Mr. Yu had seen a lot in his day, but things kept getting more complicated—especially when Irene threw herself to the floor for what felt like the hundredth time. Even though Yu Sheng wasn’t the type to get angry easily, he was beginning to wonder if Irene’s constant dramatics might make him conjure an old man out of thin air just to scold her. And knowing her, she’d probably tackle that poor old fellow too.
Fortunately, Irene’s tantrums never lasted long. More importantly, once the initial chaos settled, both she and Yu Sheng realized they’d overlooked something significant.
“Wait… this new body… When we were in the attic, wasn’t the distance between this body and the painting more than five meters?” Irene—her “real” self—stared at the new body, which Yu Sheng had placed on the bed. The second Irene stared back at her, and their words echoed in perfect harmony.
Yu Sheng’s eyes widened. “Whoa! You’re right! This body woke up in the attic… which means it got out of the painting’s range!”
For a few moments, they all stood frozen, which was odd, considering there were now technically three of them, though you could argue there were only two people. After a long silence, Yu Sheng spoke hesitantly. “So… maybe this isn’t a bad thing?”
“Of course an extra body isn’t a bad thing! The worst part is that I nearly fainted from surprise!” Irene huffed, her eyes wide. Then, as she considered the situation, her expression shifted. “But now that I think about it… maybe I can get used to the dizziness. If I adapt, I’ll be fine. The fact that this body can move beyond the painting’s range is amazing. Yu Sheng, how did you manage that?”
“I have no idea,” Yu Sheng admitted, scratching his head. “If you asked me how I made it, I could explain the steps. But why it did all this on its own? You know more alchemy than I do. I just wanted to practice so I wouldn’t get scolded for making ugly dolls. I even followed that alchemy procedure you taught me. Then it just… worked. It became a working body without your direct involvement. I was about to call you over to see it, but the moment I said your name, the body started growing hair.”
“Wait!” Both versions of Irene looked at him in alarm. “Did you say it changed after you said my name?” the two spoke in near-unison.
“It’s possible,” Irene said thoughtfully. “Names have power. If a doll is just a blank object and then its creator calls my name, maybe that gave it purpose…”
She trailed off, shaking her head.
“But that’s very advanced alchemy. Usually, you’d need a precise ritual, and maybe a special time and place. And you certainly don’t do it using cheap tea leaves and rose oil. Come on, with how little you spent, I’m not even sure there was any real rose in that rose oil.”
“Maybe it was because of my blood?” Yu Sheng offered, sounding uncertain. “I did use a lot of it this time.”
For a second, Irene stared blankly at him before exclaiming, “Are you serious?”
“I’m not sure!” Yu Sheng threw up his hands. “I was trying to figure out what’s up with my blood. Now I have even more questions. But I did learn some new things.”
They paused and turned to examine Irene’s “Body Two,” who could now wander past the painting’s five-meter restriction. This was a huge breakthrough for Irene.
“Does the new body feel any different from your main body?” Yu Sheng asked, glancing at the two dolls perched on the bed. He couldn’t help feeling a bit uneasy, knowing they were both Irene.
“Well… it feels stiff, like I’m moving through water,” Irene replied, closing her eyes to focus. “My sense of touch is only about half of what it usually is. Hearing and sight seem normal, but I can’t sense temperature at all, and I barely feel pain.”
As she spoke, Body Two pinched her cheek as if testing her own sensations.
“There’s also something else. Controlling this body doesn’t feel truly real. It’s like I’m playing a very realistic video game character. Even if I know I’m the one controlling it, I don’t quite feel like it’s me.”
Yu Sheng frowned slightly.
Both versions of Irene looked at him expectantly.
They were almost identical, but it was easy to tell them apart. One carried the painting on her back; the other’s face was just a bit more wooden, and she seemed to react more slowly. ʀ₳𝐍ỘΒË𝓢
Suddenly, Yu Sheng had an idea. He walked over and lifted the painting off the back of the first Irene.
“Hey, what are you doing?” she protested.
“I have a theory,” Yu Sheng answered. Irene looked puzzled but allowed him to proceed.
He carefully draped the painting on the back of Body Two.
“How about now? Any difference?” he asked, eyeing them closely.
Both Irenes fell silent at the same time, then exclaimed in unison, “Whoa! The feeling switched!”
The doll now holding the painting pointed at the other one. “This body feels stiff now, and the other one feels normal.”
“Just as I suspected,” Yu Sheng murmured. “Whichever body holds the painting is the main one. The painting is still the true core.”
Irene wore a complicated expression, like someone who tried to escape a prison only to discover that the prison was still following her.
But Yu Sheng was already thinking about what to do next.
“We should run some tests. For example, what happens if both bodies walk away from the painting? How far can the secondary body go if the other one is carrying it? Most importantly, how can we get you used to controlling two bodies at once? If it turns out you can’t handle it, we might have to figure out how to pause one body for a while,” he said, rubbing his chin. “We should probably get Foxy to help us.”
“I’ll go wake her!” both Irenes volunteered at the same time, jumping off the bed—only to trip over each other as they landed. They toppled forward, landing on their heads.
Luckily, Yu Sheng moved fast, grabbing them both by their ankles and lifting them up so they dangled upside down.
They quickly tried to cover themselves as their skirts flipped over. Blushing, they said together, “Maybe… you should wake her up instead. I’ll just sit here until I stop feeling dizzy.”
Yu Sheng sighed and gently placed them back on the bed. Then he left the room, walked across the hall, and knocked on another door. “Foxy! Are you up? We need your help!”
He knocked three times before hearing a hurried rustle inside. Moments later, Foxy opened the door. Her hair was a mess, she wore a rumpled nightgown, and she still looked half-asleep.
“Sorry… I slept in,” she mumbled, clearly embarrassed, as if she’d done something wrong. “I stayed up too late last night.”
“It’s not a problem. You worked really hard at the museum, so it’s only natural,” Yu Sheng reassured her with a wave of his hand. “But something’s come up. We need your help.”
Bewildered, Foxy followed Yu Sheng into the main bedroom.
She stopped in her tracks when she saw two Irenes, side by side on the bed, gazing at the door like they were Player One and Player Two in a video game.
Foxy froze in disbelief, blinking a few times. Then she vigorously rubbed her eyes. When she looked again, there were still two Irenes.
“Oh no! Benefactor, I must be dreaming! There are two Irenes!” she cried, turning to Yu Sheng in a panic.
“Stop rubbing your eyes, or you’ll think you see four of her,” Yu Sheng said, stepping forward and gently tugging her hands away. Clearing his throat, he continued, “It was a bit of an accident. Irene really does have two bodies now. You’re not seeing things.”
Foxy stared, stunned. Then, after a moment, her face lit up with understanding. “Oh! You must be practicing the art of making an avatar! Irene, I didn’t realize you were—”
“An immortal? Hardly!” Irene snapped. “Yu Sheng made me another body, without my knowledge. I was fast asleep, and when I woke up, I nearly had a heart attack!”
“Alright, alright, let’s not start arguing,” Yu Sheng said, hurrying to smooth things over. He moved toward Irene, slipped the painting off her back once more, and passed it to Foxy. “Could you take this up to the attic for me?”
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation