On Silvis

Upon hearing Ning Rongrong's question, Chen Feng explained frankly.

He didn't have any particular feelings for that Cat Girl, so he didn't feel guilty at all.

"Cat Girl," Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing exchanged a glance, "Let's go take a look together, and if there are any useful items at the auction, we can buy them."

After saying goodbye to Xiao Hei, the three of them went to the Academy's reception area.

There were already two people waiting there.

One of them was Old Meng, whom they hadn't seen for a while, and the other was a woman wearing a gray hood with two barely noticeable bumps on her head; she must be the mother of the Cat Girl who was auctioned off.

Upon seeing the three arrive, Old Meng stood up, bowed, and said:

"Greetings, Miss and Young Master Feng. This is He Yun; please take care of settling her in, Young Master Feng."

The hooded woman named He Yun bowed and said, her voice choked with emotion:

"I desperately need the three of you to save my daughter."

"Don't worry, we'll get your daughter back. Just wait at the Academy for a few days," Chen Feng said, helping her up.

He Yun nodded repeatedly in thanks. Her husband had been exiled for his crimes, and she and her daughter were also to be enslaved. Fortunately, her husband had made arrangements beforehand, allowing her to escape with her daughter.

However, after fleeing for some time, her daughter was discovered and captured because she accidentally revealed the Cat Girl's appearance. At that time He Yun was almost in despair.

Her last remaining hope led her to the reputable Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. At that time, she thought that she was willing to pay any price to save her daughter.

Unexpectedly, the sect leader didn't make any demands and directly agreed to her request to help rescue her daughter. He even helped her find out where her daughter had gone after being arrested and then sent her to the city where her daughter was now.

He Yun had already made up her mind that if her daughter could really be saved, she would go to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to become a Servant to repay the sect leader's kindness.

Just as Chen Feng was preparing to take He Yun to the Academy to settle down, a person dressed as a waiter came to the reception desk.

"His Highness the Crown Prince has sent an invitation. Please give it to Chen Feng, a student at your esteemed Academy."

"I am Chen Feng." Chen Feng stepped forward, took the invitation, opened it, and his expression turned strange.

He hadn't expected that Qian Renxue would invite him to the auction after Old Ning sent him a message.

She also attached a list of auction items to the invitation.

Chen Feng only knew that there was a Cat Girl among the items, and he was unaware of the other items. After briefly browsing the list, he paused on one or two items before putting the list away.

"Please go back and tell His Highness the Crown Prince that I will be there."

"Yes." The waiter took his leave.

Chen Feng watched his departing figure, lost in thought. There weren't many things at this auction that interested him; what truly intrigued him was why Qian Renxue had sent him an invitation.

He remembered that Qian Renxue did not attend this auction in the Manga; among the royal family, only Prince Xue Xing attended, and he even had a conflict with Old Ning over bidding for the Cat Girl.

Could it be that Qian Renxue invited me to the auction to cause a conflict between me and Prince Xue Xing? Chen Feng considered one possibility.

Based on the information he currently possesses, this is likely the option that best serves Qian Renxue's interests.

Chen Feng's teacher is Grandmaster from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, and behind him stands Ning Fengzhi and his Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. It is reasonable for Qian Renxue to want to create conflict between Chen Feng and Prince Xue Xing, as this will make her position more secure.

However, this is Chen Feng's inference from his own perspective, and it may not be correct.

He would have to wait until they met to probe Qian Renxue's true intentions.

The Heaven Dou Grand Auction House doesn't actually hold auctions in the traditional sense; rather, it holds auctions 24 hours a day, and any item could potentially be auctioned there.

The auction that Ning Fengzhi and Xue Qinghe referred to was actually the period with the target items for auction, which was the afternoon of the following day.

On this day, a royal carriage arrived at the Academy gate, and Xue Qinghe smiled and waved to Chen Feng and the other two who were waiting at the gate.

"Get in the car, all three of you."

"I'm grateful that Your His Highness the Crown Prince has come to fetch me personally," Chen Feng said after boarding the carriage.

"It's on my way." Xue Qinghe smiled and looked at Ning Rongrong, "Long time no see, Rongrong sister."

"Your His Highness the Crown Prince, it's been a long time," Ning Rongrong said with a smile.

Xue Qinghe's gaze then shifted to Zhu Zhuqing. "And who is this?"

Chen Feng introduced her, "This is Zhu Zhuqing, she's our friend."

In reality, he felt that even without an introduction, Qian Renxue knew Zhu Zhuqing's identity, and he didn't believe that Qian Renxue hadn't investigated his group.

The four of them chatted idly as they rode in the carriage, and soon arrived at the Heaven Dou Auction House.

Upon seeing Xue Qinghe in the carriage, the four girls in white dresses at the auction house entrance bowed respectfully.

"Greetings, Your His Highness the Crown Prince."

"No need for formalities." Xue Qinghe waved his hand and walked towards the auction house entrance, with Chen Feng and the other two following closely behind.

The Heaven Dou Auction House was decorated quite elegantly. Led by Xue Qinghe, Chen Feng walked around and looked at the exhibits without any obstacles. Soon they arrived at a private room on the second floor.

After the receptionist left, only Xue Qinghe and the other three remained in the private room.

Of course, there must be other people secretly protecting Xue Qinghe, such as the Porcupinefish Douluo and Snake Lance Douluo from the Original Work.

"Brother Chen Feng, would you like a drink?" Xue Qinghe picked up a wine jug from the table and asked, "This is a fine wine specially prepared for VIPs at the auction."

"I'm still young and can't drink," Chen Feng shook his head. "Besides, Your His Highness the Crown Prince doesn't need to call me Brother Chen Feng, just call me Xiao Feng."

"Alright, Xiao Feng, you can also call me Brother Xue," Xue Qinghe said with a smile.

"Okay, Brother Xue."

Xue Qinghe poured himself a glass of wine, pondered for a moment, and then asked:

"Speaking of which, Xiao Feng, what item did you have your eye on at the auction this time?"

"Oh, that's because of that Cat Girl, of course," Chen Feng said without hesitation.

This candid answer caught Xue Qinghe off guard. He glanced at Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing beside Chen Feng, smiled, and asked:

"You're being so blunt, won't Rongrong be upset?"

"Ahem, Brother Xue, you've misunderstood. I was just asked to rescue that Cat Girl; I didn't have any other intentions," Chen Feng said, waving his hand.

Since Old Ning has made the request, he should make good use of this pretext, which will be perfect for fooling outsiders like Qian Renxue.

"I see." Xue Qinghe nodded.

The main reason he invited Chen Feng to the auction was to see if the other party was interested in the Cat Girl with the Spirit Mutation, and if so, in what way.

This test was used to confirm Chen Feng's true identity.

But now that goal is probably going to fall through.

However, Xue Qinghe was not discouraged. He had said before that he would have many opportunities to deal with Chen Feng.

"But did you come here just for Cat Girl? Is there anything else that interests you?" Xue Qinghe asked casually.

"I'd like to take a look at that Jade Necklace. If it's nice, I plan to buy it," Ning Rongrong said.

"I want to bid on that Shadow Stone," Zhu Zhuqing stated, revealing her goal.

This was the decision they made after reviewing the list of items to be auctioned. After all, it wouldn't make sense for them to make a trip just to buy Cat Girl; that would sound bad if word got out, even if they did it to save someone.

While the four people were chatting in the private room, the auction below was also underway, and it just so happened that they had reached the stage of auctioning the pair of Jade Necklace.

The host on stage, holding a megaphone and smiling, addressed the bidders:

"Next, we will be auctioning a pair of precious pieces of jewelry, crafted by highly skilled gem artisans. Their workmanship is truly exquisite, making them an excellent choice for both collection and wearing. You can purchase them for your wives or daughters; they will surely be delighted."

As the host announced, a beautiful young woman in a white dress came onto the stage carrying a tray.

The items on the tray were covered with red silk. When the host gently lifted the silk, everyone present gasped in amazement.

As the host said, these Jade Necklace look truly exquisite, and their shimmering brilliance gives them a breathtakingly beautiful appearance.

Xue Qinghe examined the pair of necklaces and suddenly said:

"So it was that family."

"Brother Xue, do you know the origin of these necklaces?" Chen Feng asked curiously.

"Well, I know a little about it. It belongs to a high-ranking official's family in Silvis, but I won't say which family specifically."

"Then why are they here? Is there some problem with that high-ranking official's family?" Chen Feng asked curiously.

Xue Qinghe smiled. "There really is a problem. Actually, it's somewhat related to the Cat Girl you're trying to save."

"Oh?" Chen Feng became even more curious. "What's the connection between these two things?"

Xue Qinghe took a sip of wine and explained in a subtle tone:

"Simply put, that family embezzled money they shouldn't have, and then the Cat Girl's father found out, leading to a struggle between the two sides. What you see before you now is the result of that struggle."

Chen Feng frowned. "Can you elaborate?"

Just as he was about to continue asking, he suddenly felt an extremely strong sense of terror, as if asking any more questions would result in punishment from some mysterious force.

So Chen Feng suppressed his curiosity and didn't investigate the matter further.

"Was the family of that high-ranking official punished in the end? And was the investigator rewarded?" Ning Rongrong asked at this moment.

Xue Qinghe glanced at her, smiled, and said nothing.

Chen Feng sighed softly and said:

Reality is not a story; good people don't necessarily get good rewards, and bad people aren't necessarily punished.

"So, what happened in the end?" Ning Rongrong asked Xue Qinghe.

Xue Qinghe smiled and asked Chen Feng:

"Xiao Feng, guess what the ending will be?"

Chen Feng let out a soft breath and said:

"I suspect the investigator's family was ruined, while the high-ranking official's family remains the same."

Snap, snap, snap

Xue Qinghe clapped his hands with a smile, "Well said. Yes, the investigator was exiled, his daughter is now being auctioned off as a slave, and the high-ranking official's family was reprimanded. To show that they have sincerely admitted their mistakes, they sent the Jade Necklace to the Heaven Dou Grand Auction House."

Ning Rongrong asked, puzzled:

"Judging from what Your His Highness the Crown Prince has said, the problem should lie with that high-ranking official's family, right? Why did it end up like this?"

"That's not surprising. Murderers and arsonists live in luxury, while those who repair bridges and roads leave no trace. Not to mention the invisible hand that holds power," Chen Feng said meaningfully.

Xue Qinghe smiled but didn't say anything.

"This invisible giant hand must belong to the Silvis family," Chen Feng continued.

"It can't be said, it can't be said. There are some things that others can do but we can't talk about. Instead, we have to cover our mouths and blindfold ourselves, pretending that nothing happened," Xue Qinghe said with a faint smile.

"After all, they're all family." Chen Feng laughed, his smile full of sarcasm.

He suddenly felt he should have a drink, because this kind of occasion wasn't suitable for sober people, but rather for those who were a little confused.

Once you're completely drunk, you won't know anything, see anything you shouldn't see, say anything you shouldn't say, or write anything you shouldn't write.

Just let things slide and be carefree; why bother with all those other things?

Anyway, if the house collapses, it won't be my problem. At worst, I'll just move to another house. That's how I've always gotten by. What difference will it make in the future?

There will be no difference; it has always been this way.

"Yes, even as the Crown Prince, I'm not really one of their people. My father even forbade us from discussing this matter, but I just can't help but say it," Xue Qinghe said calmly.

Chen Feng couldn't help but glance at him, just as Xue Qinghe looked over at that moment.

"To be honest, I regret not accepting the wine you offered me earlier, Brother Xue. It would have been so romantic to clink glasses with you now," Chen Feng sighed softly.

"It's not too late yet, there's still wine in the pot."

Is it really true?

"It's baseless."

"Hahaha," the two of them laughed simultaneously for no apparent reason.

Ning Rongrong's face showed disbelief. "How could this be? Those who do wrong should be punished, those who were embezzled..."

"Ahem." Chen Feng interrupted Ning Rongrong, "She's already been punished. She's already been given three cups of wine as a penalty, and this is the last time."

As for whether there will be another example like this, that depends on whether there are enough people willing to drink. At worst, they can just drink again as punishment, since they are all family anyway.

Ning Rongrong had lost all interest in the necklace at this point, and the auction for the necklace below had also concluded.

Its final transaction price was 230,000.