Master is Also Running Away from Marriage Today (Transmigration) - Chapter 17

The next day, Mu Ling woke up to find herself lying in bed.

Her head throbbed painfully, as if something were hammering inside her skull.

She must have gotten drunk again the night before!

Mu Ling had been drinking her own homemade plum wine, deceptively sweet but with a powerful kick. It wasn’t the first time she had overindulged.

With a sigh, she reflexively cycled through the Clear Heart Mantra several times to ease the headache.

Trying to recall the events of the previous night, she only remembered handing Ding Xin’s gift to Lin Qingge. Everything after that was a blank.

At first, Mu Ling wasn’t too concerned about her blackout. She knew her drunken behavior was usually harmless. At most, she might spout some nonsensical but harmless words. Qingge had always been sensible and wouldn’t take such ramblings to heart.

But after a few days, Mu Ling began to sense something was off. She couldn’t pinpoint exactly what, but Lin Qingge’s attitude toward her seemed to have shifted. On the surface, Qingge remained as obedient and well-mannered as ever, yet an invisible wall now stood between them, carrying an inexplicable sense of distance.

Mu Ling carefully retraced their interactions since Qingge’s return and realized the change had started the night she got drunk.

What had happened?

“Xiao Qi, did I do anything inappropriate that night after I got drunk?”

Unable to shake the unease, Mu Ling knew she’d never get a straight answer from Lin Qingge herself, so she tactfully questioned Xiao Qi, who had been present that night.

Xiao Qi, having grown up alongside Lin Qingge, considered herself Qingge’s half-sister. She accompanied Qingge everywhere and took pride in all her achievements. During the birthday celebration, Xiao Qi had even sneaked off to the back mountains to catch two pheasants as a gift, leaving them at Qingge’s door. By the time Xiao Qi returned to the banquet, Qingge had already carried the drunken Mu Ling away, so Xiao Qi didn’t actually witness what happened next.

But as the peak lord’s most capable assistant and Lin Qingge’s closest friend, how could Xiao Qi allow anything on Qingbo Peak to remain unknown to her?

Her wooden eyes whirred and clicked as she pondered, then suddenly, she smacked her wooden head as if struck by inspiration.

“I remember now! Peak Lord, you were really drunk that night. When Little Qingge carried you back, you hit her, pushed her, even cursed at her. Called her a ‘beast’ and ‘shameless,’ told her to ‘stay away,’ and even said, ‘May the heavens strike you down with lightning!’…”

“Honestly, Peak Lord, how could you say such things to her on her birthday?”

“Impossible!”

Mu Ling felt as if she’d been struck by lightning. Instinctively, she wanted to deny it, but as she stared into Xiao Qi’s blank wooden eyes, the words died in her throat.

A hazy memory surfaced: that night, in her drunken stupor, she had dreamed of the Demon King.

Had she mistaken Qingge for the Demon King?

This is bad.

A chill ran down Mu Ling’s spine. In that moment, she felt the cruel mockery of fate with painful clarity.

Mu Ling had always strived to maintain an image of a gentle, considerate, dignified, and omnipotent master in front of Qingge. Because her disciple had always been obedient, and outsiders, unaware of the truth had constantly flattered Mu Ling, over time, she had grown quite pleased with herself, believing she had crafted this image flawlessly.

But now…

Mu Ling could almost feel Lin Qingge’s disillusionment!

Regret gnawed at her, and she wished she could turn back time. Yet, the mistake had already been made, and she had no choice but to face it. After a painful hour of self-reflection, Mu Ling finally decided to try salvaging her crumbling image in Lin Qingge’s eyes.

But how should she even begin?

Mu Ling lingered outside Qingge’s door for a long time, her hand hesitating between pushing it open and withdrawing. In the end, it was Qingge who opened the door first.

“Master?” Lin Qingge leaned against the bamboo doorframe, her beautiful eyes translucent under the sunlight as she looked down at Mu Ling. “Did you need something?”

Mu Ling felt a pang of nervousness. Tilting her head up slightly, she realized just how close they were—only now did it dawn on her that Qingge had grown half a head taller than her.

Seemingly aware of the proximity as well, Qingge subtly took a step back.

The moment Mu Ling noticed this, her heart sank.

Her own disciple, the one she had raised from childhood was now keeping her at a distance!

Panic surged, and before she knew it, the words spilled out.

“Qingge, I know you’ve been troubled by my behavior that night,” Mu Ling began, seeing Qingge’s questioning gaze. She took a deep breath, mustering the courage to meet her disciple’s eyes. “Let me explain.”

“You must have heard of the Demon King of the demon realm. Before I entered the mountain, I had some unresolved grievances with him. That night, for some reason, I was reminded of him.”

“Those words weren’t meant for you. I was just drunk and spoke carelessly. Please, forget about that mistaken night!”

But Qingge only seemed more dazed, her expression complicated as she frowned. “Unresolved grievances?”

“Yes!” Mu Ling sighed, lowering her head with a sorrowful look. To win Qingge’s forgiveness, she deliberately exaggerated the severity of the matter. “I’d rather not dwell on those painful memories. But because of the Demon King, I lost everything. Betrayed by those closest to me, forced to leave my homeland. He is my greatest enemy in this life. Even in my dreams, I wish I could tear him apart and feast on his bones.”

“Master!” Qingge suddenly interrupted, her voice sharp. She closed her eyes briefly, as if struggling to find the right words, before speaking again. “I’m not upset with you. I’ve just been struggling with some sword techniques recently, so my emotions have been unstable. It has nothing to do with you.”

Mu Ling eyed her suspiciously, instinctively disbelieving her. This was the first time in all these years that Qingge had ever cut her off.

But Qingge’s expression was open and unguarded, and she had always been straightforward. If she said it wasn’t about Mu Ling, then perhaps it truly wasn’t…

Maybe she really was overthinking it.

Her little Qingge wasn’t the petty type. She was just worrying too much.

At this thought, Mu Ling let out a sigh of relief, donning her gentle motherly mask once more. She stepped forward and linked arms with Lin Qingge, saying, “If you can’t grasp the sword techniques right away, there’s no need to rush. Let me take you out for some good food.”

“No,” Lin Qingge unexpectedly refused Mu Ling’s offer once again. Catching the flicker of disbelief in Mu Ling’s eyes, she instinctively added, “I feel like I’m on the verge of a breakthrough.”

“Alright then!” Knowing how seriously Lin Qingge took her swordsmanship, Mu Ling could only sigh and pat her shoulder. “Don’t push yourself into a corner. Cultivation isn’t something you can rush.”

Mu Ling went on to expound her philosophy of “seizing the day and enjoying life.” Seeing that Lin Qingge had returned to her usual composed self, Mu Ling finally set her worries aside and instructed, “Focus on your seclusion these next few days. I’ll stand guard for you. If anything feels off, tell me immediately.”

“As you command, Master!” Lin Qingge bowed respectfully, just as she always did. She watched Mu Ling’s shadow stretch longer and longer on the ground until it disappeared, only lifting her head after a long while.

It had taken every ounce of her self-control to keep her expression neutral in front of Mu Ling.

She had thought the hatred between them stemmed merely from opposing stances, but it turned out the enmity between Mu Ling and the Demon King ran deeper than she had imagined.

“Are they sworn enemies, locked in a fight to the death?”

All these years, she had reminded herself constantly not to grow attached that the immortal realm was not her true home. Yet, for some reason, the thought of leaving Qingbo Peak filled her with an inexplicable restlessness.

When the day came for the dagger to be drawn from the map, and they stood as enemies, would she truly be able to strike Mu Ling down?

…

Unaware of the turmoil her words had stirred in Lin Qingge, Mu Ling returned to her carefree life after clearing the air with her disciple. Each day, she indulged in snacks brought back by her disciple while reading novels, living a life of pure bliss!

Little did she know this idyllic existence would last less than three days. On the third day, an urgent letter from the mortal realm reached her hands:

—Ding Xin was in trouble!

Ding Xin, born into nobility as a princess of the Tianshui Kingdom, had never forgotten her roots. Every decade, she would return to her homeland for a visit. This time, however, her return coincided with a report from a local official about strange occurrences in a town called Biming.

Though Ding Xin’s reputation paled in comparison to Lin Qingge’s, she was still an exceptional disciple in her own right. Without hesitation, she gathered her magical tools and ventured into Biming.

But once she entered, there was no further word from her. Biming had vanished overnight from the maps of Tianshui!

After confirming Ding Xin’s disappearance in Biming, the people of Tianshui tried to send word to the Qingyi Sect. Yet, the divide between immortals and mortals delayed the message, and by the time it reached Mu Ling, nearly half a month had passed.

No one knew what might have transpired in Biming during those two weeks!

Frantic with worry after reading the letter, Mu Ling immediately packed her magical tools and prepared to descend the mountain. But just before leaving, she encountered Lin Qingge at the mountain pass. Someone who should have been in seclusion.

“Qingge, why are you out here?”

Mu Ling exclaimed in surprise, scrutinizing Lin Qingge closely. She noticed no change in her disciple’s cultivation level, but…

“Qingge, what’s wrong with your eyes?”

Lin Qingge’s eyes were inexplicably tinged with a faint crimson at the corners, lending her ethereally beautiful face an inexplicable hint of bewitching allure.

“It’s just exhaustion from overexertion these past few days, it’ll fade soon.” Lin Qingge lowered her head slightly, as if unwilling to let Mu Ling see her eyes. Her long lashes fluttered like butterfly wings, veiling the shadowed depths of her gaze. “I heard Senior Sister Ding Xin is in danger. Like you, Master, I’m deeply worried. Over the years, I’ve been indebted to Senior Sister’s care. I wish to accompany you in rescuing her. I beg for your permission.”