RIIDMDR chapter 44

 

This discovery made Nan Xu doubt whether he should continue walking forward because the scene in his dream seemed far more real than this so-called reality.

He hesitated, worried that the dream had clouded his mind. After all, if not for the alarm clock, he would never have woken up.

After walking along the path of the still spring for more than an hour, Nan Xu felt a sense of familiarity. It seemed as if he had been to this place before and dug herbs here.

The map in his mind grew clearer and clearer. He realized that he was at the main peak of Zhuyu Mountain, not far from his inn. Suddenly, he felt a surge of strength. He desperately wanted to visit the courtyard.

Following the path he remembered, he walked faster and faster. Coincidentally, the path he had been given also led in that direction.

After walking for nearly two hours, Nan Xu noticed that the scenery was slightly different from what he would later see. When he had walked earlier, the vegetation had been much lusher.

Finally, he reached his destination, but it was nothing like he had imagined. Surrounded by mountains on three sides, it was a flat plain. There was no courtyard or cabin, nor any sign of Guan’er playing in the yard or Tingchuan napping.

As expected, he felt a pang of disappointment.

His strength had long since run out. If not for that tiny glimmer of hope, he wouldn’t have made it this far. Now, he desperately needed sleep.

“006, set another alarm.”

Nanxu wasn’t stingy this time. He loved money, of course, but compared to his life, he was willing to spend it all on this. Of course, he would have preferred to spend less.

Seeing that it was around five or six o’clock, he set a timer for three hours, leaned against a tree, and closed his eyes.

…

“The Bai family has planted a lot of poisonous weeds along this road. Be careful not to step on them,” came Yun Yi’s admonishing voice.

Nan Xu looked around and saw that the mountains were indeed covered in medicinal herbs. He recognized a few of them and nodded obediently “Okay”

“It’s another half hour’s walk to the Bai family’s residence. Are you still able to walk?” Yun Yi asked worriedly.

Nan Xu didn’t feel tired. “Yes.”

“Okay, but don’t try to act tough if you get tired. Otherwise, Jing Yuan will see me bringing you here, see that you’re worn out, and fight me again.” Yun Yi grumbled softly. “I don’t know what’s wrong with that kid lately. He always seems to dislike me.”

Nan Xu couldn’t help but ask, “Hasn’t he always disliked you?”

Yun Yi was silent. After thinking it over, he decided he was right, so he stopped complaining.

The two of them walked along. Yun Yi led the way, meticulously explaining where they could and could not go and pointing out where the poisonous herbs were more potent. When they reached the top of the mountain, Nan Xu spotted a number of scattered thatched huts. Yun Yi led him toward one of them. “Little Qinglong’s temper has been bad ever since he was injured. Don’t mess with him later.”

Nan Xu: “Oh.”

The thatched hut had no door, only a rolled-up curtain that concealed what lay within. Nan Xu dodged abruptly as Yun Yi opened the curtain and entered. Unsure why, he instinctively dodged to the side. A wild fruit flew past him, and his eyes lit up. Uncertain about his craving, he reached out and caught it. He took a bite, and it was sweet and delicious with no hint of sourness.

“Hey, little Qinglong, why are you so restless even though you’re injured? I carried it up here for you, so why can’t you be nicer to me?” Yun Yi’s footsteps clattered from the room.

Jing Yuan’s low, angry voice followed: “If you hadn’t set a trap for me, would I have fallen into that deep pool? Would I be like this now?”

Yun Yi’s voice was loud, but it couldn’t conceal his guilt. “How could I have known that you were in the metamorphosis stage and had no magical power at the time? Stop fighting! I brought the little demon to see you.”

The movement inside suddenly stopped, and Jing Yuan said quietly, “Why did you bring him here?”

Nan Xu quickly finished the wild fruit in his hand. The next second, the curtains opened, and Yun Yi reached out and pulled Nan Xu inside.

Caught off guard and still clutching the wild fruit core, Nan Xu found himself standing in the middle of the thatched hut. The room was in chaos. Jing Yuan was sitting on the wooden bed with his quilt bunched up on one side and his legs bound by the planks.

When Jing Yuan saw that it was indeed Nan Xu, a flash of emotion crossed his eyes. He hastily pulled the quilt over his legs and said, “Why don’t you come in? What are you doing standing outside?”

Nan Xu’s gaze was fixed on Jing Yuan’s legs. He vaguely remembered Jing Yuan falling into a bottomless pit after being tricked by Yun Yi. When Yun Yi realized something was wrong and jumped in to rescue him, he brought back Jing Yuan’s original form: battered, unconscious, and with a seemingly broken dragon tail.

Nan Xu had clearly never seen it before, yet he had so many fragmented memories of it. Just thinking about it made him ache, and he couldn’t help but ask, “Does it still hurt?”

“It’s long gone. Didn’t you say you were tired after climbing up the mountain for just two steps? Why did you follow Yun Yi up here? Did he coax you into coming?” Jing Yuan seemed a little uneasy.

Nan Xu immediately shook his head. Before he could respond, the curtains were drawn back. Nan Xu turned around and saw a young man in white walk in. Startled by the sight of so many people, he smiled at Yun Yi and Nan Xu, then went to the bedside.

His elegant gait and regal air made Nan Xu feel particularly comfortable. Furthermore, his eyes were beautiful, like stars in the night sky: peaceful, bright, and empty of thought.

Yun Yi whispered to Nan Xu, “That’s Tingshu, the direct descendant of the Bai family.”

Nan Xu watched as Tingshu examined Jingyuan’s injured leg further, then reached out and placed his hand on it. Jingyuan’s forehead vein twitched several times, but, as if to save face, he clutched the quilt and remained silent. A few minutes later, Tingshu removed his hand. Jingyuan leaned back against the headboard, took a few deep breaths, and felt relieved.

Seeing this, Tingshu pulled a white handkerchief from his sleeve and handed it to Jingyuan to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

After doing so, Tingshu whispered something to Jingyuan and started to leave. Nan Xu didn’t hear clearly, but his eyes remained on Tingshu. He felt that this young man was truly gentle and considerate.

Tingshu turned around and met Nanxu’s gaze. He calmly looked away, but a hint of pink tinged his ears as if he were shy.

Suddenly, he saw Tingshu’s expression change. He quickly walked over to Nanxu, his eyes fixed on Nanxu’s hand. “Are you feeling unwell?”

Nanxu shook his head blankly. “No, what’s wrong?”

He followed his gaze and looked down. He was holding a fruit pit, but he also had a vine bracelet on his wrist. He didn’t know why Tingshu was so nervous.

“That vine on your wrist is from the Guiquansi plant. It’s extremely poisonous. If it touches your skin, the juice will penetrate deep into your flesh, paralyzing you and causing a painful death,” Tingshu said.

Nan Xu was stunned. Yun Yi and Jing Yuan both paled upon hearing this. Yun Yi strode over, about to touch Nan Xu, but Tingshu stopped him. Jing Yuan, holding onto the bed, tried to get up.

“I don’t feel any discomfort. I just picked the vine up from the street. Am I going to die?” Nan Xu asked.

Ting Shu looked at the vine again, surprised. To confirm what he was seeing, he pursed his lips and said, “Take it off. I’ll diagnose you.”

Nan Xu took off the bracelet and sat down in the chair as Ting Shu had instructed. He extended his hand for Ting Shu to feel his pulse.

This was a significant risk for Ting Shu. He could be poisoned if he wasn’t careful. However, Nan Xu looked incredibly energetic, which was strange indeed.

Ting Shu felt his pulse for a long moment, remaining silent. Jingyuan had already arrived, carrying Yunyi. The two of them watched in silence, not daring to breathe loudly. Unfazed, Nan Xu simply stared at Ting Shu. He concentrated on taking his pulse, his lips slightly raised even when expressionless. Unlike Yunyi’s forced smile, Tingshu exuded a gentle warmth.

“It seems… not poisoned.” Tingshu was a little incredulous when he said this himself. Guiquansi was a name that carried connotations of death.

Nan Xu regained his composure and retracted his gaze. Hearing this, he smiled brilliantly and said, “Great! I don’t have to die.”

Jing Yuan and Yun Yi also breathed a sigh of relief. Jing Yuan patted Nan Xu on the shoulder reassuringly. Yun Yi smiled with relief and said, “Even thunder can’t kill you. I knew you’d be fine.”

Nan Xu thought that sounded a bit strange.

Ting Shu glanced at Nan Xu a few more times, amazed by his remarkable figure. However, he was gentle and reserved by nature. He simply told Nan Xu to come to him if he felt unwell. Then, he wrapped the Guiquansi vines and left the room.

Nan Xu watched Ting Chuan walk away. He carried a faint herbal scent that was a bit bitter but not unpleasant. The scent was barely noticeable when he was close, but as he left, it gradually faded, leaving a sense of loss.

“He’s so handsome,” Nan Xu said.

Yun Yi had just helped Jing Yuan onto the bed when they both frowned at the words. Yun Yi spoke frankly: “Of course he’s handsome. He’s the direct descendant of the Bai family and the undisputed heir to the position of patriarch. How can a Golden Crow demon like me compare to him?”

Nan Xu heard the sarcasm in his words and said, “You’re handsome, too.”

Yun Yi’s brows, which had just risen, fell again, and he coughed twice. “You’ve got good taste.”

Jing Yuan, propped up on the bed, asked with a half-smile, “Who’s better looking, me or Yun Yi?”

Nan Xu clutched the wild fruit core, his scalp tingling. He was in a dilemma. Out of concern for the injured man, he should have said that Jing Yuan was better looking. However, Yun Yi wasn’t the kind of demon who would give in easily. He would definitely not accept the offer.

Before Nan Xu could hesitate, Yun Yi interrupted. “Of course I’m better looking! You, a blue dragon, are you going to humiliate yourself?”

Jing Yuan scoffed and looked at Nan Xu, who immediately surrendered. “You’re both beautiful. Each of you has your own unique qualities. You’re both the best in the world.”

Jing Yuan averted his gaze. However, Yun Yi said, “I can’t say I’m first. I’ll just settle for second!”

Nan Xu was astonished that someone would let Yun Yi take second place voluntarily.

“Who’s first?” he asked.

Yun Yi turned away and stopped talking as if admitting to second place were too humiliating.

Before Nan Xu could ask any more questions, his chest tightened and ached again. When he opened his eyes, panting, the sun was already overhead.

Nan Xu lay on the ground, slowly reliving the scenes from his dream. Each one seemed to be someone else’s memory. After entering, Nan Xu had temporarily taken their place.

Golden Crow Yun Yi, Azure Dragon Jing Yuan.

Suddenly, Nan Xu felt that the name Jing Yuan was familiar. He pondered it, recalling Tingchuan’s words that Jing Yuan was the last Azure Dragon demon in the world.

So…was the young Jing Yuan he saw in his dream?

 

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A little extra chapter for MCJohnston—thanks for the coffee! ☕📖