"Alright, let’s leave it at that. Let’s have the next client come in now."

This time, a very young girl came in. She looked to be about thirteen or fourteen, not yet an adult.

She walked in nervously and stood there woodenly, her eyes cautiously sizing up her surroundings.

It wasn’t until Su Nian prompted her that she slowly sat down.

She was wearing a black hoodie. She kept her head down, staring at the tips of her shoes, and didn’t say a word for a long time.

[I wonder what this little girl’s problem is?]

[Let me guess. She bombed a test?]

[As long as it’s not about romance, I’m good. I really couldn’t stand that last person and her ’love conquers pain’ nonsense.]

From the moment the girl walked in, Su Nian’s gaze was fixed on her. The young girl’s face was pale and wan, and the space between her eyebrows was dark.

As her gaze swept over the girl’s body, Su Nian’s expression suddenly turned grim.

The girl’s limbs were entangled with ghost energy. A blackness so deep it looked like it could drip ink radiated from her back. The space between her eyebrows was pitch-black, and a dark aura shrouded the crown of her head. It was obvious she was being haunted by a malevolent spirit.

The young girl sat with her head down for a good while. Hearing nothing from Su Nian, she cautiously raised her own head.

"Master, how much money do I need?"

Her voice was so soft it was almost inaudible.

Su Nian saw the red bills clutched tightly in her hand, but she didn’t mention money.

"It was a car accident, wasn’t it?"

Such an abrupt question, coming out of nowhere, left the online viewers baffled.

But the young girl suddenly lifted her head, staring intently at Su Nian. A moment later, tears streamed down her face.

"Sob... Master, please help me!"

Su Nian handed her a tissue and watched her sob wretchedly. Her own tone was gentle.

"First, tell me what happened. Why did you come to me?"

"Sob... It was my mom... My mom used to love watching your livestreams. I only found you because I saw that she’d sent you a lot of gifts."

"I’ve been walking since last night... Sob... Master, you have to help me!"

The young girl was sobbing uncontrollably, her youthful face etched with grief.

[What on earth happened?]

[Did she get a wicked stepmother or something?]

[It couldn’t be that her whole family died in a car crash, could it?]

"Go on."

Su Nian’s tone was unusually gentle, which offered the girl some comfort.

"I did well on my exams, so my mom said she’d take me out to celebrate. Then, as we were driving down a road, the car suddenly flipped."

"We were taken to the hospital. Everything seemed normal at first, but then I saw my mom... she was completely different."

"My dad is in a coma, but she’s not sad at all. She just lies in her hospital bed all day, playing on her phone and ignoring me."

"But before, my mom loved my dad the most. She would get incredibly anxious if anything, even something small, happened to him."

Su Nian nodded, pinpointing the suspicious detail in her mind. ’The mother is different.’

[Maybe the shock from the car accident was too much, and her personality changed.]

[That’s totally possible. I attempted suicide once when I was in a dark place. Almost cashed in my chips. But after I was saved, I suddenly felt like most things in life aren’t worth worrying about.]

[I don’t know... Mothers are supposed to love their children.]

"I don’t think that person is my mom. She looks just like her, but... she’s a fake."

"My mom is a famous cheongsam designer. She loves beautiful things and insisted on personally handling every step of the process. But now... she doesn’t even know how to take measurements anymore."

[That does sound weird. How do you just forget a skill you’ve built your life around?]

[I’m just going to listen for now. No comment.]

[Let’s just wait and see.]

"Also, my dad passed away... but I heard his voice in the middle of the night."

[Whoa, this is intense! So creepy!]

[I’m terrified but I can’t stop listening. Guess I’ll be watching from under the covers.]

[Gotta go check on my own parents real quick.]

"I heard those two... things... talking about how they were going to eat me! Sob... They aren’t my mom and dad at all!"

"Before, after I took an exam, my mom would let me play on her phone for a few days. Ever since I realized something was wrong, I hid the phone. But that fake mom never even noticed."

"Then I heard them say they were going to eat me. I was so scared, so I grabbed the phone and ran. Master, please help me. Find my real mom and dad and bring them back, okay? I’m so scared all by myself."

The fourteen-year-old girl was a sobbing mess, but no one would dare laugh at her.

Su Nian’s fingers moved in a quick calculation, and then she nodded.

"Your parents aren’t dead yet, but they will be soon."

As soon as Su Nian finished speaking, the young girl couldn’t take the blow and nearly fainted.

"I don’t care about my exams anymore! I don’t want to go out! Master, help me! I can’t take this! Please, you have to save my mom and dad!"

Su Nian said, "Your parents’ bodies have been possessed by wandering spirits. We need to drive those two out and guide your parents’ souls back. We can’t delay. Let’s go now."

"Okay! Master, I’m begging you, you absolutely have to save my mom and dad!"

Su Nian gave a few sheets of talisman paper to the clients still waiting in line and explained.

"I have an urgent matter to attend to. No matter what your issue is, take one of these talismans for now. It will hold you over. Bring it with you when you come back to see me tomorrow."

After saying this, Su Nian left with the young girl.

Following her directions, they drove into a residential complex.

It was a malevolent spirit, just as she’d thought. They hadn’t even approached the building, but just by entering the complex, Su Nian could already feel the creature’s presence.

A large mass of black energy was pouring out of one of the windows.

Two strange figures stood by a high window, waving in unison at the young girl.

They were the most familiar faces, but paired with such stiff, eerie movements, they nearly scared the young girl to tears. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

"Master, what do we do? I’m so scared!"

[Whoa, that jump-scared me. I nearly died.]

[My eyesight is terrible. I had to stick my face to the screen to see what was happening. That seriously freaked me out.]

[These wandering spirits have no shame! Possessing people’s bodies isn’t enough, they also want to eat their daughter? What a sweet deal for them, huh?]

[Hahahaha, maybe I’ve seen too many ghosts, but I’m starting to think they’re kinda handsome.]

Led by the young girl, Su Nian finally arrived in front of the apartment.

This entire floor was affected by the two wandering spirits. The aura had become incredibly grim; simply put, you were much more likely to encounter a ghost here.

Su Nian hadn’t even entered the apartment yet; just by standing at the door, she could feel a bone-chilling cold.

The young girl let out a violent shiver.

CREAK...

At that exact moment, the door began to open...

It slowly opened just a crack, and a hand reached out—ghastly pale, with long, sharp, black fingernails.