RIIDMDR chapter 101

 

The cloud demon continued to quarrel endlessly with Yao Lin every day. Fortunately, after Nan Xu kicked them out once, the two demons learned their lesson and knew better than to argue in the courtyard. Whenever they couldn’t stand each other, they exchanged looks and went somewhere quiet and deserted to settle it.

Nan Xu was quite satisfied with their sense of propriety and didn’t bother to keep track of who won or lost each day. After all, the grapevines in the courtyard had climbed every frame and hung bunches of grapes.

Green and purple grapes dangled together on the vines. With the mountain mist thick and the courtyard soil fertile, Nan Xu occasionally added fertilizer. The seedlings grew well, and now the grapes were all plump and juicy, looking delicious.

Seeing that a few bunches were ripe, Nan Xu couldn’t wait to pick them. He wasn’t greedy; he had simply raised the vines under his watchful eye, watering and tending to them every day. Like the vegetables in his garden, he always felt a strange sense of anticipation for the things he had nurtured himself.

From the moment the grapes first bore fruit, he checked on them several times a day, almost memorizing the growth rate of each grape. To make room for harvesting, he left the half-finished swing chair set aside.

The cool well water washed off the light dust on the fruit. Nan Xu held a plate of grapes, leaned back on the lounge chair, and enjoyed the tranquil moment.

When Tingchuan stepped into the courtyard, he saw grapes as purple as gemstones held between Nan Xu’s fingers, their skin still glistening with water droplets. Nan Xu brought one to his lips, lightly sucked on it, and narrowed his eyes slightly, his lips curving up as he looked like a lazy, contented cat savoring a rare delicacy.

When he heard footsteps, Nan Xu didn’t bother to move. When the person approached him, he tilted his head slightly and smiled. “Tingchuan, come eat the grapes I grew. They’re especially sweet.”

Tingchuan’s gaze lingered on Nan Xu’s lips, where a drop of juice darker than his lip color clung faintly. His black obsidian eyes reflected only Nan Xu.

The sunlight was just right today. The breeze was gentle and warm, no longer holding the heat of early autumn—only refreshing coolness remained. Tingchuan bent down, resting one arm on the armrest of the chair, and lowered his head to look at the person lying still, who gazed back at him.

Their eyes met. Nan Xu felt a strange emotion rise between them, and his face heated for no reason. The courtyard was so quiet that only their breathing could be heard. Yao Lin and the cloud demon had gone out; even Guan’er had disappeared. It was the perfect time for desire.

“Tingchuan,” he called softly again.

As he spoke, the grape juice trembled slightly and slipped into his collar, leaving a faint purple mark. Tingchuan’s eyes darkened as he leaned down and kissed his lips lightly. The sweet scent of grape juice lingered on his lips. Nan Xu’s fruit really did taste good.

He kissed him again and again—tender yet burning—full of endless affection and longing.

Nan Xu froze for a moment, then reached up and rested his hand on the back of Tingchuan’s neck. Unsatisfied with the shallow kiss, he tightened his grip, pulling Tingchuan closer.

With Nan Xu’s response, the kiss suddenly became more fervent, with lips and teeth colliding in heated passion. Nan Xu closed his eyes, his chest rising and falling with each sweet kiss.

It was unclear how long it lasted—long enough that the world seemed to spin. When Nan Xu could no longer breathe, he turned his head, his hot breath brushing Tingchuan’s neck. After taking a few deep breaths, he opened his mouth and lightly bit Tingchuan’s neck.

Tingchuan stiffened. He never let anyone touch his neck, a vulnerable spot, yet he trusted Nan Xu with it. After a brief sting, gentle nibbling sent tingles through his whole body. Instead of stopping him, Tingchuan picked Nan Xu up from the lounge chair and carried him into the room.

Beads of sweat formed on their foreheads. The daylight made everything clearer than at night. Perhaps it was just his imagination, but Nan Xu seemed even more sensitive than before. Remembering that Zhixing was still in his room studying herbs and knowing how sharp demons’ hearing was, Nan Xu tried his best to stay quiet, his face flushing red. Unfortunately, Tingchuan, who was usually so considerate, chose that moment to forget about gentleness.

Nan Xu bit the corner of the blanket, clutching the pillow tightly as his back trembled uncontrollably. Despite trying to hold it in, faint sounds escaped between his teeth. Unable to endure it any longer, he whimpered softly, grabbed Tingchuan’s arm, and said between ragged breaths, “Wait—I…I need to buy something.”

Fortunately, Tingchuan actually listened this time. With his face flushed red and his body trembling slightly, Nan Xu focused his attention. He opened the system, tapped on the shop, selected the special function area, chose soundproof, and confirmed the payment.

A large sum of silver coins instantly disappeared from the corner of the screen, but he didn’t care. When he heard the system prompt in his mind, “Soundproof function now covers all inn rooms,” he finally sighed in relief. He collapsed straight onto the bed and stopped holding back.

After the exhausting session, Nan Xu’s voice turned hoarse. Lying in bed, he watched Tingchuan walk out of the room, refreshed by the Cleanse Spell. Nan Xu couldn’t help but feel envious. It was so nice to have spiritual power—he didn’t even need to catch his breath after kissing, and he could make himself clean with a single spell.

After resting for a while, he decided to take a bath. Although his body still felt sore, the sweat on his skin bothered him too much. He grabbed a clean change of clothes and went to take a bath.

Soon, Tingchuan appeared at the door, carrying a bucket of hot water. He adjusted the temperature for Nan Xu and looked like he would gladly help wash him, but Nan Xu shooed him away.

When Nan Xu came out of the bath, he felt much lighter. Perhaps his physical endurance had improved; his fatigue had mostly faded.

As he carried the empty bucket back to the courtyard, he saw Tingchuan sitting on the lounge chair. He was holding a dark purple grape between his pale, slender fingers and rolling it, though he wasn’t eating it. The grape’s deep color made Tingchuan’s hand look even whiter. Remembering how the air between them had been filled with the sweet scent of grapes during their kiss, Nan Xu suddenly realized that, for the next few days, seeing grapes would probably make his ears turn red.

He set the bucket down and walked over. The sun had already begun to set after their earlier “mischief.” Just as he was about to sit in the other chair, Tingchuan grabbed his wrist and pulled him into his arms.

It was cramped for two people to share one chair, but after what they had just done, sitting like this didn’t feel unusual.

Nan Xu’s back rested against Tingchuan’s chest. Though Tingchuan looked lean, his body under the clothes was pure muscle. Ever since that drunken night when they first became intimate, Nan Xu had often fallen asleep in Tingchuan’s arms, memorizing every line of his chest.

A peeled grape was placed near his lips. After hesitating for a moment, Nan Xu opened his mouth and ate it. Perhaps because the person behind him gave him such a sense of safety, he gradually relaxed and leaned his whole weight against Tingchuan. One by one, Tingchuan fed him grapes, and his mood grew lighter with each bite.

“There’s a forest seven li away where many plants have withered,” said Tingchuan.

Nan Xu straightened up slightly. After all, this was his mountain. “Do you know why? A plant disease? Or drought?”

Tingchuan was silent for two seconds, then replied, “Neither. They just didn’t want to live anymore. They withered on their own.”

Nan Xu: “Huh?”

Even though he had heard many strange things since coming to the demon realm, this still seemed absurd to him.

But Tingchuan was an ancient demon, thousands of years old. He wouldn’t misjudge or joke about something like this.

“Why?” Nan Xu asked. “I’ve never mistreated them.”

“The bird demon and the cloud demon have been sparring there lately,” Tingchuan said.

It took Nan Xu two seconds to connect the dots. His lips parted in disbelief. “You mean… the trees were so annoyed by their quarreling that they didn’t want to live anymore, so they all withered?”

Tingchuan: “Mm.”

Nan Xu: “…”

Tingchuan added, “Around a hundred trees have died.”

Nan Xu’s heart ached. “That many?”

He had thought they were just noisy, but he hadn’t expected them to be so destructive. If that was the case, they should really stop talking.

Nan Xu stood up, but Tingchuan called out, “Where are you going?”

He turned and said, “To find Zhixing and ask if there’s a medicine that can silence a demon without harming it—so I can avenge my trees and plants.”

Tingchuan couldn’t help laughing.

In the end, Nan Xu didn’t go to Zhixing for the mute medicine. However, that evening, Yao Lin was punished and had two bowls of rice taken away.

Since coming to the mountain, Yao Lin had gotten used to eating at least three bowls per meal. His appetite had grown, and now he was punished for killing the trees with noise. Reluctantly, he accepted it. He had eaten one full bowl, yet his stomach still felt empty. He looked longingly at the bowl in front of the cloud demon sitting across from him.

Feeling threatened by his stare, the cloud demon hugged her bowl tightly with both hands.

Yao Lin: “…The bond is gone.”

The little girl teased in her sweet voice, “Don’t make that face. Have you forgotten you’re a demon? You don’t even need to eat that much.”

Yao Lin shot back, “Do you know what you’re eating? This rice was personally grown by the owner—open your eyes.”

The cloud demon didn’t quite understand, but she knew it was special. She held her bowl even tighter and purposely showed an expression of delight, just to make Yao Lin drool more.

Yao Lin glared, growing more frustrated. “Owner! Those trees died because of her, too! Why am I the only one who gets punished? You should take her bowl, too!”

Ignoring the two squabbling like grade-schoolers, Nan Xu continued sharing dishes with Tingchuan affectionately.

Joking aside, the little cloud demon looked frail and undernourished. Having lived among humans, Nan Xu couldn’t bear to see her go hungry. Taking her food away—or even letting her eat a few bites less—felt like child abuse to him.

Perhaps because they had learned their lesson that night, for the next two days, no matter how much the cloud demon provoked him, Yao Lin refused to argue. However, Nan Xu noticed that the sound of chopping wood in the courtyard never stopped. Each swing of Yao Lin’s axe carried raw frustration, as if he were taking out his anger on the withered trees.

Nan Xu was genuinely impressed. He hadn’t known that even a loud, irritable demon like Yao Lin could endure so much for a meal.

 

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Author’s Note:

Tree A: Ah, it’s too noisy. I don’t want to live anymore.

Tree BCDEFG: If you don’t live, we won’t live either.