Chapter Sixteen: Incarnation Beyond the Self (Part Two)

“Your mother?” Chi Shang was utterly perplexed. He couldn’t fathom how his reunion with his brothers could possibly relate to Shi Jun’s mother, but seeing the look on Shi Jun’s face, he sensed something serious was afoot. “How about this,” he offered, “I can wait there first and try to persuade a few of my brothers…”

Shi Jun’s mind was a tangled mess, but he forced himself to calm down and asked Chi Shang, “By the way, do you have any way to contact your brothers?”

“We used to be able to,” Chi Shang replied apologetically. “We’re all born from the same spirit herb, and we naturally share a telepathic bond. But since each of us acts independently over a wide area, I’m afraid we’ve long since moved beyond the range of our connection. So, I’m sorry, but there’s nothing I can do about that right now.”

Motu, seeing how troubled Shi Jun looked, quickly asked, “What do you plan to do then?”

“What do I plan to do?” Shi Jun repeated the question reflexively, took a moment to collect his thoughts, and finally said, “For now, I’m afraid I can’t go to class for the next few days. I’ll need to devote all my time and energy to this matter. And as for Hai, unless he recovers, he won’t be able to attend class either…” As he spoke, a thought struck him, and he suddenly asked, “Do you think there’s any way we could skip class without the university finding out?”

Without missing a beat, Motu replied, “Can you create a doppelgänger? If you can, then there’s no problem at all!”

“A doppelgänger? What kind of spell is that? I don’t know how to do it!” Shi Jun hadn’t expected Motu’s question and blushed with embarrassment.

Chi Shang, having spent some time with everyone, had come to understand Shi Jun’s peculiar mix of extraordinary talent and utter cluelessness. He quickly stepped in to help, “The doppelgänger spell is something only advanced cultivators can master. I’ve spent years training and can only barely grasp the basics. Although you’re exceptionally gifted, it’s not something that can be learned and used overnight!”

Motu slapped his forehead and exclaimed, “Right! Right! That spell’s no joke. Even I, the most invincible of the new generation in the demon realm, haven’t mastered it yet! How could I have forgotten that?” He frowned in thought. “So what do we do? It’s way too late to start learning now.”

Shi Jun didn’t answer immediately, instead turning to Chi Shang, hoping he might have a solution.

“But actually, we might not need a true doppelgänger,” Chi Shang continued, reading Shi Jun’s mind thanks to their connection. “If you just want to fool ordinary mortals in your world, wouldn’t a simple illusion do the trick?”

“Exactly! We can use an illusion spell! How did I forget about that?” Motu slapped his thigh, nodding repeatedly. Seeing Shi Jun still in a daze, he laughed and said, “This is going to be fun. Your teachers are just regular people with no cultivation—they won’t see through it. If it were my teachers, though, that would be another story.” Not knowing the customs of the human world, Motu referred to all of Shi Jun’s university professors as “teachers.”

The conversation soon devolved into a debate, with Motu and Chi Shang arguing over whether underworld or demon illusions were superior. Both were proud, and neither could convince the other. In the end, they decided to settle the matter by each crafting a stand-in for Shi Jun and Hu Hai using their respective illusion techniques, so they could compare the results.

Although Shi Jun was anxious, he knew it was better to act than to sit and worry—staying calm and thinking things through was the priority. So, while listening patiently to Motu and Chi Shang extolling the virtues of their illusions, he began to plan his next moves.

Just then, Liu Qing came out of Hu Hai’s room and motioned for them to lower their voices. “Keep it down—Xiao Hu just fell asleep, don’t wake him.” She noticed the frown on Shi Jun’s face and asked with concern, “What’s wrong? You don’t look well. Are you sick?”

Shi Jun pulled himself together and managed a smile. “I’m fine. Sister Liu, I’d like to ask you for a favor.”

“Of course! Just say the word, I’ll help however I can,” she replied without hesitation.

Shi Jun smiled gratefully. “Tomorrow, could you spare some time to visit the TV station again? See if you can observe anything else unusual about that female anchor you saw acting strangely tonight.”

“I’ll go, too!” Chi Shang suddenly interjected.

Motu was puzzled. “Hey, I thought you didn’t want to get involved in this. What changed your mind?”

Chi Shang smiled. “I’ve always been closest to my third brother, and you mentioned earlier his actions weren’t that extreme. Tomorrow, I can go with Sister Liu. If it really is him, I’ll help persuade him—he’ll listen to me, and that could save you some trouble.”

“That would be fantastic!” Shi Jun blurted out, turning to Chi Shang. “Thank you.”

Motu clapped Chi Shang on the shoulder with a laugh. “Didn’t think you’d step up like this! Good man!”

“I just don’t want you all to end up fighting,” Chi Shang said, glancing at Shi Jun with a chuckle.

* * * * * * *

Early the next morning, Shi Jun was jolted awake by Motu and Chi Shang’s raucous laughter. Rubbing his eyes, he felt groggy—it was no wonder, as he’d stayed up with those two until five in the morning discussing everything. Yet somehow, they were still bursting with energy. Clearly, a mortal’s constitution was no match for these two, one from the underworld and the other from the demon realm.

When he made his way into the living room, Shi Jun was startled by what he saw—Hu Hai and another version of himself were sitting casually on the sofa, intently watching the morning news.

“Well? Which do you think is better, the stand-in I made or Chi Shang’s?” Motu stood to the side with his arms crossed, grinning as he watched Shi Jun’s astonished reaction.

That’s right! Yesterday, they’d agreed to each make a double for him and Hai using illusion magic. Shi Jun finally came to his senses and, grinning, crouched down to examine the two substitutes closely.

The stand-ins looked exactly like Shi Jun and Hu Hai—their features, clothing, even their expressions were spot on. The fake Shi Jun wore the same faint, habitual smile he usually did, while the fake Hu Hai was relaxed and straightforward, just like the real one.

Shi Jun waved his hand before their eyes. The fake Hu Hai didn’t react at all, while the fake Shi Jun frowned slightly, but otherwise showed no response.

“In my opinion, Motu, the Hu Hai you made is a bit stiff,” Liu Qing, who had also been observing the doubles, finally offered her critique.

Motu spread his hands in protest. “Is that my fault? Old Hu’s been stuck with that blank look since last night—if he hadn’t been hit with the Spirit Binding spell, my paper figure could’ve mimicked a few more expressions!”

It turned out that Motu and Chi Shang had used different methods and props for their illusions. Motu’s was simple: he cut out a human shape from white paper, dressed it like Hu Hai, and cast a spell to make it resemble him. Chi Shang’s approach was more complex—he made a dough figurine in the kitchen, shaped it to look like Shi Jun, painted it roughly, and then attached the necessary charms. Whether Motu’s explanation was true or Chi Shang’s illusion was simply superior, the fake Shi Jun’s expressions were indeed more nuanced than the fake Hu Hai’s. Still, both shared a key limitation: they wouldn’t speak or change expressions unless prompted.

Ever since encountering charms and hand seals, Shi Jun had never found them so amusing. He’d listened to Motu and Chi Shang’s explanations the night before, but without any concrete examples, it hadn’t really registered. Now, seeing it for himself, he was fascinated. He thought that if Hai ever learned about this, he’d insist on mastering the illusion spell, sending his double to class every day while he went off to have fun—knowing his playful nature, he’d probably let his stand-in attend four years of university on his behalf.

Thinking this, Shi Jun stood up and smiled. “They’re both great—this is more than enough for now.” With that, he headed into Hu Hai’s room to check if he was awake. As soon as he entered, he was greeted by thunderous snoring—Hu Hai was still fast asleep. Shi Jun shook his head in amusement, quietly closed the door, and slipped out.