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

Bai Yeying perked up and started listening intently.

Baihuaxiu was also taken aback: "A solution?"

"Yes." The illusory figure of Kui Mulang nodded and quickly said, "Remember this: Tomorrow at noon, take a drop of your blood, mix it with the Rootless Water, and drip it onto the center of the 'king' character on the forehead of the tiger that the holy monk has transformed into. At the same time, you must sincerely recite the three incantations I will tell you next. Remember, you must do it yourself, your heart must be sincere, and you cannot mispronounce a single word of the incantation!"

He paused, his voice lower, filled with endless pleading: "Shū'er, this is the only thing I can do to make amends. After this is done, perhaps we can truly be even. And you can be free."

The reflection in the mirror rapidly opened and closed its lips, reciting the three difficult-to-pronounce incantations once, then repeating them to ensure that Baihuaxiu memorized them.

Baihua listened in a daze, tears silently streaming down her face, her eyes filled with complex emotions. Hatred, resentment, perhaps even affection, and the bewilderment of impending liberation.

"Did you remember?" Kui Mulang asked.

Baihua Xiu nodded slowly.

"Okay...okay..." The phantom of Kui Mulang seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, and the image began to fade. "Take care, Xiu'er."

The last two words were uttered as a sigh, and then the mirror returned to normal, and the aura completely disappeared.

The flowers stood frozen in front of the mirror, motionless for a long time.

Bai Yeying hid behind the curtain, listening clearly to the incantation and steps, feeling both excited and moved.

Sure enough! The solution really lies with Princess Baihuaxiu! That guy Kui Mulang... sigh.

She dared not linger. Taking advantage of Baihuaxiu's dazed state, she quietly slipped out the way she came and ran back to the eaves where Nezha was.

"Third Prince! Third Prince!" She transformed back into human form, her eyes shining brightly. Grabbing Nezha's sleeve, she eagerly whispered everything she had heard, "That's it! I've memorized the incantation! Tomorrow at noon, the princess will drip blood and rootless water onto the tiger's forehead and recite the incantation!"

Nezha listened without any surprise on his face. He just looked at her excited expression and bright eyes and nodded.

"Let's hurry and tell the Great Sage!" Bai Yeying said anxiously.

"What's the rush?" Nezha stopped her. "If you go now, how will you explain how you found out? That monkey is angry and suspicious."

"Huh? What should we do then?" Bai Yeying was stunned.

Nezha turned his gaze to the still anxious Sun Wukong below, then glanced at the direction of Baihuaxiu's bedchamber: "Let the princess do it herself. Since she knows the solution, she will find a way to implement it tomorrow. Sun Wukong will naturally see the result then."

"But..."

"It's no more than tomorrow. The princess will do it, both for public and private reasons."

Bai Yeying thought about it and realized it made sense. Officially, it was to save Tang Sanzang and quell the rebellion in Baoxiang Kingdom. Privately, it was a resolution to her grudge against Kui Mulang, and also a release for her.

She nodded, suppressing the urge to immediately report the news, and patiently continued to wait on the eaves.

That night, many people in the Royal Palace of Baoxiang were sleepless.

Sun Wukong stayed in the square all night, trying countless methods, but all failed, and his face grew increasingly gloomy.

Pigsy and Sandy took turns guarding the tiger, but they were also very worried.

Princess Baihuaxiu sat in her bedchamber, facing a solitary lamp, silently reciting the three-line mantra.

Bai Yeying leaned against the roof tile next to Nezha, initially full of energy, but then couldn't help but yawn. The night breeze was slightly cool, and she subconsciously moved closer to the warm source beside her.

Nezha stiffened slightly, looked down at the furry head that was almost touching his arm, hesitated for a moment, and ultimately did not move.

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

The next day, the sun was high in the sky.

The atmosphere in the Baoxiang King's palace grew even more tense. The king had summoned his ministers to discuss whether to invite the royal advisor or find another master to exorcise the evil spirit and subdue the tiger. The gazes directed at Sun Wukong and his companions became increasingly distant and wary.

It's almost noon.

Princess Baihuaxiu suddenly requested an audience with the king, claiming that she had dreamt last night of a divine being who gave her guidance, suggesting that there might be a way to restore the holy monk to his original appearance, but the deed must be performed alone in front of the palace at noon.

The king was skeptical, but seeing his daughter's resolute expression and the helplessness of Sun Wukong and the others, he had no choice but to agree, but ordered his guards to protect her from a distance.

It was noon.

The sun was blazing overhead.

Princess Baihuaxiu, dressed in plain white robes, held a small white jade bowl filled with clear water—morning dew collected by her own men. She walked step by step toward the tiger tethered to a pillar in the corridor.

Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, and Sha Wujing watched nervously. Zhu Bajie muttered under his breath, "Is the princess alright? What if she gets hurt by Master... oh no, I mean, by the tiger?"

The tiger looked at Baihuaxiu approaching and growled, but did not show any aggression. It just stared at her with its tiger eyes, seemingly confused.

Baihua Xiu stopped three steps away from the tiger. She took out the golden needles she had prepared beforehand and gently pricked her finger.

A drop of bright red heart's blood seeped out and fell into the rootless water of the jade bowl, instantly dissolving and staining the clear water with a very faint crimson hue.

She picked up the jade bowl, slowly stepped forward, and with her other hand trembling, touched the tiger's forehead, finding the center of the character "王" (king).

The jade bowl tilted, and the rootless water mixed with blood dripped onto that one spot.

At the same time, Baihua Xiu closed her eyes and, in a voice only she could hear, clearly and devoutly recited the three incantations, word by word.

The incantation has been recited.

Quiet.

Everyone held their breath.

Suddenly, the drop of water on the tiger's forehead glowed faintly! Then, the magical energy surrounding the tiger rippled violently, like water rippled by a stone thrown in! The tiger's form began to blur and shift!

The light grew brighter and brighter, so bright that it was blinding!

A moment later, the light faded.

Where was the tiger? There was only Tang Sanzang standing there, perfectly fine, his monk's robes neat, a hint of disorientation in his expression, but he was indeed the original Tang Sanzang!

"Master!" Sun Wukong was the first to react, both surprised and delighted. He rushed forward to support the still swaying Tang Sanzang.

"Holy monk!" The king was overjoyed.

"It's a success! It's really a success!" Pigsy slapped his thigh with joy.

Sha Wujing also showed a relieved smile.

Princess Baihuaxiu looked at Tang Sanzang, who had returned to normal, and her legs went weak, almost causing her to fall to the ground. She was caught by a quick-thinking maid. Her forehead was covered in cold sweat, but her eyes held a sense of relief and liberation.

"Thank you, Princess, for saving my life!" Tang Sanzang came to his senses and quickly clasped his hands in a gesture of respect to Baihuaxiu.

"Holy monk, you flatter me. It is what I should do." Baihua smiled shyly, but her gaze involuntarily drifted to the sky, carrying a hint of complexity and melancholy.

With the crisis averted, the Baoxiang King's palace instantly transformed from a place of gloom and despair into a sea of ​​celebration. The king held a grand banquet to once again entertain Tang Sanzang and his disciples, repeatedly apologizing and expressing his gratitude.

Although Sun Wukong was still troubled by Kui Mulang and the strange things behind it, his master was safe and sound, he had received a favor from Princess Baihuaxiu, and the Jade Emperor had obviously done something to make things worse but there was no evidence to prove it, so he had no choice but to put it aside for the time being.

At the banquet, both hosts and guests seemed to be enjoying themselves, at least on the surface.

Bai Yeying, having watched the spectacle, was satisfied. She tugged at Nezha's sleeve: "Third Prince, shall we go back?"

Nezha nodded, and the Hun Tian Ling wrapped around her. A crimson light rose silently and left the sky above the palace, which had just returned to peace.

On the way back to Xiankong Mountain, the sky was ablaze with the colors of sunset.

Bai Yeying leaned against Nezha, in a very good mood, and couldn't help but start chattering again: "This time it was really a close call! Thanks to the princess, but Kui Mulang was really something, why didn't he just tell us the solution earlier? Why did he have to go through such a long detour?"

"Calamities are preordained."