Late at night.

The senior sisters escorted Mubai back to the treehouse, prepared a tub of hot water for him to bathe in, then left in small groups.

Mu Bai sat in the tub, recalling what his senior sister had said earlier: Su Mo’s attendant saw with his own eyes that he had been abducted by villains and taken to the cliff.

He furrowed his brows, his fingers lightly flicking the water’s surface, sending ripples outward.

When Mu Bai first heard that Su Mo had specifically demanded he be the one to treat him, he immediately sensed something was off.

This plot wasn’t in the original text; in fact, Su Mo never even appeared during the events at Qinglian Valley. As the mastermind behind the scenes, his schemes only gradually came to light toward the very end.

Now that the world line has collapsed and the system has disappeared, it’s likely the plot can no longer be predicted based on the original text, but Su Mo’s character setting remains unchanged.

Considering the numerous schemes and plots he had laid out in the original text, even as he soaked in the hot water, Mu Bai felt a chill run down his spine.

Is this big villain about to make a move on me ahead of schedule?

From that day on, Mu Bai remained vigilant against Su Mo. But to his surprise, Su Mo actually spent his days having Mu Bai push his wheelchair around Qinglian Valley—admiring flowers one day, playing with birds the next, or even picking peach blossoms on a whim to brew wine before burying it in the eastern woods.

He lived like a laid-off retiree, resembling a middle-aged or elderly person.

In the blink of an eye, a year had passed.

Although Mu Bai still couldn’t escape the fate of cross-dressing as a woman, without the constraints of a system, his days became much more carefree.

The disciples of Qinglian Valley noticed that after returning to the valley, Junior Sister Xiaobai had undergone a drastic change in temperament—she became adept at climbing roofs to remove tiles and wading into rivers to catch fish. While patrolling the mountains, she always carried that short sword carved from green bamboo, occasionally even dragging back a wild boar to roast and eat.

Whenever they recalled Mu Bai’s soft whispers and delicate sobs when she first entered the valley, they couldn’t help but sigh: After the fall from the cliff, their junior sister must have endured great hardships to have transformed into her current temperament.

As a result, everyone felt even more sympathy for him and often sent delicious treats and fun things to his room.

Upon hearing that Mu Bai had failed his medical examination, several highly skilled senior sisters spontaneously formed a tutoring group, vowing to pull this underachiever up to the passing line.

Mu Bai practiced swordplay at night and studied medicine with his senior sisters during the day. Finally, on this day, he lived up to expectations and passed the medical examination of the Qinglian Valley.

After publicly announcing Mu Bai’s identity as the successor young master in front of all the disciples and completing the succession ceremony, Qin Jiuge led him to the ancestral hall to pay respects to the late Valley Master.

The ancestral hall is located deep within the Divine Hidden Tree Sea, occupying a space no larger than a palm. On the altar sits only an urn, a spirit tablet, and an incense burner, with two prayer mats placed in front.

Mubai followed the senior sister in offering incense, kneeling on the ground and kowtowing three times with genuine sincerity.

In this world, the original Qin Mubai did not exist. Living in Qinglian Valley under this identity, Mubai had gained many advantages and naturally felt gratitude toward the original owner’s mother, the Elder Valley Master, along with a hint of guilt.

“Xiao Bai, get up.” Qin Jiuge helped him up from the ground. “Now that you’ve inherited the position of Young Master, it’s time to tell you certain things.”

She seemed unsure where to begin, pausing for a moment before saying, “The room you stayed in when you first entered the valley originally belonged to the Elder Valley Master’s senior sister, Qin Shengyi.”

Mu Bai followed the senior sister out, his heart skipping a beat upon hearing that name.

In the cave where my master lived, there was a token discarded among the weeds, carved with the three characters “Qin Shengyi.”

Qin Jiuge didn’t notice his strange expression and continued, “The retired hermit Bu Lian once adopted three orphans: Senior Uncle Shengyi, the old valley master, and her twin sister.”

“All three of them possessed extraordinary talents, but their paths in martial arts differed. Senior Uncle Shengyi inherited peerless swordsmanship, while the old valley master developed the longevity technique ‘Lotus Breath Method’ to its peak, founding the Green Lotus Valley.”

“Now it’s widely believed that Green Lotus Valley disciples focus on medicine with swordsmanship as secondary, but when Senior Uncle Shengyi was still around, the valley’s achievements in swordsmanship were equally remarkable. Later, she disappeared without a trace, and the sword manual containing the Green Lotus Sword Intent was lost along with her.”

Qin Jiuge drew out the bamboo sword and executed a sword technique mid-air.

Mu Bai recognized at a glance that it was a move passed down to him by his master, though the senior sister’s execution was far from perfect.

“When I entered the Qinglian Valley, Master Shengyi was already gone. The sword technique I’m demonstrating now was taught to me by your mother,” Qin Jiuge shook her head. “Your mother was too gentle by nature and not adept with the sword. Over the years, she only learned fragments from Master Shengyi. According to her, this technique doesn’t even possess one-tenth of the original power from the Qinglian Sword Manual.”

“That book in Master Shengyi’s room is merely for display anyway.”

Mu Bai blurted out, “So all these years, the disciples in the valley have stopped learning swordsmanship and focused solely on medicine?”

Qin Jiuge nodded: “Our reputation in the martial arts world is considerable, and very few come looking for trouble. So it’s enough for everyone to practice some self-defense moves for daily fitness.”

She turned her gaze to Mu Bai and changed the subject: “But you are the young master of Qinglian Valley. Even if you only learn the form, you must pass down this sword technique.”

As they spoke, the two had already arrived at the treehouse where Qin Shengyi once lived.

Qin Jiuge pushed open the door, entered the room, and pulled out a wooden box from beneath the bed.

The box was secured with a brass lock. Inserting the key and giving it a turn, the lid slid open on its own, revealing the sword resting inside.

The sword was cast from bronze, its blade engraved with lotus patterns, its edge subtly restrained.

Qin Jiuge carefully lifted it out and placed it on the table: “This was Master Shengyi’s personal sword. Now, I entrust it to you.”

Mu Bai’s gaze fell upon the sword, his mind still pondering the words the senior sister had just spoken.

If he wasn’t mistaken, the master he met at the bottom of the cliff was Qin Shengyi, the senior sister of the former valley master.

And the sword manual she passed down to him was none other than the long-lost Blue Lotus Sword Technique of the valley.

The master had once indirectly praised Mubai’s martial arts talent. Over the past year, while his progress in medicine had been slow, his swordsmanship had advanced by leaps and bounds. He had already mastered all the moves in the Blue Lotus Sword Manual, though he had yet to achieve perfection.

For an ordinary disciple to master this sword technique would indeed be quite difficult.

“Xiaobai?” Qin Jiuge tapped on the table.

Mu Bai snapped out of his thoughts.

Qin Jiuge pulled out a chair, gesturing for him to sit, while settling herself on the opposite side of the table. Softly reassuring him, she said, “Xiao Bai, although sword practice is difficult, as long as you persevere, you’ll eventually master it. Look at you—when you first arrived in the valley, you couldn’t even recognize medicinal herbs, yet now you’ve passed the medical examination, haven’t you?”

She retrieved a blank sword manual from the bookshelf and said earnestly, “The reason I brought you to Master Shengyi’s room today is to discuss the Qinglian Sword Technique with you.”

Mu Bai was already pondering how to explain things to the senior sister when he heard this. Immediately, he straightened his clothes and sat upright with a serious expression: “Alright, senior sister, feel free to ask whatever you don’t understand.”

Qin Jiuge: “…”

At that very moment, hurried footsteps echoed from outside the house. A female disciple burst through the door, panting heavily, and exclaimed, “Senior Martial Sister, it’s terrible! A group of masked men has broken in!”