I'm an antique shop owner, so it's reasonable for me to know some magic

Chapter 525

Shen Xuanxuan did not expect to be caught red-handed as soon as he came out of the emergency exit.

He had originally planned to look for a back door or something in the hotel and sneak away, but as soon as he peeked out of the stairwell, he saw Andrei.

The latter looked anxious and filled with inexplicable fear. Upon seeing Shen Xuanxuan, he immediately hurried over to greet him.

"Master Shen! We've finally been waiting for you! Has the matter upstairs been resolved...?"

Andrei's expression suddenly changed halfway through his sentence.

"Those two... could it be..."

"No, no, no, they were accidentally injured by evil spirits during the exorcism and are unable to move around easily. They are resting upstairs now."

"That's good... They can't stand any bad news right now."

Shen Xuanxuan's explanation relieved Andrei, who also noticed the information revealed in the other's words.

"What did you mean just now? Were we attacked by evil spirits down there?"

"Yes."

Andrei briefly recounted how everyone had been trapped in an illusion and then awakened by thunder, and at the end, he did not forget to praise Shen Xuanxuan for his foresight and brilliant strategy.

The latter looked completely bewildered.

The situation Andrei described is called "ghost intercourse," which is just a method used by some low-level ghosts to absorb people's vital energy. Anyone with a strong body and abundant yang energy will not be affected.

But Andrei asserted with certainty that everyone present was trapped in that kind of dream, which was clearly the work of evil spirits.

Why? Wouldn't it be more convenient to just absorb it directly? Besides, isn't their target the flesh, blood, and soul of cultivators like myself?

Numerous mysteries lingered in Shen Xuanxuan's mind, so much so that he could only mechanically respond to Andrei's praise without taking it to heart. However, the crucial information that followed once again captured his attention.

"After I regained consciousness, in order to ensure the safety of everyone present, I counted the number of people and found that there were three more than at the beginning."

"This means that at least three non-human beings have infiltrated the crowd. If we consider that they have the ability to disguise themselves, the exact number is even more unimaginable."

"My officers and I have tried to find out if they were real by subtly asking for a lot of personal information, but it has been completely useless."

"Mortals without power cannot even detect evil lurking around them."

Andrei's tone became somewhat downcast as he spoke.

"That's why I was thinking of waiting here for you, Master Shen, to come down and verify the authenticity."

Upon hearing this, Shen Xuanxuan realized that the three extra people were probably the part of the ghosts that had separated upstairs, so he briefly assessed the situation.

The evil spirit's remaining forces have already been eliminated by Miss Selva upstairs; what remains are nothing but chickens and dogs. He is now possessed by the patriarch.

Given this shift in power dynamics, the current situation regarding food is not a major problem.

Moreover, this is also a good opportunity to show off one's abilities in front of others.

Thinking of this, Shen Xuanxuan felt his mind tremble and hurriedly spoke.

"That's no problem at all. We cultivators should take it as our duty to eliminate demons and protect the righteous path. They are just little devils who have infiltrated the crowd. Once I make my move, I will destroy them in an instant."

Only after these words were spoken did the emotional turmoil, which implied a warning, subside.

He secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and then followed Andrei to the hall where everyone was gathered.

Due to the activities of the crowd, the previously clean and magnificent hall now appeared somewhat dirty and messy.

The people who had gathered together no longer huddled together, but separated one by one, keeping a distance of about one meter from each other, their wary eyes constantly scanning the people around them.

"It seems they already know that there are vengeful spirits mixed in among them."

Shen Xuanxuan understood immediately and glanced at Andrei. The latter assumed this was a rebuke of the police's incompetence and could only offer an awkward smile.

Little did they know that the former felt the police's incompetence was a perfect foil to highlight the main attraction.

Facing these ordinary people who had no ability, Shen Xuanxuan once again put on the airs of a wise and enlightened master, swept his whisk, and spoke indifferently.

"I am fairly clear about what has happened here, so you can all rest assured that they can't cause any trouble."

As he spoke, he pulled out the Bagua compass from his sleeve.

"Any evil spirit will have nowhere to hide under this treasure. All you need to do is stand still and you will know whether it is a human or a ghost."

As Shen Xuanxuan spoke, his eyes were constantly observing the expressions on most people's faces.

However, many of them appeared quite calm, showing neither the excitement of escaping the cloud of suspicion nor the fear of their true identities being exposed.

It was as if he had anticipated his actions.

Seeing that his public display of divine power had not yielded significant results, Shen Xuanxuan frowned imperceptibly.

He began to consider whether to deliberately show off his skills in the upcoming battle, while holding the Bagua compass in his hand and starting to examine everyone one by one.

The first... the second... the third...

Not only the ordinary people he brought in, but also Andrei himself and his police officers were examined by the Bagua compass.

As Shen Xuanxuan walked past these people, his previously composed demeanor gradually crumbled, and his expression turned grave.

After everyone had read it, it seemed that some people couldn't hold back any longer.

"Master, now that everyone has seen it, please reveal the answer!"

“We’ve been stuck here for more than three hours since this afternoon, and it’s already dark outside.”

When can we go home?

Amidst the commotion and questions from the crowd, Shen Xuanxuan had no interest in answering.

His gaze fell on each face, finally settling on Andrei.

"Now tell me in detail what exactly happened here while I was away?"

Andrei was taken aback, but without much hesitation, he recounted everything that had happened there before.

This time, however, the process was exceptionally detailed.

After he finished speaking, he finally couldn't help but ask a question.

"Is something wrong, Master Shen? Could it be that those things are too good at hiding themselves, making them impossible to detect?"

Shen Xuanxuan took a deep breath, his voice a little hoarse.

"No... we can't detect it, but apart from you and me, everyone else at the scene has the aura of evil spirits on them."

"this!"

Andrei was utterly shocked. He instinctively wanted to cry out, but dared not make a sound. He could only hope that Master Shen, who was deep in thought, would quickly come up with a solution.

Shen Xuanxuan, on the other hand, is now only focused on running away.

There was nothing wrong with the Bagua compass. Just like before when it was outside, as long as it detected evil spirits, black energy would appear.

Just now, when he walked in front of everyone, the Bagua plate was constantly displaying black energy.

He didn't know what had happened in between, but he felt more and more that the waters of London were deeper and colder than he had imagined.

(End of this chapter)