Chapter Twenty-One: The Crippled Tycoon

He Lian, a gang even more pathetic than Hong Sheng Lian, possessed little combat strength to begin with, especially after their only Red Pole Fighter, Feng Le, was killed by Yang Sheng.

When Yang Sheng dragged the corpse of One-Eyed Leopard out, the entirety of He Lian instantly collapsed. Their underlings either knelt to surrender or fled in a panic. At that moment, in the eyes of the Hong Sheng Lian members, Yang Sheng’s prestige was nearing that of their own leader, He Wenchang.

Hong Sheng Lian had been stifled for far too long. As a prominent gang with direct lineage to the Hung Mun, they had withered into a shell of their former self, bullied for years with their territory shrinking by the day. Their own members were often too afraid to seek help from their superiors when mistreated, knowing that if they made a fuss, their bosses would not seek revenge but would instead force them to swallow their pride and offer apologies to avoid trouble.

Now, with Yang Sheng leading them to crush He Lian with such overwhelming force, it was a moment of true vindication and glory.

Planting a flag to seize territory is a delicate matter in the underworld. It is not enough to simply drive the previous gang away; one must keep their banner standing in the location for a period without being driven back to claim success. However, with One-Eyed Leopard dead, his remaining riffraff stood no chance of reclaiming the turf. Yang Sheng casually left the task of planting the flags to "Foreigner Wen" and his crew, heading straight back to Hong Sheng Lian to report.

This was the first time in years that Hong Sheng Lian had expanded their territory. Although the three elders, including He Wenchang, were quite old, none of them had gone to bed, determined to stay awake despite their fatigue. When Yang Sheng finally returned with his men, the three of them were visibly invigorated.

"Boss, One-Eyed Leopard has been dealt with. From this day forward, there is no longer such a gang as He Lian in the underworld."

Yang Sheng was still stained with spots of blood. Though his expression was relaxed, the grim, murderous aura emanating from him was unmistakable, causing He Wenchang’s heart to skip a beat. He was no longer certain whether annexing He Lian was a blessing or a curse. Yet, having already spoken his intentions, he could not back down. If a leader were to eat his own words, his authority would become worthless.

He Wenchang took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "Well done, A-Sheng. You’ve done more for Hong Sheng Lian’s reputation than that good-for-nothing Di Wei ever could. Rest assured, I keep my word. Tomorrow, I will summon all the disciples of Hong Sheng Lian to the incense hall to promote you to Double-Flower Red Pole Fighter!"

"Thank you, Boss." Yang Sheng smiled and turned to leave, though He Wenchang failed to notice a subtle change in that smile.

...

Villa 66, Mid-Levels, Victoria Peak.

In the lavish, European-style villa, a middle-aged man was puffing on a cigar. He had a peculiar way of holding it: four fingers, excluding the pinky, gripped the cigar tightly, and with every puff, he seemed to inhale every wisp of smoke into his lungs before exhaling it heavily, as if even the act of leisure required his absolute, brute effort.

This bald, limping man with a face full of callous flesh—who appeared quite ordinary—was Wu Tianhao, the leader of the Chao Yi Yong, one of Hong Kong’s top gangs. While others rose to fame in their youth, Wu Tianhao was a late bloomer, still a lowly street thug in his thirties. Yet, in just over a decade, he had transformed a small gang into the most powerful organization in Hong Kong, earning him the title of the "Underground Emperor." To the lowest-level thugs, his life story was legendary.

Beside him, a middle-aged man wearing a white Tang suit with a thin mustache spoke in a low voice: "Boss Hao, things went wrong with Rotten Strength. According to reports from He Lian, One-Eyed Leopard botched the job. He sent Di Wei to threaten Yang Sheng of Hong Sheng Lian, but ended up getting killed by him instead. Afterward, Yang Sheng led Hong Sheng Lian’s elite to ambush He Lian, killing both Rotten Strength and One-Eyed Leopard. They have already planted their flags on He Lian’s territory."

"If you ask me, we shouldn't have made this so complicated," the man continued. "After Feng Le died, we should have just bribed another gang; we aren't short on money. But Rotten Strength was the one who brought in One-Eyed Leopard, and he couldn't let go of the credit. He pushed One-Eyed Leopard to use Di Wei, and Di Wei to threaten Yang Sheng, resulting in this mess. He nearly exposed your entire strategy to the public. Even if he hadn't died, he would have deserved punishment according to gang rules!"

This mustachioed man was Fang Jie, the "White Paper Fan"—the strategist for Chao Yi Yong and one of Wu Tianhao’s truly trusted confidants. While Li Hengqiang (Rotten Strength) was also a trusted subordinate, Chao Yi Yong was massive, and he lacked the tactical intellect of Fang Jie. That was why he had been so desperate to finish the job on his own, only to run into Yang Sheng and lose his life.

Wu Tianhao exhaled a cloud of smoke and crushed the cigar into the pristine coffee table with a savage twist. His voice was chilling: "A-Qiang may have been foolish, but he was a brother who followed me for over a decade. He cannot die in vain. Wipe out Hong Sheng Lian and send that Yang Sheng to join him in the grave."

Fang Jie was startled. "Boss Hao, wouldn't that alert every other gang that Chao Yi Yong is behind this? Rotten Strength’s death hasn't leaked yet, Hong Sheng Lian isn't stupid enough to blab, and we have those from He Lian who knew the truth under control. If we suddenly wipe out Hong Sheng Lian, the other gangs will surely realize something is wrong!"

With Chao Yi Yong’s current strength, they could crush Hong Sheng Lian without any difficulty, but the timing was indeed poor. Yang Sheng had banked on this restraint, which was why he dared to kill Li Hengqiang without hesitation. Once the Dragon City Tournament concluded, everything would be settled, and Chao Yi Yong would never find him in the vastness of Hong Kong.

Wu Tianhao replied coldly, "Then we wait a while. We’ll kill that Yang Sheng after the Dragon City Tournament ends! Hmph! I said from the start that this tournament was redundant. Why not just start a war? Which gang is stronger than my Chao Yi Yong? Huang Juekun of He Yi Xing is old and senile, clinging to his gang's history for legitimacy while lacking a successor. Yin Tiancheng of the Number Gang is short-sighted and small-minded—no threat. Chai Jiu of the Ying Lian Society is a total waste! His father, Chai Hongtu, was a man of substance, but he raised a cowardly son who lets others walk all over him. Why bother with a tournament? We should just flip the table!"

Fang Jie smiled bitterly. "Boss, we don't fear any of those three, but if they join forces, even Chao Yi Yong would struggle. Rest assured, I will handle the arrangements personally. I guarantee that Chao Yi Yong will suppress the others in this tournament."

"I trust you, Jie." Wu Tianhao patted Fang Jie’s shoulder and limped slowly upstairs.

Behind him, Fang Jie sighed softly. As Chao Yi Yong grew more powerful, the boss had become more domineering, yet he had lost much of his former caution, replacing it with an arrogance that suggested he viewed no one as an equal. While Chao Yi Yong was indeed the strongest, the other gangs were not as weak as Wu Tianhao claimed. An Underground Emperor could only exist in the shadows; once exposed to the light, he was destined to be reduced to ash.

Wu Tianhao’s increasing recklessness was a bad omen. Fang Jie knew this, but he dared not speak up. Few of the original brothers who had followed Wu Tianhao through the Golden Triangle remained. Most had died for the gang, but those who had disagreed with him had been quietly "cleared out." Fang Jie was a smart man; he knew what to say, and more importantly, what to keep to himself.