After Becoming a High-Risk Master, I Flipped the Script Chapter 192

The instant Li Xiuran rushed in, Gu Baiqing was so startled he felt like he was about to fade out of this world.

If Li Xiuran was here, how far behind could Mo Xuanli be?

Gu Baiqing had completely lost the ability to care about Ji Chuling clutching his wrist in nervousness, or about Li Xiuran at the door whose vinegar jar had clearly overturned. At this moment, his eyes were fixed straight outside, terrified that in the next second, Mo Xuanli would appear from behind Li Xiuran.

But until Li Xiuran, radiating cold air all over his body, stepped forward in front of Gu Baiqing and Ji Chuling, no one appeared outside the door. Could it be that the two of them hadn’t acted together? Even so, Gu Baiqing’s heart was still hanging, not daring to relax in the slightest.

Li Xiuran grabbed Ji Chuling’s wrist, yanked it off Gu Baiqing’s hand, pulled her back to his side, then shot her a fierce glare before sweeping his gaze over Gu Baiqing. Suddenly his expression changed, killing intent surging. “Soul confusing incense?!”

When the male lead is angry, the power is boundless. Gu Baiqing instantly felt a powerful pressure bearing down on him. Only then did he finally realize what situation he was in and hurriedly tried to explain.

But Li Xiuran directly roared, “I don’t know who you are, but to casually share a room with someone else’s dao companion and even use soul confusing incense!”

In Li Xiuran’s view, this man had first tangled with Yuxin and then immediately turned to provoke his Chuling. He was very confident in the feelings between the two of them, so Chuling must have been deceived. If he had arrived even a step later, who knew what this man might have done to Chuling? That Chuling could encounter such danger was something he had never expected.

Fear and rage attacked his heart at once. Li Xiuran immediately moved to strike, wanting to see just who this masked man really was beneath the mask only to be slapped aside by Ji Chuling, who had reacted in time.

“Don’t take it off!”

Gu Baiqing also instinctively shielded the mask.

Caught completely off guard, Li Xiuran was struck and sent crashing into the wall. He lifted his head in shock to look at Ji Chuling. “You… you attacked me for his sake?”

Li Xiuran had never been this out of control before. He was practically furious to the point of bursting.

“So what if I attacked you? Did I hurt you? And besides, am I that familiar with you? Who is your dao companion? And anyway, he’s an ordinary person, how can you just casually strike at an ordinary person?” Ji Chuling stood protectively in front of Gu Baiqing like a hen guarding her chicks. It was the first time Gu Baiqing had ever felt a sense of security coming from a young girl.

“I never intended to hurt him, on the premise that he truly hasn’t done anything shameful. Just now I only wanted to see who he really was!” Li Xiuran suppressed his grievance and looked at Ji Chuling unhappily. “Do you even know what soul confusing incense is? Sharing a room alone with him, do you know who he is, what he wants to do?”

“Stop, stop, stop!” Gu Baiqing really couldn’t listen any longer. Seeing that Li Xiuran seemed not to have the slightest suspicion about his true identity, he spoke up directly. “It’s all a misunderstanding. Miss Ji was only helping me dispel the soul confusing incense left behind earlier by Miss Yuxin. I’m very innocent and had no improper intentions whatsoever. If you two dao companions have any conflicts or issues, you can go back to your own room to deal with them.”

Gu Baiqing spoke gently, explaining the cause and effect, hoping to quickly send these two away. He was truly afraid that Mo Xuanli would show up any moment now. If he’d known earlier, he wouldn’t have taken the easy route and asked Ji Chuling for help. He hadn’t expected Li Xiuran to suddenly come looking for Ji Chuling, he regretted it so much his guts were practically turning green.

With Gu Baiqing appearing harmless, Li Xiuran’s killing intent seemed to ease somewhat. Though he still eyed him suspiciously, the misunderstanding was more or less resolved. What he absolutely didn’t expect, however, was that Ji Chuling would pit him.

“Why bother explaining so much to him? He’s just a stranger. Barging into someone else’s room in the first place was already his fault. Besides, Young Master Bai and I are friends, whatever the two of us want to do is our business. What the h*ll does it have to do with him!” Ji Chuling bared her teeth at Li Xiuran. “Hurry up and leave, don’t interrupt me treating Young Master Bai.”

As she spoke, Ji Chuling even reached out to grab Gu Baiqing’s hand again, looking as though she intended to continue helping him dispel the soul confusing incense.

Gu Baiqing: …Was he being used as a tool to stimulate the male lead? Could the male and female leads argue without dragging innocent bystanders into it?

Gu Baiqing tried hard to pull his hand back. “No need, no need, I’m much better already.”

“You… Chuling, don’t be willful. Come with me, I have something to say to you.”

“Who’s being willful? What are you to me? You tell me to appear and I appear, tell me to disappear and I disappear? I came onto the island with my friends to participate in the event. It has nothing to do with you at all. Please leave!” As Ji Chuling spoke, her tone grew aggrieved.

Immediately, the two grown men were left at a loss.

“Well…” Gu Baiqing was just about to comfort her when Li Xiuran shot him a fierce glare. The next second, Li Xiuran directly hoisted Ji Chuling over his shoulder and rushed out.

Gu Baiqing was left speechless, staring at the ruined door.

He obediently repaired the door himself, thinking that after tomorrow, whoever wanted this room, he’d switch with them. As long as Yuxin was here, it should be easy to change rooms. If he didn’t leave soon, once Ji Chuling and Li Xiuran made up, there was a hundred percent chance he’d run into Mo Xuanli for all sorts of reasons.

His poor heart really couldn’t take it.

At the same time, Mo Xuanli was standing on the rooftop of the inner courtyard of Immortal Medicine Valley, watching below as Lou Xuan repelled medicine people that suddenly appeared to attack Lou Zixiao, and even captured one alive for investigation.

Lou Zixiao had finished receiving her punishment and was originally dragging her injured body back to rest, but even more medicine people suddenly lost control and appeared. Because the place where Lou Zixiao lived was relatively close to the small courtyard where the witnesses were staying, the sudden movement of medicine people in this area caught the attention of the passing Mo Xuanli, who immediately split up from Li Xiuran to act separately.

When he arrived, he found that Lou Xuan was protecting her well and had already begun investigating the source controlling the medicine people. Mo Xuanli took the opportunity to sneak into the master-and-disciple pair’s alchemy room, it was said that Lou Xuan treated Lou Zixiao here.

Mo Xuanli wanted to see if he could find out anything.

However, tonight didn’t go smoothly for anyone. Lou Xuan’s investigation was cut short when the medicine person failed, making it impossible to continue. And after Mo Xuanli entered the alchemy room, he was trapped by layers upon layers of formations, nearly unable to get out. This time, Mo Xuanli finally saw just how formidable Lou Xuan’s talent was. The medical Dao combined with formations gave even Mo Xuanli a headache. By the time he finally got out, dawn had already broken.

On his way back, he heard Ji Chuling’s aggrieved complaints coming from the neighboring room, along with Li Xiuran’s guilty coaxing. Mo Xuanli didn’t disturb them. But not long after, Lou Zixiao arrived. Although she had experienced danger the night before, she hadn’t been beaten down at all. Perhaps because her master had protected her well, her mood was even better, looking as though she wanted to make a name for herself in the assessment. She proactively came to explain the subsequent arrangements for the witnesses.

…

Morning sunlight streamed in through the crooked cracks of the skewed door, yet the person on the bed seemed trapped in a nightmare.

Gu Baiqing was unbearably hot in his sleep. In his haze, he heard someone calling him. He slightly opened his eyes and saw a pair of affectionate eyes staring at him. A peerless beauty, unmatched in the world, the faint mole on the bridge of the nose was like adding fuel to a fire, scorching the heart.

What kind of peerless beauty was this, appearing in his dream, and… and even lying on top of him?

Gu Baiqing’s heart raced wildly. His whole being was not okay.

Just as he was nervously dazed, he heard the other party call with a smile, “Baiqing…”

Gu Baiqing froze. Wait—this face… these features, wasn’t this Mo Xuanli?! A feminine version…?

The other party suddenly leaned in as if about to kiss him, but Gu Baiqing raised his hand to block it, his head full of question marks. How did his disciple turn into a woman?

But the next second, there was a sudden added weight on his body, completely different in heft, solidly pressing him down. In the blink of an eye, the person on top of him was no longer a beauty, but clearly a real man brimming with masculine presence.

Thick, long brows carried the sharpness of a sword’s edge; black eyes tinged with red were like distant crimson stars hidden deep in the night sky. The bridge of the nose, the jawline, every line, every contrast of light and shadow, so flawless that even the most accomplished painter couldn’t find a single flaw to alter, handsome to the point that it seemed as if light itself was being kneaded and scattered across his face.

Gu Baiqing had always known that Mo Xuanli was officially acknowledged as the number one in looks, but because they were so close, Gu Baiqing often failed to truly feel it.

But at this moment, Gu Baiqing was completely stunned.

Especially when he looked at him with a smile at the corner of his lips, his eyes full of starlight, gazing straight at him, there was no way to describe that kind of charm. He could only stare blankly, letting the other draw close, letting the other behave lightly toward him, until a kiss landed and then lifted away. Only then did Gu Baiqing realize something and raise his hand to block him. “You…”

“Master… I missed you.”

Gu Baiqing’s gaze flickered. That sentence was clearly not a simple, polite expression of longing. The tone, the look in his eyes, even the subtle changes in posture all clearly signaled an uncontrollable, burning intensity…

Gu Baiqing jolted awake and sat up abruptly.

The last trace of the soul-confusing incense on his body dissipated, but it left Gu Baiqing drenched in cold sweat, his heart still pounding in shock.

Gu Baiqing pinched himself hard, trying to clear his head.

Perhaps it was the aftereffect of the soul-confusing incense, right now, Gu Baiqing felt uncomfortable all over, dizzy and muddle-headed.

Just as he was feeling irritated, there came a knock at the door.

Gu Baiqing was genuinely worried it might be Ji Chuling coming to look for him again, but it turned out that the Immortal Medicine Valley’s assessment was officially beginning. They needed to arrange for everyone to first go to the Immortal Medicine Valley’s medicinal pools to soak and cleanse their bodies, adjust their condition, so they were being notified to complete this preparatory step within the allotted time.

By then, Gu Baiqing had already heard the commotion next door. Since it was an activity done clothed and without distinction between men and women, everyone naturally wanted to go together with Yuxin.

Gu Baiqing was terrified of Yuxin. If she gave him another round of soul-confusing incense, he really wouldn’t be able to take it.

And it was likely that those few people would go as well. He wanted to find a way to avoid them, so he found a disciple of the Immortal Medicine Valley and bribed him with something good. His original intention was to pretend to be ill and not participate at all. After all, because of the aftereffects of the soul-confusing incense, Gu Baiqing already looked pale, so they believed him when he said he wasn’t feeling well.

But they still said that this was a mandatory cleansing ritual, and that the medicinal pools were good for the body. This kind of minor discomfort could be resolved by soaking for a bit, it would allow him to quickly adjust to his best condition. Still, they didn’t take the bribe for nothing. They directly arranged for Gu Baiqing to go to a medicinal pool with a better environment, not squeezed together with a hundred people. While talking, he also heard that Yuxin, because of Lou Zixiao’s special care, had also gone to a separate place.

Gu Baiqing asked whether they would be together. That disciple rolled his eyes and looked at Gu Baiqing with an expression that clearly said “as if,” and Gu Baiqing immediately felt reassured. It was probably the kind where one person soaked alone.

Gu Baiqing knew that Mo Xuanli and Li Xiuran were not the fussy type, so they probably wouldn’t deliberately bribe disciples to change locations. Relatively speaking, this was safe.

But Gu Baiqing overlooked the fact that Ji Chuling, the little divine maiden, was still around.

With the female lead present, would the male lead allow her to soak in a medicinal pool with a bunch of grown men? Absolutely impossible. And they were also familiar with Lou Zixiao. As an inner sect personally transmitted disciple, Lou Zixiao could easily make some arrangements.

So, when Gu Baiqing arrived at the designated medicinal pool, he suddenly heard someone calling him from behind.

“Young Master Bai.”

Gu Baiqing shuddered from head to toe. The shock instantly cleared the previous grogginess from his body. His brain didn’t even have time to react before his legs had already started running.

But the very next second, he was blocked by two people.

“Why are you running?” Ji Chuling asked in surprise.

At this moment, Ji Chuling was no longer wearing her mask and looked at him somewhat strangely.

Li Xiuran, meanwhile, frowned as he looked at this man with such odd behavior.

“I… thought Miss Yuxin had come again,” Gu Baiqing said stiffly, his words dry and awkward. His gaze went from rigid to gradually relaxing, because he sensed that there were only the three of them in this area.

Gu Baiqing immediately let out a sigh of relief. Although he didn’t know why Mo Xuanli wasn’t with them, perhaps he didn’t want to disturb the little couple, he had once again successfully dodged a disaster. His luck was truly incredible.

“Huh? She didn’t harass you again, did she?” Ji Chuling said in shock.

Gu Baiqing awkwardly didn’t answer that question.

Li Xiuran, however, twitched at the corner of his mouth and looked at Gu Baiqing suspiciously, not knowing what was so special about this person that Yuxin, who previously only harassed Mo Xuanli, had switched to harassing him.

“This Young Master Bai, coming to soak in the medicinal pool while still wearing a mask isn’t appropriate, is it? Why not take it off?” Li Xiuran felt displeased seeing him so evasive and really wanted to create an accident to help him reveal his face.

“Why do you care so much?” Ji Chuling immediately stepped in to help him out. “Their family has rules, whoever takes off his mask and sees his face has to marry him.”

Li Xiuran was instantly startled and withdrew his dangerously eager thoughts.

Gu Baiqing looked at the two people in front of him. One had eyes and lips that were swollen and red, the other had the corner of his mouth bitten open. It was likely that they had argued, made a fuss, and then coaxed each other again last night. And the way they were standing, one in front and one behind, suggested that… they weren’t completely reconciled either. He’d better keep his distance and not become cannon fodder.

“I won’t disturb you two. I’ll just—”

“Hey, Young Master Bai, let’s go together. With me here, I guarantee Yuxin won’t bully you.”

Gu Baiqing sucked in a sharp breath. Miss, could you please pay attention to your man’s expression?

“Chuling, this isn’t appropriate, is it? Men and women should keep their distance,” Li Xiuran said, as expected. This Young Master Bai was truly an eyesore.

Ji Chuling rolled her eyes directly. “Then why are you following me? We’re also men and women. Young Master Bai is much safer than you, at least Young Master Bai doesn’t bully me.”

Li Xiuran’s face immediately turned green.

Is this something I’m supposed to hear? Gu Baiqing was completely mortified. He directly threw out a line, “I still prefer to soak alone.”

Then he opened a bamboo door to the side, slipped inside, shut the door, and even latched it.

The place was divided into small spaces with bamboo partitions. Each space contained a pool large enough to accommodate six or seven people. Once inside, he finally felt a bit safer. Outside, the sounds of the two arguing could still be heard intermittently. Ji Chuling was clearly, albeit unconsciously, using him to provoke Li Xiuran. In her words, Mo Xuanli was mentioned, apparently he had already gone to the large medicinal pool to soak together with others.

Letting out a long breath, Gu Baiqing felt utterly exhausted in both body and mind. He had also made up his mind that, in order to avoid any chance encounters, he would definitely stay until those two had both left.

Gu Baiqing, wearing the uniformly issued white robe, walked into the medicinal pool. The white robe was specially made, when it got wet it did not become translucent, yet it still allowed one to feel completely immersed in the water. The effect of the medicinal pool here was actually no worse than the Jade Healing Pool of the Zixiao Sect. In that instant, it truly felt extremely comfortable. Gu Baiqing leaned against the edge of the pool, stretching his body and letting it receive treatment.

Then he should consider leaving Immortal Medicine Valley directly. At worst, he could stay on the opposite shore and fly over immediately if anything happened. In truth, it was his own guilty conscience. Even with a disguise, he was still uneasy, always feeling there was a risk of being recognized. After all, he had promised not to come looking for Mo Xuanli. If he were discovered, even as a Master, he would still feel guilty.

Listening to the intermittent sounds of argument outside, and having slept poorly because he had been plagued by nightmares, Gu Baiqing soon became drowsy.

Outside, seeing that the more Li Xiuran did not want to have contact with Gu Baiqing, the more Ji Chuling could not help but go against him. She felt that Young Master Bai was a good person and could be a friend, while Li Xiuran was narrow-minded. Li Xiuran, on the other hand, was so jealous he was practically flying into the air. In the end, helpless, he said, “Aren’t you worried about the safety of a mere mortal being alone? Fine, I’ll find someone else to come. But this soaking-in-the-medicinal-pool thing, you can’t do it together with any other man except me, otherwise I will…”

“Otherwise what?” Ji Chuling glared at him.

“Otherwise… I’ll beg you. I don’t like seeing you together with them.”

In the end, Ji Chuling snorted coldly and turned around, heading toward another medicinal pool.

After listening to Ji Chuling’s grievances all night, Li Xiuran also couldn’t bear it. Although he had been acting out of concern for Ji Chuling’s safety, he had overlooked the girl’s feelings. At this point, he could only give in a little. With a flash, Li Xiuran disappeared from the spot, and very soon, Mo Xuanli was dragged over.

“You want me… to help you keep an eye on a wild man?” Mo Xuanli found it hard to put into words. “He’s just a mortal, and you’ve only known him for a short time. Do you and Chuling really need to worry about this? Xiuran, since when have you become so ungenerous?”

Li Xiuran wrinkled his nose and said, “If he can attract Yuxin, then he’s not an ordinary mortal. Anyway, just keep an eye on him for me. Otherwise Chuling won’t be at ease, and she might even run out to soak together with him.”

Mo Xuanli still wanted to say something, but Li Xiuran had already run off.

Watching Li Xiuran’s retreating figure, Mo Xuanli inexplicably felt a hint of envy. He rubbed his nose and looked at the two on his shoulders.

“We’ve already soaked. The effect is just so-so. We’re done playing,” Three Bean said. After speaking, he took Ao Hang and flew off to go play.

Mo Xuanli hadn’t expected that he would still have to help a brother with this kind of thing. He could only rub his nose and, somewhat helplessly, walk over and slowly push open the bamboo door.

A quiet, solitary medicinal pool. One could hear the even breathing of a single person. Because the pool water was not hot, there was no steam, and the scene inside could be seen at a glance.

Just like that, abruptly, a figure was openly leaning against the edge of the pool, wearing a mask, facing the doorway. The water of the medicinal pool carried out the fragrance from that person’s body.

It was… a faint cold plum blossom scent.

Mas…ter.

Last night, accompanying Li Xiuran to look for people, and today going to soak in the medicinal pool, he had been unable to stop himself from observing every person who passed by from time to time, or releasing his spiritual sense to probe. Although he felt his behavior was a bit foolish, there was still a hazy intuition constantly harassing his rationality.

Like a fool who misses and yearns for the one he loves, hoping that in the next instant, upon lifting his gaze, he would see the person he thought about day and night.

Yet at the same time, he was contradictorily afraid that that person’s appearance would cause him to instantly lose all composure, furious to the point of being unable to control himself.

And now, the familiar figure, the familiar scent, the familiar everything appeared so abruptly before his eyes.

It made Mo Xuanli feel as if he had instantly fallen into a heart-demon trial. His expression went blank as he numbly and slowly stepped down into the pool.

Step by step, he moved through the water.

And at this moment, the water seemed to become extremely heavy, making each of his steps incomparably difficult.

Yet he moved faster and faster, like a ferocious beast closing in on its prey, silently arriving before the prey in the blink of an eye. The next moment, he could pounce, viciously bite down on the other’s neck, hunt them, and turn them into his possession.

That person was sleeping without any guard. Was it because of familiarity, so he had no reaction at all to the presence of someone beside him?

As he drew closer, the cold plum blossom scent grew stronger.

Not his hallucination?

That person had really come?

Mo Xuanli trembled as he reached out his hand. His heart pounded uncontrollably, and even his breathing became rapid.

Under the effect of a spell, the mask was removed with movements so subtle they were almost imperceptible, and a completely unfamiliar, plain, unremarkable face came into view.

But from that face, Mo Xuanli saw the countenance that disturbed his heart and soul.

My Master, Gu Baiqing!

Mo Xuanli’s eyes instantly grew incomparably dark, as if a storm were brewing within them.

He had clearly warned him like that. Clearly, Zixiao Sect had already told him to stay behind and hold the fort.

On what grounds did he abandon everything and follow over?

Putting on an appearance of valuing him the most, of giving up everything for him, treating him so well, forcing him to be torn with worry over him. Don’t think that this time, using only a reason like “concern” would make him accept this as a Master’s feelings for his disciple.

He didn’t believe it! And he didn’t want to believe it!

Mo Xuanli stood before Gu Baiqing, trembling all over. Gradually, a faint red appeared in those eyes filled with raging storm winds. God Nine Transformations on his wrist transformed into a whip, slipping beneath the water and silently winding around Gu Baiqing’s wrists on both sides. It moved bit by bit, ready, once Mo Xuanli gave the order, to bind Gu Baiqing’s hands instantly, like a fish on a chopping board, left to be slaughtered.

As if possessed, Mo Xuanli braced his hands on either side of Gu Baiqing’s face. His body, separated by the water, slowly covered over him, a kiss carrying scorching breath about to press close. The fiercest predator would not let its prey sense any danger before the moment it was bitten.

He was going to devour this man, his own Master, completely. Even if he was unwilling, it would not do.

Gu Baiqing… it is your fault. Your fault for not listening. I will let you know my resolve.

His gaze lowered. Suddenly, a streak of silver light flashed. There was a soft click. The person beneath him seemed to be disturbed, his body moving slightly, but there was no further reaction. He remained completely unguarded, waiting to be enjoyed.

But Mo Xuanli’s eyes had already frozen.

His gaze was fixed straight on the silver-white ring that had fallen onto Gu Baiqing’s chest, it had slipped down from his neck along with his posture.

The ring he carried with him at all times, the ring his Master had personally made for him.

Mo Xuanli’s breathing froze, the light flickering in his eyes like raging, crashing waves.

Daring to ignore his warning and follow him here meant he should have been prepared… he deserved this! It was his… fault…

But… why hide and follow him instead? Wasn’t it precisely because he had listened to his words?

The master–disciple bond, the spirit-beast contract, disguise pills, and even a mask?

Worried about him on one hand, yet doing everything possible to avoid him on the other, giving him time to sort out his feelings?

In the end… it still meant he didn’t like him…

God Nine Transformations, transformed in the water, seemed to sense its master’s emotions and gradually withdrew.

Mo Xuanli stood there blankly, straightening up. The ring was also pulled back up, falling against his own chest. The red in his eyes slowly faded, replaced by another kind of red.

Suddenly, in the quiet surroundings, there came a faint dripping sound.

Tears slid continuously from his cheeks into the medicinal pool, small ripples carrying helpless emotions.

In the end, Mo Xuanli clenched his teeth fiercely, swallowing down all the choking sobs and concealing them. His vision, long blurred by tears of grievance, was still fixed unyieldingly on the person before him.

No matter how harsh his words were, no matter how many resolutions he had made in his heart… as long as he saw this person, as long as he wasn’t truly insane, he simply could not do anything that would make the person in front of him sad, upset, or angry.

He couldn’t do it.

Because the person before him was his Master, the one he had torn open his heart for and hidden in the deepest place.

But… but…

Mo Xuanli’s voice was so soft it was almost inaudible, yet so aggrieved that every part of his body trembled.

“Master, you’re really too much… far too much… how can you… treat me so badly, how can you… do this. What am I supposed to do… what should I do? Master…”

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