Dean sat in the driver’s seat of his beloved car.
Settling back into his own vehicle didn’t bring Dean much joy this time.
His mind was completely preoccupied with thoughts about the owner of the antique shop.
Beside him in the passenger seat, Sam pulled the door open, placed a bag of food between them, and got in.
“Eat something. We haven’t had a decent meal in days.”
Dean didn’t reach for any of the food in the bag. Instead, he stared ahead and spoke.
“So, he knew what we do for a living?”
Hearing this, Sam’s hands paused while pulling the seatbelt. He buckled it before answering.
“Most likely, yes. Thinking about it now, our escape from the police station was a little too smooth. There wasn’t any major incident, yet all those officers suddenly left with nobody guarding us.”
“You’re saying they let us go on purpose?”
“It’s just a theory. Honestly, I don’t want to think that way either.”
The brothers looked thoroughly frustrated.
The detectives had no reason to do that.
The only explanation was that the shop owner recognized them as demon hunters the moment they met.
He must have told the detectives to deliberately let them go.
If that was all, it might have been fine. The real kicker was that they somehow ended up at his shop afterwards.
They even offered to check the place for supernatural problems.
Who knows what he must have thought of them at that moment.
“Alright, at least we can be sure he doesn’t mean us any harm.”
Dean started the car.
Just then, a sudden thought struck him.
“Elise said we needed to bring money. That means he operates on a ‘paid exorcism’ model, right?”
Sam nodded.
“You were the one saying he didn’t know how to run a business. Seems he has other revenue streams.”
“That’s not the point, Sam. If exorcists can operate openly like this now, maybe we could learn a thing or two?”
Life on the road costs money. Being constantly on the move without steady jobs, the brothers had been pursued by police more than once for credit card fraud.
“But we can’t stay in one place for long. Even if we offered services, how would clients find us?”
“What are phones for? We could just leave a contact number.”
“…I suppose that could work.”
The brothers went back and forth, discussing business ideas.
But deep down, they both knew that until they found their father, setting up a proper exorcism business was impossible.
Their banter continued until they soon arrived at their destination.
Looking at the antique shop before them, the Winchester brothers felt a twinge of awkwardness, but they pushed the door open and entered.
Naturally, the shop hadn’t changed much in just two days.
The young shopkeeper was still behind the counter, flipping through a book. He looked up at the sound of the door.
“It’s you two… here to buy antiques this time?”
“Afraid not, again,” Dean spoke first.
“Then you’re here to commission an exorcism.”
Su Fan closed his book.
Dean and Sam were taken aback.
Accustomed to explanations and roundabout conversations, the directness caught them off guard.
“That’s right. We heard you charge for your services, so we wanted to ask about the price.”
“Five thousand per talisman. Exorcisms are case-by-case, starting at thirty thousand with no upper limit. Is that acceptable to you?”
Hearing the price, the Winchester brothers’ expressions froze.
“Dammit, exorcism pays this well? How did I not know?” Dean pulled his brother close, whispering.
Thirty grand a job? One job could cover half a year’s expenses.
“That’s because we’ve been so focused on finding the evil thing that killed Mom. Money wasn’t exactly a priority.”
“What now? Do we have enough between us?”
“What do you think?”
Hearing his brother’s reply, Dean let out a sigh.
They didn’t have much cash on hand, and their client, Jenny, wasn’t well-off either.
Who would have thought they’d be stumped by money before even dealing with the evil spirit?
“Do you take credit cards?”
“Yes.”
Su Fan produced a card reader.
Seeing this, Dean and Sam exchanged another look.
“Thoroughly prepared…” Sam muttered under his breath at his brother’s comment.
Now this was how you ran a business.
If either of them had any business sense, they’d be raking it in by now.
“Alright, this card’s maxed out. We’ll need to get a new one next time.”
Su Fan didn’t pay close attention to their hushed conversation. After confirming the payment went through, he gestured, and two stools glided over.
“Take a seat.”
Through repeated combat use, daily practice, and his recent breakthrough in cultivation, Su Fan’s “Summoning” ability was now effortless enough for casual daily use.
However, what was routine for him seemed remarkable to Dean and Sam.
“Honestly, aside from evil spirits, this is the first time I’ve seen someone move objects through the air like that,” Dean said as they sat down.
Meanwhile, Sam waved his hand above and below the stool, checking for invisible strings.
He found nothing, of course.
“Mind if I ask how you do that?”
“A special ability.”
“Got it.”
Receiving that answer, Dean and Sam didn’t press further. In their line of work, while some openly shared experiences and crucial knowledge, holding cards close to the chest was more common. The other party had made their stance clear; asking more would be overstepping.
“Let me introduce ourselves. I’m Dean Winchester, and this is my brother, Sam.”
They introduced themselves, and Su Fan nodded in acknowledgment.
“Su Fan.”
“The situation is like this…”
They outlined the incident’s cause and effect, also mentioning the old house’s connection to their past.
Their description was detailed and professional, a clear contrast to the often panicked or unclear accounts from regular clients, highlighting the difference between amateurs and professionals.
“We originally wanted to ask a friend of our father’s for help, but she seems unable to assist due to some recent events.”
“She recommended Elise to us.”
“But when we got there, Elise said she couldn’t handle the evil spirit in the house either…”
Sam trailed off there. Both brothers looked at Su Fan, their meaning obvious.
After listening, Su Fan nodded.
“I can handle your problem, but on one condition.”
“Name it.”
“Once it’s resolved, I want to know more about demons.”
The brothers agreed readily.
“No problem.”
Just then, a shadowy figure drifted out from the back room.
It was a female ghost, completely shrouded in blackness.
Seeing this, Dean and Sam’s faces changed drastically, and they sprang to their feet.
Dean, reacting fastest, had already reached into his jacket, ready to draw his weapon—the American exorcist’s quick-draw.
“Hold on…”
Su Fan raised a hand, palm down, signaling for them to calm down.
“No need to be so tense. She obeys me. She’s not a threat.”
He pointed at the ghost’s hands.
“Can’t you see she’s holding a broom?”
The Winchester Brothers: ? An evil spirit doing housework?
