"So soon?" Ce Lao Yan asked in surprise after hearing Zhu San's guess.
Zhu San said with certainty, "He'll definitely leave. The more important that information is to the patriarch, the more urgently he'll want to leave. It's not because he's afraid of the Ce Family, but because he wants to keep us hanging. That's always been his way."
"How can we get that information?" Ce Lao Yan asked gravely.
Zhu San thought for a moment. "Through the people around him. That's the most effective way."
"Explain."
Zhu San said, "Lu Yin has ambitions that most people don't, but his weakness is obvious, too: he cares too much about the people around him. I'm not suggesting we threaten them. We should treat the people he cares about as if they were Lu Yin himself."
"Taking a conciliatory approach." Ce Lao Yan understood immediately.
Zhu San nodded. "Unless we have something Lu Yin desperately needs, that's the only way. Of course, the patriarch could also wait for Lu Yin to ask our family for help. He'll definitely need our help one day. Otherwise, we could simply propose a trade for resources. There'd be no need to keep him hanging."
Ce Lao Yan looked at Zhu San. "It seems you really do understand Lu Yin."
Zhu San gritted his teeth and bowed to Ce Lao Yan. "Patriarch, I truly hope to serve the family. I once thought I'd lost my chance, but if the family wants to deal with Lu Yin, I have a way. I planted someone near him."
Ce Lao Yan was surprised. "You managed to plant someone near Lu Yin?"
"She's nobody important and can't approach Lu Yin directly, but she can get plenty of information about the Eastern Frontier Alliance. Her name is Xiao Nan, Qiong Xi'er's personal