After Becoming a High-Risk Master, I Flipped the Script Chapter 59

“It’s Gu Baiqing! It’s Gu Baiqing! Let me go back, I want to see Gu Baiqing!”

“Master, you’re gravely injured. If that really is Gu Baiqing, you’ll surely die at his hands.”

At this moment, the one flying on a sword toward Star-Stepping City was none other than Si Chun—it was she who had saved Ruiyao.

Originally, when she noticed Ruiyao tailing Mo Xuanli, she guessed her master must be looking to make trouble for Gu Baiqing’s disciple. She had to stop it. She thought she was coming to save Mo Xuanli, but unexpectedly the man beside him was so formidable her master was utterly outmatched. In the end, Si Chun couldn’t bear to abandon her master and struck to save her.

She dared not confirm that man’s identity—if he truly was Gu Baiqing, then Mo Xuanli would be safe for sure.

“Master, I beg you, please change back. Don’t be a Love Demon. If you return to what you were, perhaps there’s still hope with Gu Baiqing. But if you continue as the Love Demon, how could Gu Baiqing ever spare you another glance?”

Normally icy and restrained, Si Chun now shed tears for the master who had raised her.

She had discovered by chance that her master was no longer at Chuixue Pavilion, and so she concealed it from everyone, leaving in search. She hadn’t expected her master to have already fallen into demonic cultivation, steeped deeply in corruption, working for the demon clan and wreaking havoc in the lands of old acquaintances.

Si Chun could not accept any of this. She wanted to save her master, even if it meant betraying her own principles, concealing her master’s condition from the sect.

“Shut up. What do you understand… Only by becoming a demon, only by dragging him into demonhood with me… will we have any chance. Otherwise, he will forever remain aloof, an unfeeling man who disregards all emotions!”

Sensing the demonic aura thickening around Ruiyao, Si Chun grew desperate.

At that moment, they passed the stone statues and entered Star-Stepping City’s boundary, colliding with the city’s protective barrier. Si Chun landed with Ruiyao, intending to bring her to the City Lord’s mansion, where the formation could mask demonic aura—then Gu Baiqing would be unable to hunt them.

But as she supported Ruiyao, several red threads suddenly coiled around her.

Si Chun froze in shock, staring at the red-eyed woman before her. “Master… don’t be so stubborn.”

“I insist. This time, I won’t let Gu Baiqing go.” Ruiyao pressed a hand to her wound, slowly standing. Looking at Si Chun, her tone suddenly tinged with mockery: “I forgot to ask. That little girl who once swore, after seeing my fate, that she’d never love any man—why are you wearing a veil now? Who are you wearing it for?”

Si Chun’s face abruptly changed.

Ruiyao smirked wickedly. “Looks like your luck is no better than mine—you won’t get a good ending either!”

“No… no, it’s just one-sided. I don’t expect an ending.” Loving had been involuntary, but her vow had also been true: she would never let love sway her mind the way it had ruined her master.

Ruiyao narrowed her eyes. “Saying you don’t want an ending is self-deception. When your lovesickness grows heavier and heavier, you’ll throw away dignity and principle to beg for his love. The heart is the hardest thing to control.”

Si Chun’s expression grew uglier, but Ruiyao chuckled softly: “Don’t worry, you’re my only personal disciple, the one I raised. You even just saved me. I love you—I’ll never let you walk the same painful road as me. I’ll seize him for you, trap him in my Love Net—then he’ll have no choice but to love you. Now, tell your master: who is the man you wear this veil for?”

Si Chun’s face went pale and rigid. She clenched her teeth, refusing to say a word.

But the red threads of the Love Net plucked once—and Si Chun cried out in pain. “Mo Xuanli.”

Ruiyao froze for a heartbeat. Then: “Mo Xuanli? Ha… hahahaha! Our master-disciple fate really is the same! Don’t worry, I’ll help you!”

“No, Master, I’m not—” Si Chun tried to explain, but Ruiyao, clearly beyond reasoning, knocked her unconscious and carried her back to the City Lord’s mansion.

Meanwhile, all of Star-Stepping City felt the familiar tremors and strange changes. Panic spread—especially among the elderly, who nearly fell to their knees to beg some unseen force for mercy. The younger ones kept asking their elders: was this the Bride’s Curse?

Zhuo Ling, sensing the disturbance of the spirit vein, was about to go investigate when Ruiyao returned.

“Gu Baiqing is here. Help me. If you help me, I’ll fulfill your wish.”

On the other side, Gu Baiqing truly was heading there as well.

His reason was the city’s protective barrier—it could help suppress the troublesome auras leaking from the two unconscious boys.

Earlier, they had escaped the surrounding cultivators only because Gu Baiqing released his Tribulation Stage pressure, cowing the crowd. And when the Outer Affairs Elder rushed over, though he did not recognize Gu Baiqing, he needed to protect Mo Xuanli, so he allowed him to take the youths away.

The elder stayed behind to hold off pursuers. Gu Baiqing had very much wanted to strike Ruiyao down with a single sword, but doing so would have consumed unknown amounts of spiritual power, and who knew what other demons lurked in the shadows. So he chose to avoid battle, conserving his strength for when it truly mattered.

They needed to find a safe place first—let Mo Xuanli complete the task before anything else. With the plot shifting one wave after another, Gu Baiqing was truly worried it might affect the mission.

Just as Gu Baiqing was about to quietly lead the three of them to an inn, they noticed the whole city’s people seemed jittery, as though frightened by whatever was happening outside.

Even the innkeepers were busy performing rituals and praying, paying no attention to them. Just as they were about to settle for any random spot, a carriage appeared before them.

“Isn’t this Master Mo and Miss Ji? Hm? And Young Master Mo and Young Master Li—what happened to them? Did you clash with other cultivators?”

The curtain lifted—it was none other than Zhuo Ling.

“City Lord Zhuo, thank goodness. Could you help us? We need a place to rest.” Because of their friendly parting earlier, Ji Chuling trusted Zhuo Ling completely. Seeing him now, she naturally asked for help. After all, her mind was full of the unconscious Li Xiuran.

And since Gu Baiqing still remembered the original text, he wasn’t as wary of Zhuo Ling as Mo Xuanli, but he still asked a little cautiously: “Why is City Lord Zhuo here?”

“I was just on my way to the spiritual vein. I seemed to sense something happened.” Zhuo Ling pointed northward. This was indeed the road leading to the northern entrance, so there was no contradiction.

“Better not go—it’s dangerous.” Gu Baiqing kindly reminded him.

“In that case, why don’t you all come back with me? Whatever the danger, within the formation of my City Lord’s manor its power will be greatly reduced.” Zhuo Ling spoke sincerely.

Gu Baiqing thanked him and brought the group onto the carriage.

It wasn’t that he was letting his guard down completely—he just thought that even if Zhuo Ling had tricks up his sleeve, as long as he exchanged spirit power, he had nothing to fear.

Inside the carriage, Ji Chuling carefully tended to Li Xiuran, who was frowning as if in great pain. After making sure Mo Xuanli was fine, Gu Baiqing stopped paying attention to them and began questioning Zhuo Ling instead.

“By the way, City Lord Zhuo… when we passed through, the people of Star-Stepping City all seemed strange. May I ask what this so-called ‘Bride’s Curse’ is about?”

Zhuo Ling was slightly startled, sighed, and said: “Since you want to know, I’ll tell you. It’s actually connected to the birth of the spiritual vein. At the time, I don’t know how it happened, but suddenly a spiritual vein began to form outside Star-Stepping City. Yet with it came problems—farmland, trees, ponds, even beasts in the mountains all grew abnormal. The commoners didn’t know of the spiritual vein, so no matter how they searched, they couldn’t find the cause. This went on for three years. As life grew unbearable, they turned to crooked practices, saying they had to sacrifice to a mountain god. So they built a stone statue of a bride and set it there, claiming it was to marry the mountain god. But instead it made things worse—many people died. They thought using a fake bride angered the god and brought a curse.”

At this, Ji Chuling was also drawn in and immediately asked: “Don’t tell me they replaced it with a real person?”

“Of course not. Our Star-Stepping City is no ordinary place. My Zhuo family is half-cultivator blood. Even though I didn’t know then that the birth of a spiritual vein would cause such things, and didn’t know a vein was about to appear, I knew it couldn’t be some mountain god’s doing. So I went out to investigate. When I returned, I solved it. But the commoners remained superstitious—whenever trouble arises, they blame the Bride’s Curse.”

“Shouldn’t it be called the Mountain God’s Curse?” Gu Baiqing muttered, feeling the name odd.

“Who would dare utter the mountain god and curse in the same breath? Afraid of taboos, naturally the name was changed. Everyone knew what it meant. Sigh… If only I had acted sooner… perhaps fewer would have died, and the people wouldn’t be suffering so now…”

Seeing Zhuo Ling’s genuine regret, Ji Chuling kindly said: “You’ve already done very well. If this were an ordinary city, it would have perished long ago.”

“No… I didn’t do well enough. I was young… ignorant.” Zhuo Ling gave a bitter smile, then began asking about the spiritual vein.

When he learned that the vein had suddenly lost all spiritual energy—as though it had vanished, leaving only an ordinary mountain—his face darkened, urgently asking why.

But Gu Baiqing and Ji Chuling didn’t know either, only vaguely guessing it had something to do with Li Xiuran’s inherited legacy.

That made it even stranger, since in the original text there was no such “inheritance.” Later that spiritual vein was Mo Xuanli’s private resource, nothing more than a single spirit crystal.

At that thought, Gu Baiqing suddenly realized—terrible, his disciple’s little stash was gone.

Meanwhile, Zhuo Ling looked as if struck a heavy blow, his face dark and grim. Understandably so—after all, Star-Stepping City had once paid a price for this spiritual vein. Getting no benefit later was one thing, but for it to vanish mere days after appearing—who could endure that?

The carriage then fell silent until they reached the City Lord’s manor.

The moment they stepped in, Mo Xuanli—carried on Gu Baiqing’s back—visibly trembled. The formation here truly was powerful, affecting even the unconscious.

Gu Baiqing couldn’t sense it, but Ji Chuling wasn’t affected. Yet when she helped Li Xiuran walk a few steps, she suddenly frowned in puzzlement. Why did it feel different from the last time she entered the manor?

The four were brought back to the same room, intending to stay together for safety.

But seeing their condition, Zhuo Ling advised otherwise: “I’ve studied medicine before. I can sense that the spiritual energy on them is fierce and varied. If they remain together, it may conflict. Better to separate them.”

He didn’t insist, just mentioned it, then hurried off to handle matters.

Ji Chuling hesitated, glancing at Gu Baiqing. At that moment, Mo Xuanli suddenly began to struggle, looking extremely uncomfortable.

Gu Baiqing had to quickly lay him on the bed. A current of energy inside Mo Xuanli was whirling wildly, clearly causing him pain.

“Is he about to break through?” Ji Chuling asked worriedly. “Forming a core now?”

Gu Baiqing understood—because of the recent battle, Mo Xuanli’s body had been forced past its limit. His spiritual power had first been exhausted, then surged explosively with the breakthrough. Judging by his progress, his cultivation was already at 100% of Foundation Establishment, meaning he had to form his Core now. Otherwise, the wild spiritual power rampaging inside would cause him serious harm.

Gu Baiqing said directly: “Miss Ji, in a moment I’ll be guarding Mo Xuanli as he enters meditation for his breakthrough. I’ll need to use a spirit crystal, but its spiritual power is too strong and will certainly clash with Li Xiuran, who is also in meditation. You should bring Li Xiuran into the next room and set up a barrier.”

“Alright.” Ji Chuling could tell the situation was urgent and immediately agreed.

“And later, I’ll need you to focus your attention.”

Ji Chuling froze, looking at him in confusion.

“We were attacked by the demon race.”

“Ah—I remember now. Not long after we separated, I sensed demonic energy, but then we ran into some rogue cultivators who caused trouble, and we ended up falling into the cave.” Ji Chuling frowned. “So Little Mo fainted because of that? Then you…”

She glanced at Gu Baiqing again. The sudden Tribulation-stage pressure he had revealed earlier had really frightened her. “You should… be alright, yes?”

“We’re fine. But to prevent further demons from showing up, I hope you’ll keep careful watch. If you sense anything, send a signal immediately.” Gu Baiqing instructed.

Only then did Ji Chuling look startled: “You know I…”

“I guessed. Likely your family’s secret arts let you sense demonic energy more precisely,” Gu Baiqing said smoothly.

Ji Chuling didn’t press further, only nodded. “Don’t worry. Our safety depends on each other now. I’ll be careful.”

After finishing instructions, Gu Baiqing quickly set up several layers of barriers around the bed, then took out a spirit crystal from Mo Xuanli’s storage bag along with a Spirit-Gathering Pill he had prepared. Just as he was about to feed the pill into Mo Xuanli’s mouth—

The brat’s mouth was clamped shut tight.

Gu Baiqing had no choice but to pinch his jaw, squeezing until both sides turned red, before Mo Xuanli finally opened his mouth.

But even when the pill was shoved inside, he didn’t swallow. Mo Xuanli was in a highly defensive state, completely unable to take anything down.

Ji Chuling, who hadn’t yet left, rushed to help, handing him tea, but the water only spilled back out from the corners of his lips.

Gu Baiqing never imagined he’d get stuck at a problem like this.

“Swallow it already!”

Ji Chuling grew anxious too, then suddenly said: “Ah—I remember! Before, when Li Xiuran was unconscious and couldn’t take pills, I…”

At that, Gu Baiqing thought she had some brilliant solution.

Instead, the girl instantly flushed red, her expression like she’d thought of something indescribable.

Gu Baiqing: …Alright. He understood too. Hello, trope. Goodbye, trope.

“You two are brothers, it should be fine. Actually—”

No way!

Before Ji Chuling could awkwardly hint at her “method,” Gu Baiqing simply tilted Mo Xuanli’s chin up and kept forcing water into his mouth, sternly threatening: “Mo Xuanli, swallow it!”

His voice was loud and harsh.

Even in his unconscious state, Mo Xuanli seemed startled by his master’s scolding. His whole body trembled, and with a pitiful expression, he swallowed the pill.

The Spirit-Gathering Pill seemed to take effect, smoothing his chaotic spiritual energy a little. The boy slowly regained some awareness.

“Master…” Mo Xuanli, still with eyes closed, seemed to be confirming something.

“Sit cross-legged. Focus. You need to form your Core now. Don’t let anything distract you. Rest assured, this place is safe.”

Half-dazed, Mo Xuanli obeyed, sitting cross-legged and instinctively beginning the Core Formation process.

Ji Chuling had already left with Li Xiuran, leaving Three Bean guarding outside.

Inside, Gu Baiqing guarded Mo Xuanli’s breakthrough. At first he worried the manor’s formation might interfere, but soon discovered this suppression formation actually made absorbing spiritual power and advancing smoother. It was, in fact, a fine place to cultivate.

Once meditation began, three days and nights passed.

Outside, the spiritual vein incident gradually quieted. Li Xiuran remained unmoving in the adjacent room. The entire City Lord’s manor was calm and peaceful.

Just as Gu Baiqing thought the plot had finally realigned and things could settle down—someone stumbled into the courtyard.

Three Bean gave a warning cry. Ji Chuling in the next room didn’t react; there was no demonic energy, so it seemed just an ordinary person.

Hearing the commotion, Gu Baiqing stood and stepped out—only to be shocked.

The collapsed figure was a woman dressed in Chuixue Pavilion attire.

When she lifted her head, it was someone he had met before—Si Chun.

“There… there are demons!”

Gu Baiqing instantly rushed out. Ji Chuling also opened her door, just about to help Si Chun up, when she heard a faint whisper: “I’m not… run!”

Before she could react, the woman in her hands went limp and collapsed, and something seemed to burst out of her. A gust of force swept past her—not aimed at her, but—

Gu Baiqing’s face changed. He whipped around sharply. A diversion!

And sure enough, at that moment, someone stood beside Mo Xuanli.

“Gu Baiqing… still remember me?”

It was the Love Demon they had encountered in the spiritual vein.