The scholar, upon hearing her words, became quite delighted. Setting aside the book in his hands, he turned to look at her, his small mung bean eyes blinking and, in a soft and gentle voice, said to Gu Shi Yi,
"Miss, I find your grace and beauty stunning, and I'd say together we make quite the handsome couple. Would you be willing to marry me and become my wife?"
As he spoke, his pupils began to change, gradually enlarging until, in a few breaths, his eyes were devoid of whites, leaving only the pitch-black pupils. Gu Shi Yi, caught by his gaze, became dazed, her expression drifting into confusion as she murmured,
"Marry you as... as a wife?"
Seeing that Gu Shi Yi was ensnared, the scholar immediately rejoiced, laughing as he leaned in closer,
"Yes... come home with me... We'll get married and you'll make a lovely bride, won't you?"
In the midst of speaking, he reached out to pull Gu Shi Yi toward him. Gu Shi Yi, not resisting, let herself be pulled over, allowing herself to be held in his embrace and watching, eyes wide open, as the scholar's mouth was about to touch hers,
"Smack!"
Suddenly, Gu Shi Yi raised her hand and delivered a crisp slap that echoed far into the night within the mountain valley,
"Ah..."
Immediately followed by a scream, the scholar, covering his face, jumped three feet high, staggering back three steps in disbelief, nearly stepping into the fire. Fortunately, he looked back in time to stop himself,
"You... you... you haven't... haven't..."
With a panic-stricken face, the scholar looked at Gu Shi Yi, whose eyes were clear again. Gu Shi Yi scoffed,
"I haven't what?"
She flicked her right hand, which faintly emanated a pearly glow, and looking down with disgust, she blew on her palm,
"Ugh... yuck... it's covered in black fur..."
The scholar saw several strands of black hair indeed floating down from Gu Shi Yi's palm, and only then realized something was wrong. He reached to touch his face and discovered that half of it was covered in black fur,
"You... squeak..."
He pointed at Gu Shi Yi, only managing to utter a single word, before his entire face transformed. The once narrow-eyed young scholar blinked, and his mouth and nose elongated, his face sprouting black fur, his mung bean eyes, long beakish mouth, and pointed ears, all as he emitted a shrill squeak,
Gu Shi Yi burst into laughter at the sight,
"Turns out you're a rat spirit!"
The rat spirit seemed somewhat puzzled about what had happened, holding its face for quite a while before regaining composure, then shrieked in a high-pitched voice,
"You... you're a cultivator?"
Gu Shi Yi clapped her hands, saying cheerfully,
"Far from it! I'm just a little Taoist adept at some spells and dare not to profess myself a true cultivator!"
Hearing this, the rat spirit's mung bean eyes quickly rotated as it weighed up Gu Shi Yi's level of cultivation,
"Looking at her, alone with just a Peach Wood Sword, she doesn't seem too formidable. Should I take the risk? The essence of a cultivator is far more nourishing than that of ordinary people!"
While it was still considering its options, Gu Shi Yi made the first move. Her footwork was incredibly fast, leaving the rat spirit only to see a blur,
"Smack, smack, smack..."
Gu Shi Yi's small palm began striking from left to right across the rat spirit's face, a flurry of white light flashing by as she slapped the rat spirit, who squeaked in pain, spinning on the spot. Strangely, with each spin, the rat spirit shrank a little, and after about five or six turns, it was only half as tall as Gu Shi Yi,
"Squeak..."
Following an angry and dismal shriek, Gu Shi Yi's vision blurred, and the Confucian scholar's clothes gently dropped to the ground. A huge black-furred rat darted out from the garments, prompting Gu Shi Yi to shout,
"Don't run!"
But the rat spirit didn't look back, darting into the nearby underbrush. Gu Shi Yi gave chase and caught up to it, stepping on its long tail that trailed behind,
"Squeak..."
The rat spirit was truly enraged now, turning and snapping its wide mouth at Gu Shi Yi, its four prominent sharp teeth glistening ominously in the firelight as it lunged for her head. Gu Shi Yi tilted her head to dodge its sharp mouth, then ducked to avoid its claws, and with a surge of her shoulders, she delivered a fierce headbutt to its belly,
"Squeak!"
The blow sent the rat spirit flipping backward, legs in the air. Seizing the opportunity while it was off balance, Gu Shi Yi bent down and grasped the thick tail in her hands,
"Up!"
With a loud shout, her hands glowed as she swung the hundred-pound rat overhead,
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."
The small hundred-pound, furry beast whirled overhead with quite the commotion. Gu Shi Yi, exhibiting extraordinary strength, steadied her legs and bent her knees, her waist propelling force as she swung the rat spirit around like a wind-fire wheel.