Chapter 30: Ungrateful and Obstinate

Inside the main hall of the Hong Sheng Lian, over a dozen ranking leaders had arrived.

They had not expected to be gathered at the headquarters again so soon after Yang Sheng’s recent promotion. However, this time, they were at a loss as to whether they should be mourning He Wenchang or congratulating Yang Sheng on taking over as the new dragon head.

To be honest, none of the high-ranking members present had any real affection for He Wenchang. It was a dying organization, so there was no point in expecting any sense of belonging. Yet, they were equally dissatisfied with Yang Sheng’s rise to power. He was a newcomer who had joined only a few months ago; for him to be promoted to a Double-Flower Red Pole was already outrageous enough. Now, he had gone so far as to kill the boss to seize the leadership—where was the protocol in that? By what right?

While they waited for Yang Sheng to appear, the men whispered among themselves. A moment later, Yang Sheng walked out, accompanied by Huang Wen and Fisherman Qiang, and the room fell silent instantly.

Yang Sheng flashed a brilliant, wide grin at the crowd. "Sorry to have troubled you all to make the trip. I’ve called everyone here simply to inform you that from this day forward, I, Yang Sheng, am the one in charge of the Hong Sheng Lian. As for all of you, everything remains as it was."

The men exchanged glances, their faces masked with shock and barely concealed fury. Was Yang Sheng not being a bit too arrogant? Killing the boss to take over, and he thought he could just brush it off with a few casual words? Even though the Hong Sheng Lian was a declining organization, it still had assets and over a thousand members—did these not need to be redistributed?

A middle-aged man with a thick gold chain and a bloated face was the first to stand up, unable to contain himself. "Yang Sheng, what is the meaning of this? You haven’t given an explanation for killing the boss, and now you want to seize the Hong Sheng Lian's territory with a single sentence? By what right?"

Yang Sheng tilted his head, looked at him, and asked Ghost Wen, "Who is this guy?"

Ghost Wen chuckled. "Salty Lin. He runs two brothels in Kwun Tong. The women under him are all terrible, every one of them as plump and sturdy as he is; even his own brothers don't want to patronize him."

Yang Sheng nodded, walked over to Salty Lin, and looked him up and down. Salty Lin’s heart suddenly trembled, and he began to regret being the first to speak out. His brothel business was doing poorly, which made him the most eager to seize this opportunity to carve out a share for himself. Blinded by greed, he seemed to have forgotten what kind of man Yang Sheng was.

Just as Salty Lin opened his mouth to speak, Yang Sheng suddenly pressed his head down and slammed it violently against the table in front of him! The sturdy rosewood table was tough, and the impact didn't shatter it immediately, but blood sprayed everywhere. He did it again and again, the sight making everyone’s hearts pound in terror, until Salty Lin’s head finally smashed through the wood. Only then did Yang Sheng stop, tossing the unconscious, half-dead man aside.

Scanning the crowd, Yang Sheng’s smile faded, his expression turning cold and sharp. "You all seem to have misunderstood one thing. I had you come here today only to notify you that from this day on, I am in charge of the Hong Sheng Lian. I am not here to ask for your opinions! You all know exactly what kind of person He Wenchang was. He turned a proud, storied organization into a foul-smelling mess, a third-rate, dying group! It was I, Yang Sheng, who rebuilt the reputation and prestige of the Hong Sheng Lian. Recently, even your own men have been recruiting new members, and when they run into conflicts with other organizations, they speak with more confidence, don't they? Don't forget who gave you that!"

The expressions of those present shifted. What Yang Sheng said was, in fact, the truth. The reputation of the organization was a collective one; when the Hong Sheng Lian was a dying group, its branches had no backbone. But after Yang Sheng made a name for himself at the Dragon City Championship, they all seemed to have grown a spine. Other organizations now feared Yang Sheng, and they no longer dared to bully the people of the Hong Sheng Lian too severely.

"For those who want to remain loyal to He Wenchang, I will give you a chance. Take your men and your territory and leave the Hong Sheng Lian. I won’t hold it against you. But if anyone tries to stir up trouble behind my back, you won’t want to know the consequences."

The ranking leaders, who had originally hoped to profit from the chaos, were thoroughly terrified by Yang Sheng. He Wenchang had, at worst, been petty and squeezed them for profit, but Yang Sheng’s ruthless, lethal methods were chilling. They were just gangsters; no one wanted to lose their life. And so, they immediately dropped their defiant looks, obediently and respectfully calling him "Boss."

After dismissing the group, Fisherman Qiang stood behind Yang Sheng and hesitated. "Ah Sheng... Boss."

"Uncle Qiang, you are an elder. Just call me Ah Sheng as you always have," Yang Sheng said, waving a hand to interrupt him.

Fisherman Qiang paused. "These guys are indeed useless, but no one can manage an entire organization alone; the Hong Sheng Lian still needs them for now. It won’t be too late to kick them out once young men like Ah Wen and Dilu have grown up. You’re acting so aggressively now—they may be obedient on the surface, but they’ll likely harbor resentment toward you in private."

Yang Sheng had given Fisherman Qiang a chance to wield power, and the retired man seemed to have found a new lease on life, working quite actively. His advice was well-intentioned, aimed at the well-being of the organization and Yang Sheng himself.

Yang Sheng smiled. "I understand what you mean, Uncle Qiang, but I cannot tolerate these bottom-feeders ruining things behind my back. Whether they resent me or not is irrelevant, as long as they obey."

For Yang Sheng, he had already completed his main mission and could leave at any time; he didn't care about the messy internal politics of the Hong Sheng Lian. However, he didn't plan on leaving just yet. He was determined to get the 50% mastery in national martial arts that came with winning the Dragon City Championship. Having already tasted that power, how could he possibly give it up? Furthermore, the reincarnation mission had clearly stated that the better the performance, the higher the evaluation grade. Although Yang Sheng didn't know exactly what that evaluation grade was for, it was clearly something of great importance.

As for what constituted a "great performance," he figured it at least required completing every single task. That was his interpretation, at least.

Seeing Yang Sheng’s resolve, Fisherman Qiang said nothing more. Huang Wen was even more shrewd, and he certainly wouldn't open his mouth at a time like this to offend Yang Sheng.

"Uncle Qiang, Uncle Wen, do you know why I suddenly decided to move against He Wenchang?" Yang Sheng suddenly stopped them.

Both Huang Wen and Fisherman Qiang were taken aback. They hadn't thought about that. Thinking it over, the timing had indeed been sudden.

Yang Sheng squinted and said, "Because that old man He Wenchang was being threatened by Wu Tianhao, who wanted me to withdraw from the Dragon City Championship. And I didn't want to withdraw. It’s that simple."

Huang Wen and Fisherman Qiang were shocked. They had never imagined that this matter involved Wu Tianhao of the Chao Yi Yong. Huang Wen murmured, "But Ah Sheng, if you don't withdraw, won't you have offended Wu Tianhao to the death? How can our Hong Sheng Lian stand up to the Chao Yi Yong? Wu Tianhao isn't Luo Rong; he keeps killers from the Golden Triangle around him—men who are desperate and don't value their own lives!"

Seeing Huang Wen’s terrified state, Yang Sheng finally understood the extent of Wu Tianhao’s reputation among the organizations in Hong Kong.

"Don't worry, Uncle Wen. The Dragon City Championship is a major event co-hosted by all the organizations in Hong Kong, so even Wu Tianhao won't dare to act recklessly. Even if he disregards the rules, he hasn't reached the point where he can cover the sky with one hand."

Changing the subject, Yang Sheng asked, "How much do you know about Chief Inspector Lui Lok?"

Yang Sheng didn't know if the Lui Lok of this world was the same one he was familiar with, so he needed to gather accurate intelligence. Huang Wen told him everything he knew, and there were indeed subtle differences. In the world he knew, Lui Lok held power over both the black and white worlds with brilliant tactics. But in this world, the power of the organizations was undoubtedly stronger. The underground emperor Wu Tianhao, He Yi Xing’s Lui Guokun, and Chai Ji’s father, Chai Hongtu, were all figures who could sit as equals with Lui Lok.

Therefore, the relationship between Lui Lok and these organizations was not, strictly speaking, one of superior and subordinate, but rather a partnership. These organizations provided regular bribes to Lui Lok, and in return, he protected their businesses. If someone committed a crime, these organizations would obediently hand over a scapegoat to keep the crime rate down. But by the same token, Lui Lok wouldn't dare interfere in the internal affairs of the organizations.

After Huang Wen finished, he hesitated and said, "Ah Sheng, are you thinking of using Lui Lok to put pressure on 'Limp' Ho? But we have no connection to Lui Lok, and it’s generally bad for people in the syndicates to be too close to the police."

Yang Sheng smiled enigmatically. "Uncle Wen, in this world, black and white are not absolute. We in the organizations might not touch the law, but that Inspector Lui’s methods are darker than any of ours. In any case, don't worry about it. I am going to see the Dragon City Championship through to the end, and the Hong Sheng Lian will make its name known to all the organizations in Hong Kong!"