After Becoming a High-Risk Master, I Flipped the Script Chapter 53

The door closed. Mo Xuanli immediately turned to Gu Baiqing. “Master, Li Xiuran and I just happened to think the same way, that’s all. It’s not some tacit understanding, and there’s no fate about it. It’s just an ordinary fellow Daoist relationship.”

He didn’t even know why he was flustered—he just didn’t want his master to misunderstand.

But in the next instant, Gu Baiqing pressed a hand to his forehead and frowned. “Don’t say more. My head hurts. I need to rest.”

Buzzing, so noisy, the world spinning. Gu Baiqing staggered unsteadily toward the inner room.

Watching his master nearly flee, Mo Xuanli felt a shock. Could it be that his master was upset just because he and someone else seemed in sync? Master… was that jealousy?

Mo Xuanli dazed for a moment, then quickly followed to clarify. But when he rushed inside, he saw his master already stripped down to just white underclothes, standing at the basin washing up, hair loose, looking languid and weary.

Instinctively, Mo Xuanli turned his back—then froze. Why? It wasn’t some indecent scene. Why was he nervous? Was it because he hadn’t seen his master so casually unguarded in a long time?

Awkwardly, he turned back. His master was already in bed.

“Master… Master…”

“I said stop bothering me. I want to sleep.”

It was the first time he’d ever heard his master sound so childishly petulant, and it made Mo Xuanli’s heart tremble for no reason.

He hesitated, then stepped closer to the bedside. Seeing his master turned inward, as if sulking, he said with some unease: “Master… how about from now on we don’t travel together with Fellow Daoist Li and the others—would that be alright?”

Gu Baiqing’s head was groggy and heavy. Inwardly, he thought: Why is this child still going on and on? I already said I’m tired and want to sleep. Can’t whatever it is wait until I wake up?

But that buzzing by his ear just wouldn’t stop.

A rush of irritation surged up, and he could only reach up to cover his ears.

In Mo Xuanli’s eyes, however, this gesture only looked like his master was even angrier.

Mo Xuanli fell silent, not knowing what to do. Finally, he turned away to wash up. When it was time to rest, he stood in the middle of the room, glanced at the bed, then at the small couch to the side. After some inner struggle, he turned back toward the bed.

“Master, where should I sleep?” Mo Xuanli asked nervously.

The couch was tiny—far too cramped for a grown man. Sleeping next door with a woman was out of the question. But between them… they were master and disciple. His master had never spoken of any feelings beyond that. That meant they were just a normal master-disciple pair. For such a pair to share a large bed was, in truth, completely normal.

If he deliberately avoided it without asking, his master might feel hurt. So he asked.

He thought, given Gu Baiqing’s usual temperament, his master would surely tell him to take the couch. After all, when sober, his master was always awkward like that.

But Gu Baiqing had already drifted off, hazy with drink. Half-asleep, hearing the question, his subconscious simply thought he was hogging the space and should leave room for someone else.

So he shifted inward.

Mo Xuanli’s eyes widened slowly. Seeing the large empty space at his master’s side, his heartbeat quickened. After hesitating, he finally climbed up.

If his master wanted him to sleep beside him, then… he would. Maybe it would even put his master in a better mood.

But lying there, Mo Xuanli found himself completely sleepless. Who knew how long he endured before his master suddenly moved.

He felt his master turn over. Thinking perhaps his anger had passed and he wanted to speak, Mo Xuanli turned slightly to look—only for a patch of warm skin to press against his neck. His sensitive nape shivered violently.

Mo Xuanli froze, body rigid. Glancing downward in the moonlight, he saw his master’s head nestled against his shoulder hollow, soft hair brushing his ear, the strong bridge of his nose pressing against his neck. His lips were barely a hair’s breadth from his collarbone—one small shift and they would touch.

Master is…

His mind went blank for an instant. Then his master moved again—first an arm, then a long leg, until half his body was draped over Mo Xuanli.

In that moment, Mo Xuanli’s breath stopped. His master’s body felt charged with lightning, scattering his very soul.

What is Master doing?

Did he not realize Mo Xuanli was awake? Or did he no longer care—was this some reckless test? If he didn’t resist, would his master keep holding him?

What should he do? It was like a psychological tug-of-war, leaving him utterly shaken.

Maybe his master wanted an answer, a conclusion. But wasn’t this bullying? How was he supposed to handle it? He revered his master, but not to the point of…

Tangled in torment, Mo Xuanli’s hand clenched the sheets tight. He knew if he pretended to sleep, everything would remain safe—his master might tire of this and settle down.

But he underestimated how restless Gu Baiqing could be after drinking.

Gu Baiqing’s sleeping habits when drunk were abysmal. Not rowdy, but clingy—unbearably clingy.

Never having shared a bed with anyone, he had no idea of his own drunken state—only that he felt an instinctive need to climb closer, to wrap himself around something, to feel secure.

So now, Gu Baiqing had wrapped himself tightly around Mo Xuanli, clinging as if to a stove in the dead of winter, all trace of his usual aloof image gone.

And Mo Xuanli truly was starting to feel like a furnace.

Being held like this, rubbed against as though he were a pet—sometimes in places one should not be touched—forced him to fight off images in his mind.

Images of rebellion, of betraying master and ancestor, devilish temptations flashing like a trial.

The cold plum fragrance assaulted his mind, just like that time he’d been attacked by a succubus. His soul grew heavy, his body threatening to slip out of his control. He hurriedly chanted a calming spell, feigning sleep.

But then he stiffened again—at some point, Gu Baiqing’s hand had slipped inside his robes.

Master… is this seduction…?

It was torture. Mo Xuanli’s brows drew tight, his face bitter, Adam’s apple bobbing. This is my master…

Suddenly, a sharp sting at his collarbone.

His mind seemed to snap. Memories of the Jade Healing Pool, the humiliation in the ruins—flooded together, drowning out his reason.

He seized Gu Baiqing’s restless hand, flipped, and pressed his exalted master beneath him.

His breathing went ragged, vision veiled in a hazy mist, gazing down at the one who brought him endless torment.

The night cloaked all secrets, as though everything were permitted. His self-control plummeted to nothing, his mind abandoning thought—only craving to break free.

“Master, you…” Mo Xuanli ground out between his teeth, voice like a cornered beast. Suddenly he lowered his head toward those lips that had just tormented him.

“I’m back! Meowwwww!!!!”

“Brother Xuanli, I think I heard—”

The window was kicked open by Three Bean, returning from his toil. Right across the way, in the neighboring window, Li Xiuran happened to be leaning on his couch. Hearing Three Bean’s voice, he lifted his head to look.

From that angle, he could see a corner of the bed inside.

Mo Xuanli was pinning Gu Baiqing beneath him, just about to lower his head…

This was…

Mo Xuanli almost shot up from the bed with lightning speed, sitting at the edge and blocking his master behind him. No matter how awkward, he couldn’t let his master lose face.

“I… we… it’s not… it’s…”

Faced with the stares of one man near, one beast afar, Mo Xuanli’s forehead was already dripping with cold sweat.

“What’s going on? Why are you quarreling?” Ji Chuling’s voice came from outside.

Li Xiuran snapped back to himself, and suddenly said seriously, “Brother Xuanli, we’ll talk later.” Finishing quickly, he shut the window before Ji Chuling came over, clearly trying to cover for Mo Xuanli.

At this moment, Three Bean’s fur, which had been standing on end, slowly smoothed down, as it stared at Mo Xuanli in disbelief.

“Xuanli, what were you doing? He’s your master. And… he’s a man.”

Mo Xuanli instantly felt tongue-tied, unable to even face Three Bean. The heat that had filled his body just moments ago had all been scared away, leaving only lingering dread and regret. Had he gone mad just now?

Could he really, on impulse, do such a rebellious thing to his master? Even if his master was like that… he couldn’t act without regard for the consequences.

Besides, he couldn’t even tell what his feelings toward his master truly were. He knew he cared, but was it because he couldn’t bear to lose the only one who treated him well? Or was it romantic attachment? He couldn’t distinguish the two. And if he couldn’t tell, how could he rashly break this balance and do something irresponsible toward his master?

Even taking ten thousand steps back—if he were just an ordinary disciple, to violate propriety out of passion might still be one thing. But he was… a b*stard. How could he touch the Immortal Lord? That would be defilement.

At this moment, he could only hope his master was truly asleep. Otherwise, how could they explain what just happened?

Mo Xuanli’s heart felt weighed down as if crushed by a boulder. He was just about to turn to look at his master—

When Three Bean, who had already leapt onto the bed, suddenly let out a surprised “Eh?” and said, “Oh, I forgot—Master can’t drink alcohol.”

Mo Xuanli froze, staring fixedly at Gu Baiqing. Only then did he notice that the man had pulled the quilt over himself again, hugging it tightly, rubbing against it just as he had against him earlier.

“Master… drank alcohol?”

“You didn’t know? Back at Luofeng Pavilion, whenever Master had even a small drink, he’d become like this. Once, I was nearly strangled to death in his arms. Let’s stay farther away.” Three Bean spoke with lingering fear, but then suddenly realized something was off. “Xuanli, just now, you were…”

Mo Xuanli jolted, his mind racing, his face going pale and then dark.

“I saw Master seemed unwell, so I leaned over to check. I was just about to wake him when you came back.”

Anyone else might not have believed him, but this was Three Bean’s benefactor. In its eyes, a benefactor couldn’t possibly lie, so it trusted him completely. “Ah, so I misunderstood. I knew it—you’d never do that to your master. Hahaha, not my fault though—when you sent me to investigate City Lord Zhuo, I saw something that looked just the same, so I thought…”

As it was speaking, a knock came from outside.

Clearly, Li Xiuran had arrived.

Mo Xuanli’s head throbbed. In Li Xiuran’s eyes, they were sworn brothers—this made things even messier.

Just as he rose to his feet, he couldn’t help but glance at his master.

Gu Baiqing was rubbing and shifting in his sleep, completely unconscious.

So just now… it had all been false? He was really asleep? Truly… sigh, what had he been struggling over just now!

And yet, as he looked at him, a barren emptiness welled up inside. Clearly, this was what he had wished for—yet his heart felt pained, as though abandoned in a vast wilderness, searching alone for direction.

“Xuanli, what’s with your collarbone? It’s all red—did you bump it?” Three Bean suddenly asked.

If the lamp had been lit, it would have revealed Mo Xuanli’s face flushing scarlet in an instant. He hurried to straighten his clothes, covering all traces.

Just as he was about to leave, he saw Three Bean moving toward Gu Baiqing. Gu Baiqing turned in his sleep, reaching as if to hug Three Bean.

Mo Xuanli swiftly snatched Three Bean away, his voice low and stern: “When Master drinks, keep your distance from him.”

“Do you even need to say it?” Three Bean replied, still shaken, as Mo Xuanli carried it out the door.

Outside, Li Xiuran stood with his back to the door. Hearing the sound, he turned, his expression grave.

“Brother Xuanli, I know I shouldn’t meddle in your private matters, but there are things that simply mustn’t be done. I see you as a friend, and I don’t want you to stray down a wrong path.”

Between men, he could accept. Even between master and disciple—if it was true love, he felt it wasn’t his place to interfere. But sworn brothers! Even if one liked men, even if Brother Xuanli was sentimental by nature, he couldn’t possibly set his heart on his own elder brother.

Li Xiuran truly felt destined to cross paths with Mo Xuanli, that they could be good friends. So seeing such a thing, he had to break his usual restraint and speak out.

Mo Xuanli knew Li Xiuran’s words came from good intentions, so he repeated the same explanation he had given Three Bean.

“You said it yourself—he’s my elder brother. Even if I liked men, I wouldn’t do anything to him. Besides, I don’t… like men.” Mo Xuanli said.

At the time, Li Xiuran had been farther away than Three Bean and couldn’t make out their expressions—only the movements, and Three Bean’s fur bristling in shock. So hearing Mo Xuanli’s earnest explanation, and considering what he knew of his character, Li Xiuran believed the first half. But the second half—not liking men? Then what about what he’d just seen with his master? Could it have been nothing more than a fleeting indulgence to dispel a succubus’ spell?

That was not something he, as an outsider, could pursue further.

“My elder brother is drunk. Best not to bring this up again. If he finds out later…”

Li Xiuran said awkwardly, “Since it was a misunderstanding, naturally I won’t mention it again. It was rude of me—I apologize.”

“It’s not your fault—it’s his, for making a fuss.” Mo Xuanli tapped Three Bean’s head. If the beast had been quieter, there would’ve been no need for outsiders to see.

Luckily it had come back in time. Otherwise, with his master drunk, showing only affectionate reactions, and himself misunderstanding, he might have made a mistake in the heat of impulse.

Fortunately there was Three Bean… Mo Xuanli thought as he absentmindedly tapped Three Bean’s head again.

Three Bean snapped angrily, “Don’t blame me. Before, when I went to see City Lord Zhuo, I saw him bending over by the bedside to kiss his wife while caring for her. Your movements just now looked really similar.”