"Lan Ming, have we arrived at Feng Zhu Village?" Pit Hong asked curiously. Their journey had been quite long, and Lan Ming showed no signs of stopping anytime soon.
"It seems like we're almost there," Lan Ming replied, scanning their surroundings to ensure they weren't lost. She then took out a grain of rice, which had turned red, a gift from Ha Han. It served as a directional guide for Lan Ming to their destination.
"I'm tired... can we take a break for a moment?" Bi Kwe suddenly sat down, folding her legs on the ground. "You keep pushing us forward without stopping. It's terrifying!" she protested.
Seeing her sister's actions, Chan Do tried to persuade Bi Kwe. Whispering in her ear, "Come on, Sis, don't be like this. Hold on a little longer, or if you're really tired, I'll carry you." Chan Do, being too kind-hearted, even offered to carry Bi Kwe.
"You don't have to go through the trouble. Listen, we all need a break here. Lan Ming should give us a moment," she stubbornly replied.
Chan Do continued to try to convince Bi Kwe, while the others were occupied with their own activities. Je Xi silently memorized soundless self-protection mantras, Pit Hong chewed on dodol in his mouth, and the siblings were busy with their own tasks. Lan Ming herself finally felt tired. She decided to pause for a moment from their long journey.
Lan Ming then led her friends to rest among the giant bamboo. After that, she took out a mat from her cloth wrapping, along with some prepared food.
"Do you want to try this, Lan Ming?" Pit Hong offered, showing his dish made of beef.
Lan Ming nodded, using her chopsticks to take a piece of the deliciously seasoned beef. She put it in her mouth, the savory spices perfectly blending. Lan Ming even unintentionally closed and opened her eyes, resembling someone under a spell. Not only that, one of her legs lifted like a yoga pose, as Pit Hong's dish truly made her taste buds dance like a ballet dancer.
Realizing that the food tasted really good, Pit Hong then told Lan Ming about the origin of his dish without being asked.
"This dish is called rendang. It's closely related to the tradition of wandering, as people usually bring provisions when they go on a journey. This dish comes from one of the tribes where I come from," explained Pit Hong.
Bi Kwe, who had also tried Pit Hong's dish, then asked, "so, what tribe does your dish come from?" Bi Kwe didn't even realize she had finished Pit Hong's food and was about to invade someone else's provision.
"The Minangkabau tribe, West Sumatra," replied Pit Hong. "If there's a chance, I'll also show you something interesting inspired by that tribe."
Bi Kwe nodded her head, one of her hands already reaching for Je Xi's dim sum provision.
As everyone was busy resting and eating their provisions, Chan Do suddenly heard a strange sound coming from the direction of the giant bamboo. Chan Do, who heard the odd sound, sharpened his hearing to make sure. Initially, he was sure it was just a small sound, but as time went on, it grew louder.
"BAMBOO! BAMBOO! BAMBOO!" The strange sound turned loud, successfully causing the vegetable dim sum about to be eaten by Bi Kwe to enter her nostrils.
Lan Ming, noticing the sound, quickly became alert. She was afraid their friends were being attacked by some strange creatures.
"It seems like the sound is coming from there!" Chan Do pointed to one of the bamboo stalks, which they all turned to look at. They were surprised to find that one of the medium-sized bamboo stalks seemed to have eyes, a nose, and a mouth, and it sounded like it was repeatedly saying the word 'bamboo'.
"Is this a dangerous spirit?" Bi Kwe poked the bamboo stalk, and its voice changed to that of crying.
"To be honest, I've never seen anything with a form like this before, although all spirits have weird forms," Lan Ming commented. A bamboo spirit, she had only known about it now.
The strange bamboo cried loudly, and its crying made all of Lan Ming's friends feel an unbearable headache from hearing it.
"How do we make it stop?" Panicked, Bi Kwe didn't know how to make the bamboo spirit be quiet.
Pit Hong took out his favorite machete. He was going to chop down the bamboo stalk. But unexpectedly, the bamboo stalk started crying even louder. The bamboo spirit seemed to know it was going to be cut, making it cry out of fear.
Bi Kwe, unable to stand the crying of the bamboo spirit, tried to cover its mouth. But as soon as she attempted to do so, she immediately waved her hand in disgust.
"Damn, this bamboo spirit can even produce snot," she said annoyed, realizing her hand was covered in greenish mucus.
As everyone became dizzy due to the bamboo spirit's antics, they suddenly heard another voice that sounded like it was shouting angrily.
"Hey, what are you doing to my child!" he shouted. The figure then approached Lan Ming's group, with an angry expression. He stroked the bamboo stalk, and in a short time, the bamboo spirit appeared to calm down.
Bi Kwe, seeing the figure, could hardly believe it. Imagine, a handsome young man with fair skin and glossy black hair. His tall and sturdy body resembled bamboo, leaving Bi Kwe astonished.
"Are you the father of this bamboo spirit? Mr. Bamboo, my friends and I have no intention of harming your child, so please don't attack us," Bi Kwe, giving a new nickname to the unfamiliar figure, asked him not to attack them.
"Who are you calling Mr. Bamboo? My name is Zhu, and I am the owner of the magical bamboo here. I consider them all my children," he said, annoyed by the strange nickname.
Bi Kwe raised both hands. "Oh my, I don't understand. Lan Ming, you should be the one to deal with Mr. Bamboo here. I don't know what to say to him." Bi Kwe pushed Lan Ming's body forward, almost causing the Wind God to collide with the man's body.
Lan Ming glanced at the man for a moment. And quickly she remembered the rumor that a god had decided to leave the Heavenly Realm to live in the human world.