"Honey, at least have breakfast today," Mu Wanqing said to her husband with a worried expression. "You just arrived yesterday. C’mon, don’t leave immediately like that," she added.

Her husband, Jiang Weichen, sighed and drew his beautiful white-haired wife closer, holding her by the waist.

"Exactly, I just arrived yesterday. It’s been two weeks since I left for India. My guild must be expecting me to give my reports. I need to go now. Don’t worry, I’ll be home early. I’m sure those two weeks must have been hard on you," he said with a mischievous smile before kissing her lightly.

Mu Wanqing lightly beat his chest and blushed at her husband’s shamelessness.

"Don’t say that."

"The kids have gone to school. I can say what I want."

He kissed her again, freed her from his embrace, picked up a single slice of bread and his suitcase, then headed out of the house.

Mu Wanqing watched from the window of their bungalow as her husband drove his red Drageenel 3021 out of the compound and zoomed off.

Jiang Weichen was a Common-Class Level Two Hunter, with abilities that were only useful for administrative work and information gathering. Unlike combat Hunters who spent their lives clearing Gates and hunting monsters, his role revolved around paperwork, logistics, and communication between different branches of the Azure Serpent Guild.

His recent trip to India had been one such assignment—gathering information about newly awakened individuals.

’Young Master is definitely going to increase my pay after I give him this report.’

While stronger Hunters dealt with monsters and dungeon outbreaks, people like him handled reports, trade agreements, resource transportation, and the endless amount of documentation required to keep a large guild functioning.

It wasn’t an exciting job. In fact, many Hunters looked down on support personnel like him.

Jiang himself never cared.

A stable salary, a beautiful wife, two healthy children, and a peaceful life were more than enough for him. No, he would have loved to explore the Frontier Realm more, but after meeting such a beautiful and brilliant woman like Mu Wanqing, he knew she wasn’t going to agree to him meddling in survival battles within the Frontier Realm.

A Common Class like him wasn’t going to survive two days. There were a lot of Common Classes in the Frontier Realm, but he was definitely—according to himself—the weakest.

As he drove through the busy streets, the morning traffic slowly increased. Cars filled the roads while giant digital billboards displayed advertisements for Hunter equipment, insurance companies, and newly discovered Gates around the world.

The radio played quietly in the background.

"Authorities are still investigating the recent disappearance of several Hunters in Frontier Region Seven, First Jianghu. Officials have advised awakened individuals to avoid unauthorized exploration while investigations continue. Travel to the region is still permitted, as authorities believe the incident is not related to Hunters fighting Hunters, but rather a powerful Frontier Beast."

Jiang paid little attention to the news. Missing Hunters were unfortunately common in this age, and the fact that the higher-ups allowed the news to be broadcast meant it wasn’t as bad as it sounded.

What occupied his thoughts instead was whether he should bring flowers home later.

His wife seemed particularly clingy after two weeks apart.

The thought made him chuckle.

Unfortunately, he had no idea that before this day ended, his peaceful life was about to be turned upside down.

Finally, he arrived in front of a large and elegant building.

Azure Serpent Guild.

The building was tall enough to dominate the surrounding streets. Blue-tinted glass covered most of its exterior while a massive silver serpent coiled around the guild’s emblem near the top floors. Hunters moved in and out of the entrance every minute, some dressed in combat gear, others carrying monster materials and equipment from completed raids.

Cars filled the roads, holographic advertisements glowed from nearby buildings, and giant screens displayed news about different activities across the country.

To ordinary civilians, the Azure Serpent Guild was a symbol of safety. To Hunters, it was one of the largest guilds operating on Earth from China.

Suddenly, Jiang Weichen felt worried. He summoned his confidence, parked his car, said a silent prayer, and stepped out.

He greeted a few people as he walked into the building, and the same occurred as he walked past different offices and desks.

He was really popular for a common guild manager.

First, he stepped into his office, which was located on the twelfth floor. Compared to the luxurious offices of the executives and combat leaders, his own office was fairly modest. A large desk occupied the center while several filing cabinets lined the walls. Stacks of documents were piled neatly in one corner, and a computer terminal sat on the desk beside a few framed photographs of his wife and children.

Jiang placed his suitcase down and let out a long breath.

"Home sweet home."

The familiar environment immediately helped him relax. He sat down in his chair and began organizing the materials he had brought back from India. Most of them were reports concerning newly awakened Hunters, unusual Classes, and several recommendations from partner organizations.

He then brought out a document and smiled. The document read:

Name: Mia (No Surname)

Class: Rare (Frost Weaver)

Recruiting Guild: Azure Serpent Guild

Recruiting Intermediary: Jiang Weichen 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

A small, confident smile tugged at his lips.

He had recruited a Rare Class from India!

Just as he was about to begin sorting the files, a knock sounded on the door.

"Manager Jiang, you’re finally back."

A young woman stepped inside carrying a pile of folders.

Jiang smiled.

"Xiaoli, still alive, I see."

The woman rolled her eyes.

"I should be saying that to you. Do you know how much work was dumped on us while you were away?"

Jiang laughed awkwardly.

"Not my fault. Blame the guild."

"I already do."

She placed the folders on his desk before lowering her voice.

"Oh, and Young Master Bai has been asking about you."

The smile on Jiang’s face immediately stiffened.

"How many times?"

Xiaoli thought for a moment.

"Five."

Jiang nearly fell off his chair.

"Five?!"

She nodded sympathetically.

"Five."

The color slowly drained from Jiang’s face.

The Young Master rarely called for ordinary staff members personally. The fact that he had asked for Jiang five separate times while he was away could only mean two things. He was either in hot soup, or maybe the Young Master simply wanted to see the newly awakened Hunter he had recruited.

A few seconds later, another knock sounded.

A man dressed in a black guild uniform stood outside the office.

"Manager Jiang."

Jiang swallowed.

"Yes?"

"The Young Master would like to see you immediately."

---

"Ah, don’t think about it too much, Jiang. You’re not in trouble. He just wants to ask about your recruits. Hey, the old man likes you, so his son must also like you. Maybe he just misses you? Argh, who am I kidding? I’m cooked," Jiang Weichen muttered to himself as he stood in front of the door to Young Master Bai’s office.

With a gulp, he knocked.

"Come in," a voice came from the office.

He hesitantly opened the door and stepped inside.

The office was far larger than his own. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked a large portion of the city, allowing sunlight to pour into the room. The walls were decorated with expensive paintings and framed photographs of powerful Hunters standing beside giant Frontier Beast corpses. A large bookshelf occupied one side of the office while a display case containing valuable artifacts occupied the other.

At the center sat a wide black desk. Behind it was a young man who looked to be in his mid-twenties.

His appearance was handsome enough to make most celebrities jealous. Long black hair was tied neatly behind his head, and his sharp eyes were focused on a document resting on the desk. He wore a simple white shirt beneath a dark suit, yet somehow looked more intimidating than most armored Hunters Jiang had ever met.

Young Master Bai.

Jiang immediately straightened his back.

"Manager Jiang Weichen reporting, sir."

The young man didn’t reply immediately. He calmly flipped through several pages before finally setting the document down.

"Sit."

Jiang obediently sat down.

After sitting, the silence that followed almost killed him.

Young Master Bai leaned back slightly and folded his hands.

"How was India?"

"Good, sir."

"Any problems?" he asked with an indifferent expression.

Jiang hesitated before replying.

"None, sir."

"Any valuable recruits?"

Jiang’s eyes lit up.

"Actually, yes, sir."

He immediately opened his suitcase and pulled out several files.

"One Rare Class. Frost Weaver. Female. Name Mia. Excellent compatibility with elemental development paths. Psychological profile stable. No known criminal record. Estimated growth potential above average."

Young Master Bai listened quietly.

Jiang continued enthusiastically.

"I also gathered information on several Common and Uncommon Classes, but Mia is definitely the highlight of the trip."

Young Master Bai nodded once.

"That’s enough, Mr. Jiang."

Jiang paused immediately.

"Mia should arrive before Monday. Leave her file here. I’ll send it to someone to prepare for her travel. You have another job."

Jiang forced a smile.

"And what might that be, sir?"

Bai smiled lightly.

"Jiang, you’re one of the valuable people in this guild and also very important to my father and me, of course. You’ve proven your worth in recruitment over the years and earned our trust, so my father and I have decided to send you to the Frontier Realm with a group of other Hunters as... spies."

Jiang’s breath hitched as fear spread through his entire body.

"Frontier Realm? Spies? I don’t think I’m qualified for this assignment, with all due respect, Young Master."

Bai tilted his head.

"Who said you had a choice?"

Jiang felt a pang in his heart.

He immediately bowed his head.

"I’m sorry, sir. But can I at least get a day off before the assignment begins?"

"Sure. A week off. And don’t worry, I’m part of the group of spies. You’ll be protected if it turns into a dangerous battle."

Jiang bowed again.

"I appreciate it, sir."

He then stood up, ready to leave the office.

As he walked out, Bai spoke.

"Enjoy your week off, Mr. Weichen. It will be a long stay in First Jianghu."