RIIDMDR chapter 59

 

Nan Xu clicked on the words “temporary shelter,” and a short introductory paragraph appeared.

“Although the hut is damaged, it can withstand wind, rain, and snow. It can be placed anywhere on Mount Zhuyu at any time and lasts for two hours.” (Remaining usage: 3/3).

Nan Xu froze for a moment, realizing that this reward was the same type as the Fainting Potion and not a permanent feature like the billboards outside the mountain.

It was different from what he had imagined, and he felt a little disappointed. After all, items with limited uses also have a limited lifespan. It’s hard not to feel depressed if you use it less each time. On second thought, however, despite its obvious drawbacks, it also had the advantage of flexibility. In the future, when facing inclement weather in the mountains, it could be used anytime, anywhere—which would be easier than seeking shelter on such a large mountain.

After feeling a bit better, Nan Xu smiled and accepted the gift. As the saying goes, don’t waste what you get from the system.

After reading about the system rewards, Nan Xu went to the warehouse to open another secret box. To his surprise, he opened a very practical item this time—a glass bead.

Calling it a glass bead devalues it because there was another note inside the wooden box containing the glass bead that read: “Gives light during the day, illuminates at night.”

According to the description, this exquisite, translucent glass bead is just like a solar-powered lamp in the human world. Although it doesn’t have a light bulb, it serves the same function. It’s just uncertain how bright it is.

There were several books in another secret box. Nan Xu flipped through them and found that they were a set of four famous classics. Unlike the human world, these books were written in the language of the demon race.

Nan Xu held the book, feeling amused yet tearful. He had always felt that the four great classics of humanity were somewhat inconsistent with the language of the demon race.

As a child, Nan Xu had few opportunities to learn how to read. After he grew up and got a job, he discovered that many people around him had read those books. When they discussed the books’ contents over meals or in their free time, they always argued over various points and expressed their opinions. Nan Xu could only remain silent at that time. He envied those who spoke freely.

So, to avoid looking clueless when asked, he once wandered around a bookstore. He couldn’t bear to buy the expensive hardcovers, so instead, he picked up cheaper ones at a street stall. The quality was poor—yellowed, thin paper and tiny, densely printed words that strained the eyes. After forcing himself to read one, he had a rough understanding of the story but never picked it up again.

Now, holding this hardback book, Nan Xu cherished it, even though it was written in a strange-looking demonic language. He touched it carefully several times. He wanted to take it straight back to his room but thought Zhixing might get bored in the store, so he placed it on the shelf in the main hall instead.

Nan Xu was very fond of the gift he received today. He had been smiling since leaving the warehouse, which caused Zhixing to glance at him occasionally.

He couldn’t tell anyone about the system, so he could only enjoy it alone. In the afternoon, he went to the rabbit hutch to get a fat rabbit to clean. That fat rabbit became a cold dish on the table that evening.

Tingchuan went out for a while. When he returned, the sun had already set. His clothes were dusty, and he looked like he had walked a long way. He held a handful of weeds and walked into the yard, handing them directly to Zhi Xing, who was washing vegetables.

Zhi Xing’s eyes lit up when he received them. When he looked at Tingchuan again, he looked as if he had seen a god, which made Nan Xu curious.

“Thank you, Senior Tingchuan. You’ve worked hard, Senior Tingchuan!” Zhi Xing couldn’t hide his joy. After thanking Tingchuan, Zhi Xing carried the plants with both hands and examined them from head to root for a long time. Then he told Nan Xu, who had been curious for a while, “This is a rare herb. It’s extremely difficult to cultivate. I haven’t seen one in forty or fifty years. I didn’t expect to find some on Mount Zhuyu.”

Nanxu understood. As a demon with a medical heritage, he couldn’t stand to see such things go to waste.

Nan Xu would no longer allow Zhi Xing to help him. Zhi Xing was no longer as restrained as before. Hearing Nan Xu tell him to go aside and study them slowly, he happily went to find a shovel, saying he would plant them in his medicine plot.

Nanxu stared at Zhixing’s back, then tilted his head to look at Ting Chuan. Ting Chuan told Zhixing that he was just picking them casually, yet Zhixing went out in the morning and didn’t return until sunset. He didn’t even come back for lunch. He must have gone out specifically to look for these herbs. Nan Xu thought perhaps Zhi Xing saw him staring at the dog kennel that morning and felt ashamed for ruining the child’s work, so he went up the mountain to look for herbs as an apology!

Even though Ting Chuan was older, he was actually quite cute.

Nan Xu washed the vegetables a few more times, picked up the basket, and went to the kitchen to cook.

When he brought the food out, Zhi Xing had finished marveling at his herbs and was sitting at the stone table. Nan Xu overheard him softly speaking to Ting Chuan. “Senior Ting Chuan, the innkeeper was really strange today. If you say he was in a bad mood, he smiled all day. If you say he was in a good mood, he killed a rabbit. He handled it in such a way that Zhuang Wu, who came to deliver a watermelon, was so scared that he dropped the melon and ran away.”

Nan Xu’s hearing was better than before, wasn’t it? Even though Zhi Xing lowered his voice, Nan Xu still heard him very clearly. He raised his eyebrows. He hadn’t expected others to see his performance today. But what was wrong with the way he handled the rabbit? He had eaten a lot of wild game in the mountains, and practice makes perfect. Now, when it came to peeling or cutting, he had almost no hesitation.

Nan Xu was about to speak when he heard Tingchuan say, “Was it the boar demon who delivered the watermelon? Where is it?”

Zhi Xing: “I did what the shopkeeper said last time and put it in the well to cool it down. If you hadn’t mentioned it, I would’ve forgotten. It’s been there for a while, so it should be cool by now. I’ll go get it now. I heard that humans are very fragile and that eating cold food upsets their stomachs.”

Tingchuan hummed in agreement.

The conversation stopped there. Nan Xu was silent for a moment. After the two of them could only hear the words “food and lodging, ” the topic shifted because of a watermelon.

After dinner, the sky gradually darkened. Nan Xu couldn’t wait to go upstairs to the windowsill to get the glass bead. He felt that the light from the glass bead wasn’t very strong. It was dim, like a candle at night. However, when the bead was placed in the courtyard, he could see the road clearly with this dim light.

Nan Xu held the glass bead in his hand. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t disappointed. Tingchuan fanned himself in the yard while luring his dog into his shabby house. Guan’er was so angry that he wanted to fight him. But he knew he wasn’t capable, so he could only hum and yell at Tingchuan, refusing to listen to his orders.

Nan Xu looked around but couldn’t find a suitable place. He simply placed the glass bead on the stone table. He went inside the house to get his clothes and towel. He took a bath by the stream before it got completely dark.

It was a hot day, and Nan Xu had gone up the mountain again to collect pine oil. His body was drenched in sweat. He washed with soap and slowly returned to the yard with his clean clothes.

He had spent too much time outside, and now it was completely dark. Fortunately, he had walked this path many times and memorized it, so he didn’t need a light.

After walking a short distance from the yard, Nan Xu noticed that the yard was very bright. It wasn’t the yellow light of a fire, but rather a faint white light. Puzzled, he quickened his pace to return.

As soon as he entered the courtyard, he understood the situation.

The glass bead that he had casually placed on the stone table was no longer covered with gauze to let in light. Instead, it emitted a dazzling light. Just one bead could illuminate the entire courtyard.

Nan Xu’s eyes immediately filled with joy. He had mistakenly blamed the glass bead before. When had anything pulled from the system ever failed him before?

Zhixing and Zhuangwu sat around the stone table pointing at and discussing the sparkling glass balls, but neither of them reached out to touch them. In comparison, Tingchuan didn’t seem so unusual. He sat beside the shabby doghouse and fanned himself. Somehow, Guan’er managed to get along with him. At that moment, he lay down beside him and felt the breeze from his fan.

“The owner has returned. Owner, what is this thing? Zhixing asked, looking at Nanxu with piercing eyes.

Nanxu shrugged, indicating that he didn’t know the bead’s name.

“It’s bright. My brother and I saw it in the bamboo house.” Zhuangwu sighed.

“Then give this bead a name. I’ve seen beads in the South Sea, but they were much dimmer than this one,” said Zhixing.

Zhuangwu thought, “What should we call it?”

“You should think carefully about it.” Zhixing frowned and thought.

Tingchuan said slowly, “It’s just a bead that shines. Call it a Light Pearl.”

Nanxu: …

He looked at Tingchuan with disdain. Sure, his craftsmanship was lacking, but how could his sense of naming be this bland?

Before he could finish, Zhixing slapped his forehead and accepted the suggestion.
“Since it shines at night, why not call it a Night Pearl?”

Nanxu shut his mouth and remained silent.

All right, “Night Pearl” was indeed a bit better than “Light Pearl.”

After naming the glass beads, Zhuang Wu realized he had been watching for a while and should go back to bed. He excused himself and went back.

Zhixing hadn’t had enough of looking at the beads. When Nanxu said that, if it wasn’t hot, Zhixing could hold and play with them, Zhixing went for a walk in the yard without hesitation.

The small courtyard at night had never been this bright.

Looking at the bright lights in the courtyard, Nan Xu remembered the first time he came to the mountains and worked from sunrise to sunset. His life wasn’t so orderly, he occasionally lit a fire in the courtyard at night to work overtime because he lacked lighting. Life was truly difficult. Later, he discovered the formula for making candles, which improved his living conditions significantly. Pine oil was abundant and affordable in the mountains, but it took time.

However, candles couldn’t compare to glass beads. Still, he had never gotten duplicates from blind boxes. A sphere like this would be hard to find a second of.

After playing around with it enough, it was getting late, and everyone returned to their rooms to sleep. With the courtyard lights on, there was no need to light candles at home. As soon as Nan Xu and Tingchuan lay in bed, they heard a noise outside and looked out the window together.

Nan Xu got up again, wondering why demons always liked to stay in hotels at night.

Two familiar figures entered from outside the courtyard after Nan Xu opened the door of the master bedroom. They were the mermaid sisters who had stayed at the hotel a few days ago.

The girl in the brocade dress walked in front. Her hair was a bit disheveled, her clothes were wrinkled, and there were two fresh-looking wounds on her neck. She looked a little embarrassed.

Behind her, the woman in black held a flute. She looked as heroic as before, but a closer look revealed sadness and fatigue in her eyes.

Author’s Note:

Tingchuan: “I won’t apologize verbally, even if I have to go into the mountains to find some herbs.”