Lionel was stunned. He stared at his phone again, reading the message he had received from his bank.

  2000 dollars.

  The Carlson couple had transferred 2000 dollars to his account. Although the amount didn't faze him for his bank account had a lot more than anyone could comprehend, he was still in disbelief that his small act of kindness had profited him greatly.

  Lionel suddenly had an understanding. He stared at the manor before him, his manor, the house his grandfather had left for him. 'Is this how you were earning money, Grandpa?' he wondered.

  2000 dollars wasn't a lot of money. But to him, it was still a lot and he briefly considered returning some of it. But he stopped short and decided to speak with the Carlson couple in person. Moreover, he had yet to provide them with more talismans.

  Lionel closed and locked all the doors and windows, his mind returning to the important matter at hand. He had three days before he returned to the Carlson house to investigate.

  So, he took this time to cultivate and draw talismans.

  On the first day, nothing happened. He was still at a bottleneck, stuck at the Ghost Sense of Novice Spirit Seer stage, but he was able to draw talismans with more power.

  It was on the second night that he had a breakthrough.

  Lionel felt a minute fluctuation in his spiritual energy and his heartbeat spiked. He continued cultivating, feeling the change in him. Albeit subtle, there was a change, and this change continued for a long time until everything became stagnant again.

  He had reached the next level in Novice Spirit Seer. He was now a Silent Exorcist.

  Lionel instantly tested his powers and drew the Cleaning Talisman. He succeeded in one go; this time, it had dense spiritual energy, better than all the talismans he had drawn previously, even when combined.

  Testing his might, he tried to draw another talisman, one that required more spiritual energy. The Blessing Talisman.

  The Blessing Talisman wasn't as easy as the Cleaning Talisman. But he didn't lose hope and drew it with utmost focus. Surprisingly, he was able to draw it. Although the spiritual energy in it wasn't that thick, he still felt it.

  Lionel cheered with his achievement and in no time, he had exhausted all his spiritual energy in stacking Cleansing Talismans and Blessing Talismans.

  A smile crept up on his lips and he stared at the stack of talismans, his treasure trove.

  Sighing softly, he glanced at the time. It was already past dinnertime. Surprisingly, he wasn't that hungry. Not bothering to have something, he retired for the night, deciding to focus on everything else afterward.

  However, he had barely laid down on his bed when his phone rang and Lionel answered it immediately when he saw who was calling him.

  "Mrs. Carlson." Lionel's thoughts started to run wild. Why was she calling him at this time of the night? Was something wrong? Did something happen to Nia?

  "Lionel, I... I..." The woman could barely speak, and Lionel's heart almost jumped out of his chest. A terrible feeling was creeping up on him.

  "Mrs. Carlson, is Nia okay? What happened?"

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  Lionel couldn't fathom what had happened and Sophia's incoherent words weren't helping him much.

  "Lionel, it's me, Phil."

  "Mr. Carlson," Lionel was glad his professor's husband was calm compared to his agitated wife. "Is Nia fine?"

  "Nia, is fine, Lionel. She is recuperating well. It's just that...just that..." He hesitated for a moment and Lionel's brows drew together in confusion.

  "Nia's friend has fallen unconscious and her symptoms look exactly the same as Nia's before you helped her."

  Lionel understood what was happening. Although it wasn't what he had expected, he wasn't surprised. Instead, he became apprehensive at once. The situation wasn't looking good.

  "Mr. Carlson, I'll be there soon. Text me the address."

  "Thank you, Lionel."

  Lionel drove towards the place his professor's husband had texted him. The night was eerily calm, with barely anyone present on the streets. It was close to midnight after all.

  Observing the area he was reaching, he pushed his tongue against the inside of his cheek. It was one of the posh areas in the town, where the rich lived.

  Lionel didn't even have to enter the house to find out what was wrong. As soon as he reached the villa, he felt a strong negative energy from inside. It was denser than how it had been in the Carlson family.

  Lionel knocked on the door lightly and waited as he studied his surroundings. He was surprised to see his professor opening the door for him. She seemed to be crying; her eyes were red and puffy.

  "Lionel, please come inside."

  Sophie led him inside and Lionel looked around, his frown deepening with each step he took inside the villa.

  "Lauren is Nia's friend and classmate and she fell unconscious a day ago. The doctors weren't able to determine anything. When I found out, I thought... I thought..." Sophie was overwhelmed with fear and she could barely manage to speak without stuttering.

  "I understand, Mrs. Carlson." Lionel didn't say much until they reached the living room.

  "Lionel, this is Susan Wallace and Brian Wallace, Lauren's parents," Sophie introduced. "And that's Jacob, Lauren's elder brother."

  Lionel wasn't surprised to see Phil along with the Wallace family. Instead, he was surprised to see another familiar face. He recognized Jacob. After all, they studied in the same university. The only difference was that Jacob was his senior and was in a different department.

  "I know you." Jacob pointed his finger at him, his eyes narrowing in realization.

  "Yeah. I'm your junior at the university," Lionel acknowledged and nodded at the Wallace couple.

  "Where's Nia?" Lionel didn't say more and glanced at his professor.

  "My sister is with her. She's safe," Phil replied, understanding why Lionel enquiring about his daughter.

  "Good." Lionel was glad that they hadn't left the poor girl alone, after all that she went through.

  "Phil, what's happening? Who is he and why is he here?" Brian asked, skeptical about Lionel and his intentions.

  "Brian, as I told you before, I think Lauren is being haunted by the same ghost that haunted my daughter."

  Brian jumped to his feet instantly and glared at Phil. "My daughter isn't possessed by any ghost. Don't you dare accuse her maliciously."

  Lionel felt a deja vu, only that he wasn't at the receiving end of Mr. Wallace's wrath this time, unlike the previous time.

  "But..."

  "Mr. Carlson, let me," Lionel interrupted, bringing everyone's attention to him.

  "I don't want to listen to you. You swindler. What did you feed Phil and Sophie for them to support your bullshit?" Brian shouted.

  Lionel narrowed his eyes, disliking the man's tone. He didn't mind the man's suspicion. But calling him a swindler before testing him wasn't something he was unwilling to accept.

  "Get out of here before I call the police."

  "Are you sure, Mr. Wallace?" Lionel was annoyed and he didn't hide it from them. "If I leave today, I guarantee no one can save your daughter."

  While Brian scoffed, deeming his words to be bullshit, his wife thought otherwise. His eyes widened in fear while her face lost all color. Her eyes teared up and she bit her lip for a moment before deciding to take the risk.

  "Brian, let's give him a chance."

  "Susan, you..." Brian was vexed and his eyes rounded in shock.

  "What if he can help our daughter?"

  "Yes, Brian. Trust me when I say Lionel helped Nia. I hope Lauren's situation is different from my daughter's. But what if it's the same?" Phil stated, his face serious and stressed. He hadn't missed Lionel's annoyed gaze and he had every right to be. He'd too felt angry listening to Brian's insults.

  "No doctor or specialist will be able to save her then."

  "I agree, Dad. Let Lionel try once," Jacob too agreed and gave Lionel a strange look.

  Brian gritted his teeth but remained silent, accepting their suggestions. But that didn't stop him from glaring at Lionel who looked equally irked at him.

  "Mr. Carlson is right. Your daughter, Lauren's situation is the same as Nia's," he started, holding the Wallace couple's gaze. "Only that Lauren's is more severe and dangerous."