Bathsheba kept voicing herself through the girls’ mouths.
With every word, she did her utmost to provoke Su Fan.
Even Teresa, who had been reciting scriptures all along, couldn’t help but raise her voice just a little.
But Su Fan himself remained calm throughout.
Finally, after nearly twenty minutes of the chanting ritual, the five girls temporarily broke free from Bathsheba’s control and fell into a deep sleep.
Teresa breathed heavily, beads of sweat glistening on her forehead.
Although it wasn’t a full-blown showdown with a demon, expelling evil forces from five people all at once was far too taxing for a novice exorcist like her.
Yet Teresa’s first reaction wasn’t to wipe her sweat or rest, but to hurriedly offer Su Fan some “psychological counseling.”
“Don’t listen to her nonsense. Wraiths and demons—these kinds of evils—are masters at using words to pierce through the fragile parts of a person’s heart, shaking their faith to its core.”
“I understand. It’s fine.”
Su Fan gave a slight nod, signaling that she needn’t worry.
The moment he realized the Perrin family had long been under Bathsheba’s control, Su Fan knew that Bathsheba had been targeting him from the very beginning.
If Su Fan hadn’t come, she would have continued tormenting the family endlessly.
The bigger the ruckus, the greater the chance Su Fan would show up.
Besides, what better bait could there be than a once-warm and loving family, now shattered and broken?
“What was that just now? What was she saying?”
Li Jie had managed to film the entire exorcism this time, as he’d hoped, but he felt no joy in his heart.
“I think I caught some weird names.”
“Baal. Asmodeus.”
Su Fan spoke softly.
“According to legend, they are the supreme four pillars among Solomon’s seventy-two demons—the monarchs who rule over the four quarters of Hell.”
Li Jie’s face turned ashen at these words.
Though he had black hair and yellow skin, Li Jie was a true-blooded American.
He’d grown up surrounded by and had picked up quite a bit of occultism and various legends.
He might not recognize the names alone, but once their status was laid out, he immediately grasped the severity of the situation.
“What in the world did this family do… to attract such a terrifying demon?”
“Weren’t they perfectly fine before? Why were they being manipulated?!”
Li Jie’s voice trembled and faltered, almost like a groan.
The horrifying revelations, layered on top of a reality riddled with inconsistencies, left his mind churning like a thick mess of porridge.
“Once upon a time, there was a woman on this land who worshipped Satan. She killed her own child as a sacrifice to the devil, then hanged herself on the crooked tree at the front gate.”
“It’s her who’s been causing trouble this time.”
“The reason Christine and the others were controlled is because they drank water that had been soaked with that very hanging rope.”
Su Fan flicked out the few talismans he had left in his arms, landing them steadily on the chests of the five unconscious girls lying on the floor.
At this, Li Jie’s expression shifted dramatically.
He and Sheriff Daniel had been the first to arrive here, so naturally, they’d drunk the water too.
Realizing this, Li Jie immediately raised his hand to stick his fingers down his throat.
“Don’t worry.
Roger drank the water too, but he’s a truck driver—always on the road, never home—so he had far less than Caroline and the others.
A small amount won’t cause any harm; it’s not enough to put you under control.
Just watch what you eat and drink for a while. If you’re still uneasy, you can come find me.”
After hearing Su Fan’s explanation, Li Jie finally relaxed.
Just then, the girls who had been marked with talismas suddenly opened their eyes.
Li Jie jolted, thinking it was another evil spirit acting up, and nearly leaped out of his skin—only to realize they showed no sign of aggression. Instead, they bent over and started retching, vomiting out pools of black water.
After they finished, they huddled together and burst into tears.
Though they had been controlled by the malevolent spirit, they had still retained their own consciousness.
Like helpless onlookers, they had been forced to watch themselves turn into eerily moving beasts, attacking others.
Su Fan raised his hand and, one by one, traced the patterns of calming talismans in the air, forcibly steadying their emotions.
His movements were no longer as swift and smooth as before; the faint cyan glow flickered dimly, like a firefly’s last light.
After completing this, he walked over and sat down on the sofa.
“Between great joy and great sorrow, the body and will are at their weakest. Control your emotions.”
“The filth that controlled you has already been vomited out—don’t worry about it anymore.”
“Now, the evil spirit has fully turned its focus onto me. You really can leave now.”
Having said his piece, he closed his eyes and said no more.
Only after hearing Su Fan’s words did the five girls dare to move. One by one, they picked up the food they had dropped earlier—even if some were damaged or dirty, they couldn’t bear to throw them away.
Watching from the side, Li Jie’s heart ached with bitterness.
He turned and went to the side hall, calling out Sheriff Daniel, who had been hiding inside, and together they helped the five sisters move Caroline and Roger out.
After everyone had left the house, Teresa came over and sat down beside Su Fan.
She was silent for a moment, and when she finally spoke, her first word was an apology.
“I’m sorry.”
Su Fan opened his eyes, looking at her with a hint of confusion.
“I wasn’t of much use in this exorcism. In truth, you were the one fighting the evil spirit alone.”
“I should have realized sooner—battling a demon lord, no matter the outcome, comes at a cost.”
“I failed to play my part.”
Teresa’s voice was heavy with guilt.
She hadn’t been much help to the Perrin family, and on top of that, she’d left an injured Su Fan to shoulder the burden of facing the enemy head-on.
All of it came down to her own lack of ability.
Hearing this, Su Fan suddenly smiled and gave a gentle shake of his head.
“You weren’t the one primarily responsible for the exorcism anyway. The task the Vatican assigned you was to provide support.”
“There’s no need to heap all the blame on yourself.”
“How’s your injury now? Did those moves earlier affect it?”
What Teresa was referring to, of course, was the recent incident where Su Fan subdued the five possessed sisters.
“If I’m being honest… yes, there is an effect. The speed of my body’s recovery has changed.”
Seeing Su Fan’s calm expression and clear eyes, with no trace of deception, Teresa lowered her head in silence.
What else could that “change” mean?
Those violent, swift movements would inevitably have torn his wounds open.
No wonder he’d looked so exhausted earlier…
Just as the two were talking, a pale face emerged from beneath the sofa they were sitting on.
The figure of a woman in white slowly rose from behind, extending a filthy, pitch-black claw toward Su Fan.
After multiple attacks and probes, and after using those foolish, noisy girls to drain away his mystical powers, all that was left to him now was brute strength—useless in the face of her.
And yet, even so, Bathsheba refused to show herself directly.
Using the perception-blocking ability she’d obtained from the demon lord, she shrouded the entire area in a perfect veil for her ambush.
She had to be careful. Extra careful.
To ensure, without a shadow of a doubt, that she would snatch away this young man’s life…
