Chapter 5: The Day the Spirit Chicken Spoke Back
Mu woke up to the sound of clucking.
Not spiritual chanting.
Not monks debating philosophy.
Just aggressive, judgmental clucking.
He blinked. Sat up. Rubbed his face.
A chicken was staring at him.
Not just any chicken.
This one wore a beaded necklace, had a golden scroll tied to one leg, and radiated an aura that felt like divine judgment dipped in poultry.
It stared.
Mu stared back.
> "Amitābha."
[+1]
[??? status triggered. Warning: You may have initiated conversation.]
The chicken did not cluck.
It nodded.
---
🐔 Cluck of Destiny
Shen kicked open the door, panting. "Mu! What did you do?!"
Mu glanced at the chicken. "I think I bonded with it."
"That's the Sect Master's spirit chicken! It escaped its spiritual coop last night!" Shen gasped.
Mu nodded. "It came to me."
"Why?!"
"I offered it tea."
"...Did it drink it?"
"No. It stared at the cup until it evaporated."
The chicken flapped once. A pulse of spiritual energy surged through the room, causing the broom in the corner to stand upright.
> [Minor Spirit Shockwave Detected]
[You have impressed a feathered immortal]
Mu blinked. "Neat."
---
🕊️ Summoned by the Sect Master
Word spread faster than a loose spirit in the outer courtyard.
Within the hour, Mu stood before the Sect Master, the Head Monk, three elders, and an unusually large number of worried disciples peeking from behind pillars.
The chicken sat next to him, calm and smug.
"Disciple Mu," the Sect Master said slowly. "You bonded with the sacred guardian of our sect."
"Amitābha."
> [+1]
[Spiritual Bird Affinity: +5]
"Do you realize what that means?"
"I have to share tea now?"
"No! It means the guardian spirit has accepted you as its partner. We haven't had such a bond in centuries."
Mu blinked. "So… am I promoted?"
The elders began muttering.
"Too soon."
"His greeting might be a divine technique."
"Should we assign him to Beast Hall?"
The chicken suddenly pecked the floor.
The entire hall trembled.
> [Master Yolk-san is displeased]
Mu patted its feathers. "He prefers peace offerings."
The Sect Master sighed. "Very well. You will care for it. Learn from it. And contain it."
"Contain?"
"It vaporized Elder Ming's sandals last week."
---
🚫 Mu and the Chicken: Training Begins
Master Yolk-san had standards.
Mu was now required to clean its coop (now upgraded to a "Sacred Nest Pavilion"), prepare daily incense (lavender and sage only), and present three cups of tea at sunrise, noon, and dusk.
Each day, the chicken judged Mu silently.
Each day, Mu greeted it.
> "Amitābha."
[+1]
Sometimes the greeting caused a feather to glow. Sometimes, the chicken would tilt its head and unleash a pressure that made passing disciples collapse.
One time, Mu slipped and accidentally greeted it in mid-fall.
It bowed back.
That day, a lotus bloomed under the coop.
Shen whispered later, "I think it's cultivating... through you."
"I think it's teaching me the Way of Chicken."
"That is not a real path."
Mu looked distant. "Not yet."
---
⚡ Combat Training… or Humiliation
The Sect insisted Mu participate in sparring again.
This time, his opponent was Senior Wei—a wind cultivator with sharp eyebrows, sharper tongue, and an ego the size of a dragon's backside.
"You think you can hide behind a chicken and a greeting?" Wei scoffed.
Mu bowed. "Amitābha."
> [+1]
Wei lunged.
Mu stepped aside.
Master Yolk-san clucked once.
A flash of light.
Wei was flat on the ground, twitching.
The referee monk hesitated. "Uh… match over?"
Mu poured tea for Wei. "Peace, brother."
The Sect Master facepalmed. "We'll have to revise the rulebook."
---
🌟 Title Upgrade and Confusion
Mu was summoned again. This time, he had a scroll waiting.
> [Title Acquired: Avian Whisperer of the Sixth Feather]
[Bonus: Avian species will not attack you unless provoked]
The chicken fluffed proudly.
Mu sipped tea. "I feel nothing has changed."
The Head Monk mumbled, "That's the scary part."
---
💃 Chicken Dance of Enlightenment
One night, during a full moon, Master Yolk-san began… dancing.
Mu watched as the chicken circled three incense sticks, flapped once, then tapped a stone in a pattern.
It repeated.
Mu, curious, mimicked the movement.
A soft glow enveloped him.
> [Secret Technique Learned: Feather Step - Allows short burst dodging with 12% grace bonus.]
"I'm learning… chicken martial arts?" Mu whispered.
The chicken nodded once and offered him a peanut.
---
📰 The Monks Revolt
Some disciples were not amused.
"He doesn't cultivate. He makes tea."
"He talks to a bird."
"He got a rare technique by flapping."
A petition circulated: "Revoke Chicken Privileges."
It was promptly pecked into ashes by Master Yolk-san.
The ashes formed the word "No."
The Sect Master announced, "We will consider his path… an unorthodox lineage."
Mu beamed. "Can I open a branch sect?"
"No."
---
☕ Visitation From an Outside Sect
The neighboring Phoenix Peak Sect arrived for a diplomatic visit.
Their leader, an elder woman with flames in her hair, looked at the coop, then at Mu.
"You greet birds?"
Mu bowed. "Amitābha."
The chicken nodded to her phoenix.
The phoenix blushed.
"I see," she said slowly, "You follow the Path of Respectful Poultry."
Shen muttered, "That is NOT a thing!"
It was now.
---
🌟 Final Scene: Night Tea and Thunder
Mu sat alone under the stars. The chicken dozed beside him.
He raised his cup to the moon.
"Amitābha."
> [+1]
Thunder rolled. Far in the sky, a divine presence paused.
Another +1 ticked into his counter.
> [Current Points: 407]
Master Yolk-san stirred. Looked up.
Clucked once.
Mu smiled. "I know. It begins."
The wind carried faint feathers across the temple.