Master is Also Running Away from Marriage Today (Transmigration) - Chapter 43

Mu Ling had originally intended to skip the banquet.

However, the invitations arrived three times in a row, and their persistence made refusal seem suspicious. Reluctant as she was, Mu Ling had no choice but to don her veil, ignore Qingge’s probing gaze, and steel herself to attend the banquet in the main hall.

Then, watching the crowd of cultivators flocking around Qingge while she herself was left forgotten in a corner, Mu Ling belatedly realized the truth. These people hadn’t wanted to invite her at all. They had wanted to invite Lin Qingge!

Because Mu Ling had declined twice before, Lin Qingge had also refused the invitations, citing the need to accompany her master. That was why they had kept sending invitations so insistently.

Mu Ling felt utterly exasperated.

Had she known their true aim was Lin Qingge, she wouldn’t have come at all. But now, regret was too late.

Sitting in the corner, Mu Ling tried her best to become invisible. At first, a few people attempted to approach her as a way to get closer to Lin Qingge, but seeing her indifferent reactions, they tactfully kept their distance.

The banquet was held in the hot spring pools of the former Mu Kingdom’s royal family. The royal baths were extravagantly luxurious, divided into a large communal pool and various private chambers. Having spent some time in the Mu royal palace after transmigrating before escaping the arranged marriage Mu Ling was quite familiar with the layout.

Since some guests had yet to arrive and Mu Ling was already weary of the lively atmosphere in the hall, she sent a voice transmission to Lin Qingge, saying she wanted to retreat to a private chamber to soak in the springs.

Mu Ling chose the innermost chamber.

As she soaked in the warm water, she found herself reminiscing about the original host’s past. This particular pool had been the favorite of the late Mu Emperor. The old king had been a foolish and pleasure-seeking ruler, spending his days frolicking in the springs with his concubines. The original host had been born from one such dalliance, an unloved daughter in the royal palace, which was why she had been offered as tribute to the Demon King.

But the old king did have a daughter he genuinely doted on the Eldest Princess, a dual-spirit root cultivator who had been taken in as a disciple by a powerful master. The king had cherished her like a treasure.

Mu Ling remembered this princess because of the plot in The Tyrant Demon Lord’s Fierce Love. In the original story, after a falling-out with Bai Junhao, the demon lord had claimed to “miss” the original host but then took the Eldest Princess who bore a sixty percent resemblance to her as a concubine, treating her as a substitute. The original host, a delicate white lotus, was no match for the ruthless princess and was nearly killed by her schemes.

Lost in these thoughts, Mu Ling lazily soaked in the spring.

Most immortals, accustomed to finer things, had little interest in mortal hot springs. The real purpose of this banquet was to curry favor with powerful figures like Lin Qingge. When Mu Ling entered, the area was deserted, and she enjoyed the solitude, nearly dozing off in the warm water.

Lately, she had been plagued by nightmares of being burned alive, leaving her perpetually exhausted.

She wasn’t sure how much time had passed when she suddenly heard voices through the wall. Startled, Mu Ling jolted awake.

Hidden in an inconspicuous spot on the wall was a small sound-capturing artifact. A device that allowed eavesdropping on conversations from any chamber within the hot spring complex.

Mu Ling suddenly understood why the senile old king had a habit of randomly executing people. He had probably overheard others speaking ill of him in these hot spring pools.

At that moment, the voices continued.

Mu Ling raised her hand, intending to cast a spell to block out the sound, but upon hearing the content of the conversation, she stopped.

“Has Mu Wanwan already delivered the wine?”

“What, did Qingge notice anything?”

Mu Ling recognized this voice. It belonged to Qian Jing, the one who lusted after Qingge’s beauty. She was actually at this banquet too! What shocked Mu Ling even more was the mention of Mu Wanwan’s name, because if Mu Ling remembered correctly, Mu Wanwan was the ruthless eldest princess from the original story.

“Don’t worry. Wanwan bears a fifty percent resemblance to Fairy Mu. With a little disguise, she looks almost identical. Fairy Lin didn’t suspect a thing and accepted that cup of wine.”

“Well done!” Qian Jing laughed. Mu Ling heard the sound of movement, as if Qian Jing was hastily leaving. “Once this is done, my Earth Emperor Alliance will reward you handsomely.”

Mu Ling couldn’t bear to listen any longer!

Given Qian Jing’s obsession with Lin Qingge, that wine must have been spiked. But when Mu Ling hurried back to the banquet hall, she couldn’t find Qingge anywhere.

Mu Ling’s heart sank. She grabbed a passerby and asked, and sure enough, they told her that Qian Jing had apparently called Lin Qingge away to the back for some reason.

Frantic with worry, Mu Ling followed the directions and finally sensed Lin Qingge’s presence in a small private hot spring room at the back.

Relieved, Mu Ling rushed inside and saw Qian Jing lying unconscious in the corner, while Lin Qingge’s face was flushed like peach blossoms, her robes slightly disheveled. Her gaze held a subtle, smoldering heat as she looked at Mu Ling.

This version of Qingge was far too enticing!

Mu Ling’s heart pounded. Her eyes widened as she stumbled forward to steady Lin Qingge. “Did you drink that wine?”

A shadow flickered deep in Lin Qingge’s eyes, but her voice came out hoarse and soft. “Wasn’t that cup of wine handed to me by you, Master?”

Damn that Mu Wanwan!

Mu Ling felt like her entire world was collapsing.

“Are… are you alright?” Mu Ling’s hands trembled as she checked Lin Qingge’s pulse, only to find it erratic and chaotic. Panic set in, and her voice even cracked with distress. “Qingge, can’t you suppress it with your inner energy?”

“Or…” Mu Ling bit her lower lip, recalling the common antidote for such vile potions in novels, but she couldn’t bring herself to suggest finding a man for Qingge.

For some reason, though Mu Ling was usually calm and composed, the mere thought of Qingge being defiled by such underhanded means filled her with a murderous rage.

Distraught, Mu Ling took Lin Qingge’s hand, intending to quietly persuade her to endure and return to their sect together. But then a scorching body suddenly pressed against her from behind. Lin Qingge’s body had grown unbearably hot. She wrapped her arms around Mu Ling from behind, burying her face in Mu Ling’s neck and nuzzling lightly. Her voice was low and husky. “Master, I don’t want anyone else.”

?!

Lin Qingge’s warm breath brushed against her ear, sending tingling sensations radiating from that patch of skin. Gradually, Mu Ling felt as though she too was being infected by Qingge’s heat, her entire body burning up.

Why was Qingge holding her like this?

Mu Ling’s mind went blank, her body stiffening as she dared not move. She had originally assumed that since Qingge and Bai Fengqing seemed to have had some ambiguous history, Qingge’s orientation must be toward men. Only now did Mu Ling realize she might have been mistaken such reactions in moments of crisis couldn’t be faked. Or perhaps Qian Jing’s drug was too potent, making Qingge mistake her for a man?

…

“Qingge, let go of me,” Mu Ling swallowed hard, her voice involuntarily growing hoarse as she struggled to break free from Lin Qingge’s embrace. “Look clearly! I’m your master, I’m a woman!”

“Master, stay help me,” Lin Qingge seemed not to hear Mu Ling’s words, murmuring softly as she nibbled on Mu Ling’s earlobe. Mu Ling had never heard Qingge speak in such a pleading tone before. In her long-standing impression, the words “coquettish” or “vulnerable” had nothing to do with Qingge. Yet now, this sudden display of tenderness and weakness from someone usually so strong and aloof struck right at Mu Ling’s heart, stirring her maternal instincts toward Qingge.

Mu Ling finally stopped struggling, standing still with flushed cheeks, holding her breath and tightly pressing her lips together. Fortunately, Qingge didn’t overstep further, only showering Mu Ling’s cheeks, earlobes, neck, and eyelids with restrained yet reverent kisses.

Mu Ling’s face burned fiercely. The cool, refreshing scent of Qingge enveloped her, making her feel as though she had melted into a puddle, barely able to stand. In the end, it was Qingge who steadied her! Mu Ling didn’t know how things had escalated to this point, but a faint sense of guilt crept into her heart. She felt like the scoundrel in novels who took advantage of someone in a vulnerable moment. Yet unlike those scoundrels who would later marry their victims out of responsibility, Mu Ling was Qingge’s master.

Her thoughts were a tangled mess. Never had she imagined she would share such an ambiguous moment with Qingge.

After what felt like an eternity, Mu Ling’s face flushed crimson from holding her breath, and Qingge finally stopped kissing her. Resting her chin on Mu Ling’s shoulder, she whispered, “Master, I like women.”

Mu Ling let out a soft “Mm.” She hadn’t known before, but now she did.

Perhaps this was for the best. In the future, when Qingge found a partner, the Qingyi Sect would gain another outstanding young woman. Yet for some reason, Mu Ling couldn’t bring herself to imagine what Qingge’s future lover might look like.

Was “Mm” all she had to say?!

Unbeknownst to Mu Ling, Yan Qi’s gaze darkened instantly where she rested on her shoulder. Yan Qi gritted her teeth in frustration and couldn’t resist biting Mu Ling’s reddened earlobe again.

She hadn’t actually drunk the wine Meng Wanwan had brought. The moment Meng Wanwan appeared, Yan Qi had recognized she wasn’t Mu Ling. But to uncover the mastermind behind the scheme, Yan Qi had pretended to fall for the trap, luring Qian Jing out.

After following Qian Jing to a secluded spot, Yan Qi had been about to silently eliminate her when she suddenly heard Mu Ling rushing over.

A thought flashed through her mind, and without hesitation, Yan Qi knocked Qian Jing unconscious, deliberately disrupting her own qi to feign the effects of the drug.

Lin Qingge thought about everything that had just happened, her lips curving into a smile as she held Mu Ling even tighter. Heaven knew how overjoyed she was at this moment! Not only had she kissed Mu Ling while fully conscious, but she had also discovered something even more exhilarating: Mu Ling didn’t reject intimacy from another woman. So, given enough time.

Mu Ling, unaware that she had already been marked, endured the excruciatingly awkward intimacy with Qingge as if each moment lasted an eternity. Finally, when Lin Qingge loosened her embrace, Mu Ling even had to comfort the seemingly remorseful Qingge, assuring her that she wouldn’t blame her knowing it was due to the poison’s influence.

Half an hour later, the two finally managed to leave the private bathing chamber.

Mu Ling didn’t notice Yan Qi’s thoughtful gaze as she observed the hot spring pool.

Yan Qi couldn’t tell if it was just her imagination, but the layout of the royal hot spring pool of the Mu Kingdom bore an uncanny resemblance to the one Mu Ling had personally designed behind Qingbo Peak. Moreover, her spies had informed her. The woman impersonating Mu Ling was named ‘Mu Wanwan,’ sharing the same surname.

Recalling Mu Ling’s unusual behavior over the past few days, along with Mu Wanwan’s striking resemblance to Mu Ling, a sudden thought flashed through Yan Qi’s mind:

Could her master’s past be connected to Mu Wanwan?