RIIDMDR chapter 61

 

After tidying up the bowls and chopsticks, everyone returned to their rooms and the inn became quiet once again. Nan Xu had just closed the door when he heard Ting Chuan ask from behind him, “Do you want to go in and take a look?”

Nan Xu turned around, slightly surprised, and asked, “Are my thoughts that obvious?”

Ting Chuan shook his head and let out a small laugh. “No, I just guessed you’d be interested in that formation.”

Nan Xu sat on the bed and said, “I’ve been in this mountain for quite some time now. Since Zhuyu Mountain now belongs to me, but I always hear about it from others, it makes me uneasy. Besides, I feel this mountain must favor me because I was able to walk out of the great formation safely. Other demons aren’t in danger of losing their lives in the small formations, so if I go in, I should be fine too.”

Ting Chuan leaned back against the bed and listened quietly to his thoughts.

“I want to understand this mountain range better. Perhaps my life in the demon realm will begin and end here. Instead of slowly learning about it from others day by day, I might as well explore it myself while I’m still young.” Nan Xu looked toward Ting Chuan and asked, “What do you think?”

Ting Chuan looked at Nan Xu, who was not seeking his approval but affirmation after making up his mind.

After spending so much time together, Nan Xu had already begun to learn to consult with others and share his thoughts, though he might not even realize it.

“You can. This mountain indeed favors you.” Ting Chuan said.
“But I want to go in with you.”

Nan Xu tilted his head in confusion. “You heard Luo Yi say that demons won’t gain any advantage inside that formation. Compared to demons, I, a human, can adapt more easily to extreme weather.”

Ting Chuan responded, “I heard that.”

“Then why go? In our human race, there’s a very fitting word for this kind of behavior.” Nan Xu paused deliberately, waiting for Ting Chuan to show a puzzled expression. Then he smiled slyly and said, “Seeking death.”

Ting Chuan thought for a moment as if he understood and then shook his head helplessly.

“I’ll go tomorrow. At the fastest, it will take three or four days. You stay at the inn to welcome guests.” Nan Xu said, “Following the innkeeper’s arrangements is what a good employee should do.”

“I’ve explored every small formation in this mountain. You don’t need to worry about me.” Ting Chuan said.

Nan Xu was shocked. “Every single one?”

Ting Chuan nodded calmly. “Six hundred and ninety-eight small formations. I’ve been in them all.”

After a few seconds, Nan Xu muttered, “Then you really are… very adventurous.”

Ting Chuan didn’t explain further. Instead, he lay down and said, “Sleep. Tomorrow, I’ll go with you.”

This time, Nan Xu didn’t refuse. He just thought that at least there’d be someone to lead the way and keep him company when he was bored.

When they woke up the next morning, Luo Yi and her sister were already waiting in the courtyard. After a night of rest, they looked much better.

After Nan Xu told the sisters his plan, Luo Yi instinctively refused. Nan Xu didn’t care about others’ opinions. He only said they could join him in searching for the formation. Whether or not they went in was up to them.

Zhi Xing made breakfast while Nan Xu went back to his room to pack. He bought a large discount backpack from the marketplace for only 49 silver coins. The hideous color couldn’t dampen his joy at getting a bargain.

He dug out two sets of summer shorts and T-shirts, then stuffed in several winter coats and pairs of cotton pants that he had bought in recent days. Off-season clothes were often on sale, and Nan Xu couldn’t resist a good discount. Winter clothes were always necessary, and saving now meant earning later. Unexpectedly, they were needed before winter even arrived.

He took a walk around the storage room carrying the backpack and stuffed the snow boots he had gotten from a blind box earlier in it too. Since he had warm shoes, he couldn’t neglect Ting Chuan. He gritted his teeth and bought another pair with silver coins.

Together with some odds and ends, preparations were almost complete.

As he carried the huge backpack out of the wooden house, everyone’s gaze lingered on him. Ting Chuan stepped forward, took the backpack from him, and said, “Breakfast is ready. Fill your stomach first.”

Nan Xu hummed in reply. Worried about consuming energy inside the formation, Zhi Xing made rice and stir-fried vegetables. After helping Nan Xu for so long, Zhi Xing’s cooking skills had improved.

They sat around the table, but Zhi Xing seemed heavyhearted and wanted to speak. Just as he made up his mind, Nan Xu cut him off.

Nan Xu put down his chopsticks and looked at Zhi Xing, “You’re not allowed to go. There may be guests coming, you need to host them.”

Zhi Xing, with his frail frame, couldn’t even be asked to kill a chicken on an ordinary day, let alone enter a formation.

Zhi Xing looked at Nan Xu for a while. Seeing that there was no chance, he sighed and gave up. But having him host guests?

Zhi Xing thought about it and felt horrified.

After the meal, Nan Xu carried the food and water that Zhi Xing had prepared, and the group left the courtyard. The last time they went out like this was when they entered the great formation and Zhi Xing’s life was on the line. Everyone felt heavyhearted then, but this time was different. This time was different. Nan Xu turned to look at Ting Chuan and felt, inexplicably, like they were going on an outing.

Ting Chuan took the massive backpack to carry behind him. As it turned out, good looks could really make people overlook imperfections.

Nan Xu walked with empty hands and a quick pace. Just as he said last night, this mountain favored him. Usually, the formations would avoid him, but if he wanted to enter one, he only had to follow his instincts to reach its entrance.

By the time the sun rose overhead at around ten o’clock, Nan Xu stopped walking.

The forest before them looked no different from anywhere else, but Nan Xu had a hunch—this was it.

He turned to look at Ting Chuan, who nodded slightly, confirming his feeling.

“This is the entrance. From here, we’ll split up. Whether you want to go in or wait here is up to you. I’ll try my best to find your magical weapon.” Nan Xu said to the sisters.

Luo Yi glanced around, her expression slightly lost. After hearing him, she nodded. “All right, thank you, innkeeper.”

Looking ahead, Nan Xu’s heartbeat quickened. He felt an indescribable excitement. To him, it was simply the relief of finally getting to go out and breathe fresh air after being cooped up at home for too long. He could hardly wait.

Just as he lifted his foot to step between two trees, his hand was suddenly grabbed. A broad palm held him tightly. Nan Xu turned his head and saw Ting Chuan striding up to him.

“Entering a formation comes with changes. I’ll hold onto you,” Ting Chuan explained.

Nan Xu didn’t understand, but he followed Ting Chuan’s instructions and didn’t pull his hand away.

Their hands were clasped tightly. As they walked forward, their shoulders occasionally brushed. Having someone by his side felt refreshing to Nan Xu.

Their figures grew distant. Luo Yi was still working up her courage. With limited supplies, her preparations were nowhere near as complete as Nan Xu’s. She already knew the formation well, and one good night’s sleep wasn’t enough to ease her worries.

Seeing the two of them holding hands made Luo Yi’s mind go blank for a moment. Then she sighed, “Humans can find love in just twenty years, while I’ve wasted hundreds of years in vain.”

Though Nan Xu had gone far, his excellent hearing still caught Luo Yi’s lament. Just as he was about to respond, he opened his mouth and swallowed a breath of cold air. At the same time, a sense of weightlessness came over him, and whatever he was about to say vanished instantly.

The next second, the sound of splashing water reached his ears. Nan Xu’s body had plunged into icy water. He shivered uncontrollably and opened his mouth to breathe. He swallowed two mouthfuls of icy water before realizing his situation.

A force tugged at his hand, and then a pair of hands supported his waist and pushed him upward.

Nan Xu broke the surface and sneezed twice before opening his eyes. Before him was a snow-covered world with snowflakes fluttering in the sky. He was in the water with a piece of floating ice nearby. Shivering, he slapped the hands on his waist and told the person behind him, “I can do it myself.”

The hands let go, and without support, Nan Xu began to sink again. He quickly slapped the water’s surface to stay afloat.

“Let’s…hiss…let’s head to that ice floe first!” Nan Xu said to Ting Chuan.

Ting Chuan responded, and they both swam toward the floe. The cold water stiffened their limbs, slowing them down. Nan Xu gritted his teeth to make it there.

Ting Chuan pushed him up. After climbing onto the ice, Nan Xu turned around and pulled Ting Chuan up. Their exposed skin was red and purple from the cold as they supported each other.

Ting Chuan’s hair and clothes were soaked. His face looked pale as he set down his backpack. Nan Xu, shivering, opened it. He cursed under his breath—he had packed all those clothes, only to get them soaked immediately.

Finally opening the bag, Nan Xu froze, then rubbed his eyes. The cold stung his eyes. Coming back to his senses, he reached inside, muttering, “Am I frozen stupid? This bargain backpack is actually waterproof.”

The clothes were dry. Nan Xu’s joy instantly washed away the sorrow of falling into the icy water. He hurriedly pulled out the winter clothes, stuffing one set into Ting Chuan’s arms. “Hurry and change.”

The ice floe was small, and Nan Xu, already freezing, didn’t care. He turned his back and began to strip. After a few minutes in the icy wind, his wet clothes had nearly frozen stiff. No wonder he felt so cold.

Once he changed into dry winter clothes, he felt alive again. He hugged himself for warmth but was still cold. Compared to just moments ago, though, it was heaven and earth.

Behind him, he heard the rustle of Ting Chuan changing. Nan Xu turned to glance back. Ting Chuan had finished changing but was still adjusting his clothes, clearly unused to modern attire.

Squatting on the ice floe, Nan Xu shuffled half a circle to face Ting Chuan. If not for the timing being off, he really should have taken a good look at him dressed like that.

The 399-coin winter clothes looked luxurious on him. In the human world, he would have been a top male model.

The floe drifted toward land, pushed by the waves like a tiny boat. Seeing this, Nan Xu and Ting Chuan didn’t struggle. They just sat on the floe and let it take them.

“Was your last time entering also such a surprise?” Nan Xu asked, shrinking his neck at the thought of Ting Chuan’s earlier warning.

Ting Chuan paused for a moment. It had been a while since he last entered this formation. “Last time, I landed at a volcanic crater. Sparks burned the hem of my robe.”

Nan Xu hissed in fear. Comparing the two experiences, he actually felt a bit fortunate.