Bathsheba had made her move!
The moment he saw the basement door close on its own, Su Fan released his divine sense.
Like a tide, his perception surged outward in all directions from his body.
Everything within its reach was laid bare before his mind’s eye.
But soon, Su Fan’s brow furrowed.
The room from which the sounds came was obscured, as if shrouded in a thick, dark fog that prevented him from seeing clearly.
She can block my divine sense?
Su Fan’s heart grew heavy.
Since acquiring this ability, this was the first time he had encountered a malevolent spirit that could obstruct his perception.
This was no ordinary ghost.
His earlier suspicions were most likely correct—Bathsheba was probably connected to Solomon’s seventy-two demons.
With that thought, Su Fan channeled spiritual energy into his voice and roused Nancy, who had been repeatedly throwing herself against the door. Once she stepped back, he leaped lightly and shattered the wooden door.
With a kick against the wall, his figure landed on the second floor.
No sooner had he touched down than the wooden door slammed shut behind him.
From within came a woman’s eerie laughter, interwoven with a stream of hushed, rapid whispers.
But such an obstacle could hardly slow Su Fan down.
With one punch, the tightly shut door exploded into splinters!
The moment the deafening crash rang out, all noise from inside ceased abruptly!
On the floor lay Caroline, unconscious, while Roger lay barely breathing, his body ravaged by malevolent energy.
But Su Fan didn’t rush to help them. He merely glanced at them briefly before swiftly averting his gaze.
Though their condition looked dire, a single talisman would bring immediate relief.
What mattered now was bringing the perpetrator of all this to justice!
Su Fan’s eyes deepened, turning dark and penetrating. In the shadows cast by the curtains, he spotted a white figure about to vanish into the darkness.
That overwhelming malevolent aura was unmistakable—it was the same female ghost that had tried to intercept them on the road earlier!
Bathsheba seemed caught off guard by his speed. She paused for an instant, then hastened her escape!
Her ethereal, evil-infused form had already almost completely disappeared—save for one shoulder and an arm.
Trying to run?!
Su Fan hadn’t even taken a full step before his figure was already beside the window.
His hand shot out like lightning, grabbing the woman’s tangled hair and yanking it back with force!
The face that had slipped into the darkness was dragged back into view!
Half of the woman’s head now floated eerily sideways in the air—a sight both bizarre and chilling.
Even though Su Fan had caught her, she showed no sign of pain.
Nor did she reveal any panic. Instead, her green, glowing eyes gleamed with a mocking, self-satisfied smirk.
She stared at Su Fan’s sword-like fingers, which were infused with spiritual energy, as they descended with a sharp, piercing whistle.
Just as they were about to strike, the upper half of her head—still connected to her hair—abruptly detached and exploded!
Shards of soul fragments, heavy with resentment, scattered all over Su Fan!
Though small, these fragments were steeped in dense curses. Even the slightest contact would corrupt an ordinary person’s soul.
But Su Fan stood motionless, taking the full brunt of the attack.
“Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!!”
As soon as the black fragments touched his body, they sizzled and evaporated like drops of water landing on scorching steel.
In that brief interval, the thick darkness before him faded away as well.
She had escaped.
Seeing this, Su Fan frowned.
Whether for humans or spirits, healing wounds to the soul itself was an exceedingly difficult task.
Bathsheba had acted decisively.
Had she delayed even a moment longer, Su Fan would have dragged her out and finished her off.
But chasing her now was no longer viable. If he delayed treatment any further, both people on the floor would be in mortal danger!
Su Fan quickly moved to Roger’s side.
Roger’s eyes were wide open, bloodshot and strained, his teeth clenched as if enduring unbearable agony.
The vitality within him was fading rapidly.
Su Fan lightly pressed a finger to Roger’s forehead, channeling a stream of spiritual energy to examine his condition and sustain his life force.
With his other hand, he retrieved a ward-off-evil talisman and pressed it against Roger’s chest. Then, channeling spiritual energy through his fingertips, he began drawing talismans in mid-air.
One after another, intricate and profound talismans formed between them and merged into Roger’s body.
Revitalization, Purification, and Tranquility!
With the power of the Heavenly Talisman Art enhancing him, Su Fan’s fingers moved so fast they left afterimages.
Within the span of two breaths, three talismans were struck in succession.
Roger’s previously weakening breath was forcibly sustained by the talisman’s power.
The dark pallor on his face began to recede as well.
He suddenly sat up, bent over, and vomited large clumps of black liquid onto the floor.
Seeing that he could move on his own, Su Fan immediately turned to the unconscious Caroline.
After a preliminary examination, he repeated the same steps on her.
As a housewife, Caroline’s willpower was far weaker than Roger’s—one of the reasons Bathsheba had targeted her.
Having been possessed multiple times, her spirit had already become unstable.
So Su Fan added an extra talisman designed to anchor the soul to his usual procedure.
Just as he was halfway through drawing the final talisman, the others appeared at the doorway.
——-
Andrea, Christine, and the other girls rushed over to check on Nancy.
But as they rounded the corner, they saw a figure burst straight through the door!
While airborne, the figure kicked off the wall and, light as a swallow, leaped up to the second floor.
All that was left behind for the group—and the journalist and woman in the basement—were stunned expressions.
The silence didn’t last long. They all dashed upstairs immediately.
The first thing they saw was the shattered wooden door.
Then they spotted Su Fan, one hand tracing streaks of light through the air.
A pale cyan glow illuminated the calm face of the dark-haired young man, enveloping him in an air of mystery.
Complex runes flowed effortlessly from his fingertips, radiating a profound, aesthetic beauty.
As Su Fan withdrew his hand, the completed rune settled into the unconscious woman on the floor.
Dark, viscous drool seeped from her mouth, and the livid, contorted expression on Caroline’s face gradually returned to normal.
Everyone who witnessed this was utterly stunned, at a loss for words.
It wasn’t until Su Fan spoke that they were jolted back to reality.
“What are you all standing there for? Come help them up and get them to rest.”
Christine, the eldest daughter, and Andrea, the second, were the tallest among the girls.
So naturally, the task fell to them.
Of course, Teresa wasn’t idle either.
With her help and that of Li Jieke who arrived shortly after, the group finally managed to settle Roger and Caroline into a resting place.
Su Fan said nothing, simply sitting to the side with a contemplative expression.
Bathsheba is connected to Solomon’s seventy-two demons. She may have obtained a power from one of those demons that allows her to block perception.
This was why his divine sense couldn’t pinpoint her hiding place earlier.
But Bathsheba herself may not be all that powerful—she’s clearly wary of me. She’s been avoiding me and testing the waters repeatedly.
After her first attempt at ambush, she realized Su Fan was a tough opponent.
She didn’t provoke him further, instead targeting the people inside the house.
And when Su Fan and the others arrived, she suddenly went quiet.
The second time, she used the basement as a diversion, deliberately bypassing Su Fan again to strike at Caroline and Roger.
The third time was the most telling.
When Su Fan broke down the door, Bathsheba abandoned any direct confrontation and fled immediately.
These three assaults showed just how cunning and troublesome this malevolent spirit was.
But one thing still puzzled Su Fan.
How had she managed to manipulate Caroline without anyone noticing?
While Su Fan was deep in thought, the others waited in silence.
Having witnessed his “divine display,” they now all looked to him for guidance.
When Su Fan didn’t speak, everyone remained quiet, though their expressions varied.
The five little girls now gazed at him with a mixture of awe and reverence.
Watching him use mysterious means right before their eyes to heal their parents had left a profound impact on their young minds.
Teresa was somewhat better off—after all, she already knew Su Fan was no ordinary person.
But this was her first time seeing the Heavenly Talisman Art in action, and she practically wore her curiosity on her face.
The most frustrated among them was Li Jieke. He had been at the back with his camera and missed the chance to capture the footage everyone was talking about—Su Fan’s “magic performance.”
So he could only sit in a corner, replaying the footage of Su Fan bursting through the door and leaping up to the second floor, taking what comfort he could.
After a while, Su Fan’s voice finally broke the silence.
“You can’t stay in this house any longer.”
“Leave. Now.”
Everyone was taken aback.
“Can I ask why?”
Christine, with her beautiful straight hair, asked timidly.
“Hasn’t the situation made itself clear enough?”
Su Fan didn’t elaborate. He simply glanced at Roger and Caroline, who lay on the bed nearby with talismans pasted on their foreheads.
“This spirit is very cunning. It’s been avoiding a direct confrontation with me and has been relentlessly attacking all of you.”
“Aside from Teresa and myself, there are nine people here.”
“I can’t protect that many lives while also fighting a malevolent spirit at the same time.”
“…”
Everyone fell silent.
Before long, Li Jieke was the first to speak.
“I think Mr. Su is right.”
“Things have gotten to this point—the house itself doesn’t matter anymore.”
“That entity that’s been tormenting you wants your lives.”
“For safety’s sake, we should retreat and leave this place to Mr. Su and Ms. Teresa.”
Having said that, Li Jieke glanced at his camera with a hint of regret.
“Can we take some food with us?”
Little Emily, the youngest, walked up to Su Fan and asked timidly.
“Sure, but make it quick.”
Seeing the pitiful look on the little girl’s face, Su Fan nodded.
The five girls then scattered to gather whatever packaged snacks they could take.
Li Jieke also packed up his filming equipment and prepared to carry the still-unconscious Officer Daniel back to the car.
Su Fan sat nearby, watching them bustle about.
Before long, Teresa came and stood beside him.
“Where did you go?”
“To pray for Caroline and Roger, that God might relieve their suffering.”
Teresa answered.
Su Fan turned and studied her for a moment, then subtly extended his divine sense to check on the couple.
To his surprise, the two looked somewhat better than before.
The Revitalization Health Talisman was meant to dispel illness and restore some lost vitality, but its effect wasn’t usually this significant.
With that thought, Su Fan gave Teresa a meaningful look.
Her prayers actually had a healing effect…
Just what secrets was this gluttonous nun hiding?
Unaware of his scrutiny, Teresa’s attention was fixed on the group of girls as they packed up and dragged their parents along.
“They haven’t done anything wrong, yet they have to endure such suffering…”
“They’d just moved into a new home, ready to start fresh—who could have imagined they’d be tormented by a malevolent spirit?”
“If only the Rogers hadn’t chosen this place when they bought the house…”
Teresa let out a sigh.
“As long as Bathsheba remains, someone will always fall victim to misfortune.”
Su Fan’s gaze was calm.
“Look at this house—aside from being haunted, it’s spacious, solidly built, and requires no repairs.”
“It’s in the suburbs, but there’s a good road right outside that leads to the city.”
“Even if the real estate agent had been upfront about everything, someone would still risk buying it.”
“After all, freezing to death on the streets is far more likely than being killed by a ghost.”
Teresa glanced at him.
Before coming here, she had gotten the contact information for the brothers from Ed and learned about Ms. Ellis from them.
Ms. Ellis had said Su Fan despised people who courted death and wouldn’t lift a finger to help them.
But now it seemed she was wrong.
The young man beside her had his own set of principles and wasn’t nearly as cold-hearted as she’d claimed.
Take the Perrin family, for example.
Even though the real estate agent had been evasive, they weren’t entirely blameless.
Yet Su Fan had still chosen to help them.
Was it because, in his view, they shouldn’t be too harshly judged for being driven by necessity?
Or was it out of a sense of duty to fulfill the commission Ed and the others had given him?
Or maybe it was a bit of both?
Teresa couldn’t quite tell.
“Would you like some water?”
Just then, a small figure appeared before them.
It was Emily.
“You haven’t even had a sip of tea since you got here.”
Seeing the little girl holding out a cup, Teresa’s lips curved into a smile.
“Thank you for your hospitality, dear Emily.”
She reached out, took the cup, and gently pinched Emily’s cheek.
“Go find your sisters now.”
But the little girl seemed reluctant to leave. She walked slowly, looking back every few steps.
Seeing Emily’s expectant gaze, Teresa understood at once and smiled. She raised the cup to her lips.
Just as her lips were about to touch the rim, a hand caught her wrist.
Teresa turned in confusion and saw Su Fan narrowing his eyes.
“Hold on a moment.”
