The little fox, under Ye Tiancheng's signal, then proceeded to make the talisman to be used for timing.
While the little fox was making the timing talisman, Ye Tiancheng couldn't help but ask Azi, "I'm a bit curious, uh, I don't mean to offend you, if you feel offended or mind, you don't have to answer my question."
"I want to ask, why do you think that if you and the little fox went to check some information, you wouldn't come back and would leave me here alone?"
Azi glanced at Ye Tiancheng faintly. Perhaps he also had the desire to confide, so he actually answered Ye Tiancheng's question, "It's nothing, just a bit of a lingering effect."
Ye Tiancheng was a bit confused and repeated with a frown, "Lingering effect? What lingering effect?"
Azi sighed helplessly and said, "You should still remember what I told you about my past experiences, right?"
"Back then, I took the place of that child and went to die for him. However, I also told that child that I wouldn't die so easily and would come back, telling him to wait for me on the mountain and not to wander around, lest he be discovered by others."
"Unexpectedly, despite my worry and doing such a thing for him, the one who was left behind was me. After I died and became a ghost fox, I returned to the mountain to find that child, because I was afraid he wouldn't survive alone on the mountain. As a result, I didn't see him anywhere on the mountain."
"I asked other creatures living in the mountains, and on the day of my accident, that child ran away and never came back. He didn't even stay on the mountain for a day."
Ye Tiancheng was somewhat stunned. He hadn't expected that the heavy story he had heard back then would end this way.
It made sense. He only heard Azi say that Azi himself died in place of the child, and later avenged himself by killing the Taoist priest. But he never mentioned what happened to that child. It turned out he met an ungrateful wretch?
Ye Tiancheng's mouth opened and closed, and it took him a while to find his voice, asking Azi, "Could there be any misunderstanding in this? Or perhaps that child had something else going on, or something unexpected happened, and he couldn't wait for you to return?"
"Perhaps his leaving for a moment wasn't running away, but maybe he went to find some food, or to do something, and then encountered an accident and never came back, but was mistaken for running away?"
Azi said, "Oh, I understand what you're saying. In fact, I think this possibility is not small. Unless I find that child and confront him directly, I will never be able to verify what the truth was back then."
"However, I wandered alone outside for over a thousand years, and that feeling from back then was definitely difficult to bear and uncomfortable. No matter how rational I am, I can't help but feel a little resentful."
"However, this is not really blaming anyone. When I saved people, I didn't expect any reward."
Ye Tiancheng thought about it and realized that this was quite a kind fox. Apart from seeking revenge back then, he probably hadn't harmed anyone. Moreover, after he built this space, other evil spirits came to seek refuge with him, but he didn't allow those evil spirits to harm people, nor did he allow them to kill on his territory.
He was so kind that he didn't seem like a demon. Indeed, one shouldn't look at things too one-sidedly or with stereotypes, otherwise, one might make mistakes.
Thinking about those who killed demons and ghosts on sight without regard for the cause and effect, wasn't their behavior also a kind of evil?
Ye Tiancheng thought for a moment and then asked again, "But, did you never see that child again later? Where did he go?"
Azi's voice suddenly became a bit vague, "Hmm, it can't be said that I didn't find him, it's just that I couldn't ask him anymore..."
Under Ye Tiancheng's confused gaze, Azi explained, "Because he doesn't remember anymore. And looking at his demeanor and temperament, he probably didn't abandon me on purpose. So, although I have some lingering trauma and can't help but resent him a little."
"But, to be honest, I don't really blame him."
After hearing Azi say this, Ye Tiancheng didn't think much of it. It was likely that the child had reincarnated, and reincarnation was no different from a new person. At this point, it was meaningless to pursue why he did something in his previous life.
It was not easy for Azi to let go and not pursue it further, because Ye Tiancheng actually understood a little.
Foxes are animals that remember kindness but also hold grudges. If the child's actions were truly seen as abandonment by Azi, it would be difficult for Azi to refrain from retaliating against the child.
Ye Tiancheng and Azi didn't chat for long. The little fox quickly finished making the talisman and brought it to Azi.
After handing the talisman to Azi, the little fox said to him, "This talisman can be used for timing for three days. As time passes, the color of the talisman's runes will gradually fade until the runes completely disappear. The moment the color completely disappears, it means that the three-day period has arrived."
"Within three days, my elder brother and I will definitely come back to find you. Whether we find any useful clues or not, we will definitely come back to see you. Please rest assured."
Azi put away the talisman given by the little fox and urged Ye Tiancheng and the little fox, "Since I have the item, you should leave quickly and don't waste time. Remember to come back to find me in three days, not a minute or a second late, do you hear me?"
Ye Tiancheng looked helpless, so he bid farewell to Azi and then, with the little fox, passed through the entrance and returned to the old house in the Nuwa Stone illusion.
To be honest, after being out for so long, only Hou Mingzhu and Ye Qingcheng were living in the old house, and no one was taking care of them. Ye Tiancheng was more worried about them than missing them, worried that they couldn't take care of themselves.
Therefore, Ye Tiancheng's steps were a little hurried when he left. When he passed through the barrier of the Nuwa Stone illusion, Ye Tiancheng's first reaction was to call out to Nuwa, wanting to ask about Hou Mingzhu's situation as he walked. However, the result was that Ye Tiancheng called out several times, but the Nuwa Stone did not respond.
This had never happened before. Ye Tiancheng's heart immediately sank. He worried that something had happened at home. The little fox also noticed that he couldn't call the Nuwa Stone, and he and Ye Tiancheng looked at each other, suddenly becoming a little anxious, and then they started running.
Under such circumstances, the two quickly returned to the old house. As soon as they saw the old house from a distance, before even entering, they saw black smoke billowing from the chimney of the old house, and a choking smell emanating from the old house.
It was definitely emanating from the old house. It was already so obvious that the old house was emitting black smoke.
What was going on? Was there a fire? How could that be? With the Nuwa Stone here, how could the old house catch fire? And what about Hou Mingzhu and Ye Qingcheng?
Ye Tiancheng and the little fox rushed into the old house anxiously. The house didn't seem to be on fire, but Ye Tiancheng and the little fox couldn't see Hou Mingzhu and the others anywhere. They could only follow the direction of the thick smoke and smell. As a result, they found that the source was the kitchen.
Ye Tiancheng rushed into the kitchen in a fright, and saw Hou Mingzhu and her daughter Ye Qingcheng, covered in soot.
They were both fine, nothing was wrong with them, except that they looked a bit disheveled. Hou Mingzhu was wearing heat-resistant gloves on her hands. When she saw Ye Tiancheng, she was stunned.
How could Ye Tiancheng let them stay there? He immediately took Hou Mingzhu and Ye Qingcheng out, one in each hand.
"It's like this, why are you still in the kitchen? Hurry up and come out. Aren't you bothered by the choking fumes?"
Because the smell in the house was too strong and made it difficult to breathe, Ye Tiancheng took his daughter and wife, and called the little fox, deciding it was better to go out together.
The Nuwa Stone remained silent throughout, but Ye Tiancheng wouldn't think that something had happened in the illusion now. It was most likely that the Nuwa Stone felt guilty and didn't dare to speak to him actively.
As for why the Nuwa Stone didn't respond when he called it before, it was probably because of the accident with Hou Mingzhu. The Nuwa Stone hadn't realized that he and the little fox had returned, and was busy dealing with Hou Mingzhu's situation, hence its delayed response.
After coming out, Ye Tiancheng pulled Hou Mingzhu and Ye Qingcheng to the upper reaches of the stream near the old house to wash their faces and hands.
This small stream was created by the Nuwa Stone after Ou Xiaoxue accidentally entered the formation. Later, they felt it was fine to keep it, so they kept it.
Ye Tiancheng found a handkerchief, wet it with stream water, and wiped Hou Mingzhu and Ye Qingcheng's faces clean. The mother and daughter obediently washed their hands by the stream without a sound.
After recovering from the shock of Ye Tiancheng's return, perhaps feeling guilty about causing such a commotion, even Hou Mingzhu, with her personality, didn't dare to speak to Ye Tiancheng first.
Since Hou Mingzhu was silent, Ye Qingcheng, who was by her side, also dared not speak.
Ye Tiancheng looked at the mother and daughter, who had tidied themselves up a bit. Only then did he speak with a hint of annoyance.
"I rushed back with great difficulty, wanting to see you, and you gave me such a big surprise? What were you doing at home? Playing with the kitchen?"
Seeing that the two troublemakers remained silent, Ye Tiancheng softened his tone a bit. "I'm not blaming you for anything. If the kitchen exploded, it exploded. If you like blowing up kitchens, you can blow up as many as you want, but please don't do anything that puts yourselves in danger, okay?"
"No matter what you want to do, safety comes first. The kitchen was like that, why didn't you come out?"
At this moment, Hou Mingzhu finally spoke, uncharacteristically guilty and a little timidly, "I wanted to clean up the mess. I didn't expect it to turn out like this. It never happened before, but this time, you happened to witness it."
Ye Qingcheng also walked timidly and nervously to the little fox's side, tugged on the little fox's sleeve, and said in a soft, pitiful, and faint voice, like a mosquito's hum, "Uncle Little Fox..."
The little fox ruffled Ye Qingcheng's hair and comforted her, "It's okay, Big Brother isn't angry, he's just worried about you."
Although the little fox said so, Ye Qingcheng was still very guilty. "But Mom and I made a mistake, and Dad found out. If I had known, I wouldn't have made so many requests, causing Mom to blow up Dad's kitchen."