His Fiancée, and the Evolution Cube Stirs

Talent Camp. Dormitories.

Si Tingfeng smiled and waved. "Brothers — see you all at the Harvest Day banquet."

Maige's smile didn't quite reach his eyes. "I might not make it this year. Our family's Ancestor is nearing the end of his life. Things at home are going to be… difficult for a while."

The words landed quietly. Si Tingfeng, Lu Yuan, and Yang Ping all went still. A shared silence fell over the room.

Lu Yuan had heard Maige mention his Ancestor before — a warrior who had reached the peak of Battle King Rank but had never managed to break through to Battle Sovereign. At Battle King Rank, someone who died of natural causes could expect to live around three thousand years; certain rare treasures existed that could extend that further. But nothing a Battle King Rank warrior could realistically acquire.

Birth, aging, sickness, death.

These were the facts of life. No one could hold them back.

"Our condolences," Si Tingfeng said, gripping Maige's shoulder. "If anyone tries to cause trouble for your family after he's gone — you say the word."

"It shouldn't come to that." Maige smiled. "Everyone knows who my roommates are — the Empire's Third Prince and Lu Yuan from the Prodigy Rankings. Even families that have bad blood with us wouldn't dare make a move."

"Good." Si Tingfeng nodded.

They offered a few more words of comfort before the four parted ways.

Lu Yuan returned to the White Willow District, to Li Qinghe's home.

She was draped across the sofa in a loose house robe, her long legs propped up on the coffee table, bare feet swinging idly. Snacking on fruit with one hand, scrolling through her phone with the other.

She glanced over as he came through the door and grinned.

"You're back? Come help me beat this level!"

She tossed the phone.

Lu Yuan caught it, looked at the screen, and sighed. Tile-matching puzzle game. Again.

He shook his head with a helpless smile, sat down beside her, and got to work.

Li Qinghe shifted her legs off the coffee table and draped them across his lap instead, then resumed tossing pomelo into her mouth with supreme contentment.

Lu Yuan glanced at her sideways. *Does she do anything besides lounge?*

She caught his look and raised an eyebrow. "Want some? Say 'ah~'"

She sat up, plucked a slice of pomelo from the bowl, and held it to his mouth.

Lu Yuan cleared his throat and took it — and accidentally caught the tips of her fingers between his teeth.

Just then, the front door swung open and Shuangyue walked in.

She stopped.

"Did I come at a bad time?" A smile curved at the corner of her mouth. "I haven't seen you two in a year — how did things end up like *this?*"

Li Qinghe hooked an arm around Lu Yuan's neck and gave Shuangyue a smug look. "Jealous?"

Shuangyue's grin widened. "Enormously. Want to trade?"

"Pfft—"

Li Qinghe released her grip with a dismissive wave. "Fine, he's yours."

Lu Yuan: *"..."*

He ignored both of them entirely. "Good to see you, Shuangyue."

"Likewise. It's been a full year — but your name's been up on the Prodigy Rankings the whole time, so it's not like you've been out of sight. I'll say it plainly: your growth rate is something else."

Li Qinghe patted his shoulder. "Keep it up, little brother. Once you reach Battle Sovereign, team up with me. We'll hunt Beast Sovereigns together — maybe even set our sights on a Beast Emperor."

Over the past year, Li Qinghe's cultivation had made another leap. She had already been at peak Battle King Rank, and in that year she had finally shattered her Gene Lock and stepped into Battle Sovereign.

Shuangyue nodded approvingly. "Really, at the pace he's going, it won't be long."

"I'll work on it," Lu Yuan said.

Shuangyue stretched and smiled. "I so rarely get to visit. Let me cook."

Li Qinghe flopped back onto the sofa, stuffed another piece of pomelo into her mouth, and gave a muffled, indistinct noise of agreement.

Not long after, Si Tingyu, Si Tingxue, and Rebecca arrived.

Same as last year.

Lu Yuan looked at Si Tingxue and let a teasing grin slip through. "Any princes showing up to bother you this year? You could probably beat all of them now, couldn't you?"

Si Tingxue stiffened. She turned and fixed him with a glare, clearly irritated.

Lu Yuan blinked. *What did I say?*

It wasn't just her, either — Si Tingyu was watching him with a distinctly strange expression.

Li Qinghe noticed. She frowned, studied Si Tingyu and Si Tingxue in turn, glanced at Rebecca, and thought it over carefully.

"Hey, Stormy — what's wrong?" she asked Si Tingyu.

Si Tingyu blinked, then shook her head. "Nothing."

Li Qinghe thought about it a moment longer, came up with nothing, and let it go.

She pointed at the fruit platter. "The pomelo's really sweet. Try some."

As it happened, no princes had come looking for Si Tingyu or Si Tingxue this year. But during the martial competition on Ice Vein Star some time back, Si Qi had witnessed Lu Yuan's talent firsthand and been deeply impressed. She had mentioned it to their father — the Red Maple Emperor — and the result was that both sisters had been more or less pushed out the door. The Emperor had told them to go spend time with Lu Yuan and cultivate the relationship.

From their perspective, they had already intended to spend the Harvest Day holiday with Li Qinghe and the group — which naturally included Lu Yuan. But there was a world of difference between visiting because you wanted to and being herded over by your elders. The distinction sat wrong.

Si Tingxue in particular had been quietly stewing. Every time she looked at Lu Yuan, there was a flicker of irritation she couldn't quite name — and when she caught sight of Li Qinghe's legs stretched across his lap, it flared sharper.

Rebecca, standing nearby, hadn't been left out of it either. Her own elders had pulled her aside with similar hints, suggesting she "develop a closer connection" with Lu Yuan when the opportunity arose. She'd always been perfectly at ease around him. Now, with those words lingering in the back of her mind, she caught herself glancing his way and immediately looked elsewhere.

The atmosphere had gone distinctly strange.

Li Qinghe's instincts told her something was off. She looked at Si Tingyu, then Si Tingxue, then Rebecca, and turned the question over at length.

She pointed at the pomelo again. "No, really. It's very good."

The Harvest Day holiday unfolded much as it had the year before — games, wandering the city, ordinary quiet days.

When the banquet day itself arrived, Lu Yuan noticed the moment he and Li Qinghe entered the venue that the attention on him was far heavier than last year. Nearly everyone who spotted him offered a warm, genuine smile — not the polite glance they had once given him simply because of who was standing at his side.

He understood why. His rank on the Prodigy Rankings had done that. It was the kind of attention he'd been receiving every day since his name had gone up on the board.

The moment they stepped into the main hall, Si Tingfeng — already deep in the social rounds — called over with a wave. "Lu Yuan! I'm too tied up to look after you — grab some food and enjoy the evening."

Nearby, Si Tinglei, equally occupied, broke away just long enough to nod. "Lu Yuan."

The man Si Tinglei had been speaking with — someone whose aura carried an unmistakable depth — brightened the moment he saw Lu Yuan.

"So this is Lu Yuan." He stepped forward with a smile. "I'm Tao Cang, of the Tao family in Mingyue City. We haven't had a talent reach the Prodigy Rankings from Great Qi Star in years. Truly, heroes rise young. Our Red Maple Empire is going to need exceptional talents like you."

Lu Yuan didn't know the Tao family, but Tao Cang was unmistakably a Battle Sovereign.

"You're far too kind, Senior Tao," he said with a smile. "I'm still young and have much to learn. Veterans like yourself are the real pillars of this Empire."

Tao Cang chuckled with warm satisfaction. "If you're ever in Mingyue City, come find us. My son idolizes you — he won't stop going on about how much he wants to meet you."

"I'll be sure to stop by when I have the chance."

They exchanged a few more courtesies before Tao Cang moved on to greet other guests.

Li Qinghe had slipped away to find Si Tingyu and the others, leaving Lu Yuan alone.

It didn't last.

One by one, figures of weight and influence spotted him and made their way over.

"Lu Yuan, I'm Wu Gong from the Eastern Guard Corps. Any interest in joining us after graduation?"

"Lu Yuan, I'm Gallup from the Tianfu Consortium. Please, you must accept this — our Supreme Member card."

"Lu Yuan…"

He fielded them all with polished courtesy, and felt the energy draining out of him.

*If only Amy and Lingling were here.* Wang Lingling could handle all of this in her sleep. He was drowning solo.

Across the hall, Yang Ping had taken stock of the situation the moment he arrived — and immediately retreated to a corner, where he was suffering alone in solidarity, far too intimidated by the assembled luminaries to wade in and help.

After a while, the important guests had mostly arrived, and Si Tingfeng finally broke away from his rounds.

He wasn't alone. At his side walked a young woman with jet-black hair and striking features, her bearing refined and unhurried. A faint smile rested on her lips.

"Quite popular, aren't you?" Si Tingfeng said with a grin.

Lu Yuan rolled his eyes. "You should have come to rescue me earlier."

"Ha! I was just as swamped." He waved it off. "Anyway — introductions. This is my… well, my soon-to-be fiancée — Tong Menghan, daughter of our current Prime Minister. Menghan, I'm sure you know this one — the greatest young talent the Red Maple Empire has seen in years, the man who made the Prodigy Rankings. My junior, Lu Yuan."

Tong Menghan gave him a graceful nod. "Of course. Word of Lu Yuan has even reached our Imperial Capital Academy. More than a few of my juniors are quite devoted admirers."

"A pleasure, sister-in-law," Lu Yuan said with a smile.

Then he turned to Si Tingfeng. "You're actually getting engaged?"

"I graduate next year. Menghan and I have been together long enough — it felt like the right time."

The pieces clicked into place. Lu Yuan suddenly recalled that for the past several months, Si Tingfeng had been wandering around with that lovestruck, vaguely vacant grin on his face. He, Yang Ping, and Maige had all assumed the man was coming down with something. Now it made sense.

*Being in love actually does that to people?* Lu Yuan felt a mild, genuine bafflement.

"Congratulations, senior."

And then he went still.

The Evolution Cube — utterly quiet inside him at all times — gave a single, faint shudder.

A cold jolt ran through him. He glanced at Tong Menghan, standing there with her composed, pleasant smile.

The tremor had come from her.

*What?* His mind stalled for a moment. *What's special about her?* What could possibly make the Evolution Cube react?

She was Si Tingfeng's fiancée. Lu Yuan had no reason to stare, and he let his gaze drift naturally away — but his thoughts were churning.

From everything he'd learned, the Evolution Cube stirring within the Land of Origin sometimes signaled some form of mysterious resonance or connection. But in the real world, those tremors had always been tied to Aberration Events.

*Si Tingfeng's fiancée — connected to an Aberration?*

*Impossible.*

Tong Menghan was the Prime Minister's daughter. As a prince's fiancée, the Imperial household would have conducted thorough background checks. If something were wrong, it would have come to light long before now.

Then was there something other than Aberration that could trigger the Evolution Cube in the real world?

He couldn't say. The Evolution Cube was deeply enigmatic — the range of things that had made it react over the years was stranger than he could catalog. But he quietly filed the moment away. Better to be cautious.

"The engagement ceremony is in a few days," Si Tingfeng said with a smile. "You'd better show up."

"I'll be there."

Just then, Yang Ping ambled over with a wide grin. "Senior Tingfeng! Lu Yuan! I finally made it!"

Lu Yuan's expression went flat. He fixed Yang Ping with a long, cold stare.

He'd spotted that coward lurking across the hall a while ago — watching him get buried under wave after wave of powerful guests and doing absolutely nothing. Not a single step forward to help. He'd scurried into his corner and stayed there.

Under the stare, Yang Ping visibly shrank, laughed awkwardly, and pivoted immediately to Tong Menghan. "Hello, sister-in-law! And Senior Tingfeng — I caught that! Congratulations on the engagement!"

Si Tingfeng smiled with quiet satisfaction. "Come to the ceremony."

"Wouldn't miss it!"

Li Qinghe, Shuangyue, and Rebecca arrived then, converging on the group.

"What engagement ceremony?" Li Qinghe asked, puzzled.

"Mine and Menghan's, Sister Li," Si Tingfeng said.

"Ms. Li," Tong Menghan offered warmly.

Li Qinghe looked the two of them over. "You're getting engaged? That's wonderful."

"You have to come, Sister Li."

"Of course."

They chatted a little longer before Si Tingfeng led Tong Menghan off to greet other guests.

Not long after, the Red Maple Emperor made his entrance, followed gradually by Si Tingxue, Si Tingyu, and the others. The banquet began in earnest.

Much as before, music filled the hall and guests drifted into dance. Lu Yuan made his rounds, sharing a dance with Li Qinghe and the others in turn.

One thing was different from last year: the younger generation no longer watched him with any edge. He couldn't help noticing.

The fame that came with the Prodigy Rankings was a nuisance at times.

But it had its advantages.

At the very least, no one wanted to cross you.

They knew better than to try.

The banquet ended. The guests dispersed.

Lu Yuan and the others went home.

A few days later, Lu Yuan accompanied Li Qinghe to Si Tingfeng's engagement ceremony.

A celebration joining the Empire's Third Prince and the Prime Minister's daughter was never going to be anything less than breathtaking. Nearly every notable family in the Imperial Capital had sent someone — the Red Maple Emperor himself was present, along with the Prime Minister, and most of the princes and princesses.

Because of that tremor he'd felt at the Harvest Day banquet, Lu Yuan had quietly set a Spatial Anchor Point in advance, just in case. If something went wrong, he was ready to take Li Qinghe, his mentor, and Si Tingxue and vanish in an instant.

As it turned out, nothing happened. With this many people present and several Battle Sovereign-level figures in attendance, the day passed without incident.

When Tong Menghan drew near, the Evolution Cube shuddered again — confirming that the first time had been no fluke.

But with nothing unfolding, there was little he could do. He let it go for now, tucking the thought quietly to the back of his mind.

The holiday came to a close. Shuangyue departed for Emerald Star. Lu Yuan returned to the Talent Camp.