RIIDMDR chapter 91

 

Nan Xu quickly recovered his composure. Honestly, he rarely felt sorry for others before. After more than a decade of living in isolation and poverty, he didn’t have the energy to stand up for others. After turning sixteen and becoming self-sufficient, he would at most sympathize and donate a few coins when he saw a post asking for help with a serious illness. However, he wouldn’t become as emotionally overwhelmed as he did just from hearing a story.

He found it strange but couldn’t explain why his emotions had become so intense after moving to a new place.

“It’s okay.” Nan Xu reached out and grabbed Tingchuan’s hand, which was touching his face. In a moment of carelessness, he let the sweet potato paste rub onto Tingchuan’s hand.

Tingchuan stood up. Seeing Nan Xu looking up at him with a smile, Tingchuan felt an urge to pat his head. However, since his hand was still covered in sweet potato paste, he hesitated for half a second before forming a cleansing spell and rubbing his large hand twice over Nan Xu’s soft hair.

Nan Xu: …

What a shame to waste spiritual energy.

After Tingchuan left, Lin Yao stood for a moment longer, looking around furtively to make sure he could no longer hear Tingchuan nearby. Then he sat back down on the small stool.

Nan Xu continued kneading the sweet potato paste. Seeing Lin Yao’s apprehensive expression, he asked, “Why are you so afraid of Tingchuan?”

Yao Lin waved his hand and lowered his voice. “There are plenty of reasons. For example, over three thousand years ago, Senior Tingchuan, covered in blood, sent Senior Jing Yuan back to the South Sea. Doesn’t that sound like a deep brotherly bond?”

Nan Xu nodded. “They were close. What’s wrong with that?”

Yao Lin looked at Nan Xu as if he were a naive child and replied, “But after Senior Jing Yuan woke up, he and Senior Tingchuan had a dispute. Tingchuan beat him so badly that he was bedridden for over ten years.”

Nan Xu: …

Nan Xu’s mouth fell open — this was new gossip!

Seeing his shocked face, Yao Lin continued, feeling satisfied. “Closer to now, there are plenty of powerful demons in the East Sea. Yet, not a single one dares to have improper thoughts about the mountain where Senior Tingchuan lives. Do you know why?”

Nan Xu shook his head again.

Yao Lin loved this kind of attentive listener; it made his gossip seem more valuable. “A few hundred years ago, a demon said the fox clan didn’t deserve such a large territory. The entire demon clan had to shamefully move to the bitterly cold far north. Even though their numbers were small, they say it took Senior Tingchuan only a quarter of an hour to beat them all to their knees, begging for mercy.”

Nan Xu: “Wasn’t Tingchuan badly injured?”

He remembered how Tingchuan had slept all day when he first arrived in the mountains and how even using a bit of spiritual power made his face turn as pale as paper. He really didn’t seem capable of fighting.

Yao Lin shrugged. “That’s the pride of a great demon—even one second before falling, he’d still cut off his enemy’s head without hesitation. Besides, even a dying camel is bigger than a horse. The strength gap between Senior Tingchuan and that second-rate demon was huge.”

Nan Xu thought of the night he had secretly checked Tingchuan’s spiritual power. Unlike others, whose energy felt like a pond or a lake, Tingchuan’s felt like an endless ocean — the difference was obvious. It wasn’t hard to believe Yao Lin’s story.

“Also, the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan has always been vengeful. Senior Tingchuan’s long absence from the world is one thing, but his nephew, You An, has beaten up countless demons, even when traveling alone. Nowadays, anyone who hears his name tucks their tail between their legs,” said Yao Lin.

Nan Xu: …

What a little tyrant. He really learned all of Yun Yi’s bad habits.”

Nan Xu listened as Yao Lin continued to gossip, smoothly transitioning from that topic to all sorts of stories about the demon realm. For example, he talked about how, after the wolf clan seized the canine clan’s territory, the two leading brothers fought over an unfair land division. Now, the elder brother is half-paralyzed in bed. He also talked about how the river beaver demon chief had an affair with his sister-in-law. His wife caught him in bed and, in a rage, cut off his manhood. He also talked about how the queen bee’s 387th consort selection started half a year ago. Last month’s chosen consort was exposed by an anonymous worker bee as actually belonging to the wasp clan.

Yao Lin’s gossip reserve was enormous. Nan Xu listened with wide eyes. Before he knew it, the hundred jin of sweet potatoes were all grated. He stood up and stretched lazily; his joints crackled from peeling and grating. He sighed comfortably.

“Hold that thought. I’ll go grab some gauze.” Nan Xu said, still wanting to hear more.

He quickly went inside and came out with some gauze. He spread it over a large wooden basin, poured in the diluted sweet potato paste to filter it, and then rinsed the residue in a different basin filled with water. He gathered the pulp to go into a bamboo basket behind the house for pig feed.

Yao Lin watched him work. When Nan Xu finally sat down on the recliner, Yao Lin asked, “That’s it?”

Nan Xu shook his head. “Not even close. Delicious things never come that easily.”

He didn’t mind Yao Lin learning; after all, he hadn’t come to the demon realm to monopolize the business.

As the sun rose high in the sky, Nan Xu rested on the recliner for a bit before heading to the kitchen to cook. Zhixing was busy working on a new fur-care cream in his room, and since Yao Lin was with him, Nan Xu didn’t need his help.

In the kitchen, Nan Xu decided to cook the sea fish that Yao Lin had brought. Not that there weren’t other ingredients, but Yao Lin had insisted. He had failed so many times that he had lost confidence in his cooking. However, being the type to face challenges head-on, he was determined to redeem himself by cooking the sea fish.

He picked out a ribbonfish — huge, long, and ugly, unlike anything found in human markets. According to Yao Lin, demons these days didn’t care about cooking or delicacies, often skipping meals, so the sea fish lived freely. Massive ones like this were everywhere in the South Sea.

He cleaned and marinated a section of the fish, coated it in starch, heated oil, and fried it until both sides were golden brown. Then, he stir-fried green onions, ginger, and chili. He put the fish back in and added seasoning and water to simmer. Soon, the air filled with an irresistible aroma.

Yao Lin memorized every step. Smelling the scent, he said, “I cooked it like this, too, but mine always smells fishy—never like the owner’s.”

Nan Xu couldn’t figure it out either and simply said, “Try again later.”

Yao Lin nodded and gave himself an excuse: “Maybe your wok knows how to cook better.”

Nan Xu: …

Was he blaming the wok for bad cooking? Does Yao Lin think his cookware is becoming sentient?

At noon, lunch was ready. Since Yao Lin figured they’d be living together long-term — and Nan Xu gave him a 50% discount on the room — he joined them, not wanting to sit alone.

The braised ribbonfish was perfect—tender yet firm and rich in flavor and sauce. Each bite was so fragrant that the flavor lingered in the mouth. The fish had few bones, and everyone ate it with satisfaction. Even Tingchuan, who didn’t like fish, didn’t complain. Yao Lin, on the other hand, finished half the pot of rice, mixing it with the sauce and eating four or five bowls. Nan Xu’s stomach hurt just watching him.

After the meal, Nan Xu sat under the loquat tree and slowly peeled and ate a small orange. He glanced at Yao Lin, whose expression was full of nostalgia and regret. Holding his stomach, Yao Lin paced around the yard, clearly uncomfortable.

Nan Xu popped the last orange segment into his mouth, then washed the peel by the well. He cut the peel into thin strips and soaked them in water. Then, he handed Yao Lin a cup of orange peel water. Yao Lin was still walking off his fullness. “Drink this to aid digestion.”

At the mention of putting more things in his stomach, Yao Lin looked uneasy. However, he trusted Nan Xu and walked over. Seeing the golden color of the peels, he suddenly realized, “Wait—isn’t this the peel from the fruit you just ate?”

Nan Xu nodded. When he saw Yao Lin hesitate to take it, he explained, “That’s it. I dried quite a lot. Once it’s aged into dried orange peel next year, it will also be a medicinal ingredient.”

Yao Lin thought for a moment, then took it. Nan Xu didn’t bother with him anymore. After this lesson, he’d probably remember to eat less next time. Honestly, he was clearly a bird demon. What did he have to do with fish demons? How had he nearly eaten himself to death?

Nan Xu processed the rest of the seafood, setting some aside for drying and salting. When Tingchuan woke up later, he saw a whole row of hanging fish under the long eaves of the wooden house — ugly, fierce-looking sea fish that would scare anyone with a weak heart.

He stared at the grotesque lineup and smelled the faint fishy odor. When he saw Nan Xu still busy among them, he asked in disbelief, “You’re really not creeped out by this?”

Nan Xu turned, glanced along the row of fish, and smiled. “Why would I be? That one’s good for braising. That one’s good for sweet and sour. Oh, and the one in front of you is perfect for steaming.”

Tingchuan: …

Alright then. Even after living together for so long and being influenced by Nan Xu in so many ways, there were still moments when he couldn’t follow his logic.

Just then, a startled scream came from Zhixing. Nan Xu looked over and saw Zhixing’s sleepy face peeking out from behind Tingchuan. His eyes widened in horror. After a few seconds, he patted his chest and said, “I thought I was having a nightmare.”

Nan Xu: “Huh? Is it really that scary?”

The two men standing under the eaves remained silent. Nan Xu gave an awkward laugh, realizing the problem only now. The jagged teeth, the bulging eyes, the grotesque faces… This was still an inn, after all. If he scared away guests, he’d regret it for days.

“Uh… should I move them to the back later?” he asked tentatively.

It would be better to lure the guests inside first—if they happened to wander to the back and get spooked afterward, well, he would already have collected their room fees by then.