Morning sunlight poured through the windows of Li Ming's courtyard, painting the air with a soft golden haze.

It was peaceful.

Serene.

Almost suspiciously quiet.

Li Ming opened one eye.

No explosions.

No lightning hum.

No chirping.

He blinked.

Too quiet.

"…Lei Shan?"

No response.

He sat up instantly. The blanket was gone. His sword was gone.

And so, apparently, was the cub.

A faint sizzling sound came from the kitchen.

Li Ming froze. "…No."

He rushed over—

—and found Lei Shan standing proudly on the counter, a pot of tea boiling in midair, held together purely by static Qi.

The cub was balancing on his hind legs, tail wagging in perfect rhythm as he tried to mimic Li Ming's morning routine.

Steam rose. The air buzzed.

The teapot vibrated.

"Lei Shan—don't—"

Too late.

The tea poured itself perfectly into two cups.

Then the handle melted.

And the entire setup fizzled into a pile of fragrant smoke.

Lei Shan looked up, blinking innocently. Chirp?

Li Ming pinched the bridge of his nose. "You were trying to make me tea."

Lei Shan wagged his tail proudly. Sparks flew. The cabinet caught fire.

"…I appreciate the thought," Li Ming muttered, grabbing a jug of cold water.

---

A few hours later, Bai Guo landed on the windowsill, looking entirely too amused. "Good morning, descendant. Smells like you've been blessed by culinary enlightenment."

Li Ming glared. "He tried to brew tea with lightning."

Bai Guo tilted his head. "And?"

"And the teapot didn't survive."

"Ah. So progress."

Li Ming rubbed his temple. "You have a very loose definition of progress."

Meanwhile, Lei Shan was sitting in the middle of the courtyard, staring intently at a pile of scrolls.

Not chewing.

Not tearing.

Reading.

Or trying to.

He squinted at the brushstrokes like they owed him money.

Every few seconds, he'd make a tiny sound—half chirp, half frustrated growl—and sparks would jump from his horns.

Li Ming blinked. "…Is he angry at words?"

Bai Guo chuckled. "No, no. He's mimicking you."

"Mimicking me?"

"You scowl at scrolls too."

Li Ming looked offended. "I do not."

Bai Guo raised an eyebrow. "You're doing it right now."

---

That afternoon, Li Ming decided if the cub wanted to imitate, then he might as well guide him.

"Alright, Lei Shan," he said, stepping into the courtyard. "If you're going to learn, we'll start properly. No wild Qi. No random lightning bursts. Discipline."

Lei Shan sat upright, eyes wide and attentive. His tail thumped the ground like a drumbeat.

Li Ming demonstrated the Thunderflow shock — channeling lightning through steady breathing, directing it with precision, not power.

"Control," he said calmly.

Lei Shan tilted his head, chirped once—then raised his tiny paw.

A flash of gold filled the courtyard.

When the light faded, the ground was carved with intricate, glowing lines — like a thunder sigil drawn by a master. The air hummed with perfect energy balance.

Li Ming stared.

Bai Guo whistled. "Well. The student has surpassed the species."

Lei Shan puffed out his little chest proudly and chirped again, tail twitching with smug satisfaction.

Li Ming exhaled slowly. "…We're skipping lessons for today."

Bai Guo cackled. "At this rate, descendant, he'll be teaching you in a week."

---

That night, the courtyard glowed faintly from residual lightning patterns Lei Shan had accidentally carved into the ground while trying to "practice meditation."

Li Ming sat cross-legged nearby, rubbing his temple. "You're too talented for your own good."

Lei Shan chirped, rolled onto his back, and started chasing his tail — each spin releasing a spark that made the entire courtyard flicker like a lantern.

Bai Guo watched, unimpressed. "A true prodigy."

Li Ming sighed, staring at the little beast tumbling across the grass.

"…I can't even tell if he's cultivating or playing."

"Why not both?" Bai Guo shrugged.

And somewhere between the lazy thunder hums and the glowing grass, Li Ming actually smiled.

Maybe… this chaos wasn't so bad.

---

Morning mist rolled lazily across the courtyard as Li Ming opened the door to his small alchemy room.

It smelled faintly of herbs, old paper, and regret.

He had promised himself a quiet day.

No fights.

No beasts.

No disasters.

Then he heard it — a muffled clatter.

Li Ming froze.

"…Lei Shan?"

Inside, the cub was standing proudly atop the alchemy table — tiny paws pressed against the rim of a cauldron twice his size.

The lid was rattling.

Smoke leaked out in pretty rainbow curls.

"Lei Shan," Li Ming said slowly, "what are you doing?"

The cub looked up, beaming. Chirp!

He gestured to the cauldron, puffed a little spark from his horns, and then pointed at himself.

Bai Guo, perched in the window, translated dryly: "He says he's helping."

"Helping what?" Li Ming demanded.

"Alchemy, obviously."

Li Ming approached cautiously. "That's not how—"

The cub tapped the cauldron. A small lightning pulse flashed.

The lid popped.

Blue smoke exploded outward, filling the room with a scent that was somehow equal parts mint, pepper, and thunderstorm.

Li Ming coughed, waving the smoke away. "What—what did you put in there?"

Lei Shan blinked innocently. Then, with a proud chirp, he dragged out a pile of… ingredients.

Not herbs.

Snacks.

Two steamed buns, one spirit fruit, and a jar of honey.

Li Ming just stared at him.

"You made… a dessert elixir."

Bai Guo snorted. "Innovative."

Li Ming rubbed his temples. "I swear I'm losing brain cells faster than I cultivate them."

Lei Shan looked slightly confused, then tugged at Li Ming's sleeve and gestured toward the bubbling cauldron again — like a child showing off an art project.

Li Ming sighed. "Fine. Let's see what your masterpiece is."

He lifted the lid.

A single golden pill floated inside, glowing softly. It radiated… a weirdly comforting energy — warm, clean, and full of vitality.

Bai Guo's feathers fluffed. "Wait. That's… actual Qi condensation."

Li Ming blinked. "…You're kidding."

He examined it closely — stable structure, perfect balance, no impurities. It wasn't an accident.

Lei Shan had genuinely made a low-grade vitality pill out of snacks.

The cub puffed out his chest, wagging his tail proudly.

Li Ming muttered, "You can't even read recipes and you've already made something useful…"

Bai Guo smirked. "Prodigy chef of the Qi world."

---

Word, unfortunately, spreads fast in a sect.

By evening, three disciples were peeking through the window, whispering.

"I heard Senior Li refined a divine-grade elixir by accident!"

"No, no — it was a heavenly-rank vitality pill!"

"Someone said it smelled like dumplings!"

Li Ming stepped outside, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's not a divine pill. It's—"

Too late.

The cub trotted out, holding the glowing pellet in his mouth like a prize.

A collective gasp went through the disciples.

"E-even the spirit beast helps refine!?"

One dropped to his knees. "Senior Li, please, teach me your way of cooking cultivation!"

Li Ming: "It's not cooking cultivation, it's—"

Lei Shan proudly spat the glowing pill into the disciple's hands. The poor boy froze, unsure whether to eat it or frame it.

Bai Guo whispered, "Congratulations, descendant. You've just invented culinary alchemy."

Li Ming glared. "I'll never live this down."

---

Later that night, the courtyard was filled with laughter from distant disciples trying to "cook with Qi."

Half the outer sect was apparently burning their kitchens.

Li Ming sat on the steps, staring at Lei Shan, who was curled up beside him, purring softly.

The cub's fur sparked faintly with gold light, humming in perfect rhythm with his breathing.

Bai Guo landed next to him. "You know, descendant, he's changing the way people see cultivation."

"Yeah," Li Ming said quietly, "by making it smell like honey buns."

The bird chuckled. "Could be worse. At least he's not blowing up the alchemy hall."

Li Ming gave him a sideways look. "…Don't jinx it."

Lei Shan opened one eye, chirped softly, then rolled over and dozed off again — tiny arcs of lightning forming the faint shape of a heart above his head.

Li Ming exhaled a long breath and smiled faintly.

"Alright, Little Thunderbub… maybe you're not such a disaster after all."

Bai Guo snickered. "You say that now and regret it later."

To be continued...

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