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

A brief silence.

The waterfall roared, and the mist refracted tiny rainbows in the sunlight.

"How's the forging of your whip?" Nezha suddenly spoke, his gaze falling on the Black Shadow Whip in her hand.

Bai Yeying's eyes lit up, and she picked up the whip: "It's much better than before! Look!"

With a flick of her wrist, the whip shot out, cracking sharply as it struck a blue stone by the pool, sending stone chips flying.

She looked at Nezha with a hint of pride, as if waiting for praise.

Nezha glanced at the stone chips, then looked at her bright eyes, his lips curving upwards slightly before flattening them again.

"It's so-so! The power is there, but the variation is still lacking. And..."

He paused, then extended his hand.

Bai Yeying was stunned for a moment, not understanding why.

"Give me the whip," Nezha said.

Bai Yeying quickly handed over the Black Shadow Whip.

Nezha took it, weighed it in his hand, and ran his fingers over the whip. His fingers were long and fair, forming a stark contrast with the black whip.

Suddenly, he flicked his wrist, and the whip drew an arc in the air. It was not an attack, but rather a coiling and swirling motion like a serpent, its trajectory unpredictable.

Bai Yeying watched intently. The same whip seemed to come alive in his hands, lively and unpredictable, far surpassing anything she could do.

"The whip is soft." Nezha stopped what he was doing and handed the whip back to her. "You have to follow its nature. Don't always think of using it as a stick. Strength comes from the heart, and intention follows the whip."

Bai Yeying took the whip, seemingly lost in thought.

After a while, she sincerely thanked him: "Thank you for your guidance."

"Hmm," Nezha responded, turning his gaze to the waterfall and falling silent.

Bai Yeying secretly glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. The boy's profile was sharply defined, with long eyelashes that cast soft shadows under his eyelids. The way he quietly looked at the waterfall was less arrogant and sharp than usual, revealing a rare gentleness.

"Um..." she mustered her courage and broke the silence, "Are you just passing through?"

She regretted asking the question as soon as she did. It was such a stupid question; Trap Mountain isn't a major transportation route, so why would there be so many routes along the way?

Nezha turned around and looked at her. His phoenix eyes were exceptionally clear and bright in the sunlight, clearly reflecting her somewhat nervous yet trying-to-remain calm demeanor.

He stared at her for a long while, until Bai Yeying looked away, before slowly speaking:

"no."

Her heartbeat quickened without her realizing it.

"So... is there something wrong?" Her voice was even softer.

Nezha didn't answer immediately. He raised his hand, and a jade box appeared in his hand without him noticing.

He handed the jade box to her: "Take this."

Bai Yeying was stunned: "This is..."

Nezha said succinctly, "I just grabbed this from the bottom of Black Wind Ridge. The things inside are useless to me, you can keep them!"

Bai Yeying took the box, opened it, and found a piece of ore and a bead inside, neither of which were ordinary items.

She looked at the two items, then at Nezha's expressionless face, and felt a soft, bittersweet feeling well up inside her, as if something had gently bumped into her heart.

She reached out and picked up the spirit pearl. Its warm touch calmed her restless mind considerably.

"Thank you..." she whispered, holding the bead in her palm.

Nezha stopped looking at her and turned his gaze back to the distance: "No need, it was just something I did on the spur of the moment."

It was just a casual remark again. The touch of emotion in Bai Yeying's heart was somewhat diluted by this familiar "casual remark," replaced by a feeling of being both amused and exasperated.

This third prince is really quite awkward.

She held the spirit pearl, feeling the warmth from her palm, and couldn't help but smile.

"What are you laughing at?" Nezha keenly noticed the subtle change in her expression, turned his head, and raised an eyebrow at her.

"N-nothing." Bai Yeying quickly suppressed her smile and said seriously, "I just think that you are actually a very nice person, Third Prince."

She herself felt a little embarrassed saying those words.

Sure enough, Nezha seemed to have heard something absurd, his brows furrowing instantly, his eyes filled with disdain: "What nonsense are you talking about?"

He stood up, seemingly unwilling to continue the conversation, his fiery wheels swirling beneath his feet: "Pack your things, I'm leaving."

"Hey, wait a minute!" Bai Yeying quickly stood up as well. "You...you're leaving already?"

"Otherwise what?" Nezha turned around, glanced at her, and said, "Stay here and watch you practice your whip?"

Bai Yeying choked.

"Cultivate diligently," Nezha said, before transforming into a streak of crimson light and soaring into the sky. "Don't cause trouble."

The voice carried on the wind, still that impatient tone.

Bai Yeying looked up and watched the red light disappear rapidly into the azure sky until it was no longer visible.

She looked down at the jade box in her hand.

The evening breeze carried the scent of the mountains and forests, and seemed to bring back the faint fragrance of lotus that had once belonged to him.

She gripped the jade box tightly, sighed softly, but a smile involuntarily crept onto her lips.

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

Bai Yeying returned to her cave with the jade box in her arms. She pushed open the door to the quiet room, placed the box on the stone table, and looked at it, speechless for a moment.

The stuff is really good, so good it's almost too good to handle.

"What a generous gesture!" Bai Yeying murmured to herself, her fingers tracing the edge of the jade box.

"You just grabbed it casually at the bottom of Black Wind Ridge?" he said it so casually.

The Xuan Yin Sect has been entrenched for many years and is coveted by various powerful demons. With such a ferocious creature suppressed deep underground, it would be a miracle if he could easily obtain something of this quality that was useless to him. Only a fool would believe that it wasn't specially sought out for her.

So why did Nezha, the Third Prince, who could do whatever he wanted in Heaven, repeatedly help her and even give her benefits?

Because he's bored? Because he's naturally a busybody?

Bai Yeying started to have wild thoughts, and she raised her hand to cover her cheek.

ଲଇଉକ (covering face)......

You can't think like that, that's too narcissistic.

She couldn't always accept his things without a second thought. Even though he said they were useless and just something she happened to have, she couldn't really treat them as freebies.

Bai Yeying, though an ordinary person before her transmigration, understood the importance of reciprocity and not owing favors, especially those that were so complicated and difficult to resolve that they made her heart race.

Receive a return gift.

What should I give him?

The moment this thought popped into Bai Yeying's head, she was immediately stumped.

What does Nezha lack? He seems to lack nothing. Magical treasures? Even eight hands couldn't hold them all, let alone her.

Elixirs? What kind of elixirs and wonders doesn't the Heavenly Court have? The Queen Mother's peaches of immortality and Laozi's Nine-Turn Golden Elixir—he'd probably get tired of eating them as snacks.

Those calming powders and hemostatic ointments she concocted would probably be thrown back at her with a comment like, "What junk!"

Rare treasures? She didn't have any either (•́ω•̀ ٥).

Bai Yeying scratched her hair in frustration and paced back and forth in the quiet room.

Sending food? She remembered that she had sent peaches and bananas to his temple and even carved an ugly jade fish.

What was his reaction? I think he didn't throw it away immediately, but he didn't say he liked it either. Besides, would the Third Prince, a prince of great stature, be short of food?

Sending him clothes and other necessities? His red robes and silver armor were clearly not ordinary. My own sewing and mending skills are probably not even as good as Cuiluo's.