After Becoming a High-Risk Master, I Flipped the Script Chapter 222

After leaving Song Xingkui’s place, Gu Baiqing felt somewhat weighed down with worries. He always felt that Song Xingkui seemed to know something.

But Song Xingkui had only instructed what to do, without giving any explanation.

Returning to Luofeng Pavilion, he informed Mo Xuanli about the incubus.

Mo Xuanli’s first reaction was that something had happened to Qian Yue.

Otherwise, given the situation between the two of them, no matter how absurd things got, at least with the other holding his life in hand, the incubus should not have left Qian Yue.

And seeking them out meant he must have known about some agreement between them and Qian Yue.

“Master, let’s set off immediately.” Mo Xuanli said.

Gu Baiqing, however, had some reservations; not about anything else, but about the place they were going to… Tianyuan Sect.

So when the two of them, along with the two beasts, arrived at the foot of the mountain where Tianyuan Sect’s immortal gates were located, Gu Baiqing looked at Mo Xuanli, who was staring blankly toward Tianyuan Sect, and suggested, “Xuanli, how about I go up alone, and you wait for me down here?”

A flicker of something unusual flashed through Mo Xuanli’s eyes. “Master is worried about my current physical condition, afraid that someone might be able to discern something?”

Gu Baiqing could only use this as the reason and nodded.

Mo Xuanli smiled. “It’s fine. If even Master, who’s so powerful, can’t see it, then there’s no one under heaven who can.”

Gu Baiqing could not help reaching out to pat Mo Xuanli’s head. The affection in his eyes made Mo Xuanli’s heart stir. Although he did not know where it came from, Mo Xuanli was nonetheless comforted, deeply moved. Unable to resist wanting to get close, taking advantage of the fact that there was no one at the foot of the mountain, Mo Xuanli could not help pulling Gu Baiqing’s hand, about to lean in closer.

As a result, before they even touched lips, they felt someone rapidly approaching.

The two of them immediately turned their heads to look, and saw in the distance a person flying on a sword, as if startled by something, falling down, only to be quickly grabbed by the ankle by another person, who dragged him along and flew over.

The newcomers were precisely Jingzhan and Xie Qingrong.

As they drew near, Xie Qingrong directly flung Jingzhan toward the ground. Jingzhan flipped over and landed steadily, and Xie Qingrong also jumped down.

“Jingzhan… Brother Xie?” Mo Xuanli was somewhat surprised that they would run into them by chance.

Jingzhan was still staring at them in a daze when Xie Qingrong poked him from behind.

Xie Qingrong stepped forward properly to salute Gu Baiqing, and Jingzhan reacted and hurriedly saluted as well.

Gu Baiqing looked at the way the two of them did not dare look toward his side, and immediately understood why Jingzhan had fallen just now.

And when Jingzhan lowered his head and saw the rings on their hands, he directly sucked in a sharp breath. Then he widened his eyes and glanced at Mo Xuanli, his gaze vividly expressing his shock and admiration.

Mo Xuanli also knew that they must have seen it. He worriedly swept a glance at his Master, and seeing that Gu Baiqing was only a little uncomfortable and had no other reaction, he finally let out a sigh of relief.

“You two are…” Mo Xuanli asked.

“Qingrong and I just dealt with a Spirit-Gathering Formation. When we came back to report, we heard you were coming over, so we came specially to receive you,” Jingzhan said enthusiastically. “After all, you’ve come to my home. If I don’t entertain my brothers, would that look right?”

Mo Xuanli smiled, then turned to look at Xie Qingrong and asked, “How is your health?”

Xie Qingrong smiled gently, his pair of eyes extremely lively and spirited. “Many thanks for your concern. There is no major problem now.”

“Come, come, let’s not talk down here anymore. Let’s go up,” Jingzhan said cheerfully as he slung an arm around Mo Xuanli’s shoulder. “By the way, kid, you’re already at the Soul Transformation stage now. Your progress is way too fast. Earlier we received news that Li Xiuran is also preparing to advance. What are we peers supposed to do? I won’t even mention myself, Xie Qingrong has been left far behind by you all.”

Xie Qingrong said speechlessly, “Just talk about yourself. Why must you drag me in?” Then he respectfully addressed Gu Baiqing, “Senior, before we came down, we saw Elder Qianren, Senior Fu, pacing around the square of Tianyuan Sect. Presumably he is anxiously waiting for your arrival. Is there some urgent matter? You two have shown me kindness; if there is anything you need, feel free to instruct me. This junior will certainly do his utmost to repay it.”

This time Xie Qingrong did not mention his own sect, but spoke of repaying the favor in a personal capacity. Presumably, he knew that his sect’s stance regarding what happened in Linxun Town was not right. However, Xie Qingrong would act according to his own sense of right and wrong. He was meticulous in thought, and after seeing Fu Zhiyi a few times, he knew there must definitely be something going on. Although he did not know what it was or how much he could help, Xie Qingrong still intended to contribute his share of effort.

Gu Baiqing rather liked Xie Qingrong’s straightforward temperament. In the face of such people, refusal would instead be an insult, so he said, “Alright, if there is a need.”

Sure enough, Xie Qingrong’s eyes were full of smiles.

The two of them were speaking properly, while ahead Jingzhan had already slung an arm around Mo Xuanli and was secretly questioning him. Though it was secret, who present could not hear it?

“What kind of relationship are you master and disciple in now? Do these rings mean what I think they mean? You two…”

Xie Qingrong was extremely awkward and wanted to remind Jingzhan, but in Gu Baiqing’s view, Jingzhan was probably doing it on purpose. Likely, as a brother, he was worried that the disciple would be wronged by the master. After all, there had already been one mix-up before, so he wanted Mo Xuanli to acknowledge it in public then that would be equivalent to Gu Baiqing being willing to acknowledge this relationship.

Gu Baiqing found it rather interesting to watch, as if he were afraid his friend would have no official status, just waiting for Mo Xuanli’s answer.

But unexpectedly, Mo Xuanli did not answer. Instead, he changed the topic.

Gu Baiqing’s eyes flickered. Jingzhan also tactfully followed and changed the topic.

As the number one immortal sect in the cultivation world, Tianyuan Sect’s entrance naturally had the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams, various grand protective formations. For outsiders to enter would be very difficult, but with young master Jingzhan leading the way, they quickly ascended to the immortal gates of Tianyuan Sect.

When descending from high above, they could see a huge Heavenly Fire sealed within a barrier, placed right in the center of the square, occupying one-third of the square’s area.

From afar, it looked like flames continuously burning within the crystal.

This was the symbol of Tianyuan Sect.

“How is it? Magnificent, right?” Jingzhan asked Mo Xuanli excitedly, after all it was Mo Xuanli’s first time here.

Mo Xuanli’s expression was dazed as he said, “Magnificent.” In truth, these words were spoken against his conscience. To Mo Xuanli, it was not magnificence but a shadow. The red-and-white Dao robes of Tianyuan Sect disciples bore a red flame emblem at the waist, almost a scaled-down version of this Heavenly Fire.

At that time, that flame emblem was Mo Xuanli’s nightmare, after all the ones who hunted him down the most were people from Tianyuan Sect.

“When I first came here as a child, I was also frightened,” Xie Qingrong said with a smile. “Back then my cultivation was insufficient. Even approaching it would make the heat unbearable. This is still with the barrier in place. If the barrier were removed, it’s simply unimaginable how great the power would be. It’s said this is Heavenly Fire left from ancient times. It will never be extinguished. Only fire-type cultivators with extremely high cultivation can make use of the flames inside.”

Jingzhan nodded proudly. “That’s right. Going back a hundred years, only my little uncle managed it. I saw with my own eyes the barrier open and my little uncle’s divine bearing as he controlled the fire. One word, strong.”

Every time Jingzhan mentioned Immortal Baili Jin, he was incomparably proud.

And the fact that only Immortal Baili Jin had ever controlled this flame proved that this Heavenly Fire was indeed extraordinary.

Mo Xuanli’s gaze focused on the flames, not knowing what he was thinking.

Suddenly, a voice sounded, “It is indeed Heavenly Fire, but it is a very weak little fire seed.”

Hearing this, Jingzhan was about to get angry, but when he turned his head and saw that the speaker was the black dragon coiled around the cat’s neck, he immediately fell silent.

Alright, a true dragon must have seen even more powerful Heavenly Fire, so naturally it had the qualification to say this.

Three Bean asked curiously, “Don’t you breathe fire?”

“I was using dragon breath, that’s not the same as Heavenly Fire,” Ao Hang said.

Three Bean immediately asked excitedly, “Right, Xuanli can control your fire, so he must be able to control Heavenly Fire too, right?”

Ao Hang paused, twisted his dragon head, and said, “Indeed…”

Before he could finish speaking, he felt his scales tingle slightly.

Was that an electric shock?

Three Bean and Ao Hang both looked toward Gu Baiqing. Gu Baiqing swept them with a glance, and the two beasts immediately understood. This topic was not suitable to continue.

Instead, Jingzhan became curious and looked at Mo Xuanli. “Really? Want to try it?”

Mo Xuanli shook his head. “That definitely won’t work. My cultivation is only at the Soul Transformation stage.” He wasn’t lacking in emotional intelligence. Tianyuan Sect regarded Heavenly Fire as the symbol of their sect’s disciples’ prowess. As an outsider, how could an outsider be qualified to shake their symbol?

Mo Xuanli would not be foolish enough to do such a thing.

Even if he could do it, he would not want to.

When the four of them landed, two people came forward to meet them. Besides Fu Zhiyi, who had already been waiting for them, there was also Baili Jingcheng.

When Fu Zhiyi saw them, he hid his emotions quite well, treating the two as though they had come here specifically to explain matters regarding Immortal Medicine Valley.

“How about resting first?” After everyone exchanged greetings, Jingcheng said with a smile.

“No need to report first?” Gu Baiqing said.

Jingcheng replied, “Most of the information has already been conveyed earlier. Saying it again would only be to confirm details, and that can wait until tomorrow. No need to rush. Everyone is busy handling the newly transmitted intelligence about disciples infiltrating from the demon realm, as well as interrogating the incubus. You can first look over the information we’ve gathered about locations that may hide fragments, so that later you can rendezvous with Li Xiuran and continue searching for the fragments.”

Because they already knew Gu Baiqing had always been accompanying them, and also knew that after the two juniors set out they encountered many dangers along the way, they tacitly accepted this combination model. As long as it was efficient and could get things done, it was fine.

Regarding Jingcheng’s arrangement, Gu Baiqing nodded in agreement.

Hearing this, Fu Zhiyi casually said, “Just in time that you’re here, you can also go take a look at the incubus later. You’ve dealt with so many demon clans; maybe you’ll have a way to make him speak.”

Jingcheng found this reasonable and nodded. “Yes, you can go see if you can get anything out of him. But it’s best not to get too close, that incubus is troublesome.” As he said this, Jingcheng’s expression carried a hint of embarrassment. It seemed that in order to interrogate the incubus, quite a few people had probably fallen for his tricks. An incubus’s tricks were indeed troublesome.

At this point, it could be considered that the purpose of Gu Baiqing and the others’ visit had been fulfilled. Immediately after, Jingcheng wanted to arrange lodgings for the two of them.

This place was unlike Taixu Hall with its individual floating islands. Instead, it was an entire mountain region. While members of the same sect were arranged to live close together as much as possible, it was basically several people per courtyard, with arrangements naturally differing according to status.

Given Gu Baiqing’s status and his relationship with Jingcheng, he would naturally be arranged a separate courtyard.

Jingcheng said, “The courtyard you stayed in previously is still vacant. Do you want to stay there? It’s just that it might be a bit far from your sect’s people.”

“Ah, no need to trouble yourselves. Junior brother can stay with me. They won’t be staying many days anyway,” Fu Zhiyi said directly. “As for Xuanli…”

Jingzhan enthusiastically said, “Xuanli, Qingrong and I live together. Come stay with us, lively, and just right for us brothers to catch up.”

Mo Xuanli of course did not want to be separated from his Master, but… he turned his head to glance at Gu Baiqing, still making his decision based on his Master’s wishes.

Gu Baiqing swept a glance over Mo Xuanli, thought for a moment, then suddenly said, “I’ll trouble Jingcheng, let’s use the courtyard I stayed in before. Xuanli and I will both stay there.”

Mo Xuanli instantly let out a sigh of relief.

“No need to trouble yourselves like that, right?” Fu Zhiyi looked at Gu Baiqing in confusion. He still had many things to say privately with Gu Baiqing.

But Gu Baiqing suddenly took Mo Xuanli’s hand in public. He only felt Mo Xuanli’s hand stiffen, instinctively showing some resistance, but a flash of determination passed through Gu Baiqing’s eyes. He knew this fellow was subconsciously still arranging a way out for him.

Amid the gradually astonished gazes of the crowd, Gu Baiqing said, “Second senior brother, Xuanli and I have already become Dao companions. Naturally, we must live together. Going off separately to live with others, what kind of talk would that be?”

As soon as these words fell, the scene instantly became so quiet it was awkward.

Xie Qingrong and Jingzhan exchanged a glance, their eyes full of delight. They had previously thought this pair would definitely keep things hidden. Being closer to Mo Xuanli, they naturally sympathized with him more. They hadn’t expected that Immortal Venerable Luofeng would be so decisive, truly impressive in resolve.

Jingcheng was completely dumbfounded, utterly losing his composure. After all, he had known Gu Baiqing for many years and truly believed from the bottom of his heart that this guy lacked human emotions entirely, the type most suited for cultivation. Even just taking a personal disciple and doting on that disciple had already shocked him greatly.

And now the disciple had become a Dao companion, master and disciple? Between men? Someone like Gu Baiqing?

Any one of these points was enough to make Jingcheng’s head knot up. But when he saw Fu Zhiyi’s reaction, he immediately felt his own reaction was actually mild.

His Senior brother was already on the verge of being shocked into fainting.

He seemed to choke slightly, then his whole body trembled. Raising his hand to point at the two of them, he stammered in disbelief, “You… you two… junior brother, you said… what did you say?”

“I already told senior sister about it. Didn’t you hear?” Gu Baiqing hinted, senior sister knew everything, and even approved.

This time Fu Zhiyi really was about to faint. One and two of them, have they all gone mad?!

Fu Zhiyi truly felt that his entire being was not well.

If their sect produced a master-disciple same-sex relationship, at most people would gossip about it after meals, point fingers, ridicule and mock. Compared to their own people’s happiness, that wouldn’t amount to much. But… but Mo Xuanli was a mixed-blood. What the future held was unknown. Maintaining a master-disciple relationship was already enough to make Fu Zhiyi constantly worry about the day it would be dug up and condemned as defying the world. And now it had even become a Dao companion relationship and the sect master had agreed!

This was simply…

It felt like Fu Zhiyi had already been so stimulated that he couldn’t even speak.

Jingzhan and Xie Qingrong, on the other hand, hurriedly tried to liven up the atmosphere and congratulated Mo Xuanli.

Mo Xuanli, when he first heard Gu Baiqing say this, was actually panicked. Even though he was holding Gu Baiqing’s hand, very tightly, very tightly.

But now, he suddenly felt relieved. He had already made up his mind to strive to safeguard their future so how could he still subconsciously leave himself a retreat in case of failure?

Thinking like that was truly a betrayal of his Master’s affection.

So when his friends offered their congratulations, Mo Xuanli steadied his heart, finally lifted a smile, and said, “Many thanks. If we hold a wedding banquet in the future, please be sure to come.”

When Gu Baiqing heard this, his eyebrows immediately lifted, this child could be taught.

The two friends were even more delighted upon hearing it.

As for Fu Zhiyi, upon hearing this, he felt like clutching his heart.

Jingcheng also finally reacted, and couldn’t help but pat Gu Baiqing on the shoulder and say, “You really are… Since this is something you’ve decided, it must be right. Xuanli is also good. Congratulations to you both.”

“Thank you.” Gu Baiqing, rarely putting on airs in front of Jingcheng, smiled easily and freely. In Jingcheng’s eyes, he looked like someone changed by love.

Jingcheng smiled and said, “But I suggest that during this period when a great enemy is at hand, the two of you should keep a low profile, lest everyone’s focus be diverted by your earth-shattering news.”

“Before holding the wedding banquet, we didn’t plan to publicize it widely anyway. Facing you all, there’s no need to hide it, just let things take their natural course.” Gu Baiqing said with a smile.

“Junior brother.” Fu Zhiyi finally recovered enough to speak. “You… you two come with me first.”

A hurdle with one’s own people was always harder to clear than one with outsiders.

“Do we not need to first pay our respects to Sect Master Baili?” Gu Baiqing probed the situation of Tianyuan Sect first.

“My father has gone into closed cultivation again, so there’s no need to pay respects.” Jingcheng said as he spoke, giving an encouraging smile, signaling for Gu Baiqing to first deal with his own family crisis.

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