To be fair, although Saint Di Anfu is undeniably a rare beauty, Ling Feng really doesn't feel much for her. He just thinks teasing the Bright Saintess is a rather amusing pastime!
"Relax, let's go!" Ling Feng said, "I promise not to say anything inappropriate to you today. I'm merely taking the chance to stroll around Paris!"
"Really?" Saint Di Anfu was deeply skeptical.
Ling Feng rolled his eyes: "Come on, you don't really think I'd fall for you, do you? My women, each and every one of them, are far prettier than you!"
The first half of the sentence made Saint Di Anfu blush slightly, but the second half almost made her explode with anger!
"Hmph, let's go!" Saint Di Anfu said coldly, then turned and walked ahead.
Ling Feng shrugged before trailing behind her.
True to his word, Ling Feng kept his promise during this outing. He acted like a perfect gentleman, refraining from saying anything inappropriate. His gaze was even sincere and pure.
However, this version of Ling Feng felt very strange—and even unnerving—to Saint Di Anfu! Strangely enough, she found herself more comfortable with the cheeky, mischievous Ling Feng of before!
Ling Feng's gentlemanly demeanor somehow seemed to push the two of them further apart, leaving Saint Di Anfu feeling inexplicably vexed!
Irritated by this, Saint Di Anfu's tone when introducing the landmarks became noticeably stilted and awkward.
Yet Ling Feng maintained a polite and unflustered smile throughout.
"Thirsty?" Ling Feng asked after more than an hour of touring with Saint Di Anfu. Unable to resist, he said, "Hold on a moment, I'll get you a drink. What do you want? Coke or coffee?"
Saint Di Anfu did indeed feel a little thirsty after hearing this. "Coffee," she replied.
"Coffee contains caffeine; drinking too much isn't good for you. How about I get you some lemon water instead?" Ling Feng suggested, his tone full of concern.
A black line seemed to appear on Saint Di Anfu's forehead. "Then why did you even bother asking me if I wanted coffee or Coke?"
Ling Feng chuckled lightly and then walked off into the distance. ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ NovᴇlFirᴇ.ɴet
Saint Di Anfu took the opportunity to sit on a nearby bench. She ran her fingers through her golden hair and let out a small sigh. Last night, she had actually dreamed about Ling Feng, which left her feeling deeply unsettled. Even in the dream, Ling Feng was as cheeky as ever, teasing her nonstop, and yet… she couldn't help but feel a trace of nervousness.
As the Saintess of the Papal Court of Light, how could she possibly have feelings for another man?
"It must be because I've been so angry lately!" Saint Di Anfu reassured herself. "It's all Ling Feng's fault. Today, I'll definitely find a way to pay him back for what he did before!"
While Saint Di Anfu was fantasizing about how to exact her revenge on Ling Feng, a little girl, about eight or nine years old, came up to her. "Big sister, here's a bottle of water for you!"
As she spoke, the little girl handed over a bottle of lemon water.
Saint Di Anfu smiled, gently patted the little girl's head, and said, "Drink it yourself, little sister. Big sister isn't thirsty, but thank you!"
The little girl shook her head. "This water is from a gentleman who asked me to deliver it to you…"
Saint Di Anfu's eyelid twitched as a sense of foreboding crept into her heart. She asked, "Little sister, where's the man who gave you this water?"
"Mister said he had something urgent to do and left. He told you to have fun and not wait for him!" the little girl replied, placing the water bottle firmly into Saint Di Anfu's hand before cheerfully bidding her farewell. "Goodbye, big sister!"
Saint Di Anfu abruptly stood up and glanced around, but amidst the sea of people, Ling Feng's figure had already vanished without a trace!
She gripped the water bottle tightly and hissed through clenched teeth, "Ling Feng, you better not fall into my hands—because I won't let you off lightly!"
Saint Di Anfu knew full well that she'd been stood up. That gentlemanly act from Ling Feng earlier? He must've planned this outcome all along!
Despite her fury, there was a faint sense of relief dancing at the corners of Saint Di Anfu's mouth. This kind of Ling Feng—mischievous and exasperating—was the real Ling Feng! But… that's also what made him so infuriating!
Ling Feng had disappeared, not just to toy with Saint Di Anfu, but because he was genuinely preparing to leave Paris.
His stay in Paris had been a coincidence to begin with, extended only because of the matter involving the map. Now that he'd obtained it, Ling Feng saw no reason to linger any longer.
As for ditching Saint Di Anfu at the last second? That was purely Ling Feng indulging in his own wicked sense of humor. He fully understood the implications behind Archbishop Berkeley's earlier words, but Ling Feng used this exact move to communicate something crystal clear to the Archbishop.
"While I may have a decent relationship with Her Holiness the Saintess, if you think you can manipulate me with some beauty trap, you'd better go wash up and dream on!"
After securing the map, Ling Feng's biggest concern was whether Bai Feifei had safely returned to the Dragon Group Base. Compared to his own women, Saint Di Anfu naturally ranked as a lower priority.
When Saint Di Anfu returned angrily, Archbishop Berkeley looked at her with mild confusion. "Your Holiness the Saintess, did something happen? Where's Ling Feng?"
"Dead!" Saint Di Anfu snapped, still fuming.
"Dead?" Archbishop Berkeley's eyes rolled skyward. Clearly, these two had some sort of disagreement again. He chuckled and said, "What exactly happened? Where is Ling Feng? I still have matters to discuss with him!"
Saint Di Anfu gritted her teeth and growled, "He left. He ditched me and just ran off! Next time I see him, I'm definitely going to teach him a lesson!"
"Ran off?" A flash of alarm crossed Archbishop Berkeley's heart. Was his assessment wrong? Could it be that Ling Feng truly had no feelings for the Saintess? Or had Ling Feng seen right through his intentions?
Saint Di Anfu asked in some confusion, "Archbishop Berkeley, what business did you want to discuss with Ling Feng?"
Archbishop Berkeley quickly masked his inner thoughts and replied calmly, "I just reported the situation to His Holiness the Pope. His Holiness is quite interested in Ling Feng and wanted to invite him to visit the Holy City. But now..."
"Why invite someone like him?" Saint Di Anfu pouted. "That jerk doesn't deserve to set foot in the Holy City!"
"Doesn't deserve?" Archbishop Berkeley couldn't help but smile bitterly. "Perhaps you're unaware, but Ling Feng's current strength is enough to take him to any corner of this world. Even if he were to come to the Holy City, we would still have to treat him with respect!"
Throughout history, strength has always been the foundation for earning respect, even from those in opposing camps!
At that moment, Ling Feng was seated on a plane, resting with his eyes closed. This mission to the Middle East had been a resounding success. Not only did he thwart the Freedom Organization's schemes, but he also recovered two map fragments of the Atlantis Continent and even tricked the map's usage information from Archbishop Berkeley. All things considered, his gains were tremendous!