RIIDMDR chapter 108

 

“Who wants to fall in love?” Tingchuan asked as he walked in, shaking the snow off his body.

Nan Xu’s internal danger radar immediately went off. Without thinking, he instinctively pointed at Zhixing. Unexpectedly, this time the little hedgehog demon mischievously pointed back at Nan Xu with a timid finger. Even the slightest movement was obvious to the keen eyes of a nine-tailed fox demon.

Nan Xu: …

Zhixing: …

Tingchuan raised an eyebrow and fixed his gaze on Nan Xu. Nan Xu hurriedly shook his head. Then he realized something and quickly said in a sycophantic tone, “Of course I’m falling in love with you.”

He didn’t want to lose face in front of his employee. Since the weather had gotten cold and the winter hibernation routine had begun, there was little work to be done. People and demons alike were looking for ways to amuse themselves.

For example, a certain nine-tailed fox demon now spent most of his time in the same state as when he first came to the mountain—just lying around, only now on a sofa instead of a deck chair. But his deep, mysterious eyes were always on Nan Xu, making him restless and worried about whether his bones could survive the long winter in the mountains.

Zhixing found Nan Xu’s flustered behavior amusing. He stifled his laughter, his shoulders twitching, but Nan Xu pretended not to notice. He stood up and brushed the remaining snow off Tingchuan’s shoulders so that it wouldn’t melt and wet his clothes inside the warm room.

“Where did you go so late?” Nan Xu asked.

Tingchuan replied, “With the heavy snow sealing the mountains, many carnivores ran out looking for food nearby.”

Nan Xu naturally thought of the chicks Tingchuan had raised—from hatching to feeding them, they had grown healthy. He had assumed Tingchuan would be careless, but he had actually put a lot of effort into raising them.

However, the chicken coop was quite far from the inn. When it was built, the focus was on being close to the mountain for easier free-range access, not winter protection.

“Did wild animals come to catch the chickens?” Nan Xu asked.

Tingchuan nodded. “I arrived in time to drive them off. None of the chickens were hurt, but they were probably frightened.”

Feeling a bit relieved, Nan Xu half-jokingly said, “Even though they’re raised by a fox demon every day, they have such poor mental fortitude. Now that they don’t need to lay eggs, a little fright isn’t too bad. Feed them a bit more tomorrow to soothe them.”

Tingchuan was used to Nan Xu’s teasing and responded with a hum.

Though Nan Xu spoke with a smile, his brows furrowed slightly as he considered moving the chickens to the courtyard for easier care. However, the yard had no shelter, and the chickens wouldn’t be able to endure the winter cold.

Seeing that Nan Xu was troubled, Tingchuan rubbed his head and said, “I can protect a few chickens. Don’t worry about it.”

Nan Xu trusted Tingchuan and nodded, deciding not to interfere. “Okay.”

While they talked, Zhixing, just trying to keep warm, huddled by the fireplace, almost effortlessly hiding his presence.

Suddenly, they heard the sound of wooden stairs being stepped on. A golden-haired woman placed her delicate hands on the railing and descended gracefully, as if she were a celebrity on a red carpet. Nan Xu followed the sound and noticed her outfit.

Tingchuan had said that most demons’ clothing came from their initial transformation and rarely changed with the seasons. However, some demons later took time to craft their clothes. The mermaids, for example, were skilled weavers, and their clothing was exquisite.

The golden-haired woman’s dress was exceptionally beautiful. Unlike the mermaids’ colorful clothing, hers was tailored to her body, accentuating her figure with a bold, innovative design that caught the eye.

About twenty minutes earlier, she had been wearing something completely different. Nan Xu realized that she might have some similarities with the mermaid.

Her gaze lingered on Nan Xu as she reached the first floor. Her watery eyes scanned the three people in the room. They paused briefly on Tingchuan, but, out of caution, she didn’t look for too long before turning her gaze to Nan Xu.

Her lips curved into a faint, flirtatious smile as she asked, “Owner, is my bathwater ready?”

Unconsciously, Nan Xu moved closer to Tingchuan until he was pressed against his body.

Tingchuan looked down at him with a smile in his eyes and placed a hand on Nan Xu’s shoulder.

Puzzled, Nan Xu turned to Tingchuan. Seeing his expression unchanged, he looked back at the golden-haired woman. Her gaze was no longer flirtatious; she leaned lightly on the railing and quietly watched Nan Xu.

“It should be ready. I’ll go check.”

Nan Xu freed himself from Tingchuan’s grasp and walked toward the back of the house. The cold wind outside made him shiver as he opened the door. The fire in the stove had almost died out, so he added two more logs and stepped inside.

The water in the large clay tub boiled, filling the small room with steam.

“All ready,” Nan Xu said as he returned to the room.

The golden-haired woman was still standing at the top of the stairs. Tingchuan sat on his usual sofa, and Zhixing curled up as if he were invisible. The atmosphere in the room was strange.

Nan Xu broke the silence, and the golden-haired woman seemed to come back to herself. She smiled and walked toward the back room after he indicated the direction.

Nan Xu returned to the room and sat beside Tingchuan. “Could she be from your fox clan?”

Though Nan Xu hadn’t realized it earlier, the atmosphere was clearly unusual. The golden-haired woman seemed familiar with Tingchuan. However, after spending time with Tingchuan and getting to know his cold, distant personality, Nan Xu found it hard to imagine how the two could be close.

Tingchuan glanced at Nan Xu, seemingly puzzled by his thoughts.

“No,” Tingchuan replied.

“What kind of demon is she?” Nan Xu was curious. Though the system had rewarded him with the ability to sense demons’ spiritual power, it hadn’t given him the ability to discern their true form.

“A cat demon,” he said. “From the northern tribes. They’re distant relatives of the tiger demons. Now, the two tribes share a mountain.”

Nan Xu leaned against Tingchuan, who adjusted his posture so that Nan Xu could rest his head on his chest.

The demon woman’s true form wasn’t too surprising to Nan Xu, but the demon world had such a strong sense of territory that even a tenuous blood relationship wouldn’t allow for peaceful coexistence, would it? Nan Xu’s confusion was written all over his face, and Tingchuan saw it clearly. He chuckled, his chest trembling slightly. “The demon world’s spiritual power is so thin. So what if they’re crowded together?”

Nan Xu couldn’t tell for a moment whether Tingchuan was being sarcastic or simply stating the truth. After all, the canine and wolf tribes had lived side by side on the same mountain for many years. Yet, one of the tribes had to be driven out due to a territorial dispute. Therefore, the idea of the tiger and cat demons coexisting peacefully was quite remarkable and contrary to Nanxu’s understanding of the demon world.

Tingchuan placed his hand on Nanxu’s arm and interlocked their fingers. He slowly addressed Nanxu’s concerns: “The tiger demon seems aggressive, but it’s actually timid and withdrawn. The cat demon is constantly on the move. Coming together is a good opportunity for them to test each other and make their nest. It’s not surprising that they’re crowded together.”

While chatting with Tingchuan on the sofa about the origins of the tiger and cat demon clans, Nanxu suddenly realized that he had unknowingly forgotten his original focus. It was only when the blonde demon returned to the main room after washing up that Nanxu realized he had intended to ask Tingchuan about his relationship with the demon but had been sidetracked by his words.

However, it was getting late, and the fire in the fireplace was almost out. Nanxu no longer had the heart to continue the conversation. After putting out the fire, they each returned to their rooms.

The next morning, Nan Xu saw the golden-haired woman again. She seemed refreshed from a good night’s sleep and exuded a lazy aura. Sniffing the air, she asked, “Owner, what’s that fragrance?”

The next morning, Nan Xu saw the golden-haired woman again. She seemed refreshed from a good night’s sleep and exuded a lazy aura. Sniffing the air, she asked, “Owner, what’s that fragrance?”

Nan Xu had shoveled snow in the yard; his body was warm, but his skin was still cold. Since the winter solstice was approaching, he had made some sweet glutinous rice balls with newly brewed rice wine to ward off the cold.

Breakfast was over, and the room was filled with a faint scent of rice wine. Hearing her question, Nan Xu replied, “Sweet rice wine soup with glutinous rice balls. Want a bowl?”

“Two bowls,” she replied.

Nan Xu was idle anyway, and there were still glutinous rice balls he had rolled and placed on the cutting board. It wasn’t much for two bowls, and Nan Xu was too lazy to light the stove again. He simply placed the ceramic pot for cooking the soup on the stove that was already heating water. In no time, two bowls of glutinous rice balls in rice wine were on the table.

The golden-haired woman went upstairs and pulled the black-haired man down. The two demons took the bowls, and she sniffed the aroma, clearly delighted.

“It smells even better than the wine,” she said. “I like it.”

Nan Xu remembered that demons often drank naturally fermented rice wine that was low in alcohol. Most demons got drunk on just half a pot. But judging by her demeanor, she seemed accustomed to drinking. Nan Xu had been about to offer advice, but decided to stay quiet.

Sitting alone by the fireplace with a book, Nan Xu had little desire to read. Occasionally, he glanced at the two demons at the table out of the corner of his eye. Their interaction was peculiar; the woman spoke most of the time, occasionally teasing the man, who barely reacted, only occasionally looking up. He didn’t seem cold, though.

Glancing at Zhixing’s tightly closed door, Nan Xu suddenly missed Yao Lin. At least then, even if they couldn’t talk, they could still exchange gossip through their eyes.

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