Ordinary NPCs couldn’t distinguish between the hidden storyline and the public-facing plot for the players. So, when the Feather Clan issued a recruitment notice, seeing a ranger show up here seemed justified in their eyes.

Xie Shuangxue asked one more question, “What did that ranger look like?”

“I can’t really remember clearly,” Ling Luo replied, thinking that these rangers roaming the continent never left much of an impression, even if they’d just met. “They all dress pretty much the same.”

“Was he wearing a half silver mask?”

Ling Luo thought carefully, then nodded.

That confirmed it for Xie Shuangxue—it was indeed him.

If the person was from Endless Sea, logging into the hidden storyline from the back end would make sense. However, he couldn’t figure out why this “reserve” was helping him. There was no reason for him to hold back Ling Luo.

Xie Shuangxue frowned, lost in thought, but found no answers.

Forget it; if there are no answers, then so be it. As long as everything is smooth for now.

In the following days, he didn’t see that masked man again, yet that brief encounter proved helpful. Ling Xuan had accepted the reality and was no longer angry with Xie Shuangxue, taking even greater care of him. Ling Luo, Chen Xin, and even Chun Yao sent him a good amount of medicine, which naturally had a positive effect.

By the day of departure, Xie Shuangxue looked noticeably healthier, his face showing a visible flush of color.

“Be careful with everything,” Ling Xuan said, having already rambled on for quite some time, still looking worried. In a voice only he could hear, he muttered, “Just wait for me, okay?”

“Alright, go on back now,” said Chen Xin. “I’ll take good care of Shuangxue.”

For now, Chen Xin was still the one leading the team heading to Lu Yun Tower. Xie Shuangxue was officially registered in the Feather Clan’s family records, and the identity token hanging from his waist marked him as an inner disciple, with the golden edges of the elder’s seal particularly prominent.

In this team, there were also several hundred members of the Feather Clan. With Ling Xuan standing beside him, no one dared to say much, although some couldn’t resist casting furtive glances at Xie Shuangxue.

As if the attention from these elders’ disciples wasn’t enough, even Her Highness came to see them off before their departure. Xie Shuangxue hadn’t expected Chun Yao to come, and his surprise showed both inside and out.

“Shuangxue, I’ve come to see you off,” Chun Yao said. “I also have something for you.”

She pulled a sword out from behind her.

Xie Shuangxue recognized it immediately, and he froze.

“The Xie family’s sword.”

“Yes. When I found Lord Xie, the blade was already broken, so I had it brought back to the Feather Clan for repairs. As you’re leaving, I wasn’t sure what to give you, and this seemed the most fitting, so I had it urgently fixed,” Chun Yao explained. “But the damage to the blade was too severe. We couldn’t fully restore it, but since you’re heading to Lu Yun Tower, where the renowned swordsmith known as the ‘Evil Sword’ resides, perhaps he could help complete the repairs. It might alleviate some regrets.”

Xie Shuangxue took the sword with a blank expression.

This wasn’t in the original plot.

He hadn’t expected the butterfly effect would bring this sword into his hands.

His father’s sword wasn’t an ordinary item. It was the Feather Clan’s token of loyalty when the Xie family pledged to guard Penglai, and it harbored a secret that most of the Feather Clan were unaware of.

The Book of Floating Dreams had a habit of chipping off fragments, and this sword was forged with a bit of that precious material. It was highly valuable.

Chun Yao must know about it.

In the original storyline, as Chun Yao had said, the sword was broken and never fully repaired, so Xie Shuangxue never received it right away. Later, it was mostly repaired, but by that point, everything connected to the Book of Floating Dreams was being collected by the clan leader, including this sword.

“You’re still so young. I promised Lord Xie I’d look after you, but since you insist on going, I can’t stop you. I was careless,” Chun Yao said. “Having it repaired is like offering flowers to the Buddha. I hope it will protect you, and it’ll fulfill a bit of my responsibility.”

Xie Shuangxue wasn’t particularly skilled with a sword, but he knew how to wield one.

And though Chun Yao said it wasn’t fully restored, it seemed to have around seventy percent of its peak capabilities, which would definitely strengthen him in a direct confrontation.

Especially since this sword was linked to the Book of Floating Dreams…

Xie Shuangxue gazed at the sword, unfamiliar with it. In the original plot, it wasn’t a critical item and didn’t drive the storyline. It didn’t even have a name, so when Chun Yao thought of giving it to him, the system hadn’t intervened.

He turned the sword over, examining the white hilt with a faintly engraved “Xie” character. Over generations, the family’s emblem had faded, but seeing it reminded him of the plaque he had seen on the day he’d been whipped, bearing that same “Xie” character.

To this day, Xie Shuangxue didn’t know the true ending to the Book of Floating Dreams story.

As a minor antagonist, his character had died halfway through the plot, and he wasn’t included in the final storyline tests. This meant that, no matter how many times he died, he remained clueless about the culprit behind the downfall of Penglai and the ruin of his life. Endless Sea guarded this suspense well; not even the most notorious gossip streamers had uncovered it.

But he didn’t feel indifferent.

Whether as the character Xie Shuangxue or the newly aware Xie Shuangxue in the finalized plot, he wanted to know who was behind it all.

Xie Shuangxue was like a small paper boat tossed about on the stormy waves of the story. He was striving to avoid sinking while yearning to glimpse the hand stirring up the waves, to know how to navigate his next steps.

“Thank you, Your Highness,” he said, smiling at Chun Yao. “I’ll go and have this sword restored.”

Now, his little paper boat was setting sail.

To the players, only a single day had passed.

The forum buzzed non-stop with discussions about Lu Yun Tower and Xie Shuangxue, though some progress had been made at Lu Yun Tower.

Some guilds had already shared information they’d previously gathered, releasing bounties for various clues on Yun Ruowei’s trail. With today’s official start of the quest, many players hadn’t yet selected their quest lines, but on the quest interface, they could visit any of the seven main cities.

Qiao Zhihui had spent all day yesterday defending his “cub,” but with his main job still calling, he woke up early to catch up with the mission and headed straight for the popular Lu Yun Tower.

He hadn’t picked a quest line, waiting to see which path Xie Shuangxue would choose so he could follow. Until now, Endless Sea had given no explanation of Xie Shuangxue’s storyline, but according to insiders in the forum threads, the design team was working overtime to tweak it, which was at least hopeful.

His poor cub, so small, helpless, and pitiful—was he somewhere getting bullied?

Qiao Zhihui’s thoughts spiraled with worry until he clicked on the mission map to enter Lu Yun Tower, set in the world of several hundred years ago. For a moment, he forgot his concerns completely.

Endless Sea’s artistry was as stunning as ever. The architecture of Lu Yun Tower was lavish and dazzling, worlds apart from the secluded charm of Penglai. The city’s gates were flanked by towering trees in full bloom with pinkish flowers, and from the gate, he could see the bustling streets. Wind stirred the fallen petals like rain, and in the distance, lofty towers lay draped in mist, shrouded in a purple glow.

Many players had already gathered at the gate, some awestruck, others eager to enter.

Qiao Zhihui took a few steps forward with the crowd, barely getting his bearings when a deep drumbeat echoed from the city gates, its steady rhythm resonating far and wide.

With the crowd bustling around, Qiao Zhihui approached a street vendor NPC and asked, “What’s with the drums?”

“That’s our highest welcome ceremony for honored guests here at Lu Yun Tower,” the vendor said with a smile. “New here, huh? You don’t know this—Feather Clan’s coming!”

Just as the vendor finished, Qiao Zhihui heard the sound of flapping wings.

He looked up, spotting the Feather Clan flying in from the horizon at high speed.

These massive wings were a familiar sight from Penglai, so they didn’t seem so novel, but among the crowd, one figure stood out.

The Feather Clan members dropped lower as they approached the city gates, making their faces more visible. Leading the way was Chen Xin, who seemed to treat his “cub” quite well. As for the rest, Qiao Zhihui didn’t recognize them, except for… Hey, my cub!

Qiao Zhihui’s pupils shook with surprise.

How did my cub get here? Did Endless Sea finally grow a conscience?

Wait, how does my cub have wings?

Only when they got closer did he see that those weren’t Xie Shuangxue’s wings. Xie Shuangxue was riding atop a massive white eagle. When Qiao Zhihui looked up with his camera, Xie Shuangxue happened to glance down at him.

The Feather Clan’s descent stirred a breeze, sweeping petals from the pink-flowered trees around him. Among the showering petals, he saw Xie Shuangxue once more, dressed in a pure white outfit that matched his eagle mount. The eagle looked fierce, yet the figure atop it seemed anything but. With fur-trimmed cloak edges framing his face, his long dark hair was casually tied back with a simple silver hairpin resembling a slender sword. His icy blue eyes gave him a noble air.

The remnants of his wretched, dejected aura from Penglai had faded entirely. In the sea of red dust and opulent Lu Yun Tower, he seemed otherworldly, like a scene from a dream.

Qiao Zhihui summarized his thoughts in two words.

“Holy crap!”

My cub’s here!

And wow, he’s stunning—is this real?

In the Endless Sea office, Lin Tong echoed the sentiment with the same two words.

She’d stayed up all night preparing some proposals, waiting for leadership approval to ask the tech team to add Xie Shuangxue’s content. She had expected a delay of a few days, given the timeline constraints, but she’d glanced at her screen and found Xie Shuangxue already among the Feather Clan team!

And right in Lu Yun Tower, her favorite place for him!

“You were right,” she murmured dreamily to Wei Lan, “He’s our lucky charm… let’s just worship him.”

Wei Lan was equally thrilled, saying, “Ah, he’s wearing the new outfit I designed for him! My little guy looks like a fluffy white ball!”

Adorable!

“Wait.” A second later, Lin Tong, still enchanted, noticed something amiss. “Why is Chen Xin leading the group?”

Shouldn’t it have been Ling Luo?

Before she could rush to find the tech team to make adjustments, Chen Xin, stationed in Lu Yun Tower, looked up at the sound of approaching wings and spotted Ling Luo coming right after them.

“What are you doing here?” Chen Xin asked in surprise. “Weren’t you supposed to go to Zi Yue Isle?”

Ling Luo’s face was solemn as he approached and spoke quietly to Chen Xin. “Something’s wrong. Not long after you left, Ling Xuan disappeared.”

The three great elders of the Feather Clan were stationed outside, guarding the Cloud of Floating Dreams. Elder Ling had planned to bring his disciple back, but when he turned around, Ling Xuan was gone.

Xie Shuangxue, who was nearby, overheard and tensed. Ling Luo glanced at him and didn’t hide anything, his expression softening slightly. “Is the white eagle listening to you?”

The white eagle Xie Shuangxue rode had been given to him by Ling Luo.

Once on the ground, the white eagle returned to its normal size and perched on a branch nearby, exuding a high-and-mighty demeanor.

“It’s doing fine,” Xie Shuangxue said nervously. “You said Ling Xuan…”

“It’s my fault. I waited to give him your medicine until after you’d left, but as soon as he got it, he disappeared,” Ling Luo sighed. “I think he may have come here.”

Ling Luo hadn’t seen Ling Xuan along the way. The young man must have left with a plan, carrying plenty of supplies. Although he was capable enough not to run into trouble immediately, it was anyone’s guess where he might have gone.

On the surface, this was Ling Xuan’s disappearance, but Xie Shuangxue instantly understood that it was a system correction.

Sea was bound to send Ling Luo here—an unalterable part of the storyline. He knew Ling Xuan wouldn’t be in any real danger, as the storyline in which Xie Shuangxue would harm him was still some ways off.

However, Ling Xuan’s disappearance alone wouldn’t have been enough to change Ling Luo’s route from Zi Yue Isle to here. He wasn’t alone; he was accompanied by a hundred Feather Clan members.

Sure enough, in the next moment, Ling Luo revealed another detail.

“There’s more trouble at Lu Yun Tower than it seems on the surface. We’ve just received intel that Cloud City’s Lord has fallen ill. They say there’s a demonic energy at play, but he hasn’t named a successor, and several people have been eyeing the position. The illness has been kept tightly under wraps, so tensions are brewing in the city,” he told Chen Xin. “That’s why Chun Yao asked me to bring more people and join your team to handle this complicated situation. The lord’s sudden illness will significantly impact our search here, especially with others in the city hiding the news. It’s all very strange.”

Listening intently, Xie Shuangxue reflected on the players’ forum posts that summarized Lu Yun Tower’s information.

At this point in time, the city lord was not yet Yun Ruowei but a man named Yun Panshan. After his death, Yun Ruowei would inherit the position. However, no one knew the exact date of Yun Ruowei’s ascension, and even their age and gender remained a mystery.

This was something players were keenly curious about. With his philosophy of maximizing attention, Xie Shuangxue naturally intended to get involved in high-interest matters. Since he was here at Lu Yun Tower, he had to meet Yun Ruowei.

Logically, Yun Ruowei should have been Yun Panshan’s child or some close relation.

Yet, based on what the Feather Clan knew and what Xie Shuangxue could see before him, Yun Panshan, who lay unconscious, had no offspring. Within the City Lord’s Mansion, no one bore the name Yun Ruowei.