After Becoming a High-Risk Master, I Flipped the Script Chapter 142

It was three days later when they learned what Fu Ye had done.

Junhua, having steadied her emotions and handled the urgent matters, finally came to visit.

Gu Baiqing didn’t know how to comfort her. Perhaps this ending was better than the original — at least he hadn’t died miserably in Beast-Taming Manor. At least, in his heart, Fu Ye must have felt more at peace.

As they were speaking, a merfolk came to report to Junhua — a group of cultivators had appeared offshore, seemingly seeking the merfolk.

They couldn’t approach the barrier of the Three Thousand Weak Waters, so they sent messages from afar, asking to speak.

It was likely about the matter of Longan Port. The place had undergone great upheaval: Beast-Taming Manor was wiped out overnight, many cultivators in the area were injured, and the barrier near the Ten-Thousand Beast Forest was broken. But no one knew what had really happened. After all, everyone from the Villa was dead, the merfolk had returned to the sea, and the surviving human–merfolk hybrids had already been placed under Junhua’s care.

Although Junhua loathed dealing with those hypocritical cultivators, she still led her people upward.

Gu Baiqing, knowing roughly what was to come, had no choice but to accompany her — Mo Xuanli was still in seclusion, after all.

He brought Three Bean along as well.

The moment they got closer, they were stunned by the sight before them.

It was probably the same scale as when Beast-Taming Manor had previously attacked the Merfolk clan.

On the ship in front, Gu Baiqing spotted Gong Zixing—and several other troublesome figures.

Their light-gray robes were embroidered with the Taiji Eight Trigrams, and they wore crane-shaped crowns on their heads. They were people from Taixu Hall.

Taixu Hall wasn’t a sect per se—it was more like a neutral institution formed to maintain balance among the various immortal sects. It originally came into being during the great war between immortals and demons, when the sects had temporarily united under one banner. Later, part of that organization remained, dedicated to recording and arbitrating major events in the cultivation world, mediating disputes between sects when necessary.

For instance, they had previously organized discussions on how many people each sect could send into the Void Spirit Secret Realm, and when there were signs of demonic movement, they would call meetings to coordinate responses. Even Mo Xuanli’s trial in the original story had been held at Taixu Hall.

Their authority existed only because they were supported by the Four Great Immortal Sects. But in recent years, its members had started adopting a self-important attitude—especially after the so-called “steward” of Taixu Hall promoted himself to “Hall Master.” With his cultivation nearing the Tribulation stage, his confidence grew, and he gradually began to see himself as something above the rest.

They liked to meddle in all matters great and small in the cultivation world, always speaking from some lofty moral high ground, wagging their fingers at everyone.

A few years ago, they even started organizing so-called “Immortal Conventions,” supposedly to let young cultivators spar and learn from each other—but in truth, their real goal was to scout for promising talents to recruit into Taixu Hall. Though this was nominally just staff renewal, it inevitably expanded their influence.

To small sects, such an organization was worth flattering and supporting. But the Four Great Sects had long been dissatisfied. Still, since Taixu Hall remained a place where issues could be discussed fairly, none of them had yet chosen to dismantle it.

Maybe it was the influence of the original text, but Gu Baiqing truly disliked Taixu Hall.

He found them utterly hypocritical—always claiming to defend justice and speak for the weak, yet when it came to the Merfolk’s suffering, they simply turned a blind eye. Justice? What a joke.

Later, when the Merfolk, under Mo Xuanli’s leadership, became a significant force, the demons and cultivators clashed more frequently. Then Taixu Hall issued orders to “investigate” where Merfolk were still imprisoned, supposedly to show accountability to Junhua and mend relations with the Merfolk. But Junhua couldn’t be bothered with them.

When Junhua, restored to human form, came aboard with her people, the Taixu Hall members swept their gazes over her. Before any of them spoke, some sycophantic small-sect cultivators stepped forward and asked, “So you’re the current leader of the Merfolk tribe?”

Junhua’s face immediately darkened. With disdain, she said, “I am Princess of the Merfolk, the current ruling authority. Why have you not saluted me upon meeting? You human cultivators are truly ill-mannered.”

“How dare you! You stand before members of Taixu Hall—watch your tongue!” someone barked.

Junhua instantly whipped out her whip and lashed it without hesitation. With a sharp crack, it narrowly missed the speaker’s nose. “You come onto my territory and dare to shout at me? It’s you who should be careful.”

The sight made Gu Baiqing, who was secretly listening, press a hand to his forehead.

Junhua had never liked human cultivators. Whatever little goodwill she had was reserved for Gu Baiqing and Mo Xuanli. Naturally, she wouldn’t treat the others kindly. In her eyes, they were just a mob—not worth taking seriously.

Seeing the situation on the verge of erupting, Gong Zixing quickly stepped forward, saluted, introduced himself, and said to the Taixu Hall members, “Everyone, as I’ve already explained, the destruction of Longan Port was caused by the Beast-Taming Manor’s mutated ancestor losing control. Everyone here witnessed it. If you still doubt it, you may ask the Princess about the details. The Merfolk suffered heavy losses—they are the victims. I imagine the Princess has been busy tending to her wounded clansmen. Let’s all calm down and speak reasonably.”

Clearly, Gong Zixing had already discussed things with them beforehand—but they still insisted on hearing Junhua’s explanation personally. Whether that was to uncover the truth or simply to assert dominance was anyone’s guess.

Then a Taixu Hall member stepped forward and said, “Our investigation suggests that it was the Merfolk who first attacked Beast-Taming Manor, which led to the subsequent events. Is that true?”

Regardless of the bias in those words, Junhua was immediately irritated. She snapped, “Beast-Taming Manor kidnapped and imprisoned countless of our people and committed unspeakable atrocities. I merely went to rescue my clansmen—is that a problem?”

“In that case,” the person said blandly, “please bring sufficient witnesses and accompany us to Taixu Hall to prove your innocence. After all, this incident caused heavy casualties and widespread damage—we must investigate thoroughly. Also, please open Weakwater for our entry, so we can conduct an on-site investigation and clarify the entire cause and effect.”

Though the tone was mild, every sentence hit one of Junhua’s nerves.

Have the wounded Merfolk “prove their innocence”? 

Allow outsiders to enter Weakwater?

March right into the coral reef and pry into their secrets in the name of investigation?

Even Gu Baiqing frowned—what an open and righteous form of shamelessness.

Junhua’s voice turned icy. “Since when did your cultivators have the right to meddle in Merfolk affairs? What Beast-Taming Manor did—you can find that out by investigating Longan Port. This was a private grievance between our two sides. What business is it of yours? Who do you think you are, to stick your nose in so far? Why should we explain anything to you?”

Technically, the Merfolk weren’t part of the cultivation world, so Taixu Hall had no authority over them. And as princess, Junhua wasn’t about to let anyone speak down to her.

But questioning Taixu Hall’s authority so bluntly instantly soured their faces. They looked at Junhua with open displeasure. “If you refuse to cooperate—”

Seeing things turn bad, Gong Zixing hurriedly interjected, “Everyone, according to the old alliance treaties, only sect leaders have the qualification to negotiate with the Princess.”

The implication was clear—you’re just a minor envoy from a so-called neutral hall; the Princess has already given you face by speaking at all—don’t mistake yourselves for someone important.

When Gong Zixing said that, the people from Taixu Hall immediately grew displeased. “Young Master is merely a guarding disciple of the Zixiao Sect—mind your own business.”

Gong Zixing choked on his words, his expression turning sour.

Just then, the sea suddenly grew restless. Spiritual energy scattered in all directions, shocking everyone—it seemed as if something beneath the waves was awakening.

“What did you do?” someone demanded nervously of the Merfolk, wary since the Merfolk could control sea beasts—and this was, after all, their territory.

Junhua laughed lightly. “The sea is vast. It’s not under our command. How would I know?”

But Gu Baiqing understood. It must be because Mo Xuanli’s advancement had reached a critical stage—the surge of spiritual energy was caused by his breakthrough.

“Master, shall we return?”

Gu Baiqing nodded. “Let’s drive away these annoying flies first.”

While they were speaking, the Taixu Hall members had already turned their accusations toward Junhua, insisting that there must be secrets hidden below and that it was connected to the recent events. They demanded that the Merfolk open the Three Thousand Weak Water, saying that Taixu Hall would not allow the Merfolk to conceal anything from them.

Junhua was so furious she was about to raise her whip again—

—but suddenly, a tiger’s roar echoed across the sea. A bolt of lightning, carrying the pressure of a Tribulation-stage cultivator, descended upon the ships.

Everyone aboard froze in place, unable to move, and looked up in terror.

A black-robed figure sat high above them atop a tricolored illusion cat, gazing down at them with a cold, commanding air.

Gong Zixing was the first to kneel and salute. “We pay respects to Elder Luofeng.”

The crowd stared in shock. It really was the Immortal Venerable Luofeng! Rumor had it that the one who defeated the mutated elder of Beast-Taming Manor had been none other than Luofeng—and the display of lightning back then had indeed been extraordinary.

There had also been reports that Mo Xuanli had come here to repair the barrier and had once stayed as a guest at Beast-Taming Manor. So it was true—the immortal was personally accompanying his disciple on his training journey.

In front of Elder Luofeng, even the people of Taixu Hall had to bow properly.

Then, a voice echoed from all directions, calm and resonant:

“My disciple Mo Xuanli and I were involved in this entire incident. We will personally visit Taixu Hall to explain. For now, all of you—leave.”

With those words, the minor sects immediately nodded in obedience, not daring to offend Gu Baiqing’s authority.

But Taixu Hall still had someone bold enough to speak.

“Elder Luofeng, since this concerns the Merfolk clan, we believe it’s necessary for them to give their own account. Moreover, there were strange disturbances beneath the water just now—we must investigate.”

The others looked at the speaker in disbelief. So Taixu Hall really has grown arrogant—they even dare speak to the Immortal Venerable like this now!

Gu Baiqing’s voice dropped low and cold.

“Once I’ve spoken with your Hall Master and explained everything, if evidence is needed, we’ll provide it then. As for beneath the sea—that is my disciple undergoing advancement. I do not wish for him to be disturbed. Should anyone interfere with his breakthrough…”

His gaze swept over them, and everyone instinctively lowered their heads.

The shock in their hearts was immense—advancing? The spiritual energy fluctuations were so overwhelming that no one had dared think of it that way. But if someone was truly advancing within the sea and causing this scale of disturbance, that was no ordinary breakthrough!

Given what was known about Mo Xuanli… could it be from Golden Core to Nascent Soul?

That was terrifying. For such a young cultivator to reach that stage already—no wonder his master guarded him like a precious gem. At such a critical time, no one would want their exceptionally talented disciple to be disturbed. If something went wrong, it would be an irreparable loss.

Still, someone from Taixu Hall stepped forward anxiously. “Immortal Venerable Luofeng, we heard that your disciple Mo Xuanli has taken a true dragon as his contracted beast and even forged an alliance with the Merfolk clan—is that true?”

Gu Baiqing’s eyes narrowed. He hated how these people kept prying into Mo Xuanli. They were lukewarm and evasive about investigating Beast-Taming Manor and the Merfolk’s suffering, yet they seemed perfectly informed about Mo Xuanli’s affairs. Clearly, their network of spies was vast.

Junhua cut in sharply, “What the h*ll does that have to do with you? Why does Taixu Hall love gossip so much?”

“That’s a misstatement,” one replied coolly. “It is Taixu Hall’s duty to preserve balance within the cultivation world. Forming an alliance with the Merfolk clan is no trivial matter—it should not rest in the hands of a single person. If the Merfolk insist on such a pact, it would be wiser to ally with a power that considers the broader interests of the cultivation realm.”

Gu Baiqing couldn’t help but smirk at this fool—why not just say you mean yourselves?

Junhua laughed in fury. “My things—I’ll give them to whomever I d*mn well please! And it sure as hell won’t be Taixu Hall, so what are you going to do about it?”

Many had coveted such a legendary alliance before, and plenty had hinted at it to the Merfolk—but they had never agreed. Now that Mo Xuanli had received it, of course it stirred jealousy.

“We’re not saying it should be us,” the Taixu Hall man protested. “We simply think the Merfolk are being reckless. If one cannot control such power, it will backfire. Mo Xuanli’s cultivation shouldn’t be enough to handle it yet, should it?”

Indeed, this was when people’s jealousy toward Mo Xuanli began to fester.

It was precisely because Taixu Hall fanned the flames that a mob later turned on him—condemning him publicly, exposing his identity, and ultimately driving him into demonic madness.

Gu Baiqing’s tone was frigid now.

“Leave. I won’t say it a third time. In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea—if any cultivator still lingers on this sea— don’t blame me for clearing the area for my disciple’s advancement.”

“Immortal Venerable Luofeng, you can’t just—”

The Taixu Hall man hadn’t even finished before Gu Baiqing slowly raised his sword, Morning Snow. The cold light in his eyes, the biting chill in the air, and the gathering thunderclouds above—all reminded everyone that this was the same man who had just fought a mutated Tribulation-stage monster and emerged unscathed. His reputation wasn’t exaggerated—and his temper was every bit as fearsome as rumored.

Gong Zixing immediately bowed and took off, flying away on his sword.

Seeing even his own side flee, the others followed suit in panic. Everyone knew that Gu Baiqing’s lightning was said to rival heavenly thunder itself—getting struck by it might not kill them, but it could cripple their cultivation.

They had only come to watch the commotion, maybe gain some compensation or benefit—but since the Immortal Venerable was clearly siding with the Merfolk, best to retreat quickly.

No sense in trying to steal a chicken only to lose the rice, too.

The people from Taixu Hall, seeing that everyone else had scurried off in defeat, were furious. Though humiliated, they had no choice but to yield to strength. Finally, in frustration, one of them said, “Then we’ll report back exactly as the Immortal Venerable instructed. As for Young Master Mo’s situation, we’ll also give a truthful account. We hope that by then, the current Immortal Venerable will be able to explain clearly.”

Gu Baiqing couldn’t even be bothered to look at them again. With a sweep of his power, he raised a massive wave that sent their ships drifting far away.

“What kind of people are those? Just jealous, that’s what! The cultivation world really is full of shameless scum,” Junhua cursed.

Gu Baiqing shook his head. “They probably won’t dare come again. Let’s go.”

Then Gu Baiqing and Junhua returned to the Dragon Palace.

Actually, the dark clouds from before weren’t Gu Baiqing’s doing—they were heavenly tribulation clouds for the advancement. But since a true dragon was coiled above the palace, the lightning couldn’t strike down.

By now, however, the Dragon Palace was surrounded by an even thicker mist of spiritual energy. Gu Baiqing hurried to Mo Xuanli’s room and waited anxiously for news.

The system had warned that, during advancement, one must take care not to let the nascent soul leave the body for too long, or else risk demonic corruption.

Normally, when a cultivator reached this stage, the golden core would crack, and from it would emerge a tiny infant formed of gathered spiritual energy. That little infant would fear the outside world—afraid of everyone and everything—so once separated, it would immediately return to the body. That would complete the advancement.

However, it was said that the longer the nascent soul remained outside the body, the stronger the cultivator’s future power would be. But “longer” usually meant just a few seconds—at most a few dozen.

Mo Xuanli’s situation was more complicated. His nascent soul represented his immortal cultivation path. If it left his body, then only his demonic path would remain within him, and even if he did nothing, he would still risk falling into demonic corruption.

When Gu Baiqing figured that out, he was distressed for a long while. It was self-contradictory—he wanted Mo Xuanli to grow stronger, but that very strength carried danger.

Still, Mo Xuanli’s safety came first.

Just as he was thinking this, a final boom echoed, and suddenly a surge of spiritual power burst from within the room. If Gu Baiqing hadn’t pulled Junhua and Three Bean aside, the two of them would have been swept away by it.

That spiritual wave… had it succeeded?

But why hadn’t the system given a prompt?

At that moment, Ao Hang descended. “No more thunder—how is he?”

If the heavenly thunder had ceased, it should mean the advancement was complete—unless it had failed. Gu Baiqing didn’t hesitate any longer; he pushed open the door.

The instant he entered, he glimpsed a nearly transparent little figure flickering away—and Mo Xuanli had collapsed on the bed.

“Xuanli…” Gu Baiqing rushed forward to check him. One touch—and his face changed drastically.

His cultivation was completely gone! And faint wisps of demonic energy were beginning to curl around him. The system showed his corruption level slowly rising. So… the nascent soul hadn’t returned!

“Ah—what’s that?” Three Bean suddenly cried.

Gu Baiqing looked up and saw a baby-shaped figure clinging to the beam, nearly transparent, trembling as if terrified of them.

“The nascent soul? It’s been out this long and hasn’t gone back?” Ao Hang frowned. “That shouldn’t be possible! I’ll catch it.”

Ao Hang transformed into a small dragon and darted upward, but the little translucent figure was incredibly fast. Even Ao Hang couldn’t catch it. Three Bean and Junhua tried to help, but every time anyone approached, the tiny nascent soul would flee in panic. It looked so pitiful—like three villains chasing a newly toddling baby.

Gu Baiqing hadn’t expected this kind of situation at all. Seeing Mo Xuanli unconscious on the bed, he was about to ask the system whether to exchange for an emergency talisman—

When suddenly Ao Hang lunged again and almost caught the nascent soul. This time, it darted straight toward Gu Baiqing—

—and threw itself into his arms, clinging tightly like a frightened baby refusing to let go.

Gu Baiqing froze.

That wasn’t a real infant—it was a nascent soul. It shouldn’t be capable of attaching to anyone else!

Yet that trembling, shivering little body, burrowing deeper into his chest, felt all too real. Even though Mo Xuanli’s body was right there on the bed—the safest place for it—the tiny thing didn’t even glance that way.

Gu Baiqing tried to pry it off, wanting to return it to Mo Xuanli’s body, but the little thing refused to let go. Though its features were faint, resembling a miniature Mo Xuanli, its expression was unmistakably that of a wronged child about to cry.

Its body was soft—almost gel-like—so he didn’t dare use force.

It truly felt like holding a living baby.

Suddenly Junhua burst out laughing.

Gu Baiqing turned, puzzled. “What is it?”

“Don’t you think this looks like—Mo Xuanli just gave birth to a child, and the baby’s clinging to you? As its father—or mother?”

Gu Baiqing’s face went completely dark. “Stop fooling around. Think—how do we get it back in?”

“We’re a dragon, a cat, and a merfolk. How would we know anything about cultivator business? You’re the great genius cultivator—don’t you know?” Junhua retorted.

Gu Baiqing’s original self had always trained and advanced alone—he’d never encountered something like this.

Just then, a voice came from the doorway.

“Brother Mo, has he awakened yet? I saw the tribulation pass and—wait, the nascent soul!” Qian Yue stood there, stunned.

He had seen other cultivators’ nascent souls before—when guarding them during advancement—but those never allowed anyone to come close, much less touch them. And if one did catch a nascent soul, it would normally retaliate immediately, rejecting all external contact like a mind defending itself.

So seeing Gu Baiqing calmly holding a transparent little child—Qian Yue was utterly dumbfounded.

Realizing this, Gu Baiqing quickly gathered the tiny soul in his arms and said to everyone, “All of you, go out. Leave this to me. The nascent soul fears the outside world—it’s not good for it if you stay.”

He absolutely couldn’t let Qian Yue come in—Qian Yue had a “demon radar,” and if he saw Mo Xuanli like this, it would be over.

At Gu Baiqing’s words, everyone obediently left. Qian Yue, too, didn’t dare step inside and instead spoke respectfully from the doorway: “Immortal Venerable, although there are rumors that the longer the nascent soul stays outside the body, the greater the future cultivation potential, if the nascent soul is damaged in the process, it can cause fatal harm to the body. It’s best to have it return as soon as possible.”

Gu Baiqing thanked him for the kind reminder—but how on earth was he supposed to make this little thing go back?

He looked down at the transparent little creature clinging to him like a koala, headache forming, and in a moment of desperation, tried to reason with it. “Little… Xuanli? Can you go back into your body, please?”

To his surprise, the little one actually looked up at him—but still refused to let go.

Gu Baiqing tried guiding it by bringing Mo Xuanli’s hand close to it, but there was no reaction. Instead, the tiny nascent soul wriggled as if it had found somewhere comfortable and started burrowing straight into Gu Baiqing’s collar.

He then tried to lead it with spiritual power, but it couldn’t handle anyone else’s energy. It flinched and trembled pitifully as though bullied—but still refused to leave, pressing even closer to Gu Baiqing’s chest.

Every method he could think of failed.

So he had to turn to the emergency system pouch.

This time, it cost him a full hundred points.

But when the options appeared, Gu Baiqing felt utterly drained.

Again? Another d*mned trap!