Senior sister, stop working and go home for dinner.

Wang Rui, Zhang Hao, and the others watched Zhao Mengmeng's eagerness to fight for her freedom, feeling envious, but knowing they had their studies to attend to and couldn't be as free as her. They exchanged glances, and finally, Wang Rui spoke on behalf of everyone:

"Master Chen, we'll be heading back to Guangzhou tomorrow. Thank you so much! Please don't hesitate to ask if you ever need our help!"

"Have a safe journey and focus on your studies." Chen Anran nodded to them.

Now that we've decided to go to Chongqing, we need to settle things in Lincheng as soon as possible.

In the evening, Chen Anran, Zhao Mengmeng and their group had a simple dinner at the hotel and then drove to the abandoned mental hospital in the suburbs.

Returning here, Zhao Mengmeng and the others felt completely different. The fear that had once haunted them had vanished, replaced only by intense anticipation.

The car stopped outside the familiar crooked iron gate, and Wang Anxi opened the car door for them.

"Master Chen, please be careful." Wang Anxi said respectfully, then looked at Zhao Mengmeng, "Miss, please be careful as well."

Chen Anran and Zhao Mengmeng responded, and Chen Anran pushed open the iron gate and walked towards the mental hospital inside.

Seeing this, Zhao Mengmeng and the other four immediately followed closely behind Chen Anran and stepped into the hospital that had once made them feel despair.

The hospital was still dilapidated and gloomy, but compared to last time, the pervasive sense of being watched and the biting chill had been greatly reduced.

Chen Anran came here for one purpose: to have his guardian spirit devour the ghost soul once again.

Upon entering, Chen Anran summoned the guardian spirit from the [Soul Nourishing Shrine] within the museum.

The white shadow of the guardian spirit emerged from beside Chen Anran, and it seemed more solid than before.

"Go."

As soon as Chen Anran uttered those two words, the guardian spirit let out a silent cry of joy, transformed into a white streak of light, and actively rushed towards the remaining ghostly spirits deep within the building.

Compared to its ferocious devouring last night, it was even faster and more ruthless now. Wherever the white light passed, not a single ghost could escape; they were all crunched to pieces by the guardian spirit.

The process of the guardian spirit devouring the remnant soul was much more uneventful than Zhao Mengmeng and the others had imagined.

There was none of the terrifying scene of ghostly wails and eerie winds from last night; only a white shadow as swift as lightning moved through the empty corridor and dilapidated hospital room.

Wang Rui, Zhang Hao, and the others stared wide-eyed, trying to see every detail, but the guardian spirit was too fast. They would only see a flash of white before the lingering chill in a certain direction completely disappeared.

"...That's it?" Li Ming muttered under his breath, his tone filled with disbelief and disappointment. He had imagined purification to be Master Chen holding a magical artifact, chanting incantations, and radiating golden light to completely evaporate the evil spirits.

Sun Wei gently pinched him and whispered, "Be quiet. Master Chen knows what he's doing."

Chen Anran stood with his hands behind his back, his spiritual senses following his guardian spirit as it swept across the entire building. He could clearly perceive that as the last few wisps of resentment were swallowed up, the gloomy aura that had lingered inside the hospital for many years was rapidly dissipating, and even the air seemed to have become a little fresher.

A few minutes later, the white guardian spirit silently floated back to Chen Anran's side. Its form seemed even more refined, and the aura emanating from it was increasingly calm and powerful. It gently circled Chen Anran once, then transformed into a stream of light and disappeared back into his body, returning to the [Soul Nourishing Shrine].

"That's enough." Chen Anran turned around and smiled at the tense and curious crowd behind her, saying, "I told you, the process would be very boring."

Everyone looked at each other in surprise, not expecting it to happen so quickly.

Wang Rui scratched his head. "Although I didn't see a grand, glittering spectacle, this... is pretty cool too. It feels like a professional pest control company—fast, accurate, and ruthless!"

His analogy made everyone laugh.

Zhang Hao adjusted his glasses, looked at Chen Anran, and sighed sincerely, "A thunderclap in silence. Master Chen's methods are indeed beyond our comprehension."

Chen Anran smiled but didn't explain further.

"Now that this matter is settled, let's go."

As they had come, the group followed Chen Anran and walked easily out of the abandoned hospital. Wang Anxi and the others who were waiting outside saw them come out so quickly and look relaxed, and immediately came to greet them.

"Master Chen, is this... over?" Wang Anxi was somewhat incredulous. He had imagined that an exorcism ritual would take at least half a night to complete.

"Yes, the filth inside has been cleaned up, and nothing strange will happen here again in the future," Chen Anran explained. "However, this place has been abandoned for a long time, and the yin energy has accumulated, so it's best for ordinary people to stay away."

"Yes, yes, I will certainly remember the Immortal Master's instructions!" Wang Anxi hurriedly bowed and replied.

On the way back, the atmosphere was even more relaxed. Wang Rui, Zhang Hao, and the others had already started discussing how they would describe this amazing experience to their classmates after returning to Guangzhou the next day. Zhao Mengmeng sat quietly next to Chen Anran, thinking about what luggage to bring and how to be a good "little follower".

Upon arriving at the hotel, Wang Rui, Zhang Hao, Li Ming, and Sun Wei reluctantly bid farewell to Chen Anran and returned to their respective hotel rooms.

In the hotel corridor, Zhao Mengmeng took out her phone and said, "Master Chen, let's add each other on QQ, and then you can send me a photo of your ID card."

Chen Anran took out her phone, and the two added each other's contact information. Looking at Zhao Mengmeng's profile picture—a selfie of her making a peace sign and smiling brightly at the camera—and comparing it to her own default gray profile picture, Chen Anran couldn't help but smile.

"Book two tickets for the earliest flight to Chongqing tomorrow. Tell me how much it will cost."

"Okay, leave it to me!" Zhao Mengmeng nodded vigorously, her fingers flying across the phone screen. She quickly looked up, her eyes sparkling. "It's booked! First class, 8:20 tomorrow morning. Don't be shy about the money, consider it my payment… um, tuition! Or tour guide fee!"

Chen Anran shook his head, "One thing at a time. You've already helped me with the chores, and you've bought so many gifts for my junior nephew. There's no reason for you to spend any more money."

Zhao Mengmeng wanted to insist, but seeing Chen Anran's serious eyes, she swallowed back the words she was about to say and could only nod: "Well... okay. I'll pay for the plane ticket first, and you can pay me back later." But in her heart, she made up her mind to find an excuse to charge less or simply "forget" about it.

"Okay." Chen Anran nodded, glanced at the time, and said, "It's getting late, go back and rest. See you at the airport tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow, Master Chen!" Zhao Mengmeng replied obediently, watching Chen Anran swipe open the door and walk in before she walked briskly towards her own room, already looking forward to tomorrow's journey.