The Invincible Bodyguard Starting by Escorting the Doomsday Imperial Princess Chapter 50 : Chapter 50

Chapter 50: Danger Was Closing In!

“What you just took—can that even be called one mouthful? I’d say you drank enough for three!”

Chen Guan snapped at once.

Luo Li rely puffed out her cheeks and did not argue too much.

After all, that one mouthful just now had gathered together every bit of her lifeti experience in drinking water. In that single gulp, she had swallowed the amount she would normally drink in five.

Chen Guan uncorked the waterskin and took a long pull himself.

When he had gone out earlier, he had originally ant to find sothing to eat and stave off his hunger.

Who would have thought that after wandering half the night across this scorched earth for a hundred li in every direction, aside from this blind Scarlet Fla Scale Ox, he had not even found a single hair?

At first, he had thought he might make do with it for a al, but unexpectedly, the creature turned out to be a spineless coward.

After only one exchange, it had imdiately started kowtowing and begging for rcy, insisting that it would be more useful alive than dead.

It had even thumped its chest and guaranteed that, within the Ten Directions Marsh, no matter where he wished to go, it could deliver him there without fail.

After weighing the pros and cons, Chen Guan had ultimately spared its life.

In any case, at his current level of cultivation, going ten days or half a month without food was not a serious issue.

As for Luo Li, she at least had the cultivation of the mid-stage Xiantian Realm. Going two or three days without food or drink would, at most, leave her feeling miserable. It would not kill her.

Trying to make her die that way was probably impossible.

...

The two humans and two spirits rested peacefully for the night inside the pitch-black cave.

By the next morning, before dawn had even broken, Chen Guan showed not the slightest tenderness and simply hauled the still-sleeping Luo Li up off the blanket with one hand.

“Hey! What are you doing?!”

Luo Li rubbed her drowsy eyes and complained in dissatisfaction.

“We’ve been hurrying along for days already. Can’t you let soone get so proper rest?”

Yet when her half-irritated gaze happened to fall upon the huge creature lying docilely at the cave entrance, her sleepiness was instantly replaced by curiosity.

She quickly moved closer.

Only then did she discover that the Scarlet Fla Scale Ox had not been born hornless at all. Rather, the pair of horns atop its head—symbols of its strength and authority—had been forcibly torn off by soone’s hand!

In their place remained two bloody, gaping holes.

“Hiss—!”

Luo Li sucked in a sharp breath and hurriedly swallowed back all the complaints she had been about to throw at Chen Guan.

At least ninety percent of a Scarlet Fla Scale Ox’s prowess lay in those nearly indestructible horns.

To rip them away was the equivalent of trampling all its pride beneath one’s feet.

And to accomplish such a thing required utterly overwhelming strength.

Now she grew even more curious about Chen Guan’s true cultivation.

“Could it be... this fellow really is a legendary Purple Palace expert?”

And yet that still did not seem right to her. Purple Palace experts were the sort of beings who stood at the level of ancestral patriarchs in the great noble houses.

It was hard to imagine such a person appearing in a poor backwater like Sanhua Town, much less working as an Escort Master for a re twenty taels of silver.

“What are you staring at? Get up here already.”

Chen Guan glanced at her, then, together with the two little demon spirits who were still bleary with sleep, leapt up and landed steadily on the broad back of the Scarlet Fla Scale Ox.

The mont the two little spirits set foot on the ox’s back and felt the terrifying aura beneath them, they sobered at once and clung tightly to Chen Guan’s legs.

As for the Scarlet Fla Scale Ox, hearing Chen Guan truly treat it like a beast of burden left it inwardly furious beyond asure, but it did not dare show the slightest hint of resistance.

It could only snort twice and put on the appearance of a docile creature willing to labor without complaint.

Seeing this, Luo Li stopped overthinking and imitated Chen Guan. With a light step, she floated up and landed on the ox’s back as well.

“It must be said, the back of this Scarlet Fla Scale Ox really is spacious. In the peril-ridden Ten Directions Marsh, I’m afraid one could not find a better mount than this.”

In satisfaction, Chen Guan lightly stamped one foot against the ox’s back.

“Move out.”

...

The Scarlet Fla Scale Ox winced at the blow and imdiately sprang up from the ground. Then it drove its four hooves forward, turning into a streak of scarlet light as it raced toward the depths of the scorched land ahead!

“At once, shattered stone flew in all directions, and the earth trembled.”

Its speed was actually a shade faster than the cradle-boat Xiao Cong had transford into before.

Watching the blackened trees on either side race backward in a blur, Luo Li’s face was full of delight.

Opportunities to ride a famous great fiend-beast as one’s mount did not co often.

Her courage rose bit by bit. Once she had settled herself by gripping the Scarlet Fla Scale Ox’s hard scales, she even began directing it on her own initiative.

“A little more to the left! Yes! Faster!”

Chen Guan cast her a glance.

He had discovered by now that this little girl truly had no heart for worry whatsoever. She was becoming more carefree by the day.

“An ox-horse of a beast, able to cover a thousand li in a day.”

That was the sort of mount a Scarlet Fla Scale Ox was.

Yet after they had traveled only five hundred li, Chen Guan made the Scarlet Fla Scale Ox halt and found a shaded cave where they could rest for a while.

It was not that he was in no hurry to travel on, but the deeper they went into Blackfla River, the higher the temperature rose.

By now, even the air they breathed scorched their noses.

Luo Li’s fair little face had long since been flushed red by the heat. She could only keep opening her mouth and breathing out hot air in quick little puffs.

The two little tree spirits were in even worse condition.

The leaves atop their heads, once lush and green, had already turned yellow and curled, and even their tender bark had begun cracking from extre dehydration.

If this continued, then let alone reaching Peach Blossom Hollow, they would probably be roasted into two bundles of dry firewood before they ever made it as far as the Mist-Shrouded Forest.

“No wonder that old woman insisted on making send these two little ones to Peach Blossom Hollow.”

Chen Guan could not help grumbling inwardly.

“This is still only the outer region of Blackfla River. Once we enter its central region, the temperature will only rise further.”

“Even that thousand-year-old Granny Huai would likely struggle to cross it herself, much less while bringing along two little burdens like these.”

“This is truly a catastrophic loss.”

He knew that old demoness had seen things very clearly. Only a Purple Palace powerhouse like him, one unafraid of fire and water, could bring these two little hangers-on through such a death zone.

That was why she had entrusted them to him with her life.

After settling the two little spirits in the cave, Chen Guan once more vanished alone into the vast scorched wasteland.

Two hours later, he returned to the cave carrying the hind leg of so unidentified demon beast and three bulging waterskins.

He handed two of the waterskins to Xiao Cong and Xiao Lü.

The two little spirits did not bother with politeness. Hugging the skins, they gulped greedily, and only then did a little life return to their cracked bark.

Yet this could not solve the problem in the long run.

The water Chen Guan had brought was not drawn from any spring or stream. Rather, it had been forcibly refined with true qi from the scattered little fire-aspected spirits living across the scorched earth.

More often than not, he had to kill more than a dozen such lesser spirits, drain all the blood from their bodies, and only then could he refine enough clean water to fill a single skin.

And so the group spent another night resting in the cave.

On the second day, Chen Guan still did not hasten their departure. Instead, he ordered Luo Li and the others to remain inside the cave.

He himself carefully searched the surrounding hundred-li radius, killed more than twenty little spirits that had failed to see reason, and managed to obtain three more skins of water, along with so flesh that could be eaten.

It was not a wasted trip. He had earned another ten taels of silver from Luo Li.

Only when night fell once more did Chen Guan suddenly announce, “We’re leaving.”

Because he had sensed that danger was racing toward them.