Sludge suction system

"Little scum, who's here? Is it Valley Master Baiyan?" Ruan Quan asked, a little worried.

“Host, no, he’s an orphan adopted by Bai Yan, who grew up with the female lead, Bai Pingping,” Xiao Zha quickly replied.

"Host, I'll show you the information, and you'll understand." Soon, a data box appeared in Ruan Quan's mind.

The text above reads: "Character Information: Xia Mu"

Identity information: An orphan picked up by the Valley Master of White Swallow Valley

Height: 1 meters

Character Profile: An orphan of unknown origin, found by the Valley Master of White Swallow Valley while he was away. A strange white bird totem was discovered on his body. He grew up alongside the female protagonist, Bai Pingping, and has harbored feelings for her for many years. He enjoys accompanying Bai Pingping on her herb-gathering trips. His strength is unknown.

"So he's a handsome and dashing guy, and he's also my little fanboy. I have to feast my eyes on him. He must be quite handsome too, hahaha..." Ruan Quan fell into a fangirl's fantasy.

"Sister Pingping, where did you go? I've been looking for you for ages!" Xia Mu said breathlessly.

Ruan Quan looked up and saw a tall, upright man, as graceful as a bamboo shoot, easily over 1.88 meters tall. His robes fluttered as he walked, exuding an innate elegance. His eyebrows were like distant mountains, his eyes like bright stars, sparkling with intelligence and wit. His smile was like the warm spring sun, gentle and radiant. He wore a moon-white robe, tied at the waist with a matching ribbon, from which hung a jade pendant—simple yet elegant.

He spends most of his time with herbs, and his body exudes a faint fragrance of grass and trees. As he runs towards us, the aroma of herbs wafts over us. A few glistening beads of sweat hang on his forehead, and a gentle breeze occasionally brushes his hair, causing a few strands to fall beside his fair cheeks, adding to his handsome appearance. He is truly a dashing young man, exceptionally handsome.

Wow, what a gentle and sweet puppy! He's simply irresistible! At this moment, Ruan Quan's heart was already overflowing with excitement! Faced with such a handsome man, the charm he exuded in every gesture was something she simply couldn't resist! "Oh my, he's so handsome, he's totally my type!" Ruan Quan couldn't help but exclaim inwardly.

Just then, a gentle voice rang out: "Sister Pingping, Sister Pingping, can you hear me?" The voice was as soft as a spring breeze, and it almost melted Ruan Quan's already restless heart!

"Uh... Xia Mu, I heard you. What do you need, sister?" Bai Pingping tried to calm her flustered mind and replied in a deliberately low voice.

Xia Mu pouted slightly, a hint of grievance in her voice, and said, "Sister Pingping, I was so worried about you. I couldn't forget that heartless man, Wang Jing. He's been gone from our White Bird Valley for half a year now, and it looks like he's not coming back." As she spoke, Xia Mu's big, watery eyes were filled with a deep longing for Bai Pingping.

However, at this moment, Ruan Quan was secretly thinking to herself: Hmph, if it weren't for helping Bai Pingping, the heroine of this world, complete her revenge plan, this cute and charming little puppy in front of her would be just what I wanted!

"Let's not talk about Wang Jing anymore. What exactly did you want to see me about?" Bai Pingping looked at Xia Mu.

"Sister Pingping, have you forgotten? Today is the day Master Bai emerges from seclusion! He went into seclusion two months ago to study medicine, and he's preparing to emerge today. We need to go and welcome Master Bai out of seclusion!" Xia Mu said, sounding aggrieved.

"Xia Mu, I had completely forgotten about something so important. Let's hurry back to welcome my father out of seclusion!" With that, she pulled Xia Mu toward the cave in the valley.

Bai Pingping and Xia Mu walked slowly along the winding mountain path. In the distance, a lotus pond, like a dream, suddenly came into their view.

"Xia Mu, look at that lotus pond, it's so beautiful!" Bai Pingping exclaimed happily, her eyes filled with surprise and longing, and her pace quickened unconsciously.

As they approached for a closer look, they saw lotus flowers in the pond, like fairies gracefully gliding on the water, suspended lightly in mid-air. Their petals were a soft, delicate pink, like the blush of a shy maiden, their edges shimmering with tiny, ethereal lights, like the twinkling stars in the night sky. The lotus leaves were broad and thick, like meticulously carved jade plates, upon which dewdrops rolled, shimmering with iridescent light under the sunlight, crystal clear and brimming with spiritual energy. The lotus roots were actually formed from the unique spirit crystal ore of White Bird Valley, exceptionally resilient and radiating a mysterious, subtle glow. Ancient, intricate runes were faintly engraved on them, as if silently recounting ancient and mysterious protective spells, exuding a mysterious power originating from the depths of White Bird Valley.

The moment the two stepped into the pond, the tranquil and beautiful lotus pond instantly changed, transforming into a powerful spiritual barrier that tightly trapped them within.

"Oh dear, what's going on? How did we get trapped!" Bai Pingping's face turned pale, and she stamped her feet anxiously, her eyes filled with regret.

Xia Mu's expression instantly hardened, and he quickly assumed a vigilant, battle-ready stance. His sharp eyes scanned the constantly shifting spiritual energy around him, and he said in a deep voice, "Don't rush, Pingping. This must be an array set up by your father. We need to find a way out."

After calming down for a moment, Bai Pingping tried hard to recall the method her father had mentioned for breaking the formation. The key to this formation was finding the formation eye—a lotus flower whose spiritual energy fluctuations were different from other lotus flowers, and whose surrounding spiritual energy rotated in the opposite direction. Its rotation trajectory was just like the unique path that the guardian spirit birds circled around their nests in White Bird Valley, and it also contained the Taoist principle of Yin and Yang cycle and endless life.

She immediately closed her eyes and focused her mind, her aura gradually stabilizing as she entered a state of ethereal tranquility reminiscent of the Taoist concept of "guarding the one." She focused all her energy on perceiving the subtle differences in the surrounding spiritual energy, discarding all distracting thoughts, and attempting to achieve a wondrous harmony and resonance with this mysterious spiritual energy field.

Xia Mu stood calmly to the side, cautiously on guard, while concealing his spiritual power. His breathing was even and long, in accordance with the Taoist breathing techniques, to prevent fluctuations in his spiritual power from interfering with Bai Pingping's perception, and to be ready to deal with any sudden danger.

Time passed slowly, and Bai Pingping's forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat, her expression becoming increasingly solemn.

"Xia Mu, I think I'm starting to feel something, but I'm not sure," Bai Pingping said softly, her voice tinged with weariness and tension.

"Don't worry, Pingping, stay calm. I believe you can do it," Xia Mu encouraged softly, his eyes full of trust and concern.

Just when she was on the verge of despair, she finally caught a faint, unique and unusual fluctuation of spiritual energy.

"Xia Mu, over here!" Bai Pingping called out in surprise. The two carefully followed the direction of the fluctuation and moved forward with difficulty. However, the spiritual energy around them seemed to have intelligence, constantly changing into spiritual energy vortices similar to the Taoist "Bagua maze", trying to disrupt their steps and judgment. Every step felt like a thousand pounds, and they could hardly move.

"Be careful!" Xia Mu warned from time to time, secretly gathering spiritual power in his hands in case of emergency.

Finally, deep within the formation, they discovered the peculiar lotus flower. The spiritual energy around it swirled in reverse, forming a unique vortex that exuded a mysterious and ancient aura.

Without hesitation, Bai Pingping took out the spirit jade her father had given her. The spirit jade was engraved with simple Taoist runes. She quickly infused it with her own spiritual power and then threw it forcefully at the lotus flower.

In an instant, a burst of spiritual light erupted, within which Taoist runes could be faintly seen flickering and intertwining, seemingly resisting and dissolving the restrictive power within the formation. After a dazzling burst of light, the lotus formation slowly ceased its operation, and the dangerous petals, roots, and sparks of electricity gradually vanished without a trace.

The two successfully escaped and breathed a sigh of relief, exchanging a lingering glance.

"Finally out! I was so scared!" Bai Pingping patted her chest, her face showing relief at surviving the ordeal.

"It's alright, Pingping, let's hurry and go greet your father." Xia Mu comforted her with a smile. The two straightened their clothes and continued walking deeper into the cave, preparing to welcome Bai Yan out of seclusion.