"Fellow Daoist Fei, is there something you want to say?" I asked at once. Fei Lingyu nodded and said after a moment of deep thought, "Speaking of this Raging-Eyed Thunder Monkey, I have heard a few things and some rumors as well. It is just that tavern rumors aren't necessarily reliable. But since they are related, shall I casually share what I heard? Whether they are true or not, they can at least serve as a reference."
I nodded and said, "Fellow Daoist Fei, you're joking. I'm dying for any bit of information that might let me try my luck. Where would I have the time to worry about what is true or false? Go ahead and tell me. I'll verify it myself."
Fei Lingyu smiled sweetly, then said seriously, "This happened many years ago—I can't remember exactly when. I only remember that when I was selling wine in a tavern, some rumors reached my ears. At that time, this enforcer had just subdued the Raging-Eyed Thunder Monkey. While everyone was heatedly discussing how powerful and ferocious the Thunder Fury was, I happened to hear someone singing a different tune. He said that when the Thunder Fury first appeared, there had also been a long-legged, blue-winged celestial bird over ten zhang tall, with a resplendent crest, scarlet eyes, and a beak two or three zhang long. Its body was mostly pure white, and it had fought the Thunder Fury in the sky!"
"Oh? A celestial bird? Did they describe the details and course of the battle? Which one won?" I thought this was rather fantastical. But it was also possible that the tavern patron couldn't stand everyone endlessly boasting about how formidable the Raging-Eyed Thunder Monkey was, so he had fabricated an opponent to match it. No wonder Fei Lingyu