After transmigrating into the body of the Jade Rat Spirit, I became Nezha's adopted sister.

She determined the direction and sped towards Trapped Sky Mountain.

When they returned to the Bottomless Cave, it was completely dark. The cave was filled with the faint glow of fluorite and a sense of tranquility.

Cuiluo, Huang Wu, and the others came out to greet her when they heard the commotion. They breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that she was safe and sound.

"Madam, you're back!" Cuiluo stepped forward and saw that her clothes were neat, only her hair was a little loose, so she helped her tidy it up. "Is the market down the mountain still lively?"

"It's lively, very lively," Bai Yeying said with a smile, taking out the painted clay figurine of the God of Wealth from her bosom and handing it to Huang Wu, who was staring at her eagerly. "Here, this is for you, play with it."

Huang Wu took the clay figure, admiring it with obvious delight, his round eyes crinkling into slits with a smile: "Thank you, Madam!"

Bai Yeying took out the money pouch again and handed it to Cuiluo: "There's some silver in here. Keep it and see if there's anything the cave needs, or if anyone wants to eat something, then go and get it. Keep the rest for future use."

Cuiluo took it; it felt heavy in her hand. She opened it and was startled: "Madam, this...so much? What is this...?"

"I picked it up on the road." Bai Yeying said without changing her expression, stretching as she walked into the cave. "I ran into a heartless nouveau riche and just picked it up on a whim. Don't worry, it's clean money."

Cuiluo and Huang Wu exchanged a glance, both seeing the words "Madam is mighty" in each other's eyes. If Madam said it was found, then it was found!

I took a nice, relaxing hot bath, washing away all the dust and grime.

Bai Yeying changed into soft nightgowns and lay down on the stone bed covered with animal hides.

Although there were some minor hiccups today, overall, the trip down the mountain was quite interesting. The everyday life around us was vibrant and lively, much more interesting than staying cooped up in the mountains cultivating.

She took out the remaining sesame seed cake from her pocket; it was cold, but still fragrant and crispy. She nibbled on it slowly, gazing at the natural patterns on the stone wall above her, her thoughts drifting away.

My strength still needs improvement. Dealing with a few ordinary martial arts masters today was easy, but what if I encountered a powerful opponent? Or even someone like Nezha?

Thinking of Nezha, she still felt a little uneasy. Although some time had passed since the memorial tablet incident and that deity hadn't shown his power again, who knew if he might suddenly have another whim?

And the Great Sage, next time I visit him, I'll bring him lots of good food. He's trapped under the mountain, it's so hard for him.

As she pondered, a wave of drowsiness washed over her. She yawned, rolled over, hugged the soft animal hide, and drifted off to sleep.

In the days that followed, Bai Yeying indeed became much more well-behaved, spending most of her time cultivating at Trapped Sky Mountain.

With the generous donation from Fatty Liu, the standard of living in the cave improved significantly.

Every few days, Cuiluo could ask a familiar mountain spirit to exchange rice, flour, oil, salt, and even cloth and needles and thread from a distant human market.

When Huang Wu patrolled the mountains, he could now openly buy chickens and ducks from the villages at the foot of the mountain to improve his meals, instead of sneaking around taking a little bit.

That day, Bai Yeying was practicing by a secluded waterfall pool in the back mountain.

The pool water is crystal clear, and the waterfall cascades down like a white ribbon, splashing up a misty spray that reflects tiny rainbows in the sunlight.

She stood on a smooth boulder by the pool, her eyes slightly closed, the Black Shadow Whip hanging at her side, trembling slightly with her breath.

She was trying a new way of channeling her energy, injecting her demonic power into the whip in a very fine and slow manner, not for attack, but for perception.

The whip became her extended tentacles.

Strands of demonic power spread along the tough dragon tendons, subtly sensing the flow of air, the humidity of water vapor, the texture of the boulder beneath one's feet, and even the tiny ripples caused by the tails of fish in the pool.

This was an extremely delicate manipulation, which was incredibly taxing on the mind. Before long, beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.

But she didn't stop. The Great Sage had said that one should hone one's talent to its fullest potential. Rats are quick-witted and have keen senses; perhaps this was the direction she could explore further.

Suddenly, she heard it.

It wasn't a sound heard by the ears, but rather a vibration transmitted back through demonic power attached to the tip of the whip.

It came from behind a clump of ferns growing against the rock face, about three zhang to her left and rear.

There's something there.

Breathing was extremely light, almost blending into the mountain breeze. Heartbeat was slow yet powerful, with a rhythm unlike that of ordinary wild animals.

It wasn't an animal from the mountains, nor was it one of her little demons.

Bai Yeying didn't move immediately, not even a tremor of her eyelashes. She remained in a state of deep concentration with her eyes closed, the whip still hanging limply in her hand, as if she were completely unaware.

But the perception of demonic power was like an invisible spider web, quietly locking onto that location.

The thing remained calm and still, seemingly observing and assessing the situation.

Time passed slowly, with only the sound of the waterfall cascading down.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the thing seemed to have determined that there was no danger, or perhaps it had lost patience.

The sound of rustling was the sound of scales rubbing against rocks.

A dark shadow, like a long-awaited arrow, suddenly darted out from behind the ferns! It was so fast that it left only a faint afterimage in the air, heading straight for Bai Yeying's back!

It was a jet-black scorpion, about the size of an adult's palm, with a shiny carapace and a curved barb at the end of its tail that shimmered with a bluish luster. It was clearly extremely venomous!

Just as the scorpion's stinger was about to touch Bai Yeying's vest—

The Black Shadow Whip, which had been hanging motionless, seemed to come alive on its own!

Without seeing Bai Yeying make any whipping motion, the black whip seemed to have an independent life. The tip of the whip struck from bottom to top, hitting the scorpion's carapace with a crisp crack!

The demonic power condensed in this whip was not great, but it was extremely refined and carried a clever force.

The scorpion's forward lunge was abruptly interrupted. Its carapace cracked with a sickening sound, and its entire body was whipped through the air, flipping and slamming heavily against the nearby rocks. After struggling for a moment, it lay still, its tail hook drooping limply.

Bai Yeying slowly opened her eyes, turned around, and looked at the dead scorpion.

She raised her hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead, her eyes filled with joy.

It worked!

That whip strike wasn't delivered with her hands, but rather by the sensation she sensed on the whip itself. The moment she thought of it, the whip was already upon her.

She walked over and poked at the scorpion's corpse with the tip of her whip. This scorpion had appeared by the spiritually rich waterfall; its carapace was hard, its venom potent, and it was probably quite old—a minor demon. Unfortunately, it lacked intelligence and only knew how to hunt by instinct.

"Perfect, the carapace and venom sac might be useful." Bai Yeying thought for a moment, took out a small jade bottle, carefully collected the scorpion's venom, and removed the hard carapace.

After doing all this, she felt happy. New breakthroughs in cultivation are always gratifying.

Looking at the sky, she realized it was almost dusk. She packed her things and returned to her cave.

................

That day, Bai Yeying was instructing Teng Han and several lesser demons on how to channel the spiritual energy from the cave to nourish the medicinal herbs in the herb garden when Huang Wu swept in like a whirlwind. His hairy face was a mixture of excitement and mystery as he whispered, "Madam! Madam! Big news!"

Bai Yeying patted the dirt off her hands, gesturing for him to speak slowly. The surrounding little demons also curiously gathered around.

Huang Wu swallowed hard, his eyes sparkling: "I just heard from the old ape spirit on the eastern mountain that there's a place called Flowing Cloud Ravine, about seven or eight hundred miles to the south, where they're holding a treasure exchange meeting in a few days!"