Chapter 99: This clone has a broken brain
Cheng Hong Ling, a celestial prodigy, a master of strategy, found herself increasingly unable to understand her clone. Not only was its personality completely different from hers, but now they even disagreed on opinions. When faced with indecisive matters, shouldn’t she, the main body, be the one to decide? Why did it act so impulsively and agree? It made her feel like she was the clone.
Xu Mei, standing beside her, was also startled and looked at her beloved disciple with a questioning gaze.
“This isn’t my intention; she acted on her own,” Cheng Hong Ling could only explain in a low voice.
“What great ambition! Truly worthy of being the number one genius of our HongHua Sect!” Elder Wu, his scheme successful, immediately began to flatter her insincerely.
“Wait a moment…” Cheng Hong Ling said with a thick skin.
“What is it?” Elder Wu’s expression darkened instantly. He continued, “As the number one genius of our HongHua Sect, you won’t go back on your word, will you? Who is in charge here?”
Cheng Hong Ling, in her haste, had blurted out her words without thinking about how to extricate herself, leaving her speechless for a moment.
“I am in charge! I am in charge! I accept this mission!” Qi Huang eagerly interjected, given the opportunity to speak.
“Hmm? You can’t stop me, can you?” Cheng Hong Ling let out a cold snort.
Qi Huang turned around and saw her main body glaring at her with narrowed, beautiful eyes. She shivered and weakly retreated.
“Heh heh, the main body and the clone disagreeing, this is the first time I’ve seen something like this. Have you gone schizophrenic?” Elder Wu burst into laughter, and the high-level figures around them couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Elder Wu, you don’t need to be so sarcastic. I am Cheng Hong Ling, and she is also Cheng Hong Ling. I will never go back on my word once I’ve promised something.” Cheng Hong Ling, seeing no other way out, gritted her teeth and accepted the mission.
“You should think carefully!” Qin Quan quickly reminded her.
“Alright! Then I wish you success! However, I must add a word of advice: how long has this condition of yours been going on? Do you need to see a doctor?” Before Cheng Hong Ling could speak again, Elder Wu cut her off, as if afraid she would renege.
“No, thank you for your kind offer. I am perfectly fine.” Cheng Hong Ling replied coldly, then turned and glared fiercely at the clone who seemed to have no desire to live but had dragged her along to “bear the brunt.”
Qin Quan shook his head helplessly. He didn’t know if this genius disciple was truly schizophrenic, but since the person involved had already agreed, what could he do? “She must have some life-saving method!” Qin Quan speculated in his heart.
“Wait! I still have something to say!” Qi Huang, though guilty, felt the need to clarify. This mission was a high-risk operation, and the work involved couldn’t be done for nothing.
“I can be the bait with the Ghost Tomatoes, but I have two conditions. First, there are too few Ghost Tomatoes. I don’t want to lure it near the mouth of that snake. Therefore, before the operation, I hope the HongHua Sect can find a few more! Second, I want half of the Blue Scale Stone.” Qi Huang then stated her demands. The first point was for herself, and the second was for those she cared about.
“The first point is no problem. Ensuring your safety is what we should do. As for the second point… what does everyone think?” Qin Quan turned to seek the opinions of the high-level figures present. Elder Ruan was the first to express his agreement, saying frankly, “Sect Leader Qin, to be honest, the Blue Scale Stone was found to forge weapons for female disciples. It’s not of much use to us, so I have no objection to her request.” The other high-level figures also voiced their agreement. Even Elder Wu remained silent this time, understanding the principle of knowing when to stop.
“Very well, since that’s the case, this matter is settled! However, before the operation, we need to make preparations. The first is to try to find more Ghost Tomatoes, and the second is to thoroughly investigate the situation there.” Sect Leader Qin then assigned the tasks. The mission to find Ghost Tomatoes was given to Elder Ruan, and the investigation of Panshan Village was assigned to Elder Wu.
“Sect Leader, what about the matter of the HeYi Sect poisoning people? The debts of those villagers must be collected,” Xu Mei reminded him.
“Naturally. I will personally handle the negotiation with them. If the people of the HeYi Sect dare to shirk responsibility, I will hand this ‘Ma’ directly over to the Immortal Alliance,” Qin Quan responded sternly.
The meeting concluded, and Qi Huang, along with her cheap master and main body, returned home. Cheng Hong Ling, betrayed by her clone, wore a frosty expression, exuding an aura that deterred all who passed by, causing disciples to retreat in fear. Qi Huang wanted to explain, but there were too many people around, so she could only choose to remain silent for the moment.
“Um… um, Hong Ling! What’s going on between you two? Didn’t I hear that the main body and the clone share the same thoughts? Why the disagreement?” Xu Mei, worried throughout the journey, finally couldn’t help but ask.
“Who knows? My clone has never shared my thoughts from beginning to end. At most, we have some telepathic connection. Looking at her now, it seems she has developed an independent personality,” Cheng Hong Ling said, staring coldly at Qi Huang. Qi Huang was as quiet as a cicada, not daring to utter a sound, completely forgetting that her spiritual sense had already reached the Huashen Realm, and she didn’t need to fear Cheng Hong Ling so much.
“Could it be, as Elder Wu said, that you’re experiencing mental problems? If so, you must tell your master. It’s best to treat illnesses early,” Xu Mei asked carefully out of concern.
“Master, can’t you see? Elder Wu is mocking me. You believe him?” Cheng Hong Ling was somewhat exasperated.
“Master is just concerned about you,” Xu Mei replied a bit sheepishly.
“I suspect it’s because she’s not a complete clone. After all, I cultivated her when I was in the Guiyi Realm, and she only has a superficial appearance, like a premature baby,” Cheng Hong Ling speculated, looking at Qi Huang with a hint of pity. ‘Pre-baby?’ Qi Huang almost spat out blood, thinking, ‘I’m not your child. Being my main body is enough; now you want to be my mother too?’
“If that’s the case, then she probably has a bad brain. I need to inform everyone in HongHua Sect, otherwise, it will be difficult to deal with any trouble she causes in the future,” Xu Mei also turned to stare at Qi Huang, her eyes filled with sympathy.
“Bad brain? That’s going too far! Master!” Qi Huang protested, unable to bear it any longer, but her protest was completely ignored by…
“Since she has a problem with her brain, we can’t really blame her. The most important thing now is how to overcome the current hurdle. If the rumors are true, the Blue Scale King Snake has a cultivation level of at least the Huashen Realm. Going there as bait without full preparation is simply asking for death.” Xu Mei then began discussing with her beloved disciple, no longer looking at Qi Huang, who had “a broken brain.”
“What can be done? A demon at the Huashen Realm can fly. Although my ‘Wave Butterfly body technique’ is fast, it’s still reliant on my legs. How can I outrun them?” Cheng Hong Ling also shook her head helplessly. Thus, master and disciple discussed their way into the Orchid Courtyard, completely leaving Qi Huang, the clone with a broken brain, aside.
“I’m not afraid of death, but what will happen to the HongHua Sect if I die?” Unable to find a solution, Cheng Hong Ling’s face showed helplessness.
“Hey, hey, hey! I said I’m the one holding the Ghost Tomatoes as bait, not you! There’s no need to be so pessimistic!” Qi Huang, seeing that no one was around, finally couldn’t help but say.
“You? Sending a clone at the Juling Realm to do it would be a faster death, wouldn’t it? Even if there’s a trace of hope, I want to grasp it in my own hands,” Cheng Hong Ling clenched her delicate fist.
“Don’t look down on people! I do have a Juling Realm cultivation level, but I can fly. Can you fly?” Qi Huang chuckled confidently.
“You say you can fly?” Cheng Hong Ling exchanged a look with her master, and the worry on both their faces became even more pronounced.
“It seems the condition is more severe than we imagined! A Juling Realm cultivation level, how can you fly?” Xu Mei made such a diagnosis.
“Heh heh, who says a Juling Realm cultivator can’t fly?” Qi Huang smiled confidently, her spiritual sense emerging from her body, and she shot out, flying higher and higher.
