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

The archer under the eaves, holding a short crossbow, pulled the trigger—the bolt whistled through the air, carrying a glint of cold light. Lin Qiye didn't dodge, nor did he even look at the arrow. Three feet in front of him, the arrow seemed to strike an invisible wall, freezing in mid-air. The shaft vibrated for a moment, then, starting from the arrowhead, it crumbled into dust, drifting to the ground.

The archer's expression changed completely.

He threw down his crossbow and tried to run, but after taking only two steps, a dark golden light caught up with him. He looked down at his body, which began to disintegrate from his fingertips. Before he could even let out a complete scream, he was reduced to ashes and scattered under the eaves.

The streets quieted down.

The setting sun dyed the bluestone pavement a dark red. There were no corpses or bloodstains on the ground, only a few thin layers of ash, swirling in the wind across the street.

Only the middle-aged man remained, standing there, his face ashen.

He turned to run, but before he could take a step, a hand was already on his shoulder. The hand wasn't heavy, but it was as steady as if it were rooted to the spot. He struggled a couple of times, but it didn't budge.

"The Zhenyuan Seal." Lin Qiye's voice rang out behind him. "You stole it. You were also looking for the key. Who is your leader? Who's backing you? Explain yourself, and I won't kill you."

The middle-aged man trembled, his voice shrill: "If you dare touch me, Blood Raven won't let you get away with this—"

"Whether Blood Raven lets me go or not is my business," Lin Qiye said. "Whether you talk now or not is your business."

He applied slight pressure with his hand.

A sharp crack came from the middle-aged man's shoulder, and he screamed, falling to his knees: "I'll talk! I'll talk! The leader's name is Crow! Crow only obeys orders; the one who truly speaks is—"

Who is it?

"Yes—" The middle-aged man suddenly widened his eyes, black blood spilled from the corner of his mouth, his body convulsed a few times, and he collapsed.

It's another poison sac.

Lin Qiye crouched down, looking at the corpse, his brows furrowing slightly. The Blood Raven members, from head to toe, had poison in their mouths. This didn't seem like the style of a ragtag organization—such strict rules were only set by true veterans.

He stood up, glanced at the dust still swirling in the street, bent down to pick up the cloth bag at his feet, turned around, and walked towards the Gu residence.

Behind me, the setting sun slowly sank, turning the entire West Street a dark red. The wind swirled the dust, making it dance on the empty street, as if bidding a final farewell to those who hadn't even left their names.

By the time they returned to the Gu residence, it was already completely dark.

Gu Ruolan waited for him in the main room. Two sets of bowls and chopsticks were set on the table, and the dishes were still warm. She sat opposite him, flipping through an account book, without touching her chopsticks.

Seeing him enter, she closed the ledger, glanced at him, and asked, "Aren't you hurt?"

"No."

"Let's eat first."

After she finished speaking, she lowered her head to pick up some food, no longer looking at him. Lin Qiye sat down opposite her and picked up his bowl.

Halfway through the meal, Gu Ruolan suddenly spoke, her tone as calm as if she were discussing a business deal: "That cloth bag is empty."

Lin Qiye paused for a moment, then didn't deny it: "How did you know?"

"Blood Raven wants the Zhenyuan Seal. If you take the real seal with you, they'll make their move once they verify the goods," Gu Ruolan said. "You're not that stupid."

"Then what do you want me to bring?"

"A bag of stones," Gu Ruolan said. "I'm betting they won't dare inspect it in the street. If they open it on the spot, you won't be coming back."

Lin Qiye put down his chopsticks and looked at her: "You trust me that much?"

"Trust my own judgment in judging people," Gu Ruolan said. "If you didn't even have this much brains, Qing Shuang wouldn't have brought you home."

After she finished speaking, she continued eating and didn't say anything more.

Lin Qiye watched her eat and didn't say anything more.

Blood Raven's revenge came faster than expected.

Three days later, an accident occurred at a mine outside Gujia City—overnight, all the dozen or so guards were killed, the mine shaft was blown up, and half of the mine was destroyed. That was the Gu family's biggest source of income; every year, this one mine alone could support half of the Gu family clan.

When the news reached Ironwall City, Gu Ruolan sat in the main room all night. At dawn, she ordered: shut down all industries outside the city and evacuate all people who could be evacuated back into the city.

"Auntie, do we not want the mine anymore?" Gu Qingshuang asked anxiously.

"Yes, but not now," Gu Ruolan said calmly. "Blood Raven wants to throw the Gu family into chaos. The more chaotic we are, the more smug they'll be. Let's bring everyone back first, and wait until they lose their temper."

Gu Qingshuang gritted her teeth, wanting to say something, but ultimately didn't refute.

The next day, Blood Raven's second letter arrived.

This time, the letter was placed inside the mouth of a stone lion guarding the entrance to the Gu residence. The letter contained only two words: "Come and fight."

……

Outside the Iron Wall City, on Sunset Slope.

It was a desolate, rocky slope, its top bare, offering a wide, unobstructed view. Blood Raven's choice of this spot clearly indicated they weren't afraid of an ambush: the slope offered no cover, making it easy to see how many people were coming.

Lin Qiye stood at the top of the slope, carrying a cloth bag.

The wind blew up from the bottom of the slope, stirring up a cloud of dust.

Down the slope, dozens of people stood in a dark mass. Leading them was a masked figure, dressed in a dark red robe, tall and thin, whose gender and age were indistinguishable. The mask revealed only a pair of eyes—eyes that were cold, so cold they seemed inhuman.

"Did you bring the Zhenyuan Seal?" the masked man asked, his voice hoarse, as if he had injured his throat.

Lin Qiye held up the cloth bag: "I brought it."

He looked at the masked man and suddenly asked, "You're from the Holy City?"

The masked man paused for a moment.

"Interesting." It laughed through the mask. "How did you know?"

"The mud on your boots is red clay from outside the north gate of the Holy City," Lin Qiye said. "There's no that kind of soil in Ironwall City."

The masked man didn't reply. The dozens of people behind him slowly tightened their grip on their weapons, and the atmosphere on the slope suddenly became tense.

"Are you asking this because you want to live a couple more days, or a couple less?" the masked man said, his voice turning cold.

The masked man waved his hand, and dozens of people moved at the same time.

Lin Qiye raised his right hand, palm facing forward, fingers slightly spread. The dark gold emblem lit up.

The dozen or so people at the forefront all stopped in their tracks at the same time—and then exploded. They weren't hit by anything, but rather their bodies disintegrated from the inside out. Their flesh, bones, and internal organs silently crumbled in the dark golden light, turning into more than ten clumps of fine dust, which were blown away by the wind on the slope and scattered among the rocks.

The person behind him stopped in his tracks, his face ashen, his knife raised in mid-air, unsure whether to strike or retract it.

Lin Qiye didn't give them time to hesitate. He gently clenched his fist.

Another twenty or so people exploded and turned into dust.

The group of dozens of people dwindled to just seven or eight scattered individuals standing at the bottom of the slope, trembling all over.

The masked man stood still, without moving.

It looked at the drifting ash, then at Lin Qiye. For the first time, something else appeared in its cold eyes—not fear, but a scrutiny, as if it were re-evaluating the person before it.

"Interesting," it said. "When did the Gu family manage to invite such a deity?"

"I don't want the Zhenyuan Seal anymore." The masked man turned around, his voice carried on the wind, "You're more interesting than the Zhenyuan Seal. Go back and tell Gu Ruolan that from today onwards, Blood Raven will not touch the Gu family."

"Did I let you leave?"