The man in the black robe who appeared at the bar was none other than the Gu King!
Although the Gu King possessed considerable strength himself, engaging in a one-on-one fight was not his forte. The Gu King was far more adept at transforming those around him into formidable killing machines.
As for the price of such transformations, that was not something the Gu King concerned himself with, nor did he wish to. The lives of others were of no consequence to him.
"Young Master Jin, it's truly difficult to get a meeting with you."
"Who exactly are you?" Jin Peng grew nervous. His elite subordinates had failed to withstand even two of the opponent's men. The strength of this man and his subordinates was terrifying!
"You don't need to know who I am. You only need to know that I can make you very powerful!"
Jin Peng sized up the Gu King. The man was unremarkable in appearance, yet he exuded a distinctly evil aura.
Jin Peng sensed that this person was exceptionally skilled at manipulating hearts. He knew the man was baiting him, and that the bait likely contained hooks and traps.
Suddenly, Jin Peng remembered something!
"You're the Gu King! I get it now, Bai Haotian was almost killed by you! What the hell do you want with me? Don't think I'm as foolish as Bai Haotian!"
"Young Master Jin, have you perhaps misunderstood something? I believe you must have listened to some slander and developed a misconception about me..."
"No misunderstanding, absolutely no misunderstanding! While I do wish to become stronger, I cannot accept your methods. I still want to live a few more days!"
"Don't you want the Jin family to dominate Jiangzhou's underworld?"
"Heh, our Jin family is already the leader of Jiangzhou's underworld. That's enough. If we were to become even stronger, the authorities would likely pounce and annihilate our Jin family in an instant!" Both Jin Peng and his father were well aware of this, and they had reached a consensus. The Jin family laundered all their income from gray channels and invested it in legitimate businesses precisely to erase their traces. This detestable fellow before him was using this very point to ignite Jin Peng's desires, but instead, he ignited Jin Peng's fury.
"Then, Young Master Jin, are you just going to let that Ling Tian go so easily?"
"I have no feud with Ling Tian, why would I provoke him!"
"Heh, I heard that the eldest young master Jin has long admired that female celebrity Han Yueyue. You once had a chance to get close to her, but someone interfered. Actually, the person who acted was Ling Tian! Don't you want to vent your anger properly?"
Jin Peng was shocked: "You... how do you know about this?"
"Heh, I have my intelligence channels. My capabilities far exceed your imagination. I don't operate alone; I have a team behind me," the Gu King said.
"But how can you be so sure that Han Yueyue was saved by Ling Tian? You don't have any evidence!"
"Does this still require evidence? Ling Tian's strength is immense. He is fully capable of rescuing Han Yueyue from your bodyguards. And their Wang family is also fully capable of getting her out under your in-laws' blockade! As for the motive, the apparent motive is that Han Yueyue is the spokesperson for Bing Tian Pharmaceuticals, and the two parties have a cooperative relationship. But who knows about their private relationship? Perhaps Han Yueyue has already climbed into Ling Tian's bed..."
The Gu King was a master of fanning the flames. He had instantly grasped Jin Peng's vulnerability. Jin Peng had coveted Han Yueyue for a long time, and now, hearing the Gu King suggest that Ling Tian might have gotten there first, he could no longer suppress his anger.
"Tell me, how do you want to cooperate! What do I have to pay, and what will I get!"
The Gu King said nothing but signaled to his surroundings. Jin Peng immediately understood his intention.
"Mr. Gu King, please rest assured, these people are all my confidantes and absolutely trustworthy!"
"Young Master Jin, the business we are about to discuss is of great importance! If any word leaks out, it could bring immense trouble to both you and me! How about it, do you dare to take a gamble and talk privately?"
Jin Peng hesitated. Meeting privately with such a dangerous individual without bodyguards was no trivial matter. However, in the end, his hatred for Ling Tian overcame his reason!
"You all leave!"
"Young Master, this is too dangerous. We cannot let you face such a person alone!" his subordinate advised.
"Heh, there are very few people in this world who can ambush me face-to-face! Even if he intends to make a move against me, I will smash his skull before he can succeed!"
Seeing that their young master had made up his mind, the bodyguards could only watch as Jin Peng and the Gu King departed. The two entered a private room, and they were the only ones inside!
"I can make you stronger!"
"I've already said, I don't need it!"
"I know you have concerns about living a few more years, and that's fine. If you're unwilling to do it, you can let your subordinates do it. After all, you spend so much money raising so many subordinates, it's time they did something!"
"Even if each of them is no match for Ling Tian, what about a group of them against him? I don't believe he has three heads and six arms!"
"Then what do you want to gain?" Jin Peng asked.
"After the deed is done, I want Ling Tian! And I want him alive!" The Gu King was one of the few in the martial world who knew about the secret Ling Tian possessed. He did not attribute Ling Tian's current achievements solely to his six masters but believed that Ling Tian had inherited the legacy of the Ling family. This legacy was something many in the demonic and evil paths had coveted for a long time.
"In addition, Young Master Gao wants sixty percent of Bing Tian Pharmaceuticals, and your Jin family can have forty percent! As for the Wang family's assets, the real estate and land will be mine, and the Wang family's companies and securities will all belong to you!"
"Good, it's a deal!" Jin Peng felt no heartache about the other party proposing that the Gao family take the lion's share. After all, the connections of the Gao family in the capital were something many people eagerly sought to curry favor with.
"What do you need me to do!"
"You only need to provide manpower, and I will make them very powerful! Of course, regarding side effects, as long as you don't mention them and I don't mention them, they will never know!" Jin Peng finally understood why the Gu King had asked his subordinates to leave earlier. This was a trap!
"How long will it take!"
"Three months. In three months, I guarantee that each of these people will be far stronger than you are now! By then, we can make our move!"
"Good, it's a deal!"
And so, the two cunning schemers reached an agreement in the private room, and a conspiracy targeting Ling Tian was set in motion!