The rat spirit had been cultivating in the mountains for eight hundred years and had finally managed to shape-shift into human form. It came down from the mountain, specializing in seducing humans to swindle their essence. When encountering men, it would transform into a beautiful village woman; facing women, it would become a Confucian scholar. Travelers passing through the deep forests were mostly men though, so this was the first time it had transformed into a scholar—and it ran into a tough nut to crack, who turned out to be a great cultivator!
Now that Gu Shi Yi had grabbed hold of its tail, a crucial spot, it found itself completely paralyzed, helplessly spinning in the air as it was swung around. Despite its thick skin and flesh, it felt stars in its eyes and the world turning upside-down, its stomach continuously churning. Before long, froth appeared at the corner of its mouth. In desperation, it let out a series of frantic squeaks. Gu Shi Yi exclaimed,
"What are you squeaking about?"
Only then did the rat spirit remember it could speak human language,
"Please, have mercy! Squeak, squeak... Have mercy!"
Hearing this, Gu Shi Yi laughed and finally slammed it hard onto the ground,
"Bang..."
With that sound, the rat spirit's body heavily smashed into the earth, creating a big pit. Gu Shi Yi, still holding onto its tail, stepped forward and pressed a foot on its belly, asking,
"Do you submit?"
"Squeak, squeak, squeak..."
Lying on its back, the rat spirit made a series of confused cries but didn't dare to struggle,
"So you submit, do you?"
"Submit... squeak... I submit..."
The rat spirit replied. Satisfied, Gu Shi Yi nodded and moved her foot away, but she didn't let go of its tail. She interrogated,
"Now, tell me honestly, how many travelers have you harmed in these mountains?"
The rat spirit, struggling with nausea and about to vomit, squeaked several times before replying,
"To let the big boss know, our location is remote with not many travelers passing by. I have encountered two groups of mountain bandits hiding in the mountains and a thief fleeing from the Official Government... Sometimes, sometimes when there are no people around, I sneak into the villages and harm the villagers..."
It honestly confessed its deeds one by one. After listening, Gu Shi Yi snorted coldly and then pondered before asking,
"Have you hidden anything?"
"Dare not hide anything, dare not hide anything!"
Gu Shi Yi hummed twice, sized up the rat spirit from head to toe, and then said,
"Assuming you're telling the truth, I won't take your life even so..."
The rat spirit's face lit up with joy,
"Thank you, big boss! Thank you, big boss!"
"However... death penalty can be spared, but punishment can't be escaped..."
After thinking for a moment, Gu Shi Yi said,
"I'm worried about the difficult mountain paths and the delays on the journey. Now that you, the local bully, are here, you shall clear the way for us. As long as you guide us out of these mountains, I will let you go!"
Hearing this, the rat spirit nodded repeatedly,
"Yes, yes, yes, I am willing to guide the way for the big boss!"
"Hmm!"
Gu Shi Yi nodded in satisfaction, released the rat spirit's tail, and went to wash her hands in the stream. When she returned and saw it still sprawled out, she kicked it,
"Get up, or are you waiting for me to help you?"
The rat spirit immediately rolled over and got up. Then, with a wriggle of its body, it transformed into a naked man right there,
"Oh my..."
Gu Shi Yi covered her eyes,
"Quick, put on some clothes!"
A rat remains a rat even when it transforms into a human, with no sense of propriety!
The rat spirit hurriedly picked up the Confucian scholar's clothes and quickly dressed, saying with a grin,
"It's done, big boss... I'm dressed!"
Gu Shi Yi nodded and pointed to a stone for it to sit on, then yawned,
"It's getting late, I'm going to sleep. You stay here and keep watch..."
She pointed to a clay jar,
"If you dare to run, I'll come after you and peel off your rat hide!"
The rat spirit shook its head frantically,
"I wouldn't dare! I wouldn't dare!"
Satisfied, Gu Shi Yi went to sit cross-legged and regulate her breathing. After circulating her qi for thirty-six revolutions, she opened her eyes to see the rat spirit actually sitting obediently by the fire, occasionally adding more wood,
"Hmm!"
Gu Shi Yi nodded in satisfaction and then toppled over. Of course, she wasn't foolish enough to deeply sleep in front of the rat spirit. But with Big Boss and Yanyan around, who didn't need to sleep, they could absorb Moon Essence Qi while keeping an eye on the rat spirit for her.