All the energy intentionally gathered by Pit Hong at the tips of his feet served to disrupt the energy within the monster's body, especially in the head, which often serves as a vital point for energy regulation.
After the monster's head exploded, Pit Hong took out a paper containing ancient writings. The ancient writings served to seal the remaining negative energy to prevent it from spreading. Pit Hong had recently created this sealing paper together with Bi Kwe.
The paper for sealing negative energy floated and enlarged. It began to absorb all the remaining negative energy until it eventually burned itself. From the ashes of the burnt paper emerged a red light that transformed into a crystal stone resembling the same light.
Pit Hong picked up the stone before descending to the ground with Lan Ming. They then rejoined the others. Unlike before, this time the battle ended quickly.
"Are you both okay?" Bi Kwe asked, not out of concern but merely to appear compassionate.
"We're both fine. But do you know about this stone? It seems that the paper we created together absorbed the residual energy of the monster. Then when it burned, this stone was created from the ashes," explained Pit Hong.
"I don't know either. But aren't you feeling too risky just holding that strange stone like that? I'm afraid it's dangerous." Bi Kwe looked at the stone in Pit Hong's hand with a mixture of fear and disgust.
"Huh?" Pit Hong glanced at the stone for a moment, but when his eyes fell on it again, it seemed to glow, and he quickly tossed it away.
"This stone is not dangerous. It indicates that the monster you fought is actually a creature sent by a sorcerer," said Zhu, who suddenly appeared near them. "This stone actually has benefits for skin beauty," he added.
Upon hearing that the stone had skin-beautifying benefits, Bi Kwe snatched the stone from Zhu's hand.
"It seems that you are not dangerous. Alright, I'll trust you. But remember my message to maintain manners in my village." Zhu approached Lan Ming and stared at him intensely as before. And, as usual, Zhu's actions always succeeded in giving Lan Ming an undeniable chill down his spine.
"Sorry, but could you keep your distance a little further? This really feels uncomfortable," Lan Ming interjected.
"Is my breath unpleasant?" Zhu intended to make a joke. But because of his often serious facial expression and tone, his words were always responded to awkwardly.
Your breath smells like python aroma, thought Lan Ming. The Wind God backed away a bit, lucky that Zhu seemed not to notice it.
"Seeing your fighting abilities earlier, I think I want to borrow your strength to help me fight the evil sorcerer in my village." Zhu sighed and then shifted his gaze to the crystal stone held by Bi Kwe.
"I have no problem helping you. But..." Lan Ming paused.
"Do you mind?" Zhu frowned.
Everyone hesitated, but as Lan Ming remembered all the deeds done by Ha Han before, he felt annoyed at the thought of backing down.
"Alright. I'll help you," he decided.
A grin appeared on Ha Han's lips. "Great. Since you're willing to help me, I'll give you a place to stay in my house."
***
Bi Kwe grabbed Lan Ming's collar forcefully, causing the Wind God to almost topple backward due to his actions.
"Hey, are you sure about this decision? Do you think he's someone we can trust?" Bi Kwe whispered, filled with doubt.
Lan Ming pushed Bi Kwe's hand away from his collar. "He seems trustworthy enough. If something strange happens, we can just run away, right?" he said while adjusting his wrinkled collar.
For the sake of Pit Hong's underwear, Bi Kwe felt a strong desire to slap Lan Ming's face with his straw-made shoes. "How could you give such an irresponsible answer?"
Lan Ming sighed, pushing Bi Kwe's body away. "Don't overthink it. Let's just go with it for now." The Wind God then grinned and flashed his typical horse-like grin. "If something strange happens, we'll just loot his house and then run away. The important thing is not to let ourselves be at a loss because of him."
Hearing Lan Ming's words sounding very irresponsible indeed, Bi Kwe felt a strong urge to bury the Wind God's head in the ground.
"I hope you feel comfortable in this house." Zhu smiled as he served dishes, all of which were made from bamboo materials.
Zhu's house itself was not too large but comfortable enough to live in. The building, entirely made of bamboo, resembled a hut from the outside. However, surprisingly, it felt comfortable and had a pleasant layout. Not only that, almost all the furniture inside his house was made of bamboo. Bi Kwe even wondered if Zhu's underwear was also made of bamboo.
"Your house is comfortable. We are lucky to have found such a comfortable place to stay," Lan Ming said casually.
Zhu chuckled, then invited his guests to enjoy his dishes.
Pit Hong, who was the first to try Zhu's cooking, felt that the dishes made by Zhu were quite delicious. His tongue even kept rolling around in his mouth without him realizing it.
"This is delicious. What's the name of this dish?" The food Pit Hong was enjoying consisted of sticky rice wrapped in bamboo leaves with various fillings such as meat, eggs, or nuts, and then steamed.
"Zongzi. I'm glad to hear your praise," Zhu answered proudly.
Bi Kwe, seeing Pit Hong enjoying his dish, finally became interested in trying Zhu's cooking as well. Although he was initially too suspicious to try it, fearing that the food might be tainted with something strange.
The Thief Goddess chose to try a different menu from Pit Hong. She opted for Bamboo Shoot Salad, made from thinly sliced bamboo shoots processed with spices and other ingredients such as chili, garlic, or sugar.
Bi Kwe danced around like an octopus because he found Zhu's cooking so delicious. Indeed, Zhu's bamboo-themed dishes were incredibly tasty.
Zhu looked proud, especially when he noticed Bi Kwe's seemingly exaggerated reaction in appreciating his cooking.
However, amidst his happiness, who would have thought that suddenly there was a loud explosion that made Bi Kwe almost choke on his chopsticks.