Eating an Immortal Peach

Seeing how familiar Meng Jiang and Lu Ming were with each other,

Wen Ning was still curious, so he asked the white deer beside him,

"Bai Lu, what exactly is going on between Lu Ming and Meng Jiang? Why is he so scared of a little girl from the Underworld that his bells are practically shaking off?"

Bai Lu glanced sideways at Wen Ning. Without keeping him in suspense, she explained the history between Lu Ming and Meng Jiang.

"When Lu Ming was little, he often went along with the Lord of Mount Tai on visits to the Underworld. The Underworld and Mount Tai had official dealings anyway, so the Lord of Mount Tai always took him along to play with Meng Jiang. She's over a hundred years younger than him, but much more mature, so he always ended up getting pranked."

She paused, a hint of amusement creeping into her voice.

"Once, he was playing beside the Bridge of Helplessness and saw Meng Jiang cooking soup. He thought it was mung bean soup, so he scooped up a bowl and drank it when no one was looking."

"Meng Po's soup?"

Wen Ning asked curiously.

"No, it was ordinary mung bean soup, but she'd made it with water from the River of Forgetfulness."

Bai Lu continued,

"For three whole days afterward, he forgot he was a deer. He spent two and a half days running around Mount Tai on all fours, headbutting everyone he saw. The Lord of Mount Tai thought he'd reverted to his ancestral instincts and nearly sent him to Shennongjia to release him into the wild."

The corner of Wen Ning's mouth twitched. That sounded very much like Lu Ming.

"There was another time, too."

Lu Ming's embarrassing exploits didn't end there.

"Lu Ming thought a new spell he'd learned was incredibly impressive and insisted on showing it to Meng Jiang. But he failed to control his spiritual power and turned himself into a tree. He stood beside the Bridge of Helplessness all afternoon. Meng Jiang said the tree was blocking the souls trying to cross, so she hung a sign on him that read, 'Construction ahead. Please go around.' All the passing souls went around him. A few really thought the road was being repaired and waited beside him for ages."

Wen Ning finally lost control and laughed out loud.

"In the end, Meng Po personally turned him back. She said that in over ten thousand years, it was the first time she'd seen someone turn himself into a tree. The Lord of Mount Tai grounded Lu Ming for three months over it, but the moment his punishment ended, he ran straight back to the Underworld."

Bai Lu shook her head, looking thoroughly exasperated.

"He thinks Meng Jiang deliberately messes with him, but he's always the one who starts the trouble. He stole the soup, and he turned into a tree because he hadn't mastered his spell. He can't blame anyone else."

"Then what was that business Meng Jiang mentioned about giving her a gift?"

The more Wen Ning heard, the more he wanted to know.

"To apologize, he carried a basket of immortal peaches from Mount Tai to the Underworld. Mount Tai's immortal peaches aren't as good as those in the Queen Mother's Peach Garden, but they're still among the finest immortal fruits in the Three Realms. Only, he got hungry halfway there and sat by the road to eat three. Then another three, and another three. By the time he reached the Underworld, all that remained of the basket was one peach pit."

"He gave Meng Jiang the pit?"

"He did. He even said it was a new variety from Mount Tai that would bear fruit the year after she planted it. Meng Jiang actually believed him."

At this point, even Bai Lu couldn't help laughing.

"The next year, Meng Jiang nearly snapped off both his antlers."

Wen Ning silently observed a moment of mourning for Lu Ming.

No wonder Lu Ming reacted to Meng Jiang like a mouse facing a cat. Their feud had deep roots, watered with the Waters of Forgetfulness until it flourished.

As they were talking, Wen Zhong's voice came from behind them.

"You three head out first. Wen Ning, stay a moment."

Hearing this, Lu Ming and Meng Jiang stopped fooling around.

They turned and headed toward the end of the corridor.

Lu Ming was huddled at the corner, peeking around it, the bells on his antlers still trembling slightly. When he saw Bai Lu approach, he hurriedly asked,

"The Heavenly Venerable kept Wen Ning behind. He isn't going to get scolded, is he?"

"Why don't you go in and see?"

Bai Lu tossed him that reply as she walked past.

Once all three had left, Wen Zhong took a sip of tea. His gaze lingered on Wen Ning for a long while without a word.

"Godfather."

Wen Ning was growing uneasy under his scrutiny.

"Was there something else?"

Wen Zhong set down his teacup and walked over to Wen Ning.

"Have you used the Five Thunder Righteous Method in the mortal world?"

Wen Zhong asked.

Wen Ning froze briefly, then answered honestly,

"Once. Afterward, my whole body went weak."

Wen Zhong nodded, looking as though that was exactly what he had expected.

"The Five Thunder Righteous Method is the signature technique of the Heavenly Court's Thunder Department. But ultimately, you still have a mortal body, with no cultivation or magical power within it. Using it is bound to drain your physical strength."

Wen Ning's heart sank.

"What do I do, then? I can't fire off one shot and spend a whole day recovering."

At those words, Wen Zhong shot him a fierce glare.

"You're a grown man. Why do you still talk such nonsense?"

He went over to a rosewood cabinet behind the desk, took out a box, and retrieved a peach from inside.

It was more than twice the size of a mortal honey peach, and its surface shimmered with golden light.

Even half a meter away, Wen Ning could smell its fragrance.

"This is an immortal peach from the Peach Garden, one of the kind that ripens once every three thousand years."

Wen Zhong placed the peach on the desk, his tone as casual as though he were introducing a home-cooked dish.

"I couldn't finish everything at the Queen Mother's last Peach Banquet, so I brought one back."

Wen Ning stared at the wonderfully fragrant immortal peach.

He knew about the Queen Mother's immortal peaches; they were described in Journey to the West. The three-thousand-year variety was the lowest grade, but even one of those could turn a mortal into an immortal on the spot.

He had always thought that was just a myth. Now one of those peaches sat before him, as real as could be.

"Eat this immortal peach."

Wen Zhong pushed it toward Wen Ning.

"If you eat it now, you'll immediately gain the cultivation of an Earth Immortal. At least you'll have the ability to protect yourself in the human world."

Wen Ning looked down at the peach, then back up at Wen Zhong.

"Godfather."

He felt his eyes beginning to redden.

"This peach only ripens once every three thousand years."

"I know," Wen Zhong interrupted.

"So don't waste it. This peach won't do much for me, but for you, its effect will be—"

Wen Ning took a deep breath, picked up the immortal peach, and bit into it. The flesh melted in his mouth, becoming a warm, clear stream that slid straight down his throat.

Then warmth suddenly burst from deep within his dantian. Most noticeably, right in the center of his chest, he could clearly feel a current flowing into his limbs.

With a thought, a tiny arc of electricity sprang from Wen Ning's fingertip. It crackled twice between his fingers before going out. This time, his legs didn't go weak.

"An Earth Immortal now. That went smoothly enough. Nothing wasted."

Wen Zhong looked him up and down and nodded slightly.

"Now that you have magical power within you, the foundations of your Five Thunder Righteous Method are truly established. Practice diligently once you return."

He paused, then added,

"You can also use your monthly salary of five thousand merit to improve your cultivation directly now. While you're in the mortal world, remember to do good and accumulate virtue, punish evil and uphold what's right. Having more merit will benefit you."

Wen Ning withdrew the arc of electricity from his fingertip and nodded earnestly.

Seeing that Wen Ning had taken everything to heart, Wen Zhong sat back down in his grand armchair and took a sip of tea. Then his expression returned to its usual businesslike look.

"All right, you've eaten the peach. Go back and prepare properly. Starting tomorrow, you'll be stationed at the Thunder Department Human World Office. Don't disgrace the Thunder Department."

Wen Ning nodded. After a moment's hesitation, he asked,

"Godfather, did you save this immortal peach especially for me?"

Wen Zhong's hand paused around his teacup.

"It was about to expire. Not eating it would be a waste. Now get going."

Hearing his godfather say the opposite of what he meant, Wen Ning laughed, pushed open the door, and walked out.

Lu Ming was still waiting in the corridor. The moment he saw Wen Ning, he hurried over, his eyes scanning him repeatedly.

"Wen Ning, how did you become an Earth Immortal? Is this an employee benefit?"

Wen Ning was just about to explain when Meng Jiang reached over and tugged at Lu Ming.

"You're always full of questions. We're leaving. Stop dawdling."

Just then, a Heavenly Official in blue robes strode over from the end of the corridor, carrying a stack of documents. Seeing the four of them standing there, he called out,

"You four, come collect your office supplies and complete your onboarding paperwork! Stop blocking the corridor!"

Lu Ming's attention immediately shifted. He grabbed Wen Ning and followed the blue-robed Heavenly Official.