"The situation here has truly become chaotic. But luckily, we can still help a little," Chan Do said as he had just finished his task of assisting in cleaning up the previous mess.
"But this seems to be a heavy burden for them." Bi Kwe glanced towards the unconscious Lan Ming, whom Bi Kwe intentionally caused to lose consciousness to help restore his energy. Meanwhile, Je Xi stayed with the unconscious Lan Ming. The condition of the Goddess of Sound was equally distressing; Bi Kwe was surprised to find that Je Xi couldn't produce her voice. He only understood when Pit Hong recounted all the events that occurred while he was unconscious.
Chan Do simply nodded his head. "Brother, rest if you're tired. You've been fighting too and even lost consciousness. Don't forget about yourself." Chan Do was concerned about Bi Kwe's condition.
Once Bi Kwe regained consciousness, he immediately called Chan Do and asked for his help in cleaning up the aftermath of the previous battle.
"Indeed, rest, Bi Kwe," Pit Hong said, having just finished his task of helping clean up the chaos. "You've expended your energy to restore the surroundings and heal those of us injured in the battle. Don't neglect yourself."
"Hmph... I've intentionally saved this energy to be used in emergencies. There's no need to worry about me." Bi Kwe had collected various energies from several sources skillfully. He stored these energies and intentionally didn't use them until the situation became truly dire.
"Still, don't overexert yourself."
"Annoying."
"Brother, mind your manners!" Chan Do retorted, a bit annoyed by Bi Kwe's rough demeanor.
"We should just head home. Our job of helping is done. We also need to avoid suspicion from the locals," Pit Hong suggested.
The others agreed with Pit Hong's suggestion. Then Chan Do opened a portal. A circle with bright green light shone brightly. The portal was open, and they all passed through it to their intended destination.
Chan Do purposely opened the portal to Lan Ming's cottage. Once they arrived, they all resumed their tasks.
***
"Delicious," praised Bi Kwe as he tasted Pit Hong's cooking. The noodle soup was delightful.
"Thank you." Pit Hong looked over at Lan Ming's bowl, which still remained untouched. "Lan Ming, please eat a little. You need to regain your strength," he said softly. Pit Hong tried to be patient with Lan Ming. He understood Lan Ming's sadness over Ying's death, whom Lan Ming regarded as a mother figure. He learned about it from Bi Kwe. After Pit Hong informed Bi Kwe that when the Thief Goddess was unconscious, Lan Ming was mourning the death of a woman.
"The old woman wouldn't be pleased to see you acting weak like tofu. Eat and regain your strength; you have to fight to teach that scumbag a lesson." Bi Kwe spooned soup into his mouth. It seemed like the Thief Goddess intended to steal all the remaining soup in the pot.
Lan Ming growled. He grabbed his chopsticks and greedily started eating. Bi Kwe's words at least succeeded in making Lan Ming realize that there was no point in continually lamenting his fate. Ying would never return, and everything would be in vain if he gave up now.
Seeing Lan Ming eat eagerly made Pit Hong happy. So much so that he inadvertently said, "Luckily, I put my underwear into the noodle soup I made; the broth must be so flavorful."
And Pit Hong's spontaneous words successfully caused Bi Kwe to spray the soup he was drinking right in front of Pit Hong's face.
"I hope I didn't actually get poisoned because of your actions," Bi Kwe still found it hard to imagine when he was enjoying Pit Hong's noodle soup with an unexpected mixture in it.
"It was just a joke. There's no way I would do something like that," Pit Hong said.
"Your joke isn't funny." Bi Kwe secretly glanced at Lan Ming, who seemed lost in thought with empty eyes. It seemed like he was still pondering the previous events. Bi Kwe, understanding the feeling of grief, enveloped Pit Hong. He intended to console the Wind God. "What if we cheer him up a bit? I feel sorry for him. If a god's hair turns white, it means the god is under immense emotional pressure. This change might not kill him, but gradually, if left unaddressed, it could disturb his sanity."
"Is that so?" Pit Hong suddenly felt scared hearing Bi Kwe speak like that.
Bi Kwe nodded. "Yes. I've seen something like this before when I was still in the Celestial Realm. It might be a bit difficult for you to understand because you're human. But essentially, we need to help cheer up Lan Ming."
"Alright, I'll help. I'll show something interesting in front of Lan Ming. What about you, Bi Kwe?"
Bi Kwe smiled. "I'll also show something equally interesting."
***
"What are you planning?" Lan Ming felt uncomfortable when his eyes were covered with a cloth. Bi Kwe pushed his body out of the cottage.
"Sshhh... stop chattering, just follow along," Bi Kwe said impatiently.
After successfully getting Lan Ming out of the cottage, Bi Kwe led Lan Ming into the forest, then he uncovered Lan Ming's eyes.
"What is this?" Lan Ming was surprised to find a beautiful peony flower garden. Not only that, small peony flowers fell from the sky like rain. And some of the other flowers formed Ying's face in the sky.
Seeing Ying's face clearly in front of him made Lan Ming feel sad yet touched.
"I didn't know how to cheer you up. So maybe only something like this came to mind." Bi Kwe smiled sincerely. "Besides, I heard, is it true that the old woman liked peony flowers?"
Lan Ming nodded. Ying did like peony flowers, and that's why he felt touched when Bi Kwe showed him all this. "Thank you for showing me this," he said sincerely.
Bi Kwe nodded, then suddenly he clapped his hands once. After that, lively music was heard. "Then you should also enjoy this performance."
Lan Ming raised an eyebrow. "Huh?" He didn't understand what Bi Kwe meant. But within seconds, Lan Ming understood Bi Kwe's words. Lan Ming saw Pit Hong, this time wearing black clothes and riding a small horse made of leather.
Pit Hong gracefully moved his body. He followed the rhythm and occasionally cracked a whip in his hand. Not only that, Pit Hong's facial expressions, which usually looked friendly and gentle, now looked expressive and easily changed, which amazed Lan Ming, but also worried if his eyes were not mistaken? Because in his eyes, Pit Hong's grin made him shiver.
Lan Ming, seeing Pit Hong's performance, felt amazed but also puzzled by what Pit Hong was doing. He nudged Bi Kwe's arm, intending to ask something to the Thief Goddess who also seemed to enjoy Pit Hong's performance.
"What's the name of the performance Pit Hong is doing?"
"Kuda lumping, he said it's from one of the regions in his homeland. He said it's from Ponorogo, East Java," explained Bi Kwe.
Lan Ming understood. Finally, he and Bi Kwe enjoyed the performance until it finished.