Chapter Eleven: "Deadly ID"

The next few days would likely remain unforgettable for Fang Nian. The entire Xia family strongly opposed the marriage, but Xia Moyan’s eagerness to wed and Xia Hong’s unwavering support rendered all their objections meaningless.

Although Xia Junyi disliked the idea of his daughter marrying Fang Nian, whom he considered shameless, compared to sending her far away to the Chang family, Fang Nian’s joining their household seemed much more advantageous. Not only could they politely refuse the Chang family's “generosity,” but they could also keep Xia Moyan at home—a double win.

Given Xia Moyan’s talent for managing and building the hunting grounds, she was not likely to be easily bested by adversaries. Registration, certificate collection, new home decoration, banquet arrangements—all accomplished in just five days. It felt as though Fang Nian had walked half a lifetime’s road in that span. The peerless beauty of District 16, Xia Moyan, married hastily and without fanfare.

Soon, all of District 16 buzzed with a single story—a penniless youth from District 4 marrying into a wealthy family, rising to the pinnacle of life through a breathtaking romance.

...

In the office of Xu Lang at the Xu Clan Hunting Grounds, a handsome young man was pointing at the diamond-encrusted wedding dress displayed on a three-dimensional screen, venting his anger at Xu Lang.

“Xu Lang, explain this to me—what’s going on?”

Xu Lang’s forehead was already drenched in cold sweat, at a loss for words.

“Brother Jun, it’s actually like this...”

“Save it. Don’t waste my time. I supported you for Xu family succession because I thought you were competent. Turns out you can’t even handle something so trivial. Seems I misjudged you. Now, I think your elder brother is more reliable.”

Hearing this, Xu Lang grew anxious.

“Brother Jun, please listen—”

“That’s enough. Don’t say another word. I’ve invested a lot in you—don’t blame me for not giving you chances. I don’t care who this guy is that married Xia Moyan, nor do I want to know. What I want is results. Within ten days, whether he dies or disappears, I don’t want to see him anywhere near the Xia family.”

Xu Lang was momentarily stunned, but answered immediately.

“Rest assured, Brother Jun, I won’t disappoint you this time.”

“Good. Xu Lang, in District 16, our Chang family’s position is clear—we support the Xu family’s rise to power. Whether you or Xu Fan ultimately inherit, that decision is ours. Don’t fail again.”

Xu Lang nodded repeatedly.

“Yes.”

A busy tone sounded as the call ended. Xu Lang finally exhaled, then dialed another number.

“Hello.”

“How’s the task I gave you? I don’t care how you do it, or what means you use. If you fail to get me what I want, don’t expect to ever see your son again.”

He hung up without waiting for a reply.

“Don’t blame me, kid. You married someone you shouldn’t have.”

...

When the dust settled, Fang Nian officially moved into the Xia family, openly settling into Xia Moyan’s fragrant chambers. But upon entering and seeing two large beds separated by a clear boundary, his heart sank.

“Seriously? Isn’t this a bit much? Having to look but not touch every day—better not see at all.”

Just then, Xia Moyan pushed open the door, wearing a simple vintage home outfit. Her long, dark hair was loosely gathered at the back with a wooden hairpin, and she carried a hefty stack of books, looking very much the campus belle in a university dorm. The sight made Fang Nian’s heart itch with longing.

“Fang Nian, can we talk?”

Fang Nian nodded, and they entered Xia Moyan’s study.

“Fang Nian, I know what you’ve been through. Living alone isn’t easy. You set aside your pride to help me weather this crisis, and for that, I’m grateful. You’re a good man.”

Fang Nian was speechless; it seemed the infamous ‘good man card’ was inevitable today.

“I think you understand—our marriage is merely a contract. My goal is simply to protect the Xia family’s business in this collapsing world, and safeguard my family. So I can’t fulfill marital duties, nor can I...”

Fang Nian waved his hand, interrupting her.

“Enough, Miss Xia. I’ve read plenty of stories about son-in-law arrangements; didn’t expect it would happen to me. I understand everything you’ve said and even what you haven’t. From now on, we’ll respect each other—publicly, we’re a loving couple; privately, we live our own lives and don’t interfere. That’s it, right?”

Xia Moyan was surprised; she hadn’t expected Fang Nian to be so reasonable and understanding. She smiled, took an envelope from her books, and handed it to him.

“Yes, that’s exactly it. Since you understand, all the better. Of course, my family won’t shortchange you. There are 2,000 Hope Coins in this envelope—your living expenses for the month. Each month on the first, I’ll leave the money in the study; you can take it yourself. Is that enough?”

Fang Nian took the envelope.

“That’s more than my grandfather and I spend in a year. Thank you.”

“No need.”

...

Over the next few days, after receiving Fang Nian’s financial support, Fatty and his team began preparations for their own hunter’s camp. Fang Nian gradually adjusted to life as a son-in-law; Xia Moyan was truly busy—since the wedding, they’d barely seen each other.

Having settled into this comfortable life, Fang Nian simply followed the flow, eating well and returning to his room each day to cultivate his True Qi. Sure enough, with diligent practice, he felt a qualitative leap in the Qi within his dantian.

“Ordinary difficulty mission completed. Internal True Qi level: Stage 2 (Stage 5 is the maximum). The enhancement of your Qi will make running feel effortless. Keep working hard! Once Qi reaches Stage 5, something unexpected will happen. Good luck, young man.”

Fang Nian was speechless; the system’s chatter was getting worse.

He tapped to claim the mission reward.

“Congratulations, you have obtained the Five Sense Pupil Skill—Insight. In hunting, only those who perceive subtle changes can endure to the end.”

The mission list refreshed.

Mediocre difficulty: Obtain one F-grade hunting ground item.

Ordinary difficulty: Successfully clear any F- grade hunting ground.

Hell difficulty: (Did your first hunting experience make you notice anything? Are you brave enough to keep exploring?) Find its shadow in a hunting ground of F+ grade or higher. (Rewards doubled)

Nightmare difficulty: Currently unavailable.

“Is this Insight skill meant to widen my field of vision? Seems it just gives a broader view when staring, nothing else. The rewards for ordinary difficulty aren’t as satisfying as those for hell difficulty. Looks like I’ll have to gamble in the hunting grounds.”

Just then, hurried footsteps and shouts echoed from outside.

“Brother-in-law! Brother-in-law!”

Fang Nian paused and opened the door; it was Xia Moxu, rushing and out of breath.

“Moxu? What’s wrong?”

Xia Moxu caught his breath, still anxious.

“Brother-in-law, today our Xia Clan Hunting Grounds launched a new F-grade themed ground—‘The El Cipher.’ It’s designed by my sister herself, with an investment of over 500,000 Hope Coins. She hoped this would help the Xia family recover recent losses, but…”

“But for some reason, as soon as the grounds opened this morning, a swarm of hunters rushed in. It’s as if they’re possessed by the creator—at least eight out of ten are clearing it.”

Fang Nian was surprised; he’d heard of Xia Moyan’s abilities, but never witnessed them. Yet, he quickly understood.

“Someone leaked the hunting ground’s information ahead of time.”

Xia Moxu nodded vigorously.

“Exactly. My sister said the same—it’s obviously the work of the Jin and Xu families. But without evidence, there’s nothing we can do. The regulators won’t care.”

“Is the loss significant?”

Xia Moxu nodded again.

“Huge. At this rate, we’ll lose over 200,000 in a single day—more than a million in five days.”

Fang Nian knew the rules: to ensure fairness between hunting grounds and hunters, a new F-grade theme ground must stay online for at least 120 hours before it can be taken offline.

This protects both parties; after all, deciphering a hunting ground takes time. If someone pays to research a method and you take it down immediately, they won’t agree.

“Brother-in-law, what do we do? My sister is already under siege—media and the public are attacking her professionalism, and even our family’s own snakes are kicking her when she’s down.”

Fang Nian pondered—the situation was clearly a malicious competition orchestrated by the Jin and Xu families. Hunters who receive leaked info will keep flocking to Xia’s grounds for easy money, and those selling intel are raking in profits.

“Hmm... even if I went, it wouldn’t help. To stop the losses, though... I have an idea.”

He turned to Xia Moxu.

“Moxu, have you heard the story of rescuing Zhao by besieging Wei?”

Xia Moxu shook his head; this world’s culture differed greatly from Fang Nian’s, so his ignorance was no surprise.

“Do you know which hunting ground themes from the Xu and Jin families are their biggest moneymakers?”

“Well... it’s Jin Clan’s ‘Fatal ID,’ launched yesterday. They offered a 10,000 Hope Coin reward for the first clear, attracting many hunters. The ticket costs 200 Hope Coins, but so far, no one has cleared it. Rough estimates suggest Jin family earned two or three hundred thousand yesterday alone.”

Fang Nian grinned.

“Good. We’ll go to Jin Clan’s hunting ground and take on ‘Fatal ID.’”

Xia Moxu immediately understood.

“Brother-in-law, you mean... but can you manage it? ‘Fatal ID’ is an F+ grade hunting ground.”

Fang Nian smiled deeply, opened the system menu, and selected the Hell difficulty mission.

“I want F+, exactly. When we head out, tell Fatty to prep the Italian cannon—big business is coming. How dare they target my wife? Today, I’ll make them pay back every cent with interest.”