You should know that the Ascension Bridge is made of grass, wood, and paper, extremely flimsy—by rights, it shouldn’t even support a chicken. Yet when the child stepped onto it, the bridge didn’t move at all, as if it were made of stone!

Charles Foster went up and scooped the child down in one motion. William Clark went to help, but was shocked the moment he touched the child: “Why is he so cold?”

The child felt as if he were carved from ice—stiff and freezing to the touch.

Charles Foster said in a deep voice, “Because he’s encountered a Yin Messenger. He’s now possessed by a Yin Messenger!”

Daniel Bennett: “That’s right. Only a Yin Messenger can cross the Ascension Bridge.”

Robert Bell said timidly, “Sir, look, a Yin Messenger isn’t a ghost. Didn’t I say the child didn’t run into a ghost?”

Charles Foster frowned and thought for a moment, then asked, “How many days has it been since Samuel Bell passed away?”

Robert Bell replied, “Five days.”

Charles Foster barked, “Impossible! If he’s been dead for five days, how could a Yin Messenger still be coming? According to the rules of Yin and Yang, the Yin Messenger would have taken the soul away on the day of death—he wouldn’t come again after that!”

William Clark thought quickly and said, “Maybe the clan leader’s soul didn’t go to the underworld, so the Yin Messenger came again tonight. And if I’m not mistaken, the Yin Messenger’s appearance tonight isn’t a coincidence—he’s come every night for the past four nights! You all knew about this, so you gave the child spirit-warding coins, didn’t you?”

Robert Bell and the remaining strong men exchanged glances, looking confused.

William Clark saw their confusion didn’t seem faked, so he asked again, “Then why did you give the child spirit-warding coins? Is it written in the ancestral teachings?”

“No, it was the clan leader’s instructions,” said Robert Bell.

Hearing this, William Clark began to ponder again, faintly grasping the situation.

This clan leader, Samuel Bell, truly devoted himself to the end, even after death.

Charles Foster circled the coffin, then stopped in front of the soul-summoning bell: “No, no, I was mistaken. This isn’t a soul-summoning bell—it’s a Vajra bell!”

A soul-summoning bell is used to call spirits back, but a Vajra bell is used to suppress evil and restrain souls.

He tapped the ancient bronze bell with his scabbard, then suddenly asked the young woman, “Did Samuel Bell also instruct you to shake the soul-summoning bell on the night of soul-calling to summon his soul back?”

His gaze swept over the young woman like lightning, making her tremble in fear and lower her head, not daring to answer.

Charles Foster said, “Are you also wearing spirit-warding coins? And you started wearing them after you became pregnant? Was it Samuel Bell who told you to wear them, and only allowed you to take them off during the two days of bell-ringing?”

The young woman didn’t answer, just instinctively covered her chest and shook her head in panic.

David Bennett said sternly, “Let me check.”

The The Bell Family glared at him angrily.

Charles Foster waved his hand, a look of realization on his face.

He said to William Clark and David Bennett, “I know what’s going on now. Heh, this Samuel Bell somehow learned this wicked art—he actually wants to control his own reincarnation!”

He pointed at the young woman: “The child in your belly is about to be swapped.”

Then he pointed at Robert Bell: “No wonder your clan leader chose a fool like you to inherit the position—he’s paving the way for himself to return as clan leader in a few years!”

William Clark caught on and pointed at the Vajra bell: “Samuel Bell’s soul wasn’t taken away by the Yin Messenger, but is hidden in here?”

Charles Foster nodded: “Exactly. The Yin Messenger couldn’t find the real soul, so he comes to the ancestral hall every night to search. He must have noticed something strange about this bell, but as a spirit, he can’t open the Vajra bell. So after possessing the child, the first thing he did upon entering the ancestral hall was try to cross the bridge and open the Vajra bell!”

The few The Bell Family in the ancestral hall were all stunned. Someone said, “That’s nonsense!”

Charles Foster shouted, “Don’t you get it? According to the rules of Yin and Yang, if a Yin Messenger can’t find a soul within seven days of death, he stops looking—that’s how wandering ghosts are made. But Samuel Bell won’t become a wandering ghost. He found a pregnant woman with an empty womb, and when the time comes, his soul will enter the empty womb, take over, and be reborn!”

When a woman is pregnant, little ghosts from the underworld come to reincarnate.

But Samuel Bell made this woman wear spirit-warding coins, so the little ghosts couldn’t find her and had nowhere to go, turning into infant spirits, while the fetus became an empty womb.

The people living in the main house are either adults with strong yang energy, or children with weak yang energy but wearing spirit-warding coins—infant spirits and Yin Messengers can’t bother them.

But Henry Bell’s wife was weak in body and yang energy. When she came to the main house to fetch embroidery thread, she was entangled by the infant spirit.

Samuel Bell anticipated this might happen, so he arranged everything before his death: if the clan was haunted after his death, they were not to notify the Astronomical Bureau.

When Henry Bell went to report to the authorities, he was locked up in the earthen jail upon his return.

The Astronomical Bureau came to investigate, but the The Bell Lineage refused to cooperate for this very reason.

After he revealed the truth, the The Bell Family still didn’t believe it, all shaking their heads.

Catherine Bell said, “Sir, please understand, our The Bell Family’s rule of not dealing with the Astronomical Bureau wasn’t set by the clan leader, it’s written in the ancestral teachings—passed down for generations.”

Robert Bell’s grandson also said, “Grandpa Fu didn’t choose my grandpa as clan leader on a whim, and this business about paving the way to become clan leader again is also in our ancestral teachings…”

“Guar, stop talking.” Robert Bell suddenly covered his grandson’s mouth.