As An Antique Shop Owner, It's Only Reasonable That I Know A Bit Of Magic - Chapter 28

The commotion from above was faint, but the snippets he heard were enough for Su Fan to piece together what had happened.

That seasoned troublemaker, Officer Johnny, had probably charged in to save face and gotten himself severely injured, maybe even killed.

But that was none of his concern.

Heaven’s punishments can be avoided; self-inflicted ones cannot.

His target now was the two Voodoo practitioners hiding here.

What lay before Su Fan wasn’t a simple basement, but a corridor cluttered with junk. At its end, an orange firelight flickered.

Hearing the noise, a figure emerged from around the corner.

“You passed through my barrier completely unscathed? How intriguing.”

The man who appeared before Su Fan was tall and surprisingly refined. Paired with suspenders and a dress shirt, he looked every bit the high-class intellectual.

He sure knows how to pick a handsome vessel.

Without a doubt, this was the young lawyer from the reports, Luke Sarsgaard, the one who had married Sister Abigail.

But that was just the name of the body. The soul within had long been replaced by that of a near-centenarian evil practitioner.

“You must be the one who broke Lena’s barrier as well. Not bad.”

“What’s your name, mysterious Eastern sorcerer?”

The man didn’t seem afraid of Su Fan at all. Instead, he seemed perfectly at ease, even asking for Su Fan’s name.

Su Fan, however, had no desire to converse.

Only one man was visible. Where was the woman?
The answer was obvious—performing the soul-transfer ritual!

“Are you mute? What a pity.”

Seeing that Su Fan still didn’t respond, Luke sighed.

“I’ve never tried an Asian body before…”

He knew perfectly well that since this young man had found them, their identities were already exposed.

There was no point in hiding it now.

Before his words even finished hanging in the air, Su Fan moved!

Enough of your endless, fly-like buzzing. Time to shut you up!

Su Fan’s foot stamped the ground, his body briefly seeming to levitate as he shot forward like a bullet, instantly closing the distance to Luke. His fist, already cocked at his waist, was poised for a devastating blow!

Yet Luke wasn’t surprised. A mocking smile played on his lips.

A gleaming dagger suddenly appeared in his hand, thrusting straight for Su Fan’s chest.

The move forced Su Fan to halt his assault, twisting his steps to avoid the sharp blade.

Having forced Su Fan back, Luke smiled, looking quite pleased with himself.

“You must understand, once one possesses a long and enduring lifespan, they begin to dabble in many skills and fields of knowledge. In time, they become… omnipotent.”

“Combat, close-quarters assassination, marksmanship—I have mastered them all.”

“A reckless challenge will only cost you your life. Better to let me witness some Eastern witchcraft.”

He was certain Su Fan was no match for him. These near-hundred years had made him a superman, versed in countless skills!

This was the power bestowed by immortality!

“Immortality? Ridiculous.”

“How many more rituals can your decaying soul endure?”

“Petty tricks and cheap shortcuts. After all this time, this is all you’ve achieved, and you have the audacity to be proud?”

“Even a dog could do the same if it lived that long.”

“A dullard, even after a hundred years, could never hope to glimpse the heels of true genius!”

“I’ll show you that all the time you’ve wasted… is utterly worthless!”

Su Fan finally spoke, but his words made Luke’s face contort with rage.

“I’ll slit your mouth open and cut your throat! Let’s see if you can still spout such nonsense then!”

Luke bent his body, launching himself at Su Fan like a hunting leopard.

Su Fan didn’t evade. He charged forward simultaneously!

The short corridor was crossed in the blink of an eye. But Su Fan was faster! He reached Luke before the man could even take his second step!

Su Fan’s plan was simple: use Bajiquan’s power to break through the guard, then close in for short-range strikes!
His speed made Luke’s pupils contract, but he wasn’t nervous.

Having a weapon versus not having one were two completely different concepts. It was just a dagger, but…

Between opponents of similar skill, the one with the knife could hold the advantage against four unarmed foes!

At this distance, the dead one would be this young Chinese man!

But Luke soon realized he was wrong.

The young man’s fierce and rapid fist techniques invaded his space like wildfire.

Every time Luke tried to use his dagger to force Su Fan back, his arm was intercepted and locked by Su Fan’s movements!

In less than three exchanges, the overwhelming, storm-like force of Su Fan’s punches had nearly shattered his defense!
As he desperately parried, the near-centenarian evil practitioner felt his mind tremble!

To handle emergencies, he had trained his combat skills relentlessly, without pause, in every body he inhabited.

The killing techniques honed over time and countless real battles… were only enough to barely hold on against this opponent!

At a disadvantage, Luke could only retreat, but Su Fan stuck to him like a shadow, giving him no chance to create distance!
In one fleeting moment, Su Fan’s hand seized Luke’s dagger-wrist and twisted violently!

Crack!

The sound of breaking bone echoed. Luke screamed in agony, the dagger clattering to the floor, his steps becoming unsteady.

But it wasn’t over. Su Fan yanked the broken arm, simultaneously sweeping a kick to break Luke’s shin bone, then driving his right elbow hard towards Luke’s temple!
If Luke hadn’t desperately raised his other arm to block, he would have died on the spot!
Stumbling disgracefully, Luke fell and rolled. Su Fan pressed his advantage, only to be met with the dark circle of a gun barrel!

BANG!

…

Outside, the waiting detective paced anxiously.

Su Fan had been down for less than two minutes, but it felt like an eternity.

What if something had happened to Su Fan down there? Was he just supposed to stand here, doing nothing?

Suddenly, a gunshot rang out from below!

In that moment, both the detective and Carl remembered a critical fact.

Su Fan didn’t have a gun!

The detective immediately sprang into action, moving to enter the room.

He was stopped by Carl.

“I have the charm Su Fan gave me, you don’t need to stop me—”

“I’m coming too!” Carl interjected before the detective could finish.

The detective gave Carl a deep look, then pulled another protective charm from his own coat and handed it to him.

Without hesitation, both drew their service weapons, rushed into the room, and jumped down into the secret passage!

“Su Fan!” the detective yelled, before his eyes could even adjust to the dim light.

“We’re here to hel—”

The detective’s words died in his throat.

Around the corner, Su Fan stood unharmed, his foot planted on the chest of a groaning white man. He was calmly twirling a small revolver in his hand.

The man on the ground spat blood, both arms hanging limp and useless—likely with broken bones.

Su Fan wasn’t looking at Carl or the detective. His gaze was fixed on a spot just out of their sight.

“Call off the ritual, or I finish him! Hear me?!”