The Beautiful Top Being Pursued Relentlessly [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 71

It was hard to tell whether it was morning or night; the wind teased a corner of the curtain, letting in a flicker of dim, white light. The pale glow brushed over the metallic sheen of the Tin Soldier Jiang Yi’s face and across Felix Cheng’s hand as he reached for the teacup.

Jiang Yi still held his hand high, his smug expression clearly reflected in Felix’s eyes.

What are you so proud of? Felix wondered. His fingertips lightly brushed against the hem of the Tin Soldier’s uniform. The fabric was incredibly stiff a mixture of various coarse materials bonded together that felt somewhat scratchy against his skin.

His fingers curled inward for a moment before moving elsewhere, touching Jiang Yi’s exposed ankle. The sensation was hard and cold actual metal. This wasn’t just a glowing outfit; he had truly been transformed.

Felix’s lips pulled into a straight line. It was hard to say if he was displeased, but his expression grew noticeably cold.

” Prince.”

Jiang Yi took a deep breath and stammered. His arms hung down awkwardly, and the tip of his miniature longsword clinked rhythmically against the porcelain wall of the teacup. ” I’m losing my balance.”

The flame on the candelabra flickered. Perhaps it was the color of the fire, but Felix thought his face looked a bit flushed; the cold metal seemed to soften.

“Mm.”

Felix’s response was brief still somewhat detached, yet carrying a hidden, inexplicable intimacy, like a piece of candy tucked inside a ball of cotton.

Jiang Yi felt his heart race. No, wait—how can a tin soldier have a heartbeat? He looked down and poked his hard chest with a finger. It was still solid metal, not the soft skin like the Prince’s. Then what was that feeling?

Jiang Yi’s metal-filled head was a jumbled mess. He shook his head dizzily and raised his longsword again, deflated. The current situation left no room for distractions; his sole mission was to protect the Prince.

“Where did this little mouse come from, causing trouble in the palace?” Sly wrapped his wound with a cloth and lunged at Jiang Yi with a knife and fork.

“Prince, get behind me! Run!”

Jiang Yi leaped off the teacup. Using the food on the table as cover, he quickly approached the hunched-over Sly. With a snap of his elbow, he thrust his longsword forward again.

Behind him, Felix didn’t listen. Instead, he propped his chin on his hand, his eyes following the tiny figure back and forth. Hopping around like a little frog. Quite cute, actually.

He called me “Prince” the moment we met. Did he lose his memories when he turned into this? Felix mused. The sound of the sword-wind faded, and the finger resting against his cheek was suddenly grabbed by something icy.

He looked down to see Jiang Yi had used the teacup to jump up and was now tightly hugging his finger.

“What is it?” Felix asked.

The Tin Soldier Jiang Yi pedaled his legs furiously as his body dangled. His whole face seemed to be strained with effort, letting out various grunts and groans.

Finally, Jiang Yi whispered, “I can’t win! Prince, I’m taking you out of here right now!”

Can’t win? Felix raised an eyebrow. He glanced at the lunging Sly and kicked the leg of the long table. His chair slid back with a piercing screech, causing Sly to belly-flop onto the table instead.

“What Prince? What Royal Guard? God, You should punish the liars!” Sly roared in frustration, panting like a monster trapped in a cage on a mural, thumping the ground in a rage.

“Prince,” Jiang Yi whispered again.

“Mm?”

Felix stood up unhurriedly, using his other hand to lightly stroke the Jiang Yi clinging to his finger from his head to his lower back to his calves, as if playing with a stiff-jointed doll.

“Prince, please don’t… don’t…” Jiang Yi bashfully looked away. “Fine. It’s okay. The Prince can do whatever he likes.”

“Anything?”

Felix had had his fun. He pinched Jiang Yi’s waist with two fingers and hoisted him up.

“But… but but!”

As Jiang Yi was lifted higher, his voice grew louder, yet he didn’t struggle. He even held his sword carefully away to avoid poking Felix.

“But what?”

“But…”

Their gazes met. Felix’s beautiful silver-gray eyes were inches away. Jiang Yi’s breath hitched, and he momentarily forgot what he was going to say.

In his daze, Jiang Yi spotted Sly scrambling up and staggering toward them. He waved his sword wildly. “He’s coming! He’s coming! Let’s run!”

“Run for what?”

Felix kneaded the tiny waist as if working dough, radiating an effortless sense of control. Then, he nonchalantly drew the thin sword from his own belt.

Behind them, the sound of Sly’s lunging footsteps stopped abruptly.

The thin blade whistled through the air and embedded itself into the carpet right in front of Sly’s feet with a resonant thrum.

“Halt.”

Without looking back, Felix nudged the dining hall doors open with his toe, shifting Jiang Yi higher in his hand. The sudden feeling of weightlessness made Jiang Yi let out a soft cry, and his legs instinctively hooked around Felix’s hand.

A trace of a smile flickered in Felix’s eyes. He lowered his head and brushed his nose against the brim of the tiny hat.

A new toy. How fun.

Jiang Yi, the self-proclaimed “bravest soldier of the Royal Guard,” had arrived at the palace earlier. According to him, he had explored every nook and cranny, made many friends, and knew all the escape routes.

Felix believed him at first until Jiang Yi led him to a mouse hole.

The sun was reluctant to visit the Ashlea Palace; every corner felt gloomy and stark, with a pale light that reminded one of a graveyard. Once outside the palace, Felix stopped carrying Jiang Yi and set him on the ground.

The palm-sized Tin Soldier had short legs. For every step Felix took, Jiang Yi had to run several steps to keep up. Even so, Jiang Yi didn’t seem tired. He sheathed his sword, pulled out a miniature snare drum from nowhere, and struck it once with every step.

“Too noisy.”

Felix stopped and tapped the back of Jiang Yi’s uniform with his toe. Jiang Yi lost his balance and fell face-first onto the ground with a soft splat.

Still the same idiot. Felix couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Prince, is something wrong?” Jiang Yi rubbed his arms and looked up. “As the bravest soldier by your side, I can do anything for you.”

“Anything?” Felix crouched down. “Why do you think I’m the Prince?”

“Feeling, I guess.”

“Feeling?”

Jiang Yi sat on his little snare drum and cupped his face shyly. “To be honest, Prince, I saw you a long time ago.”

“When?”

“The night the Prince moved into the palace.” Jiang Yi recalled. “I wanted to climb onto the bed to say hello, but I accidentally.”

“Accidentally what?”

Jiang Yi mumbled, “It’s so embarrassing. I don’t want to tell you.”

“Was it that you got halfway up, slipped, and got buried in the mattresses? And after struggling out, you went rolling across the floor?”

“Huh?” Jiang Yi frantically covered his face. “Prince, how did you know?”

“How did I know?” Felix laughed. “Idiot. It’s not surprising you’d do something like that.”

Jiang Yi argued weakly, “I’m not an idiot. I’m the smartest warrior by the Prince’s side.”

“Fine, my ‘smartest warrior.’ Where exactly are you taking me?”

“We’re actually here! Look, Prince, if we hide in here, the people from the palace will never find us,” Jiang Yi said proudly.

Following Jiang Yi’s finger, Felix saw a mouse hole barely half the size of a palm. Even for Jiang Yi, getting in would be a struggle; he’d have to hunch down and wiggle through.

Felix expressionlessly picked up Jiang Yi and tried to wedge him into the hole… he didn’t fit, and Jiang Yi’s tall, inconvenient hat fell off.

“How do we get into this ‘safe place’ of yours?”

“Uh” Jiang Yi scratched his hair, which had puffed out once the hat was gone. “Actually, it’s my first time here too.”

Felix: 

“I heard a powerful and kind Sage lives here. His name is Auden, and he can cure any illness.”

“What’s wrong with you?” Felix asked.

“Not me, it’s you, Prince!” Seeing that Felix hadn’t remembered, Jiang Yi reminded him: “The Prince said so himself! That the bed last night was uncomfortable and your back felt terrible.”

Felix: 

He remembered now, the interference of the Dark Wizard. Because of that magic, his body would occasionally lose control and say nonsensical things, which this idiot had taken as gospel.

Jiang Yi wriggled out of Felix’s hand, hopped onto the floor, and patted his chest. “Don’t worry, Prince! I’ll go in first and find a path. I’ll make sure the Sage heals the injury on your back.”

Before Felix could say “No need,” he looked down to see Jiang Yi already bent over, discarding his sword and drum to crawl inside. From the outside, the hole was pitch black. Who knew if there were giant rats in there?

Felix sat against the wall, displeased. After a moment, he tapped the stone. “Jiang Yi.”

“Hey!” A clearly delighted voice echoed out. “How does the Prince know my name?”

“You claim to be the bravest soldier in the Guard. It’s not strange that I’ve heard of you.”

“Right, true!” Jiang Yi went back to being silly.

“What do you see in there?”

“Noble Prince, to tell you the truth, I haven’t seen anyth. AHHH!”

Felix frowned and shifted his position to look into the hole. “Jiang Yi? What happened?”

No answer. Felix stared at the mouse hole, sighed, and finally reached his right hand inside. It was a filthy hole; he might touch half-eaten bread, rotting vegetables, or maggot-filled meat… all sorts of disgusting thoughts filled his head, and he instinctively closed his eyes. Cowardice shouldn’t be in his vocabulary, but right now, he truly wanted to avoid reality.

Then, he touched something slightly rounded—hard and cold. He wasn’t sure what part of the body it was.

“Ow.” Jiang Yi finally made a sound.

Outside the hole, Felix let out a sigh of relief. Reckless fellow.

Inside the mouse hole, the space grew larger and the view wider. Jiang Yi stopped crawling and stood up to walk. However, as soon as he stood, his face collided with a skull that was massive from his perspective.

A rat skull. It had clearly been there for a long time; the surface was cracked, and mud was hidden in the crevices, looking filthy. Up close, Jiang Yi smelled the scent of decay. But he didn’t scream; a brave soldier wouldn’t be scared by such things.

He walked further. There was no light source, but he found he could see if he just concentrated. When Jiang Yi calmed down, he was always very focused. He examined every corner for the Sage Auden, calling out softly.

Drip, drip.

The sound of water came from above. Jiang Yi looked up and froze instantly.

The ceiling of the cavern was covered in dense, eerie patterns in dark tones. In the very center of the mural, a giant bird spread its wings. Where its beak pointed, a person was bound by rusted iron chains. He had golden curly hair, now damp and clinging messily to his cheeks and neck. Every inch of his exposed skin was covered in the same crawling patterns as the mural, coming to life with the pulse of his veins. He was eyes-closed, trapped in a deep slumber.

Faced with this massive, terrifying sight, the “brave” Jiang Yi let out a startled cry.

“Sage?”

Jiang Yi’s shouts grew louder. He stood frozen. Soon, a soft, warm temperature stroked his back.

It was  the Prince’s hand.

Jiang Yi cupped his face. “Ooooh!”

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