RIIDMDR chapter 119

 

The wine that was poured into the cups was clear and bright. It released a unique, mellow fragrance unlike anything they had ever tasted.

You’an sniffed it repeatedly, seemingly fond of its aroma. When Nan Xu finally filled everyone’s cups, You’an eagerly stood up to take his.

According to custom, since this was the inn’s first grand meal, Nan Xu, as the owner, should have given a few words of blessing before they started eating. However, seeing that You’an had already brought his nose close to the rim of his cup and that Yao Lin was staring at the wine, Nan Xu figured that he wouldn’t be able to come up with anything nice to say anyway. After all, words like “May you live long” would sound like a curse to demons.

So Nan Xu skipped the formalities and simply raised his cup to clink with everyone’s. Perhaps the distilled white liquor from before had been too strong, making everyone cautious. This time, they only took small sips, accidentally doing it just right.

The texture was delicate and smooth with a faint fruit fragrance—just a small taste offered endless flavor.

“It’s quite similar to the wine brewed by the monkey clan,” said You’an in surprise after tasting it carefully. “But these days, it’s not easy to buy their wine.”

Nan Xu was puzzled. “They don’t sell it?”

From what he knew of the demon clans, each seemed to have its own livelihood. For example, the Zhuang brothers grew and sold cabbages for a living, and the turtle clan of Ren Ci had been traders for generations. Some clans had even managed to monopolize entire industries.

You’an shook his head. “The monkey clan used to make a living brewing wine. For some reason, though, about a thousand years ago, they stopped selling it. Now, they only brew small amounts for their own kind to enjoy. The last time I drank it was a thousand years ago.”

He wished he hadn’t mentioned it because now Nan Xu was curious. Before he could ask more questions, Yao Lin, who had just set down his cup, raised his hand. “I know about this.”

Nan Xu’s eyes lit up. Having a walking encyclopedia around was useful. “Let’s hear it.”

“Nowadays, many demons know that the monkey clan is skilled at brewing,” Yao Lin began. “But they’ve forgotten that the raccoon clan used to be the best at growing fruit trees. Back then, it wasn’t an exaggeration to say one mountain grew a hundred fruits. The raccoon and monkey clans were close, benefiting each other through the trade of fruit and wine—a truly beautiful story.”

Nan Xu guessed, “So one of them broke the trust?”

Yao Lin waved his hand. “No, it all goes back to the great calamity over three thousand years ago. Though beasts by nature, the raccoons cultivated magic directly connected to heaven and earth. When the calamity began, divine beings fell one after another and spiritual energy overflowed—so abundantly that the demon realm couldn’t bear it. Other demons could use their techniques to block it, but the raccoon clan, bound to heavenly energy, could only receive it passively. They exploded and died—eight or nine out of ten were gone. A once-prosperous clan fell overnight.”

“The Monkey Clan was in turmoil at the time…The monkey clan spent their entire fortune buying spiritual medicine during the chaos, but they couldn’t save many raccoons. Later, seeing the fruit trees withering and abandoned, the monkey clan tended to them to preserve some inheritance for the injured survivors. However, their magic was different. Without the raccoon clan’s spells, the trees still withered. The monkeys couldn’t save the raccoons or the trees. Disheartened, they stopped brewing for trade.”

Nan Xu was stunned. He had expected betrayal but instead heard a story of deep kinship.

“Do the raccoons still have descendants in the demon realm?” he asked.

“There are still a few,” Yao Lin replied. “But after the calamity, the realm’s spiritual energy decreased, and they’ve grown weaker. It’s not easy for them to survive.”

The meal lasted about an hour. Afterward, You’an and Zhixing washed the dishes. Nan Xu tidied the kitchen counter and went to the window. There were two small square tables there—one with a chessboard and the other with a steaming teapot on a small stove.

Nan Xu had drunk quite a bit of wine at noon, and now he was feeling its effects. Feeling slightly tipsy, he watched Tingchuan put away the chess pieces. He poured two cups of hot tea, sat down across from Tingchuan, and slid one cup over.

Tingchuan took a sip and looked at him. “A game with me?”

Nan Xu leaned back and gazed at the distant snowy mountains outside. Despite the sunny day, the snow hadn’t melted at all. He waved his hand. “I can’t beat you. It’s no fun.”

He had never been good at chess, and after spending time with Tingchuan, his skills were laughable. There was no need to embarrass himself.

Tingchuan chuckled and didn’t insist. He put the chess pieces back in the box and sipped his tea slowly.

Bamboo leaf has a different flavor each season, but the best quality comes from the batch harvested in March and April. At that time, Nanxu had just arrived in the demon realm and was busy, so he didn’t pick much. Noticing Tingchuan’s fondness for a particular jar, Nan Xu simply gave him the whole jar. Though Tingchuan usually refused to share, today he generously added a handful to the pot.

Seeing how bored Tingchuan looked, Nan Xu suddenly thought of something. He bought two decks of poker cards and gathered all the demons to play. There were so many ways to play poker that Nan Xu wasn’t worried about anyone figuring out the tricks too fast. Whenever Tingchuan seemed to catch on, Nan Xu switched to a new rule, never giving him time to analyze.

Each demon had their own small stash of money, so betting a few silver coins was just something new for fun and wasn’t painful.

At first, Tingchuan didn’t notice anything unusual. Later, he realized that Nan Xu loudly insisted on changing the rules every time he won several rounds in a row, basically writing “I’m targeting you” on his face. He couldn’t help but laugh.

By late afternoon, Tingchuan’s pile of silver coins had grown higher while Yao Lin’s had dwindled. Nan Xu was on the verge of breaking even, not because he was a terrible card player, but because he was just that unlucky. Still, just keeping his silver coins was a testament to his skill. Of course, Tingchuan’s occasional letting him win also played a part.

Near dinnertime, they finally dispersed. You’an and Tingchuan had large piles of coins in front of them. Zhixing and Nan Xu exchanged glances; they had both barely broken even. Yao Lin was the only real loser.

The big guy touched his wallet, realizing too late that he was the only one who had lost money. He wailed miserably for a long while.

The noon feast had already been rich enough, and the New Year’s Eve dinner couldn’t be any less. Nan Xu frowned, thinking, and glanced at the big pot of bone broth that had been simmering all afternoon, then at the fresh vegetables from the field. Suddenly, inspiration struck.

He turned to Zhixing, who was rolling up his sleeves to help, and said, “We’re not cooking tonight.”

Zhixing was puzzled. Nan Xu gave him a mysterious smile. “We’re having hot pot[mfn]Hot pot is a Chinese-style meal where a pot of boiling broth is placed in the center of the table, and people cook various raw ingredients in it themselves.[/mfn] tonight.”

How could he have forgotten? After spending so much time in the demon realm, he’d nearly forgotten the joy of hot pot—a must for a freezing New Year’s Eve night!

Once he made up his mind, Nan Xu spent some time preparing the base. The bone broth smelled heavenly. He split it in two: one pot with mushrooms and other mild ingredients and the other as the spicy base.

Making hotpot broth from scratch wasn’t hard, but Nan Xu missed the flavor of the human world, especially the fiery red butter base. He searched the mall several times, but he couldn’t find any ready-made hot pot base. Disappointed, he poked the system. “There were activities for Dragon Boat and Mid-Autumn—why nothing for New Year’s Eve?”

The system seemed asleep. After a long while, the screen finally flickered:

【After verification, the human festival package has been uninstalled.】

Nan Xu froze. He didn’t understand why. It felt like the system was cutting him off from the human world. Even without reminders, he knew he would never return.

But that didn’t mean he was willing to let go of his memories and habits.

He remained silent for a moment, gazing at the fading words on the screen.

When Zhixing returned from the cellar with ingredients, he sensed that something was wrong and asked with concern.

Nan Xu came back to himself and smiled. “It’s nothing. I was just thinking about what dishes we had saved.”

Zhixing handed him the bamboo basket. “I took a bit of everything. Do we need more?”

He didn’t know what hotpot was, only that there should be plenty of food.

Nan Xu glanced through the basket. It was full of vegetables he had grown himself. “This’ll do. I’ll just add some sliced meat and fish.”

Zhixing nodded and began washing the vegetables while chatting. “The cellar is quite special. The autumn vegetables are still fresh; they haven’t dried out at all. But when I was inside, I didn’t sense any spiritual energy. Did you use some human trick again?”

Nan Xu thought that humans had refrigerators, but they couldn’t keep vegetables this fresh for long. This cellar was just an added bonus from the system, extending the vegetables’ freshness without preserving them forever.

“No, probably due to a mountain array,” he said, making an excuse.

Zhixing nodded thoughtfully. Then, suddenly, the system chimed again. Nan Xu, curious, opened it.

[Limited-Time Mission: Before sunset on New Year’s Eve, hug your beloved. (Reward: hot pot gift pack + mystery gift.]

[Note: Time remaining: 4:35.]

Nan Xu stared at the screen for a few seconds, then at the ticking countdown. Glancing out the window, he saw that the sky was darkening. He let out a shout and ran out of the kitchen.

Startled, Zhixing followed him a few steps only to see Nan Xu in the main room asking You’an, “Where’s your uncle?”

You’an looked lazily around, deliberately slowly. Nan Xu waited ten seconds before hearing, “Oh, not in the house.”

Nan Xu: …

If he hadn’t been in such a rush, he would’ve smacked You’an.

He flung the door open, trying to guess where Tingchuan might be.

The back hill? No, the chicks didn’t need tending in winter. The sheep pen? No, feeding time was long past.

His mind raced, though from the outside, he stood frozen by the door, the cold wind blowing in unbothered.

“Owner?” Yao Lin called.

Seeing that there were less than two minutes left, Nan Xu didn’t waste a word. “Where’s Tingchuan?”

“He left the yard a while ago,” Yao Lin said.

Nan Xu bolted outside. A minute later, he spotted Tingchuan in the distance, wearing a red sweater that stood out vividly against the white snow. His eyes brightened, and he ran toward Tingchuan in long strides.

The wind brushed past his ears and snowflakes swirled in the air, landing on his…

The wind whistled past his ears and snow drifted through the air, landing on his face and bringing a chill.

He counted down: ten seconds, nine seconds, eight seconds… Nan Xu didn’t pause his stride. He saw Tingchuan glance at him. A moment of surprise flashed across Tingchuan’s face before he, too, strode purposefully toward Nan Xu. Behind him, specks of light danced and fluttered—a breathtakingly beautiful sight.

The countdown continued: three seconds, two seconds, one second. Nan Xu plunged into Tingchuan’s embrace, wrapping his arms tightly around his waist. His heart pounded so loudly that he was certain Tingchuan could hear it.

“What’s wrong?” Tingchuan asked.

The five-minute countdown had been thrilling. Nan Xu had been too calm for too long, and it had been ages since he’d felt this way. Panting slightly, he replied, “I want hot pot.”

Tingchuan fell silent, but Nan Xu suddenly burst into laughter.

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