Volume 2, Chapter 103 – My Doppelgänger Ran Away

Qi Huang knew that cultivators at the Unity Realm had a Divine Sense range of about thirty zhang ¹ approx. 100 meters . If she could escape beyond that distance first, her main body wouldn’t be able to forcibly capture her with the Soul Tether anymore. So, she poured every ounce of strength into fleeing.

Unfortunately, while Qi Huang’s Divine Sense was powerful, she was still carrying her physical body, which slowed her down considerably. She had barely flown four or five zhang when she suddenly felt something like a thin ribbon wrap around her waist. A pulling force tugged at her soul, her vision blurred, and in the next instant, she was back in front of her main body.

“Hmph! Trying to escape?”

Cheng Hongling smirked, her beautiful face full of disdain.

“What are you two doing?”

Cheng Yuan and Jiang Linian, noticing the commotion, approached with concern.

“Nothing. Just joking around with my sister.”

Cheng Hongling brushed it off casually.

Qi Huang gritted her teeth and seized the opportunity to bolt again. This time, however, she fared even worse—she only made it three zhang before the Soul Tether yanked her back.

“Go on! Let’s see how you plan to escape my grasp!”

Cheng Hongling taunted, her tone mocking.

“Hmph! Don’t look down on me!”

Refusing to give up, Qi Huang lunged outward once more. This time, she barely managed two zhang—each attempt was worse than the last.

Frustrated, Qi Huang glared at her main body, her clear black-and-white eyes brimming with resentment.

“Crying? Crying won’t help! Even our parents can’t save you if you try to run.”

Cheng Hongling’s expression was full of contempt.

“Nonsense! Who’s crying?!”

Qi Huang took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.

“What’s really going on here?”

Cheng Yuan pressed, still uneasy.

“She wants to leave the Honghua Sect without permission. Since reasoning won’t stop her, I had to leash her.”

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Cheng Hongling explained bluntly.

“Doppelgängers have rights too! What gives you the right to imprison me?”

Qi Huang argued stubbornly, instinctively edging closer to her mother.

“Who told you doppelgängers have rights? The Immortal Alliance has long decreed that doppelgängers aren’t complete people.”

Cheng Hongling crushed her argument without hesitation.

Qi Huang was momentarily speechless and could only look to her mother for help.

“Oh, come now! How is she not a complete person? She looks perfectly normal to me!”

Jiang Linian couldn’t help but interject.

“A complete person has three ethereal souls and seven corporeal souls. She only has a single Spiritual Wisdom Soul—and it’s mine. Would you call that complete?”

Cheng Hongling countered.

Jiang Linian opened her mouth but ultimately shook her head helplessly. She didn’t know enough about cultivation to argue.

‘So she’s mistaken my Life Soul for the Spiritual Wisdom Soul.’

Qi Huang felt a flicker of gratitude toward that troublesome Spiritual Wisdom Soul. If her body had been the only thing feminized, she would’ve been exposed long ago.

‘But why did my Life Soul take on a female form? If it was forcibly feminized, I should’ve lost my sense of self by now.’

Qi Huang fell into thought. She suddenly realized how little she knew about the three ethereal and seven corporeal souls. She’d have to study up when she had the chance.

But now wasn’t the time for distractions. Seizing the moment while Cheng Hongling was distracted, she bolted again.

“Still not giving up? Fine, I’ll let you run ten zhang first.”

Cheng Hongling shook her head pityingly, intending to crush Qi Huang’s hopes completely.

Qi Huang ignored the taunt, focusing solely on escape. The farther she got, the more tense she became—the Soul Tether was as fast as Divine Sense, after all.

Sure enough, Cheng Hongling unleashed the Soul Tether again. It streaked toward her like a pink lightning bolt.

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But this time, Qi Huang didn’t just wait to be caught. She split her powerful Divine Sense in half, forming a wide shield behind her.

“Please, let this work!”

The heavens seemed to answer her prayer. The pink Soul Tether actually collided with her Divine Sense shield and stopped dead, unable to advance further.

“What?!”

Cheng Hongling’s jaw dropped in disbelief.

“Divine Sense can block the Soul Tether?!”

Qi Huang was overjoyed. With this discovery, she was no longer bound by her main body’s control.

“Goodbye, Your Highness!”

With a surge of exhilaration, Qi Huang soared away like a bird breaking free from its cage. The sky was hers to roam; the sea, hers to explore.

“Stop! Get back here!”

Cheng Hongling finally panicked. She activated her movement technique, chasing after Qi Huang in a blur of afterimages.

Watching her flustered main body below, Qi Huang felt a vindictive thrill. After all, she’d been oppressed for far too long.

Memories of past humiliations flashed through her mind. She pushed her speed to the limit, rapidly putting distance between herself and the Honghua Sect.

Cheng Hongling was fast, but compared to Qi Huang’s flight, she was hopelessly outmatched. In the end, she could only watch helplessly as her doppelgänger disappeared into the horizon.

“Fine! Don’t you dare come back!”

Cheng Hongling shouted in frustration. For the first time in her life, she felt utterly useless—she couldn’t even control her own doppelgänger.

“Don’t worry! I’ll be back!”

Qi Huang’s voice drifted back faintly.

“Who wants a stinky doppelgänger like you anyway?!”

Grumbling, Cheng Hongling turned and stormed back to the Honghua Sect.

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Watching her go, Qi Huang felt an inexplicable pang of guilt. But she had no choice—there were things she had to do.

Fuming, Cheng Hongling returned to Orchid Courtyard and reported her doppelgänger’s escape to her master, Xu Mei.

“That’s impossible! I’ve never heard of a doppelgänger breaking free from its main body’s control.”

Xu Mei was equally shocked.

“Who knows? Maybe it’s because her Divine Sense far surpasses mine. But she’s gone now. Unless she returns willingly, catching her will be next to impossible.”

Cheng Hongling sighed in resignation.

“I think she’ll come back. After all, your fates are still tied together.”

Xu Mei speculated.

“I hope so.”

Cheng Hongling gazed in the direction Qi Huang had disappeared, a faint trace of longing in her eyes.

Qi Huang flew freely, reveling in her newfound freedom like a bird released from its cage. She only descended when she reached the outskirts of the prefectural city. Though her Divine Sense was somewhat drained, her spirits were high—she had finally escaped her prison.

Donning a veil, Qi Huang entered the city and made her way to the Prefect’s Manor from memory. She announced her identity to the gatekeepers.

Before long, a flustered, red-faced Young Master Dong rushed out to greet her.

“Aiya! Junior Sister Hongling! What brings you here?”

Young Master Dong bowed obsequiously, his demeanor more like a servant than a suitor.

“Well… Brother Dong, I need your help with something today.”

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Not wanting to get entangled with her admirers, Qi Huang cut straight to the point.

“No rush! Let’s talk inside!”

Surprisingly, Young Master Dong wasn’t completely blinded by infatuation. He was clearly stalling, trying to buy time alone with her.

Resigned, Qi Huang followed him inside.

The young master rambled about trivialities, finding every excuse to delay.

Growing impatient, Qi Huang finally cut in: “Brother Dong, this is urgent. If you’re busy, I can come back another time.”

“No, no! Whatever you need, just ask!”

Startled, Young Master Dong caved immediately.

“I need information about Qi-Leaking Powder.”

Qi Huang got straight to the point.

“Qi-Leaking Powder? What’s that?”

Young Master Dong looked puzzled. As neither a cultivator nor a martial artist—and living in the remote Huangtian Prefecture—it wasn’t surprising he’d never heard of it.

Qi Huang had no choice but to explain in detail.

“This ‘Severed Immortal Sect’… I’ve never heard of it. But my father might know. Should I ask him for you?”

Young Master Dong was eager to please.

“I’d appreciate that.”

Qi Huang thanked him politely.

Eager to impress, Young Master Dong immediately went to consult his father.

Left waiting in the courtyard, Qi Huang barely touched the fruits and pastries the servants brought. Worry for her master had stolen her appetite.