Gu Yan's actions were swift and decisive to the point of being ruthless, and the other group wasn't any gentler. After receiving a call from the master, Granny Camphor Tree and Comrade Mo Bao quickly gathered a dozen or so little demons in less than ten minutes.

These demons varied in type, from plants to animals. Then, one by one, they all squeezed into a seemingly ordinary van.

With years of driving experience, Comrade Mo Bao drove the van towards H City with the intensity of piloting a plane. They then abandoned the van in a dim wild grove and led the group into the city.

Granny Camphor Tree expertly pulled out a complete map of H City and a palm-sized compass, comparing them. The compass had strange symbols and markings that were bewildering. She squinted at it for a few seconds before starting to assign tasks to the little demons.

The master had previously informed them of the location of the old lair of the evil spirits as described by Gu Yan over the phone.

They decisively marked off the area under Gu Yan's control from the map. The remaining regions were quickly divided into small zones according to the eight directions of the heavens and earth. Each little demon was assigned a spot to watch, and they were instructed to notify them immediately if anything happened, ensuring not a single evil spirit escaped.

From leaving L City to having the little demons spread out across every corner of H City, the entire process took less than half an hour—a speed as swift as a northwest wind sweeping away leaves. Their method of dealing with the evil spirits was equally merciless.

Though Granny Camphor Tree and Comrade Mo Bao usually seemed harmless— the former appearing as a typical small-footed old lady who would chatter with squinty smiling eyes, and the latter always polite, refined, and scholarly—they were experts in dealing with small demons, even if not specialized in fighting evil spirits.

However, there weren't many evil spirits scattered around H City, and those found were isolated. Despite some of these spirits being older than Granny Camphor Tree and Mo Bao, it didn't prevent the two from easily overpowering them, sweeping through H City with the ease of cutting through vegetables.

In less than an hour, Granny Camphor Tree had filled her small flower-patterned bag with six or seven thumb-sized dough figures. Each figure had a talisman provided by the master, sealing the thoroughly defeated evil spirits.

Meanwhile, the master still guarding the hospital faced a much tougher situation. He had been tormented by Su Kun for as long as he had been in the corridor.

Su Kun was relentless, employing both hard and soft tactics to pry information from him, and would often look at him with a puppy-like expression that was both exasperating and laughable. The master felt like he was on the verge of coughing up blood from the ordeal.

Just when he was about to give in, stroking his goatee and debating whether to spill the beans for some peace, Mo Bao's call came through.

"Hello? What's wrong? Ran into trouble?" the master asked hastily as soon as he answered the call.

"No, all other districts in H City have been cleared. What's the update from Gu Yan?" Mo Bao replied calmly.

"He's still investigating, no paper crane message yet—oh!" The master hadn't finished speaking when a paper crane, glowing faintly, appeared in front of him. He quickly corrected himself, "It's here!"

The paper crane seemed to sense the master's presence, paused briefly, and then Gu Yan's voice came through: "All the spirits outside the formation have been collected. There are twenty-two left within the formation. The formation affects me, preventing me from getting too close. Master, you'll need to break the formation first for us to handle the spirits inside."

Hearing this, the master stroked his beard and said, "So, apart from the spirits within that formation, the rest of H City is now safe... What are we waiting for?! Go round up those creatures so we can return to L City! You and Granny Camphor Tree go ahead. To be safe, have your little demons keep an eye on H City, and spare one or two to watch this hospital. I'll go break the formation. The sooner we deal with it, the better, to avoid any unforeseen issues."

Mo Bao agreed without hesitation, clearly in full agreement with the master's plan.

After hanging up, the master regretfully looked at Su Kun and said, "Too bad, I have important business to attend to."

Su Kun: "..." Damn, just when I saw a glimmer of hope, this happens!

Seeing Su Kun's disheartened face, the master felt particularly relieved. He released a paper crane and said firmly, "You lazy boy, I sent you to Jiang City to get some talismans from Old Zhao, not for a vacation! Neither you nor the talismans have shown up. Get to the Second Hospital in North H City immediately and ensure its safety."

The paper crane returned within two minutes, bringing a boy's voice, "Master, I-I'm almost at the hospital, just about five minutes away."

In fact, the boy, Stone, arrived even faster than he predicted. Within about three minutes, he appeared in the corridor, slightly sweaty.

Seeing him, the master quickly stood up, took the talismans from Stone's hands, and stuffed them into his cloth bag. He instructed, "Keep an eye on that guy in the chair," and hurriedly left.

Stone seemed to recall something and opened his mouth, "Master, I-I think I saw a nurse acting—"

"Prioritize! That side is more urgent; we'll deal with other matters later." The master waved without looking back, then disappeared around the corner.

Named as the key person to be protected, Su Kun blinked and asked Stone, "What were you going to say?"

"Strange," Stone recalled briefly and answered concisely.

Su Kun almost spat blood: "..." I asked what you hadn't finished saying, not the last word you didn't finish!

Though Su Kun didn't voice this thought, Stone seemed to read his expression. He sat beside Su Kun and elaborated, "I saw a nurse looking somewhat off, as if her mental state wasn't right."

"What do you mean by 'off' and 'mental state not right'?"

"She seemed... dazed."

Su Kun patted his shoulder, "Maybe something happened to her. You're still young, don't mimic the master's constant frowning and jumping around. We should stay optimistic and not always think the worst."

Stone thought about it and realized he might have been overworked, chasing people with the master these past few days, causing him to see everyone as suspicious.

Meanwhile, Su Kun thought: The master has been here for half a day; surely no ghost would be foolish enough to come here, especially so close. If one did, it would be seeking death.

As they chatted, the master, now hidden by an invisibility charm, released a small red-haired bird, Pomegranate. The bird, also hidden, transformed into a giant creature in mid-air, with a back large enough for six masters to lie down side by side.

The master climbed onto Pomegranate, standing against the wind, his robe fluttering, giving him an aura of a reclusive sage. Pomegranate chirped and flew rapidly towards the northwest side of Huiwen Tower. Though it flapped slowly, it generated significant wind and flew at a remarkable speed.

The master felt the buildings whiz by beneath him and soon arrived over the old residential area near Huiwen Tower.

Gu Yan, still circling the formation, couldn't see anything but sensed something and looked up.

The master circled in the air to get a clear view of the formation, using Pomegranate's high-altitude vantage. One glance at the formation made his face darken.

Usually, the master was easily "angered," often being provoked into an outburst, especially by mischievous kids like Su Kun. But those outbursts were never genuine anger, just playful irritation. When the master was silent and stern, it meant he was truly furious, like now.

Gu Yan noticed Granny Camphor Tree and Mo Bao arriving and glanced upwards again. Despite only seeing scattered clouds, he sensed the master's presence.

On his third upward glance, the master gently patted Pomegranate's head, and they both descended, landing lightly beside the group.

Pomegranate, with keen eyes, almost brushed against Mo Bao's clothes before landing in a half-collapsed courtyard nearby. The master removed the invisibility charm from himself and Pomegranate, then placed the now tiny Pomegranate back into his bag, appearing before the group with a grim face.

Even a fool could see the master's unusual behavior, but no one dared to ask except Gu Yan, who silently watched before finally speaking, "Master, what happened?"

"I saw the formation," the master sighed deeply, "It's my scoundrel junior brother's doing, no doubt about it."