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

Another on-site assessment? She groaned inwardly, but dared not disobey. She walked to the relatively flat open space in front of the cave, focused her mind, and flicked her wrist.

The Shadow Whip seemed to come alive, cracking loudly as it struck the rocks several meters away, sending stone chips flying. The whip spun around and flew towards another empty space, whistling through the air.

After finishing her whip technique, she stood still, looked up at Nezha, and her eyes were filled with anticipation.

Nezha watched with his arms crossed, his face expressionless. Only when she stopped did he slowly speak:

So-so.

It was just so-so again. Bai Yeying's shoulders slumped slightly.

"The power is sufficient, and the variations are somewhat present, but the transitions are too abrupt, and the shifts between strength and gentleness are too obvious. When ending the whip, the breath is also off-beat."

As he spoke, he stepped forward and naturally extended his hand towards her: "Whip."

Bai Yeying obediently handed it over.

Nezha took the Black Shadow Whip, but did not demonstrate it immediately. Instead, he ran his fingertips over the whip, seemingly sensing the degree of fusion of the Geng metal essence within it.

"The fusion went well; nothing was wasted," he commented, before looking up at Bai Yeying. "Watch closely."

Before he could finish speaking, he gave a slight tremor in his wrist.

The whip moved.

It lacked the whistling, powerful momentum of Bai Yeying's whip. Nezha's whip seemed to transform into a flowing stream of black water, or an elusive shadow.

Even more strangely, the air seemed to be cut apart where the whip passed.

Bai Yeying watched intently, deeply moved.

Nezha only demonstrated a few moves before retracting his wrist and handing the whip back to Bai Yeying.

"Did you understand?" he asked.

Bai Yeying took the whip, still warm from his fingers, and honestly shook her head: "I understand it, but I can't do it!"

"Nonsense," Nezha scoffed. "If you could do it after watching it once, why would you need to practice?"

Bai Yeying was speechless for a moment, then muttered under her breath, "Then why did you ask?"

"What did you say?" Nezha raised an eyebrow.

"No, it's nothing!" Bai Yeying immediately looked up, forcing a smile. "I meant, thank you for your guidance, Third Prince. I'll definitely think about it carefully when I get back!"

Nezha snorted at her fake smile and didn't pursue the matter further. He turned and looked towards the waterfall.

"Weren't you going to practice whip?" He turned his head and glanced at her. "Let's go."

"Huh?" Bai Yeying didn't react.

"What do you mean, 'huh'?" Nezha asked impatiently. "Aren't we going to the waterfall? It's on the way, I'll just take a look over there."

"On the way? What's so interesting about the waterfall?" Bai Yeying wondered to herself, but she still quickly followed.

The two walked one after the other towards the waterfall behind the mountain. The sunlight, the shadows of the trees, and the birdsong in the forest all looked exceptionally beautiful.

After walking for a while, Bai Yeying couldn't help but steal a glance at the boy beside her. He walked slowly and leisurely, the red ribbon fluttering gently behind him. The lines of his profile were particularly clear in the interplay of light and shadow.

"Um..." she said softly, breaking the silence, "The Water Spirit Orb you gave me last time is very useful. I feel much calmer when I cultivate."

"Hmm," Nezha responded without turning around.

"And the essence of Geng metal, after being incorporated into the whip, has indeed increased its power considerably." Bai Yeying continued, trying to make conversation.

"Um."

"Um...the Black Wind Ridge matter, was it all resolved in the end?"

"Um."

Bai Yeying: "................."

This is impossible to talk about!

She shut her mouth, feeling a little annoyed, and silently followed. The only sounds in the woods were footsteps and the occasional chirping of birds.

After walking a while longer, as the sound of the waterfall grew closer, Bai Yeying's initial frustration was replaced by curiosity. Why did he choose to come to the waterfall on his way?

Just then, Nezha, who was walking in front, suddenly stopped.

Bai Yeying almost bumped into his back, but quickly stopped herself.

Nezha turned around to face her. His face didn't show any particular expression, but his beautiful phoenix eyes appeared exceptionally deep in the light filtering through the trees.

"You," he began, his voice clear and flat, "haven't gotten into any trouble lately, have you?"

Bai Yeying was taken aback, and subconsciously shook her head: "No, no. I've been staying on the mountain cultivating."

"Yeah?"

Nezha looked at her, his expression somewhat ambiguous: "Then how come I heard that a few days ago, some ignorant little demon almost got its skin peeled off by a wolf spirit?"

Is he talking about her encounter with the wolf spirit? It's been so long, how does he know? And what do you mean by "almost got skinned alive"? She was the one who beat it down and even skinned it alive.

Bai Yeying immediately showed a proud expression and looked up at him: "I was the one who skinned it."

"Wow, that's amazing!" Nezha raised an eyebrow and took a half step forward.

As the distance suddenly closed, Bai Yeying smelled the lotus fragrance on him and saw his long eyelashes, and her heart started beating faster again.

"Just because I'm backing you up, you dare to challenge those demons?"

Nezha lowered his voice, carrying an ambiguous meaning: "Bai Yeying, you're getting bolder and bolder."

"What do you mean?"

Bai Yeying felt flustered under his gaze and subconsciously retorted, "I didn't intend to fight him; he started it! And I didn't expect you to back me up."

She sounded a little guilty about her last sentence. The situation was critical, and she genuinely hoped he would appear.

Nezha sensed the guilt in her tone, so he stopped looking at her and turned to continue walking towards the waterfall.

Bai Yeying stood there, watching his back.

What's wrong with him? Is he worried about her?

The thought came to her mind, and she immediately shook her head and hurried after him.

With the waterfall in sight, Nezha walked to a smooth rock by the pool and stood there.

Bai Yeying stopped a few steps behind him, also gazing at the waterfall.

Nezha turned around to face her. His eyes, shimmering with tears, reflected the water: "You've heard about the journey to the West to obtain the scriptures, haven't you?"

"I heard that Guanyin Bodhisattva passed by the Five Elements Mountain and spoke to the Great Sage, also giving me some pointers."

"Give you some pointers? How did you give them pointers?"

Bai Yeying roughly repeated what the Bodhisattva had said.

After listening, Nezha remained silent for a moment.

"At least she spoke the truth. So what are you planning to do? Are you really just going to stay holed up in Trap Mountain, waiting for an opportunity to cleanse your karma?"

Bai Yeying was stumped by his question. She pursed her lips and looked up to meet his gaze: "I don't know. But I do know that I'm not strong enough right now, and getting involved would be suicide. So I'll focus on cultivating first. As for the future, we'll just have to take it one step at a time!"

She spoke frankly, but with a hint of helplessness.

Nezha looked into her clear eyes without saying a word. After a long while, he finally looked away and returned his gaze to the waterfall.

"At least they have some self-awareness."

"Those kinds of things again." She lowered her head, feeling a bit annoyed, and kicked at a small pebble at her feet.

"but."

Nezha's voice rang out again, somewhat ethereal amidst the roaring water: "Since the Bodhisattva has said that you may have a chance to transcend, then you should seize it well."

He paused, his words seemingly carrying another meaning: "Stop thinking about useless things all day long. If you really encounter something you can't solve... don't force it."

Bai Yeying seemed to understand something. She raised her head and looked at him.

The boy was looking at her, his eyes reflecting her image. Her heartbeat was exceptionally clear amidst the roaring water.

"Okay, I understand."