Hu Li took a deep breath and said, "We can write a letter and ask the owner of this shop to meet us at a teahouse. If he doesn't come, we'll make his relationship with Qin Tian public."
He had just come up with the idea. This might have been the cleverest he'd ever been. He knew how to use the information he had to think of a countermeasure.
"That could work. As an illegitimate son, he's bound to fear the truth coming out, so he'll definitely show up." The Demon Tiger Clan Third Elder looked surprised, then praised him.
He looked at Hu Li differently now. Even he hadn't thought of that approach, but Hu Li had.
It seemed following him had made Hu Li smarter.
Half an hour later, an elite Demon Tiger Clan member walked up to What Are You Looking At Small Shop with a letter in hand and shouted inside, "Is Mr. Xu here? You've got a letter."
Since Hu Li had met Xu Yan last time, they were afraid Xu Yan might get suspicious, so this time they'd specifically sent an elite he hadn't met before.
This time, the Demon Tiger Clan had thought everything through carefully. And since they were discussing something as important as their own secret, it stood to reason that they wouldn't bring pets.
But just to be safe, they'd specifically written on the letter that he wasn't allowed to bring any pets.
Xu Yan walked out of the shop and saw a man in black standing by the entrance. He was dressed much like the man who'd tried to wear down his uncle to death that day, which left Xu Yan puzzled.
Was wearing black popular in Tianren City lately?
His gaze was quickly drawn to the letter in the elite Demon Tiger Clan member's hand. "Who sent me this letter?"
The elite shook his head. "I don't know. The person only said it was very important to you, Mr. Xu, and that you had to open it."
Xu Yan was even more uncertain about what was going on. He only knew people from Tianren City, and if they wanted to discuss something with him, they'd most likely come in person. There was no need to write a letter.
Puzzled, he took the letter from the elite and opened it to read.
The contents made Xu Yan want to laugh. It actually told him to go to a certain teahouse and threatened to reveal his secret relationship with Qin Tian if he didn't.
It also insisted that he go to the teahouse alone, without even bringing a pet.
The elite watched Xu Yan nervously. The Demon Tiger Clan Third Elder had said this mortal was Qin Tian's illegitimate son.
If that was true, then this illegitimate son had quite a high standing.
"My secret with Qin Tian?" Xu Yan tore up the letter with a faint smile and tossed it into a nearby trash can.
What a joke. What secret could he possibly have with Qin Tian? They were just chess buddies.
The elite saw Xu Yan tear up the letter and throw it into the trash. His expression shifted.
He said urgently, "The person who gave me the letter said it concerned your secret, Mr. Xu, and that you had to go."
Xu Yan looked at him with a faint smile. "I don't have any secrets. Whoever wrote this letter must be bored."
With that, he went back into the shop.
The elite was dumbfounded. It seemed the seemingly flawless plan by Hu Li and the Third Elder had failed once again.
He hurried away and returned in secret to where Hu Li and the others were hiding nearby.
"Damn it! How dare that guy tear up the letter? Isn't he afraid we'll really make it public?" Hu Li had seen Xu Yan tear up the letter and toss it into the trash. He was furious.
He'd thought his plan was perfect and would surely lure Xu Yan out, but it had failed again.
The Demon Tiger Clan Third Elder spoke up. "This man isn't simple. Maybe the letter was too mild. We need to put something more substantial in it so he understands how serious this is."
They wrote another letter and once again sent an elite Demon Tiger Clan member Xu Yan hadn't met before to deliver it.
The elite walked up to Xu Yan's shop and imitated the previous one's manner, calling out, "Mr. Xu, you've got a letter. Could you come out and get it?"
Hearing that another letter had arrived, Xu Yan came out of the shop again. He took the letter and opened it, then gave a cold smile.
It claimed that if he still didn't go to the teahouse, they'd reveal that he was Qin Tian's illegitimate son, making it impossible for him to stay in Tianren City.
He was so angry he laughed. He tore up the letter and threw it into the trash again, then told the elite, "If anything like this happens again, don't accept the letter. I don't have time to play games with whoever's behind this."
The elite stood there, at a loss for words. The Demon Tiger Clan Third Elder and Hu Li had sworn that Xu Yan would definitely come out this time.
Once again, their prediction had backfired.
"Damn it, this guy's driving me crazy! I want to storm in there, beat him up, and then capture Su Jiuer." Hu Li saw the letter he'd carefully written get torn up again and shouted angrily.
He'd never met anyone so unconcerned about his reputation. Threaten him, and he didn't react at all.
The Demon Tiger Clan Third Elder stared at What Are You Looking At Small Shop and said gravely, "He's really keeping his cool. He hasn't come out in two days."
He had a feeling he'd met a lifelong enemy. In the past, every target had ended up utterly defeated by his schemes.
But now, this little shop owner was putting him under immense pressure.
At the same time, he understood that if he could defeat Xu Yan with a scheme, his wisdom would reach new heights, and his position as the Demon Tiger Clan's foremost strategist would be unshakable from then on.
The elite who had returned with the letter asked, "Third Elder, Brother Li, what do we do now?"
Three people in their group, including Hu Li, had already met Xu Yan. Only one elite and the Third Elder himself had yet to confront him in person.
The Demon Tiger Clan Third Elder sat on the ground, thinking carefully. Suddenly, his eyes lit up. "This time, I've come up with a foolproof plan!"
His face was full of confidence.
He'd underestimated Xu Yan before, but now he regarded him as an opponent on his own level and had thought of a way to deal with a strategist.
"What's the plan?" Hu Li asked expectantly.
Now he could only place his hopes in the Demon Tiger Clan's foremost strategist, the Third Elder. If even the Third Elder couldn't think of a way to capture Su Jiuer, their mission would have to be declared a failure.
The Demon Tiger Clan Third Elder sneered. "There's one important piece of information we learned about Xu Yan earlier that we haven't made use of."
He wore the distinctive smile of a true strategist.
Hu Li and the other three Demon Tiger Clan members saw how confident the Third Elder looked and felt hope rising. They asked together, "What information?"
"Xu Yan is a mortal, and he likes roast chicken. He hasn't come out for two days, so he must be craving roast chicken by now." The Demon Tiger Clan Third Elder smiled sinisterly. "We'll spread a rumor that a delicious roast chicken shop just opened on a nearby street. He'll definitely be unable to resist going to buy some roast chicken!"