Worrying Doppelgangers

At this moment, the doppelganger Chen Fan seemed to feel the same state of mind as Yu Xingsi.

Although he was merely a doppelganger and had no need to dwell on such things at all.

As long as Chen Ze existed, he would exist eternally.

Yet, his heart was touched all the same; cultivating immortality was not solely about the pursuit of longevity.

On this path, one could also live with abandon.

This time, the doppelganger Chen Fan took the initiative to lift his wine pot and clinked it against the one in Yu Xingsi's hand.

Seeing the doppelganger Chen Fan initiate the toast—when it had always been Yu Xingsi taking the lead—Yu Xingsi suddenly felt a surge of delight in his heart; he truly hadn't misjudged the man.

"Brother Chen, bottoms up."

"Bottoms up."

"Haha, Brother Chen, your capacity for liquor seems quite impressive!"

"Not at all, not at all, it's my first time drinking."

The doppelganger Chen Fan felt quite helpless; he was only a doppelganger who didn't even need to eat, so how could he possibly get drunk?

Seeing that the wine in the pot was finished, the doppelganger Chen Fan said, "Brother Yu, the wine is gone, we should head back. There is still the final round of the assessment tomorrow."

Yu Xingsi laughed heartily and said, "Haha, then starting tomorrow, I shall have to call you Brother Chen, Senior Brother Chen. This Junior Brother wishes you success in advance, hoping you join the Qingyun Sect and rise straight to the clouds."

"Haha, same to you, Junior Brother."

"Haha."

"..."

Over at the Mysterious Iron Ore mine.

The doppelganger Zhao Yun, along with the other doppelgangers, dug for ore incessantly.

Even if they dug day and night now, it didn't matter.

Three doppelgangers disguised as members of the Ye Family remained outside to keep watch.

If anyone approached, they could notify Zhao Yun and the others in the mine tunnel in time.

The speed at which the doppelganger Zhao Yun and his group mined had also greatly increased.

Three days later, the spirit herbs in the Spirit Field within the Myriad Things Space matured once again.

After Chen Ze had the doppelganger Zhao Ling'er harvest the spirit herbs, he summoned the doppelganger Zhao Yun back from the Mysterious Iron Ore mine.

He had the doppelganger Zhao Yun take these spirit herbs, find a shop in Wannan City, and sell them all.

After the sale, he had Zhao Yun return to continue mining.

As long as one doppelganger was in a location, the other doppelgangers could appear by his side at any time through the Myriad Things Space.

In this way, Chen Ze did not need to show his face in public often.

"Sure enough, selling these spirit herbs to outside shops is about the same as recycling them into the Myriad Things Space, and some are even cheaper. These shops buy these spirit herbs and then mark up the price to sell them again."

Chen Ze couldn't blame them for opening shops to buy low and sell high; after all, everyone had to make a living.

It was just that he lacked the Spirit Stones to open a shop himself, and having no other good options, he could only sell the spirit herbs at a low price.

"These one thousand Spirit Stones are still far from enough to open a shop in Wannan City."

Chen Ze pondered how he could earn more Spirit Stones to save up enough for a shop.

Naturally, the Mysterious Iron Ore could not be taken outside to sell; if a large quantity of Mysterious Iron Ore flooded the market, it would inevitably arouse suspicion.

"Ling'er, do you have any good ideas?" Chen Ze truly couldn't think of any way, so he could only ask the doppelganger Zhao Ling'er.

"Master, Ling'er cannot think of any good ideas for the moment either."

"Sigh!" Chen Ze let out a sigh. "It seems I can only accumulate wealth slowly by selling spirit herbs like this."

The doppelganger Zhao Ling'er also wore a look of silent resignation.

"Forget it, let's take it slow!" Chen Ze had no choice but to compromise helplessly.

At this moment, Chen Ze asked again, "How is the situation with the doppelganger Chen Fan?"

"Reporting to Master, the doppelganger Chen Fan has successfully joined the Qingyun Sect and has officially become an Outer Disciple."

"Not bad. Is there any other news?"

"Yes, the Outer Sect Manager whom Master asked the doppelganger Chen Fan to look into has been found, and he is asking Master how to deal with this manager."

Chen Ze pondered for a moment. "Have this manager expelled from the Qingyun Sect as well. Once he is out of the Qingyun Sect, it will be simple to deal with him however I please."

"Understood, I will convey Master's order to him immediately. There is one more thing the doppelganger Chen Fan said requires Master's decision."

"What is it?" Chen Ze was quite surprised that Chen Fan had more news.

Zhao Ling'er said, "He says that in two years' time, the Dagan Dynasty will hold its once-a-century grand competition for the younger generation among all the major cultivation sects. He asks if he should participate, as he's heard that disciples who place well can receive very generous rewards from the Dagan Dynasty. Furthermore, he's heard that the prize for first place is very likely to be a Heaven-tier item, though exactly what it is remains unknown."

Hearing the mention of a Heaven-tier item, Chen Ze was startled. Heaven-tier was the highest grade he knew of in this cultivation world. The emergence of any Heaven-tier item would inevitably trigger a bloody storm. Was it not a bit excessive to offer a Heaven-tier item as a reward for a mere sect competition, especially one for the younger generation?

"A Heaven-tier item? Although the Myriad Things Shop will have them in the future, obtaining one now would likely net a significant amount of Points if recycled at the Myriad Things Shop. Fine, tell him to participate!"

"Understood. But Master, he also says that if he participates, he will inevitably have to reveal his cultivation level. He only has low-grade talent, yet he already possesses the cultivation of the Qi Refining Seventh Layer, which has already made many people suspicious. If his cultivation speed continues to be this fast, he fears it will invite even more suspicion."

Hearing Zhao Ling'er put it this way, Chen Ze retorted, "Why does a doppelganger care so much? What's there to fear about fast cultivation? Tell him to take on more sect missions outside; when he returns to the Qingyun Sect, he can just say he encountered an opportunity. Besides, he's just a doppelganger—is he afraid of dying?"

Zhao Ling'er giggled; Chen Ze's words made perfect sense. "Master is right. I will send the message back to him now."

As Zhao Ling'er was about to leave, Chen Ze thought for a moment and called her back. "Don't rush. Tell him to just stay at the Qingyun Sect and do as he sees fit. He doesn't need to ask for instructions for every little thing. As long as he doesn't encounter a situation where death is certain, what is there to fear? And even if he does encounter a situation where death is certain, it doesn't matter—he can just go ahead and die."

"Yes, Master, I will tell him that." The doppelganger Zhao Ling'er could see that Chen Ze was completely delegating authority, letting the doppelgangers handle things themselves.

After Zhao Ling'er left, Chen Ze lay on his recliner and muttered to himself, "These doppelgangers... didn't I create them specifically to handle these trivial matters for me? How has it come to this, where they have to ask me about everything? Don't these doppelgangers have the same intelligence as I do? Can't they be a bit more flexible? If only all these doppelgangers were like Ling'er, putting my mind at ease. Sigh! So much to worry about!"

As he spoke, Chen Ze reclined leisurely, rocking back and forth while humming a soft tune.

At this moment, the doppelganger Chen Fan at the Qingyun Sect received the message from the doppelganger Zhao Ling'er and looked stunned. "Don't I already have the awareness of being a doppelganger? Of course, the Master should be the one to decide on everything!"

While Chen Fan was lost in his thoughts, he suddenly felt someone pat him on the shoulder and quickly turned around. "Senior Brother, what are you spacing out for? Let's go, we've been cultivating all day, let's go grab a drink."

The person who arrived was none other than Yu Xingsi, who had led the doppelganger Chen Fan down the path of no return known as drinking.

"What fine wine have you found this time?"

"You'll know when we get there, Senior Brother," Yu Xingsi said mysteriously.

"Alright." Although Chen Fan appeared calm, his heart was still pounding. He hadn't reported this drinking habit to Chen Ze yet, mainly because he didn't dare to.