The Invincible Bodyguard Starting by Escorting the Doomsday Imperial Princess Chapter 44 : Chapter 44

Chapter 44: Paying a Visit to Granny Huai, the Demonic Being

“Granny Huai has been expecting you for quite so ti. Co in with us.”

The two little tree spirits beckoned to them with their “hands,” then turned and skipped off into the trees ahead.

“Wonderful!”

Seeing this, Luo Li happily followed after them.

“Expecting us for quite so ti?” Chen Guan’s brows drew together slightly.

Still, he did not stop Luo Li. Instead, he stepped forward and followed.

Although what the two little tree spirits had said was sowhat strange, he could sense that while demonic qi filled this place, there was not the slightest trace of killing intent. Instead, there was an indescribable peace and serenity.

The two of them followed the little tree spirits into the woods and stepped onto a small path paved with round pebbles.

On either side of the path were all sorts of little flowers whose nas they did not know. All of them swayed their blossoms in unison, curiously sizing them up.

There were even two particularly bold morning glories that stretched their heads out and lightly brushed themselves against Luo Li’s face, tickling her until she burst into laughter.

Though the two little tree spirits were leading the way up ahead, they kept turning around as they walked, curiously examining the two of them.

One of the two, the one that looked slightly more “delicate,” suddenly slowed its pace, ca up beside Luo Li, tilted its “head,” and looked at her with curiosity before asking,

“What kind of spirits... are you?”

“Spirits???”

Luo Li froze for a mont. How was she supposed to answer a question like that?

She instinctively glanced at Chen Guan beside her. Seeing that he had no intention of speaking, she had no choice but to answer herself.

“We... are humans.”

“Oh! So you’re human-spirits.”

“Uh!!!”

Luo Li froze again and hurriedly waved her hands. “No, no, we are not human-spirits. We’re just humans!”

“Oh!” The little tree spirit nodded again, wearing an expression that said, “I understand now.” “Got it. Then you’re... spirit-humans.”

“Uh???”

Luo Li was rendered completely speechless.

Forget it, forget it. She no longer wanted to keep explaining things to these two trees.

These little tree spirits had probably never seen real humans before.

In their world, everything that could move was simply called a “spirit.”

So naturally, humans beca “human-spirits,” wolves beca “wolf-spirits,” and so on.

The little tree spirit then tilted its “head” like an inquisitive child and asked, “Then... why don’t you grow flowers on your head?”

“Uh!!”

Luo Li suddenly discovered that chatting across species boundaries was... sowhat difficult.

Just as she had no idea how to answer, Chen Guan, standing at her side, suddenly replied in a flat voice,

“Because she cut all the flowers off her own head.”

“Ah!!!”

The mont the two little tree spirits heard that, they jumped in fright. Their branch-like arms shrank back at once, and they hopped several steps away, retreating to a safe distance. Their two glossy black eyes were filled with terror.

Luo Li rolled her eyes in exasperation and shot Chen Guan a fierce glare.

“Do you have any sense of public decency at all? Why are you frightening them for no reason?”

Then she hurriedly turned to explain to the two little tree spirits,

“Don’t listen to his nonsense. He’s lying to you! I... I’m like you. I don’t grow flowers either.”

“Don’t grow flowers?”

One of the little tree spirits shook its “head” hard and flung out two delicate little locust blossoms from the back of its “head.”

“But we do grow flowers on our heads.”

“Uh!”

That completely defeated Luo Li.

So the group continued onward, chatting as they went.

Even so, the two little tree spirits kept a safe distance from Luo Li the entire ti and no longer dared co too close.

Chen Guan looked at them thoughtfully, but said nothing more.

The two of them followed those two little tree spirits, winding through several paths and crossing a small, crystal-clear stream.

At last, they arrived before a gate ford from intertwined roots.

“Grandmother, the guests have arrived!”

“Co in.”

From inside the courtyard ca an aged yet gentle voice.

That voice sounded like ancient jade polished by ti, carrying a trace of hoarseness, yet also an extraordinary warmth.

At those words, the two little locust tree spirits hurried forward, pushed open the fence gate woven from vines, and beckoned to Chen Guan and Luo Li.

“Co in!”

Luo Li had just been about to step forward when the two little tree spirits again jumped back in fright.

She was nearly angered to death and could only shoot Chen Guan another fierce white-eyed glare.

You wretched man, why did you have to ruin my good na like that?

Chen Guan followed them into the little courtyard.

With a single glance, he saw that this was yet another hidden paradise.

Before them ran a little stream that led straight toward the giant locust tree. Beside the stream stood row upon row of neatly planted saplings.

And beneath that towering locust tree, standing amidst a patch of brilliantly colored flowers, was a hunched old woman.

The old woman was holding a bucket carved from a tree burl and, scoop by scoop, was drawing water from it to carefully irrigate the patch of flowers before her.

Noticing Chen Guan’s gaze, she slowly set down the bucket in her hands, stooped over as she was, then turned around and looked toward the two of them.

At once, Chen Guan stepped forward and cupped his fists.

“This junior, Chen Guan, greets Granny Huai.”

“This junior, Luo Li, greets Granny Huai.” Luo Li also made a well-behaved little curtsy.

Still bent with age, the old woman took up the wooden staff that leaned against the fence beside her. With a kindly smile on her face, she slowly walked over.

“You two little ones... walked in here all by yourselves from outside?”

Luo Li and Chen Guan exchanged a glance, surprise visible in both their eyes.

“That is correct,” Chen Guan nodded.

“Ah, youth indeed. The young truly are bold.”

Granny Huai sighed in admiration, then turned and walked toward the shade beneath the giant locust tree ahead.

The two little tree spirits at once brought over two cups folded from leaves. Inside each cup was a pool of clear springwater that gave off a fresh and delicate fragrance.

“You have co from afar, and this old woman has little with which to entertain guests.”

“This is ‘Hundred-Flower Jade Dew,’ cultivated by this old woman’s own hand. Please, enjoy.”

“Thank you, Granny.”

Luo Li accepted it openly enough.

Chen Guan, too, did not act overly distant. He took the cup, tasted it lightly, and then a gleam flashed through his eyes.

“Excellent. There is a flavor in it that carries the aning of spring’s budding and autumn’s storing away.”

“Oh, not at all, not at all. This old woman was rely idle and tinkered together a little trifle.”

Granny Huai waved her hand, a warm familiarity radiating from her expression.

Then her cloudy gaze slowly fell upon Luo Li, who was holding the cup in both hands and looking around curiously, and she ca straight to the point.

“You ca here... because of the thing on her body, did you not?”

Luo Li’s heart jolted. “Y-you... how did you know?”

Chen Guan, on the other hand, was not especially surprised.

Since this old tree spirit could see the resentnt mark on Luo Li’s body, then she most certainly had a way of dealing with it.

Setting down the leaf cup in his hand, Chen Guan cupped his fists and said, “Senior’s eyes are as bright as torches. This junior ca here presumptuously indeed for that very matter.”

“May I ask... does Granny have a solution?”