They finally reached the busiest street of the market. The little boy stopped in front of a two-story shop.
It looked pretty good from outside but Li Ming realized that there wasn't a single customer walking in or out of the shop.
She started to follow the boy inside when a soft honey dripping female voice stopped her, making her cringe inside.
She turned to her right and found a girl in her late teens walking towards them. Her clothes and jewelry were not of the highest quality, nor she appeared like the Young Miss of a noble family however she conducted herself with pride.
Li Ming looked behind the girl and her gaze landed on the shop that was standing right beside the Little Boy's family shop.
"Yes?" Li Ming asked the girl who had stopped a few feet away from her.
The girl bowed to greet Li Ming. Looking at her soft smiling face and demeanor, she appeared to be a well behaved and kind young lady but then again, never judge a book by its cover.
The girl ruined her impressive image the moment she opened her mouth. Though her words were sugar-coated but Li Ming wasn't really a fourteen-year-old child. Her experience as the leader of the Mage Clan had taught her too much in her past life and one of those lessons was how to read a person.
She could not only read minds but she had also learned to read the personality of a person. It's hard to trick her keen and sharp eyes and disguise your true personality behind a facade.
However, it didn't mean that she couldn't be wrong. In a few situations, her opponents were too smart that it's hard to read them.
But she made no mistake while grasping the hidden intent behind the girl's words. She didn't even need to read her mind to confirm her doubts.
"Young Miss, you are probably new in the Capital City of Wang Empire." The girl said in a polite tone.
Li Ming stayed silent and didn't respond. She found no obligation towards a complete stranger to answer about her personal matters.
The girl's cheeks turned slightly red in embarrassment but she still continued, "Young Miss, since it's your first time in the Capital City, it's our duty to make sure that you won't be taken advantage of by some random tricksters. I'm sure this boy had told you some heartbreaking story about his sister or his poor family and forced you to buy clothes from their shop out of pity. But you are being fooled here. Don't trust this little kid. He and his family have done numerous wrongs and because no one visits their shop anymore, they have started tricking and fooling innocent and new visitors, so that they can buy from their shop out of sympathy."
Li Ming wanted to roll her eyes but she controlled her urge. She was amazed that there were people out there who actually believed the stupid words of this girl.
"Oh! Thank you for letting me know. If you haven't found me now, I have almost been robbed. After all, I'm such an innocent and simple-minded girl who can't tell wrong from right. But I have to buy some clothes. If not this shop then where I can buy good quality clothes?" She asked innocently.
Her words were clearly mocking the girl but looked like she had given her more credit than she actually deserved. The girl didn't even realize that she had been mocked.
Li Ming felt the little boy tensing beside her. She looked at him and found his eyes full of tears. She placed her hands on his shoulder and squeezed it lightly. The boy looked confused but didn't say anything and kept quiet.
The girl was too happy to notice anything. She beamed as she hurriedly said, "If you are looking for good quality and designer clothes, why don't you come to our shop." She said while pointing at the shop behind her.
"I'm Chu Hua, one of the personal maids of the Eldest Young Miss of the General Lan of the Wang Empire. This shop is owned by the Eldest Young Miss and she's famous around the entire Empire and even in some other cities of different Empires for her most unique designer clothes. I'm sure you will really like the clothes." The girl, Chu Hua, said in a very polite tone. She had controlled her excitement real quickly and efficiently took over a polite way of conversing.
Li Ming was actually impressed by the master of Chu Hua, she had really trained her underlings very well.
If not for her experience, she would probably have been swayed by her polite words. Tsk tsk, what a tricky method of snatching away customers.
"If it's really like that then I'll love to check your Master's designed clothes. Please lead the way." Li Ming said to Chu Hua.
The girl smiled politely and started walking towards the three-story shop that had a constant number of customers entering and leaving it.
Li Ming turned towards the little boy and said in a soft tone, "Let's go."
The boy didn't move from his place and stared at her with confused eyes as he asked, "Where?"
"To help me teach these stupid people some lessons. Won't that be exciting?" Li Ming asked in an excited tone as she winked at the little boy who was now grinning. He nodded his head in excitement but then his smile disappeared as he looked towards the shop of the General family.
Li Ming looked at the direction of his gaze and noticed Chu Hua looking at both of them with confused eyes.
"Just stay beside me and don't talk to anyone. Your Goddess will take care of everything. Okay?" Li Ming asked in a soft voice as she took one of his hands in her own and held it securely.
The boy nodded his head lightly and his fingers gripped her hand a little tightly.
Li Ming felt a sudden drop in the temperature even though the sun was reaching its highest peak of the day.
She shook her head to stop overthinking and started walking towards the shop with the little boy.
Unknown to her, a man in black and red robes was staring at her hand which was held tightly by the little boy. The sudden temperature drop was due to the cold vibes that he was emitting. His obsidian eyes glowed bright red for a few seconds before turning back to their previous self.
The three shadow guards quivered under the cold pressure of their lord as they kept hidden in the shadows of the shops.
They had no idea about what triggered their Master's wrath but none of them dared to face their Master to find the answer. They were not interested in dying so early.
On the other hand, Li Ming stopped at the entrance of the shop and looked at Chu Hua, who was slightly blocking the entrance, with questioning eyes.
"Young Miss, why are you bringing this boy inside the shop?" Chu Hua tried to ask in a normal tone but she couldn't hold the irritation out of her voice.
"Is there some problem if I bring him along with me?" Li Ming asked instead of answering her question.
"No. It's nothing like that. But-"
"If not then I don't see a reason behind you questioning me like that. Am I allowed to enter or not?" Li Ming said as she cut Chu Hua off in mid-sentence.
The girl wanted to argue but then stopped her words from leaving her mouth. Though Li Ming was wearing normal clothes, but she could tell that the clothes were if high quality.
There was only a single golden hairpin in her hair but it too was very beautiful and her hair was perfectly designed. But the lack of her hair jewelry was covered with all the rings and bracelets that were decorating her jade-like hands. The hands which looked soft and elegant, indicating that she had never done any household work.
But above all, the most impressive was her aura which shouted elegance, power, and status.
Chu Hua had been personally trained by her Master and she had learned a long time ago to not take any of the visitors of the Capital market, lightly.
She nodded her head and entered the shop, followed by Li Ming and the little boy.
The black and red-robed man noticed the girl entering a shop and his legs immediately led him directly towards that shop.
It was like his body, soul, or mind, nothing was in his control. Every single cell in his body was dragging him towards the girl who carried that lilac and honey mixed fragrance with her. The same fragrance that had been haunting him day and night for quite some time.
He finally found his lilac Girl.
The three shadow guards nearly let out a surprised scream as they watched their Lord walking towards a shop.
"What is the Master going to do inside a shop for women's clothes?" One of the guards asked his other partners as he tried to take in the fact that their Lord, who had disliked the mere mention of the word female, had just entered inside a shop of lady's clothes in the bright daylight.
What's gonna happen next?