The players had honed their skills at Lu Yun Tower. Now, sneaky tricks and undercover scouting were practically second nature.

Once Ling Luo and Chen Xin weren’t around, Bai Qiuyan gathered the other players and made a plan. They worked together, first luring the guards away, then taking the chance to sneak closer. He hadn’t expected, though, that the Feather Clan’s barriers here would be this complicated. After struggling for a while, Bai Qiuyan finally gave in to his “cash power,” burning two legendary-grade items to get through.

And what he saw was a sight he couldn’t bear!

Bai Qiuyan had recently been hanging around the “Xie Shuangxue Special Thread,” and he was practically a fan by now. He’d had so many interactions with Xie Shuangxue that he thought of this NPC as his precious little treasure. Who would dare lay a finger on his dear Shuangxue?!

Xie Shuangxue’s face was still pale, clearly not fully recovered. Bai Qiuyan couldn’t even bear the thought of touching him!

He immediately wanted to pull Yu Haiqing away, but couldn’t budge him, so he plopped himself down beside Xie Shuangxue, trying to edge Yu Haiqing away while eyeing him warily. Then, he turned back to Xie Shuangxue, his expression instantly softening with concern.

“Hey, uh—no, I mean, Shuangxue, how are you feeling?”

Seeing Bai Qiuyan pop in, Xie Shuangxue was a bit surprised and subtly glanced at the window Bai Qiuyan had climbed through. He hadn’t expected the players to actually make it in.

Chen Xin and Ling Luo had been on high alert to keep things under wraps, setting up layers of complex defenses around the entrance. Unlike the bamboo forest array around the City Lord’s Mansion, this one had an extra power bound to Xie Shuangxue himself, suppressing his strength so that he couldn’t leave. Other than Chen Xin and Ling Luo, no one else should have been able to enter.

At the moment, Xie Shuangxue was in an awkward state. He was low on demonic qi and was injured, so he couldn’t go far even if he managed to get out. Besides, he didn’t know where Yun Qiang or Yun Ruowei were, so without a clear direction, going out would be a waste of time.

He did know Yun Qiang would be returning to the City Lord’s Mansion in the upcoming storyline, and that day was sure to be flooded with demonic qi. That would be his best chance to make a move.

But he kept these thoughts buried, answering Bai Qiuyan’s question with a hand on his chest. “I… I’m alright. Senior Brother said I just need some rest.”

After speaking, he looked at Bai Qiuyan with genuine attention.

Seeing those eyes on him, Bai Qiuyan felt a bit nervous, then noticed Xie Shuangxue smile. “I saw you in the group that saved me. I remember you, so sorry for all the trouble and the fright I must have caused you.”

Wow, he really remembers me!

“No trouble at all,” Bai Qiuyan shook his head quickly, feeling elated. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”

He glanced at Xie Shuangxue’s injuries. There were no visible bloodstains; he just seemed a bit weak, but looked a lot better than after that last whipping. He should be fine, right?

With a bit of relief, he opened the player interface and, turning to Yu Haiqing, whispered, “Hey, I promised I’d turn on the livestream, so behave yourself! Everyone’s really worried about Shuangxue, so keep your hands to yourself, or you’ll get spammed with complaints, got it?”

Yu Haiqing: …

He honestly felt these players were getting crazier by the day.

Bai Qiuyan usually wasn’t interested in livestreaming. He wasn’t about to exhaust himself for a bit of streaming profit, but Lin Jiao Live was offering limited-edition Shuangxue merchandise.

With his VIP status, he’d already secured two full sets, but that wasn’t enough. After seeing the items in person, he couldn’t resist—one set for his collection, one for home, and, of course, one for his office. You couldn’t have too many.

He didn’t even need to chat with viewers or follow comments; his gaming alone drew enough attention, especially since he was on a mission today.

The “Xie Shuangxue Special Thread” was practically flooded with tears. That day’s livestream was sure to hit hard, and since Bai Qiuyan was working with other guilds to get in, he had promised them he’d start streaming once he got through.

As soon as he opened the livestream, a huge crowd poured in.

His camera was pointed straight at Xie Shuangxue, sitting on the bed with a coat over his shoulders, smiling softly, looking super well-behaved.

“Xie Shuangxue is fine,” Bai Qiuyan said, and a stream of “Ah, thank goodness!” flooded the comments. But before he could relax, he caught a glimpse of Yu Haiqing’s expression—stone-cold, completely ignoring him and just staring at Xie Shuangxue.

One little warning, and Yu Haiqing looked like this? Surely he wasn’t that sensitive.

Bai Qiuyan wasn’t stupid. His mind raced, and he frowned, testing the waters with, “Shuangxue, everyone’s worried about you. How about I take you out to meet them?”

But the second Xie Shuangxue heard this, he seemed to panic, stammering, “N-no, I can’t go out.”

Why not?

“Aren’t you okay now? Is your senior brother keeping you locked up?” Bai Qiuyan glanced around the room, then remembered the guards outside. “Shuangxue, be honest with me—are you hiding something from me?”

If Xie Shuangxue were severely injured, it’d be understandable to have guards and ban visitors. But he didn’t seem that badly hurt, so why all the secrecy?

The comment stream was getting confused too.

“Yeah, why are they locking up my baby?”

“What’s going on with Shuangxue?”

Xie Shuangxue bit his lip, looking to Yu Haiqing with a pleading gaze.

“I… I don’t want to lie to him,” Xie Shuangxue said. “But you know, the demonic qi…”

Yu Haiqing sighed, feeling a tinge of helplessness.

It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing if the players knew; at least they’d want to protect Xie Shuangxue. From a plot perspective, though, Xie Shuangxue being demonized didn’t bring any benefits and would only bring him more misfortune.

Things were getting chaotic at Lu Yun Tower. If Xie Shuangxue absorbed more demonic qi, he could spiral out of control, which was why Chen Xin and Ling Xuan had set up the protective formation, partially to safeguard the storyline.

As long as Xie Shuangxue stayed put, he’d be safe, and he couldn’t disrupt the plot any further, right?

Xie Shuangxue had probably figured out about the demonization, so after some thought, Yu Haiqing revealed the truth to Bai Qiuyan.

“Wait, demonization?!”

“Shuangxue!” Bai Qiuyan’s heart ached upon learning the truth. “Don’t worry; we’ll protect you.”

“It’s really okay. I just hope no one gets dragged down by me,” Xie Shuangxue sighed. “I didn’t expect that one trip to the auction house would end like this. Even the City Lord’s Mansion isn’t safe, so I have no choice but to wait here, unable to help anyone.”

His expression showed no sign of sorrow, even smiling. “Just being alive is already a blessing. I just worry about being a burden to my senior brother.”

Bai Qiuyan comforted him as best as he could. If possible, he’d have stayed with his precious Shuangxue, but with Chen Xin and Ling Luo’s return, he had to leave. His mood was all over the place as he exited the building, ending the livestream, with viewers sharing his reluctance.

But then he turned to Yu Haiqing and couldn’t help but ask, “Hey, aren’t you the president of Endless Sea? If you really care, why let him suffer like this?”

Yu Haiqing went silent for a moment.

“Since the day we entered Gods and Demons, I told you to treat it like a real world,” he said. “Even I can’t change everything.”

He had always thought Sea’s high freedom made things interesting, that even as the system’s creator, he could still enjoy the game.

But with Xie Shuangxue, he began to feel regret.

If Sea weren’t so intelligent and free, he could have given Xie Shuangxue a simpler life, one without so much turmoil.

But in the world Sea recognized, Xie Shuangxue was set up with a tragic fate, forever encountering unforeseen challenges he couldn’t escape. And yet, he never let himself sink into despair, always managing to bring about unexpected outcomes.

And as Bai Qiuyan left, Xie Shuangxue started forming his plan.

He knew that players wouldn’t break the formation just to let him out, and he didn’t need to leave yet anyway. He just needed to wait. The next while was relatively peaceful.

Bai Qiuyan couldn’t help sneaking back in to see him, finding Xie Shuangxue quietly recovering in his room, chatting with Bai Qiuyan, acting cute and charming as ever. With everyone a bit more reassured, they figured Chen Xin and Ling Luo would eventually come up with a solution.

But one night, things went wrong.

Suddenly, the city was swarmed by Skeleton Ghosts, much like what had happened in Penglai City. The players’ main quest was to clear out these ghosts and protect the townsfolk.

At the same time, a barrier went up around the City Lord’s Mansion, keeping players out. But it enclosed the nearby Feather Clan base as well, where the demonic qi was intense—and there were Skeleton Ghosts inside too!

Because Yun Qiang was now in control of the City Lord’s Mansion, she’d set up the barrier to divert attention with the Skeleton Ghosts.

But Bai Qiuyan didn’t care about that. All he knew was that Xie Shuangxue was still inside, and he couldn’t risk exposing him to any demonic qi.

“Get a team!” Bai Qiuyan ordered. “We’re checking on Shuangxue first!”

The Feather Clan soldiers were holding off the ghosts well enough, but Bai Qiuyan and the players grew increasingly anxious as they fought their way in. The Skeleton Ghosts weren’t too difficult to kill, but they kept coming.

Finally, he reached Xie Shuangxue’s room. The Feather Clan guards outside had gone to fend off the ghosts, leaving Bai Qiuyan even more worried.

To the Feather Clan, the barrier was enough protection, but the players didn’t have such certainty.

Just as Bai Qiuyan hesitated, he heard a faint crash from inside—a vague but unsettling sound.

Was something wrong?!

He remembered how weak Xie Shuangxue had looked and decided to go in just to check. And he knew that the moment he used an item to weaken the barrier, it would be at its thinnest.

Seizing the moment, he knew he could force his way out.

Right then, Yun Qiang was at the center of the City Lord’s Mansion, easy to find.

As Bai Qiuyan was about to climb through the window, he was stunned to see Xie Shuangxue stumble out through the door.

The barrier seemed to have disappeared.

“Wait, I didn’t mean…” Bai Qiuyan panicked.

But Xie Shuangxue quickly reassured him, “It’s not you. My senior brother set up this barrier. If it’s gone, that means something happened to him, and I have to find him!”

“No way, Shuangxue!” Bai Qiuyan and the players tried to stop him. “It’s too dangerous here. Come with us.”

Without giving him a choice, they started moving him to a safer spot.

But as they began to relocate, more powerful Skeleton Ghosts appeared.

With few players managing to breach the City Lord’s Mansion, Bai Qiuyan had to fend off the constant attacks, eventually handing Shuangxue over to Shi Jiu Jianghu to lead him away.

Shi Jiu Jianghu wasn’t particularly a fan, but he knew this NPC was important. Just as he struck down a Skeleton Ghost, he felt a force hit his back.

A sneak attack? This wasn’t going to be his final move, was it?

But before he could react, he saw the Skeleton Ghost in his path suddenly halted by someone.

Turning around, he was stunned to see Xie Shuangxue gripping the ghost’s neck.

Xie Shuangxue’s hands were delicate and pale, like fragile works of art. But in the next instant, he casually snapped the ghost’s neck like a cracker.

“Sorry.”

He looked at Shi Jiu Jianghu, then down at the ghost’s skull in his palm, his expression innocent with a hint of fear. “I saw it trying to hurt you, and I didn’t want you to get hurt, so I…”