Master is Also Running Away from Marriage Today (Transmigration) - Chapter 28

Mu Ling dreamed of her childhood.

It was actually a memory she had always been afraid to touch:

Back then, Mu Ling’s parents had just passed away. Fearing that staying in the city would only deepen her grief, her grandparents took her to live in their rural hometown for two years.

Losing her beloved parents so suddenly left Mu Ling heartbroken and lost. She became withdrawn, barely speaking a word. After arriving in the village, she developed an allergic reaction, breaking out in rashes and running a fever. One night, she suddenly spoke up, saying she wanted to eat chocolate.

The village was remote, with no convenience stores. So, her grandfather braved the rain at three in the morning, walking three or four kilometers to the neighboring town to bring back a crumpled, counterfeit brand-name chocolate bar.

Mu Ling would never forget that night. The cloyingly sweet, artificial taste of the cheap chocolate. As she swallowed it bite by bite, her tears fell in heavy drops. She cried all night, while the two elderly people fumbled helplessly, trying to comfort her.

The next morning, Mu Ling woke up early. Standing in front of the mirror, she tugged at the corners of her lips, and her eyes grew brighter and brighter. She realized she could laugh again.

At the time, she was too young to understand what that feeling was. She only knew that, on that day, she made a vow to herself: no matter what, she would live well. It wasn’t until she grew older that she realized, in that moment, she had made peace with herself even though her parents were gone, there were still people who loved her.

Once she emerged from her grief, the two years she spent in the village became some of the happiest of her life.

Her grandfather would weave little toys from leaves to make her smile, take her up the mountain to pick wild fruit, craft cages to catch fireflies with her at night, and teach her all kinds of rustic folk songs.

More often, though, he would tell her stories from his youth: He had lost his mother at a very young age, and his stepmother abused him, treating him as less than human. Every time he watched her prepare food for his half-brother, he could only secretly swallow his hunger. But he endured, saved money, married, and raised two sons who both became top university students making him the most accomplished man in the village. Just when he thought life would stay good, his second son and daughter-in-law met with tragedy.

“Ling’er, remember this. There’s no hardship in this world that can’t be overcome.” That was a phrase her grandfather often repeated.

So even after transmigrating into a book, Mu Ling tried her best to live happily. After all, love never truly fades, whether separated by life and death or time and space.

But there was one thing Mu Ling had always been too afraid to think about: Peak Master Xu had only pulled her soul into the book. Before the transmigration, she had already become a spirit yet she couldn’t remember how it had happened.

Her grandfather had already lost his youngest son and daughter-in-law, lost his wife, and now he had lost his granddaughter too.

What had become of him now?

…

Mu Ling drifted in the depths of her dreams, tears streaming uncontrollably down her face. Lin Qingge had originally intended to let Mu Ling rest quietly until she woke, but she hadn’t expected Mu Ling to start crying. Even more surprising was the sight of her usually cheerful and radiant master weeping so sorrowfully in her sleep. Knowing that Mu Ling had been wounded by a demonic cultivator and was now trapped in a heart demon’s grip, Qingge panicked, clumsily wiping away her master’s tears. Yet, as she watched the endless flow of Mu Ling’s grief, an unprecedented agitation rose in her chest. She had never comforted anyone before, let alone known how to soothe a crying woman. Frustrated, she scrubbed at Mu Ling’s tear-stained cheeks with rough strokes, her voice stern yet hollow as she threatened, “Stop crying. Wake up already.”

But Mu Ling only cried harder, even nuzzling closer to cling to Qingge’s waist like a petulant child, whimpering softly as she buried her face against her.

Qingge stared at Mu Ling’s damp lashes, her slightly swollen eyes, and the flushed pink of her cheeks. Her own gaze darkened with unreadable emotions before, as if possessed, she reached out.

In the final moments of her dream, Mu Ling saw her grandfather.

‘Grandfather’ embraced her, humming an unfamiliar lullaby as he tied up her hair. Though in reality, it had always been her grandmother who had braided her hair as a child, Mu Ling was so overjoyed to see ‘Grandfather’ in her dream that she wrapped her arms around his waist. Breathing in his familiar, comforting scent, her sobs gradually subsided. A faint smile touched her lips as she clutched his sleeve tightly and drifted back into peaceful slumber.

By the time Mu Ling awoke, it was already the next day.

Her head throbbed dully, and the wounds inflicted by the demonic cultivator had been treated and bandaged. As she lifted her gaze, she found Lin Qingge sitting beside her, eyes closed in quiet repose.

The faint morning light traced the delicate contours of Qingge’s face, casting her in an ethereal glow, like a statue carved from divine jade. Faced with such otherworldly beauty, Mu Ling felt her breath catch for a fleeting moment.

After admiring her disciple’s loveliness, Mu Ling belatedly realized she was lying on Qingge’s lap!

Her face burned crimson at the sight of the wrinkled pleats she had left on Qingge’s pristine skirt. Her mind raced, and within seconds, she hatched a plan: pretend she hadn’t woken up, shut her eyes again, and subtly roll off Qingge’s lap under the guise of shifting in her sleep.

Qingge was reserved by nature. If Mu Ling acted as though nothing had happened afterward, her disciple would surely never bring it up.

Just as victory seemed within reach, Mu Ling sighed in relief. Only for Qingge, still seemingly asleep, to suddenly reach out and pull her back onto her lap with an almost instinctive grip!

Mu Ling, now once again sprawled across Qingge’s thighs: “…!”

She cautiously cracked one eye open to peek at Qingge’s expression, but her disciple’s face remained serene, eyes still shut, with no sign of waking.

So, this was just Qingge acting on reflex?!

Mu Ling struggled to piece together the implications, then recalled last night’s dream. How she had clung to ‘Grandfather,’ whining and refusing to let go, and how ‘Grandfather’ had clumsily tied up her hair.

With a sinking heart, she glanced down at her own hair. A bright red ribbon was tied around it, its vivid hue practically mocking her, as if to remind her of her shameless behavior!

So, all the dignity she had painstakingly maintained as a master over the years; had it all crumbled before Qingge’s eyes?!

The moment this realization struck, Mu Ling felt as though lightning had split her soul in two.

She clutched her head, unable to process such a reality, and decided to be an ostrich and calm down alone.

So, Mu Ling closed her eyes again, mustering a do-or-die attitude as she stuffed a pillow under Lin Qingge’s legs and began inching her way toward the inner side of the bed.

Fortunately, Mu Ling succeeded this time!

Almost the moment she returned to the bed, she pulled the blanket over her head, cocooning herself like a silkworm: as long as she pretended not to remember, then none of it had ever happened.

What Mu Ling didn’t know was that almost the instant she covered her head, Lin Qingge opened her eyes.

Lin Qingge’s gaze was clear. There wasn’t a trace of sleepiness in them.

Her eyes darkened as she stared at the lump under the blanket, her lips pressing together. Being around Mu Ling made it incredibly easy to be influenced by her. Last night, while holding Mu Ling, she had actually dozed off briefly.

In her dream, she saw Mu Ling again. Tears welling in her eyes, her face flushed red, whimpering as Lin Qingge “bullied” her.

When she woke up and saw Mu Ling clinging to her waist like an octopus, sleeping soundly and completely defenseless, a dark impulse surged within Lin Qingge. For a fleeting moment, she truly wanted to act out everything from her dream.

But she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

And so, Lin Qingge lay awake, restless for half the night, until Mu Ling finally stirred from sleep.

After disturbing her all night, did Mu Ling really think she could just brush it off? Master, the world doesn’t work that way!

Mu Ling hadn’t expected to fall asleep again wrapped in the blanket. By the time she woke up, Lin Qingge was no longer by the bed.

Mu Ling sighed in relief and was about to get up when she noticed a message talisman left by Lin Qingge, detailing what had happened after Mu Ling lost consciousness: the demonic cultivator had been killed by Lin Qingge, the formation destroyed, Bai Mufeng had returned to Bai Xu Sect with his brothers, the other trapped cultivators had been rescued, and Lin Qingge had already buried Liao Kun and his family.

Qingge always handled things impeccably!

Hearing that Lin Qingge had buried Liao Kun, Mu Ling relaxed only for her relief to twist into a conflicted expression halfway: how was she supposed to face Qingge now?

Not only had they played husband and wife in the Mirror of the Heart, but she had even acted coquettishly with her…

Just thinking about it filled Mu Ling with unbearable shame!

Fortunately, Lin Qingge’s cool voice continued in the message talisman: “The matters in Lu Feng Town have been settled. Master need not worry further. I’ve heard of unusual disturbances in Bai Feng Kingdom and will investigate first. I should return to the sect in about five days.”

Hearing that Lin Qingge was no longer at Qingyi Sect, Mu Ling finally exhaled in relief.

She decided to focus on recovering from her injuries before thinking about anything else and immediately began meditating.

Unexpectedly, this injury turned out to be a blessing in disguise. As she regulated her breathing, Mu Ling realized she had faintly touched the threshold of a breakthrough.

At the same time, the space within her spiritual sea expanded once more.

Now, Mu Ling’s spiritual sea was lush with flourishing plants, and the spiritual spring had grown slightly larger. The thick black mist that had once shrouded the surroundings had receded significantly, revealing a massive black cocoon.

Mu Ling had no idea what lay inside the cocoon. Approaching it filled her with unbearable discomfort, making her realize it was something beyond her current ability to unravel. So, she stopped forcing the issue.

Mu Ling immediately decided to go into seclusion for half a year to fully digest the sudden spark of inspiration that had come to her.

At that moment, Lin Qingge, thousands of miles away, was unaware of Mu Ling’s decision.

The so-called “anomaly” in the White Phoenix Kingdom was merely the chaos caused by the palace concubines scheming against one another. Lin Qingge resolved it in less than a day.

But she did not return to the Qingyi Sect.

After dealing with the anomaly, Lin Qingge took a Disguise Pill and flew southward on her sword.

The White Phoenix Kingdom was blessed with an excellent location and was renowned for its beauties. In the south lay a small city called Red Sleeve City, rumored to be home to the most beautiful women in the world. Lustful cultivators often visited Red Sleeve City in search of pleasure.

Recently, Lin Qingge had been unsettled by the desires she felt toward Mu Ling, and a vague suspicion had taken root in her heart. Yet, she instinctively found the idea absurd perhaps it was simply because she had encountered too few women. How could she possibly?

And so, Lin Qingge came to Red Sleeve City.

In this world-famous den of pleasure, Lin Qingge once again felt as though she had stepped into a new world. The Zhou sisters-in-law she had seen in Lufeng Town paled in comparison to the women of Red Sleeve City, who were well-versed in the arts of romance.

Yet even when the most stunning dancer of Red Sleeve City tossed her an embroidered ball. A symbol of a night of passion, Lin Qingge coldly cast it aside.

Over five days, she observed all manner of women and even men in Red Sleeve City, yet not a single one could hold her gaze for long. None of them could compare to Mu Ling, the one who lingered in her thoughts, the one who, with just a thought, could warm her cold heart.

Lin Qingge finally admitted it. She seemed to care for her master in a way that went beyond respect and duty. It was the kind of care shared between the closest of companions, between lovers!

With a heart full of complex emotions, Lin Qingge returned to the Qingyi Sect. Had she not confirmed her suspicions, she might have feigned ignorance. But now that she had proven her feelings, the mere thought of seeing Mu Ling again made her heart race uncontrollably, despite her usual composure.

Yet, the person she longed to see was nowhere to be found.

Ding Xin informed her, “Master has gone into seclusion. She won’t emerge for about half a year.”

Lin Qingge didn’t hear the rest.

It was as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over her head, jolting her awake. This was all her own one-sided longing. Mu Ling had only ever seen her as a disciple, which was why she could withdraw so easily, untouched by any of it.

But so what?

Lin Qingge stared coldly at the mountain cave where Mu Ling was secluded, pressed her lips together, and slung her sword over her back.

Who asked you to save me back then?

Since you saved me, you’ll have to bear all my presumptuous, wretched, dark, and filthy thoughts.

You can’t escape me, Master.