Chapter Sixteen: The Calculations of the Loyal and Brave Qiao

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Inside a private room of a dance hall in Kwun Tong.

Amidst the dim, flickering lights and the harsh cacophony of music, Di Wei was embracing two heavily made-up dancers, enjoying their special massage services.

At that moment, a junior henchman pushed the door open and sat opposite Di Wei. “Brother Wei, that Yang Sheng is quite something. He even threw a banquet at the Fu Le Restaurant with several tables to celebrate his big win in the ring. Each table had a whole East Star Grouper—real flashy.”

Di Wei shuddered slightly and pushed the two dancers aside.

Lighting a cigarette, he squinted and said, “Youngsters don’t know their place. Is Hong Sheng Lian so easy to mess with? The more he jumps around, the faster he’ll die!

Those three old farts hold their positions tightly. When newcomers want to rise, who’s supposed to make way?

He wants to secure a position and start his own hall? In his next life!”

Though he spoke harshly, Di Wei secretly felt a twinge of jealousy toward Yang Sheng.

After all, Di Wei had once contributed so much to Hong Sheng Lian—claiming countless streets and giving many benefits to those three old men to earn his position as Red Stick.

Yet this young guy had amassed such a reputation in just a few days, even with a chance to become a double-flower Red Stick, which unsettled Di Wei.

Of course, his main concern was his wariness of Yang Sheng.

The three elders had controlled Hong Sheng Lian for decades, turning a once-proud traditional Hongmen society into a mere shadow of its former self. Naturally, they didn’t care about the society’s future or its next generation.

In fact, Uncle Chang had long sent his son to study in England, laundering large sums of income annually to support him there.

Chang and Di Wei had an unspoken agreement: when Chang fully retired in a few years, Di Wei would naturally inherit the head position of the society.

Provided, of course, no one else secured the Red Stick position before him.

Hong Sheng Lian was, after all, a direct lineage of the Hongmen, with certain rules to follow.

For example, the head of the society must hold a position above that of a Red Stick.

Therefore, Di Wei absolutely would not tolerate anyone becoming a Red Stick before he took control of the head seat.

At that moment, the junior reported again, “Oh, Brother Wei, One-eyed Leopard just called. He wants to meet you privately.”

Di Wei frowned slightly. “One-eyed Leopard? What does he want from me? Come to demand an explanation from me on behalf of Feng Le? Then he should go find Uncle Chang. Why come to me?”

He considered that He Lian’s strength was no match for Hong Sheng Lian’s, and with one double-flower Red Stick dead, even Di Wei didn’t take them seriously.

After thinking, Di Wei said, “Tell One-eyed Leopard I’m here waiting. If he’s got guts, he should come alone.”

Two hours later, One-eyed Leopard strode into the private room and sat down confidently across from Di Wei.

“Ah Wei, I heard your little brother Yang Sheng held a banquet at the restaurant to celebrate his big win. Why didn’t he invite you, the elder?”

Di Wei replied coldly, “I’m not his boss, why bother with that nonsense?

Leopard, you didn’t come to me to sow discord within Hong Sheng Lian, did you?

If Feng Le was killed by Yang Sheng, you want justice? Go find the old top man. Why come to me?”

He Lian was just a small society, one of the “He” headed groups.

The original “He” society, He He Tu, was once the largest in Hong Kong, but after flourishing, it declined, its lieutenants breaking away into dozens of smaller groups.

For instance, He Yi Xing, currently among the top three in Hong Kong, split from He He Tu.

He Lian was similar but had always been weak.

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One-eyed Leopard himself came from humble beginnings, only securing his position by saving the previous head, who lost an eye because of it, and later adopting him as his godfather.

Di Wei, however, had earned his Red Stick position through his own fists, so he looked down on One-eyed Leopard and spoke bluntly.

One-eyed Leopard didn’t get angry. Instead, he asked gravely, “Ah Wei, don’t you find it strange why I insisted on letting Ah Le fight this match?

He Lian’s strength is obvious. Even if Ah Le breaks into the top ten, it’s useless.

Besides, by strength, your Hong Sheng Lian’s number forty-nine is a bona fide double-flower Red Stick. Ah Le has little chance of winning him. So why risk this fight?”

Hearing this, Di Wei immediately felt something was off.

That night’s fight with Feng Le had indeed been strange, but Di Wei had dismissed it, thinking Feng Le was overconfident, relying on dirty tricks to try to beat Yang Sheng.

“Why?” Di Wei sat up straight.

One-eyed Leopard squinted his single eye and said solemnly, “Because Ah Le’s purpose isn’t to rank! It’s to get into the top fifty and then step aside.

The Dragon City Championship holds matches every three days after the top fifty, supposedly to let fighters rest and recover.

In reality, that’s only if they’re uninjured. If injured, it takes at least ten days or more to heal.

But the ring matches can’t happen monthly waiting for everyone to peak.

So fighters from big societies try to win without getting hurt, even though that’s rare.

As long as Ah Le reaches the top fifty, in the next round, he’ll be arranged to give way.”

“Give way to whom?” Di Wei was surprised.

One-eyed Leopard was a major society boss, and Feng Le was a double-flower Red Stick.

Now he was supposed to throw a fight? Who was this opponent?

One-eyed Leopard smiled: “Who in all Hong Kong’s groups could I do this for?

That would be Wu Tianhao, the head of Chao Yi Yong, also known as Hao Ge!”

Di Wei’s heart jumped.

In all of Hong Kong’s societies, even if you didn’t know the governor, you couldn’t not know Wu Tianhao.

Among all the groups, Chao Yi Yong, He Yi Xing, and Ha Hao Bang almost always occupied the top three, with Chao Yi Yong slightly ahead.

Wu Tianhao, nicknamed “Crippled Hao,” started from a powder syndicate and single-handedly grew Chao Yi Yong from a minor group to its current scale, commanding nearly 100,000 underlings.

Eighty percent of Hong Kong’s heroin came from Wu Tianhao’s hands.

Legend has it that when Wu Tianhao ventured into the Golden Triangle, he saved Kun Sha, the region’s biggest warlord, at the cost of crippling one leg.

Wu Tianhao and Kun Sha became sworn brothers, and since then Kun Sha only dealt through Wu Tianhao.

No wonder anyone could make One-eyed Leopard, a big shot in He Lian, become a stepping stone—Crippled Hao definitely had that authority.

One-eyed Leopard patted the gold Rolex on his wrist and said:

“Know your place. What is He Lian’s big shot worth? Not even as good as one of Hao Ge’s lieutenants.

Hao Ge promised me: as long as this plan succeeds, He Lian will be merged into Chao Yi Yong.”

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Everything was going smoothly, but who expected your Hong Sheng Lian’s Yang Sheng to rise like a dark horse, and Ah Le would be unlucky enough to draw him.”

Di Wei asked in surprise, “If Hao Ge can control the draw, why not help Feng Le get another opponent?”

“Hao Ge is strong, but he can’t control the Dragon City Championship entirely.

This tournament is where big societies like Chao Yi Yong, He Yi Xing, and Ha Hao Bang fight for shares.

If Hao Ge could control the whole thing, he wouldn’t even need to compete.

So Hao Ge’s arrangement can only be used once: to keep Chao Yi Yong’s double-flower Red Stick in peak form at a key moment.”

Di Wei was silent for a moment. “Then why come to me?”

One-eyed Leopard said gravely, “Ah Le is dead, but Hao Ge’s plan can’t just fall apart!

The tournament is over, with over fifty fighters advancing.

But after removing those severely injured and unable to fight, only forty-four remain in three days, from over a dozen societies.

Those mid-level societies won’t allow their fighters to throw matches.

Only your Hong Sheng Lian’s Yang Sheng can do this.

Ah Wei, if you help me deal with Yang Sheng—

Whether by pressure or persuasion, as long as he throws matches against Hao Ge’s fighters, I’ll owe you a favor, and Hao Ge will too.”

Seeing Di Wei silent, One-eyed Leopard continued: “Ah Wei, you have it hard under He Wen Chang.

How many years until you become head of the society?

I came to you, not that old fox He Wen Chang, because he’s greedy and you’re young and sharp!

Help us now, and with Hao Ge backing you, that old fox He Wen Chang will retire early!

Besides, Yang Sheng is already outstanding.

If he wins another match in the Dragon City Championship, he’ll surely become a double-flower Red Stick.

Then you, a Red Stick, competing against a double-flower Red Stick for headship, even with your seniority, many won’t accept you.”

The dance hall’s lights flickered intermittently, and Di Wei’s expression shifted constantly.

After a moment, he asked, “Is Hao Ge really willing to support me as head of Hong Sheng Lian?”

One-eyed Leopard smiled, “You see the head of Hong Sheng Lian as a big deal, but to Hao Ge, what is it?

Nothing!

Why would Hao Ge refuse, if it’s just a matter of words?”

Di Wei gritted his teeth. “Fine! I’ll help you handle Yang Sheng, but your society must send people to cooperate with me.”

“No problem. Whatever cooperation you want, I’ll arrange it!” One-eyed Leopard grinned happily.

He had messed up Wu Tianhao’s plan and hadn’t dared to meet him yet, so how could he make promises on Hao Ge’s behalf?

He was just temporarily fooling Di Wei.

Whether Hao Ge would intervene in Hong Sheng Lian’s affairs in the future, he didn’t know.

He came to Di Wei directly because Di Wei was currently in a difficult position and easy to manipulate.

Had he gone to He Wen Chang directly, that old fox would have contacted Hao Ge for favors, no need to go through One-eyed Leopard.