RIIDMDR chapter 37

 

Another cabinet and two tables were moved into the main hall. The space was large, and even with the new furniture, it still felt spacious.

As for the bamboo table he had made, it could now remain in the small courtyard forever. Nan Xu wasn’t playing favorites; he was just afraid that the bamboo table would feel inferior if he brought it inside.

If the bamboo table didn’t feel inferior, perhaps he himself would.

What good did owning the deed to a mountain and being its so-called lord do him? He still couldn’t do carpentry work.

Nan Xu laughed at his own self-mocking thought. Then he remembered that the system’s prosperity value assessment included furniture. He opened the system to see how it rated the furniture of the canine tribe. He hadn’t looked at the inn’s system information again since leaving Xu Ji and Xu Le, father and son.

[Name: Mountain Inn]

[Level: Level 1]

[Address: Zhuyu Mountain]

[Prosperity Points: 235]

[Coins: 923]]

Nan Xu was a bit surprised. At the end of last month, the prosperity value was only 125. How did it increase by over a hundred in just ten days? He clicked on the prosperity value to view the record.

One look, and Nan Xu froze. Apart from the five prosperity points gained from each demon guest on the night of their check-in, renewals also gave 2.5 prosperity points per demon. Additionally, at the beginning of July, the system issued 21 prosperity points, which the record stated came from canine tribe members.

Only then did Nan Xu realize that he had wrongly blamed the system. He had thought the 15 prosperity points given earlier were stingy handouts, but he now knew they were actually 1 point per demon per month. Calculated that way, the demons residing on Zhuyu Mountain were also a considerable source of prosperity value.

Nan Xu felt sour all over when he scrolled to the end and saw line after line of records. The system judged each piece of furniture delivered by the canine tribe as worth three prosperity points. Compared to his own pieces, which needed several to add up to one point, it was heartbreaking.

When Tingchuan returned carrying a heavy boulder, he saw Nan Xu sitting on the threshold, staring into space. One moment he was smiling foolishly; the next, he looked as though he were about to cry—his expression full of contradictions. Guan’er lay on the ground at his feet, belly up, asleep. Hearing the door open, Guan’er raised his head to look, then flopped back down to sleep.

Tingchuan placed the stone on the small pile of boulders in the courtyard. For the past two days, he had only brought back stones whenever he went out, and the pile had already grown. At this rate, he’d probably have enough stones gathered for Nan Xu in two days’ time.

“What are you thinking about?” Tingchuan walked over to him and asked.

Looking carefully, Tingchuan noticed the new furniture inside the hall. “These are new? Did you buy them? Did you find a gold mine behind the house?”

Nan Xu snapped back to reality and looked up at the tall man in front of him. He shifted his hips, making room for him to sit on the threshold.

Tingchuan had intended to fetch a stool, but upon seeing this, he simply sat down beside him.

“They weren’t bought. Brother Xu Ji of the canine tribe came with his people just now. These were gifts from them,” Nan Xu said.

As for Tingchuan teasing him about being stingy, Nan Xu didn’t mind much. After all, Tingchuan had gone so far as to say he wouldn’t take wages because Nan Xu had complained so many times about being poor.

“Oh, so they’re settled in now?” Tingchuan asked.

Nan Xu nodded, still a little puzzled. “Don’t you often go down to the main peak? The canine tribe said they’ve seen you a few times. Where do you usually go when you head out?”

Tingchuan inclined his head. “I did see them a few times. But I haven’t been to that valley recently. I usually just wander around the main peak or the nearby ridges.”

Nan Xu couldn’t help but feel envious. He could already cover such distances with a casual walk after a meal. He, on the other hand, had to spend half a day just to reach the place where he had first met Tingchuan. His pace was truly far beyond that of a demon.

The envy and wistfulness on Nan Xu’s face were plain to see. Tingchuan noticed and asked, “You want to go too? Next time, I’ll take you along.”

Nan Xu was tempted, but then he recalled the night Tingchuan went to the grand formation on Zhuyu Mountain and returned pale-faced.

Previously, Nan Xu had only heard Tingchuan mention old injuries. However, a few days ago, while gossiping in the kitchen with Yaolin, Nan Xu learned the truth: there were many fox demons in the demon realm, but only two nine-tailed foxes.

One was Tingchuan. The other was his nephew, You An.

Tingchuan had an older brother once. That brother and his wife were deeply devoted to each other. During the great upheaval in the demon realm thousands of years ago, many of Tingchuan’s elders perished, including his brother. Overwhelmed with grief, his sister-in-law followed shortly after, leaving behind only their newborn son, You An.

Tingchuan raised You An single-handedly. However, once he came of age, he no longer lived on East Sea Mountain, but roamed the lands instead.

And Tingchuan’s injury was far more serious than he made it sound. In that war, barely one in ten of those who were swept up survived. In the following centuries, most succumbed to their pain and injuries, one by one. From then on, Tingchuan rarely appeared before other demons, quietly devoting himself to raising You An on East Sea Mountain. As for what became of You An after Tingchuan left, few in the demon realm knew. They assumed Tingchuan was gravely injured and had never left the East Sea.

This is why the bird demons were so shocked to see Tingchuan on Zhuyu Mountain. Their own ancestor, the white phoenix demon, was in poor condition, yet Tingchuan appeared young and handsome.

Nan Xu had wondered if Tingchuan had found a rare opportunity to heal his wounds. But Yaolin dismissed that idea immediately—the demon realm was not large enough for that to be possible. If Tingchuan had had such an opportunity, he wouldn’t have remained hidden on East Sea Mountain for thousands of years.

When Yaolin spoke so firmly, Nan Xu couldn’t explain why he felt uneasy. No wonder Tingchuan always looked so languid. That had been his state for thousands of years; he was long accustomed to it. No wonder he never probed deeply into anything—he had been gnawed by injury and silence for so long that even his spirit was affected.

When the upheaval struck, Tingchuan was just over a thousand years old, still barely grown by demon standards. What followed was a life of endless torment. So he was young, and not young.

Nan Xu rested his chin on his hand. “Forget it. Your injuries haven’t healed yet. One use of spiritual power, and you’ll need a long time to recover again.”

Upon hearing this, Tingchuan wanted to say that it didn’t matter. What difference did it make if it was more or less recovery time? But in the end, he said nothing. If not for his old injuries, taking Nan Xu around the mountain and traveling beyond to see the entire demon realm would have been easy.

Yet, even now, on Zhuyu Mountain, though his condition was showing signs of improvement, he had no idea when he might make a full recovery. Human lifespans were too short. By the time that day arrived, Nan Xu might not even be alive. There was no need to give him expectations that might never be met.

“It’s fine. Once the inn matters are settled, I’ll prepare rations. Then you can take me out of the mountain,” Nan Xu said. “I’ve heard that Zhuyu Mountain is vast. I don’t know the paths, so I’ll have to trouble you.”

“Mm,” Tingchuan replied.

Behind them came the soft sound of footsteps on the wooden floor—deliberately light, as though the walker was afraid of disturbing someone. Both Nan Xu and Tingchuan turned to see a couple descending the stairs hand in hand. Had they not stepped forward on their own, Nan Xu would have almost forgotten he still had two guests at the inn.

“We heard from the canine clan that the innkeeper has unique cooking skills. We haven’t eaten in many days. Might we have a hot meal tonight?” the man asked quietly. The woman beside him quickly nodded.

Nan Xu was fairly certain that this couple must have severe social anxiety. They spoke and moved so softly, afraid of disturbing others, that their presence was almost nonexistent.

“Of course,” Nan Xu replied, rattling off several ingredients for them to choose from.

Once the evening’s menu was set, he turned to Tingchuan. “What about you? What would you like to eat?”

Most of the seafood had already been eaten. Tingchuan wasn’t picky today. He said he would gather another load of stones and return just in time for dinner.

For dinner that night, we had rabbit with double peppers, stir-fried river shrimp, and a plate of cold, dressed cabbage. The rabbit dish was spicy and numbing. Tingchuan held chopsticks in his right hand and a cup in his left. He drank water between bites and was too busy to chat with Nan Xu. With the two tables eating separately and neither Nan Xu nor Tingchuan talking, the courtyard felt especially quiet.

It was the first time dinner at Nan Xu’s inn had been so silent. Glancing sideways, Tingchuan saw the couple sitting with their backs to his table, eating in silence. Though he couldn’t see their faces, the speed at which they ate suggested they were more than satisfied with the meal.

After dinner, Tingchuan cleared the dishes and washed them. Nan Xu took the sweet potatoes steaming in the pot, mashed them into a paste, and fed them to Guan’er. Seeing the puppy eat happily, Nan Xu couldn’t resist stroking his head.

As expected, puppies—especially ones as smart and well-behaved as Guan’er—are simply healing to the heart.

What surprised Nan Xu was that, even though the hedgehog-demon couple was afraid to talk, they didn’t return to their room after finishing their meal. Instead, they remained seated at the table.

Knowing that the most terrifying thing for socially anxious people was an overly talkative person approaching them, Nan Xu didn’t disturb them.

However, just as he finished petting Guan’er and stood up, he heard a woman’s voice say, “Innkeeper, may I ask which dishes we ate tonight contained spiritual energy? When we leave tomorrow, could we perhaps buy some to take with us?”

This wasn’t the first time Nan Xu had encountered such a request. Still, he was surprised that spiritual energy had prompted this woman, who hadn’t spoken a word all day, to take the initiative. It seemed Tingchuan was right. In the demon realm, food infused with spiritual energy was beyond price.

“They’re just products of the mountain. As for them containing spiritual energy, that must have been a coincidence,” said Nan Xu.

None of today’s dishes contained ingredients he had grown. If they contained spiritual energy, it was because he had cooked them himself. Since they couldn’t take him along, Nan Xu gave a vague answer.

Hearing this, the woman looked a little disappointed but nodded in understanding. Nan Xu picked up the bowl and went into the kitchen, where Tingchuan was already rolling up his sleeves and tidying up. Everything that Nan Xu had displaced was neatly restored. Watching him, Nan Xu felt like praising his employee with a little red flower.

“You’ve worked hard. I’ll make you some flower tea,” Nan Xu said.

Tingchuan glanced over. Nan Xu had just taken a pinch of slender dried blossoms from a new ceramic jar. They looked familiar, but he couldn’t quite place them. “What is it?”

As Nan Xu poured hot water into the cup, a clear fragrance spread through the air. “Honeysuckle tea. It clears heat and detoxifies. You just ate spicy food, so drink this to cleanse your stomach.”

Tingchuan looked outside through the kitchen window and saw that all the honeysuckle blossoms on the fence had been picked clean.

“As expected, everything in this mountain has value in your eyes,” Tingchuan said.

Nan Xu thought to himself, “Well, you haven’t forgotten to brew yourself a cup of bamboo leaf tip tea every day either.”