Chapter Fifty-Five: Loyalty!

To be promoted to a Red Pole enforcer, one must first receive the triad's token of trust—a short wooden staff adorned with a double-ended red paper flower.

Following that, Bone-Scraper Tung handed Wang Yaotang the insignia of his new identity.

In the past, when communication was extremely inconvenient, how did disciples of the Hung Mun prove their identity when traveling to other regions?

They used the insignia. Different branches and different ranks corresponded to different insignias and secret passcodes.

Of course, in Hong Kong, for a underworld boss or a rising star in the triads, claiming not to recognize such things was essentially an insult. However, the ancient forms and traditions of the Hung Mun could not be discarded.

Compared to other criminal organizations, what made the Hung Mun most glorious were its traditions and these ancient rituals.

The lineage of the Hung Mun was older than 95 percent of the nations in this world. It possessed internal and external halls, a clear hierarchy of ranks from top to bottom, and a complete set of rituals derived from ancient Chinese Taoist culture.

The major affairs of a state lie in sacrifices and warfare.

The Hung Mun was akin to old money, naturally holding the upper hand over everyone else!

"Uncle Tung, I've just opened a new turf in Tsim Sha Tsui, and I'm short on manpower. Brother Xing Hong's contributions are more than enough. Why not promote him to my side in Tsim Sha Tsui to help me out?" Wang Yaotang picked up the teapot and smilingly poured a cup for Bone-Scraper Tung.

Bone-Scraper Tung looked Wang Yaotang up and down with an ambiguous smile. "You little rascal, trying to test me again? What's the matter, afraid I'll arrange for people to keep an eye on you?"

"Oh, goodness me, I've been wronged like June snow! I, Wang Yaotang, am upright and aboveboard; there's nothing about me that can't bear the light of day. My loyalty is as pure as red jade, and the sun and moon can bear witness!" Wang Yaotang protested with a grievanceed expression.

"Hah." Bone-Scraper Tung smiled and shook his head, speaking in a somewhat sarcastic tone, "Forget it, lest people start saying that the Wo Shing Yee elders and seating bosses are plotting to seize the businesses of the younger generation."

Wang Yaotang spread his hands. "Uncle Tung, to put it bluntly, I don't even care about the meager income the triad brings in."

"Then I have even less reason to send anyone over." Uncle Tung suddenly flashed a shrewd smile. "Alright, I know you're just trying to shut the mouths of the other turf bosses. If it were anyone else, I'd definitely let Xing Hong go, but you..."

"What does Uncle Tung mean by that?" Wang Yaotang raised an eyebrow.

"My position will be yours sooner or later. Instead of shutting their mouths, it's better to buy them off or tie them to you. Think about whether you have any business ventures where you can look after them. You're the God of Wealth Yao, after all; just share a bit of the legitimate business profits with them, and I guarantee they'll beam with joy every time they see you."

Wang Yaotang nodded thoughtfully. Indeed, it was impossible to swallow all the profits by himself, nor would he want to choke to death on greed.

"Uncle Tung, does the triad have any connections in the Walled City?" Wang Yaotang changed the subject.

As for taking out Officer Sen, he would never let A-Jai or A-Ji handle it. Since he dared to take on the job, he naturally had his own plans.

"What for?" Bone-Scraper Tung picked up his teacup and drained it in one gulp.

"To hire a professional to do the job. A fresh face makes it much safer."

"Are you serious?" Bone-Scraper Tung sat up straight, frowning as he looked at Wang Yaotang. "Of course the triad has connections, but think carefully—hiring them is very expensive, and since it'll happen right at the police station, you're bound to face a heavy sentence."

Wang Yaotang smiled and shrugged. "When we were poor, we had to let our own men take risks. If we still have to make our own men take risks even when we're rich, then this money wasn't worth making in the first place. Money, after all, is meant to be spent."

"Damn it!" Bone-Scraper Tung waved his hand dismissively. "Are you out of your mind? Why do you think the triad goes to such great lengths to build so many businesses and feed so many foot soldiers? Are we running a charity!"

"The whole point of having little brothers is for them to step up when trouble strikes. I've personally taken out six people for the triad—Old Four, Foolish Lam, and all those Red Poles under us. Who among them didn't work for the triad first before climbing up step by step?"

"Do you love your brothers or do you love gold? Of course, we love our brothers!" Wang Yaotang said with a completely straight face.

Who on earth still takes that kind of talk seriously?

Bone-Scraper Tung gritted his teeth and pointed at Wang Yaotang, opening his mouth several times without being able to utter a single word.

"Uncle Tung, don't you like a successor who values loyalty and righteousness?" Wang Yaotang asked with a smile once more.

Bone-Scraper Tung lowered his head to rub his brow, then let out a sudden chuckle and snapped impatiently, "Putting on a show for me, are you?"

"If you say it's a show, then it's a show." Wang Yaotang looked completely unconcerned.

Bone-Scraper Tung glared at Wang Yaotang, but inwardly felt an indescribable warmth. Who doesn't like a good person?

In the underworld, constantly having the word "loyalty" on one's lips is certainly a way to brainwash the younger members, but isn't it also a deep yearning for true loyalty?

If his successor was truly loyal and righteous, Bone-Scraper Tung could wake up smiling from his dreams.

...

"Master Su... Yes... You're too kind. Alright, then we'll see each other tonight." Hanging up the phone, Wang Yaotang felt a stone drop from his heart.

The office door was suddenly pushed open, and A-Jai strode in. "Boss Yao!"

"What's the meaning of this? Didn't I tell you to spend a few days having fun in Macau? Have you already lost all your money?" Wang Yaotang asked with some surprise.

"Not a chance! Officer Sen's job—I'll do it!" A-Jai slammed both hands on the desk and said with a deadpan expression.

"Who told you about it?" Wang Yaotang frowned. The reason he didn't want the two brothers to come back was precisely out of fear that something would go wrong.

"Four-Eyes." A-Jai flashed a wide grin.

"That little brat," Wang Yaotang cursed. "You're not needed. I have my own arrangements."

"What arrangements? Who handles things as steadily as I do? Are you going to let those useless trash below wet their pants from fright right in front of the cops?!" A-Jai frowned. "Boss Yao, you're not planning to send A-Ji, are you? He's never even killed a man before—he's completely unreliable!"

"Who's talking trash behind people's backs?" The office door was pushed open again as A-Ji walked in. "What? Does Dragon-Brother look down on his sworn brothers now?"

"Didn't you say you were taking a chick out to sea fishing?" A-Jai stared at A-Ji in utter disbelief, his eyes wide.

"You stinky bastard, you also said you rented a yacht to take three chicks out for a sea breeze!" A-Ji sneered. "And yet you ran straight to Boss Yao to badmouth me. Such a scoundrel."

A-Jai let out an awkward, sheepish chuckle.

Wang Yaotang raised a hand to cover his face, feeling a mixture of being deeply touched and finding it utterly amusing.

Four-Eyes had been afraid that the younger members would botch the job, get caught by the cops, and talk too much, which would have landed Wang Yaotang in endless trouble.

Yet A-Jai and A-Ji, knowing full well that taking out Officer Sen inside a police station would guarantee a heavy prison sentence, rushed back without a second thought, even trying to keep secrets from each other.

This group of brothers truly had nothing bad to say about him as their boss; they were fiercely loyal.

"Four-Eyes, get your ass in here right now!" Wang Yaotang shouted loudly. "And you too, Ah-Wai, you little punk."

The office door was pushed open once more, and the two of them shuffled inside, pushing and shoving each other hesitantly.

"Boss Yao, Four-Eyes has a big mouth, what does that have to do with me?" Ah-Wai waved his bandage-wrapped arm, looking thoroughly aggrieved.

"Shut the door and let me make this clear to you lot—why do you all keep showing up to add to the chaos?" Wang Yaotang was both exasperated and amused. "If I wanted you to deal with Shark-Kun, that would be seizing an opportunity to rise up, and if things went wrong, we could have a foot soldier take the fall. Why are you sticking your noses into a suicide mission straight into a cell? Both of you already have criminal records at the station. If anyone dares to lock you up in the same place as Officer Sen, wouldn't that just be telling the ICAC that they're taking bribes?"

"It's just killing someone; it's never been that difficult. 500,000, and I'll buy Officer Sen's life."

"Are you robbing a bank?" A-Jai jumped up fiercely, looking completely shocked. "That old piece of bones is worth that much? Give it to me, I'll go take him out! Isn't it just doing time? Three square meals a day, what is there to be afraid of!"

"Boss Yao, you haven't been conned, have you?" Four-Eyes' glasses almost fell off in fright. "500,000? For mainland cavalry who swam across the sea, a 50,000 relocation bonus is enough to make them do anything."

"You go find someone suitable then!" Wang Yaotang retorted irritably. "How can you guarantee that once they take the money, they'll actually do the job instead of just swimming right back?"

"Uh..." Four-Eyes scratched his head.

"So much money, such a huge sum..." A-Jai scratched his scalp, still feeling the pinch.

"Alright, the whole point of making money is to use it for emergencies when the time comes. Do you think that just because we have money, I'd still let you lot risk your lives? You penny-pincher," Wang Yaotang scolded. "Let's go, come with me to check out the new turf we just won."