Zhou Huan sighed deeply, "Ah, forget it. Who can stop someone who can come and go as he pleases? Besides, her soul isn't troublesome, nor does it harbor ill intent. None of our compasses can locate him anyway."

"Master speaks the truth. Our compasses haven't found him since the beginning, and we're still standing by his tombstone now. If he hadn't spoken up just now, we still wouldn't have found him," Shi Bingyuan took over Tian Xiong's point, analyzing the situation.

Zhou Huan turned around and asked Old Man Wang, "How did you follow us here?"

"Heh, you know me well enough. If I had my way, I’d wish every time you, Master Zhou, would take me along!"

"Alright, if you aren't leaving, I am. The sky is starting to lighten, and my task is complete. You folks can chat!" Yang Xiaoling said as she walked toward the cemetery exit, with the Cook following close behind.

Zhou Huan looked around, shook his head slightly, then smiled and said, "Let's go too. We'll go back and check on Xiao He. If she's doing well, we'll take her home from the hospital. No need to let her stay cooped up there all day; she'll grow useless if she stays too long."

After the group left, they hitched a ride with Old Man Wang and headed straight for the hospital.

Zhou Huan entered the hospital and went upstairs. As he stepped out of the elevator, he saw Xiao He shuffling slowly along the corridor, leaning against the wall for support. Her spirit was nowhere to be seen, and her will was as murky as stagnant water.

"Xiao He!" Zhou Huan’s call was soft, barely a whisper. He truly wanted to wake the unconscious Xiao He, but Zhou Huan knew in his heart that his power was minuscule; Xiao He's physical well-being depended entirely on herself.

Hearing Zhou Huan's call, Xiao He seemed to grasp a thread of hope for life. She turned her head, her expression initially agitated, but in an instant, it solidified. She muttered repeatedly, "Brother Huan, our child, the child, the child is gone..." She was submerged in the grief of losing her child; even if Zhou Huan told her they could marry the next day and have another, she probably wouldn't be able to smile.

"Xiao He, let's go back to the room. Rest here for a couple more days, and then I'll take you out," Zhou Huan’s persuasion still held weight. Xiao He was very obedient, allowing Zhou Huan to support her as she slowly returned to the sickroom. The moment her head hit the pillow, she fell into a deep sleep.

Zhou Huan watched Xiao He sleep, then quietly left the room. He saw his disciples sitting neatly in two rows in the corridor. Seeing Zhou Huan emerge, they all stood up at once.

"Master, Sister Xiao He is asleep?" Tian Xiong stepped forward and quietly asked Zhou Huan.

Zhou Huan just nodded. He too felt somewhat dazed. But at that very moment, a person rushed out of the elevator—it was Dong Zi. He looked as if he had just witnessed something terrifying again, panting heavily, drenched in sweat, and clutching a large plastic bag.

"Brother, Brother... I succeeded, I succeeded!" Dong Zi shouted as he ran.

His words startled the fellow disciples and Zhou Huan alike. It was the first time they had heard Dong Zi speak with such boldness. What succeeded? Had the fellow stumbled upon treasure?

"Dong Zi, what's going on? What succeeded?" Zhou Huan asked, quite surprised.

Dong Zi held the plastic bag high with both hands, wiping his sweat with one hand as he declared, "Brother, my chicken soup stewing was a success."

This statement stunned everyone present. They had all assumed he had managed to concoct some rare, fantastic item, only to find him overjoyed over a mere pot of chicken soup.

"Hey, Dong Zi, what kind of chicken soup is this that required such a massive effort?" Tian Xiong was the first to express his lack of comprehension.

Hong Kun and Shi Bingyuan subsequently showed expressions of disdain.

"Dong Zi, since everyone is marveling at your achievement, why don't you tell us about your stewing process, or at least open the chicken soup and let us smell it," Zhou Huan smoothed things over, giving Dong Zi an out.

Dong Zi immediately hugged the plastic bag close. "Hmph, dream on. None of you get to sneak a taste of this chicken soup. This is for Sister Xiao He. As for the stewing process... hehe, I can reveal just a tiny bit."

Dong Zi was being playfully coy, which only confused everyone further, leaving them bewildered.

"Just spit it out, stop dawdling," Hong Kun grumbled.

Dong Zi walked up to Hong Kun, reached into his pocket, pulled out a cigarette, clicked it alight with a sharp sound, and began speaking with utter seriousness, "Brother Huan, you should sit down first. Let me tell you slowly."

"First, I chose a pure, free-range rooster. Then I boiled a pot of water, hollowed out and thoroughly cleaned the chicken. Next, I added seasonings—Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, and so on—and put them all into the pot to boil. After the soup came to a boil, I reduced the heat to a low simmer and stewed it for most of the day. Only then did I lower the heat again and continue simmering until the soup turned milky white. That's when I brought the soup out for Sister Xiao He." Dong Zi's description was detailed, but everyone listened with growing dullness; it was an overly common method.

Shi Bingyuan finally posed a question, "Then what did you mean by finally succeeding?"

"Oh, when I was making the soup, I was afraid the time wouldn't be enough. Right before I left, the chicken still needed another hour of simmering to be perfect. So, I thought of a trick: I used the spirit money we usually burn, using its fierce heat to bring the soup back to a rapid boil. That way, I made it on time." Dong Zi grew more pleased with himself, finally having produced a dish that felt substantial.

But this fellow truly couldn't keep things quiet; he had to reveal everything. Now, he had divulged the most crucial step, directly eliciting doubt and sharp rebuke from Zhou Huan: "What? You used spirit money?"

Dong Zi nodded desperately. "Yes. Only that fire can be both fast and not harsh."

"Utter nonsense!" Zhou Huan instantly flew into a rage, shouting, "Dong Zi, you are truly beyond saving! After following me for so long, you still don't know the basic rule that spirit money is for burning, not for cooking? Don't I tell you this all the time?"

"What? Brother Huan... you... you said that?" Dong Zi scratched his head, unable to recall anything Zhou Huan had said, though in his mind, it was likely vague and indistinct.

"Nonsense! Throw away all this chicken soup, then draw a death circle, and burn a stack of spirit ingots outside the circle."

Dong Zi looked at Zhou Huan with an innocent gaze. He was wondering what he had done wrong to be so thoroughly dismissed by Zhou Huan. No, what can Dong Zi actually do? He always forgets crucial details when catching ghosts, and it's always Zhou Huan who helps fix things. Lost in thought, he finally managed to speak, "Brother, tell me, what's the deal with using spirit money for chicken soup?"

"Well, imagine you are a ghost. If you see someone burning spirit money to cook chicken soup, it’s like a human burning RMB to make soup. Which ghost wouldn't follow you around and cause trouble for that?"

Dong Zi was instantly shocked upon hearing this. What? Ghosts were that greedy? They usually got money by snatching it. Why say that? Whenever they saw spirit money being burned, they would crowd around, grabbing what they could, or scheming to get some if they couldn't.

Dong Zi seemed not to have heard Zhou Huan at all. As soon as Zhou Huan finished speaking, Dong Zi clutched the hard-won chicken soup he had prepared and hurried downstairs, because what he feared most was people coming to cause trouble.

"Master, ghost energy!" Shi Bingyuan suddenly declared, his compass spinning rapidly.

"Don't panic. These are just a few lost, wandering souls," Zhou Huan drew a Soul Refining Talisman.

In a short while, Zhou Huan was surrounded, and when they looked over, Dong Zi was standing dumbfounded by the elevator doors. His painstakingly prepared chicken soup had attracted so many spirits.

After finishing his talismans, Zhou Huan smiled slightly. "Dong Zi, our good brother, I'm entrusting you with one task today: just bring the camera back. Speaking of which, Zhou Huan deliberately called out to Dong Zi: "Come on, set it to automatic, take a picture of us."

"Brother, you all get busy. I'll go downstairs to burn the paper, and I’ll come right back up after I'm done," Dong Zi replied, which drew a burst of loud laughter from Zhou Huan.

"Hahaha, you must hurry back, or what if those ghosts chase after us when we're not here?" Zhou Huan actually wanted to give Dong Zi more practical experience, but he couldn't leave everything to him; Dong Zi was always too careless.

"Forget it, I'll go myself," Dong Zi said, slinking away dejectedly.

"Watch your front, back, left, and right! The elevator isn't stable, be as careful as possible," Zhou Huan had barely finished speaking when Shi Bingyuan shot a flying talisman that smacked hard against the wall behind Dong Zi. When Dong Zi looked back, he was completely bewildered.

All around Dong Zi—front, back, left, and right—the area was sealed off, leaving him utterly hemmed in.

"Oh, my dear mother, where did all these lone ghosts come from?" Dong Zi yelled, already drawing ghost-subduing talismans in his hand as he scrambled into the elevator.

A female ghost from the group spoke up, "We didn't come for anything else; we just want to take some of that chicken soup we can drink and enjoy. Otherwise, we'll start snatching."

Seeing these polite ghosts, Dong Zi, seated in the elevator, was unharmed. He opened the chicken soup jar just a crack, letting the few ghosts have a taste.

"Ah, this is chaos! Can't you wait until I've finished burning the paper before fighting over it?" Dong Zi called out, having already finished applying his ghost-subduing talismans. But the elevator was filling up with more and more ghosts, and he feared he wouldn't make it back to the ground floor. Dong Zi then made a startling move: he took off his shoe and bared his smelly, unwashed feet from several days ago.

"Hey, disappear, or Dong Zi is going to fight!" As he spoke, the elevator screeched to an abrupt halt, the lights went out, and it stopped suspended in mid-air, trapping Dong Zi and the ghosts inside.