~~~

A celebration is thrown for Feng Zhi when they return to the Eternal Flame Clan.

One they are not invited to.

Instead, the four are subjected to an in-depth debriefing by the Division of External Relationships. It lasts several hours and leaves Liu Jin rather puzzled. Many people in the Eternal Flame Clan would not even recognize the Bright Phantasm Sect by name. Callous as it may sound, the Bright Phantasm Sect and its relationship to the Eternal Flame Clan are simply not important enough to merit such an effort.

And yet, Liu Jin walks away from the building of External Relationships with the distinct impression someone is not happy with the events in Night Phantasm City.

It is, however, just a feeling, and not one Liu Jin intends to pursue. He has already called enough attention to himself lately. Indeed, for the next several days, Liu Jin settles into a quiet, uneventful routine.

Only once enough time has passed does he dare venture into Ember City.

“It was fascinating.”

“That is an... interesting way to describe such an eventful trip, my lord.”

Liu Jin looks at Lei Kong out of the corner of his eye. The bulk of his attention is focused on one of the Great Thundering Boar horns Lei Kong had procured. When they last met, Liu Jin had told him he needed only one, but Lei Kong had gone and gotten eight of them. Each one is about as big as his torso, meaning Lei Kong had fought at least four adult Great Thundering Boars.

As always, Lei Kong is too much.

The two are meeting in one of Ember City’s many inns. Lei Kong had been the one to rent the room while Liu Jin had come in through the window. There are several talismans placed on the walls to prevent them from being watched or overheard.

“The events were certainly tragic. I will not deny that.”

An exasperated Lu Mei had pointed out to him that it had been far too late to do anything by the time they arrived. Wong Shou’s Heart Devils had already begun materializing by then. There was nothing they could have done to help him.

Perhaps, she is right.

Even so, Liu Jin cannot help but lament Wong Shou’s final fate.

If he had gotten there sooner. If he had been more skilled.

They are useless thoughts. Liu Jin knows this. He’s already living with far too many what-ifs as it is. Adding more cannot possibly be healthy. Instead of focusing on what he failed to do, he should start working on the things he can do.

It is easier said than done.

“Wong Shou deserved better. At least, I like to believe he did. All the same, I cannot help but think about the ability he showed. To be able to maintain so many Heart Devils simultaneously... I never imagined it would be possible to create functioning bodies in such a way.”

“Were they not just empty husks, my lord?”

“At first,” Liu Jin admits. “However, as time went on, they became more… real, I guess. A fully developed system of meridians. A body susceptible to poison. It was remarkable.”

“But they were still just Heart Devils,” Lei Kong points out. “Regardless of how complete their bodies were, their mind can never grow beyond their initial parameters.”

“That is what makes it fascinating. Despite the complexity of their bodies, their minds were limited.” To him, who already has a mind in need of a body, that opens all sorts of possibilities. “Certainly, the process was far from perfect, but if there was a way to work out the inherent dangers, then…”

“My lord, your servant is deeply uncomfortable with how excited you sound about this subject.”

Liu Jin blinks.

“Oh, is that so?” The side of Liu Jin’s mouth curls up. “Curious. You would usually not voice that thought.”

“My lord does not usually talk of Heart Devils,” Lei Kong replies. The usual deference with which he addresses Liu Jin is temporarily replaced by urgent seriousness. “Such matters are dangerous and best left alone.”

“Very well.”

It is rare when Lei Kong speaks his mind like this, so Liu Jin does not want to discourage it. Of course, that is not to say he is going to stop thinking about this. Wong Shou’s condition is something that bears investigating.

“Let us talk about something else then. You will be pleased to know my lightning changed from red to blue.”

As expected, a smile lights up Lei Kong’s face.

“So quickly? As expected of my lord! To have achieved Blue Lightning in mere months! At this rate, my lord will definitely become able to wield Gold Lightning in a few years!”

Back when Liu Jin had been learning to manifest lightning, Lei Kong had told him the color of one’s lightning shows their mastery over the element. Red is the lowest level. Above that is blue, then white, then gold at the top. Supposedly, it is the peak of lightning mastery.

“There are some who can wield purple lightning, but that ability is held only by those who are blood of the Storm Dragon,” Lei Kong had explained to him back then.

Liu Jin had wisely refrained from commenting on it.

“As always, you have too much confidence in my skills.”

“No, my lord. This is my honest assessment. Had my lord been born in the Lei Clan, I am sure he would have been regarded as a great prodigy! Even Lei Yu would not have been your…”

He trails off. Lei Kong’s excited expression trips into uncertainty. Though his posture does not change, there is no denying he suddenly looks incredibly uncomfortable.

“No, I suppose that does not matter,” he says, quickly averting his eyes. “Forgive me, my lord. I remembered things not worth remembering.”

Liu Jin raises an eyebrow but says nothing. It is not that his curiosity is not piqued, but he has a pretty good idea of what caused Lei Kong to suddenly close up. Whenever he thinks of the Lei Clan, Lei Kong’s thoughts inevitably drift back to Murong Bang. Not only is that a subject Lei Kong wants to avoid bringing up around Liu Jin, but his own feelings towards that man are heavy, to say the least.

Lei Kong had told Liu Jin much about how the Storm Dragon Empire worked and Murong Bang’s role in it. However, he had shared little of his experiences with Murong Bang. Liu Jin can sense Lei Kong has many unpleasant memories tied to him. If he were to make it an order, Lei Kong would most likely tell him about it, but Liu Jin has no intention of doing something like that.

Still, it is a pity. Lei Kong had been about to open up.

Time to change the subject again.

“Lei Kong, I need you to go over there and stare at the wall.” Liu Jin points to the corner of the room. The unexpected request causes Lei Kong to jerk his head up and blink several times.

“My lord?”

“Rest assured, you have done nothing wrong,” Liu Jin says, rummaging through his spatial pouch. He stores the horns Lei Kong has brought and takes out a large egg. “I intend to hatch this egg. It will be for the best if my face is the first thing the bird sees, so I need you to stand over there. While you are at it, make sure to keep your Qi as low as possible.”

Even if he hadn’t found Lei Kong in Ember City, Liu Jin would have hatched the egg here regardless. Doing it in the Eternal Flame Clan’s compound had been an option, but between Huang Shing, Bei Hong, and some of the disciples from the Apothecary, there are simply far too many people knocking on his door lately.

“Ah! Of course, my lord!” Lei Kong bows his head to him, rises from the floor, and then bows his head to him again before doing as ordered.

Liu Jin just smiles and shakes his head before removing the temporal talisman on the egg. The Qi of the creature inside beats as it is taken out of stasis. All it needs is a simple jolt of Qi. That would be enough to hatch the egg. That is all Liu Jin needs to do.

So he does.

~~~

Chirp. Chirp.

People are staring at him.

It is not anything new to Liu Jin, far from it. He has had to deal with people staring at him since he was a child. Back in Eastern Port City, there had been scornful stares and pitying stares. Over time, those stares had become respectful, admiring, and even worshipful. By all means, he should be able to ignore a few stares by now.

Chirp. Chirp.

Still, no matter how much he tries, Liu Jin cannot fight the flush that rises on his cheeks as people point, stare, and even laugh. His journey back to the Inner Disciples’ quarters is spent in rising mortification.

Things do not get better there.

The first person he runs into is Bei Hong. The older disciple raises his hand in greeting, only to stop halfway. His eyes open and close several times, but the rest of his body remains perfectly still. Slowly, the dumbfounded look on his face gives way to a wide smile.

“Brother Shing!” He yells out, his eyes never moving from Liu Jin. “Come here! You must see this.”

A lesser man would have run, but not Liu Jin. Besides, it is not as if he can hide in his room until this is all over. He has duties to attend. They will see him eventually. Best get this over with now.

“What is it, Brother Hong?” Huang Shing says as he comes down the stairs. “I need to finish preparing for the isolation chamb...e…r...”

Chirp. Chirp.

Just like Bei Hong before him, Huang Shing stops and stares. His blue eyes grow wider by the second to the point Liu Jin wonders if they’ll pop out of his skull. His face twists as he tries his hardest to fight his body’s natural reaction. Liu Jin appreciates him trying, but the end result is inevitable.

Chirp. Chirp.

Laughter.

Widely. Loudly. Freely. Bei Hong and Huang Shing collapse into each other, laughing without a care in the world.

Chirp. Chirp.

“Are you two quite done?”

“Brother Jin… I am sorry…” Huang Shing’s attempt at an apology is cut off by another round of giggles. “You know I have… the greatest respect for you… It’s just…”

Chirp. Chirp.

Huang Shing’s lips quiver as he tries to fight the laughter.

He fails.

“Brother Jin!” Bei Hong finally manages to speak. His face is red from all the laughing. “You cannot expect us not to notice it! What is that thing on your head?”

“This,” Liu Jin says, pointing at his head, “is a Black-Winged Imperial Eagle. It is a rare and powerful breed of Spirit Beast that-”

“It built a nest on your head!” Huang Shing says, pointing and laughing.

Liu Jin’s eyebrow twitches.

Chirp. Chirp.

The Black-Winged Imperial Eagle. Fast. Powerful. Rare. A loyal companion with great potential for growth.

They also have the unusual habit of making a nest on top of their parent’s heads.

While most birds need at least a week to learn how to fly, the Black-Winged Imperial Eagle becomes capable of flying short distances mere minutes after being born. As soon as the baby chick gained a small measure of coordination, he had beaten his wings and landed right on top of Liu Jin’s head.

At the time, Liu Jin thought it cute, so he had allowed him to remain there. As he walked through Ember City, the chick had started picking up random stuff. Straw. Bits of string. Tiny twigs. By the time Liu Jin had realized what was going on, the eagle chick was halfway through building a nest. Liu Jin had tried taking the thing off, but the chick had started crying.

Since saying no to a crying chick is far harder than he ever imagined, Liu Jin is stuck with a bird nest on top of his head.

It is a good balance exercise, but he cannot say he cares much for it. Had he known about this ahead of time, Liu Jin could have done something to prevent it. However, Xiao Fang had clearly neglected to mention anything about this. The butthead.

“Just what is it that has you all making so much noise?”

Oh, no.

“Do you two have to be so uncouth?” Lu Mei says as she walks down the stairs. “You already have a bad enough reputation as it is, and…”

Chirp. Chirp.

She trails off, her gaze landing square on Liu Jin. Her golden eyes meet his before traveling up to the bird nest on his head and the chick on top of it.

Chirp. Chirp.

Her eyes come back down. Her lips curl up into a smile.

“Don’t.” Liu Jin says before Lu Mei can open her mouth. “Whatever you are thinking of, don’t say it.”

Lu Mei pouts.

“Well, that’s hardly fair.” She points at Bei Hong and Huang Shing, who are still recovering from laughing so much. Liu Jin has seen them finish fights with lighter breathing. “You let them laugh.”

“What do you mean he let us?”

“They will laugh and be done with it. I cannot expect something so simple from you.”

“That’s very sweet of you to say, but I hope you realize flattery is not what I am after.”

Liu Jin sighs. “What is it that you want?”

“I hate it when they talk as if we were not even here, Brother Hong.”

“I could use some help with my duties in the Medical Pavilion. Surely, you possess skill in that area?”

Liu Jin crosses his arms.

“I might.”

Lu Mei beams at him. “Come with me next Monday then. Do keep your headgear. It is quite fetching.”

“Just like I told you, my friend,” Bei Hong whispers to Huang Shing. “Nothing but trouble.”

Liu Jin does his best to ignore them.

Chirp. Chirp.

~~~