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

Laozi knew this monkey was troublesome, and he wouldn't get away without spitting some blood today. He stroked his long beard, feigning contemplation: "These two wretches, I will take them back to the Heavenly Court for strict discipline and severe punishment! As for the magical treasures they stole..."

His gaze swept over the purple-gold gourd, the jade bottle, the seven-star sword, the banana leaf fan, and the golden rope that Sun Wukong had just captured, and a look of heartache flashed across his face.

"Naturally, it should be returned to its rightful owner." Laozi said, reaching out to retrieve the magical artifact.

"Hey!" Sun Wukong swung his golden cudgel to block the way, a half-smile on his face. "Laojun, that's not how it works. These things, though they came from your family, are spoils of war that I, Old Sun, obtained by defeating the monster. Besides, my master and junior brothers were frightened, and I, Old Sun, put in a lot of effort. I can't let all my hard work go to waste, can I?"

Laozi's lips twitched slightly, knowing that this monkey was determined to take advantage of him. He glanced at Sun Wukong, then at Bai Yeying, whose eyes were darting around, clearly watching the show, and began to make his decision.

Of the treasures, the Purple-Gold Red Gourd and the Jade Purification Bottle are essential for holding elixirs and water; the Seven-Star Sword is a protective weapon; and the Banana Leaf Fan is related to the Eight Trigrams Furnace Fire—none of these should be given away lightly. Only the Golden Rope, though also a magical artifact, is primarily used for capturing and binding, and is therefore less crucial.

Laojun sighed inwardly, but his face showed a generous expression: "What the Great Sage said makes sense. How about this, this Golden Rope will be given to the Great Sage as an apology on behalf of these two wicked children, and as a reward for the Great Sage's merit in subduing the demon, how about it?" He deliberately emphasized that it was a gift, as a way to give both parties a way out.

Sun Wukong's eyes darted around. The Golden Rope was indeed convenient for binding people, but with his Golden Cudgel in hand, such binding magic items were of little use to him. His true intention wasn't to covet Laozi's treasures; he mainly wanted to vent his anger, and incidentally...

He glanced at Bai Yeying, who had an "I see, so that's how it is" expression on her face, and a thought struck him.

"Very well, for Laozi's sake, let's just let this matter go." Sun Wukong pushed the other treasures forward, leaving only the Golden Rope.

Laozi breathed a sigh of relief, quickly putting the Purple-Gold Red Gourd and other treasures back into his sleeve. He then glared fiercely at Golden Horn and Silver Horn: "Hurry up and thank the Great Sage for sparing your life, and come back to Heaven with me to receive your punishment!"

Golden Horn and Silver Horn, as if granted a pardon, scrambled to their feet and kowtowed. Laozi swept them away with his whisk, turning them into a beam of light that shot into the sky and vanished in an instant.

The Lotus Cave fell silent, leaving only a mess, Tang Sanzang and his disciples, and Bai Yeying.

Sun Wukong weighed the Golden Rope in his hand, walked up to Bai Yeying, and casually tossed it over: "Here, it's for you."

Bai Yeying instinctively caught it, then paused for a moment, quickly shaking her head: "Give it to me? Great Sage, this is too precious! This is Laozi's magic weapon, how can I accept it?"

"Take it if I give it to you." Sun Wukong didn't care at all. "This thing is useless to me. It's not as good as my staff for binding people. As for you, you're not very skilled, but you're quite daring. You always like to go to dangerous places. Take it for self-defense, and if you can't beat someone, throw it out to bind them. It'll also make it easier to run away."

He spoke bluntly, even with a hint of disdain, but Bai Yeying sensed the protectiveness in his words. A warmth filled her heart, and her nose tingled with emotion. The Great Sage was truly taking good care of her, this familiar little mouse.

"But..." She still felt the gift was too heavy.

"But what 'but'?!" Sun Wukong interrupted impatiently, "If you keep nagging, you can forget about watching the next show!"

These words struck a nerve with Bai Yeying. She immediately clutched the Golden Rope tightly to her chest, her eyes crinkling with a bright smile: "Yes, yes, yes! Thank you, Great Sage! I will definitely use it well and never disgrace you!"

Sun Wukong snorted in response. He turned to Tang Sanzang and said, "Master, we shouldn't stay here any longer. Let's pack up and leave as soon as possible."

Tang Sanzang nodded in agreement. Zhu Bajie rubbed his arms, which were aching from being tied up, and muttered, "Finally we're leaving. This awful place... Hey, is there any vegetarian food?" Sha Wujing silently began to pack up the scattered luggage.

Bai Yeying looked at the Golden Rope in her hand, growing more and more fond of it. This was a genuine magic weapon produced by Laozi! Although the Great Sage spoke of it so casually, it was definitely a life-saving treasure.

She carefully wrapped the rope around her wrist, and the rope automatically contracted and adjusted, turning into an inconspicuous dark gold loop.

She looked up, about to say something more to the Great Sage, when she remembered something.

Oh no! I was so focused on watching the Monkey King fight and getting his treasures that I forgot about that guy! He must be getting impatient!

At that moment, the red string on my wrist suddenly became hot and felt a pulling sensation.

Bai Yeying dared not delay any longer. She hurriedly bid farewell to Tang Sanzang and his disciples, and then, following the sensation of the Hun Tian Ling (a magical ribbon), she dashed out of the Lotus Cave.

Outside the cave, it was already bright daylight. The clouds and mist above Pingdingshan Mountain dispersed, revealing the azure sky.

Not far away, under an ancient pine tree, Nezha leaned against the trunk, arms crossed, his phoenix eyes slightly narrowed as he watched Bai Yeying rush over.

Sunlight filtered through the branches and leaves, casting shadows on his face and eyebrows, creating a scene as beautiful as a painting, if only his gaze weren't so cool.

"Third Prince!" Bai Yeying ran up to him, slightly out of breath, her face flushed from running. "I'm out! It was so exciting inside! The Great Sage..."

"I know Sun Wukong is amazing." Nezha interrupted her, his voice flat, his gaze falling on her excited little face before slowly moving down to her wrist.

There, a dark gold rope circle was worn side by side with the red rope formed from the Hun Tian Ling (a magical ribbon), making it particularly eye-catching.

"What is this?" he asked, his tone calm, but it made Bai Yeying's heart skip a beat.

"Uh... this..." Bai Yeying subconsciously wanted to hide her wrist behind her back, but then felt it was too deliberate, so she had no choice but to confess honestly, "It's the Golden Rope. When the Great Sage defeated the Golden Horn and Silver Horn, Laozi came to take people away and gave it to him as an apology. The Great Sage said he didn't need it, so he gave it to me for self-defense."

Her voice trailed off as she spoke, a strange sense of guilt creeping in, as if she'd done something to betray the person before her. But all she'd gotten was a magical artifact!

Nezha didn't speak, he just looked at her. His phoenix eyes held a deep and unfathomable light. Suddenly, he reached out and hooked his fingertips around the dark gold cord on her wrist.

The golden rope seemed to sense something, flashed slightly, and then fell silent again.

"The Golden Rope of Laozi." Nezha repeated, a slight smirk playing on his lips, it was hard to tell if it was mockery or something else. "He's certainly generous."

Bai Yeying wasn't sure about his attitude. Looking at his face, she tentatively asked, "Third Prince, are you unhappy?"

Nezha withdrew his hand, crossed his arms again, and looked away at the distant mountains, appearing somewhat indifferent: "What do I have to be unhappy about? Getting a good magic weapon is a good thing."

That's what she said, but Bai Yeying felt as if the air around her had cooled down a few degrees. She scratched her head, trying to change the subject: "Um... Shall we go back? Or... can you go and do your work?"

"Go back." Nezha uttered the two words crisply, and the flames of his Wind Fire Wheels suddenly burst into flames. He didn't even look at Bai Yeying, but put his arm around her waist and brought her to his side.

"Oh!" Bai Yeying stood up obediently, stealing a glance at his profile. The boy pursed his lips, his jawline taut.

A crimson streak of light soared into the sky, flying towards Trapped Sky Mountain. Its speed seemed considerably faster than on the way there, the wind whistling past its ears.

Bai Yeying squinted as the wind blew. She subtly rotated her wrist; the golden rope felt warm, and the sash was slightly warm. These two items, placed side by side, were clearly meant to protect her, yet they made her feel that the atmosphere was a little strange.