As An Antique Shop Owner, It's Only Reasonable That I Know A Bit Of Magic - Chapter 4

Of course, Su Fan wasn’t oblivious to what was happening.

This was exactly what he wanted.

His breathing remained steady and controlled, the qi cultivated through his training circulating through his body, dispelling the sinister energy trying to invade from the outside.

Outwardly calm, inwardly prepared—he was ready to turn and strike at any moment.

“Stop right there, kid!”

A loud, clear voice suddenly shattered the eerie silence.

In an instant, the world seemed to regain its vitality.

The sounds that had faded away came rushing back.

Jamie took a deep breath, his heart still pounding violently.

Su Fan, however, furrowed his brow slightly, as if annoyed.

The two turned to see the figure standing in the doorway.

A classic detective—wearing a hat, a trench coat, and sporting a thick mustache.

“You trying to destroy critical evidence?”

“This is a crime scene under police lockdown.”

The detective was, of course, referring to the ventriloquist dummy, Billy, in Su Fan’s hands.

Su Fan said nothing, but inwardly sighed in disappointment.

The detective’s sudden appearance had interrupted Mary Shaw’s possession.

She wouldn’t be showing herself again anytime soon.

Seeing that neither Su Fan nor Jamie responded, the detective grew even more convinced of his theory.

Lisa’s murderer really is this kid.

And this Asian guy next to him must be his accomplice!

One glance at the detective’s expression told Su Fan everything he needed to know.

“So now I’m a murder suspect.”

Horror movies always had a few die-hard materialists—the kind who wouldn’t believe in ghosts until they were staring one in the face.

This detective was one of them.

From start to finish, he dismissed Jamie’s claims as the desperate lies of a criminal. To him, the idea of a ventriloquist dummy committing murder was pure nonsense.

Sure, he’d eventually see Mary Shaw for himself, realize the truth, and even team up with Jamie to fight back.

But in the end, he still wouldn’t escape his grisly fate.

“Listen up, kid. Right now, I’m suspecting you’re connected to the homicide here. You’re coming with me.”

The detective flashed his badge, but Su Fan walked right past him without so much as a glance.

The blatant disregard infuriated the detective.

He stepped in front of Su Fan, blocking his path.

“Hold it!”

“Listen here, Asian boy. I don’t care who you think you are. If I want to drag you into the station for questioning, I can.”

“Whatever you and this kid are up to, you’re not fooling me!”

Su Fan chuckled.

“I have a solid alibi. What do you have?”

“I know what you’re trying to do—waste my time with pointless procedure. But I’m just a guy who runs a small shop. Losing a day or two means nothing to me.”

“If you want to play the intimidation game, take notes from the NYPD. As for you? Save it, detective.”

His fluent English and unshakable confidence left the detective momentarily speechless.

He’d assumed Su Fan was just some clueless immigrant who’d crack under pressure.

Instead, his bluff had been called instantly.

“Hmph… but trespassing on a crime scene and tampering with evidence? That’s a fact.”

The detective wasn’t wrong.

In the U.S., even regular patrol officers had broad authority—let alone a detective.

Hearing this, Jamie panicked.

He still had to bury his wife, investigate her death, and track down clues about Mary Shaw. He couldn’t afford to get tied up here.

In desperation, he quickly explained the whole situation to the detective.

“Su has nothing to do with this… If you don’t believe me, you can come with us and see for yourself.”

As Jamie spoke, the detective’s impatience was plain on his face.

Clearly, he didn’t buy a single word about cursed nursery rhymes or vengeful spirits.

But the idea of keeping tabs on them did appeal to him.

“If you value your life, stay here.”

Su Fan’s sudden warning cut through the air.

He wasn’t exaggerating. Anyone connected to Jamie’s family would become Mary Shaw’s next target.

It was a genuine warning.

But the detective only grew more defiant.

He stepped closer to Su Fan, looking down at him with a sneer.

“I’ve seen plenty of frauds like you. Listen up—your little ghost act doesn’t scare me.”

“I’ll expose your tricks. Just wait and see.”

Su Fan didn’t argue. He simply smiled.

No one can save a man hellbent on his own destruction.

He’d said his piece. What happened next was up to fate.

……

After the tense exchange, the three of them set off for Jamie’s hometown.

Their car left the bustling city behind, speeding down the highway before gradually approaching a small, isolated town.

As they crossed the bridge that connected the town to the outside world, Su Fan looked up from his Taoist texts and glanced outside.

Dark clouds blotted out the sun, making it seem as though the bridge divided two separate worlds.

Jamie slowed the car as the road conditions changed.

The town before them was less a living community and more a ghost town.

Empty houses, abandoned shops, broken benches.

The streets were littered with fallen leaves under the gloomy post-rain sky.

In such a large area, barely a soul could be seen walking outside.

“This place… Jesus…”

Even the materialist detective felt a chill crawl down his spine at the desolate, lifeless sight.

Jamie stared in disbelief.

When he’d left, Ravens Fair hadn’t been like this. This was nothing like the hometown he remembered.

The only one who remained unfazed was Su Fan.

He knew this town had long been shrouded in Mary Shaw’s shadow.

Most of its residents had either died or fled.

The fact that anyone still lived here at all was a miracle.

“I need to go home first.”

Seeing the state of the town, Jamie suddenly spoke up.

“My father might know something about Mary Shaw.”

At the mention of his father, Jamie’s expression darkened.

The detective didn’t notice, but Su Fan—aware of the family’s history—understood.

Jamie’s family was the classic small-town elite.

But his childhood had been far from happy. His father was a violent drunk who’d abused his wife relentlessly.

Jamie’s mother had been driven to her death by the man.

After that, the old bastard remarried, but his cruelty never changed—leading his second wife to flee in despair.

Jamie held no respect for his father.

If not for the hope of getting answers, he wouldn’t even want to lay eyes on the man.

“Are you coming, Su?”

“I’ll pass.”

Su Fan had no interest in getting involved in that mess.

He wanted to explore the town a little more.

As for the detective? He’d obviously stick to Jamie, his prime suspect.

Everyone knew the first rule of horror movies: Never split up.

But Su Fan was doing exactly the opposite.

“Where are you going?”

Jamie sounded anxious.

Even though Su Fan hadn’t done much so far, his calm, analytical demeanor had been a source of reassurance.

Not to mention his apparent supernatural abilities.

Now that their strongest ally was leaving, Jamie couldn’t help but panic.

“Gathering information around town.”

“We’ll meet at the motel on the outskirts tonight.”

With that brief instruction, Su Fan turned and walked away.