"Where?" Mu Anxiao feigned ignorance, glancing left and right.
The Bee, however, 'appreciated' Mu Anxiao's foolish demeanor. Straightening his sleeves, he immediately stood tall and said, "This is the forbidden forest. Generally, no demons venture inside. If you go in, your life will surely be forfeit."
"My life will be forfeit?" Mu Anxiao pretended to be surprised. After a moment's thought, she asked, "Are there monsters inside that eat demons?" She remembered the demon-eating beasts.
The Bee grunted in affirmation.
Mu Anxiao smiled. "Don't lie to me. Before entering the Demon Cultivation Land, I already inquired. Deep within the Demon Cultivation Land is a forest where it's always spring, and the plants are exceptionally beautiful. If I'm not mistaken," she said, glancing into the forbidden forest, and continued, "this is it."
Listening to Mu Anxiao's description, the Bee couldn't help but curl his lip. "I didn't expect you to be such a poetic little demon. Speaking of which," he couldn't help but reveal a look of disdain, "did you come here just to admire the scenery you call beautiful?"
"Since the elder isn't here and no demon has assigned me anything, why can't I take this time to look around?" Mu Anxiao appeared foolish.
The Bee immediately grabbed Mu Anxiao's arm. "Alright, I understand."
Seeing this, Mu Anxiao was truly startled. "What are you doing?" She looked down at her arm, which was being 'held' by the Bee.
"What else can I do? For your life's safety, of course, I'm taking you away from here." With that, the Bee forcefully pulled Mu Anxiao away.
In just a moment, Mu Anxiao was led out of the forbidden forest by the Bee and brought outside the courtyard. Upon looking, Mu Anxiao immediately feigned being captivated by the beauty of the place. With a "Wow," she exclaimed, "Master, what is this place? Why does it smell so good and look so beautiful?" As she spoke, she moved to step into the courtyard.
Seeing this, the Bee quickly reached out and grabbed Mu Anxiao's arm. "Wait." To prevent unnecessary events, he deliberately pulled Mu Anxiao closer to him.
Mu Anxiao was confused by this. "Why wait? Isn't this your home?"
"How did you know this was my home?" the Bee asked, surprised, while not forgetting to survey the surroundings.
Mu Anxiao smiled. "Although I'm an obscure little demon, I'm not stupid. If I can't even recognize your true form," she scanned the Bee from head to toe, smiling, "then I've been a demon for so many years in vain."
"You have this ability?" the Bee was startled.
Hearing the Bee's words, Mu Anxiao felt herself float. "Absolutely," she said, then looked into the courtyard again. "Speaking of which, you're quite strange."
"How am I strange?" the Bee retorted.
Mu Anxiao pouted, her expression slightly disheartened. "If this isn't your home, why did you bring me here? If that's the case, I might as well go explore that forbidden forest you mentioned." As she spoke, she pushed the Bee's hand away.
Immediately, the Bee became serious. "Can you stop moving?" his tone was stiff.
Mu Anxiao heard him and stopped. "Why? When I was confined to the study, you weren't this nice to me. Now," she said, her eyes brightening, "I know." She stared intently at the Bee's face.
The Bee felt extremely awkward under Mu Anxiao's gaze. "What do you know now?"
Mu Anxiao pursed her lips and hummed for a few seconds before saying, "If I'm not mistaken, you must have something you want to use me for. Otherwise, you wouldn't be so concerned about me, right?" She raised an eyebrow.
The Bee was petrified.
Mu Anxiao frowned. "Why aren't you talking?" She waved her hand in front of the Bee's petrified face.
Then, the Bee snapped back to reality and immediately put on a somber expression. "I know, I am incompetent and powerless, but that's exactly why," he slightly furrowed his brow to express 'guilt,' "I want to compensate you."
"..." Mu Anxiao's lips twitched.
The Bee smiled.
Thus, after they stood there in a stalemate for a minute, Mu Anxiao closed her eyes and asked, "Alright, tell me, what do you want me to do?" She didn't believe the Bee would be so kind as to look after her.
As expected, the moment Mu Anxiao got straight to the point, the Bee released her hand. "Accompany me inside."
"The main gate isn't sealed, so we can just go in directly, right?" Mu Anxiao feigned ignorance.
The Bee tutted and said, "You wouldn't understand this," he said, pointing to the circular archway. "Do you know what kind of gate this is?"
"What... gate?" Mu Anxiao found the Bee increasingly annoying.
The Bee smiled, his lips pursed. "The gate to happiness."
"Uh..."
"Why 'uh'? As long as you accompany me inside, I'll grant you three wishes." The Bee held up three fingers as if making a grand offer.
Mu Anxiao was not moved by the Bee's words at all, but one must bow to those in power. Taking a deep breath, she glanced at the Bee's fingers and asked, "Tell me, why do you insist on me accompanying you inside?"
"The woman inside is the woman I like. She doesn't like meeting me alone, but it's different if you come with me." The Bee was serious.
Mu Anxiao blinked, saying, "That doesn't sound right either."
"How is it not right?" the Bee countered.
Mu Anxiao took another deep breath and said, "If one person is chased away, it's one person. If both of us are chased away, it's both of us. You..." She trailed off, thought for a moment, and then realized. "I understand, you just want to use me as a shield so that if we're kicked out, it won't look bad, right?"
".." The Bee smiled.
Mu Anxiao looked bitter. "It seems I'm quite clever."
"Do you know why I want to protect you?" The Bee began to praise himself.
Mu Anxiao didn't want to hear the Bee's explanation, so she pretended not to hear anything and raised her hand to pick at her 'eye gunk.'
However, the Bee had no self-awareness and continued, "Because I think you are a little demon destined for great things. After you accompany me to meet my true love, I will definitely treat you to the most delicious delicacies in the Demon Cultivation Land."
"From childhood to adulthood, I've never lacked food at home, so I'm not particularly interested in food. However," Mu Anxiao seized the opportunity to press her advantage, "I wouldn't mind if you arranged a position for me."
"I'm afraid I can't manage that," the Bee said with difficulty.
Mu Anxiao revealed a mysterious smile. "I know you can't manage it. When the time comes," she raised an eyebrow, "I'll trouble you to speak well of me to the elder." She knew the Bee wouldn't do as she said, which was precisely why she dared to say it.
As expected, the moment Mu Anxiao said that, the Bee awkwardly laughed to himself. "I'll try my best then."