Evan Yang sat with his wine cup, drinking alone, as if whatever happened outside had nothing to do with him.
"I wonder how they're doing now." Evan drank, suddenly thinking of his old life on his home continent. Now, even if he wanted to go back and take a look, he no longer knew which planet he'd come from.
Drinking and thinking about the past, no matter how noisy things got outside, it was all disconnected from him—until the crowd finished watching the commotion and returned to their seats.
Just then, another burst of noise sounded outside, and the curious crowd rushed out again.
This commotion snapped Evan back to reality. He glanced outside, Thousand‑Mile Echo still active, and heard the savage beasts going wild as if provoked, rampaging everywhere. The little house had already been trampled beyond recognition.
The Feng Family entourage hurried forward to stop the savage beasts, but it was as if the beasts were possessed—no matter how their handlers shouted, nothing worked. In the end, the group had no choice but to kill several of the leading beasts.
Blood stained the avenue, and the little house had long since collapsed, crushed beneath the powerful bodies of the beasts.
Seeing this, the Feng Family quickly cleared away the beasts and began searching for the person inside the house, only to find it empty—no sign of life or death.
This development left the surrounding crowd exchanging confused glances, while the guards frantically searched for the missing person. None of them wanted to lose their heads, especially with such a high‑stakes situation.
Seeing the Feng Family searching and questioning everyone, the crowd quickly retreated to their seats, not daring to say a word.
The Feng Family members produced a portrait, displaying an image of a woman—truly a beauty that could topple cities. Everyone who saw it gasped in awe.
They asked each onlooker if they'd ever seen this woman.
No one recognized her; everyone shook their heads. When they questioned Evan, he glanced at the portrait—it was indeed stunning, comparable to Winter. The difference was, this woman wore a lively smile, like someone full of energy, while Winter was icy cold. That contrast struck Evan as their biggest difference.
"Hey, I'm talking to you, beggar!" The Feng Family disciple snapped, seeing Evan staring at the portrait lost in thought.
Evan snapped back to attention. "Never seen her," he replied.
"Never seen her, but you stared so long! Aren’t you afraid your eyes will fall out?" The Feng Family member left angrily after tossing out this remark.
The surrounding crowd burst out laughing, mocking Evan’s expression just now.
Evan, thick-skinned as ever, ignored them and kept drinking. Outside, the Feng Family continued searching along the road, questioning everyone. Even after a whole day, they hadn't found her, but they refused to give up. By nightfall, they were still combing the city. Even as Evan walked down the main avenue toward the black market, he could see groups searching for the woman.
Along the way, Evan could hear the guards grumbling.
"That Ye Clan girl, really... She’s got the Feng Family chasing her, and she still wants to run away?" one man complained.
"Keep your voice down, or if the captain overhears and tells Third Young Master Feng, we’re dead meat," another whispered.
"Let’s not talk about it. Back to searching." The complainer shuddered and quickly shut up, not daring to say more.
Evan, not far away, overheard everything. "A runaway marriage?" he thought.
That was Evan’s first guess—the woman in the portrait had escaped, and the chaos was probably her doing.
"Other people’s business isn’t my concern. Let’s see what tonight’s black market has to offer." Evan shook off the thought, picked up his pace, and headed for the black market.
The black market was crowded, drawing auction enthusiasts from all the surrounding planets. In other words, it was huge—rivaling the cities of some fifth‑class stars.
It needed a massive space, and the black market itself was underground, like a subterranean palace, divided into many areas: low‑tier, mid‑tier, and high‑tier.
Low‑tier auctions started below one million upper‑grade spirit crystals, mid‑tier below ten million, and high‑tier started at ten million and up.
That’s why the low‑tier area was packed, the mid‑tier less so, and the high‑tier consisted of private booths.
Evan wanted high‑grade herbs, so he started with the mid‑tier. With the staff’s help, he entered the mid‑tier zone. To make sure no troublemakers got in, everyone had to deposit ten million upper‑grade spirit crystals onto a special card, refunded upon leaving.
Arriving at this new place, Evan handed over ten million upper‑grade spirit crystals and got himself a card.
The card was anonymous, so Evan could use it to reclaim his crystals or spend them. If someone stole it, only the aura on the card could prove the owner’s identity.
Evan had to admire the black market’s tricks—they really had a knack for inventing all kinds of schemes.
But he was here for medicinal herbs, so after getting his card, he headed straight for the mid‑tier area.
"So many spirit crystals, and still pretending to be a beggar." The staff clicked their tongues after Evan entered the mid‑tier zone.
Once inside, Evan stopped paying attention to what was happening outside. He couldn’t hear anything they said. As soon as he entered the mid‑tier area, he drew some attention, but everyone was here for the auction—after a quick glance, they focused back on the stage, waiting for the event to start.
"Am I really that handsome?" Evan muttered, thinking about the surprised looks he’d gotten. He found a seat near the front and waited for the auction to begin.
Evan’s card had a number. According to the staff, all auctions here were anonymous—everything was called by number.
The numbers were three digits, and Evan’s card was number fifty.
Just as Evan sat down, a woman came over and took the seat beside him. Aside from the central auction stage and the entrance, the rest of the area was shrouded in darkness—you could only make out rough shapes and positions.