Xia Xin was slightly nervous as he took the Copper Bell to examine it, caressing the wood on top, his gaze slowly changing, "This seems to be from a poplar tree, isn’t it?"
Jiangli gave a faint smile, "Your mind is quite quick this time."
"No, it’s not... I remember the feel of the poplar branches I saw by the lake before, it seemed to be ." Xia Xin smiled shyly, handing the Copper Bell back to Jiangli, "However, poplar is considered one of the yin woods, not suitable for planting at home, and poplar wood is prone to warping, so it’s generally not used for decoration or furniture, right?"
Yao Xuanhang didn’t quite understand these things, "What are yin woods?"
"They’re trees that prefer to grow in shade," Xia Xin explained briefly, "It’s complicated to talk about, Mr. Yao only needs to know that it’s not suitable to have poplar, pine, or mulberry trees and the like at home."
Yao Xuanhang was still confused, "Why?"
Xia Xin felt somewhat overwhelmed; actually, he didn’t quite remember some theories.
Jiangli timely took over the conversation, adding, "Because these things can also attract yin spirits. Take this poplar wood for example, also known as ’ghost clap,’ because when the wind blows the leaves, they’ll rustle continuously, sounding like the wails of ghosts and wolves. Although this Copper Bell is devoid of leaves, the addition of several copper bells ensures it still sounds like the moaning of ghosts when the wind blows, and hanging it in the house for a long time will definitely not bode well. Moreover, this window faces the side of your bed, and the material of the Copper Bell can reflect light, whether it’s sunlight or moonlight, and the combination of light and ringing bells can attract yin spirits."
Upon hearing this, Xia Xin remembered something, "Right, just like in TV dramas, Mr. Yao you’ve seen them, right? In horror films, those copper bells summon spirits, that’s what it means!"
Yao Xuanhang’s hair stood on end, "No, it can’t be..." he swallowed, "But this was a gift from Shiyi, she... she wouldn’t harm me, right...?"
"That’s not necessarily the case, how did she give you the Copper Bell?" Jiangli asked while playing with the Copper Bell in his hand, which emitted a series of light rings. Indeed, the sound was quite eerie, not at all pleasant, but rather like a strained, desperate cry.
Yao Xuanhang, fighting his fear, recalled, "I... I remember I was playing when Shiyi came to find me, saying she had something to give me. She told me she heard from someone that this Copper Bell could help with sleep, and at that time I was particularly troubled with my graduation thesis and not sleeping well, so I accepted it. Shiyi told me that this thing had to be hung high up directly opposite the head of the bed to be effective..."
Without thinking much, Yao Xuanhang noticed the curtain rod by the window was a suitable place to hang things, so he hung the Copper Bell there.
"How could something so noisy aid in sleeping? Haven’t you since noticed that your sleep has gotten even worse?" Jiangli asked, puzzled.
Yao Xuanhang frowned and replied, "I... I felt I wasn’t sleeping well, but I thought it was my own problem, I never really thought about it. I even ended up buying sleeping pills directly, I... I had no idea there was anything wrong with the Copper Bell!"
After pondering for a moment, Jiangli said, "Do you have a photo of Shiyi?"
Still frightened, Yao Xuanhang asked uncertainly, "But what do you need her photo for, Abbot?"
"To look at it, of course!" Jiangli glanced at him disdainfully, "What other reason could there be, just show me her photo."
Yao Xuanhang awkwardly tugged at his lip and quickly took out his phone, scrolling to a group photo he had taken with Shiyi and others.