After Xie Shuangxue’s multiple “forget it” remarks, the tensions between the Feather Clan and Linan did not resolve but instead escalated under such suppression.

Throughout most of the day, Ling Xuan’s expression never softened, appearing even grimmer than usual.

The leaders and military overseers of Linan were overly cunning, not just one or two, and although Ling Xuan did physically confront them, only those he dealt with directly showed any sign of moderation; the situation otherwise remained unchanged.

They clearly understood that the Feather Clan was there to help, governed by strict rules. They only spoke a few words, which weren’t wrong, and the Feather Clan absolutely couldn’t and shouldn’t kill their “own people”—they had to help Linan instead.

Despite being weaker than the Feather Clan, they still dared to command with such arrogance—a situation Xie Shuangxue had anticipated before she arrived.

During her time at the Lu Yun Platform, she had mentioned that some famous divine descendants held higher standards, like the Yun family’s aloofness and the Feather Clan’s loyalty and integrity.

These “characteristics” passed down through word of mouth had granted the divine races a dominant status over the Demon Clan in conventional terms, bestowing them supreme power during relatively peaceful times.

But now, as chaos erupted everywhere and the Demon Clan rebounded, these moral standards became a burden.

Of course, for families like the Yun family, if there were no morals, they wouldn’t be constrained by them. However, the Feather Clan had truly fallen into this trap.

Because on the surface, the great turmoil seemed connected to the Feather Clan, and the world’s targeting and suspicion intensified. The Feather Clan had to clear their name in this manner, positioning people like Ling Luo and Ling Xuan as “protectors” and “saviors,” and for the greater good of their race, they had no choice but to swallow their grievances.

Knowing this, Linan dared to act as they did.

Initially, things turned out as they expected.

Ling Xuan was tempestuous but was occasionally restrained by the Feather Clan, urging him to calm down, resolve the situation quickly, and then they could return without causing more troubles.

The so-called Golden Feather Envoy without wings also remained silent, bearing several wounds without much complaint, as if resigned to his fate.

However, soon the situation took a wrong turn.

The military leaders, who were functional NPCs, initially had no health bars—at least not yet. Even if they were from an opposing faction, it didn’t mean players could kill everyone, such as ordinary civilians who were protected in quests.

Xie Shuangxue hadn’t taken these few people seriously; she merely wanted the Feather Clan to witness firsthand that some people truly didn’t deserve their help, ideally worsening the conflict so she had more reason to act.

But in the blink of an eye, she suddenly saw health bars appearing above those people.

Xie Shuangxue: …Hmm?

She also noticed three small tags next to the health bars, which, even if not for a player like Xie Shuangxue, were understandable, indicating that these monsters would drop coins, equipment, and faction points.

Now, things became easier.

Initially, seeing Xie Shuangxue being bullied and injured, many players couldn’t hold back, even angrier than Ling Xuan.

The revelation about the health bars was first discovered by Linan’s own players. The surrounding players didn’t hesitate and chose to rebel, waiting for the cooldown to pass before striking.

“Damn, I’ve been holding back for so long!”

Suddenly, it got noisy over there.

Others weren’t spared either; soon, players rushed forward howling, and before Ling Xuan could react, all he heard from that direction was a sound like a great vengeance being fulfilled.

“This punch is for my kid hitting you!”

“You dare upset my wife? You’re dead.”

When players want to strike someone down, nothing can stop them.

Ling Xuan knew he should intervene, but he just stood there, watching coldly.

They had harmed Ah Xue, and they deserved it.

He smirked, turned around, and saw Xie Shuangxue standing there dumbfounded, watching the scene as if still in shock, even taking a step forward as if to help.

Ah Xue was just too kind-hearted and gentle.

“Don’t look anymore,” Ling Xuan, deeply distressed, reached out to block his view, “Let’s go.”

Xie Shuangxue wasn’t distressed; she was curious about what those with the health bars had dropped.

In the story, these people took advantage of the chaos to seize valuables, stuffing them into their own pockets. Now, players were directly plundering these bigwigs.

Judging by the players’ expressions, the loot seemed plentiful, probably enough to compensate for their rebellion.

Anything could happen in a world quest, as long as the storyline progressed to a certain point, even original NPC allies could tear off their disguises and transform into bosses.

But the timing now was indeed too coincidental.

Xie Shuangxue knew who was behind this.

Today was the conclusion of the summit, and she thought Yu Haiqing would be too busy to pay attention to in-game affairs, but he had been keeping an eye on her all along.

Then Xie Shuangxue sent a message to Yu Haiqing.

“Thank you, brother.”

Her words still seemed sweet.

But when Yu Haiqing received it, he waited a while, seeing no emoji like last time, only a simple emoticon.

“=3=”

It seemed somewhat perfunctory, Yu Haiqing thought, maybe she was still by Ling Xuan’s side, thinking about his good brothers; after all, Linan wasn’t her problem, yet she insisted on going there.

President Yu felt a bit sour but said nothing.

He just thought about hurrying back to see Xie Shuangxue.

Meanwhile, in the game, Ling Luo and Chen Xin also clearly felt that the Continental Wanderers from Linan were becoming fewer, probably running away.

The Feather Clan hadn’t done anything wrong, but even if they won, they couldn’t keep anyone!

They began to doubt if coming to Linan was a wrong decision, and seeing Xie Shuangxue only intensified this feeling.

The Feather Clan was initially split into two teams, and they regrouped later. The first person Ling Luo saw was Xie Shuangxue.

She had sustained injuries on her arm, hastily bandaged, and later seemed to have been hit by a flying rock, inexplicably not dodging, leaving a large bruise on her forehead.

“What happened?!” Chen Xin immediately pulled her over, applying medicine.

During this, Xie Shuangxue appeared obedient, and Chen Xin, applying the medicine, noticed her eyelashes trembling slightly, which made it even harder for him to watch, thinking if the rock had shifted a bit, it might have hit her eyes.

What kind of cursed place was Linan?!

Ling Xuan didn’t dodge the blame, directly admitting, “It’s my fault for not protecting Ah Xue, I…”

“It’s not your fault,” Xie Shuangxue interrupted him directly on the side, “It was my own carelessness.”

Ling Luo also came to check her injuries, then darkly said, “It’s not Ling Xuan’s fault, nor is it Shuangxue’s.”

“This is what we talked about yesterday, there’s something wrong with this place in Linan.”

As he finished speaking, a short, plump figure approached the just-rested Feather Clan and spoke.

“Noble guests, in times of crisis, it’s not good to stop, ah, Linan still has many things to do, the sooner you solve them here, the sooner you can return to report, isn’t that right?”

“Just a minor injury, not so delicate…”

He spoke righteously, yet his body was spotless, not participating in the fighting, only to come out and dictate now, and as he spoke, he approached where Xie Shuangxue sat.

Then, for some reason, he fell silent, just staring at her, his gaze making her uncomfortable.

Even with a slight injury on her face, Xie Shuangxue turned to look at him, still remarkably stunning, appearing even more fragile and pitiable.

She recognized him immediately—it was Linan’s City Lord, controlled by Zi Yue Island, unlike Yun Ruwei who still knew to resist. He enjoyed it, which Xie Shuangxue knew before coming. This man, besides colluding with the big villains, also had a poor personal character, lecherous, the whole of Linan was crooked from top to bottom.

Chen Xin was already unhappy because of Xie Shuangxue’s injuries, and seeing the City Lord’s gaze made him even unhappier. The nearby Feather Clan also reacted quickly, immediately separating him.

“Show some respect to the Golden Feather Envoy!”

Most of the Feather Clan present were also upset, but they were not the type to leave in a huff. Chen Xin wanted to act, but Xie Shuangxue held him back.

Don’t start a conflict at the wrong time.

Xie Shuangxue was fully aware of Ling Luo and their concerns. They couldn’t prove Linan’s connection with the Demon Clan yet, and not everyone inside was bad, the civilians were innocent, and the Feather Clan couldn’t abandon them all.

Just at the moment when a conflict seemed imminent, someone next to the City Lord came up to stop him.

It was a dashing general who immediately blocked the City Lord’s view of Xie Shuangxue, then apologized to the Feather Clan, smoothing things over: “Sorry, everyone, you’ve worked hard, it’s time to rest properly, regardless, you’ve solved Linan’s predicament, and we are very grateful.”

This person was in military attire, looking quite disheveled, and spoke with a hoarse voice. Xie Shuangxue recognized her—it was a woman general.

He actually knew her.

Linan was such a mess, yet it had managed to fight equally with Linbei before the Feather Clan arrived, indicating there were still bright spots, and this little general was one.

She was Linan’s Qin Feiluan, commanding troops, constantly struggling, always feared by Linbei. When Xie Shuangxue arrived, she noticed some military overseers wearing different uniforms and behaving more orderly—probably her subordinates, significantly different from those with health bars displayed.

This is how faction wars are; a faction can contain all sorts of people, mixed and varied, so the players’ and Feather Clan’s dilemmas were justified.

Thinking this, Xie Shuangxue looked at her a few more times.

In his eyes, Qin Feiluan was the unspoiled apple in a basket of rotten ones. In the original story, she was also desperately trying to save, still to no avail, Ling Xuan even dying here.

So the best method was not to sink further but to quickly take out the good apple.

The Feather Clan’s temporary rest was interrupted again by the people of Linan, causing more disturbances, and Ling Luo, Ling Xuan, and Chen Xin had to lead teams out again. They were reluctant to let Xie Shuangxue go out again, so they left her and some severely injured patients in a safe place.

Xie Shuangxue wasn’t in a hurry to go out this time.

He had a way with caring for the sick; many of the Feather Clan were furious, but his comforting eased their mood quite a bit.

Since becoming the Golden Feather Envoy, he had always been like this, never aloof, smiling at everyone, even if some initially resisted quietly, he won them over with his strength, never losing his temper, and now many truly respected him.

“Shuangxue, I think the City Lord of Linan is very wrong, but we really can’t find any evidence,” a Feather Clan member reminded him, “It’s better not to get close to him. If he really crosses the line, we’ll defy the clan’s orders and return, and if His Highness blames us, we’ll explain ourselves.”

Xie Shuangxue shook his head, telling them, “Don’t act rashly, if Linan really has issues, I think they’ll self-destruct due to their misdeeds.”

Though he said this, Xie Shuangxue kept an eye on the situation.

The Feather Clan was now cautious, setting up defenses in their temporary rest area. The City Lord tried to come over at night, sneaking past the defenses, but was stopped by Qin Feiluan.

“Sir,” Qin Feiluan’s voice was even more hoarse, “the Feather Clan is here to help us.”

The City Lord sneered, glaring at her, said, “Move aside. What’s the Feather Clan anyway? At this point, do you still think they’re above us? You better wake up; they’re eventually my playthings.”

But with Qin Feiluan blocking him, he couldn’t get past and had to leave temporarily, but because of this conflict, Qin Feiluan was struck by the other party, her helmet askew.

She watched him leave, then took off her helmet, spat out a mouthful of blood, yet still felt painfully alive.

Just then, she heard someone speak from behind.

“Use this,” the voice was very gentle, “I heard everything, thank you for protecting the Feather Clan, and for protecting me.”

Qin Feiluan turned around and saw the particularly beautiful Golden Feather Envoy, called Xie Shuangxue.

Her subordinates had been reporting back the battle situation, and she was well aware of who truly came to help, so she was grateful to these people, and Xie Shuangxue was one of them.

She looked down, and Xie Shuangxue was holding medicine. She initially wanted to wave it off, but Xie Shuangxue added, “It’s what my brother used on me; it’s a bit better than Linan’s medicine.”

“Consider it my thanks, if not for me, you wouldn’t have been hit.”

Qin Feiluan, exhausted, didn’t refuse after a few words. She sat on the ground to apply the medicine, some small cuts on her face she couldn’t see herself, but Xie Shuangxue reached out to help.

His fingers were light, and Qin Feiluan heard her sigh: “Is he always bullying you like this? I feel sorry for my sister. If I had come earlier, at least I could have stopped him.”

Qin Feiluan fell silent for a long while, then smiled bitterly and shook her head: “Don’t confront him, he’s not weak, and you’d be at a disadvantage.”

“You don’t know, Linan wasn’t always like this, it used to be good,” Qin Feiluan sighed again, “The previous City Lord was kind to me, I can’t abandon this place in times of trouble, besides, where else could I go if I left here?”

That was a good question.

Wasn’t there his Northland?

But Xie Shuangxue didn’t say this now, his expression showing sympathy, then said: “If he bullies you again, just come to the Feather Clan’s side, we’ll protect you.”

Qin Feiluan smiled and didn’t say more, looking at Xie Shuangxue a few more times, said: “You also be careful.”

Because of this encounter, Xie Shuangxue’s subsequent interactions with her became more natural; he had roughly understood and already knew that Qin Feiluan truly had a good heart, capable of significant responsibilities.

Such a person couldn’t be left to Linan.

Soon, Yun Qiang received a message from Shuangxue, about a matter of defection, asking her to come to Linan.

Yun Ruwei and Yun Qiang shared a body, arriving quickly, and after connecting with Xie Shuangxue, heard about Qin Feiluan.

“Weren’t you always saying no one was available?” Xie Shuangxue said, “I’ve found you a suitable one.”

Yun Ruwei was always blustery in her approach to recruiting people, but Yun Qiang was more appropriate, especially given their experiences; they likely had much in common, so now it was Yun Qiang using the body.

Qin Feiluan’s recent movements were clear to Xie Shuangxue, and Yun Qiang seized the opportunity to save her once, which was enough. She wasn’t purely blindly loyal, just worried about where her subordinates would go; infiltration could be gradual, and Xie Shuangxue would naturally help along.

“That’s interesting.”

Yun Qiang stroked her chin, then sensitively noticed that Xie Shuangxue also called her “sister.”

“I have another question, Xie Shuangxue, are you planning to use the same approach on her that you used on me?” Yun Qiang stared at him, “You change your affections quickly.”

Xie Shuangxue looked innocent.

“Not at all, what are you thinking?” he was not at all flustered, “It’s because you said the Northland lacked people, that’s why it’s always on my mind.”