Chapter 722

"Leader Ding, you shouldn't be a stranger to the organization known as Thorn, right?" Old Du said, getting straight to the point.

Xu Tian nodded.

It was more than just not being a stranger; when the attack on Thorn first took place, it was Ding Yi who had been at the forefront.

"Old Du, what exactly are you trying to say?" Xu Tian said, calm and composed. "Stop beating around the bush."

"Hehe..." Old Du wore a meaningful expression. "When Thorn was attacked back then, you, Leader Ding, were the most proactive one."

"So what?" Xu Tian already had a faint suspicion in his heart; these people from the Wuji Martial Arts Association were truly cunning and treacherous.

"I believe you must have heard that Thorn has re-emerged in the jianghu, and the Thorn Emperor has also returned to Wuji Island. However, because Thorn suffered heavy losses in the past, their momentum is certainly not what it used to be."

"Leader Ding, you are a smart man, so you naturally understand the principle that wild fires cannot be completely extinguished, and they will grow again with the spring breeze. Why not take advantage of the fact that Thorn hasn't fully developed again to take them down in one fell swoop, leaving them no possibility of a comeback?"

Old Du stared at Xu Tian, observing his expression.

"I was wondering why Old Du would go to such lengths; so this is the main purpose." Xu Tian sneered. "If you want me to deal with Thorn, you could have just said so. Why make excuses and beat around the bush?"

"Hehe... Leader Ding, don't forget, you were the vanguard that attacked Thorn back then. If the Thorn Emperor regains power, you should be the first one they deal with." Old Du did not deny Xu Tian's words, but he didn't want to dwell on it either, simply ignoring it entirely.

This attitude made Xu Tian curse the old fox from head to toe in his heart again.

It was clearly they who wanted to eliminate Thorn, yet they came to sow discord between the Azure Wolf Hall and Thorn, attempting to incite another war.

After all, the Wuji Martial Arts Association represented the authority on Wuji Island, and since Thorn and the Thorn Emperor had not violated the rules of Wuji Island, they had no standing to launch a crusade against them.

This was the purpose of Old Du's visit today: to borrow a knife to kill, using their Azure Wolf Hall to deal with Thorn.

In fact, Thorn hadn't really done anything out of line. The reason the Wuji Martial Arts Association couldn't tolerate them was simply because the Thorn Emperor was not under their control.

But because they lacked a legitimate reason, the Wuji Martial Arts Association found it

inconvenient to take action themselves, which is why they were jumping around sowing discord, inciting conflicts between other factions and Thorn, so they could sit back and reap the benefits.

During the years when Thorn was at its most powerful, they also established a Thorn Association, requiring all factions on Wuji Island to pay membership fees on time.

Rather than calling it a membership fee, it would be more accurate to call it protection money.

Many factions, under pressure, chose to compromise and paid the fees on time.

But what kind of person was the Wolf King Ding Yi? With his personality, he naturally wouldn't let Thorn lead him by the nose. In a fit of rage, he even killed the Thorn members who came to collect the fees, completely tearing off the mask with the other side.

It was precisely because of this that Ding Yi had cooperated with the Wuji Martial Arts Association to attack Thorn back then.

Of course, Xu Tian only knew the surface-level information; as for how Ding Yi attacked Thorn and what happened during that time, he had no way of knowing.

"Although Thorn shows signs of a resurgence, they currently do not threaten my faction. Why should I put in the effort without any reward and be the one to stick my neck out?" Xu Tian knew the old fox's intentions, so he wasn't in a hurry.

"As long as Leader Ding is willing to take action, our Wuji Martial Arts Association will send reinforcements," Old Du promised.

"Just reinforcements?" Xu Tian's smile grew colder. "It was your Wuji Martial Arts Association that couldn't tolerate them in the first place. You want me to be the one to stick my neck out, so naturally, you should send reinforcements; what is there to discuss? Besides that, if there are no conditions that move me, then..."

"Leader Ding, do you still remember 'Sissy'?" Old Du interrupted Xu Tian. "I remember you had some conflicts with that person. If you agree to deal with Thorn, our Wuji Martial Arts Association can personally step in to mediate between you and Sissy, asking him not to pursue past grievances."

Old Du said with great confidence: "Leader Ding, you should know Sissy's strength. To this day, we don't even know his true identity, and his strength is unfathomable; even those great families don't dare to look down on him. Do you think a small Azure Wolf Hall can withstand his retaliation?"

"Hehe, Old Du, you have quite the nerve!" Before Xu Tian could speak, Zhong Yu interrupted with disdain. "If you really had that much face to persuade that Sissy

, why not just have him deal with Thorn directly? Even when Thorn was at its peak, they never provoked Sissy. If you get him involved, wouldn't that be cutting the weeds and digging up the roots?"

Although the nickname 'Sissy' didn't sound pleasant, everyone on Wuji Island knew that this person was extremely dangerous and absolutely must not be provoked.

Even the Wuji Martial Arts Association had no chance of winning against that person.

"That's not the case, that's not the case!" Old Du shook his head and waved his hand to signal Zhong Yu to stay calm. "Since I dare to make a promise to Leader Ding, I naturally have full confidence. As for how to persuade Sissy, you don't need to worry about that."

"Old Du, it seems you still don't know me well enough." Xu Tian said slowly. "I, Ding Yi, have never feared anyone, nor do I fear anyone's provocation. As for how you know the nickname 'Sissy', I don't need to say more, right?"

He placed both hands on the conference table, leaned forward slightly, his tone filled with mockery.

"Where do you get the confidence to think I would be afraid of him?"

If the Wolf King Ding Yi were truly afraid of Sissy, he wouldn't have repeatedly led people to provoke him, and even spread this insulting nickname across Wuji Island, to the point where those on the island who didn't know his true identity referred to Qiao Jing Tian as 'Sissy'.

"Leader Ding, I remember you recently recruited a few subordinates. I don't need to say what their identities are, right?" Facing Xu Tian's assertiveness, Old Du wasn't annoyed; he just slowly revealed a trump card.

"Wuji Island has its own rules. Not just anyone can stay here. This rule was unanimously passed by all the families on the island and cannot be broken for any one person."

"Leader Ding, if you set this precedent, I'm afraid it will incite public anger. You, of course, aren't afraid, but your brothers will be implicated by you."

"What do you mean?" Xu Tian narrowed his eyes.

"How about this: if Leader Ding agrees to cooperate with our Wuji Martial Arts Association, I will make an exception and grant your subordinates Wuji Island citizenship, allowing them to stay on the island legitimately. How about that?"

Xu Tian remained silent.

He also needed the status of a Wuji Island citizen...

If he could stay here legitimately, he wouldn't need to risk his life pretending to be the Wolf King.