After Becoming a High-Risk Master, I Flipped the Script Chapter 198

After Lou Xuan finished speaking, he didn’t hear a response. Looking down, he saw Lou Zixiao with a deathly pale face, the corners of her eyes slightly red, raising her head in confusion and asking, “Master, you… you want to drive me away? Didn’t you say that the outside world is very dangerous for me?”

Lou Xuan turned his head away, no longer looking at Lou Zixiao’s face that was on the verge of tears. “As your master, I will soon be able to cure you. Once you’re cured, you can go out… perhaps by then you yourself won’t want to come back.”

Lou Zixiao immediately knelt in front of Lou Xuan. “Master, even if I’m cured, I won’t leave. As long as Master doesn’t drive me away, I’m willing to stay here forever. The outside world… isn’t that interesting anyway. I still prefer studying the medical path with Master and cultivating properly.”

Lou Xuan lowered his gaze to look at Lou Zixiao, his eyes flickering slightly. “Just remember what I’ve taught you. No matter where you go, you can cultivate well. And with your talent, cultivation won’t be difficult for you in the future.”

Lou Zixiao still wanted to say something, but Lou Xuan directly waved his hand and said, “Go back. Prepare well for the final assessment.”

Seeing Lou Xuan about to enter the alchemy room, Lou Zixiao’s expression went blank for a moment. Probably stimulated by Lou Xuan’s obvious intention to make her leave, and recalling Yuxin’s words, Lou Zixiao steeled her heart and suddenly rushed forward, hugging Lou Xuan from behind. The small emerald-green figure instantly trapped the tall, dark-green figure. One could clearly see that Lou Xuan’s body stiffened at once.

“Master, I won’t leave. I… I like you. Master, I’ve always secretly admired you. I can’t possibly leave you. I want to… marry you, become your dao companion, and stay by your side forever.”

That single sentence left the two eavesdropping on the rooftop completely stunned.

They hadn’t expected Lou Zixiao to really confess outright. Both of their hearts involuntarily lifted, holding their breath as they waited for the outcome.

But in the next moment, Lou Zixiao was blasted away by a surge of spiritual power.

“Master…” Lou Zixiao looked up at Lou Xuan in a sorry and anxious state.

“Outrageous! I think you’ve gone mad!” Lou Xuan didn’t even turn his head, coldly scolding her. “It seems you really should leave Immortal Medicine Valley. What kind of nonsense are you thinking about all day long? I am your master, the one who raised you. Get that clear!”

Although they weren’t particularly familiar with Lou Xuan, they had seen him a few times and had never seen much emotional fluctuation from him. His tone had always been calm and even. This time, however, Lou Xuan’s tone and attitude were completely different, as if he were a different person altogether. He truly seemed furious.

There may never have been any ambiguity between them, just the girl’s unrequited love. Perhaps because of that, Lou Zixiao had been at a loss, even listening to malicious advice and going to seek guidance from Yuxin, who was best at charming men, wanting to pursue her own master.

Lou Zixiao had thought that since they were together day and night and shared deep feelings, there might still be hope. But Lou Xuan’s icy tone made Lou Zixiao freeze on the spot, tears immediately welling up in her eyes.

Not only did Lou Zixiao freeze, even Mo Xuanli felt as if he had been struck by an invisible arrow, his face turning somewhat pale as he glanced to the side. That person lowered his gaze, his expression unreadable.

Seeing how furious Lou Xuan was at her confession, Lou Zixiao’s psychological defenses collapsed at once. Tears burst forth as she screamed herself hoarse, “I’m not fooling around, and I’m not thinking nonsense. Why is it that Senior Sister Zihan can like you, but I can’t? So what if you raised me? I just like you. My dream since I was little was to marry you, to become your dao companion. Master… can’t you look at me? I’ve already grown up. I’m not a child anymore. I really like you. My heart belongs to you. I don’t believe that I’ve stayed by your side for so long and you haven’t felt my feelings at all. Master… can’t you give me a chance?”

Her voice, choked with sobs, had originally been a forceful roar, but in the face of that cold, rigid back, it gradually lost its momentum, lowering in volume until it was almost like the whimpering plea of an injured little beast.

Yet this heartfelt confession ultimately failed to make that person turn back even once.

Lou Xuan appeared extremely cold. With a low and displeased tone, he only replied, “Delusional. Take back your feelings. I’ll treat tonight’s events as if they never happened.”

Those icy words fell like sharp blades, cutting Lou Zixiao down until she was almost left without a shred intact.

Lou Zixiao had thought about the possibility of being rejected. After all, they were master and disciple, and she also knew that her master might not have feelings for her in that way. But she hadn’t expected such a cold and absolute rejection.

Lou Zixiao couldn’t bear it anymore. Her whole body trembled, large tears falling continuously as she lowered her head. Still, she gritted her teeth and said with trembling lips, “I insist on being delusional. Once feelings exist, they can’t be taken back. Master can deceive himself, but I can’t. And I won’t give up easily either. I’ve already said it, I like you. In the future, I’ll definitely work hard to make you like me too. In any case, I won’t go with anyone else. If I go, it’ll only be with Master. I—”

Above them, Mo Xuanli’s gaze gradually grew unfocused, as if someone were speaking his own inner thoughts aloud, until a sharp rebuke jolted him awake.

Before Lou Zixiao could finish her words, Lou Xuan directly cut her off, his tone carrying a trace of impatience. “Insolent! Go back and reflect properly!”

Lou Zixiao seemed a bit defiant. Letting her tears flow freely, she still said, “I like someone openly and aboveboard. There’s nothing that needs reflecting.”

Lou Xuan was probably angered badly by her retort. He finally turned around and looked at her. Seeing her crying like a little flower-faced cat, he paused, the sharpness of his aura diminishing by half. In the end, he only managed to squeeze out a single sentence. “You haven’t grown up yet. How can you talk about liking someone? And what do you know about love? You’re too immature.”

“Master!” Feeling that her feelings had been denied, Lou Zixiao immediately spoke up, wanting to interrupt. But Lou Xuan didn’t give her the chance to speak. “Even if you do understand it, it has nothing to do with me. I took you in as a disciple, only that. So don’t waste your time on me.”

It wasn’t an icy tone, yet it was more hurtful than any cold words, like being gently pushed away, leaving no room at all, an utter rejection.

Lou Zixiao could only watch her master walk into the alchemy room, unable to say anything more, because her master had already made his stance perfectly clear.

Lou Zixiao’s bold confession was completely and utterly declared a failure.

And the two who had witnessed the entire scene felt extremely complicated inside.

“It seems Lou Xuan really has no such intentions. This affection of Lou Zixiao’s is probably doomed to have no result,” Gu Baiqing said awkwardly.

“Not necessarily. Lou Zixiao has liked him for so many years. She won’t give up just because she was rejected once,” Mo Xuanli said in a heavy tone.

“Judging by Lou Xuan’s attitude, he probably won’t give Lou Zixiao any chance.”

Mo Xuanli suddenly turned his head and said seriously, “Why not give her a chance! Is he so certain that he’ll never fall in love with his own disciple?”

Gu Baiqing was taken aback by the question. “Lou Xuan is at least several hundred years old. Some things he should be able to determine. And he probably thinks that Lou Zixiao’s feelings for him are just a moment of confusion. After all, feelings are very easy to mix up, especially for a young girl like her, inexperienced and raised by his side since childhood. He might have his own judgment in his heart. So when Lou Zixiao did something he believed she shouldn’t have done, he naturally wanted to stop it all.”

Gu Baiqing spoke objectively like this, but the person beside him suddenly stood up. Gu Baiqing looked up and saw that Mo Xuanli was unable to suppress the anger on his face.

Mo Xuanli truly was angered. The same reasoning seemed to turn into needles, constantly stabbing at his nerves, making it impossible for him to endure it. He only felt a surge of anger rise up.

“On what grounds can one determine another person’s feelings? On what grounds can you so easily deny someone’s affection? Admitting that you’ve fallen for your own master was never a simple thing. This isn’t something that can be explained away with a single sentence of ‘confusion.’ What is ‘should,’ and what is ‘shouldn’t’? Should one be an obedient disciple and shouldn’t have other thoughts? How can feelings even be controlled? Don’t use experience or seniority to pressure people, those mean nothing when it comes to feelings. All I know is that liking someone means liking them. Liking them to the point of thinking about them day and night, worrying about them constantly, if that still isn’t proof enough, then what is?”

Gu Baiqing stared at Mo Xuanli in astonishment. It was the first time he had felt such vivid emotions from Mo Xuanli and they were actually arguing with him. Although he was currently using the identity of Young Master Bai, seeing Mo Xuanli like this was really quite novel.

Gu Baiqing thought about it and still spoke objectively: “But Lou Xuan probably doesn’t have romantic feelings for Lou Zixiao, so no matter how strong Lou Zixiao’s feelings are, they’re actually useless. In Lou Xuan’s eyes, it’s just youthful impulsiveness. Once she’s rejected, it will naturally dissipate.”

It had to be said that every single sentence Gu Baiqing spoke landed squarely on Mo Xuanli’s sore spot. Mo Xuanli suddenly felt as if he’d been punched. Like a dog barking madly for ages, only to have a bucket of cold water dumped over its head, he felt drained of all strength.

After bottling it up for a long time, he finally couldn’t suppress his anger and snapped, “You don’t understand anything at all!”

Gu Baiqing was yelled at for no apparent reason and then watched as Mo Xuanli directly flew back to their courtyard. Was he really that angry?

When Gu Baiqing returned, he saw Mo Xuanli sitting on the roof of their room. He neither looked at him nor came down.

Gu Baiqing hadn’t expected Mo Xuanli to sulk like this and couldn’t help finding it a bit amusing. He waved at him.

But Mo Xuanli just turned his head away, clearly still angry.

Gu Baiqing could only say, “Young Master Mo, if I said anything wrong just now, please forgive me. I was only speaking casually.”

After hearing this, Mo Xuanli immediately replied, “You don’t even know what you said wrong, so don’t bother with fake apologies!” He looked completely unsatisfied, glared fiercely at Gu Baiqing, and continued to ignore him.

Gu Baiqing felt rather helpless. He truly didn’t know what he had said wrong, he had only been discussing things objectively and conservatively. In the end, Gu Baiqing could only return to his room to rest by himself. The entire night, Mo Xuanli never came inside.

This night was destined to be a sleepless one for many.

The next morning, Ji Chuling and Li Xiuran returned empty-handed. The demonic aura they had sensed seemed to have vanished into thin air. Of course, many members of the demon race had their own ways of concealing their aura, but they weren’t in a hurry. The island was currently sealed off, and there were still seven days until the event ended and it reopened to the outside. During this time, no one could leave.

The two went back to discuss matters with Mo Xuanli, only to discover him sitting cross-legged, floating in meditation at the entrance of the room.

They were both full of question marks. Why wasn’t he going inside? From this angle, it really looked like the person inside wouldn’t let him in, as if he’d been kicked out.

Mo Xuanli had a gloomy expression as he went elsewhere with them to discuss matters. Only then did they realize something was off. It seemed like Mo Xuanli and Young Master Bai were in a cold war or rather, Mo Xuanli was sulking unilaterally. Young Master Bai took the initiative several times, only to be snapped back at by Mo Xuanli. It wasn’t clear at all what Young Master Bai had done to offend him.

In any case, Li Xiuran and the others were completely baffled. How could Mo Xuanli throw a tantrum and sulk with a newly made friend? But even while sulking, Mo Xuanli didn’t neglect serious matters. Without anyone noticing, he had already analyzed the guard formations on Lou Zihan’s side, and later he could infiltrate at will when given the chance.

After that, they continued cooperating with Lou Zixiao for the assessment. But today, Lou Zixiao’s complexion looked as ghastly as a corpse’s. She continued working on what she was doing, but often stared off blankly, looking dazed. When her emotions surged, she couldn’t help secretly wiping away tears. At a glance, she clearly looked like someone who had just been heartbroken.

As for Yuxin, she was still elusive as ever and didn’t really harass Young Master Bai much anymore.

They endured two days in this strange atmosphere, when suddenly a bolt-from-the-blue piece of news came crashing down.

At the time, Lou Zixiao was still thinking about how to further regulate Gu Baiqing’s condition when a male disciple suddenly ran over to mock and boast in front of her. By the time he finished speaking, Lou Zixiao had already rushed toward the neighboring area.

Gu Baiqing was also shocked by the news and followed after her worriedly. He hadn’t gone far when he saw Mo Xuanli descend from somewhere unknown, his expression slightly heavy, he had likely heard the conversation just now as well.

The two of them had witnessed Lou Zixiao’s entire confession process. For a moment, this new piece of news was really hard to digest.

Not long after they caught up, they heard Lou Xuan’s unhurried voice say, “That’s right. In a few days, Zihan and I will be getting married. The valley has decided to suspend the assessment and prioritize the wedding.”

Lou Zixiao froze completely. She raised her head in a daze to look at Lou Xuan, tears sliding down her cheeks. The grief left her unable to form any expression on her face, yet the devastation she had suffered was clear in her eyes, her pitch-black pupils looked as though they had shattered.

Lou Zixiao forced out a smile uglier than crying and asked, “Master, do you like Senior Sister Zihan? You don’t like her, right? I’ve always been by your side, I know you don’t like her…”

“This is not something you, as a disciple, should be asking about,” Lou Xuan said, his gaze deep and distant. “Although the assessment is postponed, you still need to—”

Lou Zixiao suddenly broke down and shouted, “Is liking you really such an unforgivable sin? Am I that seriously wrong? Does my affection make you avoid me like this? Why does it have to be at this time, as if you’re deliberately doing this for me to see? Even if you don’t like either of us, would you rather marry Senior Sister Zihan than accept me?”

A string of questions poured out all of Lou Zixiao’s grievances. Years of secret admiration, laid bare in one moment, only to meet such despair, she truly couldn’t bear it anymore.

Facing Lou Zixiao’s gaze, Lou Xuan’s eyes remained cold, making her feel as though she had fallen into an icy abyss. “I’ll say it again. You are my disciple, nothing more. Do not remain obstinate.”

That single blow struck home, leaving Lou Zixiao completely stunned. Immediately after, she could only let out an indistinct, hollow laugh. Her face turned deathly pale, as if all color had drained away. She had thought that being rejected after confessing was only the beginning, that the future still held endless possibilities but she hadn’t expected a swift, fatal blow so soon.

Turbulent waves churned in Lou Zixiao’s heart. At such a young age, she finally couldn’t endure it anymore and dropped to her knees, instinctively grabbing the hem of Lou Xuan’s robe. Trembling, she spoke: “Master… I beg you… please don’t get married, alright? I really… really like you…”

Even knowing it was futile, even knowing it was meaningless, other than making such a humble plea, she could think of no other way to hold on to the man she had admired for so long.

She truly had no way left, truly no way, she could only beg the man before her to change his mind.

But what she received in return was her hand being flung aside, and a cold, indifferent sentence: “Tonight, Immortal Medicine Valley will be gathering the inner disciples to discuss the wedding banquet. You don’t need to attend.”

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