How did the encounter with Chand Patil set the stage for Sai Baba's return to Shirdi?

The narrative in Chapter 5 suggests that the meeting with Chand Patil was the pivotal event that ended a period of Baba being 'hidden' and initiated his return to Shirdi. The chapter's prologue explicitly states its intention to narrate "how Baba, after being hidden, returned to Shirdi with Chand Patil." It then begins the story of Chand Patil of Dhup village losing his mare. This chance meeting under a mango tree, where Baba revealed his saintly nature by finding the mare and creating fire from the earth, led to a connection between the two. The prologue mentions Baba was found in Shirdi within a Muslim wedding party, which historical accounts link to the wedding of one of Chand Patil's relatives. Thus, as Chapter 5 lays out, this encounter was the direct cause that led to Baba accompanying Patil and eventually settling in Shirdi.