Master is Also Running Away from Marriage Today (Transmigration) - Chapter 57

Mu Ling was unaware of the unexpected turn of events at the banquet.

In her mind, Yan Qi should have been indulging in carefree revelry in the grand hall, savoring delicacies and watching beautiful women dance, living a life of utter bliss.

Though she told herself that Yan Qi was now an ex, Mu Ling couldn’t help but feel a pang of bitterness in her heart.

Feeling that this wouldn’t do, lest she appear overly concerned about that scoundrel Yan Qi. Mu Ling decided to take a proper bath to rejuvenate herself, determined to be happier than that heartless woman.

Thus, she went to the plum grove to gather fallen petals, borrowed a large bathtub, and secluded herself in her room for a long soak.

It had been ages since Mu Ling had enjoyed a proper bath.

The backyard had a communal bathhouse where everyone bathed together. Ever since Mu Ling became aware of her own inclinations, she had deliberately avoided such situations, not daring to bathe with the other women. Without spiritual power to activate protective arrays, she could only sneak in for a quick wash when no one was around late at night.

Now, she could finally bathe to her heart’s content.

Relaxing in the tub, Mu Ling noticed that this body was almost identical to her original one, except it was more developed. Despite having just reached adulthood, the corpse’s figure was perfectly proportioned. Far superior to her own flat-chested fifteen-year-old self.

Blushing slightly, Mu Ling thought to herself: a youthful face paired with a perfect figure. Her current appearance perfectly matched a certain four-word phrase.

Aside from certain noticeable enhancements, Mu Ling also discovered a crimson birthmark on the chest of this body.

All of this was brought about by the seed that had once resided in her spiritual core.

The seed still remained in her dantian, warming her body.

Mu Ling couldn’t shake the feeling that an invisible hand was guiding everything toward a predetermined path.

Unable to resist this unknown force, she could only strive to improve her strength, hoping to gain more control before destiny arrived.

Due to the vast difference in spiritual power levels, Mu Ling remained oblivious to the fact that she had been thoroughly observed. After her bath, she began meditating to cultivate her energy, completely unaware that the Demon King had lingered on her rooftop for a long time.

Yan Qi didn’t understand what was happening to her either.

When she first saw Mu Ling emerging from her bath, she was stunned by what her spiritual senses revealed. Reason told her she shouldn’t look further, yet she found herself inexplicably unable to look away.

Until she saw the red birthmark on Mu Ling’s chest.

It felt like being pricked by something. Yan Qi’s heart clenched violently, her mind going blank. When she regained her senses, she was already standing on Mu Ling’s rooftop.

Yan Qi didn’t know why she had come here.

Extending her spiritual senses into the room, she saw the young girl diligently cultivating. Dressed only in thin sleepwear, the faint outline of her body was visible beneath. Watching her, Yan Qi unconsciously licked her lips, her cheeks growing warm again: she had always thought the girl fragrant and soft, but never imagined her figure would be so exquisite.

Perhaps because she had just bathed, the girl’s glossy black hair was slightly disheveled, cascading down her back.

Yan Qi looked at the little girl’s disheveled hair, her fingers twitching slightly with an inexplicable urge to comb and tidy those messy long locks.

But in the end, Yan Qi didn’t make a move.

She felt something was very wrong with herself. No matter how she looked at it, the girl in the room was just a mortal, her appearance barely above average amidst the sea of beauties in the immortal and demon realms. Yet, for some reason, the girl tugged at her heartstrings.

Yan Qi instinctively grew wary of this uncontrollable feeling.

She forced herself to shift her attention elsewhere, deliberately traveling thousands of miles away to a secluded sect’s hideout in the midst of wind and rain, where she killed the sect’s most powerful elder.

As the entire sect was captured, the disciples looked at Yan Qi with fear and hatred in their eyes: “Demoness, what does it matter if your skills are unmatched? You will surely meet a wretched end in the future! No wonder your Dao companion left you! A brute like you deserves to die alone, those you love are destined to abandon you. You deserve nothing but the world’s eternal loathing…”

…

Yan Qi stood alone in the rain, sword in hand. The blade in her grasp was once a divine weapon, unable to endure Yan Qi’s endless slaughter. It trembled faintly in her grip, yet it could not resist the power of her Phoenix Flame bloodline or the overwhelming surge of her spiritual energy, forced instead to become the Demon King’s accomplice.

Lightning crackled around Yan Qi, the rain unable to touch even the hem of her robes. The onlookers thought the Demon King would pay no heed to the desperate curses of her captives, but to their surprise, she suddenly lifted her beautiful, icy face and let out a low, chilling laugh. “Die alone?”

The immortal realm claimed she was infatuated with Mu Ling, yet over the years, Yan Qi had never once thought of her. Instead, these days, her mind kept involuntarily drifting to the sweet, innocent face of that little girl.

It was a torment unlike any other.

Reason told her she could no longer allow herself to be affected by the girl, yet her emotions betrayed her, pulling her thoughts back time and again wondering what the girl might be doing under the same sky at that very moment.

Once, Yan Qi even dreamed of her: in the dream, the girl clung to her like a serpent, her clothes in disarray, eyes soft and dripping with allure, her voice cooing plaintively, “I feel so unwell.”

The dream had been wild and intoxicating, making the loneliness upon waking all the more piercing.

The Demon King had never experienced such feelings before, but now, the disciples’ curses had jolted her awake.

Yan Qi pressed her lips together, belatedly realizing: she must have developed some affection for this little girl.

She had heard a saying in the mortal realm: “Love at first sight, devotion upon meeting again.” Perhaps this was exactly what had happened to her.

And she was the Demon King.

The Demon King roamed the three realms without restraint, and few things in this world could catch her eye. But once something did, whether through coercion or force, Yan Qi would stop at nothing to claim it!

Mu Ling knew nothing of what had transpired thousands of miles away.

But she was aware that Yan Qi had left the demon palace.

That day, many girls from the courtyard had gone to the front hall to showcase their talents. A few had even managed to cozy up to some demonic cultivators, from whom news had spread: the Demon King had personally led a team to capture and kill cultivators!

The thought of Yan Qi’s current state of near-immortal enmity with the celestial realm gave Mu Ling a headache. However, she had only just begun to channel qi into her body and wasn’t even qualified to be cannon fodder. Being naturally carefree, Mu Ling set the matter aside and continued her cultivation.

Life in the rear courtyard of the Demon Palace was peaceful. Though there were undercurrents of intrigue, Mu Ling kept a low profile, and the flames of conflict never reached her.

One day, heavy rain poured from the sky. Mu Ling gazed worriedly at the downpour, thinking about the many petals she would have to sweep from the plum grove the next day. Deciding to rise early to tackle the task, she went to bed much sooner than usual.

The night was dark and stormy, with flashes of lightning and rolls of thunder. Mu Ling slept fitfully, never expecting a shadowy figure to suddenly appear at her bedside, carrying a chill wind, staring at her with an intense gaze.

The intruder’s presence was so overwhelming that even in her sleep, Mu Ling sensed it. Groggily, she opened her eyes.

In the darkness, the silhouette of the person sitting by her bed was eerily familiar. At first, Mu Ling didn’t react, mistaking it for the days when they were together on Qingbo Peak. She hugged her blanket and rolled toward the inner side of the bed. “Let me sleep a little longer.”

But the blanket she clung to was yanked away. The person behind her pulled hard, and Mu Ling tumbled straight into their arms.

Yan Qi’s body was frighteningly cold. A shiver ran through Mu Ling, finally jolting her awake. She stared in terror at Yan Qi. How had she ended up in her room? And in such an intimate position, no less.

On this dark and stormy night, with her ex-lover the Demon Lord gazing at her with strange intensity, as if sparks of fire flickered in her eyes, Mu Ling instinctively knew something was wrong. She tried to scramble off Yan Qi, but the arms around her suddenly tightened, sapping all her strength in an instant.

Mu Ling’s eyes widened.

“Be mine,” Yan Qi declared, her voice hoarse, making no effort to hide her interest in Mu Ling.

Watching Mu Ling’s cheeks flush crimson and her jade-like earlobes turn translucent, Yan Qi’s heart stirred. Visions from her dreams, scenes of their past intimacy flashed through her mind. Overcome with heat, she bent down and bit Mu Ling’s earlobe, just as she had in her dreams, then blew softly against it. Without hesitation, her hands moved to untie the girl’s sash.

The Demon Lord never denied herself. If she desired the girl, she would take her.

“Yan Qi, have you lost your mind?!”

Mu Ling was utterly terrified!

No longer bothering to feign obedience, she glared furiously at Yan Qi, calling her by name. Yan Qi had lost her memories. To her, Mu Ling was just a stranger she’d met once. Never in her wildest dreams had Mu Ling imagined Yan Qi would visit her at night, let alone immediately start groping her.

But Yan Qi seemed deaf to Mu Ling’s protests. Her lips trailed to Mu Ling’s face, kissing her cheeks with a mix of inexperience and restraint. Meanwhile, her hands worked deftly, loosening Mu Ling’s sash to reveal a red undergarment embroidered with mandarin ducks.

Mu Ling’s snow-white skin contrasted vividly with the scarlet garment, painting a tantalizing picture that only fueled the fire in Yan Qi’s eyes. She regretted torturing herself all this time. She should have come for the girl sooner.

“You were always mine,” Yan Qi murmured huskily, seizing the moment of Mu Ling’s stunned hesitation to press her lips against hers.

This was a kiss unlike any before. In the past, Yan Qi had been gentle and meticulous, always careful not to hurt Mu Ling. But now, Yan Qi’s kiss mirrored her entire demeanor; domineering, forceful, and utterly uncompromising.

So, did Yan Qi truly see her as nothing more than a plaything meant to serve her?

At this thought, tears welled up uncontrollably in Mu Ling’s eyes:

How could Yan Qi have become like this? She was once Qingge. Qingge, who was noble and proud beyond compare. Mu Ling couldn’t fathom, even if beaten to death, that she would ever force herself like this. Yet now, Mu Ling had been stripped of her strength, left with no power to resist.

Could time truly warp a person’s character so completely?

Had she, over these fifteen years, ruined countless young girls in the same way?

…

The more she thought about it, the more Mu Ling’s tears fell, streaming down her cheeks.

Yan Qi, unaware of Mu Ling’s assumptions, kissed her with restrained joy, only to taste the bitter salt of tears on her lips.

For a moment, Yan Qi froze. She lifted her head and met Mu Ling’s gaze, filled with hatred and fear.

That strange sensation returned: her heart felt as though it were being squeezed, suddenly suffocating. The fiery desire to be close to Mu Ling, which had filled her chest moments ago, vanished in an instant.

Yan Qi pressed her lips together and released the restraints on the girl. Just as she expected, the moment Mu Ling regained her strength, she hastily wrapped herself in her clothes.

“You…” Yan Qi frowned deeply, staring at the girl’s guarded eyes.

“May the Demon King show mercy,” Mu Ling sobbed, avoiding Yan Qi’s gaze. “This lowly servant is but a willow of poor quality, never daring to aspire to climb the dragon or cling to the phoenix. Forced fruit is never sweet, and surely Your Majesty lacks no women to warm your bed. I beg the Demon King to choose another and spare this unworthy servant.”

Mu Ling acted with utmost humility, but her heart burned with fury: this damned woman actually dared to force herself! She would never like her again.

Yan Qi had been pondering how to coax the girl into staying by her side, never expecting Mu Ling would try to push her toward someone else.

“There are no other women warming my bed,” Yan Qi said, feeling as though her heart had been drenched in ice water, chilled to the core. Watching Mu Ling clutch the blanket and stare at her in bewilderment, she wanted to scold her but couldn’t bring herself to. Instead, she laughed bitterly in frustration. “Fine!”

“If you refuse to serve in my bed, I won’t force you,” Yan Qi said slowly, straightening her collar, her eyes dark and unreadable. “But on one condition, you will become my personal maid.”

After all, the girl was young and had not been away from home for long. It was understandable that she feared her. By keeping her close as a personal maid, Mu Ling would have no choice but to focus solely on her day after day. Once she grew accustomed to her presence and realized the benefits she could offer, the girl would surely come to her willingly.