RIIDMDR chapter 85

 

Nan Xu was led by Xu Le into the Canine Tribe village. As they approached, Nan Xu saw that many of the houses had half-finished carpentry projects on the bluestone slabs in front of their doors. These ranged from palm-sized toys to large wardrobes and wooden beds. Nan Xu asked in surprise, “What are you doing with all this?”

Xu Le glanced at the furniture, thinking it was normal. He replied, “We stored all the furniture we made before in the houses. Later, my second uncle went out into the mountains and traded it for daily necessities. When the tribesmen heard about it, they started making things in their spare time. Once they had enough, they had a few people transport them to exchange for money.”

Nan Xu understood. Tingchuan had mentioned that many demons in their canine tribe used to be carpenters, so it made sense that they would return to their old ways. Nan Xu hadn’t considered this before, perhaps because the canine tribe had recently experienced a war over territory. Having only been there a few months, he assumed it would take time for them to settle down.

Seeing that Nan Xu remained silent, Xu Le assumed he was angry. Even at a young age, he had overheard his father’s idle chatter with his uncles, so he quickly explained, “My father said the wood used to make these things comes from fast-growing trees. He also requires our tribe to plant twice as many trees as we fell. Every time we go out to sell our goods, we bring back saplings to plant.”

Nan Xu was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening. He lowered his head and saw Xu Le looking up at him with dark eyes fixed unblinkingly on his own, as if worried the lord of Zhuyu Mountain would expel them.

Nan Xu’s heart softened. He rubbed Xu Le’s head and said with a smile, “I see.”

When Nan Xu arrived, he noticed many newly planted seedlings nearby that were well-tended, including several fruit trees. He wondered if the canine tribe knew about them.

Xu Le finally breathed a sigh of relief. Along the way, the Canine Tribe members he met greeted Nan Xu. Sometimes, because it was dark or Nan Xu was too far away for the tribe members to see him, Xu Le took the initiative to tell them that Nan Xu would be staying at their house tonight.

Nan Xu chatted with the Canine Tribe members, feeling both amused and embarrassed while listening to Xu Le.

Xu Le’s house was at the entrance of the village. He said his father had chosen this location specifically so that people from outside the mountains approaching his house would be the first to know.

The house wasn’t much different from the other stone houses in the village except for the pergola built beside it. Under the pergola was a long wooden table and about ten small stools. By the wall sat a finely crafted wooden chair, completely different in style from the rest of the rough furniture.

“Dad originally built this pergola for Mom. After she became pregnant with my sister, she always felt suffocated inside and preferred to sit outside. But the sun was too strong a few days ago, so Dad built this,” Xu Le said. Seeing Nan Xu examine the pergola, Xu Le added, “My house is closest to the fields out back, so the tribe members come here to rest when the sun gets too strong. Mom keeps buckets of cool water in the pergola during the day so they can drink from them.”

Nan Xu nodded, understanding why the chair looked so exquisite. He hadn’t expected Xu Ji, who looked rather rough, to be so thoughtful of his wife.

Nan Xu entered the house with a smile. Xu Ji’s wife was sewing by candlelight. Hearing someone enter, she turned and asked, “Le Le, what did you see that made you run out so fast? Aren’t you afraid of falling…”

She paused, then called out uncertainly, “Owner?”

Nan Xu smiled and replied, “Hello, Sister-in-law. Isn’t Brother Xu Ji home?”

The woman put down her sewing, stood up, and walked toward Nan Xu. She said, “He goes out every day around this time to walk around the area and bring back the ducklings from the river valley.”

Nan Xu understood. “I came down the mountain to look for something and lost track of time. It’s too late to go back up the mountain tonight, so I was hoping to trouble you for a place to stay for the night—maybe Brother Xu Ji can help arrange it.”

Before the woman could respond, Xu Le quickly interrupted, “Mother, let Brother Nan stay at our house. Didn’t Father just make a new bed?”

The woman chuckled. “Your father made your sibling’s bed. There’s no room for Brother Nan to sleep there. Go clean your room, and let him sleep in yours tonight.”

Then he looked at Nan Xu and said, “Le Le has a room. If the owner doesn’t mind, you can stay at our house. We have new, unused mattresses.”

Nan Xu naturally didn’t mind. “Okay, that’s a problem.”

Just as he finished speaking, Guan’er called out from outside and jumped into the house. Then, Tingchuan walked in and gave Nan Xu a resentful look.

Nan Xu: ?

Seeing Tingchuan, the woman hesitated and said, “I’ll have Xu Ji go to his third uncle’s house and find a spare room for you, Senior Tingchuan!”

Nan Xu nodded, but Tingchuan said, “The owner and I can share a bed. No need to bother.”

Nan Xu didn’t react much. After all, he was used to sleeping with someone else; the days of sleeping alone were long gone. However, the woman remained silent for a few seconds, hesitant to speak.

Xu Le looked up and said, “Uncle Tingchuan, my bed isn’t big.”

Nan Xu could already imagine how big a child’s bed could be. He looked at Tingchuan, hoping he would go somewhere else. However, Tingchuan didn’t get the hint and said gently, “No problem. I won’t take up much space.”

Nan Xu: …

When Nan Xu met the woman’s gaze again, he suddenly felt embarrassed. Secretly liking Tingchuan was one thing, but sharing a bed with him in front of others was another matter entirely. Tingchuan spoke so frankly that Nan Xu wondered if everyone in the demon world was so open. He hurriedly said, “Don’t bother. Tingchuan and I can just squeeze in.”

Since Tingchuan had spoken up, Xu Le had no choice but to accept it and reluctantly went to make the bed. He’d thought he could play around with Brother Nan all night, but he didn’t expect Uncle Tingchuan to come along. His bed wasn’t big enough for the three of them.

After Nan Xu agreed to spend the night, he looked around the area again since it wasn’t completely dark yet. If he couldn’t find them, he’d have to wait until tomorrow.

Perhaps it was a stroke of luck. Nan Xu found some Polygonum hydropiper on the roadside heading out of the mountains. By then, it was fully dark, and just as he was about to head back, the system in his mind suddenly added a new plant name to the list it tracked. He stopped abruptly, nearly causing Xu Le, who had been tugging at his sleeve, to stumble.

Looking up, Xu Le saw Nan Xu’s expressionless face in the moonlight and whispered, “Brother Nan, are there any wild beasts nearby? It’s okay; I can defeat them.”

He was so confident that Nan Xu detached his consciousness from the system and shook his head, saying, “No beasts. I found what I was looking for.”

He signaled Xu Le to let go and search the area. He didn’t know the exact range of the plants displayed by the system, but based on his experience over the past day, he figured that since everything was displayed, it shouldn’t be difficult to find.

However, it was dark, and the crescent moon didn’t provide much light. Nan Xu described the Polygonum hydropiper, and the three of them dispersed to search.

Xu Le’s luck never seemed to fail him. Soon after, he heard his exclamation. Nan Xu went over, and the plants in front of Xu Le were exactly as he remembered: a small patch. He filled his basket with them, stood up, and led everyone back to the village.

When he returned to the house, Xu Ji was already there. He was standing by the stove, wielding a spatula.

“I heard the owner eats three meals a day, so I guess he didn’t eat tonight. I asked my husband to cook two dishes for you,” the woman said with a smile.

Nan Xu felt a little embarrassed, but he hadn’t eaten properly since morning and was indeed feeling hungry.

Xu Le tugged on Nan Xu’s shirt and whispered, “Dad rarely cooked before, so he copied the owner and got a wok. Unfortunately, their cooking methods are the same. Brother Nan, don’t be offended later.”

Nan Xu had never seen a child so eager to criticize his own father, and he couldn’t help but laugh. The child tried to keep his voice down, but the room was full of demons with good hearing. The woman glared at Xu Le again, saying that she didn’t know how to deal with her son.

Fearing that Nan Xu wouldn’t believe him, Xu Le dragged him into the kitchen. Xu Ji was very enthusiastic when he saw Nan Xu. Nan Xu glanced at the dishes on the table. Sure enough, they were all made using the same process.

Xu Le whispered, “Isn’t that right?”

Nan Xu rubbed his head again.

Though the dishes didn’t look great, they tasted decent. Surrounded by his family’s warm hospitality, Nan Xu ate until he was full—so full that he had to go out for a walk. By then, it was late, and most of the lights in the village had gone out. Feeling sleepy, Xu Le didn’t cling to Nan Xu anymore, leaving only Tingchuan walking beside him.

Tingchuan hadn’t eaten much at dinner, so he wasn’t out walking to digest his food. Nan Xu asked him, “Are you out hunting for food?”

Tingchuan glanced at him disdainfully. Even in the dim light, Nan Xu could see it. Not one to hold back, Nan Xu asked, “Are you secretly criticizing me?”

Tingchuan replied, “When have you ever seen me hunting at this hour?”

Nanxu thought about it and realized he hadn’t. “But you didn’t eat anything tonight.”

Tingchuan replied, “I wouldn’t die if I didn’t eat for months. Besides, it wasn’t your cooking, so how could it be delicious?”

Nanxu recalled that, sometimes, when Zhixing made breakfast, Tingchuan didn’t seem to eat unless he served him.

“You’re really lazy if you only eat what I cook,” Nanxu said.

The biggest difference between food he cooks himself and food cooked by others is that his food has spiritual energy. If not, he won’t eat it. Isn’t that just lazy?

Tingchuan sighed.

The two of them walked to the river. Nanxu had been walking all day without showering, and the sight of water excited him. He told Tingchuan, “You go back first. I’ll shower and then go back.”

Tingchuan declined, saying, “I’ll stay with you.”

Nanxu’s face flushed inexplicably. “Why are you staying with me while I shower?”

Tingchuan replied, “There’s plenty of food in this valley. Wild animals often come out to forage for food and water. Could you handle it alone?”

Nanxu hesitated.

Since the riverbank had reed-like grass, he found a thick patch that blocked the view well enough, and he stopped arguing, letting Tingchuan keep watch.

Standing in the thicket of reeds, he told Tingchuan, “Stay here. Don’t move unless it’s quiet.”

Tingchuan, perhaps sensing his thoughts, chuckled and said, “Okay.”

While Tingchuan turned his back, Nanxu quickly stripped off his clothes and entered the river. The water was cool, but it felt chilly to enter suddenly on this autumn night. He hissed a few times before getting used to it.

Overwhelmed by the clatter of water, he hadn’t heard Tingchuan’s movements. Remembering what Tingchuan had said about wolves, tigers, and leopards, he felt timid and called out, “Tingchuan?”

Through the brush, Tingchuan responded with a slight “Hmm.”

Nan Xu breathed a sigh of relief but frowned, noticing that Tingchuan’s voice sounded different from how it had during the day.

 

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Author’s Note:

Tingchuan stared at the pile of clothes on the shore, lost in thought.