A pair of bickering sweethearts

Soon, the auction began, hosted by a seductive, strikingly beautiful fox woman. Several fluffy fox tails grew behind her, drawing plenty of eyes.

"I really want to drink beast milk too..." Lin Fan smacked his lips, his gaze burning.

Yue Chan said coldly, "Hmph, fox spirit!"

Lin Fan smiled. Although the fox woman was alluring, everyone focused more on the treasures being auctioned.

The very first item, in particular, sent shock and uproar through the audience, and greed appeared in many eyes.

It was a pure white Heavenly Bone, glittering with crystalline radiance. Mysterious power flowed through it, and it gave off faint waves of golden heat. It was truly extraordinary.

However, one corner was missing. It was an incomplete bone, and the Precious Art recorded on it was likewise missing a portion of its important runes.

"This is a Primordial Rune Bone from an Ancient Golden Crow. It did not belong to a descendant, but was left behind by a Primordial Heaven-Tier Ferocious Beast. It is merely missing some of its runes..." the fox woman onstage explained.

"What? An incomplete heaven-tier Precious Art?!" The auction hall immediately erupted. Lightning seemed to flash through everyone's eyes as they stared fixedly at the bone.

Although this heaven-tier Precious Art was incomplete, it came from the Golden Crow race, a race whose illustrious name had resounded throughout the primordial era.

Its fire-path divine abilities were especially formidable, powerful enough to sweep across the world, with few races capable of contending against it!

It was said that even the sun in the sky had formed from a Golden Crow after its death. One could well imagine how powerful this race was.

"A Primordial Golden Crow's Precious Art! No matter the price, I must have it." A slightly imperious female voice rang out. It belonged to the Stone Kingdom's Ninth Princess.

Meanwhile, many people marveled that the Bone Gu Auction House had offered something so precious right at the beginning rather than saving it for last. Clearly, the finale would be even more astonishing.

Those in Lin Fan's room were naturally watching as well. But unlike his composure, Yue Chan had already opened her divine eyes to scrutinize the gleaming white bone.

The Heaven Mending Sect in the Lower Realm also possessed an incomplete Golden Crow Precious Technique. If the two Precious Arts could be compared against each other, perhaps they could reconstruct the complete heaven-tier divine ability.

"Holy maiden, the runes on this bone contain the portion of the divine ability our sect lacks. We must secure it."

Granny Xihua could no longer sit still and appeared directly in the room. Elder Yu did the same, longing in his eyes as he eagerly sought to obtain it.

A complete heaven-tier Precious Art was simply too tempting. Second only to the Precious Arts of the Ten Fiends, it was exceedingly rare and could serve as the foundational legacy guarding a sect or kingdom.

Neither of the Heaven Mending Sect's two guardians had expected that their trip to the Desolate Region would bring such an unexpected delight, allowing them to complete the Precious Art and divine ability they cultivated.

Granny Xihua and Elder Yu could not help looking at Lin Fan, both nodding.

"Young master, you truly possess tremendous fortune. Otherwise, how could we encounter such an opportunity the moment you arrived in the Desolate Region?"

Lin Fan: "..."

Just then, someone in the audience raised a question. "Why would such a precious Precious Art be auctioned first?"

The red-clad fox woman onstage smiled gracefully, her eyes shimmering and every glance brimming with seductive charm. "This Primordial Rune Bone is incomplete. It has lost the most important portion of its forbidden divine ability, leaving only the mysteries of the fire path and the Golden Crow Rainbow Transformation Technique!"

"So that's why. This rune bone's value is greatly reduced, though it's still very precious. To beings who cultivate the fire path, it may be worth even more," everyone said, feeling a weight lift from their shoulders.

Some abandoned the idea of bidding. A heaven-tier Precious Art without its strongest means of attack was only equivalent to a descendant's Precious Art.

The clans of those who could attend this auction generally did not lack Precious Arts of that level. They were more interested in precious artifacts and divine materials.

Of course, certain beings still valued the bone highly, particularly avian creatures and those who cultivated fire-path divine abilities. The rainbow transformation technique, which fell a little short of ultimate speed, and Sun True Fire were very enticing.

Thus, the bidding would not be low. From the outset, bidders offered rare treasures in exchange.

"I offer twenty spiritual herbs over a thousand years old!"

"I offer a killing formation!"

"I offer a bottle of Yellow Springs Water!"

"..."

Bids rang out incessantly, and the bone's price swiftly climbed to a staggering height that left people speechless.

The Stone Kingdom's Ninth Princess seemed especially determined to win it. No matter who raised the bid, she always added a little more.

"I'm very interested in this bone. I intend to present it to my imperial father for his birthday." The girl sat in a private room, her voice as beautiful as a heavenly melody.

Hearing this, many people gave up any thought of raising their bids. After all, this was the Stone Kingdom's capital, and they had to show the Stone Emperor some respect.

"Hehe, it's mine."

Just as the Stone Kingdom's Ninth Princess was rejoicing, believing she had won the auction-

Suddenly, a voice rang out.

"I offer one Heavenly Dipper Stone!" Yue Chan called.

She took out an egg-sized divine stone that glittered brilliantly, radiating dazzling treasure light.

"What? The divine-grade material, heavenly dipper stone?!"

Everyone was shocked and sucked in a breath of cold air, turning toward the source of the voice.

What was heavenly dipper stone? It was a material ancient gods had used to forge magical artifacts. Adding even a little could increase a precious artifact's power and hardness severalfold.

Even an egg-sized piece had astonishing effects. Its value definitely surpassed the combined worth of most materials, and ordinary people lacked the boldness to offer something like that.

"Someone actually dares snatch my birthday gift for my imperial father?!" the Stone Kingdom's Ninth Princess said indignantly. She glanced in their direction, deeply displeased, but ultimately had no choice but to give up.

"They're in trouble. Offending the Ninth Princess in the imperial capital? They probably won't have a peaceful day again," someone remarked.

In the Stone Kingdom Imperial Capital, everyone knew how formidable the Ninth Princess was. Though her beauty could shame flowers and hide the moon, and her figure was graceful and captivating, her temperament was fiery and straightforward, giving many people headaches.

Yet Yue Chan, seated in the private room, paid it no mind. She was merely a kingdom's princess. Could she possibly compare to an immortal great sect or be nobler than its holy maiden?

After obtaining the Golden Crow Precious Technique, Yue Chan studied it carefully. A moment later, delight filled her heart. Sure enough, it contained the missing runes. She happened to cultivate the Golden Crow Precious Technique herself and needed them badly.

"Thank you," Yue Chan said. She had left in a hurry and brought few treasures, so she had borrowed from Lin Fan.

"No problem. Just pay me back double when the time comes." Lin Fan smiled brightly, revealing very white teeth. He looked like a crooked merchant.

"You..." Yue Chan's face darkened. This fellow was truly infuriating.

Earlier, he had called her "wife" at every turn, sounding so intimate. Now he was drawing such clear distinctions and demanding double repayment. Besides, wasn't this purchase for the sect as well?

Thus, Yue Chan could not resist asking, "Aren't you going to cultivate this Precious Art?"

"In that case, you don't have to pay me back double. Just return one Heavenly Dipper Stone." Lin Fan's little face was sincere and earnest, as though saying, Aren't I nice?

Yue Chan felt dizzy. Just what sort of creature was this fiancé of hers? He clearly came from the Upper Realm and was richer than she was, yet he was so greedy.

As if he knew what she was thinking, Lin Fan turned around and lectured her. "Wife, that's where you're wrong. I'm saving up resources. Won't our wedding cost money? Won't our children need cultivation resources? Our grandchildren..."

"Shut up! I'll pay you back when we return, all right!" Yue Chan shouted furiously, nearly losing her mind. Her delicate fist almost smashed into his face.

What kind of person was this? He made penny-pinching sound so noble, and even dragged their future descendants into it...

"Pah! I would never have children with someone like him!" Yue Chan ground her teeth, growing firm in her resolve to cancel this engagement.

Watching all this from the shadows, the two guardians did not know whether to laugh or cry. These two children were far too amusing, especially the young master. He was a walking bundle of antics, young in years but devilishly clever.

But they had to admit that this was their first time seeing the normally dignified, holy maiden, who never showed joy or anger on her face, repeatedly lose her temper and display such a wealth of expressions.

Together, these two were truly a golden boy and jade maiden-a pair of bickering sweethearts!