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

"Nezha has run away again, aren't you going to do anything about it..."

"Why should we care? It's better for boys to be tough."

"He's always running around outside, aren't you afraid he'll cause trouble?"

Nezha paused outside the door for a moment, listened expressionlessly, and then stepped inside.

Two people were seated in the hall. The man in the main seat had sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, and a dignified air. He was dressed in a brocade robe and was none other than Li Jing, the general of Chentang Pass.

Sitting beside him was a gentle woman with a beautiful face and a hint of sorrow in her eyes; she was Madam Yin.

Upon seeing Nezha enter, Madam Yin quickly rose to greet him: "Nezha! Where have you been? I was so worried about you!"

Nezha let her pull him up and down, his little face expressionless: "Let's go for a walk."

Li Jing sat in the main seat, his gaze fixed on his son, his brows furrowing slightly: "Out gallivanting again? Never home, what kind of behavior is this!"

Nezha looked up at him, her phoenix eyes calm and unwavering: "It's better than staying cooped up at home."

"You!" Li Jing slammed his hand on the table, about to explode, when suddenly his gaze sharpened. "Why are you covered in blood?"

Lady Yin was shocked upon hearing this and quickly checked, finding several drops of dark red blood on Nezha's clothes. Her face turned deathly pale: "Nezha! You...you're injured?"

"It's not mine," Nezha said calmly, taking out the dragon tendon from his robes. "It belongs to that long worm."

The moment the dragon tendon was brought out, the air in the entire main hall seemed to freeze.

The translucent tendon still retained a faint trace of dragon's might. Li Jing's pupils contracted sharply, and he abruptly stood up, took a few steps to Nezha, and snatched the dragon tendon away.

"This...this is...dragon tendon?" His voice trembled. "Where did it come from?"

"I pulled out its tendons," Nezha replied casually. "A long snake tried to kill me, but I pulled out its tendons."

Madam Yin's legs went weak, and she almost collapsed to the ground. She steadied herself on the table, her face deathly pale: "Dragon...dragon tendon? Nezha, you...you killed the dragon?"

"I didn't kill him." Nezha thought for a moment. "He just had his tendons pulled out, but he's still alive."

Li Jing's hands trembled as he held the dragon tendon. As the general of Chentang Pass, he was a man of great experience and knowledge, and of course he knew what this meant.

The Dragon Clan are the righteous gods of Heaven, the rulers of the four seas! How could the Dragon Palace of the East Sea let their son who had pulled out the dragon tendons get away with it?

"Do you know the enormity of your actions?!" he roared. "You've pulled out his tendons! How can the Dragon Clan let this go? The entire Chen Tang Pass will be implicated because of you!"

Nezha looked up at him, and there was no fear in his phoenix eyes, only a faint mockery.

"He started it," he said, his tone as calm as if he were commenting on the weather. "He tried to kill me, so I pulled out his tendons. It's only right."

"You!" Li Jing was so angry that he trembled all over and raised his hand to hit him.

"Master!" Madam Yin hurriedly stopped him, tears streaming down her face, "He's still a child, please don't..."

"A child?" Li Jing laughed angrily. "He can extract dragon tendons, is he still a child?"

Nezha stood there, his little face expressionless. Looking at his father's furious expression and his mother's weeping face, he suddenly felt utterly bored: "Finished? I'm going back to my room."

After saying that, he turned and left without waiting for Li Jing's reaction.

"Stop right there!" Li Jing shouted.

Nezha walked straight through the main hall and out the door without stopping.

Behind them came Li Jing's furious roar and Lady Yin's weeping.

Nezha's face remained expressionless, but he quickened his pace.

He walked through the corridor and around the garden, returning to his small courtyard.

Once the door closed, the world finally became quiet.

He stood in the center of the room, head down, without saying a word.

After a while, there was a movement in his arms. The white fur ball popped out of his clothes, jumped onto his shoulder, and rubbed its little head against his cheek.

"Squeak." Soft and warm.

Nezha tilted his head to look at the little white mouse, and something trembled slightly in his phoenix eyes.

He pursed his lips, then suddenly asked, "Do you also think I did something wrong?"

With a thought, Bai Yeying transformed into human form and landed in front of him.

She crouched down to look him in the eye and said earnestly, "No."

Nezha looked at her without saying a word.

"He attacked you first, so it's only natural for you to retaliate," Bai Yeying said, enunciating each word clearly. "If you don't fight back, are you just waiting to die?"

Nezha was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Then why are they angry?"

The "they" here naturally refers to Li Jing and Lady Yin.

Bai Yeying thought for a moment and said softly, "Because they are afraid."

"What are you afraid of?"

"They're afraid of retaliation from the Dragon Clan, afraid of something happening to you, and afraid that the entire Chen Tang Pass will be implicated," Bai Yeying said earnestly. "They're not angry that you killed a dragon; they're afraid of what will happen afterward."

Nezha lowered his head and remained silent.

Bai Yeying looked at him, her heart melting completely. She reached out and gently pulled him into her arms.

"Don't be afraid," she whispered in my ear, "I'm here."

Nezha stiffened for a moment. He instinctively wanted to push her away, but her embrace was so warm that he didn't want to move.

"You've only known me for a day," he said sullenly.

"Even if it's just for a day, we still know each other." Bai Yeying ruffled his hair. "Besides, I've said it before, you'll be a very important person to me from now on. The affairs of someone very important to me are my affairs."

Nezha fell silent. After a long while, he suddenly asked, "Can you really defeat the Dragon King of the East Sea?"

Bai Yeying raised an eyebrow: "What, you want me to fight for you?"

"No," Nezha shook his head. "I was just asking."

Bai Yeying said seriously, "I really can beat him. Although the old Dragon King is a righteous god, he has been living a life of luxury for many years, and his cultivation is no longer what it used to be. If we really fight, he is no match for me."

Nezha's eyes lit up: "What if all four Dragon Kings of the Seas attack together?"

"We can all come at me together," Bai Yeying said calmly. "If I can't beat them, I can run. If I can't run, I can call for help. My master is Laozi, and my husband is the Great God of the Three Altars and Seas. Who am I afraid of?"

"Husband?" Nezha was stunned. "You're married?"

Bai Yeying was taken aback, then realized she had let something slip. She coughed lightly and mumbled, "We'll talk about the future later."

Nezha looked at her suspiciously, but didn't ask any further questions.

"So," he concluded, "you're very capable, your master is very capable, and your husband is very capable. If you can't beat someone, you can call for help; if you can't win by calling for help, you can run away. In short, no one can bully you."

"Yes." Bai Yeying nodded with a smile. "That's exactly the point."

Nezha thought for a moment, then asked, "Then what are you afraid of?"

Bai Yeying was stumped by his question.

What am I afraid of? She thought about it seriously and honestly replied, "I'm afraid something will happen to you, I'm afraid you'll be wronged, I'm afraid you'll bear it all alone, I'm afraid you..."

She paused, then didn't continue.

I'm afraid you'll cut off your flesh to return to your mother, afraid you'll cut off your bones to return to your father, afraid you'll experience pain that you shouldn't have to bear.

Nezha looked at her, something flickering slightly in his phoenix eyes, and asked, "Why are you so good to me?"

Bai Yeying thought for a moment and said seriously, "Because I know you deserve it."

Nezha was taken aback, an unnatural expression appearing on his small face. He turned his head away and muttered softly, "How strange."

Bai Yeying smiled and reached out to ruffle his hair. "Okay, let's not talk about that anymore. Are you hungry? I'll make you something to eat."

Nezha glanced at her: "You can cook?"