RIIDMDR chapter 86

 

Xu Le’s bed was not very big, only about 1.2 meters wide. With the two of them lying on it with their arms tucked together, Nan Xu had trouble turning over. However, he had walked all day in the mountains, and he had just taken a bath. He fell asleep quickly. Before long, his breathing became regular and deep.

Tingchuan lay flat on his back, listening intently to the sounds outside. Sure enough, the valley below the mountain had more birds and beasts than the mountain itself. The canine demons that had come to Zhuyu Mountain were not highly skilled, so it was difficult for them to suppress the mountain beasts. Consequently, some approached to test them. Today, a pack of wild wolves was heading this way.

Nanxu whimpered and turned over out of habit, resting his hands on Tingchuan’s waist. He rubbed his face against Tingchuan’s chest twice, found a comfortable position, and fell asleep again.

Meanwhile, the wild wolf that had just reached the village entrance sensed something and quickly ran away, tail tucked in.

Tingchuan shifted his arms and leaned slightly to the side. As Nanxu threw herself into his arms, he scooped him up, closed his eyes, and embraced him.

The next morning, the Canine Tribe members of the village had already risen. They fetched water and swept the fields, exchanging pleasantries as they met and creating a harmonious morning scene. Hearing the sounds, Nan Xu woke up. He rubbed his eyes in confusion and stared blankly at Ting Chuan’s chest for a long while before realizing where he was.

While they were on the mountain, Ting Chuan always got up early. When Nan Xu woke up, the quilt beside him was already cold, so he rarely knew how the two of them had slept in the same bed at night. Now, however, with this warmth and the familiar embrace, Nan Xu quietly shifted backward, withdrew his hand from Ting Chuan’s, held it in front of him, and stared at it for a long time as his face gradually turned red.

He thought that every morning when Ting Chuan woke up, he would see him clinging to him like an octopus — he really didn’t dare to imagine that scene.

Nan Xu quietly got up and left the room, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Inside, Tingchuan opened his eyes and glanced toward the door. Remembering Nan Xu’s sleepy, blank expression as he stared at his palm, Tingchuan laughed.

After breakfast, Nan Xu and Tingchuan headed up the mountain. Tingchuan carried the basket filled with things, and Nan Xu followed behind him. Suddenly, he said, “You look just like the scholar in our tales who was spotted by a fox demon and went to the capital to take the imperial examination.”

Tingchuan turned around. “Fox demon?

Nan Xu: …

Nan Xu’s expression froze. For a second, he felt like his brain cells were about to explode. How could he have forgotten this?

Tingchuan looked puzzled, waiting for him to continue. He had no choice but to take advantage of Tingchuan’s lack of knowledge about the human world and use his ability to make up stories on the spot. He said, “It’s about a scholar who went to the capital to take the imperial examination. On the way, he met a fox demon. The fox demon was virtuous and beautiful. She served him tea and water along the way and helped him overcome all kinds of difficulties and dangers. She escorted the helpless scholar to the examination hall. The scholar fell in love with the fox demon. After he passed the exam, he married her. He married a fox demon, and the two lived happily ever after.”

Tingchuan nodded, seemingly pleased with the portrayal of the fox demon in the story. He said, “A fox demon skilled in martial and literary arts does fit the reality of our demon world. Your human stories are quite good. But shouldn’t the scholar be more like you?”

Nanxu smiled sheepishly and said, “Yes, yes, yes.”

He was the scholar captivated by the beauty of a fox demon.

When they returned to the inn, it was sunset. Nanxu asked Guan’er to go to the courtyard and tell Zhixing about it. He followed Tingchuan to find the osmanthus tree he had seen the day before. The tree was less than an hour’s walk from the courtyard, but the road was secluded, and Nanxu had rarely walked it, so he hadn’t paid much attention to it.

The wild osmanthus trees weren’t very tall, but their blossoms were densely packed, and their fragrance could be smelled from far away. On his way, Nanxu had woven a narrow basket out of vines. After picking the flowers, he looked around and handed the overflowing basket to Tingchuan. Under Tingchuan’s unsurprised gaze, Nanxu crouched at the base of the tree.

After feeling around, he pulled up a small osmanthus seedling—not too big and not too small—and the two returned home with their harvests.

It was completely dark by the time they arrived home. Zhixing was standing in the yard, playing with Guan’er. Nanxu walked in and called out to Zhixing, “Zhixing, I brought back a lot of herbs and herb seedlings. Come take a look.”

Overjoyed, Zhixing dropped Guan’er and ran over. Nanxu dumped the scattered items from his basket onto the ground, set aside the Polygonum hydropiper he needed, and let Zhixing sort through the rest.

Meanwhile, Nanxu found a large bamboo basket and sorted through the osmanthus flowers. Looking up, he saw Zhixing like a treasure hunter picking up one flower and examining it closely before sniffing another. Like a mouse in a honey pot, he couldn’t hide his joy.

After washing and drying the flowers, Tingchuan walked in with his hands covered in mud. Nanxu asked him, “Did you plant the osmanthus seedlings?”

Since a loquat tree with spiritual awareness already existed in the yard, Nanxu didn’t plan to plant osmanthus flowers there. There was a large open space outside the yard, and Zhixing’s herb garden only occupied a third of it. Nanxu asked Tingchuan to find a spot to plant the osmanthus seedlings.

“Mm, it’s planted,” Tingchuan replied, walking toward Nanxu. “I’ll water it again tomorrow morning. The leaves shouldn’t wilt then.”

Nanxu scooped a bucket of water from the wooden barrel, and Tingchuan washed his hands with it. The two chatted quietly while Zhixing was absorbed in the herbs. Guan’er looked around and saw that no one wanted to play with him. He yawned and lay down on the straw.

—

The next two days were fine and sunny. The osmanthus was placed in the sun to dry. Leaning back in his lounge chair, Nan Xu bought several recipes in a row. After spending a lot of money, he clutched his chest in pain and felt a bit melancholy.

Tingchuan glanced at him. “Are you feeling unwell?”

Nan Xu shook his head, his eyes hollow. “No, I just feel poor, both inside and out.”

Tingchuan understood and laughed. “What’s the point of keeping your money if you don’t spend it?”

Nan Xu said, “You don’t understand. I wouldn’t be bored even if I stayed home counting money for three days.”

Tingchuan raised an eyebrow. “Only three days, and you’d be satisfied?”

Nan Xu:?

Nan Xu:!

Nan Xu looked at Tingchuan with sparkling eyes. “Are you…rich?”

Tingchuan pondered for a few seconds and casually replied, “A few dozen days, half a month, shouldn’t be a problem.”

Nan Xu inwardly exclaimed, “Wow!” and whispered, “Another reason to like you!”

Tingchuan’s ears quivered slightly, and he looked at Nan Xu with a half-smile. Nan Xu gave him a polite yet friendly smile.

After speaking with Tingchuan for a few minutes, Nan Xu stopped feeling sad about the money he’d spent. He jumped up from his chair and dug out the Polygonum hydropiper that he had brought back last night. He washed it, pounded out the juice, and mixed it with glutinous rice flour and water. Then he kneaded the mixture into a dough, placed it on straw covered with gauze, and left it in a cool place to ferment naturally.

Two days later, Nan Xu lifted the gauze and straw to reveal yeast covered in mycelium. He breathed a sigh of relief. This was his first time making it. Without old yeast to start the brew, he feared that the Polygonum hydropiper he had painstakingly gathered would be wasted—and that brewing again would be a huge hassle.

Now that the yeast seemed almost ready, Nan Xu began preparing the brewing tools. He spent several days meticulously preparing the ingredients according to the recipe: soaking and steaming the rice and adding the yeast.

He separated a portion of the rice, sealed the rest, and moved it to a cool place to ferment. He waited a month or two before distilling it. He sprinkled the remaining portion with dried osmanthus flowers and fermented it for a day or two. The osmanthus-flavored sweet rice wine was ready.

At dinner, Nan Xu poured a glass for each of them. Zhixing sniffed it, then took a sip. Its refreshing sweetness slid down his throat without the burning sensation of stronger liquor. He licked his lips, savoring the taste for a moment. After a few seconds, he opened his mouth and let out an “Ah.”

Like the burp you have to make after drinking soda to express satisfaction, Zhixing’s involuntary “ah” made Nanxu laugh. He smiled, and Zhixing blushed at his laughter.

“It’s really delicious. Sweet and not cloying at all,” Zhixing whispered.

Nan Xu had tried it that afternoon, but the rice wine that had been diluted with well water now seemed to have a richer flavor. It was delicious. “Don’t drink too much, though. Don’t underestimate this rice wine’s alcohol content.”

Zhi Xing scoffed. “It doesn’t taste like alcohol, and it’s only one glass. How could it get me drunk?”

Nan Xu recalled that last time he bought a bottle of plum wine from the marketplace, it also didn’t taste strong, yet after a few cups, he passed out.

But Nan Xu didn’t discourage the child. Now that they had so many sources of wine, they could use sweet potatoes in addition to rice. If they produced more, the inn would never run out of wine. Drinking more would eventually improve their tolerance.

The cup was the one he usually drank from. Nan Xu had been among humans for so many years. Whether at gatherings or work-related social events, he drank plenty of strong liquor. Even a glass of rice wine only gave him a slight blush.

Zhi Xing had boasted earlier, but before he’d finished half a glass, he felt drowsy and began babbling nonsense and reciting medical texts. Nan Xu tried to take the glass from him, but despite his slow reaction time, Zhi Xing was protective of his food and refused to give it to him. Nan Xu finally managed to coax him into giving it to him only after offering to store it for him to drink tomorrow.

After getting Zhi Xing back to bed, Nan Xu emerged with a flushed face from the alcohol. He sat down at the table and stared at Tingchuan without blinking.

Tingchuan’s glass was mostly empty, yet his expression remained calm with no hint of drunkenness. His eyes, as usual, were deep and slightly languid.

Nan Xu smacked his lips and said, “I didn’t expect you to be able to hold your liquor so well.”

He had brewed the rice wine himself and knew full well that its alcohol content was quite high for the demon world.

“Hmm, not bad.” Tingchuan lifted his lips to the glass and took the last sip. “Your wine is excellent. No one in the demon world can compare to you.”

His voice was hoarse and languid with an indescribable sexiness. It made Nan Xu’s ears itch and his throat go dry. He wished for two more glasses of wine.

Fortunately, he still had some sense. After finishing his meal and clearing the dishes, the effects of the rice wine began to kick in, and he had to concentrate hard to walk in a straight line. As he walked out of the kitchen, however, he saw Tingchuan, who could still hold his liquor, slumped in a recliner with his eyes closed and no sign of movement.

Nan Xu: …

If memory served, the fox had remained in this position since entering the kitchen.

Nan Xu sat on the doorstep for a while, his consciousness growing hazier. He called out to Tingchuan, who was lying on the recliner: “Come in and get some sleep.”

Tingchuan grumbled and stood up, supporting himself with his arms. He wasn’t staggering like Nan Xu had expected. Nan Xu was puzzled. Was he wrong? Was Tingchuan just trying to rest and not drunk?

Tingchuan shuffled over to him. Seeing that Nan Xu was still sitting on the doorstep, he paused, looked down, and then reached out his hand.

Nan Xu saw that he was trying to help him. Since he was feeling a little dizzy, Nan Xu grasped his hand. Tingchuan swayed slightly but remained steady. Nanxu didn’t notice anything unusual.

The two of them entered the house. Nanxu closed and bolted the door, then went back to the bedroom with Tingchuan. Neither of them noticed that their hands were still clasped. As Nanxu lay down on the bed, relieved, he pulled Tingchuan down with him.

Nanxu was stunned for a moment by the sudden weight of another person on the bed. Then, his eyes widened slightly as he met Tingchuan’s gaze. Tingchuan was pressing down on him.

Nan Xu thought that Tingchuan’s eyes were truly beautiful. They were like stars in the night sky: distant yet gleaming with a faint light.

He stared into Tingchuan’s eyes, but Tingchuan stared at his face. As Nan Xu admired them and conjured up all sorts of compliments, Tingchuan suddenly moved. Gathering some strength in his arm, he gently bit Nan Xu’s rosy lips.

 

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Acargoreng: FINALLYY 😭🙌💖