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

"Madam, please be careful on your journey!" Cuiluo escorted him to the cave entrance, watching the silvery-white figure rise and fall a few times before gracefully disappearing into the depths of the forest.

This time, Bai Yeying's mood was noticeably lighter. The prospect of meeting the Great Sage always brought her a sense of peace and exhilaration. She pushed her movement technique to its limit, moving like a wisp of wind skimming along the mountain ridge and treetops—swift and steady.

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

A few days later, the familiar outline of the Five Elements Mountain came into view again. The closer she got, the stronger her excitement became, and she quickened her pace.

"Great Sage! Great Sage! I'm here!" She couldn't help but shout from a distance, her voice echoing slightly in the valley.

Amidst the pile of rocks, the furry head stirred. Sun Wukong, who seemed to be dozing, opened his eyes at the sound. His golden eyes first flashed with impatience at being disturbed, but when he saw that it was Bai Yeying, they were quickly replaced by a smile.

"Hey, little mouse? Here we go again?" He said happily, trying to stick his head out, but it was stuck firmly to the rocks.

Bai Yeying smiled, quickened her pace, and ran over, skillfully untying her bundle: "I brought your favorite peaches and bananas, as well as some sugar cakes that Cuiluo just made. They smell so good!"

She first took out a plump, juicy peach, wiped it clean, and held it to Sun Wukong's lips. Sun Wukong eagerly took a big bite. He squinted his eyes in satisfaction and mumbled, "Mmm! You little mouse are so sensible!"

Bai Yeying fed him bananas and sugar cakes. Looking at him, the frustration she felt due to the bottleneck in her cultivation seemed to be swallowed up along with the food.

After Sun Wukong had finished eating, she sat down beside him and, as usual, began to ramble on about what had happened recently.

"Great Sage, it seems my cultivation has stalled lately; my demonic power is increasing extremely slowly..."

She frowned and voiced her confusion: "Also, I obtained a broken jade slip, which seems to contain some clues about the Geng metal energy, deep in the mountains to the northwest. But the clues are too vague, and I have no idea where to begin looking..."

She then brought up the idea of ​​accumulating merit, and her hesitation: "Do you think it would be feasible for me to go to the human world and do some good deeds to accumulate merit and neutralize the demonic energy? Wouldn't that be even more troublesome?"

As Sun Wukong listened, he licked the last crumbs of sugar cake clean. After hearing Bai Yeying's account, his golden eyes darted around, and he chuckled:

"Stuck in your cultivation? That's normal! With your small frame and weak foundation, you're already quite clever to have reached this level. Just burying yourself in hard work won't work; you need to fight more, get beaten up more, and walk the line between life and death a few times. That's better than ten years of mindless training!"

Bai Yeying shrank back, "I'll get beaten up..."

She felt a chill run down her spine when she thought of the Black Wind Monster's powerful spiked club and the fierce appearance of the Bear Demon of Flowing Cloud Valley.

"What? Scared?" Sun Wukong glanced at her sideways. "If you're scared, then don't think about any Geng metal energy or merit. Just stay in your rat hole and wait to die."

These words spurred Bai Yeying to straighten her back: "Who's afraid! I... I just think we need to choose a suitable opponent..."

"Hey, still picking a fight?" Sun Wukong chuckled. "If we really fight, who's going to pick a fight with you? As for that Geng metal energy..."

He paused, as if recalling something: "Northwest, deep mountains, that's interesting. But back in the day, when I, Old Sun, went to heaven and earth, I only visited famous blessed lands and dangerous places. The place you're describing is too vague."

"But Geng metal governs killing and is sharp, often associated with the evil energy of the earth's veins, ancient battlefields, or the tombs of powerful beings. It's not a good place. With your level of skill, going there now would be certain death."

Bai Yeying's heart sank.

"As for merit..." Sun Wukong smacked his lips, seemingly still savoring the sweetness of the candy, "The method isn't wrong. You wild demons, with your mixed demonic energy, can indeed benefit if you can harmonize it with good deeds in the human world. But merit isn't so easy to obtain. If you sincerely save and help people, Heaven will respond. If you do good deeds for the sake of merit, your intentions are impure, and you'll end up doing something inferior, possibly even suffering a backlash. Moreover, human karma is the most entangled; once you're entangled, it's hard to shake it off."

He looked at Bai Yeying, his tone unusually serious: "Little mouse, there are no shortcuts on the path of cultivation. You feel stuck because you progressed quickly before. Now it's time to solidify your foundation and hone your mind. Rushing to seek external forces for a breakthrough will only make you go astray."

"Just remember that clue on the jade slip. When you feel strong enough, try your luck again. As for matters of merit, let them happen naturally. If you encounter them, help if you can, but don't force it, and don't get yourself involved. Remember, you can only continue your cultivation if you're alive."

These words were like a wake-up call, calming Bai Yeying's feverish mind. Yes, she had been too impatient. She was always thinking about becoming stronger quickly, about finding a way out quickly, but she forgot that cultivation is something that happens naturally.

"Thank you for your guidance, Great Sage!" She bowed sincerely. "I understand now; I had misunderstood."

"Good, I understand." Sun Wukong returned to his lazy demeanor. "Next time you come, bring more of these candies."

Bai Yeying couldn't help but laugh: "Okay! I'll definitely bring it for you next time!"

Feeling much better, she spent a long time talking with Sun Wukong, mainly listening to him boast about his glorious past.

Bai Yeying played the role of a perfect straight man, mainly because she genuinely loved listening! Who hasn't heard or read the story of Journey to the West when they were a child? Just thinking about hearing the Monkey King himself tell his tales is incredibly exciting!

As the sun began to set and dusk gradually fell over the mountains and forests.

Bai Yeying then said, "It's getting late, I should go."

She put away the remaining food and water pouches, stood up, looked at Sun Wukong trapped under the rocks, and said softly, "Great Sage, if you are patient for a little longer, things will surely turn around."

A glint flashed in Sun Wukong's golden eyes, and he chuckled, "Don't worry, I, Old Sun, can wait. Let's go!"

Bai Yeying nodded, turned around, and her figure transformed into wisps of smoke, drifting into the distance.

She didn't walk fast on the way back. The words of the Great Sage echoed repeatedly in her heart.

Build a solid foundation and cultivate a calm mind. Let things take their natural course; don't force things.

Yes, she was a bit too impetuous before. She was always thinking about using external forces and taking shortcuts, but she neglected the most fundamental things.

Trapped Sky Mountain is excellent; it's rich in spiritual energy, safe, and a perfect place for focused cultivation. As for the jade slip clue, I'll treat it as a distant dream. As for matters of merit, I'll deal with them when they come to me.

Having figured all this out, she felt completely relaxed, and even the surrounding nighttime mountains and forests seemed lovely.

As we approached the territory of Xiankong Mountain, night had fallen. The moonlight, like water, spilled across the mountains and forests, casting a layer of clear radiance.

Bai Yeying was about to speed up her return to the cave when suddenly, her ears twitched, and she abruptly stopped in the shadow of an ancient tree.

There was movement in the clearing in the woods not far ahead.

It wasn't a wild beast, but a demonic aura, and there was more than one of them.

She silently leaped onto the tree branch and, using the dense foliage as cover, looked down.

Five or six figures stood on the open ground, all of them demons in human form, but they looked strange, and their bodies smelled of water and had an indescribable feeling of coldness and death.

The leader was a tall, thin man wearing a tattered black robe, with a pale face, sunken eyes, and a white bone staff in his hand.

They were arranged in a circle, and in the middle lay what appeared to be a person, dressed like a woodcutter, who was motionless at the moment, and it was unknown whether he was dead or alive.

"The time is almost here. This last sacrificial offering of a living soul must be extracted at midnight when the yin energy is at its peak in order to open that yin vein rift."

The thin man in black robes spoke in a hoarse, unpleasant voice, like sandpaper scraping: "Our lord urgently needs Yin Sha to refine the treasure; there is no room for error. You few, guard the four directions, prevent any unauthorized personnel from approaching, and also be wary of the native demons in these mountains."

"Yes, Master Bone Staff!" Several demons nearby responded in low voices, spreading out and cautiously surveying the surroundings.

Bai Yeying, perched on the treetop, felt a chill run down her spine upon hearing this.

A living soul sacrifice? A rift in the Yin meridians? A treasure forging process?