The man's face lit up with delight. Pointing toward Lin Yansheng, he called, "Miss, look! Is that the little fox?"
If they could catch the little fox sooner, they could finish up sooner, and the family would even reward them. He was excited.
"Let's go take a look!"
The woman in black followed the man's pointing finger and said,
Xu Yan was about to enter the shop to paint when he saw a group of people with an extraordinary air about them walking toward him.
They might be cultivators, and they seemed to be heading straight for him. He had a bad feeling about it.
Murong Yue led her people over and studied the fox in Xu Yan's arms for a while. It was exactly as the Demon Tiger Clan had described, so there was no doubt this was the little fox they were looking for.
She shifted her gaze from Su Jiuer to Xu Yan and said coolly, "Young master, could you give me the fox in your arms?"
Xu Yan met Murong Yue's eyes. "No. This is my pet. If you like foxes too, please buy one somewhere else."
He quite liked the little fox. She was a little silly, but very cute.
If these people had been the fox's former owners, that would have been one thing, but that clearly wasn't the case.
The rather plump man behind Murong Yue said coldly, "Quit the damn nonsense. Hand her over when I tell you to, or you'll regret it."
His name was Murong Fu. He was Murong Yue's cousin, but his cultivation was inferior to hers, and his status was nowhere near as high.
Xu Yan's expression instantly turned cold. Holding the little fox, he turned and walked into the shop.
He didn't want to get into a conflict with these people. After all, he was just an ordinary mortal, and he would probably come off worse in a clash with cultivators.
"Damn it, you're asking for it!" Murong Fu cursed under his breath and strode forward, intending to grab Xu Yan and snatch the little fox away by force.
But after taking just two steps, he caught sight of a plaque hanging by the shop entrance. The character "Supreme" was engraved on its face.
He stopped in his tracks, astonishment spreading across his face.
That plaque was the Supreme Elder's token of the Tianren Sect!
Murong Yue had just been about to tell Murong Fu not to act rashly, but before she could speak, he had already stopped.
She was puzzled. Murong Fu wasn't the sort to have a sudden change of heart, so why had he stopped all of a sudden?
Then she looked in the direction Murong Fu was staring and saw the plaque too.
Murong Fu was afraid. Turning to Murong Yue, he said, "Miss, that's the Tianren Sect's Supreme Elder token. We'd better leave at once."
The Murong Family hadn't been particularly afraid of the Tianren Sect before, but after Qin Tian broke through two realms in quick succession and became a powerful cultivator of the Sea of Consciousness Second Heaven, the Murong Family was no longer a match for the Tianren Sect.
Even the strongest member of the Murong Family had only reached the Sea of Consciousness First Heaven. The gap between him and Qin Tian, who was at the Sea of Consciousness Second Heaven, was enormous.
Murong Yue walked forward. As she passed Murong Fu, she murmured, "Stay here and don't do anything rash. I'll see if I can persuade him."
With that, she headed for the shop entrance.
Bang!
When Xu Yan saw Murong Yue about to come in, he didn't say a word. He simply shut the door.
He didn't want to deal with cultivators. They were dressed in black from head to toe; they clearly didn't look like good people.
Murong Yue hadn't expected Xu Yan to be so unyielding. She went up to the door and called, "Senior, we were out of line. We're very sorry for disturbing you. Please let me come in and apologize in person."
She was a little anxious. She hadn't expected a Supreme Elder of the Tianren Sect to be here, and the little fox had, by sheer coincidence, fallen into this person's hands.
Xu Yan was sure the woman was trying to trick him into opening the door so she could threaten him. Speaking through the door, he said, "There's no need to apologize. The best apology would be for you to leave now."
Nice try. He, Xu Yan, was far too clever to fall for a low-grade trick like that.
This city was under the Tianren Sect's jurisdiction. If these cultivators broke into a private residence, surely the Tianren Sect would punish them.
So staying inside the shop and refusing to open the door was the wisest choice.
Murong Yue hesitated before saying, "Senior, I'm Murong Yue, daughter of the Murong Family Head. Please give this junior a chance to apologize to you in person."
She wasn't invoking her father's name to intimidate Xu Yan. She just wanted him to take her a little more seriously and give her a chance to discuss things properly.
Xu Yan had no idea what kind of power the Murong Family was. "I'm no senior. Hurry up and leave. Just don't bother me again. There's no need for you to apologize."
Then he dragged over a chair and sat down, keeping watch over the door from up close.
Su Jiuer felt conflicted. First, her hiding place had still been exposed, and it was obvious those people outside had come to capture her.
Second, she hadn't expected Xu Yan to protect her and refuse to hand her over.
Finally, she found it strange. Did those people outside not know how powerful this old monster Xu Yan was? How dare they keep pestering him?
But Su Jiuer soon figured it out.
Xu Yan was putting on an act, pretending to be an ordinary mortal. She had been fooled at first too. She couldn't sense the slightest trace of Spiritual Power from him and had assumed he was a mortal.
It was only after entering the shop that she realized how powerful Xu Yan was—so powerful it was beyond imagining.
She had heard that the human race had some incredibly powerful people who pretended to be mortals, so-called reclusive experts. She couldn't believe she had actually met one.
Seeing that Xu Yan still refused to open the door, Murong Yue didn't dare force him. "Since Senior doesn't wish to open the door, this junior will take her leave."
Then she led her people away.
The Murong Family couldn't afford to offend the Tianren Sect as it was now. If they stayed and kept pestering him, they might anger this person, who seemed to be a Supreme Elder of the Tianren Sect.
A full quarter of an hour passed before Xu Yan opened the door. Sure enough, none of the Murong Family's people were in sight, and a smug smile spread across his face.
Nice try. You thought you could trick me into opening the door? No chance!
Just then, a streak of Spiritual Power shot over from Tianren Mountain and landed in front of What Are You Looking At Small Shop.
The streak of Spiritual Power faded, revealing a figure. It was Qin Tian, Sect Master of the Tianren Sect.
Ever since visiting Xu Yan last time, Qin Tian had been studying the Calabash Brothers Save Grandpa Xu Yan had drawn.
He had spent some time in seclusion comprehending and cultivating, and had gained a great deal. As soon as he emerged, he hurried over.
When he saw Xu Yan, he greeted him respectfully. "Senior Xu, it's been many days. Qin Tian has come to pay you a visit."
Xu Yan noticed the jar of wine Qin Tian was carrying and asked, "Old Mr. Qin, where are you off to with that wine?"
Qin Tian smiled. "Senior Xu, you jest. This is a jar of True Spring, a famous wine I've treasured for many years. I brought it especially as an offering to you."
The entire Tianren Sect had only three jars of True Spring. He had brought one of them to present to Xu Yan.
Xu Yan's eyes lit up, and he smiled back. "Old Mr. Qin, you're too kind!"
He really did like wine. Unfortunately, the wine in Tianren City never had enough kick, so he rarely drank.