The Beautiful Top Being Pursued Relentlessly [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 68

At dusk, Felix Cheng sat atop a small black donkey, his eyes stinging from the blowing sand.

They had already left the town. According to the map, they were to head west, cross a desert, and circle around a high mountain to find the giant python’s cave. It sounded simple enough, but before setting out, Jiang Yi suddenly informed him that his coin purse had been lost; the remaining gold on them was only enough to afford a single donkey.

Well, at least they weren’t traveling on foot.

But.

Felix raised a hand to shield his eyes, squinting toward the distant, sharp line dividing the oasis from the desert. For the umpteenth time, the thought of returning to the manor crossed his mind. Perhaps this excursion was too reckless; he should have prepared supplies and sufficient gold before leaving. If word got out that the only noble of the town Duke Felix Cheng, was in such a pathetic state, those hypocritical socialites would surely mock him.

“Hee-haw!”

An excessively crude bray rang out. Felix had a bad feeling and quickly tugged the reins around the donkey’s neck. “Stay still.”

The black donkey kicked its front legs irritably and dug its back hooves into the sand, swaying unsteadily and causing Felix to wobble atop its back. Stupid beast, Felix cursed inwardly. He squeezed his legs against the donkey’s belly to steady himself. The reins rubbed red marks into his palms, so he applied more force, leaning down to tightly throttle the donkey’s neck.

Having learned various skills since childhood, the Duke was a master horseman; a mere donkey was no match for him. Once the donkey’s temper was suppressed, Felix stopped fighting its strength and began to lead it with gentle, rhythmic tugs.

The donkey brayed again and suddenly reared up. Felix narrowed his eyes and precisely struck the inner side of the donkey’s belly with his heels, using clever force to make it drop its hooves. It finally fell silent and stopped making a fuss.

Felix breathed a sigh of relief.

Thud!

Before Felix could even sit upright, the “subdued” donkey’s four legs buckled, and it collapsed into the dirt. He stumbled forward, barely catching himself with one hand to avoid a total faceplant, but his carefully groomed long hair still got covered in dust and turned into a frizzy mess.

In a fit of pique, Felix delivered a kick to the donkey.

“Your Grace!”

Jiang Yi, who had chosen to follow on foot behind the donkey, finally caught up. He jogged over and reached out to pull Felix up. “Ah, how did this happen?”

Jiang Yi leaned over to pat the dust off Felix’s clothes and smoothed his long hair with his fingers. His gaze dropped, catching sight of the bright red, seeping marks on Felix’s palms.

“Phew. blow on it, it won’t hurt anymore.” Jiang Yi’s touch grew remarkably light as his fingertips brushed the palms.

Felix allowed the man to fuss over him, turning when told to turn and lifting his hands when told to lift them. He stared at Jiang Yi’s lowered eyes and reached out to touch them.

“Don’t move.”

Jiang Yi pulled Felix’s hand back and took a small bell hanging from his waist. This was the gift the elf had given them. One shake would sprinkle the world’s most powerful healing powder; in no time, the wound would be healed.

The pale green powder felt cool on the wound, and Felix didn’t feel any pain. But seeing Jiang Yi’s round eyes crinkled in worry, he told a small lie: “It hurts a little.”

“Phew, phew. now it won’t hurt.” Jiang Yi blew gently on the hand.

Felix gave a soft hum of acknowledgment and reached out with his other hand to poke Jiang Yi’s puffed-out cheek.

“What is it?” Jiang Yi looked up.

“Nothing,” Felix said, the corners of his mouth curving slightly upward.

He didn’t tell him to stop, so Jiang Yi tirelessly continued to blow on the hand, taking small breaks to mutter to himself, “I should have known. I should have bought a camel instead.”

Felix replied: “I want to ride a horse.” He never wanted to see a donkey again in his life.

“Ah, a horse.” Jiang Yi secretly squeezed his shriveled coin purse. “We’ll buy one. We’ll buy one in a little while.”

“Buy one now,” Felix said, acting out of character and being somewhat unreasonable.

Jiang Yi leaned closer and whispered, “But we don’t have any money.”

Felix didn’t care. “I want a horse.” A majestic horse, just like the ones from the Royal Guard.

Jiang Yi always yielded to Felix’s requests. He immediately searched his person for anything of value and finally, with a pang of regret, pulled out a gold watch. At the next town, he sold the watch and the donkey to buy the white horse Felix had been longing for.

It was a snow-white stallion, exactly like the ones in books the exclusive mount for an elegant noble. Felix loved the white horse and, without hesitation, gave it a name: Nus.

*****

“Nus, if I ask you to carry two people, will you be too heavy to even get up?”

As they neared the center of the desert, signs of human life grew sparse. At first, there were a few stubborn buckthorns, but eventually, even they vanished, leaving only an endless sea of yellow sand. A brass bell hung from the white horse’s neck, jingling with every steady step.

Jiang Yi followed beside the horse with light steps. Fearing a repeat of the previous incident, he didn’t dare wander off and kept a firm hold on the reins. Since the journey was long, Jiang Yi started chatting with Nus.

Nus lifted a hoof and snorted two puffs of white air, glancing sideways at Jiang Yi with a look of disdain.

“Oh, what a rude horse,” Jiang Yi said playfully. “Is this really a horse that was trained by the Royal Guard and passed through layers of testing?”

This was the vivid story the horse trader had told them that Nus was originally a royal steed abandoned only because of a minor injury. It was for this very reason that Nus was more expensive than other horses.

“Whinny!” Nus shouted at Jiang Yi. Jiang Yi laughed, his prank successful.

Felix, atop the horse, looked down. “Tired?”

“No, no! My stamina is great.” To prove himself, Jiang Yi flexed his arm to show off his firm muscles. “I’m not tired at all.”

Felix was silent for a moment. “Let’s switch. I’ll get down and walk for a bit.”

“Don’t. The desert sand is hard to walk on, and the wind is strong. If you trip, it’ll hurt. Your Grace, have you forgotten you’re still ‘injured’?”

Felix looked at his palm; the original wound had turned into a soft pink mark. If Jiang Yi hadn’t mentioned it, he would have forgotten about it entirely.

“Ta-da! Your Grace, look.”

Felix looked over as requested. A piece of foxtail grass, folded into the shape of a dragonfly, appeared in Jiang Yi’s hand and was held up high in front of Felix.

“I know traveling is boring,” Jiang Yi said, waving the grass childishly. “But I will work hard to make Your Grace happy.”

Felix accepted the sudden gift and brushed the tip of the grass against Jiang Yi’s cheek. “It isn’t boring,” he said.

In fact, since this journey began, he had felt a sense of fun he had never experienced before.

“It tickles! Your Grace, stop poking me!” Jiang Yi said, yet he intentionally leaned closer to Felix’s hand, letting the “dragonfly” grass bend against his cheek so he could easily touch Felix’s fingertips.

As Felix moved to retract his hand, Jiang Yi looked up with bright eyes, like a small animal peeking out from a thicket full of innocent yet crafty mischief. The light in his eyes was almost scorching.

Felix’s hand stayed pressed against the man’s slightly warm face. He began to calmly analyze other matters. “The desert will be cold at night. We need to find a place to rest.”

“I’ve already thought of that.” Jiang Yi quickly kissed the back of Felix’s hand and pulled out the map, pointing to a circled red spot. “There’s a castle here. Legend says a kind princess lives inside; we can ask to stay the night.”

“I know all the kingdoms in this region, and I’ve never heard of a princess living here,” Felix said.

“We’ll find out when we get there. It’s not far, just a bit further ahead.” Jiang Yi stuffed the map into his pocket and continued leading the horse forward.

After several dozen more steps, a thin mist began to spread silently. Visibility grew blurred. Nus tripped on a small pebble but quickly steadied himself, taking each subsequent step with increasing caution. However, the yellow sand beneath his hooves seemed to change—it grew pitch black, though it was hard to tell what it was yet.

The mist curled around the tips of Felix’s boots, carrying an unnatural chill. Gradually, the sound of Nus’s breathing grew heavy and muffled.

Something is wrong.

Felix reached for the longsword hanging from Nus’s side, his fingertips tracing the gemstone on the hilt. “Jiang Yi,” he called out.

As he expected, there was no response. The surroundings were eerily quiet. Then, the piercing cry of a raven rang out, followed by the sound of wings flapping. Felix could sense a flock of ravens gathering above his head.

Schwing.

The longsword was drawn from its scabbard. Felix suddenly stood up in the stirrups and thrust the sword directly behind him. As the blade cut through the thick mist, his silver-white hair spilled out like moonlight, carving a breathtaking arc of light in the gloom. A few strands of hair brushed against his sharp features. He shifted his grip, and the sword tip caught several black feathers.

They belonged to the ravens. The flock was startled into flight.

But Felix didn’t relax. He lowered his lashes, staring indifferently at the patterns on the blade. He heard footsteps they were very light, but he heard them.

He swung the sword once more. The blade stopped right at the person’s throat, reflecting the stranger’s startled blue eyes.

“Th-this brave gentleman, I am so sorry for startling you, but I mean no harm.”

The newcomer held a lantern, which dispersed the mist. In the weak light, Felix saw her face. Just as Jiang Yi had thought, there was a princess here.

A kind, beautiful princess wearing a magnificent dress and a shimmering golden crown. Everything about her suggested she was a genuine princess, but.

Felix rested the sword against the horse’s back and frowned. Why does this princess look so strange?

Are princesses these days all this. hulking?

“Gentleman from afar, you must be exhausted after traveling so long. Come back to the palace with me; I will have the butler take good care of you.”

Felix refused. “I’m looking for someone.”

“Looking for someone?” The princess looked delighted. “Are you looking for the Knight, Jiang Yi?”

Felix’s brows furrowed tight. “He is at the palace?”

“Yes. He got lost, and following my guidance, he should be in the palace right now.”

Felix still had doubts about her words, but there was no better place to go for now. Searching elsewhere would be worse, as Jiang Yi loved to wander off. “Lead the way.”

The princess smiled. “Perhaps I should ask one more time: are you willing to come to the palace?”

Felix was impatient. “Yes.”

“I should ask one more time: are you willing to come to the palace?”

“I am.”

Can she hear a word I’m saying?

Support