"Lily Tang, you...?" Evan Chu was at a loss for words. Her sudden change in attitude had him completely flustered.
"Hehe, did I scare you?" Lily Tang's cheeks flushed slightly. Thanks to Lynn exposing her, she was feeling a little embarrassed.
"N-not at all!" Evan Chu replied, forcing himself to sound sincere. Yeah right—like he wasn't startled.
"Let's not dwell on it. Honestly, I just like dressing as a boy, so I'm pretty bold most of the time. Hope you don't mind!"
"No, not at all!"
Roxanne Lin looked at Lily Tang as if she'd seen a monster. "So why do you wear a veil? Hiding another side of yourself too?"
"Not really. I'll tell you the story another time. But for now, could you explain what this 'magical beast hunting' thing is all about?"
Evan Chu thought for a moment before answering, "There's a mountain range about a hundred li west of Heavenly Dragon Academy called the White Tiger Mountain Range."
Legend has it that an ancient sacred beast—the White Tiger—once appeared there, so it's called the White Tiger Mountain Range. That's also why this city is named White Tiger City.
The White Tiger Mountain Range is packed with low-tier magical beasts. The strongest ones are fifth-tier, which is about the same as a human Earth Martial Realm expert.
"Usually, you'll only find magical beasts from the first to fourth tier, along with plenty of wild beasts that don't even count as magical beasts. The difference is, some magical beasts have monster cores inside them, but wild beasts never do," Evan explained.
"Oh, that sounds dangerous! If we ever go into the White Tiger Mountain Range together, you have to protect me, okay? Look at me, I'm just a weak, helpless girl!" Lily Tang said with a mischievous smile.
Evan Chu was at a loss for words, inwardly feeling utterly speechless.
Protect you? You killed a tiger yourself! With your strength, there's no way you're weak. Otherwise, how could you even get into Heavenly Dragon Academy? Honestly, I'll be lucky if you don't end up protecting me!
Roxanne Lin saw the look on Evan's face and immediately said, "If you're ever in danger, we'll help you without hesitation!"
The bustling streets of White Tiger City were far livelier than those in Flowing Cloud City. Vendors lined both sides, their shouts and the noisy crowd filling the air everywhere they went.
Seeing all these street vendors reminded Evan Chu of the old man who once sold him a monster egg.
He hadn't checked on that monster egg since he bought it—it had been tossed into his storage belt and forgotten. Who knew what it was like now, or whether it could ever hatch?
At that moment, Lily Tang stopped in front of a stall run by a middle-aged man wearing gray cloth.
On the stall were two items—two low-tier monster cores, one red and one gray.
Seeing Lily Tang stop at the middle-aged man's stall, Evan Chu stepped forward and asked, "Are you thinking of buying these monster cores?"
"I just think they're really pretty. These are monster cores, right?" Lily Tang said, feigning innocence.
Evan Chu and Roxanne Lin nearly choked. Sister, could you stop acting cute already? There’s no one else around—why pretend you don’t know anything? If she keeps this up, they might just lose their dinner from last night.
Evan Chu turned to the vendor and said, "How much for these two monster cores?"
Hanging out with Lily Tang was bound to make him dizzy sooner or later. Who knew there was someone even better at pretending than he was? Maybe all women are like this?
"Brother, if you want the red monster core, it'll be ten Spirit Stones. The gray one is five. If you buy both, I'll give you a discount—just twelve Spirit Stones for the pair," the middle-aged man replied.
"Why do these two monster cores cost different amounts? Can you tell me why?" Lily Tang asked curiously.
"Everyone knows red means fire attribute, and gray means earth attribute. One is for attack and one for defense, so of course the attack type is worth more," the vendor explained.
The middle-aged man stared at Lily Tang in confusion. Even a three-year-old knows this stuff—was she pretending, or was there something wrong with her head?
If Lily Tang knew what he was thinking, with her mother tyrannosaurus temper, she might just beat him up on the spot.
"Twelve Spirit Stones? I'll take them," Evan Chu said, pulling out twelve low-grade Spirit Stones and handing them to the middle-aged man.
"Roxanne, is there anything you want? I'll buy it for you!" Evan Chu didn't want Roxanne Lin to get upset.
Roxanne Lin understood what Evan was thinking. "I haven't seen anything I want yet. If I do, I'll let you know!"
"Hey, big bro, there are still monster cores here—want me to buy them for you?"
Suddenly a voice reached Evan Chu's ears, but he ignored it and handed the monster cores to Lily Tang. "Here, these are what you wanted!"
"Who asked you to buy them? We have Spirit Stones too. No one does something for nothing—if you're acting nice, you've got an ulterior motive," Lynn Zhu said from beside Lily.
To her, Evan Chu was just trying to curry favor with her lady—clearly not rich, yet still buying gifts left and right.
"Lynn, what are you saying! I haven't even settled accounts with you for earlier. Are you itching for trouble? Want me to loosen up your bones a little?"
Lily Tang also felt her maid was going too far. She was about to apologize to Evan Chu when she saw his stunned expression and realized she'd let her true self slip again.
Just then, that voice rang out again. "Hey, kid, hand over those monster cores and maybe you'll get out of White Tiger City in one piece. Otherwise, you'll regret it!"
Evan Chu and the others turned to look at the speaker—a youth of sixteen or seventeen, decent-looking except for his shifty, rat-like eyes that screamed trouble.
"Who are you trying to scare? We already bought these monster cores—why should we give them to you? Who do you think you are? Don’t push me, or you’ll be the one who can’t walk away today!"
Evan Chu despised people like this—just like Liam Liu back in Flowing Cloud City, bullying others just because their family had a bit of power. If Chu Yuanba hadn’t warned him to stay patient, Evan would’ve taught him a lesson ages ago.
"Still mouthing off, huh? You’d better show some respect—do you even know whose turf you’re on? Today you’re all dead meat," the punk threatened.
"Why should we give them to you? My lady already bought these monster cores. You think having money makes you special? If you wanted them, you should’ve come earlier instead of bullying outsiders!" Lynn Zhu shot back.
Lynn Zhu looked totally fearless—she actually found these punks even more annoying than Evan Chu.
Another youth with the punk spoke up. "This is White Tiger City. Since you’re here, you’d better learn the rules. Don’t do anything stupid."
"Rules? What rules?" Evan Chu asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Anyone who meets us has to pay a protection fee. Otherwise, you won’t be able to take a single step in White Tiger City."
"I’d like to see if not paying your protection fee really means I can’t walk a single step!" Evan Chu laughed. These guys didn’t want monster cores—they just wanted to extort money.
"Evan, there’s no need to be polite with scum like this. Just kill them and be done with it," Roxanne Lin said, unable to stand it any longer.
The punk’s gaze immediately shifted to Roxanne Lin, then to Lily Tang. Both girls wore veils.
But his instincts told him Roxanne Lin was a rare beauty—one you hardly ever saw.
A wicked smile crept onto the punk’s face. "Miss, may I ask your honorable name?"