As An Antique Shop Owner, It's Only Reasonable That I Know A Bit Of Magic - Chapter 79

To understand what the ghostly entity truly was, he had to find Quinn and ask her exactly what she had done.

Soon, he arrived at unit 414 and rang the doorbell.

Footsteps quickly sounded from inside the house.

“Dammit… Coming!”

“Oh… Jamie…”

The one who came to the door was Quinn’s father, Sean. He initially seemed somewhat impatient, but his expression returned to normal upon seeing Jamie.

“Sorry about that, I thought it was those community workers bothering me again.”

“Come on in, have a seat.”

Jamie followed Sean into the house.

“Can I get you something to drink?”

“No, thank you. I’m actually here to see Quinn… is she home right now?”

Jamie waved his hand, politely declining while stating the purpose of his visit.

“She’s out for an audition. If you have a message, I can pass it along for you.”

That Quinn wasn’t home was something Jamie hadn’t anticipated.

He thought for a moment, then made a decision.

“Sean, there’s something I need to tell you. I hope you’ll brace yourself a little.”

Sean seemed to pick up on the inexplicable gravity in Jamie’s tone and sat down, ready to listen attentively.

“I’ve heard that Quinn has been having nightmares recently, waking up screaming in the middle of the night.”

“That’s true.”

“Regarding this matter, I consulted a truly formidable expert. He told me that Quinn is being harassed by an evil spirit.”

Upon hearing this, the look in Sean’s eyes changed, becoming somewhat strange and more wary.

“I didn’t know you were religious, Jamie.”

“I’m not here to preach. I’m telling you the truth. Many people already know about the strange things happening in the apartment building. Can you really not sense anything wrong?”

“Jamie, with these things, if you believe in them, they exist; if you don’t, they don’t. Often, so-called talk of ghosts and gods is just people scaring themselves.”

Sean shook his head.

Jamie opened his mouth, wanting to say more, but ultimately closed it.

Without experiencing it firsthand, no normal person would believe…

Could he just stand by and watch Quinn be harmed by the evil spirit?
Just like his wife, Lisa?!

Remembering his tragically deceased wife, Jamie took a Talisman for Suppressing Evil from the inner pocket of his jacket.

“I know it’s asking a lot to suddenly make you believe in malevolent spirits, but please, you must take this talisman.”

“What is this?”

“It’s a protective charm that can bless the holder and bring good fortune. Please give it to Quinn when she returns.”

After speaking, Jamie stood up and said goodbye to Sean.

Sean, watching Jamie leave, frowned at the yellow paper talisman in his hand.

He wasn’t unaware of his daughter’s recent actions.

But as her father, Sean could only sigh at the reason behind her foolish behavior.

The concept of souls was completely unfounded; there was no need to take it seriously.

Sean initially thought about throwing it in the trash, but Jamie’s solemn expression flashed before his eyes.

Jamie was a good guy. Even though he was new to the neighborhood, he was well-liked among the residents. His visit also clearly showed he didn’t view Sean as a wife-beater, unlike some others.

Thinking this, he dismissed the idea of discarding the talisman.

But should he actually give this protective charm to Quinn or not?
For a moment, Sean felt conflicted.

Until the sound of a pot lid rattling came from the kitchen.

Damn it!

Sean suddenly remembered the soup he had simmering in the kitchen. He quickly put down the Talisman for Suppressing Evil and rushed to the kitchen.
The living room was now empty. No one saw the faint glow that briefly flickered across the surface of the talisman.

After leaving, Jamie didn’t return to his own apartment. Instead, he went up to the fifth floor.

According to other residents, unit 514 had been unoccupied for years.

But lately, Jamie had often heard noises coming from upstairs.
This room was the most suspicious!
Jamie calmed his gradually accelerating heartbeat and walked step by step towards unit 514.

——————

Su Fan flipped through the book on the Six Yao method, and with great interest, found three coins.

For the first time, he wanted to try divining his own financial luck!

Although he hadn’t mastered it fully, after a general look through the book, he at least knew how to cast a hexagram.

Casting a hexagram isn’t as mysterious as many people think. There are only three main points to note.

First, ensure the three coins are of equal value. They shouldn’t have different denominations or be from different currencies. Also, avoid using ancient coins excavated from tombs.

The former is for accuracy, the latter… goes without saying.

Second, remember the “Three Do Not Divine” principles: Do not divine if insincere; do not divine for unrighteous purposes; do not divine where there is no real doubt.

These are quite straightforward.

‘Do not divine if insincere’ means if you aren’t earnest, don’t bother asking. This is the most basic rule.

‘Do not divine for unrighteous purposes’ – well, casting a hexagram to ask if you can replace the legal wife as the mistress… that’s hard to justify.

The last one, ‘do not divine where there is no real doubt,’ refers to situations where there are no lingering uncertainties, or for matters of established truth. There’s no need for divination.

Would you divine which direction the sun will rise from tomorrow?

The final preparation for casting a hexagram is to wash your hands and calm your mind.

Once all three conditions are met, you can begin.

Su Fan calmed his breath and mind, tossed the three coins, and noted the number of heads and tails.

Repeating this six times, he obtained the primary hexagram.

Then, based on the changing lines (old yin, old yang), he derived the changing hexagram, assigned the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches… determined the Six Relations, clarified dynamic and static lines…

Su Fan fiddled with it while consulting the book, and soon had the hexagram arranged.

“This is way too troublesome…”

Su Fan finally couldn’t help but sigh.

No wonder they said the Six Yao method was difficult for beginners. Even with a teacher’s guidance, this whole process would take considerable time.

You couldn’t finish it in less than an hour or two.

[You have successfully cast and arranged a hexagram. Proficiency in the Six Yao method has increased.]

Hearing the prompt in his ear, Su Fan nodded silently, then began to examine the resulting hexagram before him.

Interpreting the hexagram’s imagery emphasizes free association; one must dare to make connections.

Su Fan took out a copy of the I Ching and began cross-referencing the hexagram imagery, studying it repeatedly.

After frowning and pondering for a while, Su Fan suddenly felt a sense of foreboding.

The hexagram seemed to indicate… that he would recently suffer financial loss.

Su Fan was quite puzzled.

He usually lived a secluded life, and his recent outings were solely to deal with paranormal entities.

He didn’t have any major expenses like buying a car or a house.

Why would the hexagram suddenly indicate he would lose money?
Could there be some unforeseen misfortune approaching?
While Su Fan was pondering this, a knock soon came at his door.

“Fan Su? You’ve got mail.”

The mail carrier called out and then placed the letter in the mailbox by the door.

Hearing this, Su Fan got up from behind the counter, opened the door, and retrieved the letter.

After tearing open the envelope, the first thing that caught his eye was the three letters in the top left corner.

IRS.

Seeing this, Su Fan’s face stiffened.