Master is Also Running Away from Marriage Today (Transmigration) - Chapter 35

About half of the group descended the mountain, while the remaining members decided to press onward.

Before long, the party encountered another massive demon fox.

The fox lay sprawled across the path, its size rivaling a small hill. Its eyes gleamed with a translucent purple hue, spiritual energy radiating from its body, its fur bristling like sharpened spikes. Its cultivation level was at least at the Unity Stage.

Yet, no one feared it now because the demon fox had just given birth and lay weakened at the mountain’s base, cradling two frail cubs with barely any life left in them.

The birthing period was when a demon fox was at its most vulnerable!

This fox clearly had no intention of attacking the group; upon seeing the cultivators, it even shifted slightly to the side.

But innocence is no shield against envy. Everyone in the cultivation world knew that a demon fox’s pelt was impervious to blades, its flesh and blood precious alchemical ingredients. And this was no ordinary fox. It had reached the Unity Stage. Extracting its core would greatly benefit any cultivator’s advancement.

No one could say who struck first, but in an instant, a dazzling array of magical attacks and treasures rained down upon the fox!

Mu Ling watched helplessly as the two cubs twitched once before their breaths stilled under the barrage of spells.

She turned her head away, unable to bear the sight, and didn’t want Lin Qingge to witness it either. Immediately, she summoned a veil of mermaid silk to shield Lin Qingge’s view.

“Don’t look!” Lin Qingge heard Mu Ling whisper softly beside her.

Tch.

Would closing her eyes make it all disappear?

Lin Qingge watched Mu Ling’s actions with cold detachment, inwardly scoffing, though she couldn’t be bothered to argue. Pressing her lips together, she stood behind the translucent veil.

Though the mermaid silk obscured the scene, the sounds of battle still reached them.

The dying fox let out a heart-wrenching howl of grief upon seeing its offspring slain, then lashed out in a frenzy.

But the cultivators were too numerous, and the fox’s strength was already depleted. Even at its most desperate, it only managed to wound a few.

The sounds of combat gradually faded, the fox’s breathing growing fainter. It seemed the outcome was decided.

Listening to the commotion ahead, Lin Qingge’s eyes suddenly narrowed. She grabbed Mu Ling and swiftly retreated!

Nearby, Bai Mufeng, who had been observing from the sidelines, noticed their movement and swiftly followed suit.

Out of the corner of her eye, Mu Ling caught a glimpse of the bloodied fox, now barely clinging to life as it nestled beside the corpses of its cubs, its eyes burning with hatred toward the cultivators…

Her heart lurched!

The next moment, BOOM! A deafening explosion erupted.

A massive surge of spiritual energy erupted from where the fox had lain. Even from a distance, Mu Ling staggered, the shockwave sending her tumbling straight into Lin Qingge’s arms!

Unaware of Lin Qingge’s sudden stiffness, Mu Ling turned to look back at the fox’s last stand.

The demon fox had detonated its core!

A massive crater now marked the spot where the fox had been. The cultivators who had rushed forward to seize it were obliterated into dust, while those on the periphery suffered injuries of varying severity.

“Healers! We need healers, now!”

Instantly, the group erupted into cries of pain and despair. Mu Ling clenched her jaw as she watched, her expression dark. She had the power to heal these cultivators but in this moment, she had no desire to save them.

Even the most wicked Demon King had a rule against harming the elderly, children, and women. Yet these so-called righteous cultivators, who never ceased preaching about justice and morality, shamelessly took advantage of the situation to attack a demon fox that had just given birth!

Meanwhile, Lin Qingge, standing nearby, noticed that these cultivators seemed intent on seeking Mu Ling’s help for healing. Frowning, she was about to summon her sword and whisk Mu Ling away when—

The once-vigorous Mu Ling suddenly slumped forward, her head lolling to the side.

By the time the pleading cultivators reached Lin Qingge, the renowned Water Spirit Root healer of Qingyi Sect, Peak Lord Mu, had already fainted in Lin Qingge’s arms.

“My master was previously injured by a venomous spider, and the residual poison has yet to be fully purged. The recent surge of spiritual energy has caused her qi and blood to churn violently. She urgently needs rest.”

Lin Qingge’s voice was icy, betraying none of the tension in her tightly pressed lips or the redness creeping up her ears beneath her veil.

This damn woman throwing herself into my arms like this!

The woman in her embrace was soft and pliant, her face buried against Lin Qingge’s chest.

That strange sensation surged again!

Holding Mu Ling like this, Lin Qingge felt as though she had lost control of her own body. Gritting her teeth, she glared at the top of Mu Ling’s dark-haired head but found herself utterly unable to push her away.

With Mu Ling’s face hidden against her, the cultivators couldn’t inspect her condition. Moreover, with her disciple making such a claim, even the thickest-skinned among them couldn’t demand treatment from an injured healer. To avoid worsening their own injuries, the remaining wounded cultivators had no choice but to mount their swords and descend the mountain.

Just like that, another large portion of the group departed.

The once-grand assembly that had ascended the mountain was now reduced to less than half its original size.

Mu Ling feigned unconsciousness, but her ears remained sharp, picking up every word of the surrounding conversations. She learned that Bai Junhao had also participated in the attack on the demon fox. Unfortunately, the bastard had escaped quickly, sustaining only minor injuries.

“Brother Bai, while numbers do make things easier, there’s only one Demon Palace, and the Phoenix Tail Grass is limited. Now that the cowards have fled, why don’t we split up and ascend the mountain separately, each relying on our own abilities? You can wait here, and whoever retrieves the Phoenix Tail Grass first and brings it back will be the victor.”

After the incidents with the insects and the demon fox, many had realized that traveling in a group wasn’t always advantageous. Someone suggested to Bai Mufeng that they proceed individually.

Bai Mufeng glanced around, noting that most didn’t object likely because they shared the same sentiment. With a hearty laugh, he leaned in to whisper a few words to his fellow Bai Xu Sect disciples before sitting down. “Then I shall await your good news here!”

No sooner had Bai Mufeng spoken than cultivators from various sects shot off like arrows from a bow, riding their swords into the distance.

Bai Junhao should have stayed behind, but one of his admirers had expended her cultivation to heal him. With tears in her eyes, she clung to him, insisting he accompany her up the mountain. Glancing at Bai Mufeng’s expression and seeing no objection, Bai Junhao reluctantly joined her group.

Truly the original novel’s protagonist, a master of PUA skills. What kind of charm does he possess to make so many women devoted to him?

Mu Ling, nestled in Lin Qingge’s arms, couldn’t help but marvel.

Soon, only Bai Mufeng and a few Bai Xu Sect disciples remained in the area.

Mu Ling finally let out a soft groan, pretending to stir awake as she slowly rose from Lin Qingge’s embrace. She glanced around, feigning confusion. “Where did everyone go?”

Lin Qingge remained silent, having witnessed everything. Bai Mufeng, who had seen it all, fanned himself with a smile but offered no answer. Instead, an uninformed disciple from Bai Xu Sect eagerly explained to Mu Ling, “Immortal Mu, everyone has gone up the mountain now.”

“Then you should hurry up the mountain too!” Mu Ling urged Lin Qingge anxiously. “Your master is fine. I just need to rest here for a while!”

Mu Ling felt a pang of guilt. In the heat of the moment, she had pulled Lin Qingge into pretending to faint, but it had also delayed Lin Qingge’s journey.

Lin Qingge glanced around and, seeing that Mu Ling was in no immediate danger, decided not to linger. She summoned her sword and soared toward the mountaintop.

The once bustling clearing was now nearly empty, with only a few people remaining. Mu Ling listlessly curled up in a corner, her gaze involuntarily drawn to the massive crater left by the exploding fox demon. Now a charred pit, with not a single bone remaining from the fox’s resolute demise.

Mu Ling pressed her lips tightly together and walked to the edge of the crater, staring blankly into its depths. She despised the ways of the cultivation world but lacked the courage to overturn heaven and earth. Hiding within the Qingyi Sect had been her way of avoiding it all, yet some things were unavoidable. The fox demon had still died before her eyes.

In modern society, people could strive to take control of their lives and become masters of their world. But in this realm of cultivation, where cultivators could move mountains and alter the heavens, human strength seemed pitifully insignificant.

Her lips still pressed tight, Mu Ling’s mood darkened further. She sighed softly, gathered some soil from nearby, and used her magic to fill the crater.

When she turned around again, she noticed that the disciples from Bai Xu Sect had already moved far away. Bai Mufeng was watching her with an amused glint in his eyes, one eyebrow raised.

“I’ve been wanting to talk to you for a while,” Bai Mufeng chuckled, pulling out a bottle of wine from his Qiankun pouch and waving it at her. “Care for a drink?”

Mu Ling, feeling stifled and in low spirits, didn’t hesitate. She sat on a nearby rock and accepted the wine from him.

“Sect Leader Zhao has mentioned you to me,” Bai Mufeng said, sitting down beside her without a care for decorum. He produced another flask of wine and looked at her with a meaningful gaze. “You’re not what I expected.”

“How so?” Mu Ling frowned at him. In her current mood, she didn’t mind distracting herself with idle chatter.

“I thought you’d be like Sect Leader Zhao,” Bai Mufeng paused, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes creasing as if carefully choosing his words. “Strict, just, and immensely powerful.”

Seeing Mu Ling’s wooden expression, his smile deepened. “Didn’t expect you to be such a kind-hearted, naive little girl!”

“I’m not naive,” Mu Ling scowled, glaring at him. “Don’t think just because you’re close to the sect leader that you can make fun of me.”

Bai Mufeng laughed heartily, completely unbothered by her glare. After his laughter subsided, he turned serious. “Sect Leader Zhao probably treats you like a daughter. That’s why you turned out this way.”

Mu Ling nearly choked on her wine and shot him another glare, feeling as though she was inherently at odds with Bai Xu Sect. None of its members seemed normal.

How could Zhao Yunshi possibly treat her like a daughter?

“Don’t doubt it,” Bai Mufeng took a sip of wine. “Sect Leader Zhao indeed has a daughter. She wasn’t always the way she is now. In her youth, she was passionate and fearless, radiantly beautiful, her sword renowned across the nine provinces. Cultivators from all corners flocked to her, yet she fell for a mortal man with mixed spiritual roots.”

“The divide between the sect and the mortal world was like an impassable chasm. When the previous Qingyi Sect leader heard of Zhao’s relationship with a mortal man, he flew into a rage. Sect Leader Zhao broke ties with the sect and went into seclusion in the mortal world with that man. Later, she became pregnant, seemingly resolved to never return.”

“In the end, the Qingyi Sect leader at the time relented, saying that if the mortal man could successfully establish his foundation, he would bless their union. Overjoyed, Sect Leader Zhao exhausted all means to help him cultivate, but the man could never achieve that breakthrough.”

“And then fate played its cruel hand,” Bai Mufeng sighed softly. “Demonic sect spies infiltrated Qingyi. When Sect Leader Zhao returned from searching for marrow-cleansing pills for her husband, she found his cold corpse. The shock induced labor, and she gave birth to a daughter. But the demonic spies hadn’t left. They stole the newborn while Zhao lay unconscious.”

“All these years, Sect Leader Zhao has searched for her daughter. But where does one even begin in this vast world? Especially when the child fell into demonic hands…”

Mu Ling hadn’t expected to hear this story.

Suddenly, many of Zhao Yunshi’s actions made sense: why she had refused to teach Lin Qingge upon discovering her mixed spiritual roots because Zhao had already exhausted every method trying to help her husband cultivate; why she practiced cultivation with such relentless devotion perhaps regretting that her past weakness allowed the demons to steal her child; her kindness toward mortals hoping that if her daughter survived, her descendants might be among those she helped.

“I always urged Sect Leader Zhao to ease her heart, but she never listened,” Bai Mufeng smiled at Mu Ling. “Given her hatred for demons, I thought she’d come personally this time. Yet here you are instead!”

“I tell you this so you understand how highly Sect Leader Zhao regards you. And to ask you, Miss Mu, to help persuade that stubborn mule to take things easier. After all, she saved my life once. The way she drives herself now. She’ll work herself to death one day.”

Bai Mufeng’s gaze was deep and sincere, but Mu Ling avoided his eyes, lips pressed tight. Her thoughts were in turmoil not just from hearing Zhao Yunshi’s past, but precisely because of that word “regard.” She’d always thought Zhao’s affection was that of a teacher for a student, something she could repay through diligent service. Now it seemed far more complicated.

Mu Ling had never imagined leading a sect, having long planned to retire in seclusion. But with Zhao Yunshi placing such faith in her, could she still leave so resolutely?

Nor had she expected this conversation with Bai Mufeng to leave her increasingly somber. She could only drink steadily, drowning her unease cup by cup.

Thus, when Lin Qingge descended the mountain holding the phoenix tail grass, she once again encountered a drunken Mu Ling, standing there with a foolish grin and reeking of alcohol.

Lin Qingge’s eyes narrowed sharply!