As An Antique Shop Owner, It's Only Reasonable That I Know A Bit Of Magic - Chapter 35

Annie looked Su Fan up and down, her beautiful eyes sparkling with curiosity.

“You’re so young, yet you’ve already gained recognition from the Church?”

“You arrived so quickly.”

Hearing this, Su Fan realized she had misunderstood.

In the West, not just anyone can become an exorcist.

Only priests certified by the Church are authorized to perform such rituals.

Moreover, each exorcism must be reported and approved beforehand—a very strict process.

Obtaining official documentation would take at least a week.

“I’m not a Catholic, nor am I the kind of exorcist priest you’re familiar with,” Su Fan explained patiently.

“I use Daoist methods.”

“Daoist methods?”

The unfamiliar term made Annie lean forward slightly.

Her striking, three-dimensional features were captivating; just a glance was enough to make one feel entranced.

“It’s a form of mystical power from the East.”

To avoid getting bogged down in lengthy explanations, Su Fan glossed over it by playing into Westerners’ mystified perception of China.

Annie seemed to half-understand. She nodded and didn’t press further about Daoist techniques, instead turning her attention to the yellow talisman she had torn off.

She noticed another one on the forehead of Rachel, who was sleeping peacefully nearby.

“Is this the tool you used for the exorcism?”

“Earlier, in the dream, I couldn’t even move a finger. But somehow, I suddenly regained the ability to move freely…”

At this point, Annie’s expression changed. She raised a hand to her slender neck, and when her fingers touched her skin, she looked startled.

“What’s going on? I remember my neck being slashed…”

“That was all thanks to the Evil-Warding Talisman,” Su Fan said, gesturing to the yellow talisman on the table.

“The Evil-Warding Talisman can suppress evil spirits and malevolent entities. The fact that you survived the dream was entirely due to its power.”

Hearing this, the curiosity in Annie’s eyes was completely replaced by awe.

She carefully collected the talisman and looked at Su Fan with immense gratitude.

“Thank you, young Eastern exorcist. If you hadn’t arrived in time to help, I would have already lost my life to that demon.”

“Might I ask your name?”

“Su Fan.”

“Master Su Fan, please, you must help me…”

Annie Hathaway sat sideways on the sofa, bowing her head slightly. Her perfect figure, combined with her expressive eyes, was enough to captivate anyone who saw her.

“I’m being paid to solve this problem. I’ll do everything I can.”

Faced with the pitiful request of such a beauty, Su Fan remained calm, showing no signs of being impulsively swept up in the moment.

“Did you see the demon’s appearance in your dream?”

“Recalling those dreams might make you uncomfortable, but it’s necessary to resolve the situation you’re facing.”

“I understand.”

Annie nodded and began to recall, but soon her breathing became uneven.

The remaining color drained from her face.

Her body even began to tremble uncontrollably.

“I hadn’t seen it before, but this time, because I could move, I finally got a clear look…”

“That evil, burned face…”

“He was wearing a red-and-green striped sweater and a black fedora. His eyes were like those of a bloodthirsty wolf…”

“Most notably, he wore a glove with sharp claws on his hand…”

At this point, Annie could no longer suppress her nausea and began to dry heave.

But Su Fan didn’t offer her a trash can. Instead, he continued questioning her.

“Do you know his origins?”

Across from him, Annie patted her chest, adjusting her breathing before she could barely manage to respond.

“I don’t, but I’ve seen the thing he wore on his hand before.”

“When?”

Su Fan frowned.

“Before filming began, the crew bought the house we’re shooting in. While sorting through the previous owner’s belongings, we found a rusty iron claw glove.”

“After discussing it with the director, the props team decided to keep it, thinking it might be useful.”

“That must be the demon’s item. We accidentally released him…”

After listening to Annie’s fragmented recollection, Su Fan lowered his head.

“Master Su Fan?”

After a long silence, Annie couldn’t help but call out to the young man softly.

“It’s nothing. I was just thinking.”

Su Fan let out a sigh, his tone tinged with annoyance.

“An evil spirit capable of infiltrating dreams is particularly troublesome to deal with. I was careless this time—I didn’t bring enough Evil-Warding Talismans.”

“Not enough?”

Annie was taken aback.

“How many do you have left…?”

“None at all.”

Su Fan’s answer left Annie at a loss.

“Then… what should we do?”

“I’ve already sent someone to fetch the materials for making talismans. They should be here soon…”

At this point, Su Fan looked puzzled.

“Strange, where did Jamie go…? Why is it taking him so long to grab something?”

He stood up, turned around, and walked to the window, looking outside.

A breeze blew in from the window, rustling the folded yellow paper on the table and flipping it open.

It was completely blank!

Behind Su Fan, the previously frail Annie Hathaway slowly rose to her feet.

Her face underwent a drastic transformation.

Her once delicate, fair skin bulged with twisted, ferocious folds.

Her black clothes had somehow changed into a red-and-green striped sweater, and her long hair morphed into a black fedora…

The process was horrifying, yet it made not a single sound!

The gaunt, ghostly figure closed in behind Su Fan in the blink of an eye!

It grinned wickedly, the burn scars on its face squirming like black centipedes.

“Master Su Fan… could you please not turn around? I need to change clothes.”

Annie’s voice eerily emerged from the ghost’s mouth, matching her tone and volume exactly as if it were coming from the sofa.

“Sure, go ahead.”

Su Fan’s tone remained calm, as if he were completely unaware of the evil lurking right behind him.

The light from outside seeped into the dim room, casting the ghost’s elongated shadow.

The ghost raised its gleaming claw and thrust it toward Su Fan’s back, aiming to rip out his heart!

However, at that moment, a soft golden light suddenly radiated from Su Fan’s body, not only blocking the claw but also inflicting a sharp, burning pain on the ghost!

The ghost recoiled abruptly, eyeing the dark-haired young man warily.

The latter turned around slowly, coming face-to-face with the ghost.

The terrifying sight didn’t evoke even a hint of fear or surprise in him. Instead, a faint smile appeared on his lips.

“Annie, how did you end up looking like this after just one turn?”

Seeing this, the ghost seemed to understand something and chuckled darkly.

“Lying isn’t nice, Master Su Fan.”

“I wasn’t lying to a person—I was lying to a ghost.”

Su Fan looked at Freddy before him, his tone innocent.

“Besides, you came to me first, didn’t you?”