"Tan Huizhong," a tall knight spoke as soon as the trio entered the gates, "Please come with me."
Xu Qingling and Bohai watched in silence as the old man willingly followed the knight. They had been prepared for him to leave them, and they were told to pretend as if they didn't know him. Which, they all complied too.
However, the two didn't know where to go. The old man had told them to meet up at a place called 'Kang's' . But they had no idea on how to get there! But, there was no time for the duo to think about what to do. A horde of people entered behind them, pushing them with them as they entered the streets of the huge city.
"Ow," Xu Qingling complained as she fell to the floor after the crowd of people dispersed. "That hurt."
"Are you okay?" Bohai asked, as he extended his arm to help her up.
Xu Qingling's words suddenly got stuck in her throat, as she received his help. From the angle she had been sitting at, she had been able to see the boy's entire face. And with the sun behind him, he had looked extra spectacular. But what had surprised her the most, was the genuine concern written on his face.
"Y-Yeah." Qingling stuttered. As she stood up, she dusted off the dirt from her one set of clothes. "L-Lets go ask someone on how to get to Kang's."
"Okay."
Qingling headed down the street first, claiming she would know the way to civilization better than him because of her one earlier visit to the capital. In reality, she had chosen to lead the way to hide her blushing face.
She didn't know what was happening to her. She was Xu Qingling, who'd become to best chef that ever lived! She didn't have any time to waste on guys, like she told her mother so much!
Even though she told her mother her plans and dreams, her mom still pleaded her to marry. She'd even introduced her to multiple suitable marriage candidates! But, they all failed to move the aspiring chef's heart. However, all of a sudden, this criminal was making her swoon! How her mom would've been delighted, she would've even overlooked the fact that he was from the despicable Chen clan! All because he was the first to move her daughter's ice cold heart.
"Hey," Bohai called from behind. "This kid said he'll show us the way for a copper coin." Bohai said with a happy smile. However, Qingling was not happy.
"Do you know who this is?" Qingling said with a slight smile. The little boy shook his head, still hanging his hand out for a coin. "He's a Monster." She said, making sure to prolong the last word.
In the stories that normal civilians told about those with a Core, they referred to them as Monsters. They were evil beings, who used their strength to rule over the weak. If one got into the details of their cruelty, one would have nightmares for years.
Immediately, the boy dropped his hand and tried to run away. Goosebumps formed on his skin, and his eyes widened with horror. However, Qingling didn't let him run away. She grabbed him by his collar and gave him a stern look.
"Weren't you going to show us the way to Kang's?" The boy, who was in her grasp, had no choice but to nod. Slowly, he led the way through multiple alleyways, before finally arriving at a small shop. And running away after the girl let go of his hand.
"Was that necessary?" Bohai asked.
"Yep. Someones gotta teach kids nowadays not to scam adults."
"But we aren't adults."
"Hmph. It doesn't matter if we aren't adults or not," Qingling retorted, "c'mon, lets just go inside and wait for the old man."