Xu Yan said warmly, "It's a good thing to feel confused and lost about this. It shows that you're filial and love your mother."
"But cultivation is your dream. You want to cultivate and become a cultivator."
At that, he paused, walked over, and patted Jiang Li on the shoulder. "If you have a dream, then go after it! Tianren City is very close to Tianren Sect. As long as you're not a low-ranking cultivator, you should be allowed to come back and visit your mother."
Hearing Xu Yan's words, Jiang Li nodded firmly. "All right, Divine Doctor Xu. I'll take the Tianren Sect test in a few days and do my best to become a cultivator!"
Hearing Xu Yan's words, he had come around.
Before, he'd been too stubborn, thinking that cultivation and honoring his mother were two things he couldn't do at the same time. In truth, that wasn't the case.
If he became a powerful cultivator, he might even find a way to extend his mother's lifespan, letting her live longer so he could spend more time with her.
Near Xu Yan's little shop, the Demon Tiger Clan Third Elder and Hu Li were staking out the place with the clan's elite.
Hu Li yawned. "Third Elder, we got up so early to stake out the place. I haven't had enough sleep."
For the past two days, they'd kept watch here until nightfall before going to rest. Xu Yan was unlikely to go out alone at night, and the day before yesterday, shortly after they'd left, that woman had entered Xu Yan's shop.
The Demon Tiger Clan Third Elder cursed, "Early, my ass! It's already noon. What the hell is early about that?"
Ordinary people on a stakeout kept watch day and night, with at least some taking turns on guard.
But these guys all went to bed as soon as night fell, leaving no one behind.
That would have been bad enough, but in the morning, not one of them would get up. They'd dragged their feet until noon before coming to stake out the place.
Hu Li's eyes shifted as if he'd thought of a brilliant plan. Putting on a mysterious air, he asked, "Third Elder, do you remember that old fellow from yesterday and the day before?"
Both times, Qin Tian had come to play chess with Xu Yan during the day, so they'd watched him enter Xu Yan's shop while they were staking it out.
The Demon Tiger Clan Third Elder wondered what this idiot was getting at, but kept his expression neutral. "I remember. What about him?"
He knew that old fellow was Qin Tian, the Sect Master of Tianren Sect. After all, Tianren Sect had always been one of the top human sects in the Southern Domain.
"That old fellow has come to see the owner of this shop two days in a row. They must have an unusual relationship. Why don't we kidnap him and lure the shop owner out?" Hu Li said with a grin.
He felt this was his moment in the spotlight. He'd come up with such a clever plan that, for one shining instant, he could stand shoulder to shoulder with his idol, the Third Elder.
Smack!
The moment the Demon Tiger Clan Third Elder heard Hu Li's words, he smacked him on the head and cursed, "Are you a pig? We snuck into Tianren City. We can't make a scene. Otherwise, we'd have charged in and captured Su Jiuer already."
"And do you even know who that old fellow is? He's Qin Tian, the Sect Master of Tianren Sect. All of us together wouldn't be a match for him."
He was one of the Demon Tiger Clan's top fighters, with a cultivation level of Sea of Consciousness First Heaven. There was no doubt he was a powerful figure throughout the Southern Domain.
But Qin Tian was already a cultivator at Sea of Consciousness Second Heaven. The gap between them was enormous; even with Hu Li and several other Demon Tiger Clan elites backing him up, the Third Elder still wouldn't stand a chance against Qin Tian.
"What? That old fellow is Qin Tian—the Qin Tian who's on the same level as our clan leader and Great Elder?" Hu Li exclaimed, startled.
Even in the Demon Tiger Clan, only the clan leader and Great Elder had reached Sea of Consciousness Second Heaven. The Second and Third Elders were only at Sea of Consciousness First Heaven.
Smack!
The Demon Tiger Clan Third Elder smacked Hu Li on the head again and scolded him, "Keep your voice down. Don't alert them."
With that, he went back to secretly watching the entrance of What Are You Looking At Small Shop, hoping Xu Yan would hurry up and come out alone.
Hu Li rubbed his head, then suddenly said, "Third Elder, wait. Isn't the owner of this shop just an ordinary person? Why would Qin Tian come here?"
What sort of person was Qin Tian? He was the strongest in the Tianren Mountain region, one of the Southern Domain's top figures, and the Sect Master of Tianren Sect.
A person like that wouldn't normally come to Tianren City, let alone enter an ordinary person's little shop.
"You have a point. There's something fishy about this shop!" The Demon Tiger Clan Third Elder's eyes flickered as he spoke.
Yesterday, he hadn't considered it. He'd only been thinking that their target was Su Jiuer and that Qin Tian had nothing to do with it, so he hadn't paid any attention to Qin Tian's visits.
But now that Hu Li had brought it up, even the Third Elder felt something was off.
Hu Li thought for a moment, then lowered his voice. "Third Elder, could the owner of this shop be that old fellow Qin Tian's illegitimate son?"
"Maybe he had a child with an ordinary woman in Tianren City—a child who couldn't cultivate. To keep the matter from getting out, he didn't take his son to Tianren Sect. Instead, he comes here every so often to visit him."
The idea had suddenly flashed through Hu Li's mind. The more he thought about it, the more terrifying it seemed.
The Demon Tiger Clan Third Elder frowned slightly. "That really is possible. I'd been wondering why there was a Supreme Elder token from Tianren Sect at the entrance of an ordinary shop. So the old fellow Qin Tian put it there to protect his illegitimate son."
"But if this involves Qin Tian's illegitimate son, then it'll be even harder to handle."
The most important thing for them in Tianren City was to keep their identities from being exposed, because they couldn't start a conflict with Tianren Sect right now.
And as luck would have it, the shop where Su Jiuer was staying belonged to Qin Tian's illegitimate son. What a blunder!
"Third Elder, I've thought of a great plan. This time, it'll definitely work!" Hu Li said, a meaningful smile spreading across his face.
He'd come up with an absolutely dazzling scheme, one that even surpassed his idol, the Third Elder.
This was destined to be the beginning of Hu Li's rise to the top. Maybe before long, he'd replace the Third Elder as the Demon Tiger Clan's number-one strategist.
The Demon Tiger Clan Third Elder looked at Hu Li doubtfully. "What plan?"
He didn't have much faith that someone as dim-witted as Hu Li could come up with a good plan, especially now that things were getting more and more complicated.
Hu Li puffed out his chest. "Since the shop owner is Qin Tian's illegitimate son, he definitely won't want this secret exposed. Otherwise, Qin Tian's reputation will suffer, and the peaceful life he has now will be shattered."
At that, he even imitated the Demon Tiger Clan Third Elder, stopping in the middle to keep everyone waiting.
"And then? Get on with it!" The Demon Tiger Clan Third Elder smacked Hu Li on the head again, urging him on.
He really wanted to slap the idiot Hu Li to death. The fool never finished what he was saying, dragging it out as if he were choking on his last breath. Who had he learned that from, anyway?
Hu Li rubbed his head, feeling a little aggrieved. Whenever the Demon Tiger Clan Third Elder came up with a plan, he spoke just like that.
And at times like these, everyone else would praise the Third Elder and ask him to continue. So why was it different when it was Hu Li's turn?