Xie Shuangxue spoke in a voice so soft that only he and Ling Xuan could hear it. But the moment Ling Xuan heard it, he jumped back as if pricked by a needle, retreating a few steps, his tone stuttering, “What… what does it matter to you?”

Xie Shuangxue blinked in surprise, glanced at him, and then, fully understanding, chose not to explain further. He lowered his head and walked away.

When he turned his head, his expression changed slightly—no longer the timid, downcast gaze he usually wore. Instead, a quiet confidence glinted in his eyes.

That medicine bottle hadn’t been given to Ling Xuan for nothing.

When Xie Shuangxue had spoken those few words to Chen Xin, he’d intentionally created a plausible excuse for his actions, so that the SEA, the AI system, would accept it without suspicion. According to his character, Xie Shuangxue was indeed the kind of person who would do anything for Chun Yao.

This was not an abnormal behavior he needed to hide. In fact, Xie Shuangxue hoped it would be noticed.

And Ling Xuan was crucial.

Ling Xuan was not just anyone; he was Elder Ling’s most beloved disciple and the younger brother of Ling Luo, the second male lead.

While Elder Ling’s schemes put him on a different side than Xie Shuangxue, the character roles of the main players were already firmly established. Whatever Xie Shuangxue did couldn’t easily alter things overnight, but Ling Xuan was different.

Chen Xin had been right; at his core, Ling Xuan wasn’t truly wicked. Unlike his mentor, who was corrupt to the core, Ling Xuan had been well-protected. His only flaw was a hot temper, but his heart was still good.

Xie Shuangxue understood this well.

After all, in the original story, he’d used Ling Xuan’s simple-heartedness to isolate and eliminate him, getting rid of the rival who had been his constant opponent.

But the real Xie Shuangxue didn’t want to kill anyone.

Even if he managed to get rid of someone in the Feather Clan, he’d still be unable to escape Chun Yao’s judgment. And if Ling Xuan remained hostile, Xie Shuangxue would have to face more constraints in the future.

If he could save one person, he would.

The fates of each character in the story were intertwined. Changing his destiny meant he’d have to change others’ as well.

While Xie Shuangxue calmly considered his next moves, Ling Xuan stood there, staring at his retreating figure.

Then, Elder Ling noticed the commotion and called Ling Xuan over to check on his whip injuries.

At the mention of his wounds, Ling Xuan’s expression turned strange.

Grateful by nature, he had been searching for the friend who had brought him the medicine. After asking around, however, no one admitted to it.

Since it was a punishment directly from Her Highness, most people would have kept their distance. But he’d asked in private, so there was no reason for anyone to lie about a good deed.

Examining the medicine bottle, he noticed that it was somewhat unique. The patterns differed slightly from those on ordinary bottles—it looked like it might have come from someone in Elder Chen’s household.

He quickly sought out Chen Xin, but Chen Xin denied any involvement.

Still unsatisfied, Ling Xuan continued asking around until he received an unexpected answer.

“I felt sorry for Shuangxue and gave him some medicine from my stash,” Chen Xin said. “If you look closely, the bottle does indeed have minor differences, which only our people would notice. It must have been him who sent it to you. There’s no one else it could be; all my other medicines are here with me. I told you, you misjudged him. Shuangxue is actually a good kid.”

“Nonsense,” Ling Xuan refused to believe it, emotions surging as he tried to rationalize, “Where would Xie Shuangxue get such good medicine?”

It couldn’t be Xie Shuangxue.

It just couldn’t!

Yet, after having exchanged a few more words with Xie Shuangxue earlier, Ling Xuan wavered. This uncertainty lingered until his mentor, Elder Ling, called him over, appearing as though he’d spoken to Xie Shuangxue about something.

“What did Master want from him?”

Since Ling Xuan was still young, Elder Ling hadn’t yet shown him the darker side of his schemes, only brushing it off with a dismissive wave, “Just asked him to handle a task.”

“What can he do with that skinny frame?”

“Don’t underestimate the Xie family,” Elder Ling replied, glancing at him. “You youngsters don’t know; before the Xie family served the Feather Clan, they already had a distinguished legacy.”

Originally renowned for their expertise in hidden weapons, the Xie family had joined the Feather Clan to establish legitimacy. But they hadn’t lost their skills in the process.

From a young age, their techniques were honed to perfection; they were experts in sleight of hand, and hidden weapons often went hand in hand with poison. The Xie family even had ties to a family of poison healers, giving them an inherent talent for these skills.

It was rumored that Xie Shuangxue, as the young master of the Xie family, had a unique constitution, enhanced by years of medicinal infusions, making him immune to poison. His very being was like a potent elixir, simply waiting for him to decide how to wield it.

Unfortunately, an expert in hidden weapons is rarely skilled in direct combat. The Skeleton Ghost had attacked from underground, bypassing most of the city’s defenses with its sudden nighttime assault; otherwise, the Xie family’s skills would have made the outcome very different.

To ensure that Chun Yao wouldn’t notice, each dose in the medicine was carefully calibrated to be small, so the effect wouldn’t be immediate. Only after several consecutive days of applying the medicine would Elder Ling achieve the result he wanted. Naturally, this required a bit of unique skill.

Xie Shuangxue was the ideal candidate.

If it worked, he would have both the young master of the Xie family and Chun Yao’s so-called savior in his grasp. If it failed, he could simply discard the scapegoat, losing nothing either way.

But since the plan wasn’t yet complete, Elder Ling didn’t mention any of this to his young disciple. Ling Xuan, however, was stunned after hearing about the Xie family’s hidden talents, falling into a contemplative silence.

These character interactions, being background storylines between supporting characters, weren’t shown to the players. This segment covered a time span of about four or five days.

During this period, Xie Shuangxue could sense Ling Xuan watching him from time to time, as though he wanted to say something but held back.

To test Ling Xuan’s current state of mind, Xie Shuangxue intentionally tore his sleeve and went out wearing the ragged garment. It wasn’t long before the ever-watchful Ling Xuan noticed.

Shortly after Xie Shuangxue returned to his quarters, he found two neatly folded sets of new clothes on the table. No note, no signature, just clothes meticulously arranged.

Xie Shuangxue knew exactly who had left them.

But aside from Ling Xuan, he occasionally felt as if someone else was watching him. Yet, when he looked around, there was no one in sight.

Likely one of Elder Ling’s people, monitoring him to ensure he followed their plan. The system’s control over the plot left no room for deviation.

Xie Shuangxue continued following the storyline meticulously. By day, he obediently rested to recover; the Feather Clan didn’t assign him any tasks. By night, he switched Luo Yin’s medicine as instructed by Elder Ling.

Elder Ling was extremely cautious, always delivering the medicine to him at the last minute, preventing any chance of tampering, and constantly confirming that he was following through.

Xie Shuangxue, with his naturally stealthy abilities, carried out the task seamlessly, making no mistakes, and the plot advanced smoothly.

To the players, these several in-game days translated to just one day and night.

Anxious to jump into new developments, the players had been waiting eagerly. Especially Qiao Zhihui, who had tasted victory on the first day of Gods and Demons’ third anniversary.

The anniversary’s first day had been packed with excitement—hidden bosses, the appearance of Jiu Shen—and after streaming it all, Qiao Zhihui had eagerly browsed the forum, eventually finding his way to Xie Shuangxue’s dedicated discussion thread, where he quickly got caught up.

The thread was full of fans gushing over Xie Shuangxue’s tragic beauty. With his stunning entrance and the famous medicine scene, many players were waiting to see his next appearance, with comments like, “My poor beautiful boy, let Mama give you a kiss!” Qiao Zhihui found himself totally absorbed in the fan frenzy.

The next morning, the moment his alarm went off, he jumped into the game, barely managing to set up his streaming equipment before entering the second chapter of the Penglai City storyline.

Here I come, my Snowy!

Stepping into Penglai City once more, Qiao Zhihui saw that the city had been transformed. The skeleton corpses had been cleared by the Feather Clan, important evidence preserved, and the bodies of the deceased citizens buried. The streets were cleaned up and arranged, restoring some order to the city.

But it wasn’t the Penglai of before.

After a moment of quiet reflection, Qiao Zhihui followed the game’s prompts to the City Lord’s Mansion, interacting with the Feather Clan member at the gate.

This second chapter was clearly setting up the true world quest.

The Feather Clan member explained why the players were called back, stating that the Demon Clan was stirring up trouble, and they needed heroes to investigate suspicious clues in the city, tracking them across the world to report back to the Feather Clan for a generous reward.

As for the specifics, Her Highness would brief them personally.

The Feather Clan NPC also mentioned recent developments, hinting that a new elder had arrived, who seemed to be at odds with Chun Yao and might be plotting something.

…But what does this have to do with my Snowy? Qiao Zhihui’s mind was elsewhere, breezing through the prompts without much thought.

But just as he took a few steps, he felt an ominous magical energy surge from within the mansion.

The source was the inner chamber where Luo Yin had been recovering!

The players knew Luo Yin’s identity as the Demon Emperor, aware that the tense situation between the Gods and Demons left no room for leniency. Qiao Zhihui’s heart skipped a beat.

Could the Demon Emperor’s cover be blown already?

But it was the unfamiliar Feather Clan members in the courtyard who reacted fastest. Elder Ling appeared immediately, demanding that they seize Luo Yin.

“I told you he was a Demon spy! Arrest him!”

In the midst of this tense confrontation, Chun Yao entered the scene, wearing a calm expression with a cold smile on her face.

“The one who should be apprehended isn’t Luo Yin; it’s someone else.”

It turned out that Luo Yin had already confided in Chun Yao after awakening, asking her to lay a trap and wait.

He had saved the swapped medicines as evidence, while Chun Yao had placed a trap at the temporary storage spot. The tampering would leave traces on the culprit, and Luo Yin had even used this moment to solidify his disguise as a descendant of exorcists, unveiling his sensitivity to demonic energy and presenting the family crest he’d prepared.

Endless Sea had crafted the scene meticulously, building up to a satisfying twist that left the antagonists speechless. Chun Yao and Luo Yin’s teamwork had also deepened their bond, and watching Elder Ling’s plans unravel was cathartic for the players.

But…

Qiao Zhihui wasn’t paying attention to any of that.

Everyone was gathered here—so where was his Snowy? Where was he staying?

Was he recovering well?

As he wandered around, looking for any sign of Xie Shuangxue, the situation suddenly took a turn.

Chun Yao pressed the investigation further, targeting one of Elder Ling’s followers. Soon, a suspect was dragged to the center of the hall and forced to kneel.

Qiao Zhihui blinked. Wasn’t that… Xie Shuangxue?

Xie Shuangxue looked frail but recovered from his minor injuries, standing among the robust Feather Clan youths in an outfit that hung loosely on his thin frame. His sleeves were too wide, and he knelt with shoulders pressed down, his face pale as he tried to maintain a calm demeanor.

Qiao Zhihui’s jaw dropped, his mind a whirl of shock and fury.

Let go of my poor Snowy!

This is slander! Outrageous, shameless slander!

How could my sweet and gentle Snowy be the culprit?