His tone softened somewhat, yet it still carried an air of command.
"Rest assured, Daoist. I have no intention of dragging either you or Listen to the Wind Pavilion completely into a direct war with the Holy Spirit Cult. What we trade today leaves your mouth and enters my ears. It will never be leaked by me to any irrelevant third party."
He deliberately emphasized the words "irrelevant third party," leaving himself some room to maneuver. Then, he proposed a new condition.
"However, as an exchange, and as a gesture of sincerity in our mutual keeping of this secret, I need you to provide me with... five more pieces of information."
"Five pieces of information?!"
Upon hearing this, Ding Huo nearly jumped up. The composure on his face finally crumbled, replaced by furious indignation.
"Sir! This... this is going too far! I have already revealed every core detail I know about that shadowy figure. The transaction has been completed! How can you impose additional conditions? How is this any different from forced extortion?!"
He finally understood. This man had never intended to make a simple transaction from the beginning. He had been laying his plans step by step, determined to tie Ding Huo to his war chariot! Now that Ding Huo knew the secret of that black metal shard, he was already at a severe disadvantage, and this man was taking the chance to extort even more intelligence from him!
Tang Lan merely looked at him calmly without speaking, but his gaze clearly said it all.
*Do you think you have any other choice now? You know what you should not know. Either cooperate, bear the risks while gaining potential benefits and a measure of "Protection," or... wait for the Holy Spirit Cult to silence you, or for us to