Translator: Larbre Studio
Editor: Larbre Studio
Chang Kaile turned thirty that year. He had been involved with the He Lian Sheng business for over a decade, but his father Chang Shen still had unimaginable influence over the matters of He Lian Sheng.
If you mentioned the name “Chang Kaile,” not many people in the triads would react. They only knew him as Taize Le.
Chang Shen had nurtured Chang Kaile for thirty years. When it came to wits and ambition, Chang Kaile was not lacking in either. The awkward position he was in should have changed overnight… should have.
A new talent should have arisen. They should have seen Taizi Le’s surprise attack on the Walled City to take down Hong Kong’s biggest drug lord, or Chang Shen’s subsequent retirement, or Chang Kaile’s successful take-over of He Lian Sheng’s helm, and so on…
Unfortunately, with the fierce retaliation of Wu Haoxi’s men and Taizi Le’s capture in the Kowloon rings, all of these should-haves had been greatly reduced.
Until now, Chang Kaile could not forget that woman with brows as sharp as knives at Fuyi Tower.
When he returned, Chang Shen did not say anything to him, much less mention anything about his succession. Before the incident, Chang Shen would pat him on the shoulder, speaking of how he should take over the helm of He Lian Sheng…
“This is what you wanted.” Taizi Le’s eyes were bloodshot, his voice hoarse. He sat opposite Li Yan with a few He Lian Sheng bodyguards behind him. Huashan Jiu sat next to him, still on crutches.
Under his palm was a piece of rice paper adorned with golden foil.
Li Yan looked down. The strange beast drawn there had eighteen wings of different lengths and nine grotesque heads, one dripping blood down the neck…
He took a deep breath and reached out to take it. Taizi Le suddenly raised his left hand which had been hidden under the table. With a “thock” sound, he stabbed a paper cutter into the table right between Li Yan’s fingers.
Though Li Yan knew he would not get hurt, he instinctively closed his fingers. With a flick of his wrist and a pull to one side, Taizi Le felt a pain in his hand and the paper cutter clattered onto the table.
The sound of a gun’s safety being removed filled the room. Li Yan’s eyes glinted. He snatched the paper cutter with his right hand and slashed it towards Taizi Le’s neck!
“All of you stop!”
The paper cutter stopped right on Taizi Le’s white neck. Li Yan himself had four gun barrels pointing towards him.
“Put down the guns,” said Taizi Le.
The He Lian Sheng men lowered their guns and Li Yan slowly pulled back his right arm.
“Brother Le, you shouldn’t be playing these kinds of games.”
Li Yan forced a smile.
“I brought you what you wanted. Now answer my questions,” said Taizi Le coldly.
Li Yan leaned back in his chair as if he did not have a care in the world.
“It’s just a piece of scrap paper. I was only testing Brother Le’s sincerity. I already told you that Grand Duke was in cahoots with the triads, is that information not worthwhile enough?”
Li Yan knew that one of the fragments was in the hands of the Kowloon Committee, and only be easily accessed by the chairman, Wu Haoxi. Therefore, after He Lian Sheng had invaded Kowloon, it was likely that the fragment had ended up in their hands.
He wasn’t worried at all. After all, to these folks, the fragments were pretty much scrap paper.
“And I should believe you because you said it? You think I’m a fool?”
Li Yan kept his eyes on Taizi Le’s face. The smile on Li Yan’s face suddenly vanished. “Chang Kaile, I risked being dumped into the sea by Grand Duke’s men just to talk to you, You think I’m just saying these things? You don’t believe me? Then why are you sitting here?”
Chang Kaile saw Li Yan’s rage and this erased some of his doubts. He smiled and pushed the fragment over to Li Yan, even tossing him a cigar along with it.
“Everyone in the Walled City knows that the King of Hell is Grand Duke’s newest star. Everyone would definitely think twice if you suddenly snitched on your boss.”
Li Yan hmphed. He put the fragment in his pocket and said, “Do you believe me yet?”
“You say that Grand Duke was in cahoots with the triads. What’s your proof?”
“Proof? When you and the rest of He Lian Sheng went head on against Wu Haoxi, Grand Duke stabbed you in the back. Does that count? When your old man went to get the elders of the triads as middlemen, they immediately asked for shares of the spoils. Does that count? He Lian Sheng shared their spoils, Grand Duke got nothing but let you go immediately. Does that count?”
Each sentence Li Yan spoke felt like a knife stabbed through Taizi Le’s heart. When Taize Le was born, He Lian Sheng was already a famous gang in Kowloon. Thus, this “future successor” of He Lian Sheng had never experienced what it was like fighting with blood, tooth, and nail like the lowest levels in the gang. In his eyes, everyone did this for a living and what mattered was who had more money, men, and schemes. Things like loyalty, pride, and even rules, meant nothing in the face of raw profit.
People were afraid of the Walled City’s Grand Duke, but how could the boss of the underground fighting rings, one with the least power and men amongst the five executive committee members of the Kowloon Association, stand a chance against the might of He Lian Sheng, whose reach extended across all of Kowloon? Sure, I caused trouble at your place, but we could talk it out. Let’s talk terms, and then I can go after Wu Haoxi. I had such a good hand, but that crazy woman chose to flip the tables on me.
But if she had already prepared for all of this beforehand, then it all made absolute sense.
At this point, Chang Kaile was fuming. He had lost nearly half of his men, and yet the cake had still been taken by others. Plus, he had also been slapped in the face by those same people. Anyone in his shoes would feel rather upset.
Thinking back on how the elders in his gang had talked about him sarcastically, and how his own father could say nothing in his defense, Chang Kaile gritted his teeth. However, the expression on his face did not change as he asked, “Why are you telling me this? Is Grand Duke not treating you well?”
It was time to show his true skills…
Li Yan pursed his lips, putting in effort to control his facial muscles.
“Great. She absolutely treats me well.”
Li Yan stared straight at Taizi Le. “Brother Le, do you know who sponsors my fights in the ring?”
“I do. Judy from Hengsheng Shipping, right?”
Chang Kaile replied a little ruefully. People like him were simply not on the level of large capitalists like the Ho Family and Heng Sheng. He Lian Sheng’s success was also reliant on the backing of their sponsor. But even their sponsor could not compare to someone like Judy, who had a fortune worth over ten billion and a reputation as the wife of the Justice of the Peace, nor could he compare to a tycoon family with influence over both commercial and political circles.
One could say that Li Yan had achieved instant success by being at the side of a woman like Judy. However, Chang Kaile did not look down on Li Yan. Not every man could become a kept man, and Li Yan must have some sort of ability to be kept by someone like Judy.
“Grand Duke asked me to break up with Judy…”
“What for?”
Chang Kaile was surprised. Judy was one of the wealthiest patrons of the Kowloon Rings. Why would Grand Duke be willing to part with such money?
Li Yan glared back at Chang Kaile. “What other reason can there be when a woman asks a man to break up with another woman?”
Chang Kaile heard those words and drew a sharp breath of air.
“You…”
Li Yan wore an uncomfortable expression on his face. He spoke through gritted teeth, “I was just playing around with her, but who knew that this woman wouldn’t know her place after getting into bed together. She forced me to break up with Judy. F*ck, she’s just a madwoman from Kowloon with a chest as flat as a rack. How could she compare to Judy? If not for her, I would be sipping wine on a yacht with Judy right now. Why should I still be fighting for my life in the ring?”
Sitting to the side, Huashan Jiu was in shock. Chen Minhong had been Grand Duke’s loyal hound for many years, which everyone in the Walled City knew. For such a strong fighter to stay so loyal to this one woman, it was clear that he loved her. But now that Li Yan had said these things, Huashan Jiu suddenly felt as though Chen Minhong, with his fists blood-stained from beating up all of He Lian Sheng’s men, had something green on his head…
Chang Kaile mulled over Li Yan’s words in his mind. He thought of that terrifying woman in her jacket with those sharp-as-knives eyes. Then he looked over at this man, wearing a look of unease and a set of clothes that could not cost more than two hundred HKD. Although he found it hard to imagine, upon further thought, it did not seem too far-fetched.
“I won’t be able to rest easy until Grand Duke goes down. If she and Judy face off, the rest of my life will be…”
Li Yan licked his lips and said no more. The way he left his sentence hanging expressed his feelings clearly enough.
“What do you plan to do?”
Chang Kaile asked, giving in to curiosity.
Li Yan’s expression was almost maniacal.
“Give me five hundred grand and one month’s time, and I’ll help you get rid of Grand Duke. I’ll be your inside man, and we’ll work together to kill every last one of them in Fuyi Tower.”
Chang Kaile’s face showed shock, but then his eyes began to gleam. On the other hand, underneath the mask of Li Yan’s murderous look, Li Yan was laughing to himself.
“I’ll be home taking a good nap in one month’s time. I’d be happy to cooperate with you…”