Chapter 29
“Such a fragrant… such a fragrant smell… There are fragrant good things hidden in the magic mirror! Wonderful, I’m the first to discover it!”
A massive figure emerged from the white mist. With each step, the fallen debris on the ground vibrated.
It was a body comparable to a heavy draft horse, its strong, well-defined muscles hinting at recent exertion.
Its pearlescent coat was like the finest silk, making even Mrs. Li’s expensive custom-made gown pale in comparison.
“Move your butt, Mili, stop wagging your tail like a fawning hellhound, it’s disgusting.”
The next second, a dark hoof stepped out from behind its companion, silver flames crackling like moonlight, enveloping its hooves and knees.
Ning Zhixia’s heart stopped.
There were two of these behemoths!
Looking up at the powerful horse bodies, Ning Zhixia clutched his chest, his face pale. He started pressing his philtrum, muttering like a chanting monk, Don’t faint, don’t faint…
They, or rather, he, must be here too.
The human torsos above the horse bodies were bare-chested, unadorned, only a golden sun pattern extending from their necks to their shoulder blades, then down their spines to their flanks. However, the sacred runes were so magnificent that they seemed almost demonic.
The centaur with a coat as dark as a black pearl was the opposite, silver runes etched on his strong, dark arms, his handsome face resembling a calm and elegant moon god.
That is, if you ignored the restless hind leg that had just kicked his brother.
Compared to the sirens, the larger centaurs were even more imposing, like two small mountains as they approached.
“These are centaurs from the Barrenlands. Lower your head, don’t look them in the eye.” Qu Banqing whispered in Ning Zhixia’s ear.
Ning Zhixia’s face crumpled, and he said miserably, “Wuwuwu, do I even need to lower my head? Their backs are taller than me.”
Qu Banqing choked: “…” Sorry.
“A human, and a Shadow Isle elf…”
The blond centaur grinned, ignoring the insult and nudging his brother with his elbow, his eyes gleaming with interest. “Look, Hecate, what a rare combination, creatures from the scroll, all in one place!”
Crisp hoofbeats echoed on the floor as they surrounded the two slender young men, leisurely pacing in a circle.
Uncomfortable under the unfamiliar, condescending gazes, Ning Zhixia looked around nervously like a small animal.
He tugged on Qu Banqing’s hand, wanting to break through to the left, but a centaur moved closer, blocking their path like a wall. Ning Zhixia panicked and moved to the right, almost bumping into the other centaur’s firm muscles.
Ning Zhixia whimpered, like a well-behaved child cornered by bullies, standing frozen, not daring to move.
The two centaurs circled them twice, then suddenly, their tassel-like tails swished, brushing against Qu Banqing’s face.
While he raised his hand to shield himself, the tall blond centaur seized the opportunity, moved between them, and effortlessly separated them with a twist of his hips.
“Banqing—Hey, hey, hey!”
Ning Zhixia reached out to grab him, but his wrist was caught and lifted.
A pair of crimson eyes, like burning coals, stared at the poor young man forced to stand on tiptoe.
“Let him go.”
A mechanical, scorpion-like tail, intimidating and menacing, suddenly lashed out, its sharp tip aimed at the two centaurs.
The dark-skinned centaur behind Ning Zhixia leaned slightly, wrapped a large hand around the young man’s waist, pulled him away from his brother, and easily dodged the attack by taking a few steps back.
“Crack!”
The tail struck the sun-patterned centaur’s back, leaving a deep gash, and golden blood gurgled out, sizzling on the floor.
Mili turned his head and clicked his tongue in annoyance. If it were an ordinary horse, it would probably be baring its teeth and snapping its jaws.
Hecate didn’t care about the wound, which would heal quickly, and lifted the young man he had just acquired.
Ning Zhixia stared at him blankly, as docile as a doll, not daring to move. The centaur turned him over curiously, then brought him closer to sniff.
“Are you alright?”
Before the bony tail could lash out, Hecate, remembering the fragrant scent clinging to the human, gently placed Ning Zhixia back beside the elf, who was frantically flapping his small wings.
He lowered his silver eyelashes and said politely, “I apologize for Mili, he got a little carried away.”
His brother’s sudden politeness made the blond centaur’s eyes widen.
Brother, who are you?
Mili tilted his head, realizing that his brother had thrown him under the bus, and angrily stomped his hooves, making the floor tremble, wanting to rush over and rip out the silver mane on his brother’s back.
Ning Zhixia shook his head, his lips pursed, still slightly shaken as he huddled closer to Qu Banqing.
Mili, seeing that his attempt at conversation had failed, waited for his wound to heal, then casually strolled over, flicking his tail and unceremoniously pushing Hecate aside.
His eyes gleamed with excitement, his hooves pawing the ground as he leaned closer to Ning Zhixia and asked with great interest, “Are you really human? Can humans also possess magic? You can even command a Shadow Isle elf as a servant!”
“Servant? No, no, no…”
Ning Zhixia shook his head, grabbing Qu Banqing’s twitching tail, and explained seriously, “Banqing is my good friend, we run this nail salon together.”
“Friend?” Mili tilted his head, trying to understand the word, then reached out to touch Ning Zhixia’s tense cheek.
A burning gaze shot towards him, like a laser beam, as if protecting a precious, carefully nurtured cabbage.
Not wanting to be attacked again, the centaur retracted his hand, shifted his attention, and said dryly, “Oh, you said this is a nail salon, hmm, what a nice place…”
Ignoring the fact that these two probably didn’t know what a nail salon was, just looking at the damaged wall, he couldn’t believe he could even say that.
Such beautiful creatures, how could they be so shameless?
Ning Zhixia, unable to understand, huddled behind Qu Banqing, his arms crossed, and snorted.
The fragrant human’s every move was noticed by the visitors.
The blond centaur, feeling guilty, toned down his exaggerated expression, exchanged a look with his brother, and slowly recited a restoration spell.
He probably hadn’t used this spell many times since he was born. The short incantation was recited haltingly, like a student being called on to read a text in English class.
Fortunately, the spell worked. The damaged walls and door were completely restored, as good as new.
Ning Zhixia felt a mix of emotions. His little house seemed to be destined for monthly disasters.
“Look, human, I’ve fixed your house.” Mili clapped his hands and approached to take credit, but he was too large, and with just a friendly nudge, Ning Zhixia stumbled back a few steps.
A pair of large hands steadied him. Hecate looked around the room, asking with interest, “What does a nail salon do?”
“Why do you want to know, you don’t even need it…” Qu Banqing muttered, opening the door and waving his hand repeatedly, gesturing for the two uninvited guests to leave.
“Ah… is that so…” Hecate lowered his head, his silver hair seeming to dim. He pursed his lips and remained silent for a moment, then said softly, “The place we live is desolate and remote, I’ve never seen such a cozy little house, it indeed doesn’t suit me and Mili. We apologize for the intrusion, but I’m honored to have been here…”
Ning Zhixia waved his hands frantically: “Ah, that’s not what I meant…”
He turned to look at the door helplessly. Qu Banqing was stunned, his expression softening for a moment as he quietly closed the door.
Seeing this, Mili’s eyes lit up, and he couldn’t contain his excitement as he nudged his brother’s arm with his elbow—
Ha ha, we’re staying!
Hecate glanced at him, a fake smile appearing on his face, and rolled his eyes inwardly.
“Fine…” Ning Zhixia sighed in resignation, removed the kittens clinging to him like accessories, and put them in their cat bed, then patted his clothes and walked towards the workstation.
The small house was too cramped for the two centaurs. A slight misstep could cause a chain reaction of toppling delicate decorations, so they stopped pawing and tail-swishing, quietly watching the human.
Of course, “quiet” referred to the moon-like Hecate.
The blond centaur couldn’t help but shift around stealthily, then freeze whenever Ning Zhixia looked up, like playing a game of Red Light, Green Light.
“This is gel polish, this is an electric file, these are decorations…”
Ning Zhixia pretended not to notice, picking up his nail art tools and introducing them one by one to the two pairs of curious eyes, also showing them the finished press-on nails.
“In short, it’s a way for humans to decorate their nails.” Teacher Ning seriously concluded his lesson.
“Oh, I see, then—”
Mili extended his hands, then suddenly realized that centaurs’ nails were naturally dark. He changed his words and raised a hoof excitedly, “We want to do this to our hooves!”
Ning Zhixia stared blankly: “…”
What a terrible student!
Compared to their fingernails, the centaurs cared more about their four hooves, the source of their speed and joy.
However, under their expectant gazes, Ning Zhixia shook his head: “Sorry, I can’t do that, you should find a professional farrier.”
Well-trained horses used for carrying heavy loads or racing needed regular hoof care to prevent wear and tear. Farriers would trim their hooves and apply horseshoes for protection.
That was a back-breaking task. Ning Zhixia wasn’t an all-rounder, his knowledge solely based on the hoof-care videos he watched for relaxation. It was impossible for him to service centaur hooves.
“You don’t need to trim them, I just want to apply that, that thing!”
Mili carefully picked up a bottle of gel polish and shook it. “Change the color of my hooves!”
Ning Zhixia looked down and gasped slightly in surprise. Those were the most beautiful hooves he had ever seen, even surpassing those of pampered thoroughbred racehorses.
Clearly, these centaurs lived a life of luxury. Their hooves were not only meticulously trimmed but also as smooth and polished as jade.
Seeing the human staring at his hooves, Mili flicked his tail and placed a hoof on the chair for a closer look.
Qu Banqing touched it with his finger: “Feels pretty good.”
“Of course, of course, I cherish them.” Mili glanced at Hecate’s jet-black hooves, a smug hum escaping his throat. His were clearly more beautiful!
“If it’s just applying color… then I can try.” As soon as Ning Zhixia finished speaking, Mili started pacing excitedly, clearly impatient.
“Come on, come on!”
Mili, afraid that Hecate would steal the opportunity, blocked his brother’s view with his large body.
“Just do your best, let Mili go first, he’s younger and deserves to enjoy your service first.” Hecate retreated to the side of the workstation and knelt down on the carpet. “I don’t mind waiting.”
Ning Zhixia nodded at the more polite and gentlemanly centaur, offering an apologetic smile.
Qu Banqing chuckled: “Some people, seemingly winning, are actually losing miserably.”
Mili paused, then glared at his brother.
“Your hooves are very beautiful…”
The human’s soft murmur instantly brought Mili’s attention back.
Ah! The human praised me!
His fierce expression softened, and he looked down, humming shyly, “It’s, it’s nothing special, I was born this way!”
He absolutely didn’t wash them with spring water every day, and he absolutely didn’t have his servants meticulously care for them. What was that phrase again? Oh, natural beauty!
Ning Zhixia nodded. He switched to the largest sanding band for removing rhinestones and turned the speed to maximum.
The light brown hoof wall already had a jade-like sheen, but the edges needed some trimming.
He had Mili place his hoof on the chair and brought over a small stool for himself, the height difference creating a comfortable working angle.
“I’m not sure if I can even file them…” After all, these were the hooves of a magic-wielding centaur, not comparable to ordinary horses.
Without professional tools, Ning Zhixia cautiously touched the sanding band to the hoof wall and the edge of the sole—
“Whirr…”
White shavings easily flew off.
Ning Zhixia was shocked: “It actually works!”
“It’s normal, 19 has connected to several planes, this isn’t the Barrenlands, and the centaurs’ power is weakened here.” Qu Banqing explained slowly, dragging the vacuum cleaner over, ready to clean up.
That was why Qu Banqing dared to fight the infamous monsters from the Barrenlands. Unfortunately, the owner of 19 was Ning Zhixia, a fragile human, so this mechanism was useless for him.
Qu Banqing picked up one of Hecate’s hooves, vacuuming the flying hoof shavings, and sighed.
It was better when Audrow was around. If anyone caused trouble, they would become an ice sculpture, adding to the artistic ambiance.
Ning Zhixia, of course, didn’t know that his friend was contemplating a plan to make Audrow a permanent resident. He finished filing one hoof, and when it was time for the second one, Mili couldn’t help but let out a few heavy breaths, his leg trembling slightly.
“What’s wrong, what’s wrong?” Ning Zhixia immediately stopped, nervously examining the hoof and asking anxiously, “Did I hurt you?”
“No…”
Mili, under the human’s concerned gaze, turned his head slightly, twirling his hair with his fingers, and muttered, “It tickles a bit, I don’t even dare to breathe.”
The human was probably experiencing this for the first time, his movements hesitant, constantly checking his reaction, then looking at the hoof, gentler than the most obedient servant.
Mili thought to himself, I’m not one of those delicate kittens, I wouldn’t cry out even if it hurt.
“Good that it doesn’t hurt.” Ning Zhixia breathed a sigh of relief after his inspection.
It seemed that centaur hooves weren’t that different from horse hooves. Besides, he was only trimming the edges, and after a few tries, he quickly became proficient. He instructed Mili to switch hooves, shaping all four into beautiful curves.
“Okay, let me see…”
Applying polish to horse hooves was a major undertaking. Ning Zhixia, feeling a little heartache for his newly replenished stock, poured some base coat into a dish and applied it evenly with a large, flat brush.
When it was time to cure it, Ning Zhixia sighed deeply, holding the UV lamp and adjusting the angle, using a UV pen light to reach the easily missed spots.
“I’ll cure it, you paint the other ones.” Qu Banqing took the pen light and squatted down to help speed things up.
Hecate observed silently, memorizing the use and principles of these tools. The servants in the Barrenlands should be good at replicating these small gadgets.
After repeating the process, Ning Zhixia successfully applied the colored gel, making the hooves a pristine white.
He skipped the matte top coat and directly started painting with a brush dipped in gold pearlescent paint.
The ample surface area provided him with space to express himself. The wolf hair brush was firm and resilient, allowing for smooth and fluid strokes.
Ning Zhixia held the brush, starting, moving, and finishing each stroke without any hesitation, and soon, a golden sun pattern, similar to the one on Mili’s flank, shimmered on his hoof.
“I like my rune.” Mili moved his hoof, muttering softly.
“I like it too, it’s pretty.” Like a cute mark on a little pony!
Ning Zhixia agreed, and after putting down his brush, he hesitated for a moment, then used half-round pearls and applied them along the top and bottom edges of the hoof.
Although they weren’t as shiny as the baroque pearls, they still exuded elegance and, contrasting with the sun pattern, created a luxurious and gentle effect.
If Mili stood still and covered his crimson eyes with silk, with his holy appearance, he would look like a god galloping across the clouds.
Of course, if his tail didn’t wag like a puppy, it would be even more convincing!
“Done! Finished!”
After the painstaking top coat application, the hooves, adorned with pearlescent sun patterns, looked like exquisite works of art. Ning Zhixia clapped his hands and told him to take a few steps to try them out.
“New hooves, new hooves… haha! Look, Hecate!”
Mili hopped around, showing off his four hooves to the silent, dark-skinned centaur.
Hecate stood up, surprisingly not mocking him, but instead suggesting amicably, “You can show them off to Harpas and Mohui when you get back.”
“Really? Okay, good idea!” Mili readily agreed, proudly shaking his beautifully adorned neck.
Hecate smiled faintly, pushed him aside, and walked towards Ning Zhixia.
However, Ning Zhixia pointed at the hourglass timer on the table and said, “The plane passage only lasts for three hours, and time is almost up…”
Hecate paused, the smile on his face fading: “So?”
“So I’m closing up shop, you can come back tomorrow… oh, tomorrow won’t work either, Qiushui has already booked an appointment, and then it’s my day off, I need to practice new techniques, and then there’s cartoon day with the fox cubs, and the sirens…”
Ning Zhixia’s voice trailed off as he checked his schedule on his phone, saying apologetically to the waiting centaur, “Maybe come back in seven days, I’ll have a free slot then.”
“Seven days! So long!” Mili immediately protested. “Can’t we come tomorrow? Just to play!”
Ning Zhixia scratched his face, not daring to look up, and said evasively, “There will be many people here tomorrow…”
And you guys are really big!
“Okay, it’s fine if we don’t come…”
Mili’s eyes darted around, staring at the human for a few seconds, then, before Ning Zhixia could react, he scooped him up, threw him over his shoulder, and ran towards the door, yelling excitedly, “Human, human! New treasure!”
Qu Banqing was horrified, pointing at the door and turning to complain to Hecate: “Look at your brother—”
“Clatter…”
The calm, dark-skinned centaur completely ignored him, quickly sweeping the tools the human had used into a box.
Hecate hugged the box, tossed a sparkling gemstone to Qu Banqing, and without looking back, ran towards the door, his hooves clattering as he followed his brother.
“You… damn it! Damn it! Despicable centaurs!”
Qu Banqing cursed, about to chase after them, when the last grain of sand in the hourglass fell, and the familiar street scene appeared.
“I’m so angry! I’m so angry!” Qu Banqing kicked the vacuum cleaner, stomping his feet in frustration like he had been repeatedly KO’d.
He was furious at the centaurs’ Nessus-like behavior, took out his phone, and dialed a number.
As soon as the call connected, Qu Banqing, as if finding his savior, burst into tears—
“Hello, Dimensional Management Bureau? It’s bad, wuwuwu, Ning Zhixia has been kidnapped by monsters!”
