"Trying to escape little snake" said the dragon king. "Did you really think I would let you go that easily"
Tightening his hand on the robe beside heart little snake narrowed his eyes at the dragon.
"You..." He spoke through pain. "What have you d...
Pei Siheng sat in the kitchen, watching Ying Lei chop vegetables for the soup.
"Do you guys really want to go back to the wilderness?" Siheng asked the little mountain god.
"The goddess has some things to take care of" Ying Lei replied.
"Then why are you going?" Siheng asked again.
"I came to protect the goddess. If she's not here, why should I stay?" Ying Lei said, picking up a carrot and looking at it.
"But you said you love human food and cooking" Siheng argued. "You can stay here and cook."
"But where? I don’t have a place" Ying Lei said.
"You can work as a chef at the Demon Hunting Bureau" Siheng suggested.
"You think people there will want to eat my food?" Ying Lei asked, putting his hands on his waist.
"Why not? If they don’t, I will" Siheng said confidently.
Ying Lei smiled but shook his head. "I still want to go back to the wilderness."
Hearing this, Siheng frowned. "Fine, do whatever you want!" he snapped and stormed out of the kitchen.
A moment later, Bai Jiu peeked into the kitchen, his eyes wide with curiosity. "Why is Siheng-ge so mad?" he asked, looking up at Ying Lei.
Ying Lei sighed and leaned on the counter, tapping the knife against the cutting board. "He's just mad because he’ll miss my cooking more than he misses me"
Bai Jiu blinked. "Really?"
"Of course!" Ying Lei grinned. "Without me, who’s going to make him those spicy dumplings he sneaks in the middle of the night?"
Bai Jiu giggled. "Siheng-ge eats at night?"
"Like a hungry little ghost" Ying Lei said, waving the carrot in the air. Then he stopped and sighed. "Maybe I should make something for him before I go."
Siheng sat on a bench in the backyard of Lingxi Villa, his blue eyes watching the butterflies flying around the flowers planted by Qing Geng. Suddenly, a brown sugar candy appeared in front of him.
"Tada!"
Siheng turned his head and saw Ying Lei standing behind him with his usual cheerful smile.
"Hmph" Siheng looked away but still snatched the candy.
Ying Lei sat down beside him. "You know, I’ll come back again" he said with a grin.
"But when?" Siheng asked, his voice quiet.
Ying Lei took out the incense burner and looked at it. "Anytime" he said. "When I miss human food, I’ll come back. And I can visit you too."
Siheng stared at him for a moment. Ying Lei raised an eyebrow, waiting. Siheng looked away and put the candy in his mouth.
"It's too sweet" he mumbled.
"Want something spicy instead?" Ying Lei asked with a playful smile.
"No need" Siheng said, standing up. "I'm going to the market with Bai Jiu."
Before he could leave, Ying Lei grabbed his hand gently, stopping him.
"I'll come back to see you" he said, his voice serious this time. "I promise."
Siheng paused for a moment, then slowly pulled his hand away. "You better" he said, before walking off.
***
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