As Kang Hong, in his monstrous form, charged at Bohai and Qingling, they both had their lives flash before their eyes.
Qingling remembered her early childhood, specifically the first time she made her first meal. It was burnt, and way too salty, but her mother had eaten every last bite of it. She said it was the best dish she ever had.
Bohai remembered his sister, Chen Daiyu, holding his small hand as they walked across a bridge. It was spring, and the cherry blossoms were falling. One had landed in her long brown hair, and he tugged on her smooth hands to gain her attention.
She bent down on her knees, letting Bohai tell her what he needed to. But he never told her anything, he just raised his free hand and grabbed the flower out of her silky hair. She was shocked by his gesture, and granted him a once-in-a-lifetime smile of hers. It was a memory he had completely forgotten, but it was the happiest he had ever been.
For the first time in his life, Bohai was ready to meet his fallen family members. He wanted to be embraced by his family, and he wouldn't mind being scolded by his grandfather because he knew his siblings would cover for him. Despite him being ready, he couldn't let Qingling die. So he continued to protect her, and as Kang Hong came for them, he readied himself for a fight to the death.
The multiple changes of emotion that flickered in Bohai's black eyes were noticed by Kang Hong, making the ends of his mouth curve upwards into a smile. As he saw the young man ready himself for a fight, solely meant for defense, Hong immediately released his aura. As he landed on the group, he looked the same as he had before - an average man with deep blue eyes.
The knives stopped shooting out from the walls as Kang Hong released his aura. The attack was stopped within a second, confusing Bohai immensely. Kang Hong said nothing as he turned around and led the way into a secret passage.
"Well," the boy spoke, "don't just stand there, follow him."
The boy's sudden words broke Bohai's stupor, and made Qingling open her eyes. Both were shaken, and walked in silence after the man who had just tried to kill them.
"Are you sure we want to follow him?" Qingling whispered to Bohai as they walked in the long passage way. "He just tried to kill us you know, what if he wants to go somewhere more secretive?"
"He won't kill us." Bohai assured. He didn't know why, but he just knew that the man wouldn't do anything to them. If he wanted to, he already would have dealt with them.
Qingling didn't know why she trusted Bohai, maybe it was because he had just protected her. After hearing him calmly reassure her though, she trusted his words and walked besides him with no hesitation.
"I never would've imagined seeing another Chen walk into my shop." Kang Hong said as they entered a room. "Never in a million years."
Bohai tensed as he heard his surname. He had forced himself to forget the name, and the people associated with the name, for years now. It was something that had gotten everyone he cared about killed, and he knew if someone found out about him he would be killed too.
"Your quite stupid to march into the capital. You've got quite the bounty on your head, y'know?"
"I saw." Bohai said, referring to the newspaper the boy had been reading earlier.
"I like stupid guys like you though." Kang Hong said with a faint smile. "Its always guys like you who pass my test."
"Thanks."
"Liu, go get some tea." Kang Hong said to the boy. "Thats a kid I picked off of the streets. An orphan. But he's got potential. A blue core." Hong said.
Bohai was shocked to hear about the boy. It was nearly impossible for a random kid to be born with a core, most of them were passed down through family. His eyes watched as the boy left, and he finally noticed how he made no steps when we walked. It was an impressive skill for such a young boy.
As Liu returned, an old man accompanied him. Kang Hong's smile grew as he saw the old familiar face.
"Tan Zhong!" Hong said as he got up to hug his old friend.
Despite the thirty year age gap between the two, they were as close as brothers. They had done a lot of things together, including picking up a lot of girls. Back in the day, Hong had been the perfect wingman for the thirty year old Huizhong. Seeing one another brought back unforgettable memories for both of them.
"Its been a while." Tan Huizhong said, sounding nostalgic. The two greeted each other for the first time in twenty years, but it was cut short when Tan Huizhong suddenly got serious. "What do you know about Shen Zihao?"