But…
Upon further reflection, Su Fan’s recent exorcism earnings didn’t seem to be all that impressive.
At a rate of thirty thousand dollars per job, he’d only pocketed about ninety thousand in total…
At this rate, he’d be waiting until the cows came home before he could afford to buy that storefront.
With that thought in mind, Su Fan’s fingers began tapping lightly against the armrest of his chair.
He’d taken down one of the Seventy-Two Demons of the Goetia, and all he got was thirty thousand bucks—that clearly didn’t add up.
The Warrens needed to cough up more cash.
“Alright, stop eating.”
Su Fan suddenly spoke up.
Teresa, who had been munching away on an apple with a loud crunch, swallowed the fruit pulp and gestured toward the plate with her hand—still wrapped up in bandages like a mummy.
“If I don’t eat it now, it’ll turn brown in a bit.”
“Can’t waste food.”
The apple flesh hadn’t darkened yet, but a few dark lines were already forming on Su Fan’s forehead.
“Let me see your hands first.”
Only then did the gluttonous nun realize what Su Fan was about to do, and she obediently cooperated.
Su Fan extended his index finger, and threads of spiritual energy coalesced in the air, forming characters imbued with a mysterious rhythm.
This time, with plenty of time on his hands, Su Fan released three identical talismans in succession, layering their effects.
The healing power reached a whole new level.
After performing the technique, Su Fan used his divine sense to examine the condition of Teresa’s hands.
They had improved somewhat, but the healing effect wasn’t as remarkable as he’d expected.
[Has the human body developed a tolerance to talismans as well?]
Su Fan couldn’t quite figure it out at the moment, so he raised his hand and applied three more healing talismans.
Sure enough, the effect this time was even weaker.
If the decline continued at this rate, wouldn’t it eventually become less efficient than just channeling raw spiritual energy directly?
At that thought, Su Fan couldn’t help but let out a sigh inwardly.
He’d previously entertained the idea of constantly using healing talismans to sustain himself in battle, but it looked like that plan had just gone up in smoke.
The reason for this was still unclear for now—he’d have to investigate further down the line.
Seeing Su Fan withdraw his hand, Teresa tentatively moved her palms.
The areas that had previously hurt with even the slightest tug could now move almost freely.
Teresa could even feel the hardened scabs on her hands shifting somewhat.
This was absolutely incredible…
Of course, they studied medicine at the convent too. At the very beginning, the burns on her hands had already damaged the subcutaneous tissue.
Normally, she would have needed skin graft surgery, but with just one talisman from Su Fan, the pain and damage had been drastically reduced.
The doctor had said she’d recover in a month, and as far as Teresa was concerned, that was already more than satisfactory.
Who would have thought that Su Fan’s treatment today would bring her so close to a full recovery?
The fact that the scabs were starting to loosen meant that new flesh and skin had already grown underneath.
She’d be completely healed in about a week.
He’d shortened the recovery time by nearly fivefold—calling it a divine skill wouldn’t be an exaggeration.
But for some reason, judging by Su Fan’s expression, he didn’t seem all that pleased…
“That’s about as much as I can do for now. Take good care of yourself from here on out. If anyone tries to stop you from being discharged, just go straight to those two FBI agents.”
“Mm, I understand.”
Teresa nodded and watched as Su Fan rose to his feet and headed for the door.
——-
After stepping out, Su Fan casually found a seat in the hospital and sat down.
At the same time, he began mulling over what had just happened.
There were two possible explanations for the diminishing talisman effect. One was what he’d already considered—that the human body develops a tolerance to the healing properties of talismans.
The other was that, within a short period of time, the talisman couldn’t produce significant results on the same injury or the same person more than once, and that the effect would diminish with each subsequent application.
After some time had passed, the efficacy would return to normal.
The first scenario was undoubtedly the worst-case outcome. If that were true, then the healing talismans would be far too underwhelming for self-treatment.
But right now, Su Fan didn’t have any test subjects to verify which one it was.
Himself?
What if it really was the first case? Wouldn’t that just be a waste?
Su Fan’s own injuries had already healed by about sixty percent. The only limitation now was that he couldn’t use his divine abilities as freely as before.
[When the time comes, maybe I’ll find someone with serious injuries and play the role of a miracle doctor.]
The moment this thought crossed his mind, Su Fan’s expression turned peculiar.
He now had talismans, divination skills, and the ability to heal—he might as well hang up two banners.
On the left: “Infallible Fortune-Telling.” On the right: “Miraculous Healing.”
He’d be the spitting image of those fortune-telling charlatans under the overpass.
As he was lost in thought, Su Fan suddenly sensed a trace of yin energy.
His professional instinct as a demon hunter kicked in, and he instinctively extended his divine sense toward the source of the yin energy.
What he saw was an ordinary old man taking his last breath.
The doctors around him, seeing that resuscitation had failed, shook their heads gently, removed their masks, and turned to leave and inform the family.
Birth, aging, sickness, and death were all part of the natural order. Since Su Fan didn’t notice anything unusual, he was about to withdraw his attention.
But in the next second, he paused.
Outside the door, the relatives who had been waiting for news didn’t seem the least bit sorrowful upon hearing of the old man’s death.
They simply went through the motions and signed the confirmation forms.
Then, without a second glance, they turned and walked away, completely ignoring the old man whose body was still warm on the hospital bed.
Something wasn’t right.
Su Fan narrowed his eyes, his interest piqued.
After casually scanning the family members and their companions, he spotted a clear anomaly.
Among the relatives—a mix of white and Black individuals—a Black woman walked at the very front in the center, clearly holding the highest status in the family.
Based on age and positioning, it was easy to discern the generational hierarchy and relationships.
Behind the elderly Black woman were two middle-aged white spouses walking arm in arm—likely the deceased old man’s children.
At the very back was a girl accompanied by a young Black man.
The girl acted intimately with the young man beside her, and her conversations with the middle-aged couple were marked by willfulness and casualness.
Most likely, she was the daughter of the middle-aged couple, and the man beside her was her boyfriend.
Correct. Perfectly correct.
So correct that it was almost unsettling.
Su Fan had lived on this land for years and knew all too well the dynamics between Black and white people.
The more lacking something is, the louder people shout about it.
Precisely because racial discrimination is deeply ingrained, eliminating it has become a political correctness that everyone agrees on.
The elderly Black woman at the front had no direct blood relation to anyone in the group, yet she held an exceptionally high position within this white family.
Even if she were the white old man’s new wife, that still wouldn’t add up.
With that in mind, Su Fan turned his attention back to the old man who had just passed away.
He wanted to see what the soul looked like after it detached from the body due to the cessation of bodily functions.
After his breakthrough, his divine sense now covered a radius of five hundred meters—more than enough to encompass the entire hospital building.
On the surface, Su Fan appeared completely still, but in reality, not a single stir escaped his perception.
Above the body of the old man being wheeled to the morgue, a soul quietly drifted into view.
The moment Su Fan got a clear look at the soul’s form, the corner of his mouth twitched.
Leave it to America to never stop surprising you.
