Ye Tiancheng's decisions were final, and despite Bai Long's dissatisfaction, she dared not voice any objections. After all, Ye Tiancheng was now her master, and any discontent she felt had to be suppressed.
Bai Long's strong resistance to Ye Tiancheng forming a contract with Qiongqi stemmed from the inherent competition that arose between beasts contracted to the same individual.
Therefore, Bai Long was quite displeased with Ye Tiancheng forming contracts with other beings. While she could tolerate artifacts like the Shen Nong Ding, Nuwa Stone, and Kunlun Mirror, as they were mere objects, Qiongqi was a living entity, and thus, a direct rival to her.
Moreover, Qiongqi had even insisted on a contract of equality. This implied that once the contract was signed, Qiongqi would hold a superior position to her. Bai Long naturally found this unacceptable.
However, with Ye Tiancheng having already made up his mind, she was powerless to change his course.
Ye Tiancheng and Qiongqi deliberated on the terms of the contract, reaching an agreement that was mutually satisfactory. Following this, Qiongqi formally contracted with Ye Tiancheng.
To be frank, Qiongqi's decision to contract with Ye Tiancheng was as he had initially anticipated; he saw great potential in Ye Tiancheng's future and believed that aligning himself with the young man would not be a disadvantage.
Thus, after considerable thought, and upon witnessing Ye Tiancheng successfully obtain the divine artifact Shen Nong Ding, Qiongqi stepped forward to propose an equal contract. Otherwise, there would have been no reason for Qiongqi to consider anyone else. He was, by nature, a highly self-centered being.
Ye Tiancheng, finding himself with no alternative but to compromise with Qiongqi, focused his efforts on negotiating terms that would primarily restrain Qiongqi, even sacrificing the opportunity to exert greater control over him for his assistance. Ye Tiancheng had poured considerable thought into the stipulations of this contract.
Upon reviewing the terms, Qiongqi raised his eyebrows and observed Ye Tiancheng for a moment. However, he showed no hesitation when it came to signing the contract, and the agreement was smoothly finalized.
With the contract complete, Ye Tiancheng breathed a sigh of relief. This assurance would allow him to proceed with greater peace of mind, free from the worry of excessive troubles finding their way to him.
Then, Ye Tiancheng asked Qiongqi, "Now that you have contracted with me, do you wish to return with us?"
Qiongqi retreated to the mouth of the cave and replied to Ye Tiancheng, "Never mind. Call me when you are about to leave this place, and I will accompany you then."
"Aren't you still going to linger here for a while?"
"If I were not here, that old man would soon discover that the divine artifact Shen Nong Ding is no longer in this place. Your situation would not be as comfortable as it is now. Therefore, I will remain here for a while longer."
Ye Tiancheng was somewhat surprised by Qiongqi's statement. Qiongqi's choice to act in such a manner was incredibly considerate of him, a rare occurrence. Ye Tiancheng did not consider Qiongqi's assistance a given.
Therefore, Ye Tiancheng thanked Qiongqi with great sincerity, saying, "Thank you. We will come back for you when we are ready to leave this place."
Qiongqi nodded noncommittally and then said to Ye Tiancheng and the others, "Alright, it's getting dark. Hurry down the mountain and attend to your business. Once you've resolved it, I will follow you."
Ye Tiancheng thanked Qiongqi once more before descending the mountain with the little fox and Bai Long.
Now that Ye Tiancheng had returned, Bai Long no longer needed to disguise herself as him. She accompanied Ye Tiancheng and the little fox down the mountain. Since she was meant to be an unseen presence to the villagers, Bai Long would only reveal herself when absolutely necessary. Thus, on their descent, Bai Long reverted to her totem form and attached herself to Ye Tiancheng, leaving with them.
Ye Tiancheng and the little fox's destination was, naturally, Aya's home. They had no other place to stay in the area, and they needed to remain inconspicuous to avoid attracting undue attention or suspicion. Therefore, it was best to maintain their previous state, and unless unforeseen circumstances arose, it was preferable not to change.
Furthermore, Ye Wuji was still waiting at Aya's home. The little fox couldn't keep him by her side; to ensure his safety, it was much more secure to keep him hidden.
Thus, Ye Tiancheng and the little fox made their way back to Aya's home. Upon their return, everything was as expected. Aya had not yet returned, presumably still at Elder Wu's residence. This situation was more convenient for Ye Tiancheng and the others.
Upon returning, Ye Tiancheng did not immediately rush to use the divine artifact Shen Nong Ding to research medicine. Instead, he first checked on Ye Wuji. Ye Wuji had heard the commotion upon their return and immediately rushed to greet them as they opened the door.
Indeed, Ye Wuji was relieved to see Ye Tiancheng return safely. He was also very happy to learn that Ye Tiancheng and the others had successfully achieved their objective. If Ye Wuji could not regain his human form, remaining in his current state would be extremely inconvenient. Moreover, the loss of memory was not just an uncomfortable experience for Ye Tiancheng and the little fox; it was equally so for Ye Wuji. Anyone in such a situation would inevitably feel disoriented. If one were alone in such a predicament, the fear would likely be even greater. Therefore, the success on Ye Tiancheng's part was undoubtedly great news for Ye Wuji.
After checking on Ye Wuji and confirming that he had not encountered any trouble during their absence, Ye Tiancheng had no further immediate concerns regarding him. He returned to his room to use the divine artifact Shen Nong Ding to research the necessary medicine. The others, including the little fox, dared not disturb Ye Tiancheng, leaving him with the space he needed to focus on his research.
In a relatively short period, Ye Tiancheng successfully achieved his goal. However, he dared not rashly administer the medicine to the little fox or Ye Wuji. Therefore, Ye Tiancheng kept his experiments a secret, conducting them on himself to confirm the medicine's efficacy before presenting it to the little fox and Ye Wuji. Consequently, Ye Tiancheng was the first among them to regain his memory.
As everyone recovered their memories and recalled past events, they all felt a sense of relief, realizing how many unforeseen dangers they had encountered on this journey and how close they had come to not being able to leave. Fortunately, the people of this place could not detect Bai Long's presence with Ye Tiancheng, meaning that even if their memories were lost, the truth would eventually be revealed. This realization gave Ye Tiancheng and the others hope that they could eventually resolve their issues and find a way to leave.
With their memories restored and no other pressing matters, Ye Tiancheng and the others did not dare to delay and began planning their departure. Now that they were no longer in a state of amnesia, they knew where to go to find the route out of this place. At the very least, they knew the location of the exit. All that remained was to figure out how to activate the formation for their escape and leave quickly.
Considering the late hour, Ye Tiancheng and the little fox decided to rest for another night in the village. The following morning, they proceeded to the place where Aya had first led them into the village, as remembered from their recovered memories. There, they discovered the teleportation entrance and confirmed the location of the formation.
However, researching the method of departure proved to be somewhat troublesome and required time. Moreover, they had to be discreet, as many people were often present in the area. Ye Tiancheng and the others needed to be careful not to be discovered by the villagers as they prepared to escape.
Researching the method of departure was not an insurmountable task for Ye Tiancheng and his companions. However, during their research, they noticed a subtle change in the villagers' demeanor when they looked at them, as if they harbored special intentions and were preparing to act. Ye Tiancheng and the others felt a chill. If this were the case, they would need to be vigilant and cautious, lest their efforts to leave be thwarted at the last moment, leading to an accident and their inability to escape.
Ye Tiancheng and the others became more cautious, carefully observing the situation. Once they found a way to leave, they continued to explore other areas to avoid appearing suspicious and revealing their true intentions. They planned to wait for a moment when the village was less crowded to seize the opportune moment to escape. Once they passed through the exit formation, it would be as if they had the freedom to soar in the boundless sea and sky.
Ye Tiancheng and the others waited until evening. Ye Tiancheng noticed unusual activity near Aya's home. Unlike before, Ye Tiancheng, now with his memories restored, found it much easier to conceal his movements and avoid detection by these people. Therefore, Ye Tiancheng immediately led the little fox and the others away from Aya's home using a stealth technique.
During their departure, Ye Tiancheng and the others discovered that, at some point, the vicinity of Aya's home had been silently surrounded by the villagers, who seemed to be preparing to take action. Fortunately, Ye Tiancheng and the others had recovered their memories early and had already planned their escape. Had they delayed any longer, they could not have foreseen what might have befallen them.
Ye Tiancheng and the others dared not delay. Moreover, observing the current situation, with these people surrounding Aya's home and unable to detect their stealthy departure, they were ordinary people.