In a high-level martial arts game, a wife is given to you at the start.

Three days later, at dawn, in the Holy City Mission Square.

Lin Qiye stood at the edge of the mission plaza, watching the bustling crowd in front of the twelve white jade tablets in the center. His temporary jade token glowed faintly in his pocket—it had just vibrated, a notification from the Temple Mission System.

He took it out and saw a line of small text appear on the surface of the jade tablet: "The mission 'Investigate the source of the anomalies in Black Wind Valley' has been verified as complete. Rating: Grade C (Exceeded expectations). Contribution Points: Issued. Reward: 200 Source Crystals, issued to the account bound to the jade tablet."

He put away the jade pendant, his gaze calm.

In the mission square, the discussion about Black Wind Valley had completely taken off. Several mercenaries gathered in front of the jade tablet were loudly discussing: "Have you heard? The Temple secretly intervened in the Black Wind Valley incident!" "Bullshit! If the Temple had that kind of ability, they would have solved it hundreds of years ago. I heard some ruthless guy came, went into the valley alone, took a look around, and that hellhole quieted down!" "What a load of bull! The black winds in that valley have been blowing for hundreds of years, and it just stopped like that? Can a human do that?"

"That makes sense... Could it be someone from one of the powerful families in the inner city?"

"Who cares who it is? Anyway, it'll be safer to gather herbs in Blackwind Valley from now on, which is a real benefit."

Lin Qiye listened to the discussions but did not stop. He turned and walked towards the Household Registration Office.

The Household Registration Office remained as busy and oppressive as ever. Lin Qiye waited in the lobby for a while before being led to the same "special verification" room as before.

This time, the person sitting behind the table was not the middle-aged clerk from last time, but a younger official. He wore a dark blue official robe, had a fair complexion, and looked to be no more than thirty years old, but his eyes had a sharpness that was inconsistent with his age. On the table in front of him was a scroll of documents, with a copper seal engraved with the words "Household Administration Department, Clerk" pressed against the edge of the scroll.

"Mr. Lin?" The young official flipped through the file in front of him, his gaze sweeping back and forth between the file and Lin Qiye several times. "The one who completed the Black Wind Valley mission?"

"Yes."

"Interesting." The young official closed the file, leaned back in his chair, and said, "I've retrieved your file. Black Wind Valley mission, grade C, solo assignment, completed within seven days, and even exceeded expectations—not just identifying the source, but completely eliminating the area. This resume would qualify you as a 'genius' in any family in the Holy City."

Without waiting for Lin Qiye's reply, he continued, "Logically speaking, with this contribution, you should be able to apply for official status through the 'Special Approval for Contributions' channel. However, this channel requires the guarantee of the Temple or an inner city family—"

"I know," Lin Qiye interrupted him, "that's why I came."

The young official looked at him, remained silent for a moment, and then slowly spoke: "Let's not beat around the bush. Mr. Lin, your file is too clean. So clean it's as if it appeared out of thin air. I've worked in household registration for ten years and seen all sorts of people, but I've never seen anyone like you before, with almost no information about your mentor, background, or past experiences."

"Ordinary people in the borderlands have nothing worth recording in their past."

"Can an ordinary person from the borderlands really stop Black Wind Valley?" The young official chuckled and shook his head. "Mr. Lin, I'm not trying to make things difficult for you. I just want to tell you—the Holy City is a place that follows rules, but beyond the rules, there are also human hearts. Your abilities are too conspicuous; there are more people who want to investigate you than you imagine. In the first few days after you entered the city, there were several groups of people outside the temporary residence area trying to find out about you. My men stopped some of them, but not all of them."

Lin Qiye didn't reply, but just listened quietly.

The young official paused, took out a jade token from under the table, and pushed it in front of Lin Qiye: "This is my personal suggestion to you—go through the 'special approval for contributions' channel, but don't use the merits of Black Wind Valley, use the next mission you take on."

"What do you mean?"

"Blackwind Valley's contribution is too conspicuous," the young official said. "The Temple has already taken notice of you. If you use this achievement to apply for official status now, it's like telling everyone—I'm the one who shut down Blackwind Valley. At that point, it won't just be Dark Viper trying to investigate you. The Temple, the inner city families, and even those organizations you've never heard of will swarm you like sharks smelling blood."

He stood up, walked to the window, and turned his back to Lin Qiye: "Change to a less conspicuous task, accumulate enough contribution points, and then go through the 'Special Contribution Approval' channel. That way, you'll have an official identity without drawing everyone's attention to you."

Lin Qiye remained silent for a moment.

"Why are you helping me?"

The young official didn't turn around, his voice flat: "Because the Holy City needs capable people, not parasites who only know how to scheme. I've seen your ability to get things done. That's all."

He turned around, his gaze falling on Lin Qiye: "My name is Gu Yan, head of the Household Registration Department. If you want to go through the 'special approval for contributions' channel, come find me. But remember—before you get your official status, don't let anyone know that you can stop Black Wind Valley."

Lin Qiye put away the jade token and stood up: "Thank you."

He turned and walked out of the verification room.

Behind him, Gu Yan's voice drifted over: "By the way—the Dark Viper family isn't the only ones eyeing your house in Qing Shi Lane. Your courtyard has been watched since the day you entered the city."

Lin Qiye walked out of the Household Registration Office without stopping.

He stood at the entrance of the Household Registration Office, the afternoon sun shining on him. He looked down at the jade pendant in his palm, then looked up at the towering inner city walls in the distance.

Temple deacons. Dark Vipers. And the forces that Gu Yan mentioned were "more than one".

He had barely established himself in the Holy City when he was already being watched by so many eyes.

Yeah.

The muddier the water, the easier it is to catch fish.

He put away the jade token, turned around, and walked towards the mission square.

The task square is busiest in the afternoon.

Lin Qiye strolled leisurely among the twelve white jade tablets, his gaze sweeping over each task. He didn't linger in the official announcement area of ​​the temple, but deliberately circled around to a few tablets in the corner—the private commission area for various families and merchant guilds.

Gu Yan is right. Black Wind Valley's achievements are too conspicuous; he needs a "less conspicuous" task to accumulate more contributions.

His gaze lingered on one of the tasks:

"Found Request: Search for 'Nightbloom Grass'. Issued by the Gu family of Ironwall City. Nightbloom Grass grows on the banks of an underground river deep within the 'Falling Star Hills', 300 miles east of the Holy City. It blooms once every three years, with a flowering period of only one night. The requester is willing to exchange a high amount of Source Crystals and Contribution Points for a complete Nightbloom Grass. Quest Rating: D. Acceptance Restrictions: None."