RIIDMDR chapter 46

 

Nan Xu’s body was covered in numerous wounds. Aside from the horrific bruises and mangled flesh on his knee, most of the wounds were cuts from weeds. After eating and drinking, his senses returned and he began to feel the pain.

Before falling asleep, Nan Xu met with the Bai couple. They strongly requested to help heal his injuries. Nan Xu knew that, even though Zhi Xing had been saved, the Bai couple would still need to expend a great deal of spiritual energy to treat him. In today’s world, spiritual energy is scarce, which makes recovery difficult. Nan Xu politely declined their offer.

Although he had acted like a good person, as soon as he lay down on the bed, he cried out in agony from the piercing pain that wracked his entire body. Helpless, Tingchuan went upstairs to ask the Bais for a bottle of medicine. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he told Nan Xu, “Take off your clothes. I’ll put some medicine on you.”

Nan Xu remained frozen, afraid that any movement would aggravate his wounds. He asked, “Where do you want me to take them off?”

Tingchuan was silent for a moment. “Take off whatever is injured.”

Nanxu was reluctant to move. “Everywhere.”

Tingchuan said casually, “Then take it all off.”

Nanxu’s eyes widened as he stared into Tingchuan’s calm, impassive gaze. “Take it all off? What’s the difference between that and skinning a rabbit?”

Tingchuan rolled up his sleeves. Using a magic trick, he cleaned his hands and said calmly, “I don’t need to apply medicine to rabbits after skinning them.”

His answer was so matter-of-fact that it tickled Nan Xu’s funny bone for some reason. He trembled with laughter, grimacing at the wounds all over his body and giving him a sinister look.

Tingchuan urged him again, and, unable to resist his enthusiasm, Nan Xu pushed himself up and slowly took off his trousers. The fresh scabs on his knees had stuck to his trousers, and the pain of pulling them down was so intense that he gritted his teeth and gasped. Tingchuan frowned at his rough action, but said nothing. He knelt on the edge of the bed and applied the medicine.

Glancing down at his cartoon underwear, bought from the mall for twenty silver coins, Nan Xu’s face burned with embarrassment.

Thankfully, Tingchuan didn’t even glance at them. His fingers were cool and, the moment the ointment touched his wound, Nan Xu shuddered, unsure whether it was the cold or the pain. He instinctively reached out to grasp Tingchuan’s wrist.

Tingchuan glanced down at his wrist. He could have dodged it, but Nan Xu posed no threat, so he let him.

“Does it hurt?” he asked.

Nan Xu realised this belatedly, feeling a bit embarrassed. He let go of Tingchuan’s hand and smiled, “No.”

He seemed to sense that Tingchuan had been in a bad mood since dinner. He didn’t know what had upset him; perhaps it was because his cooking was terrible and had driven him into a depression.

Nan Xu’s gaze followed Tingchuan’s hand. The ointment was a light milky white with a delicate herbal fragrance. It didn’t sting when applied to the wound. Tingchuan’s fingers were slender, and there was an inexplicable grace to his movements. Even the way he applied the ointment was a delightful spectacle, and Nan Xu forgot for a moment that the injury was his own.

Lost in thought, he thought of someone else—Tingshu from his dream. In his memory, Ting Shu was a presence like a gentle breeze or a bright moon, endowed with infinite tenderness.

Like Tingchuan, Tingshu appeared to have emerged from the clouds, untouched by the world’s dirt. Yet they were different. Tingchuan always carried a hint of laziness, as well as a proud indifference and a loneliness that had endured for countless ages.

That dream had been left unfinished, in which even Yun Yi was willing to come in second to someone.
Nan Xu raised his eyes to the face so close to his. Could it be Tingchuan?

Yao Lin had said that the appearance of a nine-tailed fox could make all the other demons in the demon world seem insignificant.

“You… actually, you have a special relationship with those people in your dream, don’t you?” Despite the question, Nan Xu’s tone was resolute. “You were willing to bring Zhixing into the formation because he became weak from saving Qinglong.

Tingchuan gave a soft “hmm,” his response quite calm.

Nan Xu wondered: If Tingchuan was involved in the formation, why wasn’t he mentioned in its memories? They weren’t that close, though, so there were some things Nan Xu couldn’t ask about in too much detail.

His mind racing with suspicion, Nan Xu hinted, “But you and Qinglong Jingyuan don’t seem to have much in common.”

This puzzled Nan Xu the most. Tingchuan hadn’t hesitated to mention Jingyuan’s existence. They had been good friends, perhaps even through the ups and downs of their youth, sharing drinks and joys. Yet now they seemed like strangers. Even when Nan Xu mentioned Jingyuan’s possible demise, Tingchuan spoke of it calmly.

The room fell silent as he finished applying the ointment to his legs. He gestured for Nan Xu to remove his shirt and apply the medicine to his other wounds.

After Nan Xu took off his shirt, a cool breeze blew in through the open window. Although the summer night air must have been quite comfortable, he felt embarrassed being naked and couldn’t help but shrink back.

Tingchuan’s eyes swept over Nan Xu, looking for injuries, but he couldn’t help but notice his skin and the definition of his muscles. Under his clothes, Nan Xu’s skin was actually quite fair. He always wore a straw hat and dressed conservatively while working to avoid the sun. His seemingly thin body was actually toned and full of well-proportioned muscles.

Tingchuan examined him for only a few moments before continuing to apply the medicine.

The wounds were fine and dense, Tingchuan’s fingertips scratched nearly every inch of Nan Xu’s skin. Nan Xu didn’t know what was happening to him. Not only was his face flushed, but the skin Tingchuan touched also began to heat up.

He maintained a calm expression, but inwardly, he tried hard to overcome his shyness. He prayed that his skin would hold up, remain cool and composed, and not blush, lest Tingchuan notice his embarrassment.

The more he thought about it, the faster his heartbeat became. As Nanxu’s thoughts raced, he heard Tingchuan answer his question.

“There’s no need to meet. We’re both struggling to survive. If he weren’t the last Azure Dragon in the world, he’d probably have given up on life long ago.

“His life is far more painful than extinction.”

Nan Xu listened quietly, the strange thoughts in his mind naturally dissipating. What was the significance of the last Azure Dragon in the world? If he were still alive, Heaven would recognize the Azure Dragon Clan as worthy of the demon world. Without him, the dragons in the vast ocean would have almost no chance of transforming into dragons.

Jing Yuan had to hold on for the sake of the Azure Dragon Clan, and Ting Chuan didn’t want to see his friend like this. They shared a past, and a meeting would only bring back memories and add to their sorrow.

Nanxu was a human with only twenty years of experience and didn’t understand the rules of the demon world. However, from Tingchuan’s brief words, he could sense that he wasn’t truly indifferent.

After applying the ointment, Ting Chuan said it would stain him and refused to let Nan Xu get dressed. He lay there naked and fell asleep.

The summer night in the mountains was chilly and damp. Nan Xu felt the night breeze chill his stomach as he slept. He groped around for warmth but found no quilt on the bed. He hugged the person beside him but felt little warmth. Disappointed, he let go, rolled to the edge of the bed, and groaned a few times. Then, his dream shifted, and he fell into clouds. Something soft and fluffy rested on his stomach and enveloped him.

When he opened his eyes again, it was bright outside. Despite sleeping all day yesterday, he woke up well after his body clock would normally wake him. Someone was whispering in the yard. Nan Xu went outside and saw the Bai couple and Zhi Xing. The three of them were sitting at a stone table, each drinking from a bowl.

As Nan Xu got closer, he saw that they were drinking rice porridge. Tingchuan was lazily watering the flowers in the yard, leaving Nan Xu speechless. He didn’t even bother to scoop pickles from the pot for them.

When Nan Xu stood up, the Bai couple hurriedly dropped their bowls and bowed deeply, thanking him repeatedly. Nanxu had been listless the night before, and Zhixing was still asleep. Neither of them wanted to chat much, so the conversation was brief and the thanks seemed hasty.

Nan Xu exchanged a few pleasantries with them, smiling the whole time, but he didn’t mention the situation within the formation. His gaze fell on Zhi Xing. The young man’s face was as pale as paper, and he looked exhausted. He stood up slowly but didn’t avoid Nan Xu’s gaze this time. Instead, he looked at Nan Xu with eyes as bright as stars.

“I was somewhat aware of the outside world while I was unconscious. After I joined the formation, I was in dire straits. The owner braved every obstacle for me.” Zhixing’s face flushed slightly as he looked someone in the eye for the first time. “Thank you, owner, for saving my life.”

Hearing this, Nan Xu felt complicated. When he was carrying Zhixing and unable to walk, he often muttered to himself. Hungry and exhausted, he spoke nonsense without thinking. If Zhi Xing had heard all that, wouldn’t he be humiliated?

Nan Xu couldn’t quite laugh at the thought of his own nonsense. But when he met Zhixing’s bright eyes, he didn’t want to betray his warmth, so he pulled his lips together awkwardly. “I’m glad you woke up.”

Tingchuan finished watering the plants and walked over. He glanced at Nan Xu’s expression; a faint smile played at the corners of his mouth. Nan Xu felt that he must have sensed his embarrassment.

Nan Xu looked away and looked at the Bai couple. “How is Zhi Xing doing?”

The Bai couple felt a little worried when they heard this. Their son was already frail, and the medicine they had prepared had a negative effect after he took it. If Nan Xu hadn’t come to his aid, the consequences would have been unimaginable. Now that their son had thankfully woken up, however, he was even weaker than before.

“His body is weak and cannot be replenished. The elixir will only burden him. It would be better to find a place with abundant spiritual energy and recuperate for a hundred years,” Tingchuan said calmly, standing behind Nan Xu.

“Yes, you’re right.” The Bai couple felt annoyed upon hearing this.

They understood this principle, but for over two hundred years, they had fed Zhixing countless elixirs with no signs of improvement. After a few days in the mountains, they saw that his spirits had improved slightly. They decided to strike while the iron was hot and give him the newly refined elixir. However, they were too impatient.

However, Nan Xu’s words sparked an idea: a place rich in spiritual energy. Zhuyu Mountain seemed like a good choice. Tingchuan’s understated words actually pointed the way for them.