That night, my senior sister, Master, and I quietly snuck into the school and headed straight for the old dormitory building.

　　“Master, are you sure? Are we really dealing with malevolent spirits?” my senior sister asked with a cautious tone.

　　“There’s no doubt. The air is icy, and the ghostly energy is overwhelming. These are definitely malevolent spirits!” Master replied, his voice equally hushed.

　　“What kind of strange energy, Master? What is it?” I asked, puzzled.

　　“It’s the malice of the dead transformed into harmful energy,” Master explained, glancing around. “You two, set up these small flags in the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams arrangement on the ground!”

　　My senior sister took the small flags and looked them over. “Master, are you using the Pre-Heaven Eight Trigrams Array to capture these spirits?”

　　“Yes, with so many of them, the Pre-Heaven Eight Trigrams Array is the best option!” Master confirmed.

　　“That’s true, but the Pre-Heaven Eight Trigrams Array requires a lot of energy. Master, are you…”

　　“We don’t have time to worry about that now. We need to do this, or it’s going to turn into a serious problem later!” Master said firmly, his determination clear.

　　My senior sister nodded, her expression resolute and intense, a stark contrast to her usual demeanor.

　　I understood Master’s urgency. The malevolent spirits were causing such chaos that if we didn’t deal with them soon, they could become a major threat and cause many deaths.

　　“Got it!” my senior sister said.

　　Following Master’s instructions, she and I arranged the flags on the ground in the Pre-Heaven Eight Trigrams Array, creating a formation about ten meters across.

　　Meanwhile, Master was busy as well. He took out several yellow talismans, and with a few swift gestures, the talismans glowed with a golden light and soared into the air. Some adhered to the walls, others hung from the trees, and a few even slipped into the crevices of the rocks.That wasn’t even the half of it—next thing I knew, he showed up with two long willow branches.

　　“Sis, what’s Master doing with willow branches?”

　　My senior sister and I had just finished sticking the little flags into the ground. She glanced at Master holding the willow branches, clapped her hands, and said, “Willow branches to beat ghosts—the more you hit them, the smaller they get!”

　　I was dumbfounded. “What does that even mean?”

　　“What does it mean?” She chuckled and said, “It means we’re gonna beat up some ghosts!”

　　“Wait, what?” I was frozen for a second, not believing my ears. I’ve never even hit a person before, and now I’m supposed to go after ghosts?

　　“You’ve got to be kidding, Sis, I know you’re pulling my leg!”

　　“Hehe, your Senior Sister would never lie to you!” She said that with a playful wink, then glanced over at Master.

　　To my shock, Master walked right over, handed us the willow branches, and said seriously, “Hold onto these. For ordinary ghosts, willow branches are plenty.”

　　I stared at the branch in my hand, still in disbelief. “We’re really supposed to beat ghosts with this?”

　　“What else?” Senior Sister shot back.

　　“Don’t worry, most regular ghosts are scared to death of these things!”

　　I shot a glance at Master, hoping he’d get the hint and let me off the hook. Instead, he nodded approvingly, patted me on the shoulder, and said with pride, “That’s my disciple!”

　　That was it—I was totally speechless.

　　“Don’t be scared, Little Junior Brother, your Senior Sister’s got you covered!” she said with a smile.

　　Just as she finished, a sudden gust of wind picked up out of nowhere.

　　“Master!” she called out. Master glanced around and said, “They’re coming. Quick, hide!”

　　As soon as the words left his mouth, he bolted. My senior sister and I hurried after him, the three of us ducking behind a pile of rocks, our eyes fixed on the ruins ahead.

　　Behind us stood the massive student cafeteria, covering around two acres. It was set apart from the old dorm by a stretch of land.

　　A sudden gust of cold, eerie wind swept past, sending a shiver down my spine.

　　“Stay sharp, and be extra careful!” Master whispered, his voice tense.

　　“Mm-hmm!” Senior Sister nodded quickly.

　　“Remember—lead them into the Xiantian Bagua Formation. Once they’re inside, they’ll be trapped, and I’ll take care of the rest!”

　　“Got it!” I jumped in with a reply, even before Senior Sister could speak.

　　“Nice going, Little Junior Brother!” Senior Sister chuckled, giving me a wink.

　　“They’re coming!” Master suddenly said, his voice low.

　　I looked ahead, and sure enough, a ghostly figure floated out. Its hair was a tangled mess, and it was dressed in a white prison robe with the word "Prisoner" scrawled in big letters across the chest.

　　“Yeah, that’s an old ghost for sure. Modern ghosts would never wear something like that,” Senior Sister muttered under her breath.

　　“Why is there only one?” I whispered.

　　“That’s just a regular wandering spirit, not a fierce ghost. Let’s wait a bit,” Master said calmly.

　　We waited, watching as more spirits drifted out from the ruins. Before long, there were at least a dozen floating in the air.

　　I tightened my grip on the willow branch, staring at them. No more spirits seemed to be coming out.

　　“Master, should we go for it?” Senior Sister suddenly asked.

　　Master pulled out his peachwood sword and said, “Get ready!”

　　But before he could even finish, I sprang forward, pushing off with my foot and charging straight at the spirits, willow branch in hand.

　　Senior Sister stood there stunned for a second, completely caught off guard.

　　“Gouwa!” Master shouted, standing up immediately. Senior Sister was right behind him, both of them shocked that I had rushed in like a fool. They took off after me in a hurry.

　　“A little mortal brat!” The lead spirit in the center looked at me and sneered.

　　Though it was smiling, that eerie, hollow laugh chilled me to the bone. It echoed with a haunting, sorrowful sound that sent shivers through my whole body.

　　But I wasn’t thinking clearly. My head was hot, my nerves were shot, and all I could think about was fighting these ghosts. Without another thought, I swung my willow branch and charged right in.

　　“This little brat is mine!” The closest ghost sneered as it lunged at me.

　　Smack!

　　I lashed out with the willow branch and sent it flying!

　　I stared at the branch in my hand, barely believing what had just happened.

　　The lead ghost, seeing this, freaked out. “Everyone, attack! Eat him alive!”

　　With that, all the other spirits rushed at me, faces twisted, fangs bared, and claws outstretched.

　　Two of them were already diving toward me, and I took a step back, terrified, almost dropping the willow branch from my hands.

　　Just then, Master and Senior Sister rushed over, their sword and whip slashing through the air, driving the two ghosts back.

　　“There’s still a living one here!” The lead ghost sneered, its face pale and twisted in a grotesque grin as it licked its blood-red tongue—disgusting and terrifying at the same time.

　　“Don’t be scared, Gouwa! Use that willow branch and smack them hard!” Senior Sister called out, her voice urgent but steady.

　　“I’ll take care of the fierce ghost. You two handle the rest!” Master said, charging forward with his peachwood sword.

　　The sword twirled and gleamed in his hands, flashing with a golden light as he expertly slashed and stabbed. I was mesmerized by how skilled he was, totally awestruck.

　　“Snap out of it, Junior Brother! Hurry and drive them into the Xiantian Bagua Formation!” Senior Sister shouted as she dove back into the fray.

　　In no time, she was dancing through the spirits with ease, her willow branch whipping left and right. The ghosts wailed miserably with each strike, their cries echoing through the air.

　　I was floored. Who would've guessed that my usually quiet, graceful Senior Sister could fight like this, showing no mercy to the evil spirits!