Chen Xiaobao continued, "I thought about it and said, 'I don't know! I never heard him make a sound.'"

The Feng Shui master lowered his voice, "Think again! Did he quietly say, 'Gods and demons, step aside, transgressors will be punished!' And then loudly shout, 'All is safe and well.'"

Annoyed by the man's questions, I replied, "Yes!"

The Feng Shui master's face changed drastically this time, his lips trembling, unable to utter a word.

I hadn't heard anyone else do the night watch, so I didn't know what they shouted.

In reality, the night watchmen only shout "All is safe and well" during the third watch.

The third watch is the Zi hour, which is from eleven o'clock to one o'clock in the morning. The Zi hour is the time when the Yin energy is at its heaviest, and ghosts like to appear at this time. The night watchman shouting "All is safe and well" is like saying to the ghosts: "I'm just a night watchman, please be kind and keep me safe."

The boss who came with the Feng Shui master saw the other man scared half to death and panicked himself, "Master, what's wrong?"

The Feng Shui master stamped his foot, "You've nearly killed me! How could you offend just anyone? We're finished!"

The boss was terrified, "Isn't there a saying, ignorance is bliss? Let's go and beg that Chen... that old man, to be merciful, what do you think?"

"You…" The Feng Shui master was also out of ideas, "Quickly prepare good gifts, let's go and beg him. Or else…"

The Feng Shui master saw me on the side, coaxed me away, and then pulled the boss aside to say a few words. I saw the boss looked troubled, so I didn't go over to listen.

Just after finishing dinner that evening, before I could tell my grandpa about meeting the Feng Shui master during the day, I heard someone calling at the door.

When my dad opened the door, the boss walked in bare-chested, carrying a firewood stick on his back. The Feng Shui master stood behind him carrying the four-color gifts, "Apologies to the old immortal!"

My grandpa glanced at them and then called the man into the house, talking to him for a long time before letting him leave.

However, that man still demolished the bell tower in front of the alley, and it was my grandpa who helped him demolish it.

After the boss moved the bell tower away, my grandpa never mentioned it again.

After a long time, even I almost forgot that there had been a bell tower at the entrance of the alley.

Chen Xiaobao stopped here, "That's all I know."

Ye Yang subconsciously reached out and tapped the table.

This seemed to be my standard action. When I was thinking, I either smoked or unconsciously tapped the table with my hand.

Feng Ruohang later told me that habits are contagious.

However, I didn't agree. How come I didn't pick up Ye Yang's bad habits?

Feng Ruohang looked at Ye Yang for a while before turning to Chen Xiaobao and asked, "Chen Xiaobei, are there any other unusual actions?"

Chen Xiaobao thought for a long time before saying, "Xiao Bei told me that her second uncle had come back to look for her, asking if I had seen him?"

"I said I had seen him, she asked me: How did second uncle come back? I didn't see my second uncle come back, so I made up a lie. Later, Xiao Bei never mentioned my second uncle's return to me again."

Feng Ruohang shook his head, "Chen Xiaobei already knows that you can't see ghosts."

Chen Xiaobao was shocked, "No way? She told me many times later about seeing ghosts."

Feng Ruohang shook his head, "Your second uncle did come back, but it wasn't a person who came back, but a ghost. Chen Xiaobei saw it, but you couldn't see it."

"Chen Xiaobei didn't want to hurt your feelings, so she carefully maintained your dignity. Even though she knew that you were just using her."

Chen Xiaobao lowered his head and didn't speak, and Feng Ruohang didn't ask him anything else.

Ye Yang said, "Bell tower? Clapper? Box? Weizi Alley is not a kind place."

"The bell has a special meaning in Buddhism: it can cut off troubles, increase wisdom, increase blessings and longevity, escape reincarnation, and achieve enlightenment. As a Dharma instrument, the bell can allow the dying to escape fear, generate good thoughts, and escape suffering."

"If the bell is in the hands of a sorcerer, it can be used to save the souls of the dead."

"Building a bell tower at the entrance of Weizi Alley should be to save the souls of the dead in Weizi Alley."

Ye Yang said in a deep voice, "Chen Xiaobao, you've lived in Weizi Alley for so many years, do you know what your neighbors do?"

Chen Xiaobao shook his head, "The neighbors in Weizi Alley don't talk to me. The children don't play with me either. I don't know what they do? And I can't see those neighbors either."

"Most of the time you can't see them, right! When they occasionally see me, they don't even say hello, they just push the door and go inside."

Chen Xiaobao said angrily, "They're all neighbors, I haven't offended them, why are they avoiding me like I'm a plague? Sometimes, even if the door isn't to their own house, they still push it open and hide inside. After hiding inside, they deliberately peek at me through the crack in the door. They only come out when I walk away."

Chen Xiaobao said, "So what if I don't let them into my house? What else can they do? If you ask me, it's right that my dad and grandpa don't let them into our house. These people aren't even worth being neighbors with."