A flash of surprise crossed Lin Feng's eyes at the sight.
To be honest, he truly hadn't expected to find this kind of scene behind the door.
"Well? Are you blown away?" the bartender asked, giving Lin Feng a proud pat on the shoulder. "This is what I was talking about—the main event!"
Lin Feng didn't answer, but his gaze swept quickly across the surroundings.
They were standing in a spacious hall.
In the slightly dim lighting, a massive crowd already packed the seats.
Right in the center of the hall stood an Octagon Cage.
"This is... an underground fighting ring?" Lin Feng realized instantly.
"That's right, an underground fighting ring! You're lucky to stumble upon Sister Wei's personal appearance on your very first visit!" The bartender chuckled, pointing at the Octagon Cage ahead. "You're in for a real treat today!"
Lin Feng paused, his gaze falling inside the Octagon Cage.
Inside the cage at that moment, a short-haired young woman in a dark green tank top had just knocked out her opponent with a single punch.
Instantly, the already deafening cheers grew even louder.
"Sister Wei?" Looking at the young woman raising her arms inside the Octagon Cage, Lin Feng wore a peculiar expression. "Is the full name of this Sister Wei you're talking about Shen Chuwei?"
"Oh? I didn't expect someone on their first visit to have heard of Sister Wei's reputation!" The bartender looked thoroughly surprised.
Hearing this, Lin Feng rolled his eyes inwardly.
He had heard of her far more than just "by reputation."
Unless something unexpected had happened, this young woman raising her arms inside the Octagon Cage to soak up the audience's cheers was one of the marriage candidates his three masters had chosen for him.
Well, one of them, anyway.
"When I was up on the mountain, I only happened to hear my First Master mention that this Shen Chuwei had quite a formidable reputation in the underground circles of Nancheng. I never imagined... heh, underground fighting." Lin Feng rubbed his brow, offering a bitter smile inward.
The truth was, the reason he had come to the bar tonight was twofold: on the one hand, he wanted to gather intelligence on Nancheng's underground forces, and on the other, he was hoping to try his luck and ask around for news about Shen Chuwei.
He never expected to run into Shen Chuwei before he even had the chance to ask.
Still, he had to admit, his three masters did have a good eye.
Young as Shen Chuwei was, her curvaceous figure possessed an explosive, powerful tension.
"Tell me, are you mesmerized? Fallen for Sister Wei, haven't you?"
Seeing that Lin Feng remained silent, staring straight at Shen Chuwei in the Octagon Cage, the bartender nudged him and chuckled softly.
"You can just keep dreaming, my friend. Let me tell you, there are countless people in all of Nancheng infatuated with Sister Wei, but they're all just toads trying to eat swan meat!"
"Infatuated?" The bartender's words pulled Lin Feng back to reality.
He glanced at the smirking bartender, shook his head slightly, and said, "Infatuated is a strong word. Actually, I was just wondering how to bring up the annulment with her later."
"Y-You said what? Annulment? With whom?" The bartender froze.
Lin Feng pointed toward Shen Chuwei inside the Octagon Cage and smiled. "Who else could it be? Naturally, the Sister Wei you were just talking about."
After a brief pause, Lin Feng added, "She's my fiancée."
At those words, the bartender's eyes widened dramatically.
Sheer disbelief flooded his expression.
He stared hard at Lin Feng for a full few seconds before letting out a sharp shriek.
"You're saying Shen Chuwei is your fiancée? Are you out of your mind?!"
Perhaps due to the sheer shock of it, the bartender's exclamation was exceptionally loud.
The surrounding spectators clearly heard the bartender's cry, and a wave of stunned confusion washed over them.
"What? Shen Chuwei is his fiancée? Who the hell is this guy?"
"Impossible! Spouting utter nonsense! Sister Wei is the pillar of this fighting ring, a heavyweight in the underground circle. There's no way she'd ever get engaged to a nobody!"
"The kid's clearly out of his mind. Why would Shen Chuwei ever look twice at him?"
"..."
In that instant, countless gazes converged on Lin Feng.
Some held curiosity, some confusion, but most were filled with contempt and disdain.
A few even stood up from their seats, pointing rudely at Lin Feng and raining curses down upon him.
"You little punk, what do you think you are, even entertaining thoughts about Shen Chuwei? A toad lusting after a swan, completely oblivious to your own limits! If you know what's good for you, get lost!"
Lin Feng glanced at the man cursing him, showing no anger. He merely shook his head slightly and said, "I'm not joking. Shen Chuwei is indeed my fiancée, and I have the Marriage Contract to prove it."
Hearing this, some of the surrounding onlookers hesitated.
A Marriage Contract to prove it?
Could this kid actually be Shen Chuwei's fiancé?
If so, why had no one ever heard of it before?
Just as the crowd was wavering between doubt and belief, a voice suddenly rang out from nearby.
"Everyone, don't be fooled by this kid! He is definitely not Shen Chuwei's fiancé!"
Following the voice, Sun Shaohong—who had crossed paths with Lin Feng earlier—hurried over.
He glared fiercely at Lin Feng and said in a deep voice, "I saw it with my own eyes: he has an ambiguous, overly close relationship with Zhao Qingling, the heiress of the Zhao Family! Let me ask you, what kind of person is Shen Chuwei? Would she ever lower herself to share a husband with another woman? Therefore, he is lying!"
Sun Shaohong sneered. "The only reason he's spouting such nonsense is to find an excuse to get close to Shen Chuwei. Little tricks like this might fool others, but they won't fool me!"
"It's you again?"
Seeing Sun Shaohong step forward, Lin Feng frowned, a trace of displeasure flashing across his brow.
Back at the clothing store, this same Sun Shaohong had been pestering Zhao Qingling.
He hadn't expected the man to show up here and brazenly slander him again.
Truly, enemies are bound to cross paths.
"What? Did I expose your true face, so now you're angry out of embarrassment?" Perhaps emboldened by the presence of the crowd, Sun Shaohong didn't back down this time the way he had before.
He gave a cold snort. "Lin Feng, you have a shady relationship with Zhao Qingling, and now you're coming here to pester Shen Chuwei. Do you really think Nancheng is your playground? You think you can do whatever you want?"
Without waiting for Lin Feng to reply, Sun Shaohong continued, "Shen Chuwei made it very clear: anyone who wants a private audience with her must step into the Octagon Cage and fight a match themselves! Those are the rules! Since you claim Shen Chuwei is your fiancée, true or false aside, I dare you to step into the Octagon Cage and fight a match right now!"
At these words, the surrounding spectators immediately started jeering and egging him on.
"That's right! If you want to see Shen Chuwei, those are the rules!"
"If you have the guts to step into the Octagon Cage and fight a match, then we might just believe you're telling the truth!"
"Otherwise, if you want to get anywhere near Shen Chuwei today, you'll have to get past us first!"
As the shouts rose, numerous spectators stood up from their seats, blocking Lin Feng's path.
It was as if they would swarm him and teach him a harsh lesson at the slightest sign of hesitation.