He Has a Fiancée!

"An engraving knife from the Engraving Knife Ranking!"

When the final auction item was brought out, even Xu Tianyang, who had been waiting all this time, was slightly stunned.

Engraving knives on the ranking were things one could only stumble upon by chance. No Soul Engineer could refuse an engraving knife that was, to them, a divine weapon. As far as Xu Tianyang knew, most of the engraving knives on the list already had owners, with very few lost outside.

He had not expected one to appear at an auction today. No wonder those people who were rarely seen had all appeared together as though by prior arrangement.

Thinking about it now, the only things capable of attracting them were top-tier treasures like Soul Bones and engraving knives.

"That's it!"

"Look at those lines—they're beautiful!"

"This item is destined for me!"

Zui Hongchen was already pressed against the glass, staring unblinkingly at the engraving knife onstage. Every so often, a slurping sound escaped his mouth.

Xu Tianyang had excellent eyesight. Even while seated, he could see the engraving knife clearly.

The Cold Moon Engraving Knife lived up to its name. The entire knife was jade-white and gave off waves of chill. It was very small, about half a foot long and no thicker than a finger, shaped like a crescent moon. Its two ends were sharp points, faintly engraved with patterns that gave off an ancient, rustic aura.

"Xiuwen, don't you want it?" Xu Tianyang withdrew his gaze and curiously asked Huang Xiuwen, who seemed to have no reaction at all.

No Soul Engineer could refuse a ranked engraving knife. The reason Xu Tianyang was not interested in this one was that, among the ranked engraving knives he knew of, seven were sitting in his home, four of which ranked above the Cold Moon Engraving Knife.

There was no need for him to bid on it.

"Boss, my grandfather said that once I break through Rank 30, my family's heirloom engraving knife, Purple Thunder, will be given to me." Huang Xiuwen scratched his head and replied casually.

"So that's how it is!" Xu Tianyang suddenly understood. The Huang Family was one of the few families that took a laid-back approach to Soul Tool cultivation. Their focus was still on cultivating their inherited martial souls, which was why Huang Xiuwen was not so enthusiastic about Soul Tools.

It was enough to maintain an average standard.

Zui Hongchen, on the other hand, possessed exceptional talent in Soul Tool engineering, and he liked it as well. The Hongchen Family had produced top-tier Soul Engineers generation after generation. One could say that Soul Tools were the foundation of the Hongchen Family.

The Hongchen Family also had ranked engraving knives of their own, but they all had owners and would not reach Zui Hongchen's hands anytime soon. That was why he cared so much about the appearance of a new ranked engraving knife this time. He wanted an exclusive ranked engraving knife of his own.

"I bid one million!"

"One point two million!"

"One point five million!"

"..."

"Two million..."

Fierce bids rang out without pause. In the blink of an eye, the auction price had doubled and was still climbing, with no sign of slowing down.

High-ranking Soul Engineers were never short on money. There were only so many ranked engraving knives in the world, and not every high-ranking Soul Engineer owned one. Thus, whenever a ranked engraving knife appeared, it would always sell for an astronomical price.

"Four point two million!"

"Five million!"

Zui Hongchen finally could not hold back any longer and made his bid, raising the price by a full eight hundred thousand at once. Such a terrifying increase shook the heated atmosphere in the hall, bringing a brief silence.

"Five point one million!"

However, the Hongchen Family name did not make anyone back down this time, and the price began climbing again.

Zui Hongchen fiercely competed with the others without yielding an inch. Xu Tianyang and Huang Xiuwen watched with great interest. As for helping him, there was no need. No matter how much Zui Hongchen raised the bid, the Hongchen Family would naturally foot the bill.

After Zui Hongchen directly raised the price to ten million, he finally secured it for twelve million after two more rounds of back-and-forth bidding.

Once he had truly won it, Zui Hongchen's chubby face flushed slightly with excitement. Yet when the auction hammer fell for the third time and the Cold Moon Engraving Knife was declared his, his excitement began to ebb away. His whole body was soaked in sweat, as though he had been fished out of water.

After the auction ended, Zui Hongchen hurried home to study his newly acquired divine weapon, while Huang Xiuwen also had to return for his family's specialized training.

Xu Tianyang did not return to school. Instead, someone brought him back to the Prince's Mansion, because Xu Yunxiao and Mu Mengyu, who had been away for a long time, had finally returned today.

"Father, Mother!"

Even someone as composed as Xu Tianyang was somewhat excited upon seeing Xu Yunxiao and Mu Mengyu again. Come to think of it, their family had not been together for more than half a year.

"Hahaha, Yang'er, come here and let your father and mother have a look at you." Seeing their son, Mu Mengyu and Xu Yunxiao were both overjoyed. They pulled him over and fussed over him for a while.

Xu Tianyang also took the opportunity to tell his parents about what had happened to him over the past year, including the events at the Starlight Auction he had just attended.

Xu Yunxiao and Mu Mengyu nodded repeatedly as they listened, the smiles on their faces never fading.

Only after Xu Tianyang finished did Xu Yunxiao softly say, "I know Zui Hongchen and Huang Xiuwen. Both are promising talents. You can rest assured in befriending them. In the future, they may well become your right-hand men."

"I know, Father." Xu Tianyang nodded. Zui Hongchen and Huang Xiuwen had decent talent, and their personalities suited his tastes well. They were indeed worth cultivating properly.

"Alright, it's getting late. Yang'er has just returned from the auction and probably hasn't had dinner yet. Our family has been apart for so long, so let's have a good gathering tonight." Mu Mengyu stood with a gentle smile and took Xu Tianyang by the hand as she led him outside.

The three entered the dining room. The moment Xu Tianyang stepped through the door, he saw a familiar figure sitting stiffly at the table, her little face tense with a nervousness he had never seen from her before.

"Xu Nianshuang, why are you in my house?" The person was his classmate, Xu Nianshuang. Xu Tianyang looked at her, his mind full of questions.

"Greetings, Your Highness and Crown Princess!" Seeing the three arrive, Xu Nianshuang hurriedly rose and respectfully bowed to Xu Yunxiao and Mu Mengyu.

"Shuang'er, it's only been a year, and you've already forgotten what I told you?" Mu Mengyu immediately stepped forward to help Xu Nianshuang up, pinching her slightly chubby cheek. "What should you call me?"

"Aunt Yu!"

For the first time, Xu Tianyang saw a shy expression on Xu Nianshuang's face. From the looks of things, his parents had clearly known her for a long time. No wonder he had investigated for a year without uncovering her background.

If his parents had acted, then it was no surprise.

He could not help turning to look at his father, hoping for an answer.

Seeing the question in his son's eyes, Xu Yunxiao did not explain. Instead, after pulling him over to sit down, he said, "You two must have already met, so I won't introduce you further. From now on, Shuang'er will be living in the Prince's Mansion and attending school with you. You must support each other and grow together."

"Tonight is our family's first dinner. Let's not talk about anything else—dig in. This soup was specially made from a Ten Thousand Year Wood Soul Flood Dragon I had someone hunt down. It can strengthen your foundation and nourish your vitality, so you two need to eat plenty."

Listening to Xu Yunxiao, Xu Tianyang felt that something was off. Especially after seeing Xu Nianshuang's flushed little face across from him, as though she was one step away from hiding in her mother's arms, the strange feeling in his heart grew even stronger.

A faint suspicion surfaced in his mind.

He shook his head and cast the thought aside. Eating came first. Everything on this table was a rare delicacy. As for the rest, he believed his father would give him an explanation later.

After dinner, Mu Mengyu took Xu Nianshuang off somewhere, while Xu Tianyang followed Xu Yunxiao for a walk down the corridor.

"I know you have many questions. Let me explain them slowly." Before Xu Tianyang could ask, Xu Yunxiao took the initiative to explain this time.

"That girl Nianshuang is a pitiful child. When she was six, her village happened to encounter an Evil Soul Master."

"An Evil Soul Master?" Xu Tianyang was somewhat startled, but on second thought, it seemed normal. Wherever martial souls awakened, Evil Soul Masters would appear. Compared to the Douluo Continent, the Sun Moon Continent had no Angel God and no Spirit Hall.

As a result, Evil Soul Masters here were relatively rampant. Although the Empire was also exterminating them, Evil Soul Masters had bizarre methods, and there were always some who slipped through the net. Clearly, Xu Nianshuang's village had been terribly unfortunate.

"Everyone in the village except her was killed. Later, a squad from the Fire Phoenix Soul Tool Regiment happened to pass through while carrying out a mission. They found her and brought her back to the military camp, even helping her awaken her martial soul. Who would have thought that the girl's talent was so high? An ice-element martial soul, with innate level-nine Soul Power."

"Such talent reached your mother's ears directly. She personally went to bring the girl back, and while she was at it, avenged her."

The story was simple. Similar things happened every day on the Sun Moon Continent. The difference was that Xu Nianshuang possessed exceptional talent, so his parents had taken her in and raised her by their side.

"So you adopted her as your goddaughter?"

Slap! A palm landed on Xu Tianyang's head. Xu Yunxiao said irritably, "Brat, do you think you can hide anything from your father? You mean to say you didn't see it?"

His head aching, Xu Tianyang held it and looked at his father with an awkward grin. "So... I have a fiancée now?"

"You don't want her?" Xu Yunxiao glared at him and turned away. "Then I'll go tell Nianshuang and your mother. Who do you think your mother and I did this for? You won't be able to find such a good wife even if you searched with a lantern in the future."

"I never said I didn't want her," Xu Tianyang muttered. Given his status, there was a high chance that he would not be able to choose his future wife himself.

Xu Nianshuang had great talent, was a budding beauty, and her personality did not seem bad so far. She truly was an excellent partner.

Naturally, he would not pretentiously push her away. He had merely failed to react for a moment.

"You brat!" Xu Yunxiao laughed and scolded him. He raised his hand again, but seeing Xu Tianyang beg for mercy, he smiled and shook his head. "Treat her well. Although your mother and I have already settled the matter between you two, how you get along is up to you."

"Shuang'er has a rather aloof personality. I was originally worried that you two would not get along, but it seems I underestimated you. I can tell that Shuang'er has a good impression of you. That is very rare."

Seeing the approving look in his father's eyes, Xu Tianyang scratched his head in confusion. Xu Nianshuang had a good impression of him?

Where had that come from?

Had they even interacted before?