RIIDMDR chapter 122

 

When Tingchuan and the others returned, they found Nan Xu sitting by the well, picking vegetables. In the middle of the courtyard, a huge man was lying on the ground.

Yao Lin thought he was seeing things. He took a few steps closer to get a better look and couldn’t help but snicker. “Are tiger demons this unruly these days? How come, even when resting in broad daylight, they can’t be bothered to go back to their rooms and just sleep there instead?”

Though his words sounded teasing, there wasn’t the slightest bit of politeness in them. He raised his foot and kicked the huge man lying on the ground.

The tiger demon seemed to be sleeping soundly; there was not the slightest hint of movement, which made Yao Lin realise that something was wrong. He crouched down to take a closer look.

Only Yao Lin, this bird demon whose brain wires were clearly crossed, would think the tiger demon was just sleeping. When Zhixing and Tingchuan entered the courtyard and saw the scene, they both turned to look at Nan Xu, their faces darkened.

Tingchuan walked straight up to Nan Xu, his gaze sweeping carefully from head to toe before finally resting on his collar.

Nan Xu had tidied it up, but the fabric was wrinkled beyond repair after bearing the weight of his whole body. This wasn’t obvious at first glance, but Tingchuan’s sharp eyes didn’t miss a thing.

“Were you frightened?” Tingchuan asked.

Nan Xu shook his head, smiling as usual. “Not frightened. I’m not afraid of him.”

Tingchuan nodded, but before he could say more, Yao Lin called out loudly from nearby, “Zhixing, come and take a look! Is this weak tiger demon dead? I can’t sense any spiritual consciousness at all. Let’s hope he didn’t die in our courtyard – that’d be such bad luck!”

Zhixing: “…”

Yesterday, when Yao Lin mentioned the tiger demon’s burly figure, he casually remarked, ‘Strong but useless — weak constitution, quick temper, won’t live long.’ Since then, Yao Lin had added ‘weak’ as a prefix whenever he spoke of the tiger demon.

Zhixing stepped forward reluctantly, clearly disgusted. Not wanting to touch the tiger demon directly, he just bent down, took a look and said, “He’s alive.”

Yao Lin breathed a sigh of relief. “Good.”

His expression clearly showed how much he cared about not having a corpse lying around.

Tingchuan withdrew his gaze. “So this is what you meant by having your own defensive means?”

When the tiger demon arrived yesterday, he was unpleasant from the outset, complaining that the porridge was bland and the dishes too salty. Then he said that the inn was shabby, the bedding was dirty, the owner was crude and it was nothing like the palace he lived in. He got on both Yao Lin’s and Zhixing’s nerves.

Yao Lin had nearly rolled up his sleeves to beat the troublemaker up. After all, the food was excellent and every furnishing in the inn was crafted by Yi Shui, combining simplicity with refinement. Zhixing kept the place spotless, even when there were no guests, and the beds were so clean that not a single hair remained after someone had slept in them.

In the northern region, the Golden Crow clan once ruled supreme. It was laughable for a tiger demon to act all high and mighty and boast about palaces after their disappearance.

The two demons were so angry they were practically snorting. Nan Xu had to calm them down, saying that it was just idle talk and not worth getting angry over — guests were guests and business was business. They couldn’t afford to fight with every rude customer. The two demons could only swallow their anger.

When Tingchuan returned that evening, the tiger demon, being the type to bully the weak and fear the strong, suddenly stopped criticising, leaving the two demons fuming with nowhere to direct their anger.

Even without being told, Tingchuan could sense that something was amiss. He wasn’t easily fooled; just a moment’s thought made the situation clear. That was why he hadn’t planned to leave Nan Xu’s side today, but Nan Xu wasn’t the type to enjoy being watched. Feeling uneasy, he insisted that he could protect himself, and so Tingchuan relented.

Yet when he returned, he found this scene.

Nan Xu smiled awkwardly. He hadn’t expected the tiger demon to attack without warning. Fortunately, what he’d said wasn’t a lie: though he’d wasted a potion, it had at least proven his capability, and Tingchuan might stop treating him like a fragile flower.

“Just a little trick,” said Nan Xu, sticking out his pinky finger dramatically.

Tingchuan was amused and finally stopped looking so stern. “And what do you plan to do with him?”

Nan Xu hadn’t really thought that far ahead. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have just dumped the tiger demon in the courtyard. He shook his head. “Throwing him off the mountain right away feels unsatisfying. Why not wait until he wakes up, beat him up, and then toss him out?”

Tingchuan raised a brow slightly, looking surprised.

When the wild boar demons had caused trouble before, Nan Xu’s instinct had been to drive them away. Later, even when he changed his mind, he let Tingchuan handle it. Now, after being bullied again, he wasn’t acting like soft dough anymore — he was ready to fight back. It seemed that his time living here had given him confidence.

After all, the demon realm wasn’t like the human world — there were no laws, only unspoken rules.

“When will he wake up?” Tingchuan asked.

He didn’t know what Nan Xu had done, but somehow the tiger demon’s spiritual consciousness had been knocked out completely.

That question stumped Nan Xu. He had done it himself, yet he had no idea how powerful his own attack had been. He couldn’t bring himself to say it.

But Tingchuan was looking right at him, so he had to answer honestly. “I don’t know.”

Tingchuan’s expression became even more complicated.

In the end, the tiger demon never woke up for the planned beating. While he was still unconscious, Tingchuan carried him down the mountain and casually threw him into a small formation.

which Tingchuan grandly called: “Helping him lose weight.”

—

A few days later, the second group of guests arrived after the New Year. They weren’t strangers, though—it was Ren Ci, who had sold out all his goods.

This time, he brought a young male demon named Zhixi.

When Nan Xu first saw the pair, he was a little stunned. Ren Ci had a fierce-looking face; even the slightest frown made it seem like he was about to punch someone. Meanwhile, Zhixi looked soft-skinned and baby-faced with a dumbly cute expression—a striking contrast.

If this were the human realm, Nan Xu would have called the police to report a kidnapping.

When Ren Ci saw Nan Xu, he grinned especially brightly. His fierce face looked less intimidating. Nan Xu stood up, holding his flower basket, and said, “Brother Ren Ci looks to be in good spirits. Business must be booming.”

Ren Ci’s smile grew wider. He wasn’t a particularly shrewd demon but an honest one and nodded repeatedly. “Thanks to the owner, I made quite a bit this time. I sent some money home, and life’s been much better.”

He wasn’t much of a salesman, but after receiving goods from Nan Xu, he took his usual merchant route. Business was slow at first until a demon family short on supplies stopped him and bought some items. One of them happened to notice the jars of pickles Nan Xu had made. They were round and sealed with colored hemp rope and had a red paper label that read, “Zhuyu Mountain Pickles.”

Everyone in the demon realm knew of Zhuyu Mountain. Selling goods under that name with such unique packaging naturally aroused curiosity. When the demon asked about it, Ren Ci remembered Nan Xu’s casual advice before leaving the mountain. He rummaged through his pack, pulled out a small clay bottle of pickles, and began to explain how delicious they were. He had eaten them himself, so his description was vivid.

The demon was skeptical, so Ren Ci opened the bottle and offered a taste.

The tiny clay bottle held just a handful of pickles—perfect for sampling. The demon took a bite, and his eyes lit up at the rich flavor. He bought two or three jars on the spot. Ren Ci gave him the opened sample bottle for free. The demon felt he had gotten a good deal and paid without haggling. He left happily.

That sale gave Ren Ci a new idea. The small bottles Nan Xu had given him were meant for this exact purpose. It was as if his meridians had suddenly opened—his goods started selling quickly, and even the other items sold more easily.

No one in the southern regions asked much about soaps and other things, but on his way back north, the demons who’d bought food before stopped him to ask if he had more. Of course, he didn’t. They didn’t want to leave empty-handed, so they bought other items labeled “Zhuyu Mountain” instead.

And so, Ren Ci sold almost everything. Since taking over his cousin’s trade route, business had never been this good. He knew exactly why, so he rushed back toward Zhuyu Mountain, afraid someone else might beat him to the next batch of goods.

Sure enough, just outside Zhuyu Mountain, he met Zhixi, who was about to enter.

Zhixi was a young rabbit demon who impulsively came all this way, only to remember the elders’ warnings about how dangerous Zhuyu Mountain was and hesitate.

Then he saw Ren Ci come in, gritted his teeth, and followed him. He was timid and delicate and afraid of Ren Ci’s fierce appearance, yet he was unwilling to leave his side.

Ren Ci was accustomed to small demons being scared of him and didn’t take offense. On the road, after hearing about Zhixi’s troubles, Ren Ci even lent a hand.

After greeting Nan Xu, Ren Ci booked a room for three days. He was worn out from traveling north and south and wanted to rest properly in the mountains.

After receiving the payment, Nan Xu turned to the young, delicate demon who had been staring at him but hadn’t spoken.

The little demon quickly introduced himself, his voice small but clear and bright.

“You said you came to buy medicine?” Nan Xu confirmed.

Zhixi nodded, and Nan Xu immediately called toward the house, “Zhixing, your appointment’s here!”

The rabbit demon, Zhixi, looked confused. Ren Ci was also puzzled. Zhixing came out of the house looking even more bewildered. “When did I make an appointment?”

Nan Xu: “Huh?”

He had assumed that, since the visitor had mentioned medicine, it was similar to the little deer demon before—someone who had written in advance. But judging by their reactions, neither side knew anything.

Once they sat down to talk, Nan Xu learned the truth. Zhixi’s mother had suffered from severe insomnia for years. She was so exhausted that she couldn’t sleep. When she finally did sleep, she would wake up shortly after. Over time, her health deteriorated, and she grew frail and aged.

Last winter, Zhixi’s father had bought a jar of bamboo leaf tip tea from Ren Ci as a casual treat. After drinking it a few times, however, Zhixi’s mother had her first good night’s sleep in years. Seeing this, Zhixi finally had hope.

However, as winter turned to spring and the tea ran out, Ren Ci still hadn’t returned. Inspired by his mother’s improved condition, Zhixi impulsively left home and embarked on a long journey.

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