Volume One: Days in the Shantytown - Chapter Five: Gift-Giving Is an Art

During his five hundred years in the Mortal Realm, Lei Ming had been a White-eye with a green back and yellow belly. Of course, that was only a disguise to hide his true form. Lei Ming was a Thunderbird. Not long after he hatched, someone caught him and shut him in a cage. Most people who kept birds loved them, and they naturally doted on such a beautiful White-eye. Lei Ming was clever, too, and often did little things to please his owners. All eight of them treated him well.

Cultivation was no easy path for a demon. Ascending after a thousand years was already an impressive feat. But Lei Ming had spent his time among humans, seeing every shade of warmth and coldness in their hearts and every turn of fortune in the world. It sharpened his mind and greatly aided his cultivation. In a mere five hundred years, he ascended as a Demon Immortal.

Lei Ming's true form was a Thunderbird. Though Demon Immortals had inferior immortal constitutions and could not match Spirit Immortals in spiritual talent, the Thunder Magic of his true form came to him as naturally as moving his own hands. Among the younger generation of Immortals, his Thunder Magic ranked in the top five.

Free and easy as his life in the Immortal Realm was, Lei Ming often thought back to his time in the Mortal Realm: how each of his owners had fed him by hand and stroked the feathers on his head with affection. And then there was all that delicious bird food.

Lei Ming stretched in his cave abode. Blue currents crackled between his hands, and he said with a hint of regret, "Ah, I'll never taste it again..."

"Lei Ming! Little Lei?" At the sound of someone calling, Lei Ming poked his head out of the cave abode and looked down. Two people stood below. One looked vaguely familiar, as though he had seen him somewhere before. The other wore a black suit, but Lei Ming had no recollection of him at all.

Lei Ming's cave abode towered high above the ground. True to his Thunderbird nature, he had built it on a cliff thirty thousand zhang tall. Luckily, his true form gave him keen eyesight. Otherwise, how could he have made out two people so far below?

"Heh, Brother Lei Ming, it's me, Du Lengning of Distant Hall! We drank together at Fairy Li Feng's wedding the year before last. Remember?" Lei Ming suddenly recalled him. Du Lengning was the young master of Distant Hall!

Fairy Li Feng's true form was a beautiful Thousand-Tailed Li Phoenix. In her immortal guise, her beauty was beyond compare, and she was the foremost beauty among Demon Immortals. Lei Ming was something of a figure among the younger Demon Immortals, and he, too, had secretly developed feelings for her. Unfortunately, before he could say anything, Fairy Li Feng had hooked herself a rich husband. She married into the Tidal Aristocratic Clan, a great family that ruled Dreamshatter Realm, one of the Nine Realms, and became its young mistress.

Lei Ming had attended her wedding by invitation. Plenty of talented young men nursed broken hearts at the feast; Lei Ming was hardly the only one. Du Lengning was another. They sat beside each other, and, united by the same misfortune, began pouring their hearts out after only a few cups of wine.

That night, however, they got thoroughly drunk. With their arms around each other's shoulders, they spoke frankly, and their admiration for Fairy Li Feng—now another man's wife—naturally became the heart of the conversation. When they woke, both regretted it deeply. From then on, as if by unspoken agreement, they never contacted each other again.

For ease of governance, the Immortal Emperor had divided the entire Immortal Realm into the Nine Realms and granted each to an immortal king of one of nine Aristocratic Clans. Dreamshatter Realm lay in the northwest of the Immortal Realm, facing the Buddha Realm across the Six Suchness Wasteland. Within its borders were the Heaven and Earth Source, one of the Six Sources; Autumn Spring Cave, one of the upper three among the Upper Three and Lower Ten Caves; and five of the Inner Thirty-Six Mountains. It was one of the three strongest of the Nine Realms.

"Oh, Young Master Du! Please, come up!" Lei Ming muttered inwardly, This fellow's come looking for me out of the blue. It can't mean anything good. But Du Lengning was the young master of Distant Hall, while Lei Ming stood alone. He could hardly afford to make things unpleasant between them.

Du Lengning brought Luo Qian flying up to Lei Ming's Layered Heaven Cave Abode. Lei Ming glanced at Luo Qian and asked, "Young Master Du, this is...?" Du Lengning hurriedly introduced him. "This is my good friend, Luo Qian."

Lei Ming had never heard the name. Still, for Du Lengning's sake, he cupped his hands politely. "Brother Luo!" Luo Qian returned the salute, and Du Lengning said, "Brother Lei, we wouldn't come knocking without a reason. We're here today to ask a favor." Lei Ming thought, Here it comes...

"Haha, you're too polite, Young Master Du. What could the distinguished young master of Distant Hall possibly need from a lone Demon Immortal like me?" Lei Ming dared not agree outright. He had spent five hundred years among humans, and he had learned more than how to eat bird food.

Du Lengning was no match for Lei Ming when it came to scheming. He failed to hear the evasion and took Lei Ming's words for modesty. His expression grew earnest. "No need to be so modest, Brother Lei. Your Thunder Magic is unmatched in the Immortal Realm. In fact, it's that very Thunder Magic we've come to ask about." Lei Ming lowered his head, his birdlike eyes turning as he settled on a plan. "Heh, you flatter this humble demon, Young Master Du. Tell me what you need. If I can help, I, Lei Ming, won't refuse." And if I can't, you can hardly blame me.

Du Lengning said, "I'll let Brother Luo explain." Luo Qian cupped his hands with a smile, though he knew perfectly well that Lei Ming was slippery and would not be easy to handle. Luo Qian was no rich young master like Du Lengning, who spent his days idling at his sect. From the Mortal Realm to the Immortal Realm, he had done his share of both good and bad. What sort of person had he not met? Besides, he had a trump card of his own. Lei Ming would take the bait.

"Brother Lei, I need a Treasure Artifact that can supply a steady electric current continuously. Do you think you could develop one?" Luo Qian laid out his request. Lei Ming immediately grew suspicious. A Treasure Artifact that supplies a steady current continuously? Isn't that a Generator? Who is this Luo fellow, to have won over the young master of Distant Hall? What does he want a Generator for?

Sneaking down to the Mortal Realm was a capital crime. Lei Ming had never imagined that the young master of a powerful institution like Distant Hall would be mixed up with a smuggler who traveled there in secret. Even so, he kept his guard up. Luo Qian's request would be difficult to fulfill, and even if the device had been easy to make, Lei Ming could not agree on the spot.

Lei Ming frowned. "Brother Luo, Young Master Du, that won't be easy. You know the power of Thunder Magic lies in its explosive force. Making that power steady and continuous is another matter entirely. Give me some time to think. Once I have an idea, I'll notify you by Message Talisman."

Du Lengning was about to say more, but Luo Qian had already pulled him away to take their leave. "Sorry for the trouble, Brother Lei. We'll be going now. If this succeeds, you'll be richly rewarded!"

Lei Ming cupped his hands. "In that case, I won't see you out. Safe travels, brothers." As the two turned away, a bag fell from Luo Qian's person. Lei Ming paused, then picked it up, intending to return it. But they had already reached the foot of the cliff, and their figures vanished in a flash. Lei Ming smiled slyly. Trying such a petty trick on me? If I fall for it, those five hundred years in the Mortal Realm might as well have been for nothing.

Lei Ming had meant to leave the bag unopened and chase after them to Ningyao Mountain to return it to Du Lengning. But a familiar fragrance drifted from within. It stirred distant memories. Since his ascension, it had been nearly a hundred years since he had last smelled that scent...

Du Lengning caught hold of Luo Qian, who was flying off in a hurry, and complained, "I still wanted to say a few more things to him, but you dragged me away. If this doesn't work out, don't blame me. Of everyone I know, that bird's Thunder Magic is the only kind worth looking at. If he won't help, there's nothing else I can do."

Luo Qian said, "Relax, Young Master Du. If the rumor you heard is true, Lei Ming is bound to climb aboard our pirate ship... Ahem, I mean, he's bound to be in the same boat as us." Du Lengning said, "I really don't understand it. He's an immortal now. Why can't he stop thinking about bird food from the Mortal Realm?"

"That's an obsession," Luo Qian said. "Even immortals aren't immune. I've seen far more of them than you have. Back in the Mortal Realm..." At the mention of the Mortal Realm, longing filled his eyes. His words trailed off, and he stared into space.

Du Lengning gave him a nudge. "Old Luo, what's wrong?" Luo Qian came to himself and smiled bitterly. His eyes were a little red. "Sorry you had to see that. Ah, I never wanted to become an immortal. Perhaps that's an obsession, too."

They parted only when they reached the foot of Ningyao Mountain. Du Lengning returned up the mountain, while Luo Qian continued alone toward Toad Mountain.

Just as Luo Qian had expected, within three days Du Lengning received a Message Talisman from Lei Ming, inviting him to the Layered Heaven Cave Abode for a chat. Du Lengning had yet to contact Luo Qian, let alone set out, when Lei Ming came looking for him himself, unable to wait any longer!

Giving gifts required a sense of method and measure, and Luo Qian understood both. That bag of premium bird food from the Mortal Realm had held just enough to satisfy Lei Ming's craving, but not enough to fill him up. For the next three days, all the rare fruits and delicacies of the Immortal Realm tasted of nothing to him. After holding out for three days, he could bear it no longer. He hurriedly sent Du Lengning a Message Talisman, then, almost as soon as it was gone, cast an immortal art and flew to Ningyao Mountain himself. Once his appetite had been stirred, there was no suppressing it.

Lei Ming reached Ningyao Mountain before Luo Qian did. Du Lengning sent a Message Talisman asking Luo Qian to come.

Lei Ming knew Luo Qian had maneuvered him into this. During those three days, it had struck him that the bird food came from the Mortal Realm. If Luo Qian could get hold of it, he must already have broken one of the Immortal Realm's gravest laws. But before the cold sweat of that realization had dried, the flavor of the bird food returned to his tongue. Lei Ming told himself, If no one found out the first time, they probably won't find out later, either. Besides, I only ate food brought up from the lower realm. I didn't sneak down there myself. Even if they investigate and I get dragged into it, the worst they can do is exile me to the Carefree Cloud Sea between the Immortal Realm and the Divine Realm for a few decades.

Du Lengning and Lei Ming waited for Luo Qian at the Rock-Viewing Pavilion on Ningyao Mountain, brewing a pot of fresh Flower-Rain Trust Peak tea. The door opened, and Luo Qian entered with a smile. "Sorry to have kept you both waiting."

Lei Ming chuckled. "Young Master Du and I only just sat down. Our chairs haven't even warmed up yet. Brother Luo, I've come up with an initial design for that Treasure Artifact you mentioned a few days ago. I wanted to tell you both about it."

Luo Qian cursed inwardly. You sly feathered beast. If you weren't craving that bird food, would you have come looking for me? An initial design? It would be a miracle if you could tell me the first thing about it right now.

Lei Ming truly had no ideas. For three days, his mind had been full of that Mortal Realm delicacy. When would he have found the time to consider the Treasure Artifact? If Luo Qian had asked him to explain, he would have had nothing to say. So when Luo Qian merely chuckled and asked no questions, Lei Ming secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"I bought this from a friend," Luo Qian said. "I heard you liked it, Brother Lei, so it's yours." He slid a neatly packaged box of premium bird food across the table. As it happened, the lively little bird pictured on the box looked just like the green-backed, yellow-bellied White-eye Lei Ming had once appeared to be.

Lei Ming accepted the gift without a flicker of expression. A box that size would last him months.

The three had reached an unspoken understanding. They agreed on a time for their next meeting, and Lei Ming rose to leave. He knew he would have to bring at least a half-finished device next time. Otherwise, he would never be able to bluff his way past them.

After seeing Lei Ming off, Du Lengning clapped Luo Qian on the shoulder. "Not bad, Old Luo. You guessed right after all!"