At this moment, Xiao Feng and the others could finally see what was flying in the sky.

Those two glowing eyes, and the feathers around them in a radiating pattern, were unmistakably an owl.

In folklore, owls, like crows, are animals with ominous connotations, and now the owl encountering bats can be considered as an unexpected conflict.

Because both are nocturnal creatures, and to some extent, owls are considered one of the natural enemies of bats.

"Hehehehe..."

The owl swirling in the sky suddenly emitted a strange sound.

No!

To be precise, it sounded more like laughter.

The sound was extremely eerie, as if it couldn't help but express its excitement upon seeing so many prey at once.

"Stop that night owl, and ensure it doesn't attack the bats on the roof!" Sun Shijie shouted.

As soon as the words fell, the owl had already swooped toward the roof without feeling intimidated by the vast number of bats.

In fact, the food chain in nature is sometimes like this; those at the top of the chain naturally suppress the lower, without fear.

Xiao Feng immediately picked up a piece of wood from the ground and threw it into the air.

In the sky, the owl's fast-spinning head suddenly froze on the piece of wood flying toward it and then cleverly dodged, readjusting its altitude for the next attack.

"Young man, is it ready?" Sun Shijie urged Zhao Guo'an.

Sweating in anxiety, Zhao Guo'an replied, "Almost, just one more herb missing."

Sun Shijie's face turned grimmer; he opened the wardrobe on the ground and took out a large net, its appearance somewhat resembling a sunshade used in summer.

"Net the house first; if the bats get out, it'll be a disaster!"

Sun Shijie quickly instructed, tossing the large net to Xiao Feng.

At that moment, the owl in mid-air, ready to attack, launched again, speeding toward the roof faster than before.

Lin Zhiyan, prepared for this moment, suddenly snapped a long whip, binding the owl tightly.

"Master, you're awesome!" The little girl clapped and cheered with admiration.

Lin Zhiyan smiled smugly, then pulled to drag the owl down.

But halfway through the pull, the owl began to struggle violently and suddenly crashed onto the roof.

"Bang!"

After a dull thud, everyone was stunned, despite all the precautions, it still couldn't be prevented.

And the bats lurking on the roof immediately attacked the incapacitated owl in droves; in the blink of an eye, the owl was engulfed by bats, struggling tenuously, uttering its final cry.

"Chirp chirp chirp chirp..."

The sound quickly disappeared, and the struggle gradually dwindled, making everyone realize that those bats didn't actually need to fear any supposed natural enemies, because they were simply too numerous, enough to overwhelm a giant like ants killing an elephant.

"Net it!"

Xiao Feng decisively ordered, though unsure if these bats were planning a major attack, but now that they were alerted, they couldn't wait any longer; like two armies at war, once the first gunshot sounded, peace was no longer an option.

Lin Zhiyan grabbed one end of the large net from Xiao Feng, and they moved to opposite sides, until the whole net was pulled open. After exchanging glances, they both threw their nets.

"Pop pop pop pop..."

With a series of sounds, the giant net enveloped the whole hut, and the bats started to fiercely resist, trying to break free; yet oddly, despite being able to penetrate roof beams, they couldn't break free from the fabric net.

This was clearly unreasonable.

Xiao Feng looked at Sun Shijie, who had lit a bonfire and was throwing the herbs into a crock pot: "Did you prepare this net beforehand?"

Sun Shijie slowly got up, showing a weary smile on his aged face, but nodded nonetheless.

Xiao Feng continued: "So, you also knew your disciple was raising bats all along, planning to drag everyone in the village down with him when he died!"

Everyone simultaneously looked at Sun Shijie, first seeing him nod and then shaking his head.

"What does it mean?" Xiao Feng asked.

Sun Shijie sighed: "I merely suspected before, but couldn't be one hundred percent sure; this is my lack of supervision, fortunately, it didn't lead to greater disaster."

Xiao Feng didn't bother to delve further into this matter, bringing the topic back to the current situation, asking: "How much damage can these bats cause?"

"These bats are bloodsucking; the harm isn't significant themselves, but the fatal part is that they transmit viruses through bites, so if bitten, survival is almost impossible," Sun Shijie explained.

"I can't understand this; since so many bats have emerged, why aren't they attacking us?" Lu Yao adjusted her glasses, looking confused.

"Because waking from hibernation needs a process; also, not all bats have left their nests yet. These creatures prefer to attack in groups and generally don't harm people — a few are fine, but this many is always a potential threat," Sun Shijie explained slowly.

Just then, Zhao Guo'an finally came over, carrying a heap of things: "Senior, I've found the herbs."

Sun Shijie glanced at the herbs Zhao Guo'an selected, nodded satisfaction, and said: "Not bad, few can concoct something targeting the five organs' rot poison now..."

While speaking, he stroked his graying beard, sized up Zhao Guo'an from top to bottom, and then added: "Hmm, quite impressive!"

Boom!

Zhao Guo'an instantly felt like he was struck by lightning; his worldview was collapsing!

What familiar language — could it be that he encountered another madman?

Before this, Zhao Guo'an planned to consult Sun Shijie after this matter ended, but now it seemed he should think it over carefully.

While thinking, he heard Shao Wenxing speak: "Few have received praises from my master; you're the second I know."

Zhao Guo'an looked at Shao Wenxing, seeing a playful gaze directed at him, endured his discomfort and asked: "Who was the first?"

"My master's wife."

Gee!

Zhao Guo'an jolted as if shocked, deciding internally that he'd maintain a safe distance from Sun Shijie even if his medical skills never improved in this life.

Placing the prepared herbs on the ground, Zhao Guo'an moved to Xiao Feng's side, feeling safer than ever.

What he didn't realize was that the source of his unease was created by the very person he considered safe.

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