Master is Also Running Away from Marriage Today (Transmigration) - Chapter 36

Lin Qingge frowned deeply, her cold eyes fixed on Mu Ling, whose cheeks were flushed crimson as she gazed back with a foolish smile.

“It’s really not my fault,” Bai Mufeng, standing nearby, seemed intimidated by Lin Qingge’s glare and quickly raised his hands in defense. “I had no idea her alcohol tolerance would be this poor.”

Lin Qingge remained silent; her brow furrowed as she handed the fern to Bai Mufeng. Taking a deep breath, she scooped up the giggling Mu Ling onto her sword and sped down the mountain like the wind.

“Being a disciple like this,” Bai Mufeng’s voice called out ingratiatingly from behind, “all these years, it must have been so hard on you.”

Hard?

Lin Qingge didn’t respond, pressing her lips together as she looked down at Mu Ling in her arms. Mu Ling’s eyes were misty, her jade-like cheeks tinged with pink. She seemed to recognize Lin Qingge, her eyes brimming with joy as she called out softly, “Qingge…”

This version of Mu Ling reminded Lin Qingge of a newborn creature, just emerged from its den; small and fragile yet brimming with vitality. In that moment, Lin Qingge, whose hands were stained with blood, hesitated to even reach out and touch her.

Her hands brought not blessings, but bloodshed and curses.

Lin Qingge closed her eyes briefly, a sudden pang of sorrow gripping her heart. Since her grandfather’s passing, she hadn’t felt such sadness in a long time.

Hard?

Lin Qingge wasn’t sure, but she knew the other consciousness within her likely didn’t find it hard at all. In fact, it probably saw it as the only sweetness in life, clinging desperately to that fleeting joy.

Lin Qingge felt as though she were suddenly bathed in the warmth of spring, only to plunge into an icy abyss the next moment. Part of her wished this path would last longer, while another part longed for it to end quickly, so she could stop experiencing these strange, fluctuating emotions and return to being the unrestrained, ruthless demon king she once was.

The other consciousness within her was struggling violently, and Lin Qingge knew she couldn’t hold out much longer this time.

Just then, the path finally came to an end as Lin Qingge carried Mu Ling into the camp.

“Qingge,” Lin Qingge placed Mu Ling on the bed, but the drunken girl seemed to sense her turmoil and instinctively grabbed her sleeve. “Don’t be unhappy.”

“Who says I’m unhappy?” Lin Qingge, driven by an inexplicable impulse, lifted her veil and glared coldly into Mu Ling’s eyes. “And who are you to me?”

But Mu Ling, muddled by alcohol, wasn’t deterred by Lin Qingge’s rejection. Instead, she stared blankly at her before pushing her luck. Kneeling up slightly, her fingers lightly brushing the reddened corners of Lin Qingge’s eyes before wrapping her arms around her. “Don’t be sad.”

“Mu Ling,” Lin Qingge’s chest heaved violently. Her eyes red, she took a deep breath as Mu Ling’s sweet, wine-laced scent enveloped her, so close she could almost feel the girl’s heartbeat against her.

Lin Qingge lowered her lashes, their delicate shadows falling over her eyes. Her fingers curled slightly as the violent energy surging within her slowly receded, allowing Mu Ling to cling to her like a pendant.

In that moment, the eyes of the fearsome demon king held a childlike clarity and joy.

“I’m not sad at all!”

After a long while, Lin Qingge finally gathered her composure, speaking through nearly gritted teeth.

She received no response. Mu Ling’s breathing gradually became peaceful and steady. This infuriating woman had stirred up her emotions and then, leaving her in a tangled mess of thoughts, simply fallen asleep.

“Mu Ling, you’d better not fall into my hands in the future.”

Lin Qingge muttered darkly under her breath as she carefully laid Mu Ling back down on the bed. Though her words were vicious, her movements as she tucked Mu Ling in were surprisingly gentle.

Lin Qingge had obtained the Heart-Eroding Lotus Seed.

To Qian Jing, the Heart-Eroding Lotus Seed was nothing more than a worthless antique. She had only kept it in her lifebound artifact by chance. On the other hand, the Phoenix Tail Grass was a sacred herb capable of detoxifying the poison in Qian Jing’s body. The moment Qian Jing saw the Phoenix Tail Grass in Lin Qingge’s hand, she immediately retrieved the Heart-Eroding Lotus Seed from her lifebound artifact and handed it over.

“Qingge, with the Phoenix Tail Grass, I’ll soon be able to neutralize the poison in my body,” Qian Jing said as she took the herb, her gaze still brimming with infatuation. However, wary of Lin Qingge’s earlier ruthless demeanor, she dared not approach, standing instead at a distance of five or six steps, staring longingly at Lin Qingge. “My feelings for you are genuine.”

Strangely enough, though she had always admired Lin Qingge’s peerless beauty, she had never felt afraid of her before. Yet now, Lin Qingge carried an inexplicable air of eerie ruthlessness, and Qian Jing found herself utterly captivated, even wishing she could prostrate herself at Lin Qingge’s feet.

Lin Qingge paid no attention to her words.

Taking the Heart-Eroding Lotus Seed, Lin Qingge felt a faint resonance between it and the two seeds she had previously ingested into her dantian. A rare flicker of relief passed through her cold eyes. Just as she was about to consume the seed, her expression suddenly froze. Her gaze wavered, and the crimson at the corners of her eyes abruptly vanished.

“Qingge, what’s wrong?”

Qian Jing watched as Lin Qingge’s eyes grew dazed and called out in concern. Before she could step closer, a gleaming sword was unsheathed, cleaving a deep fissure at her feet.

Qian Jing didn’t dare move again, forced to watch helplessly as Lin Qingge’s gaze gradually regained clarity. Yet from start to finish, Lin Qingge spared her not a single glance. Instead, she stared at the Heart-Eroding Lotus Seed with a complicated expression before finally closing her eyes, as if making some monumental decision. She then stored the seed in her Qiankun pouch and strode resolutely out of Qian Jing’s room.

When Lin Qingge returned to Mu Ling’s quarters, Mu Ling was still asleep. Sitting by the bedside, Lin Qingge gazed at her sleeping form and couldn’t help but laugh inwardly: Master probably never realized that someone else had taken over my body earlier, did she?

Unlike before, when she had been completely unaware whenever “that other her” emerged, this time Lin Qingge had awakened within her own body. Through “her” eyes, she had clearly witnessed “her” interactions with Mu Ling, as well as how “she” had slaughtered her way to the mountaintop to obtain the Phoenix Tail Grass.

Lin Qingge had to admit “her” cultivation was at a level she could only aspire to reach at this point.

But so what?

Lin Qingge thought of the Heart-Eroding Lotus Seed she had stored away in her Qiankun Bag and gazed almost greedily at Mu Ling’s sleeping face. The Heart-Eroding Lotus Seed was the key to advancing her cultivation, but it was also the trigger for “her” frequent appearances. Lin Qingge would rather progress more slowly in her cultivation than give “her” another chance to emerge. From beginning to end, she had never wanted to be some kind of Demon King. She only wished to remain quietly as Lin Qingge, the disciple under her master’s care.

Mu Ling’s sleep was restless. Her cheeks were flushed, and she suddenly smiled in her dreams, as if she had seen something delightful. Her limbs kicked off the blankets, and she rolled toward the edge of the bed.

Lin Qingge sighed, reaching out to catch Mu Ling just before she fell, pulling her into her arms.

If she weren’t here to watch over her, what would become of her master with such a careless nature?

Her heart swelled with bittersweet emotions as she looked down at Mu Ling’s sleeping face. Mu Ling still slept fitfully, the flush on her cheeks not fading in the slightest. She squirmed restlessly in Lin Qingge’s embrace, as if thirsty, unconsciously sticking out her pink tongue to lick her lower lip.

Master… how can you…

Lin Qingge’s eyes darkened instantly.

A wave of heat rose from her chest, and a certain thought suddenly surfaced in her mind.

Her master was asleep. Once she sobered up, she wouldn’t remember anything. She wouldn’t know about Lin Qingge’s transgression.

Lin Qingge unconsciously tightened her hold on Mu Ling. She knew this wasn’t the right time, but the person in her arms was the one she had longed for in countless sleepless nights. And now, her beloved was right here, so unbearably adorable that Lin Qingge wanted to devour her whole.

In the end, as if guided by some unseen force, Lin Qingge leaned down, carefully and reverently pressing her lips to the center of Mu Ling’s forehead.

A fleeting touch, then gone.

Her heart pounded wildly, as if trying to leap out of her chest. Yet, in that instant, Lin Qingge’s eyes shone with an unprecedented brightness. She didn’t understand why, but she felt inexplicably strange. She hadn’t meant to smile, yet her lips curled up on their own, like those mortal children outside the mountain gates who had stolen candy. Even though they knew the sweetness was ill-gotten, they still reached out without hesitation, because the mere thought of it filled their hearts with joy.

When Mu Ling woke the next day, she had, of course, forgotten everything again.

And to make matters worse, when she opened her eyes, Lin Qingge was sleeping peacefully beside her.

Mu Ling froze for a moment. She had never seen Lin Qingge look so serene and unguarded. At some point, the redness at the corners of Lin Qingge’s eyes had faded. The usual Lin Qingge always seemed to keep an insurmountable distance from everyone, but now, asleep, she looked as innocent and defenseless as a child.

Only then did Mu Ling realize the compromising position they were in.

Her legs were tangled around Lin Qingge, her arm wrapped around Lin Qingge’s waist, clinging to her like an octopus. In contrast, Lin Qingge slept with perfect posture, as composed as a monk in deep meditation.

Mu Ling’s eyes widened, all traces of drowsiness vanishing instantly.

She struggled to lift her arm, too flustered to question why Lin Qingge was in her bed, and tried to disentangle herself first. But the moment she moved; Lin Qingge instinctively pulled her back into her embrace. Lin Qingge’s voice, thick with sleep, murmured drowsily.

“Master, be careful, or you’ll fall again.”

Alright, Mu Ling had already figured out what was going on in this scene!

It was probably because her sleeping posture was so terrible that Lin Qingge had no choice but to stay and take care of her. But…

If it were anyone else, Mu Ling wouldn’t have been surprised yet this was Lin Qingge!

The Lin Qingge of the past had always been aloof and distant, never getting close to anyone. For some unknown reason, Lin Qingge had recently started acting extremely affectionate toward her. But over the past couple of days, Lin Qingge seemed to have reverted to her old attitude. Mu Ling never expected to wake up from a drunken stupor and find Lin Qingge in her bed.

This was way too intense!

Mu Ling took several deep breaths to calm her tumultuous emotions. In her heart, Lin Qingge had always been like an unattainable flower. Her disciple, yes, but also someone so breathtakingly beautiful that Mu Ling couldn’t help but feel an inexplicable guilt upon waking up to find her in bed. “How could I possibly deserve to share a bed with Qingge and have her take care of me?” she thought.

“Qingge!” Mu Ling finally managed to speak, though it took effort. “I’m awake now, so you can let go.”

For some reason, even though it was just an ordinary sentence, her cheeks inexplicably burned, and she couldn’t bring herself to look at Lin Qingge’s face.

Because of this, Mu Ling didn’t notice that Lin Qingge’s eyes were wide open, clear and alert. Yet, when she spoke, her voice still carried a faint nasal tone, laced with a hint of resignation. “Master, drinking harms the body.”

“Alright, alright, I understand!” That voice of Lin Qingge’s was far too bewitching. Mu Ling felt her heart tremble, as if she were a child being coaxed by Lin Qingge. She could barely control the heat spreading across her face and quickly issued a dismissal. “I need to freshen up now. Qingge, you should go back to your room and rest too!”

The moment she said it, Mu Ling regretted it. She sounded just like a scumbag who’d gotten what they wanted and then turned cold. Qingge had worked so hard to take care of her all night.

Mu Ling shrank into the corner of the bed and, feigning nonchalance, added, “Thank you for taking care of me last night.”

“It was my duty as your disciple.” Mu Ling heard Lin Qingge reply softly. By now, Lin Qingge must have fully woken up. Her voice no longer carried that tantalizing nasal tone, and Mu Ling inexplicably sighed in relief. But she didn’t see the dark, unfathomable gaze Lin Qingge fixed upon her.

Her master, huddled in the corner of the bed pretending to be composed, looked just like a pitiful little rabbit. One that made people want to devour her.