Chapter Eighteen: Schemes Concealed in Every Heart

After leaving the restaurant, Yang Sheng took a taxi back to his attic in Kwun Tong, bringing with him all the cash, gold bars, and jewelry he had looted from Luo Rong.

Originally, Yang Sheng had intended to take a slow and steady approach toward acquiring the Imperial Guard saber. However, plans had been overtaken by events. Having killed Di Wei and become entangled in the schemes of a top-tier organization like the Chao Yee Yung, he had to adjust his plans and take a more aggressive stance.

Of course, even being aggressive did not mean Yang Sheng was reckless enough to take on the entire Hong Sheng Lian single-handedly. A sinking ship still has three thousand nails; the Hong Sheng Lian still possessed a certain foundation. That old man, He Wenchang, kept quite a few gunmen on his payroll. Attempting to storm the Hong Sheng Lian headquarters alone would be nothing but a pipe dream. He could manage to kill Luo Rong in a one-on-one confrontation involving firearms, but facing several gunmen at once would require him to get his hands on a rocket launcher.

Therefore, Yang Sheng’s plan was simple: sow discord among the three elders of the Hong Sheng Lian. To outsiders, the three elders appeared united, but in reality, each of the old men harbored his own hidden agenda. As the sitting chairman, He Wenchang monopolized almost all the benefits of the Hong Sheng Lian, leaving Huang Wen and Fisherman Qiang to merely scrap for the leftovers. Fisherman Qiang knew he was too old and infirm to fight, while Huang Wen, having risen through the ranks as a strategist, knew he could only remain a vassal to the chairman. Thus, the two had been sensible enough to play the supporting roles, remaining submissive to He Wenchang.

But did they truly harbor no secret thoughts or grievances against He Wenchang? Yang Sheng certainly didn’t believe that for a second.

Yang Sheng went to see Fisherman Qiang first. Qiang had bought several apartments in Wan Chai, clearly preparing to live off the rent after retirement. However, the apartments were run-down, showing that his funds were limited. While He Wenchang resided at the headquarters, Yang Sheng had heard rumors that he owned a villa on Lion Rock.

There were two henchmen guarding the door to Fisherman Qiang’s apartment. Upon seeing Yang Sheng approach, both greeted him respectfully as "Brother Sheng." Yang Sheng’s status within the Hong Sheng Lian was unique. In terms of official rank, he held no title—he wasn't even a low-level soldier. But in terms of reputation, even Di Wei couldn't compare to him. After all, for many years, the Hong Sheng Lian had been stagnant; only during the period of Yang Sheng’s rise had the name resounded across every gang in Hong Kong. Even the low-level members of the Hong Sheng Lian now had something to brag about when dealing with other organizations. Thus, despite being rank-and-file members just like him, they treated Yang Sheng with great reverence.

"I’d like to see Uncle Qiang. Please go and announce me."

One of the men knocked on the door, and after a moment, they ushered Yang Sheng inside. Fisherman Qiang was wearing traditional Chinese pajamas and coughing periodically. In his youth, he had been a Red Pole boss, but he had suffered too many internal injuries over the years, and his health had failed him, forcing him into the background in his early forties.

"Ah Sheng, it’s so late. What brings you here?"

"Uncle Qiang, I killed Di Wei."

Fisherman Qiang was stunned, then looked up abruptly, his eyes filled with shock. Before he could speak, Yang Sheng began pulling stacks of US dollars from his backpack. He piled the thick stacks onto the coffee table until it could hold no more—a rough estimate suggested at least five or six hundred thousand.

"A... Ah Sheng, what is the meaning of this?"

Yang Sheng said calmly, "That scumbag Di Wei colluded with the Wo Luen to have me killed, so I killed him in self-defense. However, the reputation of 'killing one's superior' is never good. That is why I want to ask you, Uncle Qiang, to put in a good word for me with the Big Boss and support my promotion to Double-Flower Red Pole."

Before Fisherman Qiang could respond, Yang Sheng glanced around the room. The apartment was well-decorated and consisted of two units merged into one; it was quite spacious, truly a "thousand-square-foot luxury home." But no matter how good an apartment was, it was still just an apartment. Yang Sheng shook his head slightly and said, "Uncle Qiang, the organization has been very unfair to you. Back in the day, you conquered the docks in Sai Kung, a place of great influence, and helped the organization make so much money. In the end, you’re forced to rely on these small apartments to make a living. Even if you want to retire, you should do it with dignity, Uncle Qiang."

Yang Sheng pointed to the money on the table. "This is enough to ensure you live with dignity."

Fisherman Qiang remained silent for a moment, coughed twice, and said, "Don't worry, Ah Sheng. Uncle Qiang will definitely support your position as Double-Flower Red Pole!"

A faint smile appeared on the corner of Yang Sheng’s mouth. Dealing with Fisherman Qiang was not difficult. Among the three elders, he was the most marginalized. Although he could fight when he was young, he wasn't particularly bright—he was just a brawler. He had been promoted by He Wenchang partly to check Huang Wen and partly because he was obedient and simple-minded. But even if he was easily fooled, he wasn't an idiot. Following He Wenchang meant spending the rest of his life in these small apartments, miserable and barely scraping by. Helping Yang Sheng, however, would provide him with over half a million US dollars to live comfortably for the rest of his days. It was a simple choice, and Fisherman Qiang knew how to make it.

Yang Sheng stood up. "Then thank you, Uncle Qiang. I still need to visit Uncle Wen, so I won't stay any longer."

Hearing that Yang Sheng was going to see Huang Wen, Fisherman Qiang felt even more confident. If Huang Wen also agreed to support Yang Sheng’s promotion, the matter would be eighty percent certain.

After leaving the apartment, Yang Sheng immediately called Ghost Wen, asking him to help arrange a meeting with Huang Wen. Ghost Wen had previously been one of Huang Wen’s underlings, though not a trusted confidant—he was a pure fighter. Huang Wen was a strategist by trade and had attended English schools; he was far more intelligent than Fisherman Qiang. While Qiang was essentially a mascot with no real power, Huang Wen managed the organization's finances. He also kept a number of fighters to protect himself, and though few in number, they were elites like Ghost Wen. Thus, Huang Wen was effectively the second-in-command of the Hong Sheng Lian.

Unlike He Wenchang, who feigned simplicity, or Fisherman Qiang, who was truly poor, Huang Wen was generous to himself. Though he didn't own a villa on Lion Rock like He Wenchang, he rented a small villa in Wan Chai and traveled with drivers and bodyguards, acting like a successful businessman.

Yang Sheng was escorted into the villa by two of Huang Wen’s men. Huang Wen looked grim. "Ah Sheng, you are very bold. Killing a brother of the same organization and defying your superiors! Have you forgotten the thirty-six oaths of the Hung Mun you swore when you joined?"

Di Wei’s underlings were not fools; by now, they would surely have spread the news.

"Uncle Wen, let’s not joke. What era is this? Does anyone still believe in that?"

Yang Sheng truly had no memory of the ceremony when he joined the Hong Sheng Lian. After entering the reincarnation world, his mind only contained a simple introduction to his identity, with very few details. Yet, the martial arts mastery that Fatty Wang had helped him improve felt as if it were etched into his brain, profoundly deep. Yang Sheng was curious about how the Will of the Heavens manipulated the identities of reincarnators—did it rewrite people's memories, or did it conjure up someone who didn't exist out of thin air?

"But Di Wei is dead. You need to give the organization an explanation. The country has its laws, and the gang has its rules. Without an explanation, the Big Boss won't agree, and no brother in the Hong Sheng Lian will agree."

Yang Sheng sat naturally on the sofa opposite Huang Wen and said calmly, "Uncle Wen, if you truly wanted me to pay with my life for Di Wei, you wouldn't have met me today. That loser Ghost Wen doesn't have that much influence."

Huang Wen looked at Yang Sheng deeply. "I’ve seen countless people in my life and rarely misjudged anyone. You, Ah Sheng, are an exception. Did you come here to bribe me with five hundred thousand US dollars as well?"

Huang Wen was referring to his previous attempt to test Yang Sheng after he had killed Luo Rong and Yao Hui. Back then, Yang Sheng had played the part of an obedient and reasonable subordinate. Looking back, that had clearly been an act! If he were truly obedient, how could he have dared to kill Di Wei and bribe an elder?

Yang Sheng looked back at Huang Wen with equal intensity. This strategist was no simple character. He had only just left Fisherman Qiang’s place, yet Huang Wen already knew about the five hundred thousand. Perhaps one of those henchmen Qiang trusted was his man, or perhaps all of them were.

"Uncle Wen, you are not Uncle Qiang. Your vision is not that short; you wouldn't be impressed by five hundred thousand."

Huang Wen controlled all the financial flows of the Hong Sheng Lian. Although everything had to be audited by He Wenchang, he was the one keeping the books, and the amount he skimmed off the top was not insignificant. Thus, he was not like Fisherman Qiang, who could be bought with a little money.

Yang Sheng took several sheets of paper from his backpack and said calmly, "Uncle Wen, you must be curious about where I got so much money, right? When I killed Luo Rong, I looted all the valuables in his safe. These are the procurement channels and contact information for the counterfeit goods Luo Rong was trafficking. Luo Rong made a fortune relying on these, to the point where he didn't even put Chai Jiu, the head of the Ying Lian Society, in his eyes. But he was too high-profile; not only did Chai Jiu want to take him down, but the big merchants wanted him gone too. Now that Luo Rong is dead and his channels have been shut down by the police, the market is wide open. Once the heat dies down, if you step in, Uncle Wen, and are careful not to be too flashy, you can enjoy this piece of fat alone. Most importantly, this piece of fat belongs only to you, whereas the Hong Sheng Lian belongs to the Big Boss. Right now, the Hong Sheng Lian ship could sink at any moment. Don’t you want a way out, Uncle Wen?"

Although Yang Sheng had handed these items to Chen Wenyao earlier, he had privately made a copy of these important documents, and they were now proving useful. As Huang Wen looked at the papers in Yang Sheng’s hand, his expression remained steady, but his eyes betrayed a constant flicker of change. He was, of course, incredibly greedy for the counterfeit channels Luo Rong had left behind. Even if he couldn't be as flashy as Luo Rong, selling just a tenth of the volume would be enough to make his eyes turn red with greed.

Most importantly, there were the last two sentences Yang Sheng had uttered. The Hong Sheng Lian was He Wenchang’s Hong Sheng Lian, not his, and certainly not Fisherman Qiang’s or anyone else’s. Over the years, managing the accounts, he knew that He Wenchang had almost emptied the organization. As long as He Wenchang was in power, he could still siphon some funds. But once He Wenchang packed up and went to the UK to enjoy his retirement, not only would the Hong Sheng Lian be an empty shell, but would the new chairman even tolerate him?

Therefore, Huang Wen had always been looking for a way out. And now, Yang Sheng had laid that path before him. Would he take it?

After a long while, Huang Wen took the papers and sighed. "The younger generation is truly formidable. Don't worry, Di Wei's position is yours."

He paused, then added, "But with these assets, and the reputation from killing Ruan Feng, Yao Hui, and Feng Le, you could have easily started your own organization. Why bother lingering in the Hong Sheng Lian?"

A mysterious smile appeared on Yang Sheng’s face. "Perhaps it's because I'm a nostalgic person."

Huang Wen shook his head in confusion. You’ve only been in the Hong Sheng Lian for a few days—what could you possibly be nostalgic for?

Of course, none of that mattered. What mattered was that Yang Sheng had secured the Double-Flower Red Pole position, and he, Huang Wen, had secured a way out. As for justice for Di Wei, who would care?