Lan Ming furrowed his brow in confusion. "Do you mind accompanying me, Je Xi? I don't know what your purpose is for coming down to Earth. But it seems it will be difficult for you if you come with me," he said, uncertainly.
Je Xi bit her lip, afraid that Lan Ming would reject her. Unconsciously, the Goddess of Voice took Lan Ming's hand and placed it on her chest with a pleading look on her face, she said, "a god will recognize genuine sincerity by hearing the pulse of life. You may reject me if you sense insincerity from me. But if not... I hope you will consider your decision," she pleaded.
Lan Ming remained silent, allowing himself to listen to Je Xi's heartbeat. Although he was hesitant to bring the Goddess of Voice along, he could still consider her immense sincerity.
Je Xi's life pulse sounded loud and harmonious. Like a song of Je Xi's life pulse, it seemed to tell Lan Ming about her feelings of wanting to accompany the Wind God on his journey.
Lan Ming withdrew his hand from Je Xi's chest. He sighed, looking closely at the Goddess of Voice. "I can sense your sincerity. But I cannot decide now. Come back tomorrow and meet me in this cottage again. I will tell you my decision," he said firmly.
Hearing Lan Ming's words, Je Xi felt a bit disappointed. The fear of rejection grew stronger in her heart. However, she had to respect Lan Ming's decision. After all, she was just someone chasing after someone she loved dearly. Thus, she couldn't force it and was prepared to accept it if the outcome didn't align with her wishes.
"Alright. Thank you for giving me the opportunity, Lan Ming," Je Xi said, about to bid farewell and leave the residence of the Wind God.
Seeing the clear disappointment in Je Xi's expression, Lan Ming grabbed her hand and hugged her briefly.
Lan Ming's action surprised Je Xi, she almost couldn't believe it and felt a glimmer of hope. But her hope faded when she heard Lan Ming's words.
"Je Xi, if you don't have any special business on Earth, you should return to the Heavens. Your siblings will worry about you. The human world is too dangerous for you. The Heavens will also be silent without your beautiful voice."
Pain welled up in Je Xi's chest, nearly making the Goddess of Voice cry. She fought back tears to keep them from falling. Her struggle would truly be in vain because it seemed Lan Ming truly didn't even spare her a glance.
After Je Xi bid farewell to leave, Lan Ming suddenly felt a sharp pain in his back. He turned around and was surprised to find Ying standing behind him with a sandal.
"Child, you seem to have hurt a woman's heart. You should quickly apologize. Tomorrow, bring Je Xi here and apologize to her!" Ying seemed serious about her words.
"Mother, are you awake? Are you alright? Are you feeling unwell?" Lan Ming was surprised to find Ying awake.
SLAP
Lan Ming's head was hit hard with a sandal by Ying. The old woman pointed at Lan Ming's face with the sandal in her hand.
"Don't change the subject, did you hear what I just said?"
Instantly, Lan Ming nodded his head vigorously. He panicked, sensing Ying's anger, especially when one of her hands was ready to throw the wooden sandal at his face.
"You may come with me," Lan Ming said before ending with a heavy sigh.
Je Xi's face lit up hearing that she was allowed by her beloved to come with him.
"Thank you so much, Lan Ming," Je Xi almost hugged Lan Ming if the Goddess of Voice couldn't restrain herself.
But the happiness couldn't last long. When they heard a knock on the door of the cottage, Lan Ming opened the door wide and found Ha Han standing there.
"What do you want, Ha Han?" Lan Ming's neck tensed so much that the veins bulged out.
Ha Han smiled softly, his voice gentle as he said to Lan Ming, "come home, little brother, let's return to the Heavens," inviting him sincerely.
Hearing the invitation was the same as a declaration of war for Lan Ming.
***
Meanwhile, at Bi Kwe's residence, two siblings were seen busy with their respective activities.
"I don't want to drink the magic liquor again. Apparently, the drink made by the drunken god is truly dangerous for me," said Bi Kwe, initiating the conversation. The titleless goddess was busy weaving cloth made from the fibers of her peony flowers. During her stay in the human world, Bi Kwe sought money by utilizing her divine powers. The power to manipulate peony flowers in unlimited quantities was often used by her to create something she could sell to earn money. Usually, Bi Kwe would instruct Chan Do to go to the market and sell them to the villagers.
Chan Do, who was busy with his cooking, replied casually, "if you were still sane, you definitely wouldn't repeat that mistake again," he said while busy stirring his red bean soup.
"I just wanted to teach that cursed Wind God a lesson. Honestly, I didn't intend to do something that would endanger myself. Last night, I just got a little carried away," Bi Kwe explained. Truthfully, Bi Kwe was afraid of being blamed by her younger brother.
"The main thing is not to repeat it. I don't want to see you in a half-unconscious state like that again. You really looked like a worshiping mantis. Fortunately, you didn't lose your life while fighting that Wind God," Chan Do himself realized Lan Ming's reputation as a god who was quite respected in the Heavens because of his great power.
Bi Kwe laughed bitterly at being compared to a worshiping mantis. But secretly, he felt sad because he felt the gap between his power and Lan Ming's was very far. "Your words earlier are indeed true. Gods with official titles also have great power, it's not proper to fight a small goddess without a title like me who, even, is almost forgotten by humans," he said sadly.
"Don't speak like that. Then, what do you call my existence? Am I not more pitiful because no human knows me? Besides, I am a newly born god. Instead of gathering followers or strengthening my divine power, I ran away with you," Chan Do said calmly, although there was sadness implied in his words.
Bi Kwe paused his activity for a moment, then he rose from his seat and hugged Chan Do tightly. "You're foolish. Although if you didn't follow me, I'm sure you wouldn't live as miserable as I do. You even have greater potential than me," he whispered, almost crying.
"I don't regret my decision to follow you. What's the point of me staying in the Heavens without you? I may not have a luxurious life like other gods. But my happiness is not there, but in the one who has taken care of me."
Hearing Chan Do's words made Bi Kwe cry loudly. Hearing the loud crying, Chan Do hit the head of the Thief Goddess with the wooden spoon in his hand.
"Stop crying. Let's eat, the red bean soup is ready," Chan Do said as he lifted his clay cooking pot.
***