip.”

He thought of Yao Lin for no particular reason. The last time they met, Yao Lin said he would soon return to the southern island with his family and recommend his inn to other monsters. Nan Xu could only think of him.

Perhaps because Yao Lin had helped him first, Nan Xu’s impression of Yao Lin had improved considerably. Since entering the courtyard, he had only asked for food. He figured the man was just a bit ferocious-looking. He really shouldn’t judge a person by their appearance.

“So that’s how it is,” Nan Xu agreed. “The two guest rooms upstairs are vacant. The rate is two hundred a night, including breakfast.”

The man readily handed Nan Xu two hundred silver coins. Then, remembering something, he asked about the cost of tonight’s meal. Nan Xu explained that it wouldn’t be anything special, and he was deeply ashamed of his poor hospitality, so he wouldn’t charge him. The man took the money bag and expressed his gratitude.

While the two were talking, Zhi Xing sat on the doorstep holding Guan’er, feeling that his worries were unnecessary.

After settling into life in the mountains, he would take Guan’er for a walk every evening and return after dark to wash up and go to sleep. He hadn’t gone out tonight because of the guest.

He had roamed the demon world two hundred years ago and seen quite a few demons, but none with such a ferocious appearance. If he had encountered one, he knew he wouldn’t have been a good person. The innkeeper, Nanxu, had never shown any magical abilities. He was rather frail and looked vulnerable. Zhixing was worried.

Though his frail body prevented him from fighting, he was a descendant of the Xishan Bai family and had learned the art of identifying and refining herbs since childhood. He also possessed some self-defense skills. After clearing the dishes, he sat down and claimed to be enjoying the cool air. However, his desire to protect Nanxu was even stronger.

Senior Tingchuan, who had always been protective of Nanxu, showed little sense of danger. He told Zhixing not to be so nervous and said that he was just a guest staying at the inn.

At the time, Zhixing had been worried that Senior Tingchuan wasn’t thoughtful enough. No wonder he was still considered just an ordinary employee by the owner after all his time at the shop. Now, thinking about it, Senior Tingchuan had thousands of years more experience than him, he simply couldn’t compare.

Zhi Xing rubbed Guan’er’s head while Nan Xu gave the man the key and asked about the situation in the south.

Nan Xu didn’t mention Jingyuan’s name directly but hinted at it. Tingchuan said Jingyuan was in a bad state. Two hundred years ago, Zhi Xing had exhausted all his spiritual energy and knowledge, barely sparing Jingyuan’s life. Now, over two hundred years later, the demon world’s spiritual energy was thin, and his lifespan was probably nearing its end.

Perhaps it was the vivid image of the young, energetic Qinglong in his dream. Or maybe Tingchuan was thinking about him, even though he didn’t say so. Either way, Nanxu really wanted to know Jingyuan’s current situation.

However, the man didn’t understand and spoke excessively. Nanxu listened with concern. All he knew was that, although the various southern tribes were fighting for power, the South Sea remained peaceful.

The lack of bad news was also good news. If Qinglong were dying, the news would have probably been kept secret, and the man would have known about it.

Relieved, Nanxu showed the man the way upstairs. After he left, he noticed Zhixing sitting at the door. He knew his daily habits, and when he saw that he hadn’t left, he understood why. A warm feeling welled up in her heart.

She smiled at Zhixing, who left the dog behind and ran over. He whispered, “Innkeeper, are you looking for news on Senior Jingyuan?”

Nanxu was surprised but didn’t deny it.

Zhixing continued, “My parents send herbs from Xishan to Nanhai every year. Senior Jingyuan should be able to hold on for a while longer.”

Nanxu was happy at first but then remembered Tingchuan’s words: “Being alive is more painful.” Tingchuan didn’t say sad things lightly, his words could only mean that Jingyuan was truly suffering.

His smile gradually faded. Zhixing took in his expression and said, “If only I could recover sooner.”

Nan Xu was stunned. What did Zhi Xing mean?

“If you had healed your depleted spiritual sea, would you, as you did two hundred years ago, still empty your body to treat Jing Yuan?” Nan Xu asked.

Zhixing nodded, his face firm. “I’ve heard that during the great war thousands of years ago, Senior Jingyuan risked his life to protect the demon world. He also believes that Tingshu, a friend of his from the Xishan Bai Clan, wouldn’t want him to suffer so much. If I have the ability to help and don’t, wouldn’t that make their life-or-death struggle a laughingstock?”

His words were spoken with unwavering sincerity. Regardless of whether he could still heal Jingyuan, Nanxu was happy for them, especially for the young man in white whom he had seen in the illusion. The Xishan Bai Clan had Zhixing, and that must be what Tingshu wanted to see.