Grandpa An pointed to the ground and continued.

"Huo Family Village is quite special, situated at the intersection of three timelines: past, present, and future. To put it simply, Xiuxiu's timeline is the past, while yours is the present. The reason you can see and influence the past is because the Soul-Binding Bell brought you from the 'past' to the 'present'."

"Furthermore, even if you obtain the Soul-Cleansing Bell in the 'present,' you cannot return to the 'past,' which is one of the reasons I am stopping you."

Zhang Shi was confused by what Master An had said, feeling that something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

He stared at Grandpa An, trying to find a flaw in the other man's expression, but Grandpa An's golden face showed nothing but kindness and helplessness.

"So, according to you, 'now' I'll never be able to get the Soul-Solving Bell here?"

Grandpa An nodded.

"That's right. Because of the Soul-Binding Bell, although you can touch things from the 'past,' everything will be restored when you return to your own 'past.' Time will erase the effects you caused."

Zhang Shi's lips curled into a smirk, and he placed Old Duan's hand across the Soul-Binding Bell again.

"If that's the case, then why did you bring me here?"

Grandpa An quickly waved his hand.

"Hey, hey, don't rush me, let me finish what I have to say."

"Although you can't take the bell back, you can know how things will develop in advance and keep track of the bell's location. Once we return to the normal 'past,' you can retrieve it. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

Zhang Shi nodded, feeling that what Master An said made some sense. He then took out Master An's porcelain pot and asked again.

"What kind of magic is this black tiger? And what's the deal with this spirit-gathering array and the underground cave in the graveyard?"

At this moment, Huo Xiuxiu and Huo Linjian had stopped searching. They seemed to have found nothing they were looking for, and in a fit of anger, Huo Xiuxiu destroyed all the porcelain pots in the underground palace. Countless spirits scattered out, and Huo Xiuxiu and Huo Linjian headed towards the exit of the underground palace.

Zhang Shi glanced at Master An and asked.

"I don't know about your family's conflicts, but these are all your clansmen. Are you just going to stand by and watch?"

Grandpa An shook his head helplessly, pointed to the exit, and gestured for Zhang Shi to leave.

"Follow Xiuxiu, let's talk as we walk."

...

Outside, a chilling wind howled in the courtyard of the ancestral hall, due to the presence of spirits. The spirit, however, emitted a bright golden light, like a walking moon, completely out of place in the night.

"If I'm not mistaken, your special ability is copying."

Zhang Shi remained silent. When he opened the treasure chest, An Ye was also present, so he could not hide the secret that he had obtained double the resources.

Seeing that Zhang Shi didn't speak, Master An didn't mind and continued talking to himself.

“I was originally placed on the Soul Suppressing Platform. When you opened the seal, I saw with my own eyes that the Soul-Binding Bell turned into two and appeared in your storage space. Even my soul felt torn apart. If I didn’t have some methods, my soul would probably have been split in two.”

As Zhang Shi thought of the underground cave where the Soul-Binding Bell had suppressed Huo Xiuxiu in the porcelain pot, the uneasy feeling in his heart grew stronger.

Without showing his doubts, Zhang Shi glanced at the requirements of the main quest and continued to press for information about the village.

"Don't change the subject. I just want to know what happened in this village and why there isn't a single living person in sight."

Grandpa An stopped, looked up, and pretended to reminisce about the past, then slowly walked forward again.

"It's a long story. Ever since the black fog appeared, strange things have been happening in the village from time to time, and some villagers have even gone missing."

"Over time, the number of missing persons increased, and with every household running out of food, everyone in the village felt insecure and panic intensified. In order to stabilize the situation, the village chief decided to hold a religious ceremony in the village."

"After paying a certain price, the village chief successfully woke me and the town's Black Tiger with the help of two bells. However, the black mist was quite strange and dangerous, and even we could not pass through it."

"I originally intended to set up a large array to gather spiritual energy and disperse the fog, but I did not expect that the fog had its own consciousness. It had already silently eroded some of the villagers, and even Black Tiger was caught in its trap."

"Under multiple blows, my golden body was shattered, and I could only rely on the Soul-Binding Bell to barely protect myself."

"The black mist corrupted the village, ordering the Black Tiger to kill the normal villagers and place their souls in spirit-gathering jars to form a spirit-gathering array, attempting to completely annihilate Huo Family Village."

"Seeing the critical situation, the village chief chose to sacrifice pawns to save the king. He sacrificed the lives of some villagers to set up a similar spirit-gathering array to fight against the black tiger. Xiuxiu's family was the chosen sacrifice and died at the underground altar."

"Unexpectedly, Xiuxiu was born with three souls in one body. After death, her soul did not perish, and she retained her intelligence and memories, becoming extremely powerful and attempting to take revenge on the village chief and Black Tiger."

"The village chief was caught in a pincer attack and had no choice but to use the bell as a magic weapon to suppress Xiuxiu. But this gave the Black Tiger an opportunity. Taking advantage of the fact that both sides were exhausted, it seized the opportunity and killed all the surviving villagers. From then on, Huo Family Village became a ghost town."

After listening to Uncle An's account, Zhang Shi glanced at the mission panel and found that it had not changed. He knew that the old man was lying, but he did not call him out on it.

"So, the culprit behind all this is this mysteriously appearing black mist?"

Grandpa An nodded, then stared intently at Zhang Shi.

“Since you outsiders have the means to pass through the black fog, I, an old man, have rescued you from the black tiger’s mouth, only to dare to ask you for one thing.”

Zhang Shi had already guessed what Master An was going to say, and replied in a lukewarm manner.

"Please feel free to speak."

"Now that all the villagers of Huojia Village are dead, I have nothing left to worry about, but I am unwilling to be forever trapped in this ghostly realm."

"Young man, if you are able to leave the village, please take this old man with you. I am willing to impart all the magic and supernatural powers I have learned in my life to repay your life-saving grace."

Zhang Shi stopped in his tracks. Ahead, Huo Xiuxiu and Huo Linjian had already returned to the burial chamber in the graveyard. Zhang Shi fiddled with the Soul-Binding Bell for a moment, then glanced at the porcelain pot in his backpack, and smiled meaningfully.

"This black tiger swallowed another Soul-Binding Bell, and it's now inside this Spirit-Gathering Jar. Don't you have any thoughts of revenge?"

“I rely on you, and my actions will be corrected after returning to the ‘past.’ Good and evil will eventually be rewarded; it’s not that they won’t be punished, it’s just that the time hasn’t come yet. I have no karmic connection with this black tiger, and perhaps soon someone will deal with it.”

Zhang Shi nodded, his smile deepening.

“I already know Huo Xiuxiu’s location. In that case, please teleport me back to the ‘past.’ I’m more worried about the safety of my friends. I promise you, after this is done, I will take you away from this place.”

Upon hearing this, Grandpa An smiled kindly and nodded in agreement.

"In that case, let's go back."