Master is Also Running Away from Marriage Today (Transmigration) - Chapter 2

Mu Ling returned to the surface at dawn. A sliver of pale light lined the horizon, and the fresh forest air stood in stark contrast to the foul, blood-soaked atmosphere underground.

Following the male cultivator into the tunnel, Mu Ling traversed a narrow passage before arriving at an underground palace. The chamber was arrayed with formations on all sides, its walls carved with ferocious beasts. Piles of withered bones cluttered the corners, and amidst them, several black-robed cultivators in hoods were performing dark rituals.

At the center of the palace lay a blood pool, within which floated a massive white cocoon. A sinister crimson glow pulsed inside the cocoon, as though whatever lurked within was on the verge of breaking free.

The four missing girls stood like wooden stakes at the four cardinal points of the pool, their wrists slit, blood trickling in thin streams into the pool below.

The overwhelming stench of blood was nauseating. The moment the ritualists spotted Mu Ling, they attacked!

Though their cultivation was far inferior to hers, this was their territory. Mu Ling lacked combat experience, and her opponents unleashed artifact after artifact. Before she knew it, she was ensnared in their formation. The stalemate dragged on, and as the girls’ faces grew paler by the second, a swarm of snakes, insects, and venomous creatures suddenly emerged from nowhere, disrupting the cultivators’ movements. Seizing the opportunity, Mu Ling swiftly extended her mermaid silk; sharp as a blade and with a loud slash, she cleaved the enormous cocoon in the blood pool in two.

The attacking cultivators paled in horror, but it was too late!

The cocoon split open, revealing not the demonic abomination Mu Ling had expected, but a frail, pallid young man. His eyes had turned into vertical slits, his throat hissing as he curled up, glaring resentfully in Mu Ling’s direction before sinking unwillingly into the blood pool.

With the death of the man inside the cocoon, the attackers no longer pressed their assault, fleeing the underground palace in disarray.

Mu Ling summoned her sect members to rescue the four girls and took some effort to dismantle the sinister formation. She also helped the ghostly old woman locate her granddaughter’s remains among the bones, guiding the spirit to peaceful rest before finally returning to the surface.

With the underground formation destroyed, the once-lush locust tree above ground withered overnight. Mu Ling walked a hundred paces before discovering the poor child unconscious beneath a tree.

The child’s jaw was clenched, eyes tightly shut. Her pulse was bizarre. A violent, unknown force rampaged through her meridians, the pain akin to a thousand blades carving into flesh. Even an adult would struggle to endure such agony, let alone this child who had stubbornly withstood it.

“Poor little thing…”

Mu Ling sighed, bending down to lift the child into her arms.

The child was lighter than she had imagined. Glancing at the trembling lashes, Mu Ling’s lips curved faintly as her mermaid silk billowed, carrying them swiftly through the wind.

A cultivator at the Divine Transformation realm could traverse vast distances in a single step, and the mermaid silk streaked across the sky like a fleeting shadow.

Whether intentional or not, the silk occasionally brushed against the child’s face—soft, teasing, carrying with it the faint fragrance of the woman. It felt like a feather tickling the heart, and the child pressed her lips together, her spine rigid as a rod, summoning every ounce of willpower to resist the urge to turn away.

This torment was almost unbearable, even eclipsing the maddening pain within her body.

“Phew!” Fortunately, this unbearable ordeal didn’t last long. Soon, a light chuckle came from above: “We’re here. Stop pretending to sleep!”

The child froze, not expecting to be seen through, and opened their eyes with an impassive expression.

The woman had already removed the wooden mask she wore in the bustling market. One that cost a mere two coins. Beneath it was a flawless face, younger and more beautiful than the child had imagined. Behind her stood a small wooden building, and beyond it, towering peaks pierced the clouds. Cranes and cultivators flitted between the mountains, while the deep toll of a bell echoed through the valleys. The sky here seemed clearer than anywhere else.

Was this the immortal sect so many yearned for?

As the child took in the sight, they felt none of the admiration they thought they would. Instead, an instinctive revulsion toward this place surged in their mind.

“This is Qingbo Peak.”

Mu Ling carried the child into the building, effortlessly casting a spell to tidy the cluttered room by shoving everything into a corner. After placing the child on the bed, her eyes flickered, and she crouched down in front of them with a sigh.

“I’m starving! I fought all night. I feel like my bones are about to fall apart!”

“And I can’t cook, living all alone up here in the mountains.”

Her gaze burned into the Qiankun pouch at the child’s waist. She had given it to them out of pity, but inside were some of her favorite spicy snacks. Unfortunately, the child was severely injured and couldn’t eat anything pungent.

Yet the child seemed oblivious to her hints. They lay on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, lips pressed into a tight line.

“Kid,” Mu Ling leaned closer, blinking. When subtlety failed, she decided to be direct: “Can you give the Qiankun pouch back to me?”

“I’ll cure your illness.”

Her voice was soft and sweet, coiling around the heart like a boneless serpent.

These so-called immortals were all hypocrites. How dare she ask for a gift back!

The child scoffed inwardly but gave an imperceptible nod.

As for the woman’s claim of being able to cure their illness, the child dismissed it outright. They had lost their memories and origins, but instinct told them no one in this world could truly heal them.

Expressionless, the child watched as the woman eagerly reclaimed the pouch, praising them with a “Good kid!” before presenting a bowl of water like a treasure.

“Drink this, and your pain will vanish.”

How half-hearted!

Even street scammers were more convincing!

The child downed the bowl of plain-looking water, hoping the woman would finish her act and let them leave soon.

But fate rarely complied with their wishes. Even after drinking, the woman continued to stare at them intently.

“Well?”

She actually had the nerve to ask!?

The child clenched their fists again.

They despised this fake pity more than anything.

If only “she” would appear now!

That powerful “she” who could slaughter every pretentious, deceitful fraud in this world.

But “she” had just emerged last night. It would likely be a long time before “she” appeared again.

The child’s heart seethed with violent thoughts, yet not a trace of emotion showed on her face.

Having spent so long at the bottom rung of society, deception had become second nature to her.

The child pressed her lips together, instinctively wanting to shake her head only to suddenly widen her eyes!

It was as if scorching magma had collided with icy spring water. With a faint click, a subtle sound came from her dantian, and the pain in her body began to recede, bit by bit.

“Doesn’t hurt anymore, does it?” Watching the child’s widened eyes, Mu Ling curled her lips smugly.

This spring water was something she had drawn from her spiritual abode. Mu Ling’s body possessed a water spiritual root, naturally inclined toward healing. After advancing to the Nascent Soul stage, a small, mist-shrouded spring had formed in her spiritual abode. A single drop of its water could cure even the gravest mortal ailments, making it a unique and unparalleled remedy in the world.

Mu Ling checked the child’s pulse again.

The unruly, rampaging force within the child’s body had weakened significantly. A few more doses, and it would likely vanish entirely.

“You’ll stay with me for now. I’ll have Xiao Qi arrange a room for you. Go bathe first, and I’ll fetch you something to eat.” Mu Ling summoned a small wooden puppet to lead the child to the bath.

The child seemed stunned by this sudden stroke of good fortune, only snapping out of it when the puppet stood right before her.

Unlike other peak lords who preferred delegating tasks to their disciples, Mu Ling had lived in seclusion, too wary of pursuers from the Demon Palace or the Mu Kingdom’s royal family to take on disciples. Instead, she relied on wooden puppets for chores. These puppets housed the wandering souls of forest animals. Capable of speech and movement, indistinguishable from real people, save for their childlike intellect.

At the summit of Qingbo Peak lay a hot spring. Mu Ling had built her residence before it, expanding the spring into several bathing pools.

Cultivators possessed keen senses, and Mu Ling could clearly hear the puppet’s exclamations by the spring.

“Hey! Your hair’s a mess! You’re covered in mud. Did you sprout from the ground?”

“Hey! You’re actually a girl! What girl has so many scars? So ugly!”

“Hey! Xiao Qi can’t smell. Tell me, do you stink? Like rotten eggs? Or stinky shoes…”

…

“Shut up!”

Mu Ling was about to stop Xiao Qi’s tactless babbling when another voice cut in first.

Perhaps from disuse, the child’s voice was hoarse, lacking the usual clarity of youth.

So, the child wasn’t mute after all!

But after that, Mu Ling heard no more words from her. No matter how much Xiao Qi prattled, the child remained silent.

Before long, the freshly bathed child limped out from behind the house.

Her delicate features were marred by extreme thinness, her face no larger than a palm. Even after soaking in the hot spring, her complexion remained sickly pale.

“Don’t let the wounds touch water for three days.” After applying medicine, Mu Ling looked up and met the child’s gaze.

Before, the child had always kept her head down, her eyes hollow. But now, it seemed she had finally lowered her guard; her gaze held a glimmer of curiosity, like a lone firefly flickering in the dark.

Had she been that desperate before?

Mu Ling’s heart ached.

She had merely picked up a pitiful stray on a whim, with no thought for what came next. Only now did she begin to consider the child’s future.

Mu Ling gently stroked the child’s head, softening her voice as she asked, “What’s your name?”

The child’s hair was fine and soft, like the fur of a newborn animal, and it felt incredibly soothing to the touch.

“I don’t remember,” the child trembled slightly, as if unaccustomed to being touched.

“What about your family?”

“I don’t remember that either.”

“What do you remember?”

“When I woke up, I was hiding under a rock. A male cultivator captured me and many other girls to drain our blood into a blood pool. All the other girls died, but my blood wouldn’t flow into the pool. The man called me a monster and spared my life, forcing me to crawl into a tree hollow to activate a mechanism for his tunnel.”

……

With just a few words, the child sketched out a harrowing past. It was impossible to tell how much suffering she had endured at the hands of that male cultivator.

Mu Ling’s heart ached with pity as she gazed at the child’s downcast profile, worrying: If the child remembers nothing, how can I help her find her family?

“Can’t you take me in?” The child suddenly lifted her head, her pitch-black eyes fixed unblinkingly on Mu Ling. “I’ll listen to you!”

Mu Ling was taken aback and averted her gaze without answering.

“Don’t think too much about it for now. Just rest well today.”

Having just escaped torment, the child was prone to clinging to the person who saved her. Hence her desire to stay by Mu Ling’s side.

She had heard that Elder Xu of the Qianji Peak in their sect was highly skilled in divination and physiognomy. Mu Ling planned to take the child to see him once he emerged from seclusion. Perhaps he could help her find her family.

The child lowered her head.

Of course, she doesn’t want to be burdened with me.

She wasn’t the least bit surprised by Mu Ling’s response.

An hour ago, even if she had no family, she would have fabricated one to trick this woman into sending her down the mountain. But now, having finally encountered someone who could ease her pain, an instinctive voice in her mind screamed that she must cling to this woman at all costs!

The child bit her lower lip, countless schemes flashing through her mind. Yet outwardly, she obediently followed the foolish puppet whom she wished she could tear to pieces to the bedroom.

“The Peak Master said I should treat you well,” the puppet grinned foolishly, its voice creaky as it laughed. “Little Seven will watch over you and fan you.”

The child ignored Little Seven.

Burrowing halfway under the blanket, she inhaled the familiar scent woven into the fabric and frowned.

This place was saturated with traces of that woman named Mu Ling, making her deeply uncomfortable yet she had no choice but to stay.

How can I make her change her mind?

……

The child had assumed she wouldn’t be able to sleep in Mu Ling’s domain, yet before she knew it, she had drifted off.

Time slipped by unnoticed until the moon hung high in the night sky. Suddenly, the child’s eyes snapped open within the bed curtains once again glowing red.

Recalling the mountain gate inscribed with the words “Qingyi Sect” she had passed during the day, and the bowl of water Mu Ling had offered her, the child let out a low, dark chuckle:

“Searching far and wide with no success, yet here it falls into my lap without effort.”

Abruptly, her laughter cut off as her gaze landed on the bedside.

The night pearl cast a watery glow, illuminating the fan-wielding puppet slumped beside the bed. Scattered across the floor was a pile of the same cloyingly sweet candies she had tasted the night before.