"Why would you be a bother?" Xu Yan said with a smile. "It's your birthday banquet, after all. They came to celebrate you, and the challenge only added to the fun."
He hadn't taken Judi's matter too seriously. A man obsessed with painting had challenged him, then, after losing, asked to learn painting from him. Xu Yan had refused. That was all.
"Senior Xu, I admire your magnanimity," Qin Yudie said, gazing at him with her beautiful eyes.
In her heart, Xu Yan's image had grown ever grander. It had already changed somewhat from the lofty senior she'd first imagined him to be, though she herself hadn't noticed.
After leaving the residence, Xu Yan went straight to Boss Wang's roast chicken stall.
His acquaintance with Su Jiuer had begun with a roast chicken.
"Divine Doctor Xu, you're back again," Boss Wang said with a smile.
Some time ago, he'd suffered from a serious illness. None of the many doctors he'd consulted could cure him. In the end, Xu Yan had stepped in and healed him.
So Boss Wang had always been grateful to Xu Yan, and continued to call him the Divine Doctor.
"Boss Wang, the usual. One roast chicken," Xu Yan said with a smile and a nod.
Whenever he came here, he usually ordered roast chicken. He'd never bought anything else.
It wasn't that he loved chicken all that much. It was just that the roast chicken here gave him a taste of home.
Boss Wang worked quickly. Before long, he had wrapped up a roast chicken and respectfully handed it to Xu Yan.
He'd wanted to give Xu Yan the chicken for free, but Xu Yan wouldn't accept. He always paid, which only made Boss Wang admire his character and generosity even more.
Carrying the roast chicken, Xu Yan went to the market to buy a few other things to eat, then returned to the shop. When he opened the door, he saw Su Jiuer lying on the table. "Little Fox, are you hungry?"
He walked over and set the roast chicken in front of her. A rich fragrance immediately filled the air.
Su Jiuer perked up at once, already drooling inwardly.
Ever since she'd eaten half a roast chicken from Xu Yan last time, she hadn't been able to stop thinking about it. But Xu Yan hadn't gone to buy one since, and she hadn't felt comfortable asking him to.
"Same as last time. Half for me, half for you." As he spoke, Xu Yan cut the chicken in two, placing one half in front of Su Jiuer and keeping the other for himself.
Then the man and the fox began eating.
Just then, a group of black-clothed people arrived outside the shop.
"Third Elder, should we just go in and grab that little fox, Su Jiuer?" A tall man among them spoke to the short old man at the front.
His eyes gleamed with bloodthirsty intent, and they weren't the eyes of a human. They looked more like a tiger's.
"This is Tianren Sect territory. Sneaking in is one thing, but if we act too brazenly, we'll provoke the Sect," the short old man said.
He was the Demon Tiger Clan Third Elder. He had personally brought four Demon Tiger Clan warriors into Tianren City to capture Su Jiuer.
The Demon Tiger Clan had originally entrusted the task to the Murong Family, but for some reason, the family had suddenly refused.
So they had no choice but to enter Tianren City themselves.
The tall Demon Tiger Clan man said indignantly, "Third Elder, do we really need to fear a mere Tianren Sect? Why be so cautious? I don't think we need to."
The Demon Tiger Clan was a powerful Demon Race clan that stood on its own in the Southern Domain. Its status among the Southern Domain's Demon Race was extremely high; it was one of the absolute top clans.
The Demon Tiger Clan Third Elder said coldly, "What do you know? The fact that Tianren Sect's Sect Master, Qin Tian, has broken through to the Sea of Consciousness Second Heaven is only part of it. You need to look beyond the surface and see what lies beneath."
"Word is, Qin Tian broke through because of a painting. That painting must have come from an unparalleled senior. The fact that Tianren Sect knows such a senior is what we truly need to pay attention to."
"We absolutely mustn't clash head-on with Tianren Sect right now. If that senior makes a move, it'll mean the end of the entire Demon Tiger Clan."
Everyone else had marveled at Qin Tian's luck and strength after hearing of his breakthrough, and wondered how it would shape the Southern Domain's future. But the Third Elder was different. He was thinking about what had caused it.
That painting was the root of everything.
The person who painted it was the real senior expert. Otherwise, how could a cultivator at the Sea of Consciousness First Heaven break through to the Sea of Consciousness Second Heaven just by looking at it?
Hearing this, Hu Li showed that he understood, then said admiringly, "As expected of the Third Elder. I never thought that far ahead. If you hadn't been here, I might have made a terrible mistake."
After hearing the Demon Tiger Clan Third Elder's explanation, he also realized how terrifying the painter must be. That senior was someone the Demon Tiger Clan absolutely couldn't afford to offend.
The Demon Tiger Clan Third Elder looked pleased with himself. "You still have a lot to learn. Stick with me and watch closely."
He had always loved being praised and was utterly powerless to resist it. He also believed he deserved the praise.
Was there anyone in the entire Southern Domain who thought further ahead than he did?
"I'll make sure to learn," Hu Li said seriously. Then he asked, "So, Third Elder, what should we do now?"
He had become a devoted fan of the Third Elder, following his lead in everything.
With such a thoughtful, far-sighted elder to guide him, surely Hu Li could become a great thinker, too.
"Do you know why we first went to investigate the owner of this shop? Because knowing yourself and your enemy means you'll never lose a hundred battles!" the Demon Tiger Clan Third Elder said in a lecturing tone. "Now the information we gathered can come in handy."
After he finished speaking, he clasped his hands behind his back and lifted his chin slightly, as if waiting for the praise he was due.
Hu Li, however, clearly didn't catch the hint. He simply asked, "What can it do?"
He had no idea what they could use the information for. According to what they'd learned, the owner of What Are You Looking At Small Shop was just an ordinary mortal. That was why he'd wanted to rush in and grab Su Jiuer just now. A mortal couldn't stop them.
The Demon Tiger Clan Third Elder furrowed his brow slightly, thinking Hu Li was unbelievably dense. In a cool voice, he said, "The owner of this shop is named Xu Yan. The people on the nearby streets call him Divine Doctor Xu."
"I'll go to another street and pretend to collapse from illness. You go ask the shop owner to save me. While he's away, the others can enter the shop and grab that little fox, Su Jiuer."
It was a simple plan: lure the tiger away from the mountain. It would work well against someone like Xu Yan, who lived alone.
Hu Li gave the Demon Tiger Clan Third Elder a thumbs-up and praised him. "Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!"
He truly hadn't thought of using Xu Yan's identity to make a move. If he'd come alone, he probably would've charged straight into the shop and forcibly seized Su Jiuer.
At Hu Li's words, the Demon Tiger Clan Third Elder finally smiled with satisfaction.
He pointed to a small street not far away and instructed them, "I'll pretend to collapse on that street. The rest of you, be quick. Don't dawdle."
Before you continue