After Becoming a High-Risk Master, I Flipped the Script Chapter 24

G-… go first?

Apply… medicine? Right. Master is unconscious. Three Bean had mentioned Master frequently gets injured, lying in bed unable to move…

But where’s the medicine? Little Senior Uncle isn’t holding anything.

Mo Xuanli’s face twisted several times. His heart felt like it was scooped from hot oil and plunged into ice water.

Though his mind hadn’t fully grasped the situation, his feet had already moved forward.

Trying to appear calm, he approached the bed, eyes trembling.

He saw Master’s head still resting to the side, asleep. Glancing at Master’s chest… the pale skin was streaked with purplish-red marks, a painful beauty that made Mo Xuanli’s eyes burn.

“Why are you just standing there? Go… don’t know how?” Chu Fei’s tone was impatient, as if there was nothing unusual about the two of them standing before a nearly bare-chested man.

Mo Xuanli’s ears rang. His lips quivered, and his mind couldn’t process anything. “What?”

Chu Fei was surprised. “Haven’t you studied medicine?”

Mo Xuanli blinked, quickly catching on. Without waiting for Chu Fei to continue, he reached out to check Gu Baiqing’s pulse. Shocked, he exclaimed, “Master’s internal energy is all over the place! Little Senior Uncle, what have you done to Master?”

He spun around, demanding an explanation, his aura almost uncontrollable, faintly rivaling Chu Fei’s.

Chu Fei immediately deflected: “Not my fault. He’s like this because he’s been testing medicine for Senior Sister. The medicine has side effects. After strenuous activity, his body heats up and develops rashes; if severe, he faints…”

Chu Fei explained simply. Actually, it was just unlucky circumstances. This senior sister and junior brother — one testing medicine, the other sparring — hadn’t expected the side effects to manifest this way. Every time they sparred, with prolonged activity, Gu Baiqing would pass out from exertion.

Chu Fei was frustrated. He had intended to spar another time, but Senior Sister insisted that all the rashes had to appear. So even if they didn’t spar, they had to find a way for Gu Baiqing to move. Gu Baiqing, understanding this, would insist on achieving two goals at once.

That side effect was actually harmless to the body; it was just that every time he fainted, if someone used spiritual energy to force the rash back, Gu Baiqing could recover more quickly. Otherwise, he would sleep for an entire day. Chu Fei could have ignored it, but since Gu Baiqing had fainted while sparring with him, and Gu Baiqing also didn’t want to waste time sleeping, Chu Fei would help him each time.

It wasn’t really a big deal and didn’t consume much spiritual energy, but Chu Fei was not the patient type—he was a man whose head was full of thoughts about improving his own fighting ability.

Today, he happened to catch hold of Mo Xuanli, so he immediately called him over to take over, while he went back to think about how to counter the moves his senior brother had just used.

But today Mo Xuanli seemed… not very bright. Why so dazed?

After speaking, Chu Fei raised his brows and looked at Mo Xuanli.

And Mo Xuanli was indeed dazed right now. So… there was actually nothing going on between Master and the little senior uncle?

No—that wasn’t the time to think about that. Although he hadn’t thoroughly checked Master’s physical condition, since even Third Senior Uncle said it was fine, it should be fine. He remembered seeing the rash before—it seemed it was during a lecture, when Master had been demonstrating a set of sword moves for him.

But still…

“Why would Master be testing medicine for Third Senior Aunt, and even sparring with Little Senior Uncle? He… has no spiritual power right now—how can he push himself like that?”

Third Senior Aunt’s medicine—how many people would dare to try it? One careless mistake and it could trigger all sorts of strange symptoms. Master had never agreed to help with this before. And Master had always been unwilling to spar with Little Senior Uncle, finding it troublesome.

So what was going on?

“Isn’t it for you?” Chu Fei said bluntly.

Mo Xuanli was startled. “What?”

“Ten Thousand Swords Island debt. He has no money. So the spirit stones you need to pay to learn artifact forging were obtained by trading with us in these two ways.”

A casual sentence from Chu Fei hit Mo Xuanli’s mind with an explosion of information.

Ten Thousand Swords Island… wasn’t it destroyed because they saved him? Could that really have led to debt so bad Master was in the red?

Artifact forging… Master had encouraged him to learn it—and yet was paying such a price?

Because there was no money… so he ‘sold’ himself to two elders, ending up both exhausted and hurt.

Mo Xuanli could hardly believe the conclusion he had drawn. So Master had been worrying about money all this time… could it be that Master’s sudden fasting was also because of this? His heart clenched. That lofty, untouchable Master, who seemed above the mortal world—how could he be troubled by such mundane matters?

Mo Xuanli’s whole body went stiff. When he looked down at Master again, those red marks on his body stung his eyes. Master had… done all this for him… Was this something a Master should have to do?

“Ah!” Chu Fei suddenly slapped his forehead. “I forgot—Senior Brother told me not to say anything… Then just pretend I never said it. He’s your Master, helping and protecting you is what he should do. Don’t take it to heart.”

How could… he not take it to heart? Why should Master endure so much for him? This was something he should be taking on himself!

Mo Xuanli’s emotions were slipping beyond control.

Chu Fei, feeling he might have accidentally revealed his senior brother’s secret, grew a bit uneasy. He thought for a moment, then decided to play the good guy—if he had accidentally let it slip, at least Senior Brother couldn’t really blame him.

“Forget it, you go. I’ll handle the treatment. If he finds out I made you do it, he’ll be angry.”

Mo Xuanli’s mind was in a haze. “Angry… Why would he be angry? Master won’t even let me do something like this? He should have told me—after all, I’m his only disciple.”

Chu Fei said, “Originally I suggested that this small matter of treating side effects should be your job as the disciple. But your Master said you were busy and didn’t want to waste your time.”

Mo Xuanli trembled all over when he heard that, and could no longer stop himself from kneeling before Gu Baiqing’s bed. Even such a small detail—Master had thought of him. How much must Master care about him?

How could someone with such filthy blood like him deserve to be cherished in the hands of such a pure and holy man?

Chu Fei was startled. “What are you doing?”

Mo Xuanli lowered his head, voice hoarse. “Little Senior Uncle, leave this to me. From now on, leave it all to me. I’ll spar with you, and I’ll take Third Senior Aunt’s medicine too.”

From his words, Chu Fei understood—the little disciple was grateful now.

However… “What I want is Senior Brother’s martial skills, and what Senior Sister wants is the reaction after taking medicine in the Tribulation Stage. Which of those can you provide?”

Mo Xuanli’s once-straight shoulders drooped almost imperceptibly, like a dog that had just been belittled.

Right… he really was useless. The things Master was doing—he didn’t even have the qualifications to share the burden.

“Take care of your own affairs. That way, what Senior Brother does for you will have value.” Chu Fei said, and then, resigned, reached out to gather spiritual energy over Gu Baiqing’s reddened skin, preparing to send it in from a distance.

Suddenly, a hand came over and grabbed his wrist.

Chu Fei naturally disliked being restrained, and turned his head in annoyance toward Mo Xuanli.

Mo Xuanli’s eyes were black and deep.

“At least for this matter, there’s no need to trouble you, Little Senior Uncle. You’re right—this should be my responsibility. And… my time isn’t as precious as Master thinks. It won’t be delayed. As long as neither you nor I say anything, Master won’t know it’s me helping. I ask you to allow it.”

When Chu Fei heard that—well, if someone was taking over the trouble, of course he was happy to agree.

After digging a pit for his senior brother, Chu Fei left in high spirits to continue practicing swordsmanship.

Only the two of them remained in the room.

Mo Xuanli still knelt devoutly by Gu Baiqing’s bed. His eyes carried no improper color—only deep seriousness—as he held his hand, full of gathered spiritual energy, over each patch of red mark, driving the redness away.

The full weight of worry darkened his black eyes even further.

“Master… please don’t treat your disciple so well… your disciple is not worthy.”

The bond between master and disciple was already something he, hiding his true identity, could never repay—let alone the deep, complex feelings interwoven into that bond.

He truly felt unworthy of such treatment.

After that, Mo Xuanli secretly moved all the things related to artifact forging into his own room in Luofeng Pavilion. Every time he finished a class there, he would detour back to his room to study and research seriously, then go to the Forging Peak at night for hands-on practice.

Gu Baiqing probably would never have imagined that in his Luofeng Pavilion, there was a spirit beast, a little child attendant, and the junior brother who came every day—three little “moles.”

Whenever he felt feverish and fainted, it seemed as if he fell into an embrace that made him feel at ease. The heat throughout his body would gradually fade, his mind would slowly clear, but by the time he woke up, the room would already be empty. The red marks on his body would be gone, his clothes put back on neatly.

Gu Baiqing had always assumed it was his junior brother who did it.

Only once had he felt a moment of doubt—his spiritual energy level seemed a little off.

But now he was not as resistant toward Mo Xuanli as before. Sometimes during lessons, there would be accidental contact. The system had its own review standard for intimate contact, so occasionally it would give a few points of spiritual energy at random. Gu Baiqing couldn’t tell for sure, so he didn’t pay much attention to the numbers. Sometimes, when they didn’t seem right, he thought he had just remembered wrong.

It never occurred to him that every day, it was Mo Xuanli who carried him back, took off his clothes, and eased his symptoms.

He simply thought his junior brother was a truly trustworthy good person! Their bond as brothers was growing deeper and deeper.

However, such days didn’t last long before his symptoms mostly disappeared. Apart from faint clusters of red marks appearing when his body temperature ran too high, there were no other symptoms. Luo Nianyi even praised them as looking nice, comparing them to plum blossoms blooming, then irresponsibly saying they would fade over time. Gu Baiqing thought she was just feeling guilty and had no solution, so she was saying something pleasant to appease him. But since they didn’t affect his health, he didn’t care further.

Soon, the Void Spirit Secret Realm opened.

At that time, Qianren Pavilion was holding a meeting to finalize the list of accompanying elders.

The Void Spirit Secret Realm—open only once every ten years—was said to have been formed from the transformation of an immortal’s cave residence after they ascended. Inside were abundant immortal herbs, spirit beasts, magical artifacts, and inheritances, especially cultivation methods left behind by that mighty being. If someone happened to encounter them, gained recognition, and accepted the inheritance, it would be a heaven-sent fortune.

Naturally, not everyone could enter such a place. It had its own set of operating rules, with specific requirements for cultivation stage and number of entrants.

For example, only cultivators in the Foundation Establishment or Core Formation stages were allowed to enter, and the number was capped at one hundred—if there were more, entry would be impossible.

It was considered the best training ground for new talents in the cultivation world.

And with such a wild secret realm, naturally many eyes were on it. Whether inside or outside the borders, killings and treasure snatching were hard to guard against.

However, such dangers were relatively less for major sects like theirs. Within the borders, sect members would usually form small teams to act together; outside, with escorts present, few would dare to attack. Still, danger was always possible, so anyone wishing to enter had to be mentally prepared.

In the past, those who qualified to go from Zixiao Sect were always Core Formation cultivators with outstanding performance or special skills.

For example, this time, among Chunyang Pavilion’s disciples was Nan Zhi, who was about to advance to Nascent Soul stage and had the highest strength, thus becoming the small team’s leader.

There was also Yun Yue. After the Ten Thousand Swords Island incident, she had advanced to Core Formation. She was an excellent disciple of Flying Crane Pavilion; although not a personal disciple, Luo Nianyi’s own disciples had already surpassed Core Formation and thus couldn’t enter, so this time she could only send Yun Yue to help collect some immortal herbs.

The most unexpected selection was naturally Mo Xuanli, who was only at mid-Foundation Establishment stage.

But since Luofeng Pavilion only had this one disciple, if they wanted to send someone, they had to give him a spot—so Mo Xuanli successfully registered.

“The traveling elder—count me in,” Gu Baiqing said.

Fu Zhiyi and the others looked completely used to it. As long as Mo Xuanli went somewhere, Gu Baiqing would definitely accompany him. Truly a hard-mouthed, soft-hearted master who doted on his disciple.

Thus, the accompanying elders this time were Fu Zhiyi, Chu Fei, and Gu Baiqing.

After the meeting, seeing Gu Baiqing borrow a pile of books related to the Void Spirit Secret Realm, Fu Zhiyi suddenly sensed something was off.

“You’re going too… don’t tell me it’s to make money in the secret realm.”

Gu Baiqing’s hand trembled as he held the books.

As expected of his second senior brother who managed the finances—he had a completely different angle of thinking and had instantly guessed his plan. Yes, that was exactly his intention. The Void Spirit Secret Realm was the most bountiful of secret realms—if he didn’t go in and sweep up a fortune to repay his debt, it would be a waste of the plot he was in.

Still, had his image in his second senior brother’s eyes already collapsed this much? After all, this really wasn’t something the original person would have done.

In truth, it wasn’t about collapsing this much—ever since Gu Baiqing had agreed to “sell” himself to make money, Fu Zhiyi had felt that in order to repay debt, Gu Baiqing would do anything. In the end, raising a child really made a difference—he simply hadn’t known this junior brother well enough before.

Fu Zhiyi didn’t press further and simply said, “Whether or not that’s the case, I’ll remind you of one thing. That secret realm indeed has many valuable things, but… with your Tribulation Stage cultivation, you can’t get in. However, you could have your disciple conveniently pick up some valuable items inside to sell and ease your debt pressure.”

Gu Baiqing smiled calmly without explanation, bid farewell to his second senior brother, and immediately went to find his third senior sister.

On the other side, Mo Xuanli went to borrow books from Yun Yue.

“What do you want these for? Haven’t you already decided what you’re looking for? And for a sword cultivator, isn’t the main goal in going there to find an inheritance?” Yun Yue asked in puzzlement.

“I think I might pick up some valuable things along the way to sell,” Mo Xuanli said directly, not feeling the least bit embarrassed. “I’m a bit short on money.”

Disciples of Zixiao Sect, unless supported by their own families, only had spirit stone income when they went down the mountain to take on tasks. He had once studied alchemy and talisman-making when he entered the medical path, but his level was too low, so the income was always meager.

In other words, right now master and disciple were both very poor. In the past, Mo Xuanli hadn’t thought much of it—after all, before going down the mountain for training, Zixiao Sect took care of its disciples.

But this time, the secret realm made Mo Xuanli think about using exploration to earn money.

He felt he ought to bear all the debt himself, not his master. If he couldn’t repay his master, then at the very least he shouldn’t make his master pay even more for him.

Faced with Mo Xuanli’s words, Yun Yue grew worried and said, “If you ever have an urgent need, just come find me. Senior sister still has some savings.”

Mo Xuanli gave her a grateful smile. Just as he was about to leave with the books Yun Yue had recommended, he ran into Luo Nianyi returning.

Mo Xuanli saluted respectfully. Luo Nianyi swept a glance over him and said, “So it’s the two of you master and disciple acting together again this time. Since that’s the case, look after the disciples from our pavilion—don’t let them get bullied in the secret realm.”

Mo Xuanli froze. His master was going too? Thinking about it, it seemed natural—his master had never let him take risks alone. Even if he couldn’t enter the secret realm himself, he’d probably wait outside to guard him.

Mo Xuanli’s feelings were complicated. His master’s care—thorough, all-encompassing, and leaving no gaps—left him… at a loss.

After bidding Luo Nianyi farewell, Mo Xuanli turned to leave, faintly catching Luo Nianyi telling Yun Yue, “Go find some Dreammist Incense—someone needs it.”

A flicker of doubt crossed Mo Xuanli’s mind. Dreammist Incense was a drug used specifically on cultivators—colorless, tasteless, undetectable. After taking it, one would sleep deeply without awareness until morning. Some people used it for bad purposes. But Third Senior Aunt wouldn’t do such a thing—probably it was just for someone who couldn’t sleep well. Still, weren’t there better sleep aids?

The thought flashed across his mind and was quickly set aside.

The next day, the group boarded a flying boat bound for the Void Spirit Secret Realm.

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