Halfway through her sentence, Ron suddenly realized she was being rude.
“Sorry, I’m interrupting your business. Please, go on with your discussion.”
With that, she headed toward the back of the antique shop.
Once Ron had left, Su Fan cleared his throat lightly, bringing the somewhat dazed Ruth back to the present.
“These are the amulets you just bought.”
“Payment and goods are settled—no returns or exchanges once you walk out the door, alright?”
“If you need more in the future, feel free to come back and buy again.”
You’re running a goddamn scam of a shop—only an idiot would come back for more!
Ruth cursed inwardly, but on the surface, she wore a sweet smile brimming with gratitude.
At the same time, she quickly assessed the situation and adjusted her approach in her mind.
With someone as stunning as that woman already by Su Fan’s side, relying solely on her looks wouldn’t have as much impact anymore.
She needed to strike from a different angle.
For example, antiques…
A man can rarely resist a woman who shares his interests and just so happens to need his guidance and help.
Her half-baked knowledge of antiques, combined with the passion for Chinese culture she displayed, was bound to earn his favor.
But before that, she needed to flesh out the “haunting” story she had described earlier.
“Thank you so much, Mr. Su Fan. I honestly don’t know what I would have done without you.”
“The things that have been happening at home lately—they’re just too bizarre.”
“How bizarre? Could you give me some specifics?”
“So many things… shadows flickering about nonstop… whispers rising from the darkness at odd moments… and the last time I was asleep, I saw a host of ghosts…”
“They even moved a chair out of thin air… and they lifted my younger brother right off the ground as if he weighed nothing…”
At this point, Ruth shrank her neck in a particularly “frightened” manner, her gaze darting around nervously, as if she feared a ghost might leap out from some unseen corner at any moment.
“They?”
Across from her, Su Fan furrowed his brow upon hearing this, seemingly “realizing” the “gravity of the situation.”
“Yes. The ghosts in our house—there’s more than one. One day, I caught their reflections in the mirror…”
Before she could finish, Su Fan suddenly raised his finger, signaling her to stop talking.
“What’s wrong?”
Ruth asked, genuinely puzzled. This time, it wasn’t an act—she truly had no idea what the young man’s sudden gesture meant.
“Don’t be too specific when describing ghosts.”
“Miss Ruth, you may not be familiar with certain esoteric matters.”
“Words aren’t something you can just toss around casually. Describing things too explicitly can invite bad fortune.”
“Thoughts give birth to intentions, and intentions are released through words. Words carry a mysterious power—they can influence reality.”
The young man across from her spoke with a smile, his tone mysterious and cryptic, stirring a quiet irritation deep within Ruth’s heart.
Charlatan talk. Nothing but pretentious mysticism.
Now that he has the ability to exorcise demons, he puts on this show for ordinary people?
Compared to a supernatural being, this young man seemed far more like a con artist.
With that thought, a hint of contempt for Su Fan began to take root in Ruth’s heart.
Of course, not a trace of it showed on her face—not even a flicker in her eyes.
“I understand… I won’t describe those things in such detail from now on.”
“May I ask, sir—how serious are these occurrences I’m facing?”
“Pretty serious.”
Su Fan let out a sigh.
“The amulets can only guarantee that you won’t die. But with so many malevolent spirits and such great power… once the amulets’ energy runs out, I’m afraid you’ll…”
“Please, Mr. Su, you have to save us!”
Ruth grabbed Su Fan’s hand, her eyes welling up with tears as her voice trembled with pleading.
“This will be quite a challenge for me as well…”
The young man across from her wore a troubled expression.
“Our family income is fairly decent—more than enough to cover the exorcism fees…”
“But then again, driving out evil spirits and protecting people’s lives is an exorcist’s inescapable duty.”
“How about this—I’ll make a trip out there the day after tomorrow and take a look at the situation.”
“That’s wonderful! Thank you so much. Here’s the address to our estate. Please, do come on the promised date.”
Ruth bowed deeply, then turned and walked out of the shop.
But the moment she stepped outside, all expression drained from her face, leaving her as blank and unfeeling as a doll.
Once she rounded a corner into a narrow alley, the features hidden in the shadows twisted grotesquely.
She had believed her charms were more than enough to easily manipulate a Chinese man, yet she had faced setback after setback, enduring an unprecedented blow to her pride.
This only deepened her loathing for Su Fan to its utmost limit.
What a disgustingly vile fraud!
What a complete waste of all that careful planning!
All that talk about tea culture, antiques, Chinese language—none of it even came into play.
Still, at least the man was greedy for money.
If he weren’t, it would have taken her much longer to lure him to her home.
No matter how it happened, as long as Su Fan set foot in the lakeside estate, that was all that mattered.
At that thought, a sinister smile curled at the corner of her mouth.
Just then, a young Black man walked toward her from the other end of the alley.
The moment he laid eyes on her, he was utterly captivated.
The girl in the dark alley was like a delicate white flower sprouting from filthy soil—someone who instinctively made you want to protect her.
“Hey, wanna grab a drink?”
Ruth looked up and smiled.
“Sure. I’ve got time.”
——–
Back in the antique shop, Su Fan observed the entire scene through his spiritual sense.
At the same time, he reached for a wet wipe from the side and began scrubbing his hand repeatedly.
That woman grabbing his hand like that—it was utterly disgusting.
He’d need to wipe it a few more times.
Only after the Black man and the woman had moved beyond his detection range did Su Fan withdraw his spiritual sense, a faintly amused smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.
Interesting.
Su Fan didn’t recall ever crossing paths with her before.
The reason she had set her sights on him was most likely a desire to covet the power of a supernatural being.
Which meant—that young Black man from earlier was already a goner.
Su Fan had watched the woman’s expressions shift through the entire exchange, and he had to admit—her acting was genuinely impressive.
At least the two professional actors he knew couldn’t hold a candle to her.
But it seemed their intelligence wasn’t exactly up to par. If they had done even a little digging into Su Fan’s previous exorcism feats, they never would have made such a foolish decision.
Then again—maybe it’s precisely because they did look into him that greed took hold.
Were ordinary human bodies no longer enough to satisfy the appetites of the buyers behind her?
Now they’d set their sights on a supernatural being.
Originally, Su Fan hadn’t planned to get involved. But they’d walked right into his crosshairs.
Perfect.
Sheriff Dyson would have one less case to handle, and the world would have one less family ring specializing in murder and human trafficking.
Su Fan would make some money, and on top of that, he could test out the Feng Shui knowledge he’d recently been learning.
Now that’s what you call a beautiful thing.
