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

A burly man with a face full of scars and a single horn on his forehead was seen grabbing a thin boy by the collar. The boy was pale and clutched a cloth bag tightly to his chest.

"I didn't! I picked it up!" the boy struggled to explain, his voice trembling with tears.

"Found it? Bullshit! Who around Flowing Cloud Stream doesn't know that I, Old Bear, guarded the Earth Spirit Fruit for thirty years before it ripened? Hand it over now, or I'll crush your bones!"

The unicorn bear demon roared, spitting all over the boy's face. Its demonic aura surged, clearly indicating that it was a powerful being.

There were many demons watching the spectacle, but no one stepped forward. The rules of the Treasure Exchange Association forbade fighting, but this situation was considered catching thieves. As long as no one was killed, the old demons who maintained order often turned a blind eye.

The boy looked weak, but the bear demon lifted him off the ground, and he was about to suffer a terrible fate.

Bai Yeying stopped in her tracks. She wasn't one to meddle in other people's business, especially not in a place like this.

But the boy's terrified eyes and the bear demon's arrogant demeanor made her very uncomfortable. The time in Qing Shi Town was out of a sense of justice, but this time... what if this boy was truly innocent?

As she hesitated, Huang Wu quietly tugged at her sleeve and whispered, "Madam, don't get involved. That bear is not to be trifled with; he's a notorious thug in the area, always bullying the weak. He might really be guarding that Earth Spirit Fruit..."

Just then, the boy seemed to be struggling to breathe, and his hand loosened, causing the cloth bag to fall to the ground and open, revealing three fruits the size of pigeon eggs, with rough, yellowish-brown skins, yet exuding a spiritual aura.

"Earth Spirit Fruit!" Several whispers rang out from the surroundings. This thing is indeed a good thing for earth-elemental demons or beings that cultivate earth-attribute techniques to enhance their cultivation.

The bear demon's eyes gleamed with greed. It released the boy and went to pick up the fruit. The boy fell to the ground, coughed a few times, but suddenly lunged forward, clutching a spirit fruit tightly, his eyes red as he cried out, "This is mine! I found it on the rocky slope outside the ravine! That's not your territory at all!"

"You're courting death!" The bear demon roared in fury, raising its foot to stomp on the boy! This stomp contained demonic power; if it landed squarely, the boy would surely break his bones and tendons.

Bai Yeying turned her head away and stopped looking. Her gaze fell on the moss on the ravine wall. The sound of the waterfall roared in her ears, almost drowning out the sound of bones breaking behind her and the boy's screams.

Huang Wu trembled like a leaf in the wind, clutching her clothes tightly, his voice trembling with sobs: "Madam... let's go quickly, please..."

Bai Yeying's chest heaved violently. The air was thick with the smell of rust.

That boy probably won't survive.

If you're not strong enough, sticking your neck out will only lead to your death. She understood this principle.

Let's go!

Her figure was like a shadow scattered by the wind, sweeping back along the mountain path she had come from. Huang Wu hurriedly followed, wishing he had more legs.

She ran for dozens of miles in one breath and, after confirming that no one was following her, stopped in a deserted clearing in the woods.

Huang Wu timidly handed over the water pouch: "Madam, that scene was truly terrifying."

Bai Yeying didn't respond to that, but simply said, "Let's keep going! Back to the mountain."

The return journey was unusually silent. Huang Wu dared not say much, and Bai Yeying remained silent as well, though she walked a little faster than she had on the way there.

Back in the bottomless cave of Trapped Sky Mountain, Bai Yeying's tense nerves finally relaxed upon smelling the familiar air.

Cuiluo came to greet her and saw that she looked unwell and Huang Wu looked like he was still in shock. She guessed that things were probably not peaceful down the mountain, so she wisely didn't ask any questions and just quietly prepared hot water and clean clothes.

Bai Yeying soaked in the warm water, the rising steam blurring her vision.

The water was getting cold. She got up, dried herself, and changed into soft nightgown.

Back in her quiet room, she didn't immediately begin cultivating. Instead, she took out the broken jade slip she had obtained at the Treasure Exchange.

The jade piece lay in my palm, its touch slightly cool. I had been too distracted during the day at Liuyun Ravine to examine it closely.

She sat cross-legged, closed her eyes, concentrated her mind, and slowly probed the jade slip with her subtle demonic power.

There are no formulas or instructions, and no clear path.

Only some blurry fragments of images and a chilling pressure, like the lingering echoes of a forbidden spell, came crashing down with chaotic emotions.

"Ugh..." Bai Yeying groaned, abruptly withdrawing her demonic power, beads of sweat appearing on her forehead.

The residual thoughts within the jade slip were indeed chaotic, like a tangled mess of hemp, which could easily disturb one's mind if one was not careful.

However, that fleeting glimpse of Geng metal's sharp energy stirred something within her.

Although she did not specialize in the metal element, rats are adept at scavenging and are naturally sensitive to the earth's energy and the energy of metals and stones. The place indicated by this jade slip may indeed be related to some kind of metal mineral vein or relic.

However, in the northwest, deep in the mountains, the clues on the remaining map are too faint. It's like searching for a needle in a haystack.

She put the jade slip away, temporarily suppressing her desire to explore. The most urgent task was to solidify her foundation.

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

That day, Bai Yeying was awakened from her cultivation. She walked out of the meditation room and looked up at Cuiluo, who was standing at the door, twisting the hem of her skirt with her fingers, looking like she wanted to say something but couldn't.

"What's wrong, Cuiluo? Speak if you need anything."

Cuiluo took two steps forward, her voice low and tentative: "Madam, today... is the Double Ninth Festival, the ninth day of the ninth lunar month."

"Okay, I understand." Bai Yeying nodded. It was a festival for ordinary people to climb mountains and admire chrysanthemums, nothing special.

She was about to ask if there was another bustling market down the mountain when she noticed that Cuiluo's expression became even stranger, as if she were hiding some secret.

"Also, it's the Third Prince's...birthday." Cui Luo glanced quickly at Bai Yeying's face before saying the last few words.

Bai Yeying was stunned.

September 9th is Nezha's birthday?

Fragments of related myths flashed through her mind. There seemed to be a saying that Nezha was born on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month at the end of the Shang Dynasty and the beginning of the Zhou Dynasty. The specifics are no longer verifiable, but there does seem to be a folk tradition of worshipping him.

The news came so suddenly that she didn't know how to react.

The image of those beautiful yet disdainful phoenix eyes involuntarily surfaced in my mind.

Quite some time has passed since the incident with the memorial tablet. That lord's divine sense hasn't manifested again, probably because he really can't be bothered with this little mouse anymore.

But now that we know his birthday...

Seeing that she remained silent for a long time, her eyes glazed over, Cuiluo felt even more uneasy.

She actually had some selfish motives. The last time the Third Prince descended with his divine sense, although it was to interrogate her, the relationship between the lady and that person was clearly extraordinary, at least in Cuiluo's view.

Now that it's the birthday of the person in question, if the lady could show some appreciation, perhaps the relationship could be eased? It would also be a good thing for Trapped Sky Mountain.

"Madam, would you like us to prepare something?" Cuiluo glanced at her expression and gently suggested, "Even just... a small token of our appreciation?"

Bai Yeying came to her senses and unconsciously rubbed her clothes with her fingers.

Preparing? Preparing for what?

Celebrate his birthday? What a joke! With their meager relationship...

If mocking someone from above and scaring someone on the ground can be considered a sign of friendship, then...

She leaned in to offer her birthday wishes, as if she had a death wish, and proactively reminded the other person, "Hey, there's still a rat here trying to claim kinship that hasn't been dealt with yet!"

But doing nothing isn't good either.