After Becoming a High-Risk Master, I Flipped the Script Chapter 166

Just as everyone began to worry, Mo Xuanli finally returned.

Zong Xuezhen spotted him first and quickly stood up, excitement flashing across her face. “Young Master Mo, you’re safe! What took you so long?”

Mo Xuanli, however, looked relaxed, even smiling faintly. There was not a trace of urgency, leaving everyone utterly perplexed.

“So long?” Nan Zhi frowned. She too had thought Mo Xuanli would return much sooner.

Mo Xuanli greeted them briefly, then walked straight into the spirit pool. Ao Hang, who didn’t need cultivation, hopped off his shoulder and flew to a nearby tree to nap, this place was so safe that even he felt his presence was pointless.

Mo Xuanli chose a spot and sat down. “Finding what I wanted took a bit of effort.”

Before the others could ask, he took out an object, a piece of black jade. Anyone could tell at a glance that it wasn’t anything particularly valuable; it emitted barely any spiritual energy.

“What’s that?” Nan Zhi asked curiously.

“Black Xuan Jade? That’s what you went looking for?” Jingzhan, though usually frivolous, was well-read enough to be confused. “Did I miss something? Since when is that a treasure?”

Li Xiuran also frowned. “Black Xuan Jade is rare among spirit jades, but it contains very little spiritual power and isn’t of much use. It’s too hard to carve for decoration, so it’s hardly ever traded. You delayed so long just for that?”

Hearing this, everyone looked even more confused.

“It’s worth the delay,” Mo Xuanli replied.

“Wait, so this particular piece is special?” Si Chun asked, intrigued.

Mo Xuanli explained plainly, “The jade itself is ordinary, but when combined with a certain type of magic, it has a special function, spatial magic.”

“Your Void Spirit Space?” everyone guessed immediately.

Mo Xuanli nodded. “Once Black Xuan Jade is marked by the Void Spirit Space spell, anyone carrying it, no matter where they are, I can instantly reach them through that space. And if they infuse it with spiritual energy when they need me, my spell will sense it and I can come right away. Using the jade as a medium also reduces the spiritual power needed.”

The Void Spirit Space was powerful, but limited by distance and required immense energy. Though he could travel anywhere he could visualize or recall, it was impossible to pinpoint a person’s location precisely, at least not yet, maybe not even until his Tribulation stage, depending on how well he mastered it.

The master-disciple bond could sense each other’s presence, but tracking by that alone covered too large an area and was slow.

When he’d seen the list of materials on Constellation Island mentioning Black Xuan Jade, he remembered records from his research into the Void Spirit Space.

And then it struck him, if he could combine the Void Spirit Space with the master-disciple bond, wouldn’t that solve the problem perfectly?

No matter where his master was, no matter how dangerous the situation, only by being able to reach him immediately could he feel at ease.

He even planned to engrave a spirit-nourishing incantation onto it, so that if his master wore it, his spiritual veins could be constantly replenished.

And since the spiritual spring here provided an endless flow of energy, it was the perfect place to craft it.

After hearing all this, everyone couldn’t help but be amazed that the Black Xuan Jade could be used this way.

Mo Xuanli finished his explanation with a smile, then pulled out a small set of tools, clearly intending to start carving the piece right there and then.

Seeing the gentle, focused expression on Mo Xuanli’s face and thinking about what this item could do, Jingzhan chuckled. “Oh? So this is a gift for someone special?”

Mo Xuanli didn’t even try to hide it. “Mm.”

Zong Xuezhen’s gaze instantly sharpened. When she’d first heard what the jade could do, allowing one to appear at another’s side instantly, her heart had stirred with both admiration and longing for Mo Xuanli’s powerful yet romantic thoughtfulness. But it wasn’t meant for her.

Still, even if it wasn’t for her now… who could say it would never fall into her hands later?

Everyone’s attention turned toward the piece of Black Xuan Jade, watching as Mo Xuanli seriously began marking and sketching lines on it, clearly well prepared for this.

“We all came here to cultivate, and you, you came to make someone a gift. You really are something,” Jingzhan muttered with mock exasperation.

“What are you planning to make?” Li Xiuran asked curiously.

“A ring.”

Originally, Mo Xuanli had wanted to make a jade pendant. But when he glanced at the ring he now wore, he suddenly felt moved. He wanted to make something similar so that it would match his master’s. The thought made him feel secretly pleased; thank goodness his master had given him one first, or he might have missed the chance entirely.

The moment they heard the word “ring,” everyone’s eyes drifted to the new silver band on Mo Xuanli’s hand. Other than God Nine Transformations, Mo Xuanli rarely wore any accessories, so the ring stood out, a simple, silvery-white band set with a faint blue bead. It didn’t look like a powerful artifact at all.

When one likes someone, one naturally notices every new thing on them and worries about who it might have come from.

And now, hearing that Mo Xuanli planned to make a matching ring as a gift for someone… well, the implication was quite obvious.

Zong Xuezhen’s expression darkened further.

Jingzhan gaped, accidentally choking on the spring water. “Wait, wait, don’t tell me that new ring on your hand was given to you by that person? Are you two exchanging love tokens already? You’re together now?”

Even he was shocked by his own words. To be fair, when it came to romance, Jingzhan was more experienced than most and his guess was right on the mark.

Li Xiuran and Si Chun, who knew the truth about the other person’s identity, both stared at Mo Xuanli in astonishment.

Then Nan Zhi spoke up and nearly made everyone jump.

She didn’t know that the “other person” in question was Elder Luofeng, but she had been present at that meeting. So she said bluntly, “That ring, wasn’t it from your Dao-companion?”

That did it. Not only Jingzhan, but even Li Xiuran and Si Chun almost choked again.

“You, you know about that?” Jingzhan stammered, staring at Nan Zhi in disbelief. Shouldn’t fellow sect members at least pretend to be shocked?

Nan Zhi replied calmly, “No, I don’t know who it is. Just that he publicly said he had a Dao-companion and they were already betrothed. He didn’t mention who.”

Jingzhan was left speechless, unsure whether to scold Nan Zhi for not dying of curiosity or to admire Mo Xuanli’s audacity in announcing it so openly.

Since the identity hadn’t been revealed, the three who did know naturally kept quiet.

“So then… you’re really together now? You actually won them over?” Jingzhan still couldn’t believe it.

A faint blush crept onto Mo Xuanli’s face, his heart pounding faster. Admitting it to them shouldn’t be a big deal…

But it felt oddly satisfying like finally being able to share a secret he’d been proud to keep.

“Mm. We’re together. They gave me this ring, so now I have to hurry and finish mine for them.” Mo Xuanli smiled softly as he spoke.

“D*mn, brother, you are honestly the man I admire most in this world.” Jingzhan abandoned his own pool entirely and hurried over, full of gossip. “How did you do it? Weren’t things super awkward before?”

He, after all, had witnessed Mo Xuanli’s first confession, the one so disastrously mismatched that it had turned into a comedy.

“It just… happened naturally. We both liked each other all along, just needed the right moment,” Mo Xuanli said. He didn’t want to share too many details; it felt as though speaking of it would somehow lessen its sweetness.

“Matching rings as love tokens, made by hand, and with a spell that lets you appear by his side anytime? Wow. I really underestimated you, you’re actually a romantic,” Jingzhan laughed.

“Speaking of rings,” Li Xiuran said suddenly, “that reminds me, Half-Step Mad once told me something. You might find it interesting.”

At the mention of Half-Step Mad, Mo Xuanli’s ears immediately perked up.

Nan Zhi also seemed to recall it. “The thing about wedding rings?”

They had traveled together for a while, and back then Half-Step Mad had teased Li Xiuran and Ji Chuling about their obvious affection for each other, telling them about a custom from his homeland.

Li Xiuran nodded.

“What’s a wedding ring?” Jingzhan quickly asked.

Li Xiuran explained as he soaked in the spring, “Half-Step Mad said that in his homeland, when two people love each other and want to spend their lives together, they exchange rings. They wear them on the fourth finger, the ring finger, to show that they already have a partner. If both wear matching rings, it means they belong to each other.”

Mo Xuanli looked at the ring on his index finger. “The ring finger?”

“Mm. Apparently each finger has a meaning. The index finger means… single, I think?” Li Xiuran said.

Mo Xuanli blinked. He raised his hand, about to move the ring then hesitated and stopped.

Jingzhan caught the little motion and grinned. “What? Not going to switch it?”

“This was put on by him himself,” Mo Xuanli said softly, smiling as he turned the ring. “I’ll tell him this story later then he can move it for me. We should be wearing it on our ring fingers.”

Jingzhan shuddered beside him and quickly took a few steps back. “Ah, I can’t take it anymore. It’s just a custom from someone else’s sect, but you’re laying it on way too thick, it’s sickeningly sweet.”

He hadn’t expected Mo Xuanli, once caught up by the red thread, to turn into this. Truly a waste of the cultivation world’s so-called rising star.

Still—

“Congratulations!” Jingzhan laughed. “I’ll prepare something for you later, as a gift. You’re guaranteed to like it.”

Li Xiuran cleared his throat. “Congratulations. You’ll have to treat us to drinks later. I’ll get you a gift too.”

Si Chun looked at Mo Xuanli. Though she felt a little disheartened inside, seeing the gentle happiness on his face, watching him do something so childish yet content, she felt oddly relieved. She’d thought this road would be impossibly hard for him, but to see it work out so simply, perhaps he was lucky after all. So she softly said, “Congratulations.”

“Thank you.” Mo Xuanli’s eyes curved with a smile. Being acknowledged and congratulated like this felt really good. He hoped that anyone who learned of it in the future would respond the same way. He didn’t care much anymore, but he still didn’t want his Master to have to hear cruel words just for being with him.

“You’re all saying congratulations without even knowing who it is, isn’t that careless?”

Everyone turned toward the usually silent Zong Xuezhen, whose expression finally cracked, her tone, for once, sharp and unpleasant.

“Sometimes you don’t need to know who it is,” Jingzhan replied lightly. “If it’s someone Xuanli chose, then it’s definitely right. Even his senior sister hasn’t said a word, none of the rest of us are in any position to judge.”

Zong Xuezhen’s face stiffened, and she turned toward Mo Xuanli. “Young Master Mo, just what kind of extraordinary immortal maiden could possibly win such devotion from you?”

Mo Xuanli said calmly, “I’m sorry, but I don’t wish to reveal their identity just yet. But it won’t be long.”

Zong Xuezhen’s gaze flickered several times. If she didn’t know the opponent, she couldn’t plan her attack. But from another angle, if she could make the other person disappear before they ever showed their face, then it would be as if they never existed at all. After all, no one knew who it was.

“I was only going to say,” she continued, “it’s a pity she isn’t here today. Coincidentally, in a few days it’ll be the full moon. The Yinyuan Stone in the Taixu Hall can reveal the image of the one your heart desires, your destined bond of this life. Consider it both a blessing and a test. Perhaps you should go take a look.”

Everyone had been braced for Zong Xuezhen to say something nasty, but what she suggested was… unexpectedly interesting.

….

“The Yinyuan Stone?” Gu Baiqing looked at the two people in front of him in surprise.

One of them was Half-Step Mad, he had come to stay here while hiding from the people of Wuxiang Temple, and as a fellow native of the same land, Gu Baiqing naturally took him in.

The other was Ji Chuling, bored out of her mind. She only knew Gu Baiqing and Yun Yue, but Yun Yue seemed to be in poor health lately, so Ji Chuling hadn’t wanted to disturb her. With nothing else to do, she’d come here to hang around.

The three sat chatting idly in the courtyard, and the Yinyuan Stone came up.

Gu Baiqing didn’t have a very good impression of the thing.

Because it had once appeared in an illusion back when Fairy Ruiyao had trapped him in her illusion of love. To trick him into marrying her, she’d conjured a fake Yinyuan Stone.

In truth, the Yinyuan Stone wasn’t something from Zixiao Sect at all, it belonged to Taixu Hall. But Ruiyao had woven it into her illusion, making him think it was a Zixiao artifact. When he’d seen it back then, he thought it was fate, and agreed to marry her.

“Is the Yinyuan Stone really that magical?” Ji Chuling asked, curious after hearing so much.

No one knew better than Half-Step Mad. He grinned mischievously at Ji Chuling. “Of course! If you’re serious, when that kid comes out, you should grab him and go take a look together. The full moon’s almost here, one look, and you’ll know each other’s hearts. If two people are truly fated, standing before the stone will make it glow, showing both your reflections together.”

Ji Chuling’s face immediately flushed red. “Why would I do that! For all I know, there’s a whole line of people waiting to go with him!”

“Heh, little girl, you’d better act fast. If someone else gets there first, he might not be yours anymore,” Half-Step Mad said mysteriously.

“Didn’t you say we had fate between us?” Ji Chuling cried, anxious.

Half-Step Mad chuckled. “I never said it was only you.”

“You, you’re so unreliable!” Ji Chuling stomped like an angry bunny and dashed off.

Watching her retreating figure, Gu Baiqing shook his head helplessly. “Since it’s a harem novel, of course there’s more than one wife. Are you planning to change their fates this time?”

“Ah, can’t be helped,” Half-Step Mad sighed. “Writing is one thing, but once you actually know them, how could you bear to see these girls crying over love? They’re all good girls, they don’t deserve to share a husband. Originally, Ji Chuling was the main wife, and that kid’s already clearly fallen for her. If the two of them can just stay together for life, that would be best. The others, before they fall too deep, maybe they can still find true love elsewhere.”

“Actually,” Gu Baiqing said, “the Yinyuan Stone arc was about Li Xiuran and another girl. I won’t spoil it, but that stone ended up making things very messy, she completely lost herself after that. Better to skip it altogether. Anyway, the stone does work. If you ever take a fancy to someone, go take a look together.”

“I’m not interested,” Gu Baiqing muttered. “But from what Ji Chuling said, sounds like Zong Lei wants his daughter to use it with my disciple.”

“You planning to stop it? The Zong family’s not exactly doing well these days,” Half-Step Mad hinted.

Gu Baiqing shook his head. “I won’t interfere. Let’s see what Xuanli decides for himself.”

“Come on, enough plot talk, I’m afraid of lightning. Have a drink with me—”

“Drink, my *ss! You almost killed me last time!”

“What, how was I supposed to know you couldn’t handle a drop? This time there’s no alcohol, I swear! Come on, let’s play a game. Loser drinks.”

….

Late at night, when all was silent, Mo Xuanli finally set down his carving knife. He looked at the ring beginning to take shape between his fingers and smiled softly. Tilting his head back toward the night sky, he couldn’t help wondering, what was his Master doing right now? Was he, too, lying awake, missing him just the same?