In the ancient days of the Shang Dynasty, the heavens looked down upon the earthly realm with a mixture of pity and growing wrath. The final emperor of the Shang, King Zhou, had allowed his heart to be corrupted by the fox spirit Daji, leading to a reign of unparalleled cruelty and decadence. Amidst this rising chaos, the stars of destiny began to align in the west, where the virtuous Ji Chang, known as the Western Duke and later King Wen of Zhou, sought to maintain order and righteousness. The story of Lei Zhenzi begins not in a palace, but in the midst of a violent, auspicious thunderstorm near Yan Mountain. Ji Chang was traveling toward the capital of Zhaoge when a sudden tempest forced his party to seek shelter. As a master of the I Ching, the Duke realized that the intensity of the lightning and the rhythmic roar of the thunder were signs that a 'star of generalship' had descended to earth. Searching the wet grass after the storm subsided, his men discovered a crying infant. Ji Chang, recognizing the child as a gift from the heavens, adopted him as his hundredth son and named him Lei Zhenzi, the 'Son of Thunder.'
However, the Duke’s journey was fraught with danger, as King Zhou intended to imprison him. At this critical juncture, an immortal from the mist-shrouded heights of Mount Zhongnan named Yunzhongzi descended from the clouds. Yunzhongzi was a Taoist master of immense power who recognized the child’s divine potential. He offered to take the infant back to his mountain sanctuary to raise him in the ways of the Tao and prepare him for the great wars that were to come. Ji Chang, understanding that his own path led to imprisonment and that the boy required a master of the spirit, agreed. For seven years, Ji Chang languished in a prison cell in Youli, while Lei Zhenzi grew up in the secluded, mystical environment of Mount Zhongnan. Under the tutelage of Yunzhongzi, the boy learned the secrets of internal alchemy, the flow of qi, and the ancient philosophy of balance. He grew into a youth of great strength and purity, though he remained unaware of the physical trials that would eventually grant him his true power.
As the seven years of Ji Chang's imprisonment came to an end, King Zhou finally permitted him to return home, but the King's generals secretly pursued him, intending to assassinate the Duke before he could reach the safety of the Western Land. Yunzhongzi, peering through the veils of time, saw his disciple’s father in mortal peril. He called Lei Zhenzi to him and spoke of the urgency of the situation. 'Your father is being hunted at Lintong Pass,' the immortal explained. 'You must go to his aid immediately. But to defeat the forces of the Shang and cover the vast distance in time, you require a weapon and a new form.' Yunzhongzi directed his disciple to search the cliffs of a specific ravine on Mount Zhongnan for a weapon that would suit his destiny. Lei Zhenzi wandered through the rugged crags, where the clouds cling to the pine trees, until he came upon a peculiar sight. Growing from the side of a sheer precipice were two vibrant, glowing apricots. The air around them crackled with energy, and their scent was more intoxicating than any earthly incense.
Driven by a hunger that was as much spiritual as it was physical, Lei Zhenzi reached out and plucked the first apricot. As soon as he bit into the fruit, a strange heat flooded his veins. It was not the heat of fire, but the stinging heat of electricity. Instead of stopping, he consumed the second apricot. The transformation was instantaneous and terrifying. His skin, once fair, turned a deep shade of indigo and emerald green. His nose elongated and hardened into a sharp, predatory beak. His eyes grew wide and bulged like those of a hawk, glowing with an inner light. Most remarkably, two great protrusions burst from his shoulder blades, tearing through his robes. These grew into massive wings, spanning many feet across. One wing was infused with the essence of the wind, and the other was charged with the fury of thunder. He had become a 'Bird-Man,' a celestial monster whose very presence commanded the elements. Startled by his reflection in a mountain pool, Lei Zhenzi was initially horrified, but he soon felt the immense power surging through his new limbs. He returned to Yunzhongzi, who was pleased with the result. The master handed him a golden staff and taught him how to command the wings.