RIIDMDR chapter 120

 

Nan Xu came with the intention of completing his mission. However, when he saw Tingchuan, he realized that although the inn was always lively and bustling, he rarely got to spend time alone with Tingchuan. Especially in recent days, he was busy preparing for the New Year and so exhausted that he fell asleep the moment he touched the bed. He even skipped their usual bedtime talks.

Being together day and night can easily dull the freshness between lovers. Without communication, love can gather dust and turn them into familiar strangers.

In the human world, Nan Xu had never fallen in love for over twenty years. The first time he liked someone, he almost stumbled into a pit. If not for the system’s reminder, he wouldn’t have thought to hug his lover on New Year’s Eve.

Love can provide daily warmth and worldly flavor, but it should never be the only thing that fills life.

At that moment, it seemed as if the sky had turned off its light switch — the last trace of glow at the horizon faded away. In the darkness, the tiny dots of light around them stood out more. Now that Nan Xu was closer, he finally saw that the lights came from the fireflies around them.

Nan Xu was puzzled. He knew fireflies existed in the woods in the summer, flickering in clusters like dreams. But this was winter, and faint snow was still falling from the sky. How could fireflies survive?

Nan Xu stared without blinking and soon noticed that the bugs weren’t just glowing from their tails — their entire bodies were glowing.

“Huh? These don’t look like fireflies,” Nan Xu said.

Tingchuan nodded. “They’re not. Just ordinary forest bugs. The glow around them is created by my spiritual power. I wanted to find real fireflies to make fireworks for you, but it’s winter. Bugs can’t survive long in the winter. I did what I could.”

Nan Xu froze. “When did I ever tell you about fireworks?”

If he remembered correctly, he had never mentioned fireworks since he came to the demon realm. After all, they were in the mountains, surrounded by trees. He’d have to be crazy to think of setting off fireworks here.

Tingchuan didn’t answer. He simply raised his hand and made a gesture in the air. The glowing bugs seemed to understand his signal. They gathered tightly together and formed a line that rose upward and burst apart in midair. They took the shape of a flower and looked very much like fireworks.

Nan Xu watched with delight. He was now certain that Tingchuan must have heard about fireworks before; otherwise, how would he know that they explode in the sky like that?

Stepping away from Tingchuan’s embrace, Nan Xu held his hand. Instead of heading back to the courtyard, he brushed the snow off a big rock nearby.

The glowing bugs followed them, swirling around. When they sat down on the rock, Tingchuan made another hand sign, changing the bugs’ formation. This time, the insects formed a new flower pattern. Tingchuan did this seven or eight times in a row, each pattern different from the last.

Though there was no sound and there were only about a hundred bugs, Nan Xu watched with rapt attention, completely charmed.

But as the display continued, the glow around the bugs dimmed. After a dozen rounds, they were almost completely swallowed by the night. Tingchuan waved his hand, and the bugs scattered, vanishing into the darkness.

Nan Xu knew the bugs couldn’t survive long in the cold snow. For them to perform like this, even once, was rare and precious. Though he was reluctant for it to end, he waved toward their departing direction as if saying goodbye.

Tingchuan saw the gesture and chuckled softly.

In the days leading up to the New Year, Nan Xu felt a sense of regret, knowing that a New Year’s Eve without fireworks would always feel incomplete. However, he knew that this wasn’t the human world anymore and that he shouldn’t expect too much.

He had seen grander fireworks in the human world, but none as beautiful as what he was seeing now. Perhaps it was because he hadn’t expected them; this surprise filled a void in his heart. Or maybe it was because these fireworks bloomed just for him.

“Thank you,” Nan Xu said softly as he shook Tingchuan’s hand.

Tingchuan hummed in reply, but his tone wasn’t particularly cheerful. “As long as you liked it.”

Nan Xu thought he was upset about not finding enough glowing bugs, so he decided to cheer Tingchuan up with a hotpot. In the human world, they say there’s no problem that a hot pot can’t solve—and if there is, then two hot pots will do the trick.

He had just completed his mission, and the system’s reward notification chimed the moment he hugged Tingchuan. He hadn’t checked it then, but now, as he led Tingchuan back to the inn, he casually glanced at the reward and froze.

“Wait a sec,” Nan Xu said. “Stay right here. Don’t move. I’ll be back.”

With that, he stood up quickly, pressed Tingchuan’s shoulder as if to reassure him, and ran off toward the courtyard. His feet kicked up snow as he ran. Within two minutes, he returned carrying something like a small pillar.

He looked around, chose the most open spot in the yard, crouched down, and did something. Then he covered his ears and ran back toward Tingchuan.

Smiling, he said, “Tingchuan, look! My gift to you: fireworks!”

After a sharp crack, a burst of flame shot into the sky behind him and exploded, lighting up half the night like stars.

Nan Xu sat back down beside Tingchuan and leaned on him as they watched together.

The demons in the inn, alarmed by the loud noise, rushed outside, only to freeze in awe when they saw the fireworks.

Colorful explosions filled the sky, boom after boom. No one spoke; they all just stared upward in wonder. Humans might call such a display extravagant, but for demons who had never witnessed such beauty, especially in the lonely winter mountains, it was breathtaking.

After just a few minutes, the small firework pillar burned out and the sky returned to silence. Far off, Yao Lin and the others were still marveling and talking excitedly about how beautiful it had been. Nan Xu nudged Tingchuan and teased, “Well, Immortal Fox, you’ve officially seen human fireworks now.”

Tingchuan laughed, and the gloom in his eyes finally cleared. He stood up and offered his hand. “Let’s go. Didn’t you say we’re having hot pot?”

Nan Xu took his hand, and on the way back, he picked up the spent firework tube. It wasn’t warm, and there was no trace of gunpowder in the air. Just as the system had said—

[Bonus mystery gift: fireworks obtained. (Note: one-time use, simulated imitation, no fire or dust; protect the forest—everyone’s responsibility.)]

…

Two clay pots were bubbling over the stove. Nan Xu and the demons sat around them, and the brothers Zhuang Si and Zhuang Wu had come over, too, drawn by the loud fireworks. They had already gone to bed, but they rushed over wearing their coats. Before they could ask what had happened, the rich aroma of food hit them, and they instantly forgot about going back.

The hotpot pack from the system was generous, and combined with Nan Xu’s prepared vegetables and meatballs, the table was overflowing. The “cook-it-yourself” style was new and fun. Yao Lin especially loved it, busily dipping ingredients for everyone and playing chef without worrying about poisoning anyone.

After all, he was even surprised by his own talent for creating poison.

By the time they were full, it was late at night. There was no need to stay up late — it was already past midnight.

Nan Xu was in high spirits. He swapped his red wine for white, his face flushed from drinking. He reached into his pocket and took out a handful of red envelopes, handing them out one by one. “Happy New Year!”

Zhuang Si and Zhuang Wu cheerfully accepted them. Zhixing and Yao Lin, unaware of the custom, opened theirs curiously and were stunned to find coins inside.

“Owner?” they asked.

Nan Xu laughed heartily. “These are called New Year’s money. They ward off evil spirits and ensure a year free of disaster.”

Hearing this, Zhixing and Yao Lin gladly accepted theirs. You An, however, hesitated. Nan Xu was the owner, yet he was still so young. It felt strange for a three-thousand-year-old demon like him to receive a red envelope from a boy. He held it awkwardly, glancing at his uncle.

Nan Xu didn’t notice his hesitation. He leaned over and whispered to Tingchuan, “Don’t count it now—yours has the most. If they find out, they’ll say I’m playing favorites.”

He probably didn’t realize he was slurring his words a little from the alcohol. He said he would stay up all night, but at this rate, he would be asleep in minutes.

Tingchuan held his thick red envelope and smiled, amused by how stingy yet generous Nan Xu could be. Supporting the wobbling boy, he said, “All right. I’ll open it once we’re back.”

As expected, within minutes, Nan Xu fell fast asleep on him. Tingchuan gestured for the others to return to their rooms, then carried Nan Xu back to his.

Nan Xu slept soundly, hugging his pillow like a soft, pink little piglet. Tingchuan watched his peaceful face and thought back to the human fireworks earlier. Finally, he understood Nan Xu’s yearning for the human world.

Such dazzling, grand fireworks—how could this stagnant demon realm ever give him something like that? Three thousand years ago, Jing Yuan could summon thunder and lightning; now, with the world’s spiritual energy so depleted, even insects could barely survive half an hour.

Tingchuan leaned against the bed frame. The candlelight flickered softly in the quiet room. Yao Lin’s words from earlier that day echoed in his mind. He’d never thought deeply about it before, but now he realized how much he had overlooked.

The raccoon clan’s cultivation was connected with heaven and earth. When spiritual energy overflowed, they absorbed it involuntarily and died from the pressure.

Nan Xu, whose magic also originated from the same source as heaven and earth, he noticed his lips were pale when spiritual energy overflowed. Assuming the little demon’s cultivation was too low to resist, he devoted his attention to teaching him many magical techniques. The little demon smiled and learned them one by one, but, in reality, he did so to comfort him.

When they set out for the Heavenly Rift, Nan Xu was in poor condition. In just days, the aura of the world shifted from excess to exhaustion. His skin lost all color, and his body turned almost translucent. Usually, a demon in such a state would revert to its true form to heal, but Nan Xu refused. He wouldn’t let Ting Shu examine his pulse or stay behind to rest.

Jing Yuan scolded him for being reckless. Yun Yi refused to take him any further. The little demon stayed silent, looking at Tingchuan with pleading eyes, hoping for his support. Even then, Tingchuan said nothing, seeing how frail he was.

In the end, Nan Xu went with them anyway. The road was heavy with silence. He tried to start conversations, but no one answered. Eventually, he stopped talking, too.

Before the great calamity of the demon realm, few demons died young. No one thought the little demon was on the brink of death. Had they known, they never would have stayed silent.

Nan Xu fainted several times on the road. Tingchuan carried him, and even when he was unconscious, Nan Xu clung tightly to his sleeve and mumbled, “All things are born; all living beings perish.” Tingchuan didn’t understand.

When Nan Xu finally died and the mountains sealed the Heavenly Rift, Tingchuan saw the demon realm revived — barren ridges blooming with life, birds singing, and flowers blooming year after year.

Then, he understood why the little demon had insisted on coming along.

He still remembered when they reached the rift and discussed strategies. He laid the unconscious little demon on the ground, but he refused to let go of Tingchuan’s sleeve. Tingchuan knelt beside him and slowly pulled his robe from the little demon’s grasp as if it were destined that, from that moment on, they would be separated.

The repairs to the Heavenly Rift were progressing well, and the little demon awoke from his coma, his spirits improving. The demons, exhausted from taking turns repairing the cave, were overjoyed to see him recover. They had finally received good news.

However, their joy was short-lived. Devastating news followed one after another: Yun Yi was killed in battle, Ting Shu exhausted his spiritual power, the Heavenly Rift became a demon-devouring lair, and Jing Yuan was severely injured and missing. Everything happened so suddenly and unexpectedly.

The little demon insisted that he must rescue Jing Yuan. Ultimately, his dilemma couldn’t overcome the little demon’s stubbornness. He always achieved his goals through sheer determination.

“After this calamity is over, I really want to watch fireworks with you all. I’ve heard it’s a way for humans to celebrate,” the little demon said as he left.

When he tried to return to the spot, he found that everything had changed. The little demon had vanished without a trace. He realized too late that Yun Yi had already died when the little demon spoke those words. How could they have possibly watched the fireworks together?

 

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Author’s Note:

Forest fire prevention is everyone’s responsibility.