I stood behind Eighth Master, just listening to these people talk—to be honest, given my status, I could only listen from the sidelines; there was no place for me to speak here.
I gradually understood... Master Ba wanted to negotiate a settlement with these local traditional Chinese gangs! Today was the day he arranged to talk to them about the terms.
These local Chinese gangs fought so many battles with us recently, and they lost quite a few people, causing a huge uproar... Now they're probably exhausted.
Moreover, although they have many gangs and a large number of members, they are far less united than our Big Circle! After a period of turmoil, no one was willing to suffer any more losses, and when trouble arose, everyone tried to avoid it... It was this situation that prevented them from ever defeating our Big Circle.
Eighth Master's strategy was simple: first, make peace with the Chinese gang, and then everyone would join forces to drive the Vietnamese out of the game.
The Chinese community gained little from this collaboration with the Vietnamese, and many harbored resentment, which presented us with an opportunity to win them over...
Although we in the Greater Hong Kong community have never been particularly fond of these local traditional Chinese gangs, cooperating with the Hells Angels is the most important thing right now. Other disputes would only hold us back! Master Ba's strategy is that, within certain limits, we can concede some profits to the local Chinese gangs. The Hells Angels have a large pie to offer. We might as well share some with them in exchange for a short-term peace.
For Eighth Master, the collaboration with Hells Angels is the biggest opportunity for the big circle to move closer to the mainstream and transform itself!
Under this premise, some minor concessions are acceptable.
The meeting went smoothly.
My malicious guess is that these guys are probably scared of us by how much we've beaten them up lately! That's why they've become so easy to talk to now.
However, I also noticed that one of the gang leaders seemed to be verbally antagonizing Master Ba. Most of the anger in Master Ba's eyes stemmed from this.
"That's basically how things are. We're all wearing Tang suits, we're all descendants of Yan and Huang. From now on, we'll lay down our weapons and be one family. Let's share this pie together. Making money together is far better than fighting and killing each other!" Eighth Master's finger slammed heavily on the table: "I've finished speaking, fellow comrades, no objections?"
After a moment of silence, most of the older people remained silent.
“Eighth Master.” The guy who had always been at odds with Eighth Master spoke up.
This was a burly man with a thick neck and broad shoulders. The Tang suit he wore seemed to be tightly bound to his body. His hair was short. His face was square, but his chin was slightly raised, suggesting a somewhat arrogant nature... and more importantly, his eyes always held a hint of hatred as he looked at Eighth Master.
What I noticed was that his nose bridge was flat... If I'm not mistaken, he had his nasal bone removed surgically!
I also noticed his hands.
His hands rested on the table; they were large and thick, with thick knuckles. His fingers, however, were short. More importantly, his middle, index, and ring fingers were all much shorter than average… and, seemingly, they were all the same length…
From the hard calluses on his hands, I could tell that this guy had practiced martial arts! And he practiced real skills!
"...Eighth Master." He spoke coldly, "You open your mouth and say you'll fight, or you say you'll negotiate. But did all the blood of our brothers shed in vain?"
Eighth Master looked at him coldly and said indifferently, "Yes. Consider it a waste of time."
The man suddenly stood up! He slammed his hand on the table! The metal spot welding workbench shook from the impact! I was startled; this man had considerable strength!
"This can't be a waste!" He grinned, his face contorted with rage, then looked around and said, "Everyone here is my uncle or elder! Logically speaking, this is a path to wealth, and I shouldn't be blocking your way! But the Big Circle killed so many of our people before... Now they say they want to talk, and we have to sit down and talk with them... Where would we put our faces then!" He gritted his teeth and said hatefully, "Fine! Even if you uncles and elders can tolerate it, I can't. My brother was killed in a woman's house! His throat was cut! He was my only good brother, and now you want me to just walk away and pretend my brother died for nothing? It's not that simple!"
Upon hearing this, a thought struck me...
The trachea was cut...
I squinted and secretly examined the man's face and body for a while.
Eighth Master looked at him coldly and said slowly, "Both sides have suffered casualties. Are not only your brothers human? We're sitting here today to talk business. If Mr. Sha wants revenge, our Big Circle will take care of it!"
This guy deliberately laughed loudly a few times, then glared at Eighth Master: "Hey Fang, don't cause trouble! I don't want to cut off everyone's source of income! But your Big Circle is just too bullying! You're the ones who started the fight, you're the ones who negotiated, and you've taken the lion's share of the benefits... Where do you put us?!"
This time, Eighth Master wasn't angry. He chuckled lightly twice and said, "Mr. Sha, what exactly do you want? What do you desire?"
"My brother's life!" The man surnamed Sha's eyebrows shot up, his face filled with murderous intent as he stared intently at Eighth Master. "I don't want anything else! I just want you to return my brother Sha She's life! Whoever killed my brother, I want his life! As for the rest, I don't care about your money! I don't want my share either, give it all away as a gift for your tea! But that bastard who killed my brother, I want his life!"
Sand snake!!
My eye twitched. He really was the Sand Snake's brother...
Eighth Master smiled, but his smile carried a chill: "You surnamed Sha, who do you take Fang Bazhi for? You think I'd hand over my own brothers to you to kill with just a word? You're being far too naive."
"Then I'll fight him! I'll bet my life! If I'm unlucky and he kills me, I'll accept it! Let's fight to the death, and let fate decide our fates!" He had a ferocious smile on his face: "Don't tell me that all of you in the Big Circle are cowards."
The muscles in Eighth Master's eyes were twitching; I knew he was truly enraged.
I immediately reached out and gently pressed on Eighth Master's shoulder, then slowly stepped forward, looking at the guy with a provocative gaze: "What's your name?"
"Kid, my name is Sha Hu! Where the hell did you come from? Never heard of me?"
I nodded, but stared intently at him: "Fine! Sha Hu, I'll fight you! We'll leave our fates to fate!"
"You? Pretty boy, what makes you think you can fight me?" Sha Hu looked at me with a mocking gaze.
"Why should I?" I clenched my fist, raised a thumb to myself, looked at him with my chin raised, and said coldly, "Because I cut the Sand Serpent's throat with one stroke!"
Part One: In the Martial World, Not in Control of One's Own Fate, Chapter 151: Double Flower Red Stick
As soon as I said those words, I saw a sharp killing intent flash across Sha Hu's face! His eyes were fixed on me, his teeth grinding together, and finally, he practically spat out a few words through clenched teeth:
"It's you...it's you! It was you all along!"
His gaze was like a sharp sword, almost piercing me! At the same time, his large hands clenched into fists!
The atmosphere instantly turned icy! Even the person sitting next to Sha Hu couldn't help but quietly shift to either side...
My gaze was fixed on Sha Hu without any attempt to look away, and the two of us stared at each other.
At this moment, Eighth Master suddenly spoke up, saying calmly, "Sha Hu, didn't you want to gamble with your life? We, the Big Circle, will gamble with you! If Xiao Wu loses, we'll naturally give you our lives." Saying this, Eighth Master glanced at me and said in a deep voice, "Xiao Wu, do you dare?"
"Of course I dare!" I said proudly.
"Alright." A glint of light flashed in Eighth Master's eyes, and then he glanced at Sha Hu: "Mr. Sha, if Xiao Wu loses, his life is yours! At the same time, in addition to the shares that our Big Circle gave up this time for everyone present, I will propose another share specifically for your Luo Clan Association!" He paused here, clearly on purpose.
Sure enough, all the gang leaders present, regardless of age, revealed covetous expressions! Clearly, this pie was huge, and even the small portion that Eighth Master was willing to give up was probably quite valuable!
Eighth Master took in the changes in everyone's expressions, then looked at Sha Hu and said, "Mr. Sha, if Xiao Wu loses, we will naturally keep our promise! But what I want to ask is... if you lose, besides giving up your life, what will your Luo clan give us in return?"
Sha Hu raised an eyebrow, a resolute glint in his eyes, and shouted, "Fine! Fang Bazhi! Tell me. How do you want to bet?"
I saw a hint of coldness flash across Eighth Master's eyes... and my heart skipped a beat.
I know that Eighth Master only has eight fingers, hence his nickname "Square Eight-Finger." He's always been quite unhappy with this nickname, unless he occasionally makes fun of it himself. Otherwise, who would dare call him "Square Eight-Finger" in front of him? This nickname, so clearly mocking of Eighth Master's physical defect… if anyone dares to mention it in front of him now, they're practically asking for death!
Given his current status, everyone, regardless of who they are, must respectfully address him as "Master Fang the Eighth".
But this Sha Hu kept calling him "Fang Bazhi." I could already sense that Eighth Master truly harbored murderous intent towards him!
“Sha Hu.” Eighth Master’s tone remained calm, but the chilling intent beneath was palpable! He spoke slowly in a deep voice, “I don’t want much… If you lose, Sha Hu’s life will naturally end… Also, your Luo Clan Association will be expelled from Vancouver! From the day you die, your Luo Clan Association must withdraw from Vancouver’s Chinatown! You are forbidden from appearing in Canada! We don’t want your current territory, stalls, or venues! We’ll give them all to everyone here!” Eighth Master’s voice grew increasingly deep, like a death knell! His eyes flashed as he coldly stared at Sha Hu, slowly saying, word by word, “Sha Hu… do you dare to gamble?”
Sha Hu's forehead was already beaded with sweat, but he seemed quite fierce. After a slight hesitation, a resolute look appeared in his eyes, and he said, "Fine! Fang Bazhi, I'll listen to you! If I lose, my life is yours. Without me, the Luo Clan Association will simply disband! If you lose, you'll have to give up a larger share of the profits this time!"
The prominent figures from the surrounding Chinese gangs all wore complex expressions... I cautiously sensed that not everyone seemed worried about Sha Hu... even though, in principle, they should be on Sha Hu's side... but this gamble didn't seem to be detrimental to any of them...
If Sha Hu wins, it will certainly be a good thing for the entire traditional Chinese gang. But... if Sha Hu dies, the Luo Clan Association's territory will be divided up among them... Eighth Master, having made his decision under these circumstances, naturally won't go back on his word!
All things considered, this gamble seems to benefit them regardless of winning or losing. Who would object to such a thing?
I sneered inwardly: No wonder these traditional Chinese gangs, despite their large numbers, have been beaten so badly by Vietnamese gangs and other gangs for so many years... These guys are just a disorganized mess! Otherwise, with the power of the traditional Chinese gangs in Chinatown over the years, if they could unite, advance and retreat together, and work together... Hmph, how could the Chinese gangs in Canada have been bullied so badly by those Vietnamese all these years?
If it weren't for the large-scale entry of the Big Circle into North America twenty years ago, Chinese gangs in North America would still be in a state of being bullied.
Now, it's clear that Sha Hu is on their side, but seeing him risk his life against us, confronting us head-on, not a single person stepped forward... Instead, the way they looked at each other seemed to be calculating how much they could gain from this gamble, regardless of winning or losing...
No wonder, when I calculated the competitors of the Big Circle last time, from the Vietnamese gangs to the Indians, to the Iranians, and then to these local traditional Chinese gangs... I said that these local traditional Chinese gangs are actually not worth worrying about at all!
On the spot, Eighth Master called in Tiger, and then, in front of everyone, prepared a life-or-death contract! In fact, this kind of contract could not be legally recognized... but in the underworld, the rules are completely different from those in the real world! With this life-or-death contract, at least we can have a pretext: no matter who wins or loses the bet, neither party can pursue revenge afterwards.
In front of many prominent figures from Chinese community gangs, Sha Hu and I stared at each other like sworn enemies, and then quickly pressed our fingerprints onto the contract.
On our side, Eighth Master naturally served as the witness. However, what's somewhat intriguing is that no one on their side was willing to stand up and be a witness for Sha Hu... It seems that these guys are all well-versed in the art of self-preservation and are unwilling to openly stand on Sha Hu's side and confront the Big Circle head-on.
In the end, these old folks went through a round of feigned nominations before finally "nominating" one or two respected elders to step forward. But judging from the expressions of those two gentlemen, they seemed to harbor some reluctance.
A hint of mockery flashed in Eighth Master's eyes without him saying a word. I simply pressed my handprint and stepped back behind him.
It should be said that the negotiations were relatively successful. At least most of the local Chinese gangs were terrified after the previous large-scale conflict. They basically gave in, except for that hothead Sha Hu. No one else dared to step forward.
Eighth Master personally saw the leaders off at the door. I spotted the police car on the street corner in the distance. Sure enough, someone inside was secretly taking pictures. Eighth Master had obviously seen this long ago, but he didn't seem to care at all, only smiling slightly.
"Eighth Master...those policemen," I said in a low voice.
Eighth Master smiled and said gently, "Never mind them, they're just some small fry."
Back in Eighth Master's room, he was still sitting in his chair. This time, he didn't speak, nor did he offer me a seat. Instead, he looked at me intently for a few moments and slowly said:
"Xiao Wu, you were a bit impulsive today."
I looked at Eighth Master, and from his tone I couldn't tell whether he was angry or happy, so I simply said frankly, "I don't understand what you mean."
"You were a bit impulsive. But in my opinion, your impulsiveness is also a good thing; at least in some situations, impulsiveness is a form of courage." He smiled, then slowly took out a pipe, added some tobacco, lit it, and took a deep drag. He used his left hand, the only three fingers of which held the pipe handle. Only then did he squint at me and say calmly, "It's good that you dare to stand up for our Big Circle. But are you confident you can take down that Sand Tiger?"
I thought for a moment, then slowly said, "I don't know."
"Oh? You don't know?"
"I really don't know." I nodded. "That Sand Tiger seems to have some training, his skills should be pretty good... I've never fought him, I don't know if I could beat him... But I only know one thing, in today's situation, I had to step up. Otherwise, people will look down on us!"
"Very good." Eighth Master sighed, his eyes filled with complex emotions. After a long sigh, he slowly said, "Back when our Great Circle was able to land in North America, we immediately fought our way out and made a name for ourselves... all because we were fearless! Daring to fight and take risks! Those Vietnamese were so arrogant here back then! Those local Chinese gangs, with so many people and so much power, didn't dare to step forward, they all acted like cowards! But we weren't afraid! At that time, who cared about whether we could win or not... we just fought first! Even if we ended up with blood on our heads, we wanted to show everyone how powerful we were!"
After saying all that, Eighth Master looked at me and sighed, "Fifth Brother, you're very good, really very good..."
But for some reason, I felt that Eighth Master's tone was somewhat deep, even... somewhat helpless and regretful.
"What's this?"
The next day, Tiger called me out of my room early in the morning. He took me to a room behind the parking lot, which was a very rudimentary meeting room with only a few broken tables, a very old large color television, and a DVD player.
Tiger made me sit down, crossed his arms, and looked at me: "Little Five, do you know how strong Sand Tiger is?"
"It should be good." I was just telling the truth.
Tiger sighed: "Sha Hu's real name is Luo Xin. He's the son of the former leader of the Luo Clan Association. Sha Hu is his nickname. The Sha She you killed was his cousin. These are the only two male members left in the direct line of the Luo family. Now Sha Hu is the leader of the Luo Clan Association, but do you know what he did before?"
His expression was solemn, and his tone was slow: "The Luo Clan Association is not the most powerful among the Chinese gangs in Chinatown, but it is generally acknowledged that the Luo Clan Association has the strongest thugs! And Sha Hu is the 'Double Flower Red Stick' of the Luo Clan Association?"
Double Flower Red Stick?
A thought struck me, and my eyes narrowed...
Normally, many traditional Chinese gangs retain traditional characteristics. In traditional Chinese organized crime, members are referred to by code names.
The rules that have been passed down to this day are mostly those of the Hongmen. In fact, those rules are not only used by the Hongmen, but by almost all Chinese gangs.
The highest-ranking member in the gang is naturally the "Sit-in," or simply the boss. Below him are some elders, also known as "Second-Route Marshals," but these have no real power, only prestigious status. The rest are military leaders, the "White Paper Fans" of the secular city, who, below them, become "Red Sticks"!
The so-called "Red Stick" refers to the top-tier fighters selected from among the many members of each gang! Only those whose strength is recognized as the strongest within their gang can be called a "Red Stick"! In gang slang, it's called "426," meaning four times twenty-six plus four equals one hundred and eight, matching the number of the 108 heroes of Liangshan. Legend has it that Wu Song, a hero of Liangshan, wielded a red stick, hence the tradition of calling top-tier fighters "Red Sticks."
The Double Flower Red Stick is recognized as the most powerful among all the "Red Sticks"! It is a top-tier fighter selected from among the top-tier fighters!