The young worker’s words served more like fuel instead of deterrence when it came to Xiao Fenghao. The teenager sped up his pace, reaching another courtyard in an instant.

Xiao Yuxi coughed and shamelessly yelled at her brother. "Second Brother, don’t go there! She already said we can’t go there. It’s not our rooms."

Despite her words, her pace not once slowed down. She was dragging her sister and mother on each of her sides.

At this time, the sky had turned completely dark. Several oil lamps and lanterns illuminated the surroundings with a dim light.

"Guests, you can’t go there..." The young worker swallowed and continued her futile attempt to dissuade them.

She could no longer see Xiao Fenghao’s figure anywhere. It was unknown where he had gone or how far he was right now. She took a deep breath and her eyes flashed.

Hurriedly, she quickened her pace and positioned herself in front of Xiao Yuxi and others, blocking them.

Xiao Qingya narrowed her eyes. [It seems that there is indeed something wrong here. I wonder if this worker girl is colluding with the scammer or whether the greedy innkeeper is also involved.]

Her words echoed her mother and sisters’ thoughts. They were already quite anxious, and hence, with the worker girl blocking them, their patience was thinning.

Xiao Yuxi grabbed a rag that was sitting on the floor, and in a blink of an eye, she tore the rag. The worker girl was stunned, and alas, she recovered her senses too late.

A minute later, she had her feet and hands bound, and her mouth was also stuffed with the dirty cloth.

The worker girl’s eyes teared up, making Xiao Yuxi become guilty. However, she needed to save her eldest brother, so there wasn’t much time to hesitate any longer.

She dragged the worker girl to an inconspicuous place under a table and hid her using whatever she could find. At last, she also whispered in her ears. "I am sorry, but we need to do something, and we can’t have anyone disturbing us."

"I will come back soon," she added with a smile in an attempt to be reassuring. Yet, her effort failed. The girl still held extreme fear and desperation in her eyes.

She could only let out a small, muffled sound.

Xiao Yuyan bit her lip and looked away, feeling guilty. After all, she was the one who had helped her elder sister to restrain the worker girl.

Meanwhile, Zhou Anran already carried Xiao Qingya toward another courtyard, following Xiao Fenghao traces. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

As they walked around the hallway, they soon arrived in front of a room. Most of the rooms in this inn were empty, which was not surprising considering that it was poorly-maintained.

There was dust everywhere. Even the surface of the wooden tables and chair had suspicious blotches similar to mold.

Some voices could be heard from inside the room. Zhou Anran signalled Xiao Fenghao not to be reckless. The latter bit his lip and sighed, before he retreated.

"Let’s bring him out. The moon is quite clear tonight." A dry, unpleasant voice ordered. His voice was similar to twigs rubbing against each other.

The door opened abruptly. Zhou Anran brought Xiao Qingya to hide behind a pillar and a pot.

A few medicine boys, their age similar to the twins, were struggling to lift the unconscious Xiao Jingran out of the room using a stretcher.

There were the three of them, each wearing an anxious expression. The one at the back was a boy with a much thinner stature compared to his other two companions. He was looking around as if he was searching for someone.

A tinge of anxiety flashed his bright eyes, and soon, his face turned into disappointment.

"Taoist Master Pan, Brother Jingran will really wake up after this, right?" Shen Fei asked nervously. He looked around the paper that the said Taoist Master Pan had spread on the ground.

They didn’t look convincing to him... instead, they looked like some kind of chicken scratches. They didn’t form any characters he was familiar with.

"Young man, are you questioning me?" Taoist Master Pan furrowed his brows unhappily. "If you don’t believe that I can chase away the ghost haunting your friend, then, I will leave. I want to see whether you can get a more talented taoist compared to me!"

"Once you are late in chasing away the ghost, we see who will regret it first later." Taoist Master Pan flung his sleeve, showing the temper that most experts possessed. "Your friend will already have his life force drained away!"

Zheng Tao panicked when he saw Taoist Master Pan was about to leave. He let go of the stretcher, causing the other two to take the brunt of Xiao Jingran’s weight.

They were forced to stop right at the door while Zheng Tao chased after Taoist Master Pan. "Taoist Master Pan, please don’t be angry! Shen Fei is just anxious about Brother Jingran’s condition."

"After all, our Master has entrusted his well-being to us. If something were to happen to him while he is away, we will have to take responsibility. Shen Fei never intended to doubt your ability, Taoist Master Pan. Please, don’t be angry."

Their Master, Physician Bai, had been away since yesterday, leaving his medicine boys to take care of his disciple.

Not long after he left, this person who introduced himself as Taoist Master Pan showed up and told them that there was something evil in their room. Exactly the room where Xiao Jingran was staying in.

They were quite surprised, and soon became shocked when Taoist Master Pan described perfectly when Xiao Jingran had fallen into a coma.

How did this Taoist Master Pan know it so accurately? Harboring a hope that they could awaken Xiao Jingran, they invited him in and began to listen to his explanation.

Taoist Master Pan told them that a ghost was haunting Xiao Jingran, sucking all of his energy. Hence, he couldn’t wake up.

They were forced to believe Taoist Master Pan’s explanation. Because it also matched their Master’s description about Xiao Jingran’s situation. His body became weak all of a sudden that even a physician as talented as Physician Bai couldn’t find the cause.

He had tried all sorts of ways to awaken Xiao Jingran, and yet the momentary moments he was awake, he was never fully conscious.

It started three weeks ago. And a few days after he fell unconscious, they received a letter from Xiao Jingran’s family, which prompted Physician Bai to make a decision to bring him back to the Hejia village.

Perhaps his family would have the solution.

"Hmph!" Taoist Master Pan snorted. "Do you think you can look down on me, and then expect me to treat your friend?"

The medicine boys were exasperated. Shen Fei lowered his head and bit his lip. He gritted his teeth, and finally decided.

He lowered his body and kneeled down in front of the thin taoist. "Taoist Master Pan, please help Brother Jingran. I apologize for my words. It was never my intention to doubt you."

Shen Fei gritted his teeth. "We can also give you double pay!"

This month, he might not be able to send some money home to his family, but he had no choice.

The thin taoist stroked his gray beard, his demeanor filled with arrogance. His eyes were full of smugness when he looked down at the kneeling Shen Fei.

He opened his mouth and made a decision.