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

A thought struck her: Was the Hun Tian Ling (a magical ribbon) reminding her of Nezha's location? Or was Nezha hinting at something?

She looked up at the sky, then at the scene before her awaiting resurrection. Though curious, she was more concerned about the lone red figure in the temple. She could watch the excitement later; she could always ask the Great Sage about it when he returned.

"Um... Marshal, Holy Monk, I'll be going now. I'll come back to see the results later!" She waved to Pigsy and Tang Monk, and before they could respond, she transformed into a silver light and returned the way she came.

Watching her come and go like the wind, Pigsy scratched his head: "This little mouse, how come she's even less steadfast than me, Old Pig?"

Bai Yeying quickly returned to the Bamboo Forest Temple. The temple was quiet, with the rustling of bamboo leaves and the babbling of a stream. She walked in quietly and saw Nezha still sitting in his previous spot, but now there was an unfinished game of chess on the stone table in front of him.

He rested his chin on one hand, held a black chess piece in his other hand, hovering it above the chessboard, his gaze fixed on the crisscrossing lines of the pieces, his expression focused.

Bai Yeying paused, suddenly feeling a little reluctant to disturb the tranquility. She leaned against the door, watching quietly.

Seemingly sensing her gaze, Nezha dropped a black stone from his fingertip, making a crisp "tap" sound. He didn't turn around, but his voice came clearly: "Finished watching the show?"

"No, the Great Sage went to Laozi to ask for the elixir of immortality and hasn't returned yet." Bai Yeying walked over and sat down opposite him, resting her chin on her hand as she looked at the chessboard. She knew nothing about Go, only that the black and white pieces were so intricate and dense that they made her dizzy. "Are you good at Go?"

"I know a little." Nezha put down the chess piece in his hand, looked up at her, and said, "Why don't you watch a little longer? Wouldn't it be more exciting if that monkey came back and came back to life?"

His tone was normal, but Bai Yeying could sense the awkwardness in it. It was as if it was something very wrong for her to leave him and run off to watch the commotion.

Her eyes crinkled into a smile as she leaned closer and whispered, "I was worried you'd be bored by yourself. Besides, what's so interesting about carrying a dead person? It's nothing..." She paused, her gaze sweeping across the chessboard before returning to his face, her smile widening, "Nothing's as fun as watching you play chess!"

Actually, she wanted to remove the chess game from the list, but she was afraid she'd be too impulsive. She's just a naive young girl; she's not attracted to men at first sight. (//∇//)

Nezha's ears burned slightly at her straightforward yet indirect flattery. He turned his face away and scoffed, "Glib tongue." But the faint hint of melancholy in his eyes and brows vanished without a trace.

He reached out and gathered the chess pieces one by one on the board: "Now that you're back, just stay put. That monkey is coming back with the elixir, and he'll cause quite a stir. You'll get to see the spectacle."

"Mmm!" Bai Yeying nodded vigorously, obediently sitting opposite him and watching him arrange the chess pieces. The young man's fingers were long and slender, and his movements were unhurried and graceful, possessing a unique charm.

She suddenly remembered that she still had some candied plums left over from last night in her sleeve, so she took out two more. She put one in her mouth and held the other to Nezha's lips: "Here, it's sweet."

Nezha stopped moving, looked at Meizi who was so close to him, and then at her smiling eyes. He paused for a moment, then opened his mouth and took her in.

The sweet and sour taste spread again, dispelling the last bit of tranquility in the morning.

"Not bad." He was still reluctant to praise, but the faint smile in his eyes was warmer than the morning light.

Bai Yeying had a plum in her mouth, her cheeks slightly puffed out, her heart seemingly filled with the sweet and sour taste. She suddenly realized that the image of the young man quietly putting away his chess pieces, his face relaxed by her plum, was what she most wanted to see at that moment.

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

On the other side, in the Heavenly Court, in the Tushita Palace.

The familiar aroma of herbs still filled the alchemy room, but the atmosphere was different today. The furnace roared, casting flickering light on Laozi's venerable face. He held a whisk, tending the fire, mentally calculating the perfect temperature for this batch of Nine-Turn Golden Elixir.

Suddenly, a gust of wind carrying the smell that gave him a headache blew in.

"Old man! Old man! Come quick, it's urgent!"

Sun Wukong somersaulted directly to the alchemy furnace, his fiery eyes scanning the dazzling array of bottles and jars on the shelf before finally landing on Laozi. A benevolent smile spread across his face, but the scratching of his ears and cheeks betrayed his inner urgency.

Laozi didn't even lift his eyelids, slowly flicking his sleeve as if he hadn't heard.

That monkey is definitely up to no good.

"Laojun! The Supreme Dao Ancestor! My dear Laojun!" Sun Wukong leaned closer, grinning mischievously. "This is truly a matter of utmost urgency, a matter of life and death! No, it's a matter of the king's life and death!"

"Oh?" Laozi slowly raised his eyes, stroked his long beard, and feigned surprise. "What do you mean, Great Sage? And which demon do you think you need me to subdue?"

"It's not about subduing a demon, it's about saving a life!" Sun Wukong hurriedly said. "The King of Wuji Kingdom was harmed by a demon, pushed into a well and left to soak for three years, completely dead. My master is kind-hearted and took on this karmic debt, so I, Old Sun, have come to beg you, sir, to bestow an elixir to bring him back to life!"

Upon hearing this, Laozi understood perfectly. The case in Wuji Kingdom was originally a trial arranged by Manjushri Bodhisattva, and this monkey really knew how to take advantage of the situation, coming directly to him.

His face showed a troubled expression, and he sighed deeply: "Alas, Great Sage, it's not that I'm stingy. It's just that bringing the dead back to life and defying fate is no child's play. My Nine-Turn Rejuvenation Pill is not easy to refine, consuming countless rare and precious materials, and it involves the great Dao of life and death, with heavy karmic consequences. How can I give it away so easily? Besides, is the King of Wuji Kingdom still alive? Is there a predetermined calamity in this? If I rashly intervene, I fear I will offend the heavens."

Sun Wukong paid no heed to these roundabout words, taking it as Laozi's excuse. He glared at him with his golden eyes, scratched his ear, and said, "Old man, stop with the official talk! What's with all this talk about heaven and earth? Just tell me if you'll give it to me or not! That king died unjustly, and now his body has been brought back, waiting for your elixir to save his life! If you don't give it to me, I'll stay here in your palace and not leave! I've been itching to use my hands lately, so I'll loosen up the muscles in your alchemy room for you!" As he spoke, the golden cudgel appeared in his hand without him noticing, and he casually weighed the tip of the cudgel, his gaze sweeping over the jade bottles and alchemy furnaces.

Laozi's lips twitched slightly. This mischievous monkey, at it again! He wasn't afraid that Sun Wukong would really destroy the Tushita Palace, but this monkey was annoying when he caused trouble.

More importantly, the ordeal in Wuji Kingdom was preordained. The king's lifespan had indeed not yet ended, and Manjushri Bodhisattva's mount, the Green-haired Lion, was sent down to the mortal realm for this very reason. Sun Wukong's request for the elixir was, in fact, part of the script.

But... this monkey certainly doesn't know how to speak properly.

Laozi pondered for a moment, then said sternly, "Great Sage, it's not that I'm heartless. It's just that the elixir is precious and cannot be given lightly. How about this, considering that the king is innocent and this is a meritorious deed on the journey to the West, I will make an exception this time. However, the Nine-Turn Rejuvenation Pill is too miraculous and cannot be used lightly. I have a Life-Extending Pill here, although it is not as miraculous as the Nine-Turn Rejuvenation Pill, it is enough to save a mortal king whose lifespan has not yet ended and whose body has not yet decomposed."

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong's eyes lit up: "The Rejuvenating Life-Extending Pill? That works! Bring it here quickly! Is one enough? Or...give me a few more? In case something goes wrong, we'll have some as backup, right? Laozi, with your vast fortune, you can't be short of 1,800 pills."

"Eighteen hundred?!"

Laozi nearly choked on his own saliva, his whisk trembling three times: "Great Sage! Do you think this is roasted beans? Eighteen hundred beans! Just this one! Take it or leave it!"