RIIDMDR chapter 35

 

Tingchuan was digging a hole. Nanxu squatted beside him and urged, “Hurry up! The tree might die from lack of water.”

Tingchuan comforted him: “It’s okay. Many plants in these mountains are intelligent. I asked them, and they said they would move here.”

Nanxu:?

Nanxu felt that Tingchuan’s words were heartless. He would have just kind of believed them if they sounded plausible. But listen to what he was saying.

He took it as a joke, so he didn’t respond. Tingchuan stopped shoveling, rested his elbow on the handle of his iron shovel, and looked at Nanxu. “You don’t believe it?”

He was wearing a long, wide-sleeved robe, yet he held the iron shovel in his hand. It looked a little strange and funny. Nanxu replied honestly, “Yeah, I don’t believe it.”

Tingchuan tilted his head and thought for a moment. Then he said firmly, “If you don’t believe it, ask yourself.”

Nanxu saw that he wasn’t joking, but how could he ask? He couldn’t communicate with a tree.

“Just ask directly,” Tingchuan said.

Nanxu was skeptical. He wanted to disbelieve it, but this was the demon world. How could he still talk about science here?

“You… cough!” Nan Xu had barely begun to speak when he saw Tingchuan’s lips curl slightly. His face flushed as he reflected on something, and he looked at Tingchuan with an aggressive tone, saying, “Dig your trap properly, and stop trying to tease me.”

He’d almost been tricked. He had foolishly asked a tree if it wanted to move in with him, which made him seem gullible. The thought of actually asking made him feel embarrassed.

Just as he was feeling awkward, Tingchuan asked the tree leaning against the stone table, “Did you come here of your own accord?”

Nan Xu followed Tingchuan’s gaze and looked at the tree. Its treetops trembled in the still air as if genuinely responding to Tingchuan’s words.

His eyes widened in disbelief. A response?!

Tingchuan raised an eyebrow at Nan Xu and said, “See?

Nanxu nodded, looking bewildered.

Tingchuan continued digging the hole. Nanxu squatted beside him. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that something was amiss. After all, he was just a fox demon. Although he didn’t know the extent of his abilities, he could easily manipulate the branches and leaves of a tree. Maybe this was just a play Tingchuan had staged himself?

The hole was quite deep. Tingchuan took the tree and straightened it in the hole. Nanxu picked up the iron shovel on the ground and shoveled the dirt he had just dug into the hole.

After the man and the fox demon finished planting the tree, Tingchuan picked up two loquats and handed one to Nanxu.

The loquats didn’t look wild. They weren’t sour, but rather, refreshingly sweet. As he ate, Nan Xu asked, “If this tree responds, wouldn’t it become a demon?”

Tingchuan glanced at him. He knew from his expression that he didn’t believe it. He explained, “This tree has been in the mountains for a long time, so it’s very spiritual. As for becoming a demon, it’ll probably take another 1,800 years!”

Nan Xu was surprised. “So long?”

“It’s not easy for plants to become demons. The reason it took 1,800 years is because it’s in Zhuoyu Mountain. If it were somewhere else, it might not even have the chance to become a demon,” Tingchuan said nonchalantly.

Nan Xu finally began to believe it.

After Tingchuan took the shovel from under the eaves, Nan Xu stood beneath the loquat tree. Glancing back at the departing Tingchuan, he stroked the trunk and whispered, “Can you answer me?”

A breeze rustled the branches. Nan Xu looked up for a moment, unsure if the leaves were just being blown by the wind.

[Main Mission 2-3: Upgrade the courtyard. Required materials: 600 catties of stone.]

The system’s notification chime sounded, and Nanxu stared at the number 600, lost in thought.

So many stones. What was the system planning to do with him?

Nan Xu had just finished picking a small basket of loquats when it started raining again. In the main room, the Flying Birds were still engrossed in mahjong. As Tingchuan entered, the bustling room fell silent. Everyone quickly straightened their backs and stood or sat with perfect posture.

The scene was surprisingly reminiscent of what Nan Xu had seen as a child: a teacher entering a noisy classroom.

Tingchuan seemed oblivious to the pressure he was putting on the demons in the room. His eyes fell on the pile of mahjong tiles on the table. He had only been out for a short while, yet there was already something new and exciting in the inn. It must have been Nan Xu’s doing. Ever since he pulled a sheep out of the storeroom, Tingchuan wasn’t surprised by anything he saw.

The mahjong tiles were square and exquisitely crafted. They were inlaid with various designs, but it was unclear what material they were made of. After examining them for a few minutes, however, Tingchuan decided the game was boring. He yawned and headed for the lounge chair under the eaves.

In the kitchen, Nan Xu was chopping vegetables when he heard the main room bustling again. He peeked out and saw that Tingchuan was gone. Instead, he was sitting on a recliner outside, holding a stone that Nan Xu had polished that afternoon.

His hands were slender and beautiful, and the stone he held suddenly seemed particularly gray and gloomy. Nan Xu realized then that the chess pieces sold in the mall for 999 silver coins a set weren’t so expensive after all. If Tingchuan could play with them, it would be worth it, at least.

However, Nan Xu didn’t rush to place the order. He told himself he would buy them when he had the money. Buying the best-looking set for Tingchuan would be worthy of those beautiful hands.

Nan Xu was unaware that he had been seduced by the fox demon’s beauty again until a handsome face appeared before him and interrupted his thoughts.

Nan Xu looked at the young man. He was a guest staying at the inn and looked like a white-fronted shearwater. His eyes were as blue as the ocean, and his skin wasn’t as pale as other bird demons’. He seemed full of energy and vigor, which impressed Nan Xu.

“What do you need from me?” Nan Xu asked.

The boy smiled brightly, revealing a row of white teeth. Looking at Nan Xu, he said, “The owner’s cooking is the best I’ve ever tasted. I’d like to learn a little so I can please my elders back home.”

Nan Xu raised a brow slightly. He spoke shyly, but his sunny face and bright smile gave off an approachable vibe.

Since Nan Xu’s meal wasn’t even in the pot yet, he didn’t take him seriously. He nodded and said, “Okay, I don’t have any special cooking skills. Just watch.”

The boys watched and helped. Nan Xu didn’t know much about the Flying Bird Clan. After asking around, he learned that “Flying Bird Clan” was just a general term. Their various tribes had originally lived in different mountain ranges in the demon world. However, due to territorial disputes among the tribes, the Flying Bird Clan united and occupied the Taifeng Mountains. Due to climate and living habits, though, nearly half of the bird tribe still lives outside, only occasionally returning to the Taifeng Mountains.

This demon’s name is Yaolin. His tribe, the white-fronted petrels, loves the sea and usually lives near it. Every summer, they return to the Taifeng Mountains, and the fish they brought back this time were from there.

“There aren’t any skilled cooks in the white-fronted petrel tribe. We usually steam or cook the fish we catch. Sometimes, we eat the tender ones raw,” said Yaolin.

Nan Xu understood. After all, sashimi was a popular dish in the human world. He nodded and said, “Fresh seafood is often delicious when eaten raw, and you can add dipping sauce to enhance the flavor.”

Yao Lin’s eyes lit up. He said, “The owner is truly knowledgeable. Some other demons mock us white-fronted shearwaters for eating this way. But many demons in the demon world actually eat raw food too, they’re just secretive about it.”

Yao Lin had flown back and forth year after year and knew a lot of gossip about the demon world. The man and the demon were talking quietly in the kitchen. After some time had passed, Tingchuan walked in and saw Yao Lin helping Nan Xu with his work. Yao Lin was looking very attentive.

Tingchuan raised an eyebrow slightly. How could he not have noticed? Here came another person eager to help out.

Nan Xu was the first to notice Tingchuan’s presence. He smiled and said, “No fish for dinner tonight.”

Ningju had brought quite a bit of leftover sea fish from last time, and a few bird demons happened to arrive and see it. They all said they wanted to try Nanxu’s fish. Ningju had praised Nanxu’s cooking skills, but the bird demons were skeptical. They ate sea fish every year; how could they not know what it tasted like?

Nanxu cooked sea fish for several meals in a row, making Tingchuan’s face turn green. If there hadn’t been other dishes, Nanxu would have suspected Tingchuan was fasting and using his demonic skills again.

Tingchuan nodded slightly, then looked at Yaolin, who was busy with his own business. “What are you doing here?”

Yao Lin was carefree and didn’t notice Tingchuan’s displeasure with his presence around Nan Xu. He answered cheerfully, “I came to learn some cooking skills from the innkeeper. Did you also come here to learn, senior?”

Tingchuan:……

—

The next day, it rained lightly, so Nanxu gave Zhuang Wu the watermelon seeds and asked the brothers to plant them in the fields within the next two days. He went to the vegetable field to weed and check if the large crop seedlings had been washed away by the heavy rain two days ago.

As for the 800 kilograms of stones required for the assignment, Tingchuan took charge again. Nanxu swore that Tingchuan had made this choice on his own and that he hadn’t pressured any of his employees.

The story goes back to this morning. Nanxu went to the stream to wash up and walk Wan’er. On his way back, he carried a basket of stones. At the time, Tingchuan was grinding small stones and didn’t pay much attention.

When Nanxu returned to the yard with the bamboo basket for the second time, Tingchuan was changing the hay bedding for the chicks. Guan’er, who had been following Nanxu around, also returned with a medium-sized stone in his mouth. After entering the house, Guan’er ran straight to Tingchuan. He spat out the stone, pressed it with his front paw, and raised his head to bark at Tingchuan twice.

Tingchuan didn’t quite understand, so he looked toward Nan Xu, who was piling up stones in the corner of the courtyard. The scene was oddly familiar, like ‘Yu Gong moving the mountain[mfn]“Yu Gong moving the mountain” (愚公移山) is a famous old Chinese fable. It tells the story of Yu Gong, an old man who lived near two huge mountains blocking his village. Instead of giving up, he decided to dig them away bit by bit, moving the soil and rocks every day. People laughed at him because he was so old and weak, but Yu Gong said even if he couldn’t finish, his children, grandchildren, and their children could continue. In the end, the gods were touched by his perseverance and sent divine beings to remove the mountains for him.[/mfn].’ Tingchuan casually asked Nan Xu what the stones were for.

Nanxu mumbled, unable to articulate a clear answer for a long time.

Uncertain of Tingchuan’s thoughts, he didn’t pursue the matter further.

“How many stones do you need this time?” Tingchuan asked.

Nanxu didn’t know the weight units in the demon world. Even if he did, he didn’t have a scale. He simply measured it and said, “It’s twice as much as last time.”

“So many again?” Tingchuan was surprised.

Nan Xu held the bamboo basket and nodded, saying, “Yes, a lot.”

Tingchuan nodded, finally understanding. Nan Xu had only managed to carry a few stones in the basket. He wondered how long it would take him to finish. Even the little brats knew it would be easier for him to do the job, but Nan Xu refused to bother him.