The journey up the mountains towards the border had Rong Zian's mind, body and soul in chaos. He could see why a carriage wasn't the best choice, the rocky path into the mountains was narrow and steep. He deeply regretted stating his inability to ride a steed, at this moment he would have preferred fumbling through a horse ride than having the Wu Yange's hands pass through either side of his waist to control the reins.
If the prince's arms had been still maybe he would have been able to endure it more but as he steers the horse his hands would carelessly move resulting in an unintentional rubbing session with his waist. Sure this encounter would have been awkward but because of his dream, the situation had upgraded itself to problematic. At times Wu Yange would lunge forward with the moment resulting in his warm breath brushing against his exposed neck.
The discomfiture in the situation extended to a solemn Ying Tie who was catching a glimpse of the situation once in a while but at some point, he couldn't hold back. Attacking an unsuspecting Rong Zian, "Aren't you ashamed of yourself causing His Royal Highness discomfort? What kind of man doesn't know how to ride a horse?"
Rong Zian felt his manhood had been challenged and truthfully it wasn't his fault that he had no experience riding a horse because where he came from they had cars and bicycles.
If Ying Tie was to visit his original timeline, he would have a hard time as well that's why he secretly hoped these two would be transmigrated to the 21st century and had to adapt. The thought of Ying Tie struggling to ride a bicycle made the corners of his lips curve up maliciously.
"Mind your business over there, no one asked you for your opinion," spat out Rong Zian in response like an agitated viper. He already felt uncomfortable and didn't need anyone pointing out the obvious.
With a dark expression and aggrieved YingTie replied, "You better be grateful to His Highness for offering otherwise if I had to share with you I would have ripped off your head by now," just before he rode forward in fear of losing all his restraint in front of the prince. He was just waiting for an opportune moment to beat up Rong Zian but now wasn't the right time.
Rong Zian gazed at Ying Tie with a dark expression as he rode in front of them, in reality, he knew this man would rip him to shreds but Rong Zian would never go down without a fight, suddenly wishing he had superpowers so he could squash him to the core of the earth.
"Don't mind him, he's just concerned about me," said the prince speaking softly into his ear which caught Rong Zian by surprise leaving an odd itchy sensation instantly numbing his scalp. At the sound of his voice, an electric current jolted through his whole body making him even more uncomfortable that he couldn't make up any word in response.
Wu Yange remained impartial to both sides he didn't even meddle letting them taking it out on each other. If things ever escalated between them then he would deem it necessary to intervene but he found it fascinating when Rong Zian a presumed coward would stand his ground against the world's strongest men. Off course he knew he was Rong Zian's backer that's why he had such confidence but the prince still found it interesting to watch their back and forth.
"Can I ask you something?" asked Wu Yange as he inhaled the scent from Rong Zian's hair rousing an inexplicable feeling. The involuntary sensation that came along with this scent was becoming addictive and he wanted to figure out why it captivated him this much.
"Mm," replied Rong Zian trying to lean a bit forward to create some distance between them which was proving difficult.
"What scent is it?"
His brows furrowed just as his body tensed up, wrecking his brain trying to make sense of the prince's question, why was he even curious to know what kind of shampoo he used? He sighed and replied, "It's a shampoo of my creation extremely unique to this world."
"You smell so good," confessed the prince taking another whiff of the intoxicating scent in an ambiguous way.
Rong Zian instantly froze and his entire body became numb though his reaction was a bit extreme. If it had been any other person, he would have been fine with it but ever since his spring dream, his attitude towards the prince was mostly guarded.
The expedition up the mountains was treacherous and uncomfortable especially for a city boy like Rong Zian. The saddle was in no way respectful to his family jewels that all he could think was, 'Well that's the end of my ancestral line'. Many times he thought of voicing his concerns but his pride took his speech, he knew fairly well that the two tyrants would make fun of him and throw in a few testicle jokes.
To endure, he distracted himself from the pain by engrossing himself with the splendid view of the mountain just like a tourist on vacation while silently praying for the torture to end. As though the gods had heard his plea, a sigh of relief escaped his throat when he heard Ying Tie yell, "We are at the border!" as the brawny man got off his horse. The prince followed suit and got off the horse joining Ying Tie.
To his dismay, the two arrogant bastards left him alone with an agitated horse that was eager to be rid of him.
"Shit, shit, s-s-s-hit! So none of you assholes is going to help me?" he cursed as the horse shook him off vigorously. Wu Yange wanted to help him but when he thought of Rong Zian touching him in the process, he changed his mind terrified of how his body might react.
The modern man had no idea how to get off the troublesome beast and when the two turned to look at him, it was clear none of them was interested in lending a hand. As he murmured curses under his breath trying to hold on, the horse successfully got rid of him and he came down with a thud crashing hard onto the ground. The steed proudly strode away as though mocking him.
"Aiyo! Fuck!" yelled Rong Zian as he rose to his feet holding onto his buttocks glaring at the horse, "stupid horse!" he sneered walking towards his unsympathetic colleagues at a snail's pace like an old lady. The two paid him no heed and continued observing the vast dense forest before them.
Overbearing resentment energy crept out of the mysterious forest causing a cold chill more intense than in a graveyard. Rong Zian matched the eerie feeling as when watching a horror movie but worse because he was living it. He felt like an idiotic character deliberately walking into a dangerous situation despite his gut literally screaming at him to run.
He was frozen in one spot with an ashen-face but Ying Tie wasn't satisfied. The man shamelessly took advantage of his helplessness to terrify the coward even more.
"This is the enchanted forest known as Tūnshì zhě and you know why it's named so?" asked Ying Tie in a malevolent tone as he harshly placed his hand on Rong Zian's shoulder, "it's because the forest lures humans with their greatest desires but once they enter, it would snatch their souls and leave the bodies for the giants to feast on. Hahaha…..you made the wrong choice," and with a grin on his face, Ying Tie mercilessly pushed him into the enchanted forest.