As An Antique Shop Owner, It's Only Reasonable That I Know A Bit Of Magic - Chapter 12

The two turned and saw a figure emerging from the lake, drenched from head to toe—clearly having swum across.

Upon closer inspection, wasn’t this Su Fan, the man they had just assumed was dead?

“Su? You’re alive? You didn’t die?”

Jamie was overjoyed.

Having gone through the ordeal of vanquishing Mary Shaw together, Jamie had come to regard Su Fan as a true comrade-in-arms.

Now, seeing Su Fan “return from the dead,” no one was happier than him.

“Obviously!”

Su Fan wiped the water from his face.

This was his first-ever exorcism across two lifetimes—how could he afford to fail?

Old Man Su’s antique shop was counting on this job to stay afloat.

“What about Mary Shaw? And the puppets?”

The detective hurried forward to ask.

“All reduced to ashes in the fire.”

Su Fan glanced at the theater at the center of the lake, still engulfed in raging flames.

Hearing this, the detective finally relaxed.

He knew that after working with Jamie for so long, he too had become a target of Mary Shaw.

Now that she had been obliterated, he wouldn’t have to live in fear anymore, constantly watching his back for ventriloquist dummies that might appear out of nowhere.

Jamie and the detective soon noticed that Su Fan looked rather pale. They moved to support him.

“Come on, let’s find a place to change first.”

But Su Fan waved them off.

His pallor wasn’t due to severe injury—it was because casting “Wind Control” twice in succession had drained nearly 80-90% of the Qi in his body.

Reflecting on the battle, his biggest shortcoming was his insufficient “mana pool.”

That was why the second Wind Control hadn’t been as powerful as the first.

But it didn’t matter—the goal had been to fan the flames, not to directly attack.

When casting it, Su Fan had been careful to control its intensity, preventing it from forming a fire tornado that might have swept him up as well.

This trip to the town had been quite fruitful.

Not only had he significantly improved his proficiency in several skills, but he had also unlocked his second Divine Ability.

Not bad at all.

Yet, something felt off.

All the puppets had been dug up and laid out in the open. The only one missing—Billy—had been shattered by Su Fan’s elbow back at the motel.

Even Ella, the “perfect puppet,” had been beaten beyond recognition by Su Fan.

Given Mary Shaw’s obsessive attachment to her puppets, Ella’s remains should have been among the others, awaiting eventual repair.

With all the puppets—including the perfect one—destroyed, the case should have been closed.

But the final prompt confirming the elimination of the evil spirit had not appeared in his mind.

The moment this realization struck, Su Fan’s instincts screamed danger.

“Get in the car—we’re heading to Walker Funeral Home!”

His urgent tone left the detective and Jamie momentarily stunned.

But after everything they’d been through, Su Fan had earned their trust. Without question, they obeyed immediately.

In the car, Su Fan closed his eyes, regulating his breathing and meditating to restore some of his Qi.

Mary Shaw had not been destroyed.

True, the hundred-odd puppets she had crafted were gone, and Ella had been reduced to splinters by Su Fan’s fists.

But her true body remained.

Old Walker had mentioned that Mary Shaw’s corpse had been turned into a puppet by his father, in accordance with her will.

It, too, was buried in the cemetery.

Yet when they had checked earlier, her grave showed no signs of disturbance.

Thinking deeper—why had Walker’s father followed Mary Shaw’s eerie last wish to turn her corpse into a puppet?

And then there was Marian.

During their earlier questioning, they’d learned that she had direct conversations with Mary Shaw.

This family was shrouded in too many inconsistencies.

Old Walker himself wasn’t the issue—in the original events, he had been one of Mary Shaw’s innocent victims.

That left only one suspect: Marian.

Everyone else who had appeared in the case had died—so why was she the sole survivor?

Su Fan recalled the details he had noticed before.

The horror of Dead Silence didn’t come from gruesome scenes or Mary Shaw’s powers.

It was the relentless, unexpected twists that led some to argue the film was more of a psychological thriller.

If he had truly assumed the job was done and left, Mary Shaw would have escaped unscathed.

Ghosts, to Su Fan, weren’t particularly troublesome to deal with.

But a ghost with cunning that matched—or surpassed—that of a human? That was a real problem.

For now, though, his priority was recovery.

With that thought, Su Fan settled into deep focus.

In the front seats, Jamie and the detective noticed Su Fan’s closed eyes and refrained from disturbing him.

Soon, they saw wisps of steam rising from his body. Before long, his soaked clothes were completely dry.

Astonished, the two exchanged a glance and silently vowed not to question it.

The car sped through the dense woods, down deserted streets, before finally pulling up in front of Walker Funeral Home.

At the same time, Su Fan opened his eyes.

His previously pale complexion had regained some color.

The group stepped out of the car, with the detective and Jamie naturally falling in behind Su Fan, deferring to his lead.

After ringing the doorbell, Old Walker soon came to greet them.

Recognizing Su Fan, his face immediately lit up with respect.

“Su, what brings you—”

“We’ll talk inside. Mind letting us in first?”

“Of course.”

Though puzzled, Old Walker stepped aside to allow them entry.

They filed in, following him to the courtyard.

Along the way, Jamie and the detective recounted how Su Fan had defeated Mary Shaw and set the lakeside theater ablaze. Old Walker’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Once the shock wore off, his admiration for Su Fan grew even deeper.

Who would’ve thought that the curse haunting this town for decades could be broken single-handedly by this young man?

Looking back, Su Fan’s confidence during their initial questioning hadn’t been arrogance—it was sheer capability.

“Old Walker, where’s Marian? I don’t see her.”

Su Fan, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke.

“Isn’t she usually in the courtyard, playing with the ravens?”

“She hasn’t touched the ravens since returning. In fact, her mental state has improved.”

Old Walker’s expression was full of gratitude as he looked at Su Fan.

“It’s all thanks to you, Su. If you hadn’t destroyed Mary Shaw, Marian wouldn’t have recovered.”

Su Fan said nothing, only pursed his lips.

Under Old Walker’s guidance, they found Marian.

Her demeanor was now calm, completely devoid of her usual eerie mutterings.

When she saw Su Fan, she smiled warmly—no different from any other kindly old woman.

“Su, what brings you here so late? Is something the matter?”

But the moment Su Fan laid eyes on her, a cold smirk curled his lips. In one swift motion, he seized her by the throat.

“Audacious evil spirit—stop pretending! I knew at a glance you weren’t human!”