RIIDMDR chapter 22

 

When Nan Xu heard that they were staying at the inn, he went out and called, “Yes, come on in!”

As he left the main hall, he was surprised to see about a dozen people, young and old, men and women, in the courtyard. Even if the inn had just been upgraded, there weren’t enough rooms for that many people.

Looking closer, Nan Xu saw that they were dressed somewhat sloppily and were carrying large and small bags. Clearly, they had traveled a long way. The man leading the group said to Nan Xu, “We migrated from the west. We heard there was an inn in the mountains, so we thought we’d stop by and rest.”

Nan Xu nodded, somewhat dazed. He wasn’t quite sure why these demons had come, but he understood the need to rest. He went into the main hall and brought out some wooden stools and chairs for them. Hot water simmered in a clay pot on the small stove in the courtyard. The bamboo cups he had made earlier were now in use. Seeing that they were suffering from the heat of the journey, Nan Xu placed a mint leaf in each cup and handed them out.

They sipped the warm water, and the refreshing mint fragrance invigorated their minds and dispelled some of the hardships of the journey. After the leader finished his cup, he thanked Nan Xu. Nan Xu moved a small wooden stool and sat next to the man, asking, “What happened in the west? Why did you migrate?”

The man’s face wore a hint of sadness from the journey. “The spiritual energy in the West has been depleted to the point that some mountains are no longer covered with vegetation. When the situation becomes so severe, many demon tribes can’t survive. The stronger ones seize the territories of the remaining demon groups. The wolf demons from the nearby mountains occupied our area, and countless members of our tribe were killed or wounded. We were the first to escape, saved by our own people.”

Nan Xu remained silent. Although he had heard many times that the demon world’s spiritual energy was dwindling, he had never imagined that the spiritually depleted marginal areas would be filled with so much struggle and flight.

Seeing that Nan Xu was still silent, the man continued, “However, once you reach the central area, such inter-ethnic wars become less common. The spiritual energy here is relatively stable. Along the way, we’ve seen many demon tribes living and working together in peace.”

It was a subtle way of reassuring Nan Xu and telling him not to worry too much about his current situation.

However, Nan Xu thought that spiritual energy was gradually diminishing from the edge toward the center, like a poisonous circle in a game. Without spiritual energy, the demons wouldn’t be able to survive and would resort to desperate plundering. Zhuyu Mountain’s location was unique indeed. Things might be fine for three to five years, but chaos would inevitably follow in ten or a hundred years. Resources are the root cause of war, no matter where you are.

[Main Mission 2-1: Rewards issued. Reward List: Mall Trading System Open, 2 Blind Boxes.]

A sudden system notification interrupted Nan Xu’s thoughts. As he went to refill his pottery jar with water, he opened the notification and found the newly added mall system quite intriguing.

Crouching by the stove, he spent a moment carefully examining the new features. Clothing and food items were sold there. While the selection wasn’t as extensive as his previous online shopping experiences, it was more than enough for life in the mountains. Transactions were conducted in coins, and the amount of coins displayed in the upper left corner was exactly what Nan Xu currently owned. However, with just a quick glance, Nanxu realized the prices were higher than expected.

The water boiled, so Nanxu poured more hot water for them. Tingchuan took a nap in the courtyard’s shade. Unlike last time with the wild boar demon, Tingchuan simply ignored the demons this time and showed no hostility.

Upon hearing that about a dozen demons were staying for lunch, Nan Xu became slightly worried. Frankly, the supplies he had accumulated over the past few days were limited. Hosting two or three guests was manageable, but more than that would be difficult, especially with a large pot of food for over a dozen people.

The newly opened market only sold seedlings and seeds, not ready-made vegetables, so it didn’t solve his immediate problem.

Tingchuan seemed to see Nan Xu’s dilemma. Saying he was going to the mountains, he left without a care. Nan Xu remembered the two unopened blind boxes and went to the warehouse. Unfortunately, they didn’t meet his expectations. They only contained a pack of tissues, a few toothbrushes, and some toothpaste, but none of the ingredients Nan Xu was looking for.

Nan Xu took a bamboo basket to the vegetable patch behind the house and snipped two handfuls of the new greens. While fetching water from the stream to wash them, he saw Tingchuan emerge from the woods carrying something much larger than a pheasant or rabbit.

As he approached, Nan Xu stared in amazement at what he was holding. It was a brown wild boar, its arched tusks particularly sharp and menacing. It looked to weigh about 100 pounds. For a moment, Nan Xu thought Tingchuan had gone to kill the two wild boar demons.

“Is it enough?” Tingchuan asked. “This is huge.”

Nan Xu: …

Nan Xu nodded stiffly, then became overjoyed. In the kitchen, there was still a mountain of cabbage and half a jar of flour left by the wild boar demon last time. Pork and cabbage dumplings would be perfect for a dozen guests.

Tingchuan and I dissected the wild boar by the stream. We removed a large piece of meat, washed it, and placed it in a basket for later use. Nanxu asked Tingchuan to pack up the rest and take it back.

As he walked down the street with the basket, Nanxu told Tingchuan about the depletion of spiritual energy in the west. Presumably having known about this for a while, Tingchuan wasn’t surprised. Then, remembering that he hadn’t guarded against the demon staying at the inn today, he asked, “Do you have any family connections with the people who came to the inn today?”

Tingchuan looked at Nanxu curiously. “They’re from the Canine Tribe. What connection could they have with me?”

Nanxu: “…Oh, the Canine Tribe…”

Tingchuan had a feeling that Nanxu was holding back something.

It was almost noon. After arriving home, Nanxu instructed Tingchuan to chop the meat filling. Then, he scooped a large bowl of flour and began kneading it with water. By the time he had finished kneading the dough for the dumplings, Tingchuan had finished chopping the meat and cabbage filling.

They stirred scallions, ginger, and seasoning into the filling. Nanxu rolled out the dough at lightning speed, scooped a spoonful of filling, and formed a round, plump dumpling with a few quick kneadings.

His movements were so practiced, like an emotionless machine. Tingchuan reached out a few times but found no help. He picked up a wrapped dumpling and examined it carefully. He had eaten stuffed buns before, but today, Nan Xu didn’t seem to be trying to make pancakes. Foods of a similar kind, once handled by humans, always seemed to take on a different flavor—it was truly fascinating.

Nan Xu instructed Tingchuan to add water to the pot and bring it to a boil. The dumplings were ready. After waiting ten or twenty minutes, the fully cooked dumplings floated up, their bellies plump and round, looking particularly festive.

Nanxu brushed the flour off his hands. Looking at the pot of dumplings, he suddenly felt nostalgic.

Even though he was just an orphan in the human world, he had still experienced warmth. One snowy New Year’s Eve, an old grandfather who lived alone had once invited him inside. Charcoal crackled in the brazier, and pork-and-chive dumplings bubbled in the boiling water. The old man ladled a portion into a large porcelain bowl and handed it to Nanxu. The bowl was slightly hot to the touch, yet it warmed his frostbitten, itchy hands. Those were the most delicious dumplings he had ever eaten.

“What’s wrong?” Tingchuan asked, seeing him staring at the pot, motionless and silent. He stood up from the stove and looked into the pot but couldn’t make out what was going on.

Nan Xu came back to his senses and smiled. “We humans love to eat dumplings together as a family.”

Tingchuan said nothing more. How did Nan Xu get to this mountain? Why had he found this small courtyard? He was clearly human, carrying memories of the outside world, yet he was alone. Everything seemed like a mystery.

But Nan Xu didn’t seem eager to talk about it. Was he missing his people now?

The earthenware pot was enormous, and Nan Xu cooked hundreds of dumplings in just three servings. He had just brought out two bowls when the men of the Dog Tribe entered the kitchen and served themselves, sparing Nan Xu the trouble of making the trip.

The bamboo table wasn’t big enough for everyone to eat around it. Besides the dumplings, Nan Xu stir-fried a plate of homegrown greens and made a wild boar bone broth, which he placed on the table.

By the time the greens were served, only one plate remained. They even saved a bite for Nan Xu.

The dog tribe leader held a bamboo bowl and said to Nan Xu, who was staring blankly at the table, “Sir, I’m truly sorry. My people have never tasted such delicious vegetables, and we lost our composure for a moment.”

The usually well-behaved and reserved tribesman couldn’t stop eating after finishing the food on the table. By the time he realized it, only a tiny bite remained. Fearing the innkeeper might resent them, the tribesman had no choice but to apologize. After all, they had other requests.

Nan Xu was also surprised by the popularity of the greens, but he felt relieved when he realized that even Tingchuan, who was usually picky, couldn’t resist them. Originally, he hadn’t planned to share the plate with the dozen or so other patrons.

Nan Xu smiled and said, “It’s okay. This dish was originally meant for you.”

The man was deeply grateful. As Nan Xu returned to the house, he murmured, “The owner of this inn is both good-looking and kindhearted. It’s a good thing he wasn’t tricked by those two wild boars outside the mountain.”

“Dad, these vegetables are sweet, crisp, and tender. They warm my stomach. They’re truly delicious.” The child beside the man, barely taller than his waist, tugged at his shirt, urging him to finish the rest.

Curious about how delicious the vegetables must be, given that they had caused his tribe to abandon their usual caution, the man scooped the last of them into his bowl with chopsticks. Before he could take a bite, he felt several longing gazes from his tribe members. When he looked back at them, they all looked away.

As he took a bite of the emerald greens, the delicious flavor of the broth and vegetables invigorated him immediately. After chewing and swallowing, he felt a surge of pure spiritual energy flow through his throat and into every part of his body. No wonder his son said his stomach felt warm.

The man was stunned for a moment. At nearly two meters tall, he suddenly felt an urge to cry. His clan had suffered casualties due to the spiritual energy. They had escaped, and it was unclear if the others were still alive. He had lost count of how long it had been since he had absorbed spiritual energy. At that moment, however, he seemed to see another way out for his people.