113: I don't accept

"Dog?"

When Li Mo heard this word, instead of getting angry, he smiled.

It was a genuine smile, tinged with a sense of relief and world-weariness.

"Master Ao, that's a very good question you've asked."

"In the Abyss Domain, many people have asked themselves the same question."

He raised his hand, looking at his palm lines, as if recalling something.

"And then, they all died."

Li Mo's answer was simple, yet cruel.

"In the Abyss Domain, the cheapest thing is dignity. The easiest to die are those self-proclaimed powerhouses."

"Even the current strongest executives, their fundamental character is caution above all else..."

"Everyone has struggled back from the brink of death, understanding that arrogance is the greatest enemy."

"'Maggots' like me, who know how to retract our claws, how to roll in the mud, how to barely survive under the feet of giant beasts, are the ones who make it out alive."

"Only by surviving can one qualify to contend for the next bit of resources."

"Only by surviving can one qualify to see the sun rise the next day."

Li Mo turned his head, looking at Chen Ao again, his gaze terrifyingly calm.

"Living is everything."

"Everything I do is for the sake of living better."

"So, I never think of humility as something shameful. On the contrary, I believe it's a kind of wisdom, a... secret to longevity."

Secret to longevity.

These five words were like five red-hot iron needles, piercing deeply into Chen Ao's heart.

He was utterly speechless.

Everything he held dear, everything he was proud of, seemed as fragile as a piece of paper in the face of Li Mo's survival philosophy, forged from a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.

Li Mo seemed very satisfied with Chen Ao's reaction.

He sat down again and refilled Chen Ao's empty wine glass.

"So, Master Ao, my suggestion is simple."

"Show goodwill."

"Actively extend our goodwill to Old Ghost Hall, and to the person behind them."

Chen Ao didn't move, just stared at the red liquid swirling in the glass.

Li Mo continued, his thoughts terrifyingly clear.

"This is entirely beneficial to us, with no downsides."

"The first possibility is that the other party is indeed someone we cannot afford to provoke. In that case, our show of goodwill can at least ensure that we are not immediately listed as an enemy. And if we're lucky, we might even establish a connection and gain unexpected benefits."

"After all, if he wants to operate in Linzhou, he'll need a local guide. Old Ghost and Seventh Master are too unsavory, and we are the better choice."

Chen Ao's Adam's apple moved.

Li Mo's words were very tempting.

"The second possibility."

Li Mo's tone shifted, and a playful smile appeared on his face.

"What if, and I mean if, we get incredibly lucky, and the other party is actually just a pushover who stumbled upon some fortuitous encounter?"

"Then our show of goodwill would be the best disguise."

"We can use this opportunity to approach him openly, figure out his background, and ascertain his true strength."

"And then..."

Li Mo made a slight gesture, drawing his thumb across his throat.

"When he's least guarded, we'll devour him whole."

"His fortuitous encounter, his wealth, everything he has, will become ours for the taking."

The atmosphere in the private room instantly shifted from solemn to chilling.

Chen Ao finally looked up at Li Mo.

"Stabbing someone in the back, that's too low-class."

He said each word distinctly.

This was his bottom line as the King of the Black Market.

He could be ruthless, he could be vicious, but he couldn't be without rules, he couldn't betray trust!

"Low-class?"

Li Mo seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world and couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Hahahahaha..."

He laughed so hard he bent over, completely losing his earlier humble demeanor.

"Master Ao, oh Master Ao, you truly are... too adorable."

He wiped away tears of laughter, leaned forward, and moved closer to Chen Ao.

"So what?"

His voice was very low, yet filled with unbridled arrogance.

"Even if we really backstabbed him, so what?"

"In Linzhou, who can punish you?"

"On Blue Star, how many people can punish a combined effort of you and me?"

"Rules? Character?"

Li Mo extended a finger and gently shook it.

"These things are shackles used by the strong to bind the weak."

"When we stand high enough, what we say is the rule!"

"What we do is character!"

"Rules?"

Chen Ao repeated the two words, as if hearing them for the first time.

Then, he laughed.

It wasn't laughter born of extreme anger, but a pure, deep-seated sarcasm and disdain.

"Haha... Hahahahaha!"

The laughter echoed in the luxurious private room, carrying a chilling, murderous intent.

Li Mo didn't speak, just watched him quietly, the humble yet playful smile on his face completely unchanged, as if he were watching a play whose script had long been written.

"Li Mo, you talk to me about rules?"

Chen Ao's laughter abruptly stopped.

He stood up.

His tall figure instantly loomed over Li Mo, casting a shadow that made the smile on the latter's face seem dim and unclear.

"That system of yours isn't called rules."

Chen Ao spoke deliberately, each word as if pulled from an ice cellar.

"That's called barely surviving."

"It's the way a dog lives."

He pointed a finger, almost poking Li Mo's nose.

"Wagging your tail for scraps, struggling to survive in the cracks, picking up leftovers at your master's feet, then baring your teeth at weaker stray dogs."

"Is this the wisdom of survival you learned in the Abyss Domain?"

"Is this the secret to longevity you're so proud of?"

Facing such almost insulting words, Li Mo's reaction was terrifyingly calm.

He even picked up his wine glass and raised it to Chen Ao in a distant toast.

"Master Ao is right."

"But a dog, at least, is still alive."

Li Mo drained the wine in his glass.

"While those dignified wolves, their bones have long rotted away."

Chen Ao stared at him, not saying a word.

The air in the private room became stagnant; even Scarface's arrogant curses from the floating crystal seemed to be distorted by the pressure.

"So, this is your suggestion?" Chen Ao asked.

"Yes." Li Mo answered crisply.

"Very good."

Chen Ao withdrew his hand. He turned, no longer looking at Li Mo.

As if another glance would be an insult to himself.

He admitted that the strength Li Mo displayed shocked him.

He admitted that the existence of the Abyss Domain weighed on him like a mountain, making him feel breathless.

But so what?

Chen Ao had risen from a street thug to the King of Linzhou's Black Market today, and he never relied on being overly cautious, much less on backstabbing!

It was blood!

It was fists!

It was stomping everyone who dared to challenge him, along with their bones and dignity, into the mud!

Show goodwill?

Disguise?

Then find an opportunity to devour them whole?

Too much trouble.

And too demeaning.

That wasn't his style.