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

Laozi was so angry his mustache stood on end. He took out a small, purplish-gold gourd from his sleeve, carefully poured out a pill that emitted a faint glow, and handed it over with a pained expression: "Take this! Go and save them quickly! Don't disturb my peaceful cultivation any longer!"

Sun Wukong chuckled, snatched the pill, and found it warm to the touch and fragrant, knowing it was a good thing. He wisely kept it safe, carefully putting it away, and bowed to Laozi, saying, "Thank you, Laozi! I, Old Sun, thank you on behalf of the King of Wuji Kingdom! I'll come to have tea with you again when I have time!" With that, he somersaulted and vanished in a flash.

Laozi looked at the empty entrance to the alchemy room, shook his head helplessly, and chuckled under his breath, "That mischievous monkey..." Then he looked at the purple-gold gourd with heartache, "Alas, another Rejuvenation Pill is gone. This journey to the west has almost drained my savings."

Laozi felt increasingly cheated and no longer cared about the perfectly refined Nine-Turn Golden Elixir. With a flick of his sleeve, he conjured up an auspicious cloud and floated towards the Lingxiao Palace.

"We need to have a word with the Jade Emperor. This is all done for the Western Paradise, why should I, this old Taoist, always have to pay the price? This debt must be settled with Mount Ling!"

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

Baolin Temple, with its back mountain bamboo forest Zen courtyard.

Before the game of chess was even finished, a golden light streaked across the sky, swift as lightning, heading straight towards the Zen monastery.

Bai Yeying, who was chatting casually with Nezha about the interesting things at Trapped Sky Mountain while sucking on a plum, immediately stood up upon seeing this and looked in the direction where the golden light had disappeared: "The Great Sage is back! He must have gotten the elixir!"

Nezha held a white chess piece in his hand. Upon hearing this, his fingertips paused slightly, and the piece landed on the chessboard with a dull thud.

He looked up and saw Bai Yeying looking eager to rush out and see what was going on. Her beautiful phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, and her tone was unreadable: "So eager?"

"That's like bringing the dead back to life!" Bai Yeying, oblivious to the subtle change in his tone, remained excited. "I've only ever heard of such things in storybooks! It must be incredibly interesting! Third Prince, aren't you going to go take a look?"

"Not interested." Nezha lowered his eyes, his gaze falling on the spot where he had just placed the piece. The white piece seemed to have been placed a little off-center. He reached out, wanting to move it back to the correct position, his fingertips touching the cool jade, but then he stopped.

"The life and death of mortals are predetermined. Relying on external forces to prolong life can only extend it temporarily."

He seemed to be stating a perfectly ordinary truth. But Bai Yeying detected an unusual indifference in his words, or rather, a detached detachment.

She suddenly remembered that this young war god in front of her seemed to have a much deeper and more complex understanding of life and death than ordinary people.

He returned his bones to his father, his flesh to his mother, and the lotus root was reborn. His very existence is a breaking and reshaping of the predetermined fate of life and death.

Bai Yeying's exhilarated mood calmed down, and she sat back down opposite Nezha, resting her chin on her hand as she looked at him, her almond-shaped eyes filled with curiosity and inquiry: "Third Prince, do you not really like watching these life-or-death dramas?"

Nezha's fingers twitched slightly. He looked up at her; the girl's eyes were clear and bright, filled not with probing, but with simple doubt and concern. This directness sometimes left him bewildered, yet he found it hard to refuse.

"It's not a matter of liking or disliking." He shifted his gaze to the swaying bamboo shadows outside the window, his voice lowering slightly. "It's just that after seeing it so often, it becomes unremarkable. Heaven and earth are ruthless, treating all things like straw dogs. Today, a king can be saved with an elixir, but tomorrow countless lives may perish due to war and natural disasters. Whether to save or not is often not a decision beyond human control."

He paused, seemingly realizing he'd said too much, and his tone returned to its usual languidness, tinged with mockery: "Besides, that king's life wasn't meant to end; it was fate. Sun Wukong's request for the elixir, and Laozi's gift of it, were merely a performance in accordance with this destiny. What's so interesting about it?"

Bai Yeying blinked, processing the meaning behind his words. She understood that Nezha was right; the many tribulations on the journey to the West did indeed seem like a pre-arranged script. But...

"But for that king, and for the people of Wuji Kingdom, his survival is a tremendous blessing."

She said softly, her gaze softening, "Even if it's just a play, if it can bring about a good ending, allowing those who deserve to live to live, and clearing the name of the wronged, isn't that good enough? The joy of life, both on and off screen, is never fake."

Upon hearing this, Nezha paused slightly and looked at her again.

The girl sat in the morning light, her eyes gentle and kind, speaking the simplest and most unpretentious truths, yet she seemed to possess a warm power that quietly soothed certain stubborn corners in his heart.

Yes, for the person involved, that moment of life, that ecstatic joy and relief at regaining what was lost, is real and undeniable. He may have seen through the underlying cause and effect, but he doesn't necessarily need to deny that genuine joy with indifference.

He remained silent for a moment, offering no rebuttal, but simply humming in agreement.

Seeing his expression soften, Bai Yeying smiled again, a hint of smugness in her eyes: "So, it's not a bad idea to go and see! Just consider it... a chance to share in the joy? Besides, the Great Sage will definitely have to deal with that fake king monster; there's bound to be more excitement later!"

Seeing her radiant appearance, Nezha's last bit of inexplicable frustration dissipated.

"You always have so many reasons." Nezha stood up, his red robes fluttering. "Didn't you want to watch the show? If you dawdle any longer, that monkey will probably have finished feeding all his pills."

Bai Yeying's eyes lit up, and she immediately jumped up: "You agree to go?"

"Who gave you permission?" Nezha turned his face away. "I was just... monitoring the progress of the westward journey to ensure there were no demons causing trouble. It was my official duty."

"Yes, yes, yes, it's official business!" Bai Yeying smiled, her eyes crinkling, and naturally reached out to tug at his sleeve. "Then let's hurry, Third Prince! Official business is important!"

A crimson rainbow rose again, sweeping past the bamboo grove tips and heading towards the main courtyard of Baolin Temple.

Amidst the rustling of the wind, one could faintly hear the girl's lighthearted whispers and the boy's occasional dismissive reply.

"Third Prince, what do you think the first thing the king will say when he comes back to life?"

"have no idea."

"Will she hug the holy monk and cry?"

"Noisy."

"hey-hey..."

When the two landed in the Zen temple, the body of the King of Wuji Kingdom had already been helped to sit up, and Sun Wukong had just put the elixir into his mouth.

Everyone watched with bated breath. At first, there was no movement; the king was pale and lifeless.

Pigsy couldn't help but mutter to himself, "Could it be that Laozi's elixir has expired?"

"Idiot! Shut up!" Sun Wukong's golden eyes were fixed on the corpse as he hissed.

No sooner had he said that than a commotion broke out.

The king's body was seen, his tightly closed eyes suddenly opened, and there was a look of confusion in them.

"He's alive! He's really alive!" Pigsy exclaimed in surprise, then clapped his hands and shouted. Sandy quickly stepped forward to help him up.

Tang Sanzang clasped his hands together and chanted the Buddha's name repeatedly: "Amitabha, good, good."

After a while, the king's gaze gradually focused, and he was able to make out the people surrounding him.

He tried to get up, but his limbs were too weak. He could only bow in the direction of Tang Sanzang and say, "Holy Monk, thank you for saving me. When we reach Wuji Kingdom, I will repay you handsomely."

Only then did the king notice the two extra people in the courtyard. His gaze swept past the beautiful girl in white who was curiously examining him, and finally settled on the boy in red beside her.