Rather than growing angry, Lin Ke laughed. "Brother Zhao, you're mistaken. Wasn't Ghost-Suppressing Peak the one that started this joke?"
Zhao Wuyan's expression changed at once. He slammed the table and stood up. "Lin Ke, Ghost-Suppressing Peak came here to discuss cooperation with you. We're offering friendly advice. Don't spurn our goodwill!"
Lin Ke glanced at him, but before he could speak, Wu Yu sneered beside him. "Spurning your goodwill, is it?"
"You keep talking about cooperation, but what part of your conduct suggests you actually mean it?"
"Mutual benefit is just a pretense. What you really want is to use us against the Blue Venom Bee while you sit back like a fisherman and reap the spoils, isn't it?"
At that, Zhao Wuyan finally stopped pretending. He scoffed. "And what if we do?"
"Do you really think a tiny peak faction like yours can stand against the Blue Venom Bee? How laughable."
He looked at the two men disdainfully. "Only by following our arrangements can you keep your Great Wilderness Market from being strangled in its cradle."
"If you refuse to cooperate with us, your Great Wilderness Market will face the combined suppression of Ghost-Suppressing Peak and the Blue Venom Bee."
"When that happens, will you have any way to survive?"
Lin Ke smiled. "Your words do frighten me, Brother Zhao. Only..."
He slowly rose, his gaze gradually sharpening, though his voice remained level. "You seem to have forgotten, Brother Zhao. The Wilderness Tower didn't establish itself here through anyone else's help."
"Whether it was Ghost-Suppressing Peak or the Blue Venom Bee, I never intended to compete with you for the market at first. Instead, others pressed me at every turn, leaving me no choice but to take countermeasures."
"The Blue Venom Bee has already taken that step. I