After Becoming a High-Risk Master, I Flipped the Script Chapter 43

Mo Xuanli hurriedly stopped his wild imaginings and steadied his mind. Seeing the items on the table, he asked directly: “Master, these…”

Gu Baiqing recalled Mo Xuanli’s performance in the secret realm and did not hide the truth: “I don’t know if you noticed at the time—did you hear why everyone was ejected from the secret realm?”

Mo Xuanli nodded, then smiled. “I thought Master was only collecting some valuable things inside. Nothing serious. I didn’t expect…”

Gu Baiqing instantly felt this disciple was too considerate. His words struck a chord, and he said: “Exactly. It’s not like I stripped it bare. That secret realm is so vast, and I hadn’t even gathered five hundred thousand spirit stones’ worth of goods before being thrown out. That immortal of the realm is far too stingy.”

Mo Xuanli froze. It was rare to see Master reveal such a different side, complaining like this. In fact… it seemed rather cute. Unable to resist, he played along.

“Yes, Master has always acted with restraint. It’s not like you left it barren. That place is meant for cultivators to train—whoever takes things, it’s all the same.” As he spoke, Mo Xuanli unhesitatingly picked up the storage bag holding the secret realm’s items, sealing it with both hands, his eyes shining. “Fortunately, our master and disciple both made gains. Master, look at what I collected too. If we add it all together, maybe it’ll be enough. Let’s count it.”

Gu Baiqing was instantly coaxed into feeling extremely relieved. “Actually, Ten Thousand Swords Island…”

“Master, this is also my responsibility. Please don’t try to exclude me from it, otherwise your disciple will truly feel unbearably ashamed.”

Seeing how resolute Mo Xuanli was, Gu Baiqing accepted it with ease. Besides, he really didn’t want to shoulder debts.

He didn’t take out the larger items, only the ones with controversial prices. Among them were the Red Feather Dragon Bone, the Spotless Immortal Sprout, and the Tiger Spirit Holy Orchid.

“Except for the Spotless Immortal Sprout, which is one of a kind, the other two—I don’t need much of them for refining artifacts, so we can sell some off.” Mo Xuanli, frugal and mindful of the household, said.

“No need. When it comes to materials for refining artifacts, the more the better.” Gu Baiqing calculated here and there, then couldn’t help but say with delight, “By the most conservative estimate, if we combine yours and mine, it should be enough.”

“Really?” Mo Xuanli brightened as well.

Gu Baiqing, satisfied, felt the lightness of having no debt. Just as he was about to pack everything away, he suddenly discovered that the two Spotless Immortal Sprouts that had been placed side by side on the table had, for some reason, become entangled together. The two crimson buds were twined like twin lotuses on the same stalk, exuding an aura completely different from before.

“What’s going on? I didn’t put them together just now.” Gu Baiqing frowned in puzzlement and reached out to separate them.

But Mo Xuanli suddenly reached out to stop him. “Master, don’t!”

Gu Baiqing was startled. “What is it?”

“This… this…” Mo Xuanli’s eyes slowly widened, as though in disbelief. Then his gaze lit up, as if he had stumbled upon a treasure, though in the end his expression turned a little troubled.

Looking at that unguarded expression, Gu Baiqing couldn’t help but chuckle. “Since they can’t be separated, then just take them both. It’s a good change, isn’t it?”

Mo Xuanli looked at Gu Baiqing in surprise. After some hesitation, he reluctantly nodded, embarrassed to ask for them himself.

“Take them.” Gu Baiqing simply handed over the intertwined sprouts. Anyway, by his earlier count, there was already more than enough. Losing one at most just meant there wouldn’t be surplus.

But as the sprouts passed between their hands, the stems suddenly stretched out fine tendrils like tiny tentacles. They coiled around Gu Baiqing’s fingers, then wound around Mo Xuanli’s fingers as well.

The crimson vines wound around their hands like a red string of fate. Both men froze, feeling as though a shared consciousness had brushed between them. A faint stream of spiritual power drifted in like a spring breeze, flowing into Gu Baiqing’s body—gentle, soothing, clearly the natural fluctuation of the sprout’s spiritual energy.

But no matter how you looked at it, the scene was way too gay. Gu Baiqing practically jerked his hand back in an instant.

Mo Xuanli paused ever so slightly—was it just an illusion? He felt as if, in that brief instant, he had been closer to his master than ever before. He too had felt the wash of that spiritual energy, refreshing and comforting. Indeed, this sprout… was no longer just any ordinary spiritual plant.

“Thank you for your gift, Master.” Mo Xuanli was secretly overjoyed. After some thought, he explained, “The books say that the Spotless Immortal Sprout can—under extremely rare circumstances—evolve into a Twin-Born Sprout. This kind of sprout can grant an artifact even stronger spirituality. I had thought it was just a legend… I never imagined it could actually appear.”

After saying this, he glanced at Gu Baiqing awkwardly. He hadn’t mentioned the condition for it: the books said that only when two people with deeply compatible spiritual natures picked the sprouts could this happen. It was said to have only ever occurred twice in history—once with twins, and once with Dao companions.

And with Jingzhan’s earlier reminder verifying the sprout’s recognition standard, Mo Xuanli had his own guess: perhaps when two sprouts witnessed the same memory scene, or… memories formed by the same set of roles, their spiritual resonance would overlap to such a degree that the sprout evolved into a Twin-Born Sprout.

But he dared not say this aloud. To say it would be to expose far too much, and besides, it was certified by the sprout itself. It was far too embarrassing to admit. So he glossed over it vaguely.

Gu Baiqing, however, was quite stirred.

“So this means it can be used to forge an even more powerful artifact?”

Mo Xuanli nodded firmly. By conservative estimate, at least an immortal-grade one.

Gu Baiqing was happy for him. As expected of the protagonist—the halo really did shine bright.

“This is your great opportunity. Cherish it well. When we return to Zixiao Sect, just focus on refining it. Leave everything else aside. As your master, I look forward to seeing what kind of life-bound artifact you’ll create.”

“Yes, Master!” Mo Xuanli answered respectfully at once.

Looking at the evolved sprout and thinking of returning to Zixiao Sect, Gu Baiqing remembered something.

When he first learned that Mo Xuanli could pluck the Spotless Immortal Sprout, he was deeply shocked. After hearing about the mysterious “Little Plum Branch,” his curiosity had only grown.

If the Little Plum Branch really existed, it could indeed resolve his greatest inner knot.

But… thinking about it calmly, seeing his disciple’s pure face as he worked so hard to help pay debts, and recalling how Three Bean described the Little Plum Branch—it didn’t sound like she was a virtuous girl at all. If she was really a scoundrel, wouldn’t his naïve disciple just get hurt badly?

It wasn’t that he particularly worried about Mo Xuanli. He just feared that heartbreak might drive him into demonic deviation.

So… better not meddle. He couldn’t very well push Mo Xuanli into the fire pit just for his own sake. Better to let fate take its course.

But Gu Baiqing was still far too curious, so he couldn’t resist a little gossip. Maybe he could at least confirm that Mo Xuanli wasn’t bent, which would soothe his fragile heart.

“By the way, the people from Chuixue Pavilion troubled you because of me. I apologize for that.”

“Why would you say that? As your disciple, I ought to eliminate troubles for my master. And this whole matter was a misfortune that befell you through no fault of your own—Master did nothing wrong.” Mo Xuanli said firmly.

Gu Baiqing hurriedly added, “Actually, the girls from Chuixue Pavilion are all quite nice. During this joint training, did any of them catch your eye? If so, don’t let my situation hold you back.”

This sudden question left Mo Xuanli utterly dumbfounded. After all, his master had never concerned himself with such mundane matters before—and besides, Master clearly…

A jolt went through Mo Xuanli’s heart. Was it because… he had plucked the Spotless Immortal Sprout? So Master suspected he liked some girl?

Wait!

In the midst of his messy thoughts, a possibility struck him—had he hurt Master’s feelings?

Mo Xuanli quickly shook his head. “How could that be? At the time, this disciple was focused only on training, I never thought about anything else.”

But even after his denial, Gu Baiqing did not smile. Instead, his face showed an unmistakable worry.

“Then… what about in Zixiao Sect? Do you like any girl there?”

Mo Xuanli thought: Asking in such detail—so Master is worried!

He firmly denied it. “No… truly no, Master. This disciple’s heart is wholly set on the Dao, I only wish… to cultivate well and attain the Dao as soon as possible. I have no mind for anything else.”

Even if he couldn’t meet his Master’s hopes, he mustn’t hurt him.

Since Mo Xuanli was so insistent, Gu Baiqing grew muddled. After spending a year together, he knew Mo Xuanli wasn’t the sort to fall for someone yet not dare admit it. Then what was going on with that “Little Plum Branch”?

Seeing Mo Xuanli clearly unwilling to continue on the subject, Gu Baiqing let it drop.

Just then, Fu Zhiyi, hearing he was awake, came looking for him.

Catching sight of the table full of items, Fu Zhiyi’s mouth twitched. “What? Got enough to pay off your debts?”

“Between the two of us, we have enough.” Gu Baiqing replied.

Seeing Fu Zhiyi wanted a private word with Gu Baiqing, Mo Xuanli obediently withdrew.

“Best you go check on Yun Yue and the others,” Gu Baiqing suggested.

Mo Xuanli nodded awkwardly and went out.

But before he had left earshot, he heard Fu Zhiyi teasing inside.

“You two really are like a married couple sharing household expenses, hahaha. I’ve never heard of an elder pooling money with his disciple to pay debts.”

Mo Xuanli didn’t hear the rest; just that first part was enough to make his face burn red.

Inside, Gu Baiqing rolled his eyes, clearly disliking the phrasing. But seeing Fu Zhiyi willing to handle the sale arrangements and spare him the trouble, Gu Baiqing suddenly found his senior brother utterly endearing and hurriedly handed over all the storage pouches.

Looking at Gu Baiqing, who was acting more and more like their senior sister, Fu Zhiyi sighed. He suddenly felt that the Gu Baiqing of old—cold and aloof—wasn’t so bad. It wasn’t that he wanted to burden himself with chores; he just didn’t want Elder Luofeng’s name to keep being dragged through the mud.

…

At last, they arrived back at Zixiao Sect.

After a day of chaos, the cultivation world finally regained its calm.

The sects kept in contact to prevent another demon incursion and sent out teams to investigate.

A few days later, gossip about the Void Spirit Secret Realm quietly surfaced.

Busy-bodies had drawn up all sorts of rankings for those who had entered the trial realm. These lists had existed in the original text, but the positions were somewhat different this time.

On the Void Spirit Talent Rankings, the top five young immortals were named. In the original version, Mo Xuanli had taken first place, as Qian Yue had died in battle and wasn’t ranked.

But now, first place went to Li Xiuran, largely thanks to his Supreme Sword Intent—its display was truly astonishing and awe-inspiring. Mo Xuanli was ranked second. Though spatial techniques were rare, at present what he could manage wasn’t much beyond enhanced teleportation. With no one else to teach him, progress depended entirely on his own groping attempts—lucky, he might find a way forward; unlucky, he might die in the process. People felt it was definitely not as fast-progressing as Supreme Sword Intent, so he was placed second.

In truth, Mo Xuanli’s mastery of the Void Spirit Space had already advanced greatly; his talent was beyond conventional judgment.

After that came Qian Yue in third, Xie Qingrong fourth, Jingzhan fifth. In terms of strength, Qian Yue was the strongest of their generation—something even Mo Xuanli willingly admitted—but lacking a legacy inheritance, he had to settle for third.

Naturally, there was also a Void Spirit Beauty Rankings. The Four Little Fairies of Chuixue Pavilion all made the list, with Nan Zhi and Yun Yue as well. First place went, unsurprisingly, to the icy beauty, Fairy Si Chun.

At Tianyuan Sect, when Jingzhan saw the gossip, he grumbled, “Why am I only fifth?!”

“Then tell me,” Jingcheng said, reading a demon clan report, “who among those above you are you stronger than?”

Jingzhan muttered complaints but couldn’t come up with a retort. Tossing aside the Talent Rankings, he turned instead to the Beauty Rankings—those he found far more interesting.

Seeing Si Chun ranked first, he recalled the many looks she had given during the secret realm.

He smirked. “A pity. The first-ranked beauty is destined never to look at me.”

Jingcheng, often exasperated by his younger brother’s frivolity, found it odd to hear him belittle himself in love for once. “What’s this? A conscience at last? Or are you just afraid Chuixue Pavilion’s girls will kill you?”

Jingzhan curled his lip, grinning roguishly. “I never touch a woman who already has someone in her heart. Odds are, she’ll soon be wearing a veil for another.”

Jingcheng understood. At Chuixue Pavilion, only when a disciple fell in love would she don the veil.

Scanning further, Jingzhan suddenly paused at Yun Yue’s name. “When I saw her before, I had a strange feeling. Do you think she might be my destined one?”

Jingcheng was speechless. “Then you’ve got too many ‘destined ones.’ Besides, she’s a healer from Zixiao Sect’s Flying Crane Pavilion. If you can withstand Elder Feihe’s wrath, fine—but I won’t protect you. She could wipe you out a hundred different ways.”

At that, Jingzhan’s skin prickled, and he quickly abandoned the thought. “Forget it. The ones on the list are all trouble. There are plenty of beauties not on it. My fated match is out there somewhere. Big Brother, I won’t bother you anymore—I’m off to Rufeng Sect to find Xie Qingrong… to, uh, train together.”

Jingcheng had just opened his mouth to stop him when Jingzhan slipped away. Claiming he was going to Xie Qingrong was just an excuse—he was clearly off to chase skirts again. But Jingcheng indulged his younger brother and didn’t bother to interfere.

Meanwhile, at Rufeng Sect, while the other disciples chattered excitedly about the new gossip lists, Xie Qingrong entered the Sect Leader’s chambers with a solemn expression.

“Master…”

“Go down the mountain and find him. Since childhood he’s only ever listened to you. Other than you, no one can find him. If he… still remains obstinate and unrepentant, then I’ll simply count him as no son of mine.”

Xie Qingrong’s eyes were still hidden beneath the white gauze. With them closed, no expression could be seen, but from the taut line of his jaw one could tell just how heavy his mood was at this moment.

“Master, don’t worry. I will definitely bring Little Junior Brother back.”

“The cultivation world is unstable right now. The demon clan may infiltrate at any time. You must be cautious.”

“Yes, Master.”

Chuixue Pavilion.

“Senior Sister, look, you’re number one!” A little junior sister ran excitedly into Si Chun’s room to tell her.

Si Chun happened to be closing a brocade box.

Inside the brocade box lay a lock of hair she had cut off with a small blade inside the secret realm. That lock of hair had been singed by Mo Xuanli’s flames.

Half a year later, thanks to Gu Baiqing’s timely debt repayment, Ten Thousand Swords Island was finally restored, and enough spirit swords had been gathered.

Just as the spirit swords were to be transported to Ten Thousand Swords Island, suddenly the entire island’s swords began to tremble slightly, emitting a low humming sound. In several places dazzling lights even flared, as if celebrating something. And those places were precisely where the island’s dormant immortal-grade spirit swords lay.

Cultivators who were meditating in seclusion also felt an unprecedented fluctuation of spiritual power.

The weapon forgers almost simultaneously set down what they were doing, greedily stretching out their spiritual sense to feel it.

They knew—this was the fluctuation that only arose when an immortal-grade divine weapon was forged.

An immortal-grade divine weapon… one hadn’t been born in hundreds of years.

Whose masterwork could this possibly be?

Very soon, a piece of news shook the cultivation world.

Mo Xuanli, disciple under Elder Luofeng of Zixiao Sect, heir to the Void Spirit Space, had successfully forged an immortal-grade divine weapon as his own life-bound artifact.

Those who had previously mocked Mo Xuanli for not being recognized by Ten Thousand Swords Island, who had sneered at him wielding a piece of scrap iron to break into the secret realm—now all stood dumbfounded, mouths unable to close.

People frantically inquired for details, but in the end only one thing was known: the divine weapon was named God Nine Transformations!