"You really trust Talabova, huh!" Catherine walked beside Ling Feng, pursing her lips as she spoke. "Aren't you afraid she might go back on her word?"

Ling Feng wrapped his arm around Catherine's waist and replied, "Alright, stop being so sour! She didn't verify if those oil paintings are genuine either. This is mutual trust between us. You ought to know by now—even you must agree—if it weren't for Talabova, I'd probably still just be a walking corpse."

"I'm just annoyed!" Catherine pouted. "That little witch, the way she looks at you, it's like she wants to devour you. Doesn't she have any shred of womanly modesty left?"

Ling Feng shook his head slightly. He knew that one of the reasons Catherine disliked Talabova was because years ago, Talabova had sold information on their instructor's weaknesses to Ling Feng. Otherwise, Ling Feng wouldn't have been able to turn the tide at the last moment and seize victory.

According to that logic, Talabova was also indirectly responsible for the death of Catherine's father! Though the battle between Ling Feng and the instructor had been a clash of martial artists without personal vendettas, that didn't mean Catherine could truly let it go.

She loved Ling Feng and honored her father's dying wish to forgive him, but that didn't mean she would forgive Talabova as well.

This was an unsolvable knot—a deadlock that even Ling Feng chose to keep silent on.

With roughly two hours remaining before the event started, Ling Feng and Catherine wandered around Heaven Island. They found that the place truly was a tranquil utopia, where every face radiated a blissful smile, as if living in actual paradise.

"If only we could live here in the future," Catherine murmured, her gaze revealing a longing for this tranquil and peaceful lifestyle.

Soon after, Catherine sighed gently, knowing full well this dream was unrealistic.

Ling Feng gripped Catherine's hand tightly and whispered, "Don't worry. Give me some time, and I'll make your wish come true."

Catherine's voice softened with a touch of tenderness. "Ling Feng, I was just speaking off the cuff. In this world, where does true paradise exist? Without the Eye of God's protection, this place would've long turned into an Asura Field."

Ling Feng pulled Catherine close without saying a word, but deep in his mind, a seed had been planted.

"Let's go. There's a café ahead; we can rest for a bit and head over closer to the start time," Catherine said, tugging Ling Feng's hand as they stepped inside.

As they approached the café, the two chose a window seat and sat down. A server quickly approached them.

"Welcome! May I ask what you'd like to order?" the server asked with a warm smile.

"Two Blue Mountain," Ling Feng replied.

Soon, two cups of Blue Mountain Coffee were brought to their table. Ling Feng and Catherine sipped their coffee, chatting quietly as they enjoyed the moment.

In the gentle afternoon sunlight of Heaven Island, Ling Feng felt an overwhelming sense of relaxation, as if time itself had slowed down.

However, this pleasant moment was interrupted by an unexpected visitor.

"Hello, may I share this table? There are no other seats available nearby," a man in his thirties approached Ling Feng, wearing a lazy smile.

Before Ling Feng could refuse, the man plopped himself down beside him without hesitation, grinning as he asked, "Hey big guy, are you here for the auction too?"

Ling Feng frowned slightly, sensing a hint of vigilance toward this sudden intruder. Though Ling Feng had kept his aura contained, his natural intensity still emanated, deterring ordinary people from approaching easily.

Yet this man seemed unaffected, sitting beside him as if nothing was amiss—clearly someone extraordinary.

"You're quite lucky, aren't you!" the man murmured in Ling Feng's ear. "To have such a gorgeous girlfriend by your side, you're basically living the dream while guys like me... well, over thirty and still single—it's enough to make anyone sigh."

Ling Feng set down his coffee and glanced at the man indifferently. "What's your real purpose for coming up to us?"

The man's expression shifted briefly but quickly recovered as he laughed, "Whoa, big guy, you're a bit too sensitive. What could I possibly want? There were no open seats, so I just figured I'd share the table."

"Save me the lousy excuses. Do you really think I'll buy that?" Ling Feng replied coldly, his voice sharp. "You'd better state your true intentions, or else…"

As he spoke, a faint trace of Evil Qi began to rise from Ling Feng.

He certainly wasn't about to believe this seemingly harmless stranger had innocent intentions.

The man's eyes darted briefly before he chuckled, "Brother, you truly have a keen eye—quick to recognize my true intentions. I admire you greatly! The name's Jack, and I came to recommend something to you."

With that, Jack pulled a small booklet out from under his coat, speaking with an air of mystery. "This here contains detailed information on all the auction items being offered, including their starting bid prices and valuations. It's an absolute must-have for attendees!"

Item catalog? Ling Feng's eyes flickered momentarily. But he replied flatly to Jack, "Forget it. We don't need it."

"Come on!" Jack seemed desperate. "This isn't your ordinary brochure; it's insider info from the auction house itself. As they say, preparation is half the battle. Armed with this, victory at the auction is practically guaranteed!"

Catherine spoke up dismissively, "I've heard some changes were announced for this auction. They'll hand out item details to everyone at the entrance, won't they? Is this booklet the same? Trying to sell it to us ahead of time—do you think we're suckers?"

A flicker of surprise crossed Jack's face, but it vanished quickly. He chuckled nervously, "The ones they issue at the venue only contain simple, stripped-down info. My version is far more thorough. But alright, since you're not interested, I'll leave you be."

With that, Jack stood up and left with a nonchalant air.

"That man must have an unusual background!" Catherine remarked after Jack left. "And I bet 'Jack' is just a fake name."

Ling Feng chuckled. "'Jack' probably is fake—like how folks in Huaxia use 'Xiao Ming' as a placeholder name. It's so unconvincing. Still, I have a feeling his real goal was to get close to us."

Catherine grinned slyly. "Not us—just you! From the moment he sat down, his focus never shifted from you, and all his words revolved around you. Me? I'm right here looking stunning as always, but he barely glanced my way—talk about ignoring me entirely. Ling Feng, do you think he could be... gay? What if he was hitting on you?"

Ling Feng shivered instinctively. "Catherine, is your butt itching for trouble again?"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.