RIDMDR chapter 89

 

Tingchuan frowned when he entered the yard and saw a bunch of sea fish, but he didn’t say anything. He leaned the sapling against the fence and handed the bamboo basket to Nan Xu.

Yao Lin seized the opportunity to greet Tingchuan. Tingchuan glanced at him, his gaze resting on Yao Lin’s face for two seconds before he nodded slightly.

Nan Xu stretched his head out and glanced into the basket. There were about four or five kinds of wild fruit in it. They were all of good quality. The mountain oranges he had eaten the previous day were among them.

“Did you look for these when you went out this morning?” Nan Xu asked.

Tingchuan nodded slightly. “Didn’t you like them very much yesterday?”

Nan Xu paused. He didn’t even say he liked them. Tingchuan could see that, so he went out early this morning to find them. Such initiative—it was hard for Nanxu to handle. Unconsciously, a faint sweetness rose in his heart.

In front of Yaolin, Nan Xu’s face warmed slightly. He took the basket and thanked him softly.

This time, Nan Xu didn’t give the things Tingchuan gave him to someone else. Tingchuan was satisfied and went outside the courtyard to plant the fruit saplings.

Nan Xu invited Yaolin inside. “All the rooms upstairs are empty. Pick one to stay in. As for the room fee, I’ll give you a—”

Looking down at the mountain oranges he was holding, he felt better and said, “Fifty percent off!”

Yao Lin was startled, and the bundle in his hands nearly slipped out of his grasp. He asked in disbelief, “Has the inn’s business fallen that far already?”

Although Yao Lin hadn’t stayed long, he had shared some gossip with Nanxu and knew a bit about his temperament, such as how stingy he was. For the owner to offer him a fifty percent discount? Yao Lin didn’t believe he had that kind of influence. The only explanation he could think of was that business wasn’t doing well—maybe they were just going for small profits and quick sales.

Nan Xu actually felt a little regretful after he finished speaking. He’d been too generous. A 50% discount! Yao Lin would have stayed for at least ten days—half a month. The loss in rent was a huge expense, and it was heartbreaking to think about. But then he heard Yao Lin’s question and felt embarrassed, as if his true nature had been seen through. He coughed lightly and said, “What are you talking about? When has business ever been good here?”

Yao Lin: …

Yao Lin asked in a trembling voice, “So, does that mean you felt an instant connection with me and have been deeply infatuated ever since? I had no idea the owner held such deep affection for me…”

He was being dramatic, and Nan Xu interrupted. “You’ll pay for your own meals. If you want to cook for yourself, the kitchen rental and ingredient costs can’t be waived either.”

Yao Lin straightened his posture and nodded for a second. “I’m relieved you said that.”

Nan Xu gave Yao Lin a complicated look. So he’s actually a masochist. He led Yao Lin upstairs.

The second floor had a U-shaped layout with a small open space in the middle. The dried flowers that Xu Ji had made last time were fixed onto wooden boards and hung on the wall as decorations. At first glance, they even had a bit of charm.

You Lin remembered that the layout of the house wasn’t like this the last time he came. As he looked around, he exclaimed to Nanxu, “Materials are easily available in the mountains, but the owner was able to enlarge the house in such a short time and on the main peak of Zhuyu Mountain. The owner’s architectural skills are beyond the reach of ordinary people.”

Nanxu felt embarrassed accepting the compliment. He had only provided some raw materials. As for architectural skills, he had none.

He gave a sheepish laugh and didn’t respond.

The windows of the three houses faced different directions, offering different views. While choosing a room, Nan Xu wandered around the central living room. Zhi Xing usually handled the cleaning, so Nan Xu rarely came upstairs. Looking at it now, the living room seemed bare with only a few paintings on the walls, making it look plain. He’d have to order more furniture from the Canine Tribe someday to replace the tables, chairs, and wardrobes he’d made during the initial upgrade. That way, he could avoid embarrassing his poor carpentry skills by having customers see them.

It would be a good idea to order some sofas for the living room. We’ve eaten a lot of rabbits and other wild animals these past few months, and the fur is still there. He had originally planned to use the fur to make clothes and boots in the winter, but now there was plenty in the warehouse. It wouldn’t be a problem to use some of it to make leather sofas.

Nan Xu’s anticipation grew. Autumn was already here, and once the weather got colder, the bamboo lounge chairs wouldn’t be suitable for resting during the day. However, he thought that sofas might not exist in the demon world, so he planned to go downstairs and draw the blueprints for the sofas.

By then, Yao Lin had chosen a room, put down his things, and come out to go downstairs with Nanxu. Nan Xu’s sweet potatoes were still waiting for him in the courtyard. Since Yao Lin wasn’t the type of guest who needed constant attention, Nanxu told him to make himself comfortable.

Zhixing brought out brewed tea for Yao Lin. When Yao Lin returned, he hadn’t seen Zhixing yet. He took a quick look at her and asked in surprise, “Are you Zhixing, the healer of the Bai clan from Xishan?”

Zhi Xing’s social anxiety kicked in. He took two steps back and nodded.

Yao Lin immediately stood up and took the teacup from his hands. “We demons of the South Sea have been very worried about your health. Now that I see you’re doing well in the mountains, I’m relieved.”

Zhixing smiled shyly and looked at Nanxu. “I have to thank the owner.”

Nanxu noticed that, even after more than two hundred years, the demons from the South Sea were particularly respectful toward Zhixing. Perhaps the situation two hundred years ago was far more moving than he had heard.

Zhixing hadn’t overcome his shyness after all. After exchanging a few forced greetings, he told Nanxu that he was going inside to research medicine and hurried back inside. Nanxu raised the corners of his lips at the sound of his hurried footsteps. Even though he hadn’t seen Zhixing’s true form, somehow, he seemed to see the little hedgehog curling up and sprinting away from his figure as it fled.

Yao Lin brought a small stool and sat across from Nanxu. As he watched Nanxu grate sweet potatoes into a paste, he asked, “What’s the owner doing?”

Nanxu didn’t hide the truth. “Making sweet potato vermicelli. If you stay a few more days, you can try it.”

Yaolin was intrigued. “I’m staying for at least two months this time. I’m sure I’ll be able to try it.”

Nanxu was surprised. “Two months?”

Yao Lin nodded. “My tribe said that mastering this cooking skill would take about a year, so they paid for my room and board and sent me here to learn from the owner. I think I can master it in two months. Before the winter snows fall, I should be able to return to the South Sea and show off my skills.”

Nan Xu: …

So his tribe had paid for his stay to save their own lives. Yao Lin’s cooking must really be lethal.

Nan Xu said nothing. Yao Lin asked, “What’s wrong? Business isn’t that good anyway, is it? Surely you have a room for me?”

Nan Xu sighed, his face full of pain. He said, “I’m just upset about the money I lost on the room.”

I thought he would only stay for half a month. While the loss was significant, I could accept it. But now that I’d heard he was staying for two months, how could I not be heartbroken by losing such a large sum just because of his generosity?

Yao Lin burst into laughter upon hearing this, finding the owner quite amusing. “I have a lot of news about the demon world to share with you for free.”

His mention of this reminded Nanxu of his earlier doubts. He asked, “You demons of the South Sea seem to have a special affection for Jingyuan.”

Yao Lin’s smile faded, and his tone turned serious. “Senior Jingyuan did the South Sea a great favor. In the hearts of the South Sea demons, he’s like a guardian god.”

Nan Xu had only heard from Ting Chuan that Jingyuan’s existence meant that a dragon could be born in the demon realm. Whether it was a newly born dragon or a transforming dragon, it could only happen with Jingyuan present for Heaven’s will to be acknowledged. Because of that, he’d always thought it was mostly a matter of interests involved. But now, it seemed that for the South Sea demons, it wasn’t that simple.

Seeing Nanxu’s interest, Yao Lin continued, “Do you know about the great battle that took place over three thousand years ago?”

Nanxu nodded. “I’ve heard a bit, but I don’t know much.”

As an experienced collector of gossip who had traveled all over for years, Yao Lin considered his knowledge to be broader than Nanxu’s. He scooted his stool closer and began narrating: “It all started with the war three thousand years ago. Back then, several great demons were only one step away from becoming gods. It’s said that gods live as long as Heaven itself. But, as you know, becoming a god is nearly impossible, not only because of the difficulty of cultivation but also because of the balance of the demon realm’s laws. If one became a god, the others would have to wait at least another ten thousand years.”

Nan Xu continued grating sweet potatoes, listening intently. This was something he had never known before. “So how could so many great demons achieve godhood at the same time? Wouldn’t that cause conflict?”

Yao Lin nodded. “Not many demons can live beyond ten thousand years. Even great demons have a limited lifespan, let alone ten thousand years or more. Under those conditions, most great demons wanted to seize the opportunity, doing everything they could to improve their strength while sabotaging others’ paths to godhood.”

Nan Xu frowned. “Can someone with impure intentions achieve godhood?”

Yao Lin looked more closely. Nan Xu glanced at him, seemingly surprised by his insight, but didn’t respond. He continued, “Their actions were truly covert and rarely noticed by demons. However, rumors later spread that several demons traveling together had noticed something was going on. Those demons were among the best of the younger generation, and each would later become an heir to the clan. Among them were Senior Jingyuan and Senior Tingchuan.”

“And Tingshu and Yunyi, right?” Nan Xu asked.

Yao Lin was surprised. “You’ve heard of them, too? It seems the owner knows quite a bit.”

Nan Xu suddenly recalled a dream he had had one night. In the dream, several people walked through a forest of wildflowers and arrived at a rippling lake. They chatted and laughed as they walked. Behind them, a young man in white listened to their conversation, smiling. At the time, Nan Xu didn’t know who the young man in white was, but after entering the formation, he learned that it was Tingshu. He had actually dreamed about several people before entering the formation.

Nan Xu felt a wave of mixed emotions. He didn’t know why this memory had come to him before entering the formation. Maybe his arrival in this world wasn’t an accident after all?

As he pondered this, his hands stopped moving. Yao Lin waved in front of him. Nan Xu came back to himself and looked at Yao Lin. “Ah, go on.”

Yao Lin didn’t ask any more questions and continued the unfinished conversation. “With their limited power, a few demons persuaded many demon tribes to pay attention and tried to prevent the catastrophe. However, it was too late. Perhaps the demon tribes were too slow to act. Soon, a great demon was about to become a god, and a great war that nearly destroyed the demon world began.”