The owner’s built-up worry, or maybe even terror, desperately needed an outlet. He paid no mind to whether his story would scare away customers, and just kept pouring it all out.

His story gave both Qin Xiaoxia and Doudou goosebumps, let alone a girl like Su Su.

’No wonder this barbecue shop has so few customers,’ he thought. ’This probably isn’t the first time the owner has told this story in such a panic.’

Hearing something so horrifying, Qin Xiaoxia and Doudou immediately wanted to back out.

’Are you kidding me?’ he thought. ’From the owner’s description, his son is clearly on the verge of some kind of "mutation."’

’Going over there now would be suicide!’

He had Magic Power, sure, but that was no guarantee he could handle this.

Even a thug with a gun wouldn’t just waltz in and provoke a group of strangers armed with knives. This wasn’t some animal mating display to show off his strength...

"Er... heh. I’m very sorry to hear that, sir. I’d suggest..."

Qin Xiaoxia couldn’t get the rest of the sentence out.

He really wanted to suggest the owner’s family call the police, or find some other way to isolate the son.

After all, this whole plot, this whole situation...

It felt just like one of those sci-fi movies where some idiot character tries to keep their soon-to-be-zombified relative at home. A total death wish.

But he couldn’t bring himself to say the words.

The bonds of family weren’t something you could sever with a few words.

If Qin Xiaoxia actually said that, he wouldn’t be surprised if the shop owner stood up and slugged him.

"Sir, actually..."

Su Su looked at Qin Xiaoxia and Doudou, then back at the owner, desperately wanting to say that someone here could help him.

’What Doudou said about his "soul being corroded by a sinister chill" clearly isn’t something a normal hospital can fix.’

But she didn’t dare make the decision for them.

She could only look at Qin Xiaoxia with a pleading gaze.

It was undeniable that Su Su’s beauty, combined with her current expression, was devastatingly effective.

Qin Xiaoxia wasn’t gay, so he naturally felt a jolt.

The moment he spoke, Qin Xiaoxia attributed his actions to "a male animal’s desire to show off in front of the female."

"Sir, if it’s convenient, could you take us to your home to have a look?"

Qin Xiaoxia figured this was the result of a chemical reaction between his sense of justice and his hormones.

The owner put down his cigarette and looked at them with some surprise.

A young man with white-streaked hair, a child who looked to be kindergarten-aged at most, and a girl who was clearly a mixed-race beauty.

"Are you doctors?"

Qin Xiaoxia shook his head and, to Su Su’s astonishment, pointed at her.

"She’s a Spirit Medium, the kind that uses a Crystal Ball. You’ve seen them in movies, right? You can think of her as a foreign version of a shaman."

However, Qin Xiaoxia’s words only earned him an even more suspicious look from the owner.

Even though his family’s situation was terrible, he wasn’t desperate enough to bring people home for treatment based on a single sentence.

Besides, his son’s recent condition made visitors rather inconvenient.

Anyone would be skeptical. Qin Xiaoxia understood this, and it was also a perfect opportunity to test what Su Su had been claiming.

"Ahem, beau—Su Su, you should prove yourself."

Unprepared, Su Su was about to refuse but immediately stopped herself.

She looked at the barbecue shop owner, then at Qin Xiaoxia and an intrigued Doudou.

’This is probably a test. Yes, it must be a test!’

Qin Xiaoxia and Doudou had no idea what was going on with Su Su.

Suddenly, the girl’s entire demeanor changed.

"Fine! Just watch! I won’t fail this test!"

She then swept the barbecue on the table to one side, took out a fist-sized Crystal Ball and its cushion from her bag, and placed them down.

Qin Xiaoxia had always thought Su Su’s Crystal Ball seemed too small compared to the ones in movies, and it was much smaller than the ones for sale in her House of Destiny.

This was also why Doudou had chosen to steal it—it was easy to carry.

He had only just learned that the items for sale were basically artificial crystal or glass, and that large, natural White Crystals were quite rare.

Although Su Su’s was only the size of a peach, it was considered very large for a natural Crystal.

She helped herself to some mineral water from the cooler.

She moistened a napkin with it and carefully wiped her face and arms.

This was a process of psychological suggestion and concentration.

Seeing the girl so serious, the three of them, including the owner, were influenced by the atmosphere and quieted down.

Su Su emptied her mind, lightly holding the subject of her divination in her thoughts.

’Oh, so she does have a few tricks up her sleeve,’ Qin Xiaoxia thought.

He began to perceive a response from the "environment" similar to when he mobilized his Magic Power, except that compared to his, Su Su’s was much weaker and had some subtle differences.

They didn’t have to wait long.

In Su Su’s eyes, the inside of the Crystal Ball gradually grew hazy and fogged over.

’This is?’

"I see... a boy... blue... AHHH! He’s eating raw meat!"

As if she’d received a terrible shock, Su Su suddenly broke off the divination, which had only lasted a few seconds. She was left breathless and shaken.

Qin Xiaoxia and Doudou were still a bit confused.

But the shop owner’s mouth fell slightly open. Then, as if he’d remembered something, he immediately pulled out his phone to make a call.

"Hey, honey, is Haohao okay?... Yeah, what?"

The owner, still on the phone, turned to look back at Su Su.

"Is he tied up and back now? Oh, oh, good, good..."

He hung up the phone.

With an expression of disbelief, the shop owner looked at Su Su as if she were his savior.

As a standard, traditional Huaguo person, he had never believed in any of that "foreigner" stuff before.

But now the facts were right in front of him, leaving him no choice but to believe.

His rough hands clutched his pant legs as he began to speak, somewhat sheepishly.

"Um... er, Master! Would it be convenient for you to..."

The three of them understood. The owner wanted to invite Su Su to his home to see if she could use supernatural powers to heal his son, retrieve his lost soul, and perform an exorcism on the "ghost" possessing him.

Now Su Su became nervous.

She had indeed divined something, but she was just a Fortune-Teller, not a Mage.

She didn’t know anything about exorcising ghosts or vanquishing demons.

She had no choice but to send a pleading look toward Qin Xiaoxia.

"Um... Mr. Qin..."

The owner thought she was reluctant to go and grew anxious.

"Don’t worry, Master, you will be paid well! I won’t short you a single cent!"

"Ooh, how much money?~"

Doudou put down his plum juice and suddenly asked.

The owner could also see that although the three didn’t seem particularly close, Su Su was clearly not the one in charge.

Not knowing the going rate for a foreign master, he answered cautiously.

"We’ve hired people for two ceremonies before, the price was around three thousand... But our family is pretty well-off. As long as you can perform an exorcism for Haohao, money is no object!"

He had clearly added the last part, afraid that a foreign master’s rates would be different.

Qin Xiaoxia and Doudou said in unison.

"We accept!"

"Ahem! When we asked, it was because we already intended to get involved!"

Su Su: "..."

P.S. Thank you to reader Zhenshi Shenshu for the 500-coin tip, and thank you to readers Yan Gui Lixia, Yuan Ru Yishi Ping’an, Ye Xuzhen, and Reader 161225231319537 for the 100-coin tips~ Thank you, everyone!