Bai Qiuyan could hardly believe his eyes. He had never seen Yu Haiqing acting so boldly in public. Previously, when he heard about “holding Xie Shuangxue,” it was only through others’ words. Yun Ruwei had mentioned it briefly, leading one to instinctively think it was just a slight touch, nothing over the line.

After all, who wouldn’t like Ah Xue? He’s smart and cute, and Yu Haiqing had previously just been all talk. Moreover, at the conference, Bai Qiuyan had guessed that Yu Haiqing might really have someone he liked, as he had been unable to log in for a few days and assumed Yu Haiqing was the same, separating game from reality.

As the president of Endless Sea, he wouldn’t get overly entangled with an NPC while having a real love interest, right?

But now he had seen it with his own eyes! Yu Haiqing, who seemed so upright, turned out to be a complete beast! And he did not even let go when he heard Bai Qiuyan’s voice, frowning at him as if Bai Qiuyan were an unwanted third wheel.

Bai Qiuyan, filled with anger as if his own cabbage had been gnawed, stepped forward a few paces, intending to pull Ah Xue away. But he wasn’t as quick as Yu Haiqing, who turned and shielded Ah Xue tightly, preventing any contact.

“What are you doing to Ah Xue?” Bai Qiuyan demanded loudly, “Yu Haiqing, back off, don’t go too far.”

Yu Haiqing, the accused, showed no sign of embarrassment. His expression unchanged, he retorted, “And what brings you here?”

Bai Qiuyan confidently replied, “I’m here on serious business!”

Indeed, it was serious business. The White Wall guild was making significant moves, and he had come to the Northlands for a current world quest. The situation between Linan and Linbei had clarified, giving the top guilds a clearer sense of direction.

They hadn’t simply followed the crowd to Linan; instead, after seeing Qin Feiluan move to the Northlands, they leaned towards another choice—cooperating with the Northlands but not joining any faction, establishing their own base in the surrounding area of the Northlands. It would protect the Northlands, which in return could assist them. Establishing their own faction might be tougher, but the rewards were substantial, especially for a powerful guild.

Initially, there had been many hesitations about where to settle—if it was too close to a fortress, they could be easily attacked; if it was in a desolate area, the rewards would be low.

This idea had actually been suggested by the Northlands themselves. Given the current situation, this was indeed the best choice.

Earlier, there were doubts about the Northlands within the guild, but now everyone nodded in agreement without any objections—it was all settled in just a few days.

Bai Qiuyan understood the whole situation from start to finish and felt as though he had walked right into a trap laid out by Xie Shuangxue, yet even after realizing this, he still felt willingly ensnared.

They had initially been drawn in by equipment upgrades. Shortly after Xie Shuangxue moved to Linan, the rankings in the Northlands had quickly sorted out the time differences.

Also, Oolong Sweet was gathering lifestyle players there to form their own guild, redistributing the money from selling positions and poisons for further investment, which quickly led to the emergence of an active community of lifestyle players, transforming the entire Northlands almost instantaneously.

They had thought that development here would take time, but it quickly got on the right track. Some diligent lifestyle players were already realizing their initial gaming ambitions, successfully leasing a small manor near the City Lord’s Mansion.

Though it was just a tiny farm or a small mine, and the cabins were basic, the sense of achievement was palpable. With their own land, the players were more motivated to invest effort into decorations, planting, or mining upgrades.

With the first group setting an example, those who hadn’t yet acquired land quickly found a new goal.

After the first event concluded, it wasn’t the end; Xie Shuangxue had planned more rewards. The Northlands’ poison was in high demand, prompting many to choose poison crafting as a profession. The next reward offered was the recipe for making poison, which lifestyle players could then craft themselves. Thanks to the groundwork laid before, they weren’t worried about the sales.

The recipe involved not just crafting poison but also cultivating necessary ingredients and constructing alchemy furnaces, which required ore as a raw material—benefits for merchants go without saying…

One recipe was enough to cover all the potential rewards for various types of lifestyle players, spurring the newcomers to even greater activity.

And as the top guild’s elite players redeemed weapon upgrades from Yun Ruwei, they also learned about the prosperous situation in the Northlands, a picture of thriving growth.

In fact, there was no need for words; one could see for oneself.

Soon, Qin Feiluan was lured over by Xie Shuangxue, making the place appear even more formidable. For several guilds, the Northlands naturally became the best choice.

This step-by-step, well-executed plan was entirely Xie Shuangxue’s doing. Aside from guild business, Bai Qiuyan’s personal motive was, of course, to meet him.

Especially after hearing all this, he knew who was planning far ahead behind the scenes. The more he heard, the more he liked, even admired him. He had waited in the Northlands for a long time, just hoping to meet him once and have a good talk.

This NPC was truly different from others.

But when he arrived, eager and excited, the first thing he saw was Yu Haiqing, that scoundrel, doing such things to Ah Xue!

The City Lord’s Mansion in the Northlands was currently a non-combat zone; otherwise, Bai Qiuyan would have truly beaten him down to a respawn point.

All he could do was glare fiercely at Yu Haiqing and then cajole Xie Shuangxue, his tone changing instantly: “Ah Xue, it’s me, come here, come over here.”

Then Xie Shuangxue peeked out from behind Yu Haiqing, tilting his head to look at him, saying, “I know it’s you, I remember you.”

Seeing him made Bai Qiuyan’s heart soften: “Ah Xue, sweetheart, did he trick you?”

“No,” said Xie Shuangxue, “he gave me a little garden, and he helped me a lot, I really like it, so I’m very grateful.”

He spoke with such innocence that Bai Qiuyan felt even more heartache.

Ah Xue might be smart, but how could he know that for Yu Haiqing, the president of Endless Sea, these were simple gestures, surely an abuse of power?

What was even more critical was that Yu Haiqing clearly had someone he loved and an unresolved first love. Yet here he was, deceiving beautiful NPCs. How could there be such scum in the world!

Bai Qiuyan immediately shared this with Xie Shuangxue, trying to coax him over. Little did he know that all three of them were actually Xie Shuangxue.

Yu Haiqing tried to explain, but Xie Shuangxue didn’t listen; he laughed instead, having already figured out the situation.

During their conversation, he had come to understand his relationship with Yu Haiqing much better. Since he had already made up his mind and was such a character, the awkwardness and constraints lasted only a moment. Right then and there, he neither approached Bai Qiuyan nor continued to hide behind Yu Haiqing but stepped back and walked away in another direction.

“I know, you don’t have to overthink it.”

His hair tied back, his figure nimble, he seemed like a sprite in that scene, with the chubby goldfish in the canal swimming in his direction, disappearing into the distance quickly.

Yu Haiqing heard his distant voice, “Anyway, let nature take its course. I’ll be coming here often, there’s still a lot to do.”

He understood, and smiled to himself, but Bai Qiuyan didn’t catch on, glaring at Yu Haiqing, “Scum, you still dare to smile?”

Yu Haiqing couldn’t be bothered to explain, saying, “I really do like Ah Xue, genuinely. You’re not satisfied, what can you do about it? At most, we won’t cooperate, but Endless Sea has plenty of partners.”

This was a challenge, and Bai Qiuyan, hot-headed as he was, fell right into it.

“Keep dreaming.”

The new platform was based on Sea’s architecture, greatly appealing to Bai Qiuyan. What if the collaboration went deep, and he could get his hands on Shuangxue’s source code?

But Yu Haiqing was unwilling to say more, turning away. Today’s business with Ah Xue was done, leaving only Bai Qiuyan there, impotently furious: “You wait!”

“I’ll definitely protect Ah Xue and not let you, that scoundrel, succeed!”

Xie Shuangxue said he was here on serious business, and of course, it wasn’t just talk.

He wasn’t here for Yu Haiqing; he was here to meet his sister. On the other side of the City Lord’s Mansion, Qin Feiluan had already settled down with her people.

She quickly learned what Yun Ruwei and Yun Qiang had been through, related to the previous events at Lu Yun Platform, and also learned about the many twists and turns behind the Northlands, deeply moved.

But she had yet to meet the real person behind the Northlands; Yun Qiang was still keeping secrets.

Back in Linan, Xie Shuangxue had not revealed his identity until the end.

Now, as Qin Feiluan and the players were discussing matters in the front hall, with the big guilds also present, Yun Qiang had told her someone else was coming, leaving her quite nervous.

Soon, she heard a noise behind the curtain in the back of the room.

Qin Feiluan turned to look just in time to see a pair of hands lifting the light veil, revealing a familiar half of a face.

“Ah Xue? How are you feeling? Are you better?”

Having parted in Linan, she thought she might never see him again and had secretly regretted it for a long time.

Thus, Qin Feiluan’s first reaction was just that; a second later, she belatedly exclaimed in surprise, “Wait, how are you here?”

“Because I’m originally from the Northlands,” Xie Shuangxue stepped out, smiling at her, “Sister, don’t blame me. I couldn’t bear to see you continue to suffer there, so I decided to deceive you into coming to the Northlands. Are you used to it here?”

Yun Qiang, standing beside, gave him an extra glance.

Geez, it wasn’t for me?

Qin Feiluan was stunned for a good while before she recovered.

She wasn’t angry but sighed deeply and smiled, “I’m very used to it. It’s very nice here.”

She was also curious why Yun Qiang had noticed her. If not for Xie Shuangxue’s deliberate actions, she might have died in Linan long ago.

The Northlands were a true haven in today’s chaos.

“That’s good,” Xie Shuangxue looked at her, “Make sure to protect this place well. I fear the great world is about to become even more dangerous.”

The players in the area were quickly drawn to this, rushing to see Xie Shuangxue.

The hall suddenly became noisy. Some players were streaming live, and the viewership spiked instantly.

“Wifey! I was so worried!”

“Baby saw me, ah I’m dead, I really miss baby.”

“Every time my treasure returns to Floating Dreams Cloud Realm, I can’t see him anymore. I wonder, Endless Sea, Gods and Demon, is there any place where us noble consumers can’t go?”

Many players had asked this before.

But with the Floating Dreams Cloud Realm open to players, it was closely linked to the “increasing dangers” mentioned by Xie Shuangxue.

The Northlands were indeed peaceful, but the world quest had just passed its initial stage. The conflict between Linan and Linbei was just an appetizer; soon, the cracks in the Floating Dreams Cloud Realm began to widen.

Chun Yao had even led people to support other areas during the chaos, which didn’t stop because of Linan’s anomalies.

Although the other areas following the Feather Clan didn’t seem to be secretly infiltrated by the Demon Clan like Linan, the current problem was actually within the Feather Clan itself.

Many from the Feather Clan had turned demonic on the spot during their missions, intended to protect people, but instead, they started a massacre, causing widespread resentment.

This was unexpected for the Feather Clan, leading to a loss of trust and power, and many turned against them, relaxing the already tense situation in the Floating Dreams Cloud Realm even further.

If it were just resentment, there might still be a chance to explain, but the incident Xie Shuangxue uncovered in Linan provided an opportunity to mitigate the damage, otherwise, the situation could have looked much worse. What Chun Yao truly worried about was something else.

Initially, the Feather Clan had sent people to the Seven Major Cities to investigate because an additional pathway to their realm had appeared there.

But at that time, it was fake, merely a lure to draw them out, but now it had become real.

Many fragments of the Book of Floating Dream given out by the Feather Clan hadn’t been fully recovered, and those who had obtained these fragments had now turned hostile.

Somehow, they had been taught how to use the Book of Floating Dream to create pathways, seeking blood for blood from the Feather Clan, worsening the internal and external crises.

Because of this, the Floating Dreams Cloud Realm had recently become unsafe, forcing the Feather Clan to call on wanderers to guard it.

From a gaming perspective, some players from failed factions now had follow-up tasks, coming to the Floating Dreams Cloud Realm to undertake missions and build up defenses.

Xie Shuangxue was, of course, continuously helping out.

“Fortunately, I saved him,” Chun Yao looked at his figure and said to Luo Yin beside him, “That was the best decision I ever made.”

Luo Yin looked at him and nodded in agreement.

But he couldn’t help but wonder.

From Lu Yun Platform to Linan, all these events seemed too coincidental, all centering around Xie Shuangxue.

The Feather Clan had been isolated for many years. Though they were adversaries, they didn’t truly understand the Demon Clan, but Luo Yin could feel that something was off.

Like the time in Linan when Xie Shuangxue went alone to find the source of the demonic energy, his actions were incredibly fast, faster than Luo Yin could have managed himself.

Xie Shuangxue knew Luo Yin was watching him.

In the original story, this was probably when he started to become suspicious.

At this moment, Luo Yin’s uprising in the Demon Clan, though tough, had garnered much public support, firmly establishing his position, and after years of interaction, he and Chun Yao even started to feel a kindred spirit towards each other.

He and the Feather Clan had been enemies for years, but he could see that they were being framed now. Luo Yin was clear that if he opposed Chun Yao, the only ones who would benefit were those dark forces behind the scenes.

So, for both public and private reasons, he thought more for Chun Yao at this time. The main couple’s relationship had progressed significantly, actually reaching mutual affection, and Luo Yin’s intervention and understanding of the Feather Clan also deepened.

In the original story, this was when Ling Xuan died, and soon after, Ling Luo heard the news and turned demonic on the spot. At this point, like a sieve, the news of his turning demonic was instantly known throughout the great world, another heavy blow to the Feather Clan’s current situation, and falling from grace was just a matter of time.

There had to be a reason for all these events, and Luo Yin’s gaze settled on Xie Shuangxue, instinctively feeling this person was problematic, fearing that the issue between the Ling brothers might have been exacerbated by him.

Now, Ling Luo and Ling Xuan were alive and well, but such suspicions always arose for other reasons.

Thus, the next plot involving Xie Shuangxue was unavoidable.

Luo Yin meticulously set a trap for Xie Shuangxue, using a straw man for a confession scene from Chun Yao, as seen in the trailer.

This allowed Luo Yin to test his depth, but without killing him, he pondered afterward and used Xie Shuangxue as a pawn to test whether the Feather Clan still harbored any hidden dark forces, helping Chun Yao to weed them out.

This seemed like a minor plot but was no less complicated than the previous ones. Previously, Xie Shuangxue could make major or minor changes because the players didn’t know what the original storyline was, so no one had yet noticed anything wrong.

But this segment, he couldn’t change.

This was a scene everyone knew from the trailer, and any discrepancy would immediately raise suspicions.

Even now, some players felt it didn’t match, voicing their doubts.

“When I watched the trailer, I thought Ah Xue was madly in love with Chun Yao, but now his feelings for Chun Yao don’t seem that deep. So why say that?”

“Is Endless Sea messing around?”

Some even started to mock: “Huh, he’s deceived people before, it’s deliberate.”

“Who knows what he’s up to.”

Xie Shuangxue himself, besides worrying about this so-called “famous scene,” had other concerns.

Now, his relationship with Yu Haiqing was even more complicated than the main couple’s.

Previously, just calling each other brother or sister, or disobeying orders to go out on his own, had made Yu Haiqing angry, though he had later calmed down and even gently gifted him a beautiful little garden. But it was inevitable that his old habits might resurface.

Now, the heartfelt confession was unavoidable, and Yu Haiqing certainly knew about it. Would he react like before, or even more fiercely?

That, that wouldn’t do.