Old Wu paused.
"So Aya resorted to some unscrupulous methods, but her intention wasn't to harm anyone. Don't hold it against her or dwell on it."
Ye Tiancheng's brow twitched.
The other party had gone this far, and he was still being told not to dwell on it. How was that possible?
He had to remember that it was because of Aya that a large portion of his memories were still missing, and he didn't know when he would get them back. Moreover, he was forcibly kept here.
If Aya had done such a thing simply because she liked him, and he was expected to forgive her, then where in the world would such good things be found?
He wasn't an immortal; how could he have such a broad mind?
Furthermore, according to Bai Long, he originally had a wife, and perhaps even a daughter.
If that were the case, and he had been brainwashed by Aya and kept in this place, and if he never discovered the truth and ended up doing something that betrayed his wife, becoming husband and wife with Aya, how could he face his wife and daughter after leaving?
Why shouldn't he dwell on it?
However, Ye Tiancheng wouldn't say any of these things to Old Wu. He kept them all to himself.
On the surface, he maintained an expression of complete ignorance.
Ye Tiancheng said, "I don't understand what you mean?"
As he said this.
Old Wu stopped speaking again.
Ye Tiancheng didn't mind that Old Wu wasn't speaking. These words wouldn't truly affect him. Ye Tiancheng had his own sense of judgment, knowing what should be done and what shouldn't, what could be overlooked, and what must be addressed, without being influenced by others.
After feeding Aya her medicine, Ye Tiancheng took the medicine bowl to wash it. Upon returning, he said to Old Wu, "I have some matters to attend to. Is it possible to take Aya home to recuperate now that her condition has improved?"
After Ye Tiancheng asked, Old Wu replied, "Since you have matters to attend to, go ahead and handle them. Leaving Aya here, I see that she has no family members. If you take her home, and you have things to do, she will have no one to care for her."
Ye Tiancheng had no objections to this.
Therefore, Ye Tiancheng, along with the little fox, bid farewell to Old Wu and left his home.
After leaving Old Wu's house, Ye Tiancheng and the little fox indeed had other matters to attend to.
Previously, they had made a promise to Bai Hu, ah, no, it was Qiong Qi.
They had promised Qiong Qi that when the opportunity arose, they would return to undergo the trial and obtain what they sought.
Now was about the right time.
Ye Tiancheng and the little fox followed the route from their memory, carrying the token given to them by Bai Hu, and headed towards the place they remembered.
Without taking much time, Ye Tiancheng and the others arrived at their destination.
Qiong Qi had sensed the presence of Ye Tiancheng and the little fox long ago and was waiting to greet them at the entrance of the cave.
Seeing only Ye Tiancheng and the little fox appear, Qiong Qi asked, "Where is that white dragon? Why isn't she here? If she's here, why doesn't she show herself?"
Ye Tiancheng showed Qiong Qi his wrist.
Qiong Qi then remembered that the white dragon was now Ye Tiancheng's contracted beast. If she followed Ye Tiancheng, this state would indeed be more convenient. Ye Tiancheng simply hadn't summoned the white dragon yet.
Qiong Qi then said nothing more.
He spoke to Ye Tiancheng, "Are you ready to undergo the assessment?"
Ye Tiancheng nodded and replied to Qiong Qi, "We have made up our minds. We can begin the assessment now."
Qiong Qi said to Ye Tiancheng, "Then you may enter. The entrance is at the cave mouth behind me."
Ye Tiancheng thanked Qiong Qi and walked towards the cave mouth behind him.
The little fox also wanted to follow Ye Tiancheng inside, but after only a few steps, Qiong Qi stopped him.
Ye Tiancheng and the little fox looked at Qiong Qi with some confusion.
The little fox asked Qiong Qi, "Why are you stopping me?"
Qiong Qi explained, "You cannot enter together. Otherwise, you are both independent individuals, and it will create a competitive relationship, which is not a good thing. Therefore, it is best for only one person to enter at a time."
The little fox glanced at Ye Tiancheng.
After thinking for a moment, Ye Tiancheng said to the little fox, "Then you wait outside. If too much time passes, you should go back and stay with Ye Wuji. Don't just wait here."
The little fox agreed.
However, Ye Tiancheng was not entirely at ease. After some thought, he summoned the white dragon again and asked her to follow the little fox, to protect the little fox's safety at all times, lest the little fox encounter any accidents. Only then did he finally enter the cave to undergo the trial.
The little fox and the white dragon could only wait anxiously outside.
Watching Ye Tiancheng's figure gradually disappear into the cave.
Since Ye Tiancheng had entered, Qiong Qi remained guarding the entrance of the cave and did not return inside. He himself was not allowed to enter if there were people inside.
Qiong Qi said to the white dragon, "Your master has great fortune. Perhaps he can really bring out the divine artifact Shennong Ding. You don't need to worry too much."
The white dragon replied to Qiong Qi, "I know."
It was precisely because of this thought, and because the white dragon could vaguely sense some things herself, that she had the idea of guiding Ye Tiancheng here.
The little fox also waited with great anxiety.
However, he was not very familiar with the white dragon and Qiong Qi, so he did not interact with them.
After waiting for a long, long time, the little fox suddenly heard some movement. After thinking about it, he immediately hid.
At this time, anyone who could appear in this place would basically only be the local inhabitants. He didn't know who it was that would suddenly appear here, but the little fox didn't want to be seen and also wanted to know what was going on and who had come.
As the little fox hid, the white dragon immediately followed suit and hid with him.
She had promised Ye Tiancheng to protect the little fox's safety, so naturally, wherever the little fox went, she would follow.
After the little fox and the white dragon hid together, they didn't wait long before they saw a figure gradually appear. When they looked closely, they discovered that the person who had come was none other than Old Wu, whom they had met before.
For a moment, the little fox couldn't help but wonder, "Why is he here?"
He suddenly thought that the people in the nearby village were so devout in their belief in Old Wu, and Old Wu knew some very mystical things and also treated the villagers. Could it be that it was also related to the divine artifact Shennong Ding?
According to legend, the divine artifact Shennong Ding seemed to be related to these aspects.
After thinking about it, the little fox decided to continue observing.
Qiong Qi naturally sensed that someone was approaching, but he didn't care and continued to guard the cave entrance.
When Old Wu tried to enter the cave behind him, Qiong Qi stopped him.
Qiong Qi's attitude towards Old Wu was very cold. He said to Old Wu, "Stop here. You are not allowed to go any further. You cannot enter?"
When Old Wu saw Qiong Qi, he did not seem surprised.
It seemed that he had already known about Qiong Qi, so at this moment, he was not surprised by Qiong Qi's appearance, nor was he frightened.
However, Old Wu asked Qiong Qi with some surprise, "Why... can't I enter today?"
Qiong Qi had no patience for Old Wu and simply said, "I said you can't enter, so you can't enter. It's none of my business why. Leave immediately!"
Normally, in the village, Old Wu was held in high regard, and everyone in the village was respectful to him. However, they would never have imagined that Old Wu would be so humble and respectful to Qiong Qi here, just as the villagers treated Old Wu in the village.
Old Wu bowed slightly to Qiong Qi and pleaded, "Can you make an exception? I have an urgent matter today and cannot delay."
Qiong Qi looked at Old Wu with great disdain and said, "What does your urgent matter have to do with me? I told you to leave, so leave. If you linger here any longer, don't blame me for being impolite."
Old Wu heard Qiong Qi say this.
It wasn't the first time he had dealt with Qiong Qi, so he naturally knew the weight of Qiong Qi's words. Therefore, he could only lower his head and leave.
When the little fox saw Old Wu leave, he wanted to go out and ask Qiong Qi what was going on.
However, as the little fox was about to go out, the white dragon pulled him back.
The little fox looked back at the white dragon inexplicably.
The white dragon said to the little fox, "Don't go out. That old man hasn't left yet. He's still lurking nearby."
The little fox's gaze shifted.
He thought that perhaps Old Wu, after being rebuffed, felt that something might have happened here, perhaps he was suspicious or had some ulterior motive, and was deliberately pretending to leave while lurking outside. If he went out and was discovered, he might fall into a trap.
The little fox was not sure if Old Wu would connect his rejection to him and Ye Tiancheng.
He dared not take the risk.
The little fox squatted in the shadows and waited for a while longer. Only after the white dragon told him that Old Wu had left did he emerge from the shadows. To be honest, hiding for so long was really tiring.
Only after Old Wu had truly left did the little fox come out.
He asked Qiong Qi, "So much time has passed. I wonder when my elder brother will come out?"
To this question, Qiong Qi replied to the little fox, "How would I know how much time it takes to enter? Whether he can subdue the divine artifact Shennong Ding is something only Ye Tiancheng himself can decide based on his own strength. Who knows how long it will take?"
The little fox sighed slightly.
He then asked, "Can I ask you some other things?"
Qiong Qi glanced at the little fox and then said, "What is it? Ask away."
Perhaps it was out of consideration for the white dragon, and also because Ye Tiancheng and the little fox had indeed helped him, Qiong Qi was much more polite when facing Ye Tiancheng and the little fox.
The little fox then asked Qiong Qi, "That person just now, whom you stopped outside the cave, do you recognize him? What is going on? Why did he come here?"
Regarding this question, Qiong Qi actually knew the answer.
After all, except for the time he was sealed, he had been here.