This thing wasn’t retrieved in the original storyline. After all, at that time, Ling Luo became the Golden Feather Envoy without much opposition. The Feather Clan couldn’t find it, and there was nothing they could do. They couldn’t keep lingering around the Lu Yun Platform, so in the end, they had to leave.

In the original storyline, Yun Ruwei wasn’t saved. She either sank to the bottom with the others or was taken back by the Boss.

But now, it was in Xie Shuangxue’s hands.

It was truly a stroke of luck.

Xie Shuangxue’s tone of regret was genuine, not fake. He had originally planned to chop down the Boss. But the Boss turned out to be more cunning than he expected, or perhaps the main system behind SEA was even more clever than he had imagined—what appeared was just an avatar, not the real body.

He had struck the Boss, but the most he had done was injure them severely. The Boss didn’t die and fled.

Xie Shuangxue’s hope of killing the Boss ahead of time had been dashed, and he naturally felt quite regretful.

However, he wasn’t the type to leave empty-handed. He had to take something from the situation. So, in the moment when the Boss’s injury caused a fluctuation in their power, which weakened their control, he took this item.

Yun Panshan couldn’t be saved.

His body couldn’t hold on anymore. Honestly, he was like a chess piece in this part of the plot. However, when Xie Shuangxue last saw him, Yun Panshan was smiling faintly, as though he had finally found relief.

With one sword strike, everything settled.

For Xie Shuangxue, it was a second-best outcome, but for the Feather Clan, it was like a thunderbolt.

Elder Ling was silent for a long time, one hand pressed against his chest. He almost rushed forward to snatch the item, but his most beloved disciple couldn’t understand his desire to vomit blood.

“Ah Xue, you’re incredible,” Ling Xuan immediately rushed forward, his face full of excitement. “Now no one can stop you from becoming the Golden Feather Envoy. Thank heaven!”

Xie Shuangxue humbly replied, “I just got lucky.”

Chen Xin and Ling Luo shared the same thoughts.

Although Ling Luo didn’t step forward immediately, the words he spoke to Chun Yao were all for Xie Shuangxue’s sake.

“Please, Your Highness, fulfill the agreement,” Ling Luo said. “I believe Xie Shuangxue is perfectly qualified to become the Golden Feather Envoy.”

Chun Yao hadn’t spoken yet. He first had to check the item that Xie Shuangxue had retrieved, so he moved forward to take a look.

The heart of Penglai City was part of the shattered Book of Floating Dream, and Xie Shuangxue’s sword had only fused in a few fragments. This piece, however, was different—it was the size of half a palm. Xie Shuangxue didn’t know that the Book of Floating Dream was also inscribed with runes, but he couldn’t understand their meaning. Before long, Chun Yao took it and stored it away.

“There’s no problem with this item,” Chun Yao said, showing no signs of doubt. “I see…”

“Not right!” Elder Ling, still reluctant to give up, interrupted Chun Yao immediately. “Xie Shuangxue hasn’t been out recently, so how did he discover this? What’s going on with the divine pulse at Lu Yun Platform? I don’t think this is so simple.”

“Xie Shuangxue, tell me honestly, what exactly did you do?!”

But this didn’t need Xie Shuangxue to explain. Yun Ruwei, who had been wounded by a knife she had stabbed herself with, covered her wound but was still fully conscious.

“Why, Elder Ling? Are you suspecting Xie Shuangxue, or are you saying I’m the problem?”

“After all, Ah Xue is the one I asked for help,” she said. “We never expected this. Yun Panlong’s lingering power was left in the divine pulse. I discovered it by accident, and my father discovered it at the same time. To fight against that power, he blocked the gap with his own life. I was seriously injured too. If it weren’t for Ah Xue’s help, the entire Yun family would’ve perished. Is that what you wanted, Elder Ling?”

Elder Ling suppressed his anger. “I didn’t mean that.”

She was gravely injured, and now that everyone was watching, it seemed like they were forcing her to say something.

Now that everything had ended, and there was no evidence to prove otherwise, all the demonic qi had been completely eradicated. Yun Ruwei could say whatever she wanted.

“I think you shouldn’t bully people too much, Feather Clan,” Yun Ruwei said, gaining confidence, her voice growing louder. “If you want to search for things, I won’t complain. After all, we’re allies, and you’ve helped me a lot, so I naturally want to help you. But my father died because of this, and Xie Shuangxue risked his life to save me. Are you really going to doubt that?”

“I think it’s this Elder who has ulterior motives.”

Elder Ling’s attention was indeed diverted. His eyes fixed on Yun Ruwei. “You’re still young. Don’t go around making wild accusations!”

Why did everyone around Xie Shuangxue seem to be just like him?

The forces now at Lu Yun Platform weren’t just the Feather Clan. Reinforcements from nearby cities had been summoned as well. With so many people watching, Chun Yao didn’t want things to get uglier. He frowned and spoke at the right moment.

“Enough, stop arguing.”

“Elder Ling, I won’t go back on my word. Since this item was found by Ah Xue, he is the Golden Feather Envoy of the Feather Clan. No need to discuss further.”

Then he turned toward Yun Ruwei. “The Feather Clan doesn’t suspect Lord Yun, but this matter is quite sudden. Ruwei, let us inspect the place once more, just to make sure everything is fine, right?”

Yun Ruwei nodded. “Naturally, there’s no problem.”

She knew full well that the Feather Clan wouldn’t find anything. The divine pulse at the center of Lu Yun Platform was already empty. The pool had sunk, completely calm, and there was no power left at all. It was eerily quiet.

Yun Ruwei knew this was the beginning of Lu Yun Platform’s collapse.

She had exchanged her life with Yun Panshan, so he fell instead of her. It wasn’t to stop it, but because the situation had been too strong. When he healed, he wouldn’t spare Lu Yun Platform. Choosing to collapse at that moment was a form of protection.

The Feather Clan, with her consent, immediately sent people to investigate.

But Yun Ruwei no longer cared what they did. She turned and looked at Xie Shuangxue. The two exchanged complex gazes but said nothing more, merely sighing quietly.

“Let’s go,” Xie Shuangxue said. “You need to rest.”

“It’s okay, I chose this myself, Ah Xue,” Yun Ruwei said, moving closer to him and speaking in a voice only the two of them could hear. “What should I do? I’ll soon have nowhere to go.”

Her time as the City Lord was truly too short.

She looked up and saw that the flowers that had once bloomed in the ancestral hall had withered. Everything was in a state of melancholy.

The recent sandstorm had dissipated, but Lu Yun Platform was covered in dust. The wind continued to blow, and everything seemed faintly hazy. It no longer resembled the luxurious and grand Lu Yun Platform of before.

When did it become like this?

“It’s not your fault,” Xie Shuangxue seemed to know what she was thinking and comforted her. “This place, just like Penglai, has been targeted. Without you, it would only get worse, but it’s not without hope.”

Yun Ruwei gave a bitter smile. “Where’s the hope?”

He looked toward the players who had gathered. “I’ve told you before, they are the hope.”

The players heard him too.

In Xie Shuangxue’s eyes, they seemed to be carrying high expectations, as though they were the saviors.

“You don’t need to worry about having nowhere to go,” Xie Shuangxue said. “I can find you a place, as well as for those demonic clans.”

He said it with such certainty that Yun Ruwei didn’t know where his confidence came from. But since Xie Shuangxue said so, he could probably make it happen.

It was like when Yun Ruwei hadn’t believed she could survive.

“Alright,” she said. “Whatever you say.”

Soon, the Feather Clan came to apply medicine to them, though it seemed more like an inspection.

Yun Ruwei remained calm. She had released much of her power, but in return, she had saved her life. The power she released was mostly dark magic, and now that it was gone, she felt much lighter.

As long as she was still alive, she had a chance to continue cultivating dark magic. It might be slower, but her strength would gradually return. She still had the golden lock Xie Shuangxue had given her, a gift from the evil sword, which was very effective at hiding demonic qi.

Before becoming City Lord, she had already checked. The Feather Clan couldn’t detect anything back then, and they still couldn’t now.

As for Xie Shuangxue, when he was unconscious, Yun Ruwei helped him. Now that he was awake, he wouldn’t drop the ball.

His ability to hide his demonic qi was taught by Yun Qiang, and it worked similarly to Luo Yin’s method. It was undetectable unless the Feather Clan used their most severe methods to examine his bones. Ordinary healing or routine inspections wouldn’t reveal it.

But he was the Golden Feather Envoy, and who would dare use such extreme methods on the esteemed Golden Feather Envoy? Not even Chun Yao, without evidence, had that authority.

At this thought, Yun Ruwei glanced at Ling Luo and Chen Xin, who seemed even more nervous than Xie Shuangxue. She had the feeling that these two knew something.

When she had dragged Xie Shuangxue into the dark magic, these two Feather Clan members had kept it completely secret. Now, Xie Shuangxue didn’t have a trace of demonic qi left, yet neither of them had raised any doubts.

Perhaps they were pretending to be clueless.

Even pushing Xie Shuangxue toward becoming the Golden Feather Envoy seemed like an attempt to hide the truth. The higher Xie Shuangxue’s position, the less likely anyone would dare to suspect him.

The fact that the Feather Clan was helping to hide the demonic qi was truly earth-shattering.

But when it came to Xie Shuangxue, it somehow made sense.

They said they were sending him to rest, but Xie Shuangxue’s exhaustion wasn’t as severe as last time. He knew that, since SEA had his back now, Yu Haiqing’s actions were smooth and steady. He had always been lighthearted about it.

Still, Xie Shuangxue chose to pull a fast one on him at the end.

If he regretted it? Of course not. If he had the chance again, he would do the same. But when he thought about it, he still felt a little guilty.

Well, just a little.

Especially since the Feather Clan had confirmed there was no issue with him, and Ling Luo knew his body was fine. He immediately moved to finalize the Golden Feather Envoy position, hoping to settle it quickly to avoid any further complications. Meanwhile, the players who had been waiting outside finally entered, but Yu Haiqing still hadn’t arrived.

What was he doing?

After Xie Shuangxue’s mischievous actions, he couldn’t help but wonder about that.

When his mind was elsewhere, he had been looking at the forum. From the players’ perspective, everything seemed perfectly normal. Most players were happy.

“Finally, we can open Lu Yun Platform.”

“It’s all thanks to my precious. My little one is so powerful. Still think the players are the hope? Aww, mommy won’t let you down!”

“By the way, since Yun Ruwei survived, does that mean the rumors about ‘Gods and Demons’ boosting lifestyle players are true? A lot of people just want to relax and enjoy the scenery. If it’s done right, ‘Gods and Demons’ could bring in new players.”

“This anniversary is really packed with events.”

But, in all honesty, before it launched, Endless Sea had no idea there’d be this much content. Just like the players, they were “surprised.”

Then, Xie Shuangxue secretly checked in on Endless Sea’s situation.

Most people in the office were working seriously, seemingly accustomed to it, and there didn’t seem to be any signs of disturbance—if there had been any, it was already over.

Gou Yuan was having a small meeting with a group of people, and surprisingly, he seemed calm. Xie Shuangxue overheard a few words.

“Right, just like this. President Yu said no changes needed.”

“Occasional mishaps in the game are normal, especially with the high freedom level. A mature game department knows how to adapt.”

“It’s not a bad thing. Next steps in the promotion plan…”

Surprisingly calm.

But Xie Shuangxue knew that if it weren’t for Yu Haiqing’s preparations, Gou Yuan’s picky attitude wouldn’t have allowed things to smooth over so easily.

And Xie Shuangxue knew well that Yu Haiqing had been in the background the entire time. If he had wanted to stop him, he could have done it.

But in the end, Xie Shuangxue hadn’t heard any system alarms.

He still chose to take action because he had remained suspicious of Yu Haiqing until the very end.

Because his mother’s words had stayed with him: “Only trust yourself, don’t fully trust anyone else.” And given his situation, he had no capital to trust others.

Yu Haiqing understood him too well and had control over the Sea system. If he ever wanted, he could pull Xie Shuangxue out and delete him. Or worse, use him like he had used his mother.

What if he really was a bad guy?

To avoid that possibility, Xie Shuangxue decided to take a gamble.

He knew that the more he altered the storyline, the more it affected Sea. If he had killed the Boss earlier, besides getting revenge, he would have tangled his data with the system even more, making it much harder for Yu Haiqing to pull him out later.

But Yu Haiqing didn’t stop him.

In fact, he even cleared the obstacles for him, and everything was progressing smoothly, both inside and outside the game.

All these things mixed together made Xie Shuangxue’s feelings toward this person very complicated.

Yu Haiqing hadn’t come today.

It was getting late. The Feather Clan and the players had left. Yun Ruwei was resting in the room next door, and everything seemed peaceful, but he still hadn’t come.

Xie Shuangxue just sat there.

Yu Haiqing had gotten used to sneaking through windows.

When he entered, he had thought Xie Shuangxue would be asleep, but when he looked up, he saw him sitting there, wearing a thin coat. As soon as Xie Shuangxue heard the noise, he turned around, pouting, looking a little wronged.

“Why are you only here now?”

Yu Haiqing: …

For a moment, he was both amused and helpless.

Wasn’t Xie Shuangxue pretending to be well-behaved but suddenly not listening? Now he seemed hurt, as if it was his fault.

Yu Haiqing sat on the windowsill, unmoving.

Xie Shuangxue got up from the bed, then walked forward a few steps, his feet bare, looking a bit lost. The floor was cold, and his toes curled slightly before he stopped.

“Are you mad at me?”

“I didn’t mean it. I was just scared.”

Xie Shuangxue wasn’t like this when he was disobedient. The power of that sword had left many people trembling, but now, he seemed harmless.

“Brother, hug me.”

Yu Haiqing reached out, his heart steeled, but unable to resist. He picked Xie Shuangxue up and placed him back on the bed.

Then, Yu Haiqing pinched his soft cheek, and Xie Shuangxue obediently let him, looking particularly docile.

Although it was probably just an act, and his docility was temporary, Yu Haiqing couldn’t help but feel subtly satisfied.