RIIDMDR chapter 14

 

After making several trips back and forth, Nan Xu decided that carrying water in a wooden basin was too inconvenient. Since the large blind box he had finally opened was now filled with flour, he decided to make two wooden barrels, which would be much more convenient in the future.

He didn’t procrastinate; he couldn’t wait to start on anything he thought of. He immediately grabbed his axe and went to the forest to the left of the house to chop down some trees.

In the courtyard, Tingchuan sat on a bamboo chair by the millstone, absentmindedly turning the wooden frame back and forth. Not far away, the younger Wild Boar panted as he looked out at the courtyard ahead, somewhat incredulous. “Brother, is there really an inn?”

The plaque hanging above the courtyard door had clear inscriptions. The eldest Wild Boar stared at the words for several seconds before coming to his senses. “Yes, we’re here. It really is.”

Since entering the mountain, they had realized that they had no idea where the inn was. They only remembered the general direction indicated on the billboard outside the mountain and thought they would arrive quickly. However, they had to walk nearly halfway up the mountain before finding traces of demon activity and discovering this place.

They refused to believe the inn could be located on the main peak in the heart of the mountain range. They searched frantically for it shortly after entering the mountains but gave up several times. Unfortunately, the overgrown vegetation made them forget the way out. They could only wander the mountain, drinking mountain water when thirsty and eating the cabbage they carried when hungry. They lost several pounds.

The two brothers thought they would remain in the mountains as demon spirits, but their perseverance paid off and they found the inn. For a moment, the two tough, sturdy boar demons nearly cried.

Tingchuan heard the commotion outside the courtyard and squinted his eyes. The fence blocked his view. He didn’t move to stand up, let alone use his spiritual power to open the door.

Tingchuan didn’t have to wait long. A few minutes later, the courtyard gate was pushed open, and two sturdy wild boars walked in.

Tingchuan raised his eyebrows slightly. What a pity—they were two demons. Otherwise, who knows what kind of delicious dishes his human race could make with this wild boar meat?

The two wild boar demons were also stunned by the scene in the courtyard. The house was made of wood but didn’t look as crude as those built by the bear tribe. It looked more like the termite tribe’s style. There was also a courtyard in front of the house. It was large, neat, and attractive.

Having traveled extensively to sell cabbages, the two demons had seen many demon territories over the years, so they were quite knowledgeable. However, they had rarely seen a settlement of this style. Furthermore, this was within the Zhuyu Mountains, and it was unclear which powerful demon lived here.

Tingchuan saw the two boar demons’ eyes darting around, scanning everywhere but unable to see him. A hint of impatience grew in his expression, and he stopped grinding flour.

The boar demons’ ancestors had operated at night, so their descendants mostly had poor eyesight. When Tingchuan stopped, his brothers noticed and hurriedly asked, “Shopkeeper, are there any rooms available?”

“No,” Tingchuan said lazily.

The cabin only had two bedrooms, one for Tingchuan and one for Nanxu. There was no room for the two boar demons.

Hearing this, the two boar demon brothers were disappointed. The only inn in the mountains was full. Would they have to spend the night in the forest again?

Disappointment aside, encountering a demon after days of wandering the mountains was considered good fortune. The youngest wild boar’s stomach growled; he didn’t know where to sleep that night. He immediately said, “First, make us a meal.”

The eldest wild boar salivated at the mention of food and agreed, “Yes, whatever you have, just give us something!”

Tingchuan remained motionless. “The owner isn’t here.”

The two wild boars looked at each other, momentarily considering devouring Tingchuan. Seeing how arrogant he was, they realized he wasn’t the owner.

But where was the owner? When would he be back? They looked at Tingchuan, convinced that he wouldn’t be interested in them.

The two of them unloaded the cabbages. The eldest wild boar sat on the gravel path waiting for the owner to return. The youngest wild boar, unable to resist, ran around poking here and there.

Tingchuan’s eyelids twitched. That human had planted quite a bit in the yard. If the wild boar took them, the owner would be upset and blame Tingchuan for not taking good care of the yard.

Tingchuan shook his head, unwilling to think about it. However, the image of Nanxu digging the soil and planting grass late that night replayed in his mind.

The young boar reached a seedling. Just as he was about to bite it, he felt a sharp pain in his rear end as if his tail had been cut in half. A sharp piggy cry echoed through the air.

…

Nanxu had struggled mightily up the mountain. He tried to chop down a thick tree, but when he realized he couldn’t move it, he instinctively wanted to go back and call for help. Just as he reached the foot of the mountain, he heard a cry and instantly recalled the scene of people slaughtering pigs in the village when he was a child. He suspected his craving for pork had driven him crazy and caused him to hallucinate.

Back in the courtyard, Nan Xu’s eyes immediately spotted the reclining chair next to the millstone. Sure enough, Tingchuan was lying there, having stopped working completely.

“Tingchuan, help me carry a piece of wood from the mountain!” Nan Xu said.

Then, his gaze shifted and he saw two wild boars in the yard, one with its belly spread out and the other oddly shaped. He was pleasantly surprised. Today, just when he said he wanted to eat pork, Tingchuan caught this wild boar. Excitedly, he said, “Where did you get this pig? I’ll make you braised pork tonight.”

His voice trailed off as he looked at the pig and clutched its rump, confusion creeping in. “Why is this wild boar in such poor condition? Where did you catch it? Is it edible?”

Tingchuan: …

The two wild boar brothers: …

Nanxu’s interest in the wild boars waned considerably. Then, upon seeing the fresh, green cabbages, he became overjoyed. “Ah, cabbages!”

He was about to head for them when he heard a weak voice say, “That’s my cabbage,” the voice said.

Nan Xu’s pace suddenly slowed. He looked at Tingchuan, then at the two wild boars. The thought of pork and cabbage seemed to clear his mind a little. He stared at the boar in disbelief at its indecent movements. “Is it also a demon?”

Tingchuan finally spoke. “Yes, a wild boar demon.”

Tingchuan seemed exhausted. He slowly pushed himself up from the recliner and walked toward the two boar demons in the yard. The strangely shaped boars, frightened by Tingchuan’s approach, rolled around in a circle, howling in pain from their injured hips. Pig cries are always unpleasant, and Nan Xu found these particularly piercing. Yet, he couldn’t help but feel sympathy. He looked at Tingchuan scathingly.

Seeing Nan Xu actually trying to protect the two boars, Tingchuan’s temper flared. He sneered and sat back in his chair.

They really were demons. Nanxu was ashamed of his previous urge to eat them. Even after spending so much time in the mountains, he still couldn’t break his habit of assessing whether anything he saw was edible. Suppressing his embarrassment, he thought about the five hundred silver coins he still needed to level up. He immediately thought of the two wild boar demons and said, “You’ve come from far away, and we’re all guests. We have some herbal remedies for bruises and injuries. Would you like some?”

The wild boar rolled around with its belly in the air. Noticing that Nan Xu was also in human form, it immediately transformed as well.

Nan Xu watched a light brown wild boar roll around and transform into a fur-clad man. The man was stocky with dark skin and rugged features. He resembled the Water Margin heroes he had seen on TV. The wild boar that had screamed beside him had also transformed into a man sitting on the ground. The two men looked and dressed similarly; clearly, they were brothers.

“Brother, that fox is so arrogant!” the younger brother said.

Nan Xu couldn’t help but twitch his lips. The address and tone made it seem like something was wrong.

In comparison, the eldest wild boar brother was much calmer. He looked at Tingchuan with a hint of wariness and fear. His younger brother had somehow provoked him, and he attacked without warning. He wanted to fight back, but in a second, he was lying on the ground, unable to move. The purity of that spiritual power was beyond the reach of ordinary demons. Fortunately, the unreasonable fox tribe did not seek the lives of his two demon brothers.

Hearing his younger brother’s roar, the eldest wild boar, fearing Tingchuan would attack again, immediately slapped his brother on the head. “Shut up! You fox brothers are just sparring with us.”

Surprised by this, Nan Xu looked at Tingchuan and asked, “Did you fight?”

These were two burly men from the wild boar clan. Even in their original form, their skin was as thick as a city wall. How could the gentle, handsome, sleepy fox Tingchuan possibly defeat them?

Still furious, Tingchuan simply turned his head away when asked.

Nan Xu was helpless. He carefully examined Tingchuan and, seeing that he was unharmed, felt slightly relieved. After all, Tingchuan was his employee, and Nan Xu couldn’t let a wild boar suddenly appear and bully him. However, the situation felt like a kindergarten brawl, and Nan Xu didn’t know how to reason with them.

Seeing Nan Xu standing in the yard with his hands on his hips and remaining silent, Tingchuan finally spoke up, his tone still tinged with arrogance. “He was chewing the grass in the yard. I was just trying to stop him.”

“Those grasses I planted?” Nan Xu exclaimed in surprise. Then he looked at the land next to the wild boar brothers. The trembling, towering seedlings were the grape seedlings he had dug up last time.

Nan Xu’s expression changed as he thought about the grape seedlings he had painstakingly brought back from so far away, only to nearly have them eaten by a wild boar demon. Every flower and tree in this yard was a treasure to him.

The wild boars hadn’t yet discovered Nan Xu’s true form. Seeing Tingchuan’s attitude toward Nan Xu, the wild boars felt that he was a reclusive figure whose depths were unfathomable to demons like them. Seeing Nan Xu’s downcast mood, the eldest wild boar brother hurriedly said, “We two demon brothers heard the owner wasn’t home, so we just took a look around. We didn’t mean to damage your flowers and plants.”

Tingchuan seemed to dislike the two wild boars and didn’t give them any face. He sneered and said, “We didn’t intend to damage anything. Where are those green onions over there?”

Nanxu followed Tingchuan’s gaze to the green onions in the corner. He felt a pang of pain. Some of the new shoots had been gnawed away, and some of the roots were still lying on the ground.

The little wild boar continued to whisper, “What are green onions? That grass smells pungent and isn’t tasty at all.”