"Do you think the number one guild in Snowfall City is invincible? Go back and tell Bingfeng Tianda to wash his neck and wait to be chopped!" Xiao Hua replied bluntly. After some thought, he had come up with a very ruthless method! You think you're tough? Let's see who's tougher!

"Haha, I'll have to remind the boss to be careful then," Bingfeng Xiaoniao said dismissively. Everyone can talk tough, but words alone don't mean much. In the Bingfeng Guild, he had never seen Bingfeng Tianda venture out alone; there were always ten to twenty people accompanying him. Many had tried to embarrass Bingfeng Tianda, but this small guild with low-level members was nothing compared to the challenges he faced regularly.

"All members of 'Paradise for Beauties,' I am here as a messenger from Bingfeng Tianda, the leader of the Bingfeng Guild. Your leader has offended our guild, and we have decided to retaliate against him and his guild members. If you don't want to suffer losses, you'd better quit this guild now. Otherwise, you'll regret it when trouble comes knocking!"

At this moment, Bingfeng Xiaoniao's voice rang out in the guild chat channel. Xiao Hua realized that this person had infiltrated their guild. Clearly, there was a mole within the guild. He had only returned minutes ago, and Bingfeng Tianda had already reacted, sending someone in.

Without hesitation, Xiao Hua kicked Bingfeng Xiaoniao out of the guild and closed the recruitment option. Someone in the guild couldn't help but ask, "Boss, is this true?"

"It's true. If you're afraid of trouble, quit the guild now!" Xiao Hua didn't feel like explaining further. Those who were going to leave would do so sooner or later, so he preferred they leave now rather than causing irritation.

Once Xiao Hua admitted it, around twenty to thirty members out of the original sixty to seventy left immediately, while many others remained undecided.

Xiao Hua didn't feel particularly bad about this. It was natural for people to act this way. His guild was low-level and had no power to fight against the Bingfeng Guild. The only attraction was that the guild didn't take a cut from mission rewards, drawing members primarily interested in benefits. Without organized activities, the guild lacked cohesion. Thus, it was not surprising that some chose to leave during this crisis.

However, not everyone left. For many, this casual and friendly guild was unique. Many enjoyed the atmosphere where if they got stuck on a mission, they could call for help in the guild channel, and someone would offer advice or come to assist. Many had developed feelings for the guild.

Xiao Hua checked the list of members who left and noticed that most were recent recruits, while the original members mostly stayed. This gave him some comfort, showing that the guild still had some cohesion and support. Seeing only five or six new members remaining, he added, "New members, I apologize, but I suspect there's a Bingfeng Guild spy among you. So, I'll have to kick you out for now. If you like the guild, please reapply later."

Without waiting for any response, he promptly kicked these five or six people out. According to Fang Ning, the person who befriended Piāo Líng had already left the guild. The situation had only started changing recently, indicating that the mole was likely one of the new members. While it was difficult to prevent spies in a game, knowing that one was among them made it impossible to keep them around.

One of the kicked members watched helplessly as Xiao Hua removed them without giving a chance to protest. After being kicked, he messaged Bingfeng Tianda, "I was kicked out. Not sure if I should say he's too decisive or too hasty, didn't even give a chance to explain, just kicked several people."

"What did he say before kicking you? Did he mention anyone or any plans?" Bingfeng Tianda asked. Bingfeng Xiaoniao had already spread Xiao Hua's words as a joke in the guild, causing laughter among the members. Many joked to Bingfeng Tianda, "Boss, be careful, someone's targeting you again!"

Bingfeng Tianda smiled but knew he had to be cautious. Anything was possible in a game, and losing face was unacceptable.

"He didn't say much. He just admitted the conflict with the Bingfeng Guild in the guild chat, then started kicking people," the person replied, shaking his head.

"In that case, find the people who recently befriended members of that guild and choose one to be a mole."

"This might be tricky. The early members seem to like the guild," the person hesitated, unsure how to proceed.

"How can you know if you don't try? I don't believe we can't bribe someone!" Bingfeng Tianda said coldly, his mind drifting back half a month.

Half a month ago, on the day Piāo Líng did her skill retention quest, Bingfeng Tianda felt a surge of satisfaction when he learned that Piāo Líng had been lured into the Silent Forest Dungeon. Imagining her surprised reaction filled him with glee.

Those days had been challenging for the Bingfeng Guild, except for defeating the Frost Dragon. Piāo Líng's betrayal was a significant blow, damaging his reputation both inside and outside the guild.

Recalling the ugly woman who had hidden among them for over a year, Bingfeng Tianda shuddered. She was terrifying. Although the theft of the guild warehouse was a severe loss, it was better to cut ties swiftly.

"Don't think I'll let you off easily!" After venting, he planned meticulously. He arranged for two constitution-based players to enter the dungeon using disguise cards to frame Piāo Líng and set up loyal members to ambush her. Even if she planned to delete her character, he intended to kill her twice to prevent her from completing the skill retention quest.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Unexpectedly, the ambushers reported no sign of Piāo Líng after hours of waiting.

What was happening? Bingfeng Tianda wondered. The skill retention quest retained 30% proficiency even if all dungeon tasks failed. With several master-level skills, Piāo Líng wouldn't skip it!

Just then, he noticed Piāo Líng's name vanished from his friend list!

Deleted? He double-checked, confirming her deletion!

What happened? Did Piāo Líng switch classes? Or did she defeat the Silent Queen?

An improbable possibility crossed his mind, and he couldn't sit still. He ordered the ambushers, "Form a team of agile archers to investigate the Silent Forest Dungeon."

When the team entered the dungeon, Bingfeng Tianda learned that the Silent Forest Dungeon had disappeared!

If it disappeared, Piāo Líng must have cleared it!

Realizing this, Bingfeng Tianda's face darkened. He couldn't fathom how a constitution mage and a low-level rogue could defeat the Silent Queen. He had witnessed her power firsthand and couldn't imagine how they succeeded.

While it was possible another group cleared the dungeon coincidentally, he believed such news would spread on forums, yet there was none. This convinced him that Piāo Líng had cleared it.

To confirm, he reported Piāo Líng to the game's AI, claiming she exploited a bug. The AI responded that all data was normal, leaving him frustrated.

"Regardless of whether you cleared the dungeon, if you dare show your face in Snowfall City again, you'll regret it!" Despite his anger, Bingfeng Tianda was not a patient man. Initially, he thought confronting Piāo Líng would ease his anger, but it only intensified.

With the guild's funds depleted due to the theft, morale plummeted, and complaints arose. Bingfeng Tianda seized the opportunity to brainwash members, shifting blame to Piāo Líng.

Initially aimed at punishing Piāo Líng, this strategy diverted attention from his failures, helping restore his authority. Finding Piāo Líng, who had likely changed her name and appearance, was nearly impossible.

However, based on reports, a rogue named "NotStealWives" accompanied Piāo Líng into the dungeon. While unlikely he aided her, Bingfeng Tianda suspected he was hired for the quest. To avoid forgetting Piāo Líng, he included "NotStealWives" in the wanted list.

Finding two people in a vast city was daunting. Initially, guild members were eager to identify suspects, but soon lost interest.

Days passed, and even Bingfeng Tianda almost forgot the incident. Then, a few days ago, after the game temporarily disabled logout features, a guild member decided to create a new character. This player, after leaving the newbie village, stumbled upon "Paradise for Beauties" and joined out of curiosity.

Upon entering, he discovered that this guild was founded by the rogue "NotStealWives," wanted by their guild leader. Checking the member list, he found a female player named "IfPiāoLíng." Realizing the significance, he contacted Bingfeng Tianda.

Initially skeptical, Bingfeng Tianda reconsidered. He devised a method to confirm Piāo Líng's identity—have her swear an oath. Knowing Piāo Líng's personality, he believed she wouldn't swear falsely.

While not a foolproof method, given the severity of the oath, even if "IfPiāoLíng" wasn't Piāo Líng, few would swear such an oath. Similar to demanding someone swear on their family's honor to prove innocence, few would comply.

However, swearing was just the beginning. If she swore and denied being Piāo Líng, it would be fine. If she refused, Bingfeng Tianda would be certain she was Piāo Líng. Killing her a few times would reveal the truth, as Piāo Líng wouldn't tolerate such humiliation.

After demanding the oath, Piāo Líng's reaction surprised him.

"I won't swear such nonsense. It's unnecessary! You have no right to demand this! I just joined the guild and don't want trouble," Piāo Líng replied, then promptly quit the guild and removed the person from her friends list.

This response left Bingfeng Tianda uncertain but fueled his anger. He shifted his focus to Xiao Hua. Most of Bingfeng Xiaoniao's words were designed to provoke Xiao Hua, but Xiao Hua admitted everything straightforwardly.

"Boss, is there a way to deal with this?" In "Paradise for Beauties," many members asked, unwilling to leave but fearing retaliation from the powerful Bingfeng Guild.

"There is, but it will take some time. If you trust me, stay. If not, leaving is fine too. I'll keep the method secret for now."

"Is there really a way?" Fang Ning privately messaged, worried about the situation.

"Of course, I'll explain later." Xiao Hua chuckled and sent a message to Piāo Líng.

...

"Beautiful lady, would you like to join our guild? We are the seventh-largest guild in Haibo City, with an outdoor base and many perks for female players. Interested?" On a bustling narrow street in Haibo City, a high-level warrior approached a female mage wearing a black robe. She was tall and slender, exuding a cold aura, holding a staff and browsing stalls. Known as a trading street, it was popular among female players for its fashions.

"Sorry, I'm already in a guild," she politely declined.

The warrior was relieved she didn't react harshly and persisted, "Our guild is really good, strong and reputable..."

Haibo City, unlike Snowfall City, was a seaside city known for its beautiful beaches. The mage, Piāo Líng, had heard of Haibo City and chose it as her first destination after leaving Snowfall City. After two days, she grew fond of the city, relaxing in the fresh sea breeze.

Facing the warrior's invitation, Piāo Líng was about to decline when a system notification interrupted her.

"Sorry, I have something to attend to." She left for the mailbox. Only a few were on her friend list, and she guessed it was Xiao Hua.

"Idiot, don't run so far. Once I deal with the Bingfeng Guild, come back and help manage the guild." Xiao Hua's message contained a Flame Horse mount egg.

"Sorry for involving you," Piāo Líng replied, realizing Xiao Hua couldn't avoid Bingfeng Tianda's attention. Leaving earlier might have helped.

While not bothered by Bingfeng Tianda's revenge, she regretted involving Xiao Hua. She had anticipated this when choosing "Piāo Líng" but hoped it wouldn't happen.

"Stop worrying. Bingfeng Tianda is too arrogant. I can't stand him!"

"If I hadn't chosen a name with 'Piāo Líng,' this wouldn't have happened." Piāo Líng sighed, recalling her hesitation before choosing "IfPiāoLíng."

"Choosing a name is your freedom. You had your reasons. Worrying won't change things. Bingfeng Guild members are arrogant, thinking no one can touch them!"

Initially, Xiao Hua was concerned about Piāo Líng choosing a similar name but trusted her judgment. Knowing Piāo Líng wasn't reckless, he respected her privacy.

"Do you have a way to deal with them? Bingfeng Guild is tough, despite being relatively new. Maybe we should leave Snowfall City and avoid confrontation."

"Moving isn't impossible, but I can't tolerate this! Thinking about it will irk me forever!" Xiao Hua replied coldly, preferring action over inaction.

"What's your plan?"

"Hehe, have you heard of Fog City?"

Opening Xiao Hua's latest message, Piāo Líng sensed a sinister plan!