Chapter 31
“Splash, splash…”
Monster servants knelt by the jade steps, gently stirring the milky white spring water. Steam rose from the bath, which resembled a natural hot spring, and a nearby box was filled with jars of fragrant essential oils.
The gauze curtain was drawn back, and a few steps away, more beautiful young servants knelt on the ground, holding trays of delicate pastries and fine wine, ready to serve the esteemed guest at a moment’s notice.
“My Lord, please bathe, the water temperature is perfect.” The lead servant stepped forward respectfully, about to undress the young man.
Ning Zhixia, having never experienced such treatment, quickly blushed and waved his hands: “No, no, I can do it myself, you can all leave.”
The servants exchanged glances, but the esteemed guest was firm, so they could only reluctantly comply.
After Ning Zhixia entered the bath, they placed a few small horse-shaped floating toys in the water, then nodded with satisfaction and filed out.
Ning Zhixia stared at the toy rocking horses, pressing one down with his finger and watching it bob back up.
Hmph, do they think I’m a child?
Ning Zhixia puffed out his cheeks and sank deeper into the water, submerging his lips, and blew a few bubbles.
The warm spring water washed away his fatigue, even the aches in his neck and shoulders disappeared.
Ning Zhixia’s skin turned red from the steam, and after lingering for a while, he stepped out of the bath, water droplets rolling down his skin.
He dried himself with a soft, white towel, changed into the silk pajamas the servants had prepared, and returned to the soft cushions, ready to sleep.
Perhaps because of the centaurs’ size, this luxurious palace had no beds. Soft blankets and cushions were spread on the thick carpet, and sinking into them felt like being enveloped by clouds.
“Wonderful, the clothes fit perfectly! I picked them out!”
“Hmm, should we make a small bed? I saw in the scroll that humans have them.”
“The human smells so good, I like this scent!”
Several centaurs crowded at the door, peeking at the small lump under the blankets, their voices unconsciously softening.
The arrogant black-haired centaur snorted disdainfully, about to make a sarcastic remark, but was nudged by a few hooves.
“Shh, be quiet! He’s going to sleep!”
Mili glared at Mohui preemptively, then turned to whisper to Hecate, “Do you think two fluorite lamps are enough? Let’s light two more, I’m worried the human is afraid of the dark…”
No need, your eyes are already as bright as lanterns.
Ning Zhixia, forced to overhear their conversation, pursed his lips and pulled the blanket higher.
He was all too familiar with the expressions on the centaurs’ faces. He had felt the same way when he first brought little Fatty Orange home.
Every snore, every stumble into the water bowl, every little action was heartwarming.
But Ning Zhixia wasn’t a kitten. He sat up and was about to close the door when a flurry of hoofbeats sounded at the doorway.
“Good night, good night!” Ning Zhixia yawned from the crack in the door and slammed it shut.
The dejected centaurs nudged the door gently with their hooves, expressing their dissatisfaction.
Receiving no response, they flicked their tails and reluctantly left.
The bedding was incredibly comfortable, and his changed clothes were neatly folded on a stool.
He rummaged through them, felt something hard in his pants pocket, and closed his eyes with a sigh of relief.
Phew, time to sleep, he could go home tomorrow!
He slept soundly, and when he woke up, the room was still dark, like a rainy day.
He got up and opened the curtains, looking at the clear, crescent moon in the sky, realizing that there was no sun in the Barrenlands.
The door opened cautiously—
“He’s awake, the human is awake…”
“Wuwuwu, he’s changing his clothes by himself! So capable!”
“Idiot, he’s not a foal, of course he doesn’t need help…”
Mili and Harpas hadn’t exchanged a few words before their hooves started kicking each other, and they stumbled into the bedroom.
“Morning?” Ning Zhixia greeted them, quickly wiping his face with a warm towel. The servants soon brought in breakfast and hot tea.
“It’s not early anymore, we’ve been waiting for you for a long time. Hecate came to check on you and told us not to disturb you…” Mili entered with his head lowered, circling the young man, occasionally flicking his tail against his shoulder.
Ning Zhixia avoided the dishes that seemed to contain red meat, picked up a piece of toast with jam, took a bite, and mumbled, “I slept late yesterday, is there anything urgent?”
“Yes!” Harpas said cheerfully, “We’re waiting for you to go out and play!”
“Okay!”
Ning Zhixia also wanted to look around, and he said, his lips curving into a smile, “Then wait for me.”
So the two energetic centaurs lay down nearby, watching Ning Zhixia eat quietly, comb his hair, and apply the cream the servants had brought to his face.
The Barrenlands was really too dry.
The centaurs’ heads followed the human’s every move, like big dogs waiting for their owner to finish their chores and take them for a walk.
A faint light covered every inch of the palace walls, the red velvet curtains drawn back from the arched windows. Tall armored guards stood every three meters, motionless like statues, the light from the fluorite lamps flickering on their dark armor, their sharp spears gleaming.
Heavy hoofbeats fell on the carpet, and as the two centaurs, carrying the human youth on their backs, slowly walked down the long corridor, the silent guards bowed one after another like dominoes.
It was hard to imagine how long someone raised with democratic values could maintain their principles in such a setting. Having experienced such supreme power and honor, how many would willingly return to their ordinary lives?
But Ning Zhixia had no time to savor the thrill of power. He hung his head, still embarrassed by his earlier failure to climb onto their backs.
“Mili has been carrying you for a long time…” Harpas leaned closer and winked at Ning Zhixia, the meaning in his eyes clear.
Ning Zhixia looked at the burning mane on his back and politely shook his head in refusal.
It might scorch his butt, so no, thank you.
The red-haired pony glanced back at his flaming mane, his face contorting in annoyance, and he wanted to roll around on the carpet.
Why did he have to set himself on fire, so annoying.
Because it was a monster’s dwelling, Ning Zhixia felt like he had entered the Red Queen’s castle. Everything was oversized.
Mili and Harpas took him on a tour of most of the palace, then they went out through the back.
A stream gushed out from a giant rock, crystal-like plants covered in water droplets. The terrain was high, and looking out into the distance, past the dark thorn forest, he could see the outlines of white mist and bones.
Ning Zhixia jumped off Mili’s back and strolled leisurely, listening to Mili and Harpas recount their heroic tales of conquering lands with the Lord of the Barrenlands.
A crunching sound came from under his feet. He looked down and saw the ground covered in small, glittering chips.
Ning Zhixia picked one up and examined it under the moonlight—
Oh my god, they were uncoated Swarovski crystals!
Ning Zhixia suppressed his excitement and glanced around. Good, no one noticed.
He immediately squatted down, scooping up handfuls of the beautiful chips.
As he gathered a small pile, a looming shadow gradually enveloped him.
Ning Zhixia looked up and met the curious gazes of the two centaurs, his back stiffening. He awkwardly retracted his hand: “Um…”
Mili tilted his head, looked at the things in the human’s hand, and interrupted, “Do you like shiny gems? They’re everywhere in the Barrenlands, these chips are worthless.”
What! Chips! The chips here are prettier than Swarovski crystals!
Ning Zhixia was shocked. Just as he was about to ask if he could take some back, the red-haired centaur pushed Mili aside excitedly.
“Oh, oh! What? You like gems!”
Harpas jumped to a conclusion and ran off. “Great, we have tons of beautiful gems, I’ll tell the others!”
Ning Zhixia stared blankly as the red pony ran away. Not long after, he was taken to the palace gardens.
Colorful crystal flowers surrounded a white jade fountain that played a soft melody. The statues weren’t of harp-playing angels or saints, but of four giant horses rearing up.
Servants were setting up a long table, bringing out fresh berries, creamy soup, and small taco-like snacks.
“These are for you.” Hecate, having clearly been told a lot by Harpas, beckoned to a servant, and a box filled with gems was presented to Ning Zhixia.
It was a box of orange-pink gems, even more beautiful than the sunset-colored padparadscha sapphires used in jewelry.
Ning Zhixia was tempted but only picked one orange-toned gem: “This is enough, as my payment.”
“Just one? We have other colors!” Mili, worried that the human didn’t like these gems, was about to have the servants bring more.
The ponies didn’t have much, except for gems!
“No need…” Ning Zhixia was a little embarrassed, seeing Mili’s impatiently tapping hooves, and changed the subject, “Let me redo your hooves?”
“Hmm?”
All the centaurs instantly looked over, their faces contorted with jealousy.
—Why that pretty idiot again?!
The pretty idiot’s eyes sparkled, feeling like happiness had come too suddenly: “Yes, yes!”
The servants quickly brought the human’s tools, but this time, they didn’t retreat far away, instead stopping a few steps away, some even craning their necks to watch.
The plastic pearls had been burned black. Ning Zhixia scraped off the remaining glue, filled in the gaps, and painted small gold stars around the edges of the hoof wall.
Elegance -10
Cuteness +10
Final score: S-rank!
Mili looked down at his Manicure 2.0 (Pearl-less Edition), then at Hecate’s hooves, and decided it wasn’t bad either, flicking his tail and prancing around smugly.
Ning Zhixia was also quite satisfied. With limited materials, although the divine pony had been turned into a carousel horse, at least the customer was happy.
Mili, now pleased, trotted around the fountain with Hecate, drawing applause and praise from the servants, who even asked the painters to record the generals’ majestic appearance.
“Human… are you free…”
Ning Zhixia, watching happily, was poked on the back of his head.
He turned around and saw the arrogant, red-haired centaur looking at him with a pitiful expression, as docile as a puppy, practically wagging his tail and saying, Can I have pretty hooves too if I let you pet me?
Ning Zhixia couldn’t resist such an attack, especially since the centaur was circling him, his sturdy butt occasionally bumping against his back as if urging him.
“Alright, alright, I’ll do it for you.” Ning Zhixia had planned to do it anyway.
He took a pinkish gem from the box and put it in his pocket. Harpas, seeing this, happily placed his hoof on the stool.
Harpas’ horse body was bright red, only his mane, besides his hooves, was shiny black. If it weren’t for the crackling flames, Ning Zhixia would have loved to touch it.
He really didn’t have much material left. Ning Zhixia used up the last of his base coat and, after much thought, used gold pearlescent watercolor to paint swirling cloud patterns on the hoof wall.
Red and black were the colors of hell and demons. If Harpas had a pair of horns and a trident, he would look like a messenger from hell.
The golden cloud patterns were free and unrestrained, the swirling lines softening his sharp aura, but the shimmering pearlescent effect made them even more eye-catching and majestic on the black hoof wall.
Ning Zhixia’s brush moved like a dragon, the strokes transitioning from dark to light, numerous but not messy, the flowing golden clouds as unrestrained and natural as the centaur’s personality.
After finishing the painting and applying the top coat, Harpas eagerly joined Mili’s parade, the three centaurs trotting around joyfully.
Just then, the black-haired centaur with the smoky aura approached, rolling his eyes at his brothers who were comparing their hooves.
“Do you also want a… uh… hoof-icure?” Ning Zhixia rephrased his question and looked up at him.
The masked centaur lowered his head. Although his face was hidden behind metal, Ning Zhixia could feel his gaze.
“Don’t expect me to wag my tail just because you paint something on my hooves.” Mohui snorted haughtily. “I don’t need it.”
Ning Zhixia nodded and said, relieved, “Oh, that’s good, I was just about to say I’ve run out of materials.”
“What a coincidence, just when I don’t need it.”
Mohui’s voice sounded slightly strained as he tossed an emerald to the stunned Ning Zhixia.
Ning Zhixia was taken aback: “Ah, this is…”
“Ugly trash, throw it away if you don’t like it.”
Mohui pursed his lips, pawed the ground with his hoof, turned around, then suddenly came back and rummaged through the young man’s almost empty toolbox.
“Ha ha ha, look—”
The three centaurs returned from their stroll and lined up, lightly tapping their hooves.
“Guess who doesn’t have pretty new hooves~”
Mili stepped forward, looked down at Mohui’s front legs, and said dramatically, “Oh, it’s poor Mohui~”
“Oh, don’t say it—” Harpas circled him, raising his front hooves and shaking them. “Mohui is about to cry!”
Hecate pulled them back and said sincerely, “Sorry, brother, we should have let you go first…”
Mohui gritted his teeth, wanting to rip their mouths apart. He grabbed a cream-filled cake from the table and threw it at the annoying centaurs.
“Oh dear, oh dear…” Why were they fighting again?
Ning Zhixia quickly ducked aside under the servants’ protection and ate a taco offered by a servant to calm his nerves.
“Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go for a run outside!” After the fight, Harpas’ muscles bulged with excitement, and he bumped their shoulders. “I want to show them off to all the monsters!”
“They’ll get dirty and worn out.” Hecate was tempted, but he reminded them rationally.
“So what!” Mili was ready and impatient. “We’ll just go to that plane and bring back more materials, and keep the human with us to touch them up anytime. Wealth and power are the best bargaining chips, he’ll definitely agree!”
Harpas nodded: “You’re right, brother!”
Ning Zhixia, not far away, overheard their conversation. Suddenly, the tacos weren’t as delicious, and the gems weren’t as pretty. He froze, stunned.
He suddenly realized that from the moment he was kidnapped, these bad horses hadn’t intended to send him back.
A wave of anger surged through him. Perhaps to the centaurs, he was just a new toy, or a stray kitten or puppy they had picked up.
Ning Zhixia frowned and thought for a moment, deciding he had to escape on his own.
His eyes darted around, and while the centaurs were still excitedly discussing, Ning Zhixia told the servants he was going back to his room to rest and slowly walked back to the palace.
Not long after he returned to his room, the centaurs, who had been planning to take him out, came looking for him.
Ning Zhixia said, “I’m a little tired, I want to rest for a while.”
“Okay…” Mili flicked his tail disappointedly, then, remembering that he also loved to sleep when he was a foal, considerately dismissed the servants and closed the door.
Ning Zhixia sighed and lay by the window, his chin resting on his hand as he stared at the crescent moon in the sky.
When the blood-red, eerie full moon replaced it, Ning Zhixia suddenly opened the door and dashed out without looking back.
He calmly walked past the guards and servants, and when he reached deserted areas, he sprinted, the thrill like playing a game of Red Light, Green Light.
Soon, as he was about to reach the top floor of the palace, the clatter of hooves echoed in the empty, luxurious corridor.
Ning Zhixia froze, looking at the half-hidden figure around the corner.
“Caught you, human!” Mili yelled excitedly.
The centaurs didn’t take the human’s escape seriously, as if it was a game of cat and mouse, capturing their prey just before it reached the finish line.
“You overheard our conversation in the garden.” Hecate approached him slowly.
So they had noticed long ago and were waiting here…
Was this considered escaping?
More like leaving without saying goodbye?
Would they be angry and kick him?
Ning Zhixia wiped the sweat from his forehead, various guesses popping up in his mind.
He took a few steps back and couldn’t help but say, “You deliberately said it for me to hear.”
The servants’ care, the guards’ obedience, and the countless treasures, every temptation was enough to sway anyone.
“But you still chose to leave.” Harpas and Mohui slowly approached from the other end of the corridor, looking at Ning Zhixia with slight confusion. “Why? Weren’t you happy here?”
Ning Zhixia shook his head and said, “I want to go back through the magic mirror now, can you move aside?”
The centaurs exchanged glances and shook their heads, smiling: “No.”
They revealed their monstrous nature, excitedly circling the human, their tails occasionally brushing against his shoulders or head, amused by his helplessness.
Unexpectedly, Ning Zhixia yelled “sorry,” then, imitating Harpas, headbutted him in the stomach—
“Oof!”
“Ouch!”
Both the human and the horse cried out in pain.
Ning Zhixia, taking advantage of their surprise, clutched his head and tried to break through.
Mili reached out to grab him, but Ning Zhixia twisted his body and escaped between his legs…
The dumbfounded centaurs were stunned—
Such… such agile movements!
“Huff, huff—”
Ning Zhixia ran up the stairs, but the corridor on the top floor was terrifyingly dark, the faint fluorite light like fangs in a monster’s mouth, waiting for its prey to walk into the trap.
The rapid hoofbeats followed closely behind. The adrenaline rush made Ning Zhixia feel incredibly cool. He, the weakling who always barely passed his physical exams, was actually running so fast.
Finally, he saw the magic mirror. The gold-framed mirror was dim, reflecting half of the blood-red moon outside.
“Open, open, open, open up for me!”
It seemed it wasn’t time for the plane passage to open yet. Ning Zhixia kept banging on the mirror.
And at this moment, Harpas’ bright red hair was getting closer and closer from the other end of the corridor.
“Sigh, I miss home…”
Ning Zhixia, as if having lost all his strength, muttered dejectedly, and walked towards the shadows, intending to have a good talk with the centaurs.
“I’ll take you home, Ning Zhixia.”
A smooth, melodic voice came from behind him. Ning Zhixia stopped, his dim eyes gradually brightening as he turned around hopefully.
A pair of hands emerged from the mirror, pulling the young man into an embrace.
A cold cheek pressed against his ear, rubbing affectionately, like a lost and found treasure being marked with its owner’s scent…
