Su Fan ended the call with Jamie, not out of anger, but because of the uninvited guest standing before him.
“Mr. Su Fan, I’ve heard so much about you.”
Elise smiled warmly. Though an elderly woman, she radiated considerable vitality and approachability.
“Heard so much? I wasn’t aware I was famous.”
“Didn’t you know, Mr. Su Fan? Recently, you’ve become quite renowned in our line of work.”
Elise stepped forward.
“May I sit for a moment?”
“Please, make yourself comfortable.”
Having received permission, she took a seat opposite Su Fan and spoke again.
“Lately, stories have been circulating in the community about a young exorcist who has repeatedly helped others resolve troubles with evil entities.”
“Although many question the truth of these claims, the number of people corroborating them lends high credibility.”
“According to firsthand accounts, this young exorcist is highly skilled, handling cases that ordinary exorcists would be powerless against.”
Hearing this, Su Fan roughly understood. It was probably spread by people from Annie’s film crew, or perhaps the police who witnessed him and Scarlett confronting Death.
Unknowingly, his reputation had grown to the point where people in other places were hearing about him.
“Actually, I’ve heard of you as well.”
Since she was being so polite, Su Fan naturally reciprocated with some professional courtesy.
“Ms. Elise, a rather famous medium.”
“That’s all in the past now.”
Upon hearing Su Fan’s words, a faint trace of melancholy appeared on Elise’s face.
“I’ve decided to leave the profession behind and return to the life of an ordinary person.”
“If that’s the case, why have you come here?”
Su Fan asked, already knowing the answer.
This elderly woman was thoroughly good-hearted. To help others, she had even ultimately sacrificed her own life. She clearly couldn’t ignore the pleas of those suffering, even if some brought it upon themselves.
“I came here to ask a favor of you.”
The old woman sighed.
“A while ago, a girl named Quinn Brenner visited me, hoping I could help her contact her mother, who passed away from cancer.”
“But due to my personal circumstances, the séance didn’t achieve the desired result.”
“I advised the child not to continue trying, but her longing for her mother was too strong. She probably didn’t listen.”
“She couldn’t distinguish between benevolent and malevolent responses, mistaking some strange occurrences for answers from her mother. This made me very uneasy.”
“Some time ago, as I was preparing for sleep, I suddenly saw a vision of her in a dark space, about to be attacked by an evil spirit wearing an oxygen mask…”
“However, with my abilities alone, I cannot save her. So…”
“So you want to enlist my help?” Su Fan finished the sentence Elise couldn’t quite bring herself to complete.
“Ms. Elise, are you commissioning an exorcism?”
“In such cases, wouldn’t the Church be more formal and reliable?”
Su Fan wasn’t very keen on taking this job.
According to Elise, two people had already warned Quinn to stop her dangerous behavior, yet she persisted stubbornly.
This was pure foolishness.
“Respect spirits and keep a distance” is the most basic principle for ordinary people regarding such matters. Even a hardhead like the detective became cautious after finding out. But she still took the omens of the evil spirit’s activity as a good sign.
Such absurdity was a first for Su Fan. It was making his intolerance for fools flare up.
“The Church’s exorcism procedures are so cumbersome. By the time official permission is granted, Quinn would already be…”
“That was her own choice.”
Su Fan’s calm tone made Elise pause for a moment before she showed a look of regret.
“My apologies for disturbing you.”
She understood Su Fan’s meaning. Everyone must take responsibility for their own actions. Quinn must pay the price for her foolishness and stubbornness, even if that price might be her own life.
Elise wouldn’t blame Su Fan for being cold. Helping or not helping were both reasonable; no one could force it through moral coercion.
Now only one method remained.
That was for her to face her past fears head-on, to enter that dark and terrifying space herself to save Quinn.
“One more thing,” Elise said, rising to leave. “I look forward to seeing you on the antique appraisal show on Sunday, Su.”
“I must be going now.”
Hearing this, Su Fan raised an eyebrow.
Watching an antique appraisal show? Interested in antiques?
A potential client?
In that moment, Su Fan’s mind raced.
Elise had already reached the door.
“Do not fear the spirits you see.”
As Elise opened the door, Su Fan’s voice came from behind her.
“As a medium, and among the living, your power is greater than theirs.”
Hearing this, Elise turned back in pleasant surprise, nodding at Su Fan with a smile.
“Thank you for the advice. Goodbye.”
“Goodbye.”
After seeing Elise out, Su Fan stood up to wash his hands.
An evil spirit of that level was something Elise could handle, but he still felt a vague sense of unease.
If there was a variable, it was probably the talisman Jamie had stuck on the headboard.
An incident that should have been perfectly resolved by Elise was now, thanks to his meddling, full of unnecessary complications.
Just in case, Su Fan decided to use the Six Yao divination he had recently learned.
He washed his hands, calming his mind and steadying his breath.
Su Fan took out three coins again and began the divination process.
The steps were exactly the same as the first time, only this time Su Fan was inquiring about the auspiciousness or ominousness of Jamie’s current actions.
The static and changing hexagrams were quickly arranged. Su Fan closed his eyes, consulting the corresponding interpretation from the sixty-four hexagrams in his memory.
After glancing at the divination result, Su Fan silently stood up, retrieved several talismans from behind the counter, and headed outside.
Shortly after, the sound of a door closing echoed, and the interior fell into silence.
——-
Jamie, having rushed into the apartment building, quickly reached the fifth floor via the elevator.
Before he could even enter the room, he saw the cleaning cart parked outside the door!
Oh no!
Jamie’s heart sank, and he sprinted into the room.
The interior, once covered in dust, was now spotlessly clean. But this sight didn’t bring Jamie any comfort; instead, a chill ran through him.
It felt like a bucket of ice water had been poured over him from head to toe!
He rushed into the bedroom, his eyes darting to the bed against the wall.
Seeing the Ward Evil talisman still safely stuck in place, he finally let out a sigh of relief.
As his tension eased, Jamie’s legs went weak, and he slid down the wall to sit.
After resting for a moment, he walked out of the room, feeling a wave of relief.
Good thing he arrived quickly, or it would have been bad.
He needed to find a way to prevent the cleaners from touching the talisman later.
But the moment he stepped out the door, a gust of wind blew through, dislodging the Ward Evil talisman from the headboard and sending it fluttering to the floor.
