Ye Tiancheng was very hesitant.
However, despite this, the attitude that should be expressed still needed to be expressed.
Ye Tiancheng said to the child sitting in the cage with a mocking expression, "To be honest, if you help us and don't deceive us, we can agree to both of your conditions."
"But there is a reason why I cannot immediately agree to you now."
"I admit that there are selfish factors in my choice. We will definitely prioritize our own interests first. This is an unavoidable factor. Most people, or non-humans, when facing matters, their highest priority is often themselves."
"But this does not mean that the promises I made to you before were not sincere. Of course, I made sincere promises to you, if you can do what you said."
The child was unmoved.
He said, "So what?"
"In the end, you still can't do it?"
Facing the child's words, Ye Tiancheng smiled slightly and said, "I have already said that we cannot verify whether what you said is true or false, and whether you have any malicious intentions towards us."
"Of course, we can agree to your conditions, but before that, shouldn't you also prove the truth of what you said?"
The child raised his eyebrows slightly, but only said, "I can't prove it. Believe it or not, I've already told you the conditions. It's up to you to decide whether to agree."
Saying that, the child paused slightly before continuing.
"...Let me make it clear beforehand, even if you get angry and change your mind because you can't get what you want, and hit me with a stick, wanting to beat me to death, I will never compromise with you and tell you the method."
Hearing the child's words, Ye Tiancheng and the other two felt a slight discomfort.
This was not because they were rejected by the child, but because of some things implied by these words that most people found difficult to accept, and were indeed not good things.
Ye Tiancheng was silent for a moment, and then he made a promise to the child.
Ye Tiancheng said to the child, "I can guarantee that all the promises I make are true, and even if you are unwilling to help us, we will not do anything excessive that would harm you."
"If we want to get out, I believe we can always find a way to get out here, it will just take more time."
"None of us will commit such evil deeds to achieve their own goals."
The child did not believe him, so he did not respond to this statement, remaining silent.
Ye Tiancheng and the other two walked a little further away, gathered together, and discussed in low voices for a while. Then, the three of them finally had an idea.
The three of them returned to the cage again.
Seeing them walk over, the child in the cage raised his eyebrows and said, "What? Have you decided to agree to my terms?"
Ye Tiancheng said to the child, "We can indeed agree to your conditions. If you can let us out, taking you out will not hinder us in any way. There is no need to be hesitant."
"However, to ensure our mutual interests, we need a guarantee. I believe you also need one, and you don't want to be deceived, do you?"
The child tilted his head and looked at Ye Tiancheng, asking, "What kind of guarantee do you want? Verbal promises can be made however you want, and there is no way to guarantee that others are not lying and that you yourself will not be deceived."
Ye Tiancheng said, "Since I brought it up, it means I have a way."
The child asked, "What way do you have?"
Ye Tiancheng began to explain to the child.
Ye Tiancheng said, "We can sign a contract, and swear. This is not an ordinary contract signing. It uses a special method, and we will be bound by the power of an oath. This applies to both our side and you."
"We will write down our respective conditions in the contract clauses, guaranteeing our interests, outlining the obligations we need to fulfill, and what we cannot do, as well as the consequences if we violate them."
"Once the contract is signed, none of us can go back on our word."
The child blinked his eyes and frowned slightly.
He said, "There's such a thing? Are you trying to deceive me?"
Ye Tiancheng said, "I can guarantee that it's not. And the content of the contract will be personally reviewed by all of us to ensure there are no problems before we sign our names to make the contract valid."
After Ye Tiancheng finished speaking, he expected the child in the cage to ask for details about signing the contract and was prepared to explain.
However, to Ye Tiancheng's surprise, after he finished his previous statement, the child was silent for a moment, then lowered his head slightly.
The child said, "But I don't have a name, so I can't sign a contract, can I?"
Ye Tiancheng was slightly stunned.
But soon, he reacted and then explained to the child, "It is possible to sign a contract without a name. Signing a name merely signifies that the person signing the contract is oneself. Pressing handprints or fingerprints is also equally valid."
The child raised his head again, his expression unreadable, and was relatively calm.
He then said, "If that's the case, then alright. Get that contract ready and let me see it."
The contract that Ye Tiancheng mentioned was actually only possible because the child was not human. Otherwise, when trading with the hotel owner in the black hotel before, Ye Tiancheng would definitely have forced the hotel owner to sign such a contract.
Similarly, if they could have signed such a contract with the owner of the black hotel, then they would not have to worry about almost being tricked by the hotel owner by being poisoned in the food later.
However, Ye Tiancheng and the others did not eat anything here, so poisoning them was bound to fail.
Ye Tiancheng, as the representative of their trio, negotiated the contract terms with the child. The child did not have many demands, only that he be granted freedom and not be harmed.
As for Ye Tiancheng and the others, they naturally wanted to ensure their successful escape and not be tricked by the child.
The demands of both sides were exceptionally simple, so simple that they seemed unworthy of such a complex contract.
This kind of contract was not written down with pen and paper as ordinary people would agree, but was led by Ye Tiancheng, formed by his spiritual energy and cultivation power.
As a gesture of goodwill, Ye Tiancheng was the first to leave his name and handprint on the contract, and then he called Xiao Huli and Liang Ping to also leave their respective names and handprints.
Then, Ye Tiancheng gave way to the child in the cage.
And to make it convenient for the other party, he moved closer to the cage, very close to it.
The child looked at the contract formed by Ye Tiancheng's power, and for some reason, his expression seemed a little awkward, but the question he asked was, "What should I do?"
Ye Tiancheng said, "You just need to place your handprint normally. When you touch it, you will be able to feel it. If you want to know the content of the contract and its binding force, and if you are willing to sign this contract, then in your heart, think of agreeing to this and leaving your handprint on it, and you can place your handprint there."
"Then, after you finish placing your handprint, the contract will be established."
After hearing Ye Tiancheng's words, the child hesitated for a moment, then reached out his hand and touched the contract constructed by Ye Tiancheng's power. He actually felt a faint, invisible restraint.
He could even feel the emotions of the contract signatories when they signed the contract.
This emotion, which could not be proven or expressed in words, instead became a strong proof at this moment, proving Ye Tiancheng and the others' sincerity.
The child's eyes widened slightly.
After a long while, he willingly left a handprint on the contract.
Thus, the contract was established.
The power of the contract was divided into four parts. It first formed a golden light cluster, and then split into four small light clusters, flying towards Ye Tiancheng and the other two, and the child in the cage.
The next moment, the content of the contract appeared in everyone's minds.
At this point, everyone could finally relax.
Xiao Huli was the first to walk to the cage door and fiddled with it, finding it quite difficult to open.
He immediately asked the child in the cage, "You know how to open this, right?"
"You said you wanted us to let you out, so you should know how, right?"
The child glanced at Xiao Huli, then turned his head away awkwardly. After a while, he turned back and nodded twice.
He said, "I do know how to open it."
Then, the child sitting in the cage instructed Ye Tiancheng and the other two, telling them to find the corresponding tools to open the cage.
There was a mechanism on the cage door, which was originally designed to keep the child inside. If it were easy to open, it would be very easy for whatever was inside to escape.
Therefore, it was naturally not simple.
After receiving the child's instructions, Ye Tiancheng and the others were not in a hurry to discuss leaving the place, but chose to release the child from the cage according to the contract's requirements.
They spent some more effort to find the tools the child needed, and then returned to help the child open the cage door.
The moment the cage door opened, the child was still a little stunned.
He had been locked up for too long. In fact, except when he was a black bird, the child had never been able to truly leave this cage, always being confined here.
But now, he was about to gain his freedom.
It all felt like a dream.
Seeing that the child hadn't moved for a long time, Xiao Huli said strangely, "What's wrong? Isn't the door open? Are there any other restrictions? Why aren't you coming out?"
Ye Tiancheng and Liang Ping understood more and saw some things.
Therefore, Ye Tiancheng and Liang Ping stood on either side of Xiao Huli, gently patting Xiao Huli's shoulder, signaling Xiao Huli to give the child in the cage some time to adapt.
The child sat in the cage for a while, and after a long time, as if he had made up his mind, he slowly crawled out of the cage.