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

"Madam! What's wrong?!" He rushed forward, wanting to take the woodcutter's help.

"It's nothing, just a little trouble." Bai Yeying carefully handed the woodcutter to Teng Han. "Place him in an empty side room, be gentle, his soul is unstable."

She then turned to Cuiluo, who had rushed over upon hearing the commotion: "Go to the herb garden and fetch the oldest few plants of the Concentration Herb, and also prepare clean water and a cloth."

Seeing that although she looked disheveled, her eyes were still clear, Cuiluo breathed a sigh of relief and quickly agreed to do it.

The cave quickly became bustling with activity. Teng Han settled the woodcutter in, Cui Luo brought the calming herb, and Huang Wu also arrived upon hearing the news to assist.

Bai Yeying washed her hands and picked up a Mind-Calming Grass. Its slender, emerald-green leaves exuded a cool and calming aura. She gathered her demonic power at her fingertips and carefully forced out the essence from the grass leaves, turning it into a few crystal-clear, emerald-green droplets.

"Help him up a bit," Bai Yeying said to Teng Han.

Teng Han quickly helped the unconscious woodcutter to his feet. Bai Yeying dripped a drop of emerald liquid into the woodcutter's slightly open mouth, then scooped up some water and fed it to him. Next, she placed her palm on the woodcutter's forehead and slowly channeled a wisp of gentle demonic power into it, guiding the medicinal power of the Mind-Concentrating Grass to protect his damaged heart meridian and his nearly scattered soul.

This was a delicate task, and Bai Yeying was completely focused on it, beads of sweat forming on her forehead. Her cultivation was limited, so she dared not exert too much force, and could only gently guide and soothe the affected areas.

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the woodcutter's originally pale and bluish face finally regained some color, and his breathing became much more steady and long, no longer as faint as before.

Bai Yeying withdrew her hand, let out a long sigh, and felt a wave of exhaustion wash over her.

"Madam, he..." Cuiluo handed over a warm cloth.

"He's temporarily stabilized." Bai Yeying wiped her sweat. "But damage to his soul is no small matter; it needs time to heal. Let him rest here for the next few days, and feed him a little bit of the Mind-Soothing Grass juice mixed with mountain spring water each day. Cuiluo, please take good care of him."

"Don't worry, Madam," Cuiluo replied, glancing at the scabbed wounds on Bai Yeying's arm with concern. "Your injuries..."

"It's just a superficial wound, nothing serious." Bai Yeying waved her hand. As a fairy, her recovery ability was much stronger than that of mortals. "But you all need to be extra careful when patrolling the mountains lately. Things might not be peaceful in these mountains."

She briefly recounted her encounter with the evil Xuan Yin Sect that evening, as well as the possible existence of the Yin Meridian Rift, omitting the part about Nezha's appearance, and only saying that she had escaped by chance and saved people.

Cui Luo, Huang Wu, and Teng Han turned pale upon hearing this. Capturing souls, crafting evil artifacts, and having an elder at the Earth Immortal level—this was simply beyond the capabilities of these lowly mountain demons.

"Madam, what should we do?" Huang Wu's voice trembled slightly.

"Strengthen vigilance first." Bai Yeying pondered for a moment. "The defensive formations of the cave need to be reinforced. Although they can't stop true experts, they should provide early warning and delay. Temporarily change patrols to two-person teams, and don't go too far, especially avoiding the northwest direction. Also, notify the other familiar spirits and monsters in the mountains to be on high alert. If they encounter suspicious unfamiliar faces or sinister auras, immediately avoid them and don't be curious."

She made clear and organized instructions. The slight panic and shortness of breath she had felt earlier by the stream, stirred up by Nezha's words, had now turned into calmness on her own territory, when facing the little demons who needed her protection.

She is the lady of the house, the pillar of the family. She cannot afford to be disorganized.

"Also," she paused, "Cuiluo, tomorrow prepare some easy-to-carry dry rations and medicine that can quickly replenish strength, and distribute them to the brothers patrolling the mountain. We must prepare for the worst."

Cuiluo nodded vigorously: "Yes, Madam!"

After making the arrangements, Bai Yeying dragged her tired body back to her quiet room.

Only after closing the door and shutting out the outside noise did she truly relax and walk to sit down on the stone bed.

The wound on her arm burned with pain, and most of her demonic energy had been depleted from saving the woodcutter and traveling at breakneck speed. What weighed heavily on her mind was the shadow of the Xuan Yin Sect and her own inadequacy.

If it weren't for Nezha tonight... she would probably be in grave danger.

Thinking of the boy in red, she felt a mix of emotions. She was certainly grateful, but being so mercilessly disliked and lectured by him left her feeling somewhat stifled.

"His cultivation is terrible, but his ability to cause trouble is top-notch."

"It's better to find a big tree to lean on as soon as possible, live a life of ease and comfort."

What exactly does he mean?

Bai Yeying frowned, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes. Light shone through the fireflies embedded in the stone wall, casting a small patch of soft glow on the ground, illuminating her pensive face.

That Nezha fellow always speaks harshly, always picking on people's sore spots. Tonight was no exception; every word he uttered was a criticism of her weakness, her troublemaking, and her overestimation of her abilities.

If he really just disliked her, why did he show up to save her? And why did he remind her about the aftermath of the rescue?

An absurd thought quietly emerged and entangled her thoughts.

Could he be implying that she could turn to him for support?

The moment the thought popped into her head, Bai Yeying shook her head violently as if she had been burned, her cheeks instantly burning.

"Bai Yeying, Bai Yeying, are you crazy?" she muttered to herself, her tone full of self-mockery. "That's Nezha, the Third Prince! A righteous god of Heaven, the Marshal of the Central Altar! The reincarnation of a killing star! Who do you think you are? Just a white-haired rat spirit who luckily escaped being crushed by him!"

She remembered how foolish she was when she first met him, clinging to his ankle and screaming for help; how utterly terrified she was by his divine presence, babbling incoherently; and the undisguised look of disdain in his eyes every time he glanced at her...

"A powerful backer?" She raised her hand to pat her burning cheeks, trying to cool down the inappropriate fantasy. "I'd be lucky if he didn't burn my 'mountain' to ashes with his own hands! I'm definitely overthinking it, absolutely!"

She forced herself to analyze the situation rationally: "His appearance today was most likely just a passing by. Perhaps he intervened to save people because those evil cultivators' actions of creating the Hundred Ghost Banner and opening the Yin Meridians crossed some heavenly line? Or perhaps he simply found their noise disturbing his... uh, peace and quiet as he was passing by?"

As for reminding him about the Mind-Concentrating Grass, it was probably just a casual remark; after all, it might have been just an ordinary thing to say to him.

Those harsh words were probably just his personality; he looked down on her meager skills and reckless actions.

"Yes, that's it." Bai Yeying convinced herself, and the ripples in her heart caused by the absurd idea gradually subsided.

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

The next day, Bai Yeying got up very early. The wound on her arm had almost healed, leaving only a few faint red marks. She first went to the side room to see the woodcutter.

The woodcutter was still fast asleep, but his complexion had improved and his breathing was steady. Cuiluo was carefully feeding him diluted calming herb juice with a bamboo spoon.

"Madam." Cuiluo stood up and bowed when she saw her enter.

"Hmm, how is he?"

"She's much better than last night; she can even swallow the medicine I gave her." Cuiluo said with relief, "She just hasn't woken up yet."

"It's normal for someone whose soul is damaged to be in a coma. Let him sleep; sleep itself is a form of repair." Bai Yeying checked the woodcutter's condition and, after confirming that it hadn't worsened, felt slightly relieved.

She stepped out of the side room, where Huang Wu and Teng Han were already waiting for her.

"Madam, Teng Han and I have re-inspected and reinforced the defensive formation, and the warning range has been expanded to three miles away," Huang Wu reported. "The brothers patrolling the mountain are also working in pairs as you instructed, and each of them is equipped with dry rations and medicine packets."

"Okay." Bai Yeying nodded. "I'll go cultivate by myself at the waterfall behind the mountain today. You all guard the house and use the communication talisman immediately if anything happens."

"Madam, are you going alone? Should we..." Huang Wu asked with some concern.