Chapter Eighteen: An Unexpected Gain (Part One)

Shi Jun and Motuo left the house and headed straight for the city's antique market.

According to Shi Jun's thinking, those so-called "stones imbued with the essence of heaven and earth" should be precious gems such as jade, agate, or crystal. If he wanted to use these as the catalyst for cultivating a magical artifact, it would be impossible with his current financial resources, so he felt there was little hope.

Qing understood Shi Jun's concerns but still encouraged him to visit the antique market first. If they really managed to find something suitable, they could simply let Motuo use his powers to "acquire" it. After all, Shi Jun was cultivating magical artifacts for the sake of "maintaining peace and stability in the human world." From that perspective, a few stones were hardly a big deal; even if there were more, it wouldn't matter. What's more, those who achieve great things do not fuss over trivial matters—why waste energy on such minor details?

Qing's words received unanimous approval from Motuo and Chishang. Neither of them cared much for the rules of the human world, so hearing Qing say so, they agreed without hesitation. Shi Jun thought, although it wasn't exactly proper to do things this way, he really didn't have any other option at the moment. Anyway, just looking wouldn't hurt—perhaps they'd stumble upon something affordable and valuable. With that, their plan was settled.

* * *

The antique market was actually a street lined on both sides with shops bearing names like "Treasure Pavilion" and "Strange Stone Court." To Shi Jun's surprise, the street was bustling with people. Aside from tourists from other cities coming to sightsee and buy souvenirs, there were plenty of buyers, sellers, and brokers. Some shops, eager to attract business, had even moved their stalls out onto the street, with glass cases filled with dazzlingly colorful necklaces, antiques, jade, gems, and jewelry—real or fake, who could tell? The sheer variety was dizzying.

Shi Jun had no knowledge of the quality or value of these stones, so he simply followed Motuo closely, listening to his explanations and evaluations. Along the way, he gained a little insight into the good and bad among the stones. Though Motuo was no expert in appraising gems and jade, being a little demon with a constitution different from ordinary people, he had a natural sensitivity to stones rich in spiritual energy. This time, he was deliberately searching; he swaggered down the street, frowning and shaking his head from time to time, clearly dissatisfied with all the stones they had seen so far.

"This so-called market isn't much," Motuo grumbled, growing anxious as they had already covered nearly half the shops in the antique market. "What if we can't find anything here?"

Shi Jun was about to reply when suddenly a voice reached his ear: "Hey Shi Jun, where have you been these past few days? We nearly lost the match against the Management Department without a forward! Did you get yourself a girlfriend or something?" It sounded like his classmate, the tall Xu Ming.

Instinctively, Shi Jun glanced around at the busy street. Aside from Motuo, he saw no familiar faces. He was momentarily puzzled, then realized that Xu Ming must be talking to the fake Shi Jun. He gestured to Motuo, clutched the jade talisman Chishang had given him, and answered with a wry smile, "Come on, stop teasing me! A girlfriend? I've been sick for days and still feeling weak."

As he spoke, he imagined that somewhere else, someone with his face was solemnly repeating his words. He couldn't help but feel a certain absurdity and grinned.

After a few more exchanges with Xu Ming at a distance, Shi Jun marveled at how capable his impostor was. That morning, when he sent them out, he only needed to direct them with his thoughts, and they made their way safely to school, standing in for himself and Hu Hai in class. The process was a bit troublesome, as Motuo had never been to the school and didn't know the way, so Shi Jun had to direct the impostor Hu Hai's journey as well. It took some effort to get both doubles safely into their respective classrooms. Just as he relaxed, Motuo impatiently snatched back control over the impostor Hu Hai. Since Motuo didn't know any of Hu Hai's classmates, whenever someone spoke to him, he'd answer cheerfully, especially when he heard a girl's voice—his responses became even more enthusiastic. Shi Jun couldn't help but worry that Hu Hai might be exposed.

After finishing with Xu Ming, Shi Jun put away the jade talisman and shook his head, saying to Motuo, "All this is really exhausting... Never mind, let's not talk about it. If we can't find anything at the antique market, we'll just have to look elsewhere. But we don't have much time, so we need to hurry."

As he spoke, he suddenly remembered something. "By the way, I forgot to ask you yesterday—how did you end up with those Scarlet Essence Fruits?"

"Ah, don't mention it," Motuo replied, a little embarrassed. "That day at Sufeng Temple, didn't your wicked wife call you away? That three-eyed guy insisted I couldn't eat the Scarlet Essence Fruit, said it wouldn't do me any good, went on and on. I wasn't convinced, so I grabbed a few to study later. Who knew they'd actually come in handy?"

Shi Jun shook his head and laughed. "You're always so meddlesome! But honestly, I'm lucky you took a few. Otherwise, I wouldn't have known what to do yesterday. I should thank you."

"Bah, what's there to thank? They're no use to me." Motuo chuckled, then said mysteriously, "By the way, your wicked wife really cares about you."

Shi Jun didn't quite understand, thinking Motuo must have overheard something from Hu Hai, and replied, "Don't listen to Hai's nonsense. He loves to stir things up."

"Nonsense? I saw and heard it myself, you think I'm lying?" Motuo gave a weird laugh, then recounted the conversation he’d had with Chiyang by the Nether River, producing the scroll Chiyang had given him—one that recorded celestial arts. He patted Shi Jun's shoulder forcefully. "Truth is, your wicked wife never mentioned you by name, but anyone could tell she was worried you wouldn't handle Chishang and the others. And she's a beauty, too! Who would've guessed you'd have such charm that a beauty would fancy you..."

Motuo rambled on, but Shi Jun heard none of it. His heart was a jumble of emotions, a thousand flavors flooding in, and all he could see before his eyes was Chiyang—her black robes, her gentle frown and faint smile.

He had never truly experienced what it meant to like someone, but for some reason, ever since that mischievous girl transformed into Chiyang before him, he felt as though he’d known her for ages. Later, after Chiyang’s endless teasing and then the two becoming friends, though their time together was brief, they'd developed a deep understanding. These past few days back in the human world, she often came to mind, and each time he thought of her, his heart was calm and warm… Could this be what it feels like to like someone?

"What are you thinking about, so lost in thought?" Motuo had spent ages gesticulating and even "took a break" to handle a classmate's greeting for the impostor Hu Hai, only to find Shi Jun standing dazedly by the roadside. He leaned in and shouted into his ear.

"Ah?" Shi Jun jumped, finally snapping out of it. He was about to speak when his phone rang—it was his mother, calling to remind him to come home for lunch.