Chapter 61: Trial of the cursed feather
Li Ming barely had time to catch his breath before the light swallowed him completely.
When his vision cleared, he wasn’t in the courtyard anymore. He was standing on a narrow stone path suspended over what looked like a pit filled with... glowing feathers?
Bai Guo appeared next to him—not as a chicken, but in full human form. Tall, lean, with silver hair streaked with white, and a smug grin plastered on his face. His eyes sparkled with that same arrogant gleam he’d had in chicken form.
"Welcome to your doom... descendant Li Ming," Bai Guo said, hands on hips. "Just kidding. But also... not really."
Li Ming blinked. "You... are human now?"
"I can do both. Chicken when it’s convenient. Human when I feel like showing off," Bai Guo replied, twirling a feather between his fingers like it was a sword.
Li Ming rubbed his eyes. "Why am I not surprised?"
The floor beneath them rattled. A ghostly voice boomed.
> "Trial of the Cursed Feather... begins!"
A flurry of feathers erupted from the pit, spinning like mini tornadoes. Some had glowing runes etched into them. Others buzzed ominously, almost like they were alive.
Li Ming stepped back. "Okay... definitely not normal feathers."
Bai Guo smirked. "Relax. I’ve fought hundreds of feathers in my life. Well... maybe dozens. Fine, maybe three. But who’s counting?"
Li Ming groaned. "I’m counting. And I don’t like the number."
A ghostly figure appeared in front of them—transparent, glowing faintly. Its eyes were huge, and its beak—wait, it had a beak! It was some kind of ancestor chicken spirit.
Bai Guo froze. "Uh... that’s... awkward."
Li Ming pointed. "You’re not scared, right?"
Bai Guo waved a hand dismissively. "Pfft. It’s like seeing a relative I don’t like. I just ignore it."
The spirit ancestor screeched, wings flaring. The feathers on the path started spinning violently, forming sharp obstacles.
Li Ming backed up. "Oh, come on! This is worse than the pill tournament!"
Bai Guo crossed his arms. "Stop whining and move!"
Li Ming took a deep breath. He leapt forward—over spinning feathers, around glowing runes, and... slipped on a feather and landed on his face.
Bai Guo’s eyes widened. "Classic. And I’m not even laughing."
Li Ming groaned. "Don’t. Laugh. I could die."
Bai Guo smirked. "Not on my watch. Unless it’s hilarious."
Li Ming looked up. Bai Guo had shifted mid-air back into chicken form, flapping across the spinning feathers like he owned the place.
Li Ming stared. "He’s actually enjoying this."
"Of course!" Bai Guo squawked. "This is my kind of trial!"
Li Ming sighed. "Great. I’m literally dragging a feather-obsessed man-chicken through a cursed trial. Why am I alive?"
They pressed forward. Suddenly, a giant feather the size of a tree swung down like a pendulum.
Li Ming barely dodged. "Whew! That was close!"
Bai Guo in human form somersaulted over it elegantly. "You call that dodging? Watch and learn!"
Li Ming blinked. "I don’t have time to watch! I have to survive!"
The next part of the path split into two: one route had glowing feathers spinning violently, the other had a pit of sticky golden slime.
Li Ming rubbed his forehead. "Do I go left... or right?"
Bai Guo grinned. "Simple. Right!"
Li Ming stared. "That’s the slime pit!"
"You’ll never learn if you play it safe. I take risks... elegantly."
Li Ming facepalmed. "Why do I let you pick anything?!"
They rushed forward. Slime splashed everywhere. Li Ming slipped, slid halfway down, and somehow ended up hanging on the edge of the platform with his fingertips.
Bai Guo perched on the edge, looking down at him. "Need a hand?"
Li Ming glared. "I can manage—wait—don’t help me!"
Bai Guo sighed. "Fine. Watch me handle it—like a human... then a chicken... then whatever suits me."
He transformed mid-leap into chicken form, swooped down, grabbed Li Ming’s sleeve with his beak, and flapped both of them onto solid ground.
Li Ming coughed. "I... I hate you."
Bai Guo puffed up proudly. "You love me. Admit it. Also... I saved your life, so don’t complain."
Li Ming muttered, "If I survive, I’m smacking you."
"Promises, promises," Bai Guo replied, already scanning the next set of glowing feathers.
The ghostly voice boomed again:
> "Prepare for the first judgment!"
Li Ming’s eyes widened. "Judgment? Already?!"
Bai Guo straightened up. "Oh, this is where it gets fun."
Li Ming groaned. "Fun?! Why is everything in my life fun and deadly at the same time?!"
The feathers ahead began to glow red, spinning faster. Li Ming clenched his fists.
Bai Guo shifted into human form again, twirling a feather like a sword. "Alright, descendant... let’s show them why we’re unstoppable... and hilarious."
Li Ming swallowed. "Or die trying... again."
The path ahead rumbled. A massive shadow fell over them both.
Li Ming squinted. "...What now?!"
Bai Guo grinned. "Oh... you’re going to love this."
A giant glowing chicken statue rose from the pit, wings flapping menacingly, eyes glowing red.
Li Ming blinked. "You’re kidding me, right?"
Bai Guo’s smirk widened. "Not a chance."
----
The statue screeched, and the courtyard—well, the floating path in the trial—shook. Glowing feathers shot out like missiles.
Li Ming dodged one. Then another. Then—bam! He slipped on a stray feather and rolled forward, landing in a dramatic heap.
Bai Guo flapped his arms. "Honestly, you make this so entertaining! Don’t die yet—I’m enjoying the show."
Li Ming glared. "I hate you!"
Bai Guo winked, then shifted into chicken form, leaping onto the statue’s glowing wing. "Time to show off my secret moves!"
The statue swung its wing down, aiming to smash Li Ming.
Li Ming ducked. "I knew I should’ve brought a helmet!"
Bai Guo flapped, pecked a glowing feather, and it exploded in a small burst of light. The statue flinched.
Li Ming jumped on the chaos to his advantage, spinning around and kicking a feather out of the way. "Okay... maybe I can do this!"
The statue roared and flapped its wings again, sending a flurry of feathers everywhere. Some stuck to Li Ming’s hair, some tickled his face, and one landed right on his nose.
Li Ming sneezed. "A-AH! Gross!"
Bai Guo laughed so hard he transformed back into human form mid-air. "HA! That was perfect! Never underestimate the power of tickle feathers!"
Li Ming muttered, "If I survive, I’m never touching a feather again."
The statue stomped its massive claw down. Li Ming leapt onto a floating stone, narrowly avoiding getting squashed.
"Careful!" Bai Guo shouted. "Or we’ll end up in the history books as ’The Human Pancake’ and ’The Confused Chicken’!"
Li Ming rolled his eyes. "Not helping!"
They fought their way through spinning feathers, dodging glowing traps, and narrowly avoiding spikes. At one point, Li Ming tripped and fell into a glowing puddle. He screamed, "Why do all trials involve puddles?! I’m not a kid anymore!"
Bai Guo dived in after him, shifting into chicken form mid-splash. "Don’t worry! I’m waterproof... mostly."
Together, they finally made it to the final stage of the trial: a massive spinning platform floating above a pit filled with glowing feathers. At the center, a golden feather hovered.
"This must be it," Li Ming panted. "Grab it, and we’re done."
Bai Guo nodded. "Leave it to me... and by me, I mean both of us."
They dashed forward. The platform tilted violently, feathers spinning like mad. Li Ming slipped... but Bai Guo swooped in, human form this time, grabbed his arm, and yanked him back.
"Thanks," Li Ming muttered, slightly embarrassed.
"You’re welcome," Bai Guo said smugly. "I’m good at saving humans. Especially the ones who owe me snacks."
Li Ming rolled his eyes. "You’re not getting a bun this time."
Finally, they reached the golden feather. Li Ming stretched his hand... but a glowing claw shot up, blocking him.
"Not so fast!" a ghostly voice boomed. "Do you deserve the blessing?"
Li Ming froze. "Uh... yes?"
Bai Guo stepped forward. "He does. And he’s hilarious. That counts, right?"
The claw hesitated. Then... the feather started spinning faster, creating a vortex around them.
Li Ming panicked. "Oh no, this is it! We’re—"
Bai Guo flapped his wings, human form, chicken form, spinning mid-air. "Hold on, descendant! Let’s finish this in style!"
They dodged spinning claws, laughed at ridiculous traps, and finally—Li Ming grabbed the golden feather.
A blinding light filled the trial. The statue screeched one last time before shattering into feathers that floated harmlessly to the ground.
Li Ming fell onto his knees, panting. "We... did it."
Bai Guo dusted himself off, back in human form. "Of course we did. Who else could survive the Trial of the Cursed Feather and not die laughing?"
Li Ming groaned. "Don’t remind me of the laughing part..."
Suddenly, the ancestors appeared around them, glowing warmly.
"Well done," one said. "You have proven your courage, heart, and... comedic timing."
Li Ming blinked. "Comedic timing?"
Another ancestor nodded. "Yes. The ancestors enjoy a good laugh as much as strength. You pass the trial... barely, but you pass."
Li Ming slumped. "Finally..."
Bai Guo patted his shoulder. "See? Told you we’d make it fun. Now... who’s ready for the next disaster?"
Li Ming groaned. "I think I just earned a permanent headache..."
But as they turned to leave, the ground trembled again.
A deep voice echoed:
> "This trial was only the beginning... prepare, Li Ming, for the chaos that truly awaits."
Li Ming froze. "Wait... what now?!"
Bai Guo’s smirk returned. "Ohhh... I love chaos!"
To be continued....