These words were perhaps too harsh, for the eldest disciple's eyes flashed with embarrassment upon hearing them. However, he quickly said in a deep voice, "These words may be unpleasant to hear, but we can't worry about that now. I'm just doing what I can, however little I can. If you're willing to listen to me and leave that filth behind, then I've at least saved someone. Besides, you're my junior brother! With my own strength, I can't manage everything, but persuading one person to do good is like preventing one person from going astray; it's better than doing nothing! Chen Yang, I know you're eloquent, and I can't argue with you on grand principles, but if I persuade you today, it's like the world has one less gangster—that's a fact!! I'll do my best to save as many as I can, and that will be enough for my conscience!!!"
Hearing this, I couldn't help but feel moved. My senior brother's personality was indeed somewhat pedantic, but he was also unabashedly honest! His character truly possessed a certain ancient, warm-heartedness, which, although somewhat out of step with this world, inevitably commanded respect!
In this world, the more people like him who are full of a sense of justice, the better.
Although I admire him, I still can't bring myself to listen to what he says.
"Senior Brother, let me ask you another question." I smiled and said, "In your eyes, you are trying to persuade me to do good, you are saving me, you are just pulling me back... You are doing your part, hoping to persuade a bad person to do good... But is that really the case?"
"What else can we do?" the senior brother frowned.
“Let me do a simple calculation with you,” I sighed. “I’ll take this neighborhood as an example.” I closed my eyes and thought for a while, then slowly said, “Before I took control of the Big Circle, this territory originally belonged to a Chinese gang. At that time, many members of the Chinese gang were from this neighborhood, although they were mostly street thugs… There was a restaurant on this street, and a nightclub at the street corner. It was a place for young people to have fun. Every night, people sold ecstasy, ketamine, and even methamphetamine and heroin in addition to these soft drugs! Later… the Vietnamese took over this territory. When the Vietnamese occupied this place, I heard that they charged the shops on this street a lot of protection money, twice that of the original Chinese gang. Also, the nightclub at the street corner was forcibly bought by the Vietnamese. I heard that the original owner initially refused to agree to the Vietnamese, but later he had his leg broken, and a bullet was mailed to his home. He was so scared that he sold the bar at a low price and ran away with his family… If he hadn’t done that, he probably would have been dead long ago!”
Part Two: The Road to Success, Chapter Eighty-Eight: What's it to me!
"What exactly are you trying to say?"
"Don't rush, there's more!" I continued calmly, "There's more... That street behind here, not far from here, I heard there used to be a meat processing plant there... Hmm, Senior Brother, you're an upright person, so naturally you wouldn't go to a place like that. Let me tell you, a meat processing plant is a brothel. As far as I know, in port cities like Vancouver, many illegal immigrants land here every year, but do those illegal immigrants really have it easy to survive in Canada? Many of the young girls in those meat processing plants are illegal immigrants; they have no choice but to sell themselves! That's one thing, but the prostitution industry has never stopped since ancient times. But I know that when the Vietnamese controlled those meat processing plants, they forced those vulnerable illegal immigrant girls to do this kind of work. They beat, verbally abused, threatened, and intimidated them, set up scams to trick them into taking drugs, and then, once they were addicted, forced them to sell themselves to raise money for drugs, even drugging and raping them—the methods were endless!"
"Hey! Why are you telling me these dirty things!" The senior brother's eye muscles twitched as he looked at me, his face darkening. "Aren't these all dirty tricks done by you gangsters?!"
"Senior Brother, you're wrong!" Seeing that he had finally taken the bait, I suddenly denied his statement outright: "Even gangsters are different!"
Then I said seriously, "Since I took over the Big Circle... well, I certainly wouldn't dare say I'm a good person, nor can I expect all my brothers who rely on me for a living to become devout Buddhists and reform themselves... but at least... I've issued a strict order: no one under my command, no one in our Big Circle, is allowed to get involved in the drug business!! You know how many families are ruined by drug addiction. I've made sure the entire Big Circle stops doing drug business. Although we've earned much less money, at least my conscience is at peace. Also, there used to be nineteen in Vancouver..." Gangs! These gangs fight each other for territory, engaging in violence, gunfights, and brawls. Every year in Anli, countless lives are lost! To put it bluntly, countless people are stuffed into sacks and thrown into the sea to feed the fish! Countless families are torn apart! Indeed, you might think those gang members are bad, and that their deaths are deserved, but they are also human beings. Many have wives and children, parents and guardians. The death of one brings endless pain and disaster to an entire family—that's undeniable.
The eldest brother was stunned, and couldn't help but nod.
I smiled slightly and continued, "I've taken control of the larger circle. I've integrated the entire Vancouver underworld, Senior Brother. You have eyes and ears to see and hear... At least these days, the news on TV reports about street shootouts, large-scale brawls, bloody battles, and gangland killings... Have they decreased significantly compared to before? I wouldn't say there haven't been any, but at least 80% less! That 80% reduction saves countless lives! And then there are those brothels... Those involved in gang activities inevitably engage in gambling, prostitution, and drugs. I don't touch drugs anymore, but those brothels still exist in my controlled territory. To be honest, I also control some nightclubs and brothels in my area now... But..." I can tell you, at least I won't do what the Vietnamese do, using drugs to coerce decent women into prostitution! Nor will I use those despicable methods to rape, drug, or blackmail women into prostitution. I admit I'm not a good person, but that's just how the world is in my view, and as long as I'm not forcing anyone, it's fine. As for the women who choose to sell themselves, their circumstances are beyond my control. Some may be forced into it by poverty, some may be doing it for money, some may simply be lazy, or inherently base… all sorts of reasons exist, but as long as I'm not involved, and they choose to fall into prostitution, I can't control that. But this is still a hundred times better than me bullying men and women, forcing innocent women into prostitution, right?
My senior brother was speechless for a long time after being choked by my "twisted logic." He stared at me for a long time before finally managing to hum out, but he was still unconvinced and said mockingly, "So, you've actually done a good deed?!"
“I didn’t say that.” I shook my head, still serious, and said, “Senior Brother, I know I’m not a good person. I’ve never considered myself a good person. But as I said before, gangs can never be eradicated! Since they will always exist, the best we can do is limit them and minimize their harm. But to eliminate all harm, as I said, that’s impossible.”
I stood up and slowly walked to my senior brother, bowing respectfully. Then I looked up at him and said, "Senior brother, I know you mean well, and I'm deeply moved. I know you're angry with me, but you still won't give up on me. You want to pull me back, you care about me, and this shows you haven't forgotten our brotherhood... I'm not ungrateful; how could I not understand your good intentions? But, in your eyes, you think that as long as you can force me to leave the gang, you've saved me, you've reduced the number of bad guys in the world... But I have to tell you... without me..." I took a deep breath, pointed outside, and said in a deep voice, "Without my order not to do drug dealing..." In less than a month, the big circle will be back to dealing drugs! Without my name, Brother Wu, keeping those other gangs in check and preventing them from making a move… Heh heh, as soon as I'm gone, chaos will erupt! It will return to the old ways, with a dozen or so gangs in a city, minor skirmishes every three days, major brawls every five, and the bloody gunfights and brawls will return!! Without me in charge, some girls in those brothels who originally didn't want to sell their bodies might be forced into those despicable and dirty jobs through various despicable means… Senior Brother, in this situation, do you think it was worth it to 'save' someone like me from the underworld? Or not?”
This time, the eldest disciple was completely stunned! He couldn't utter another word!
Indeed, my senior brother is kind and upright. His martial arts skills are several times, even more, superior to mine! However, he is ultimately confined to a small pharmacy and martial arts school. He cannot see what I see, nor what I have experienced! He cannot see the bigger picture!
I'm not saying that being a gang leader like Xiao Wu makes me a good person, nor am I trying to say that I'm "benefiting" the community... but at least I said that since gangs can't be eradicated, the only options are restriction and control! And it's precisely because of my existence that the harm caused by gangs can be kept within a certain range!
I am indeed a bad person, a gangster. But my existence is of great use!!
"Senior Brother, in your eyes, this world is either black or white, either good or bad... But you don't know that things in this world are never that simple... Sigh." I sighed. Senior Brother is a martial arts fanatic; he devotes most of his talent to the pursuit of martial arts. He's probably not very astute when it comes to interpersonal relationships.
Actually, I didn't tell my senior brother some of my true secrets.
Yes, I'm no longer in the drug trade, and I have indeed limited the turf wars between other gangs... That's because I've found a more profitable way to make money than drugs, a way that allows other gangs to thrive without fighting for territory: smuggling!
Fundamentally speaking, the harm caused by smuggling may not be less than that of drugs! Smuggling is tantamount to evading national taxes, essentially robbing the government of its revenue. The more rampant the smuggling business, the more it impacts the country's normal, legitimate import and export trade… These are matters concerning the national economy and people's livelihoods. How can the harm be underestimated?
However, I'm doing this in Canada after all. And I'm not Canadian; I'm from China. Canada isn't my homeland, and I don't feel any sense of belonging to this country… For me, will the Canadian government's revenue be affected by rampant smuggling…?
To put it bluntly: What does this have to do with me?
Of course, I wouldn't say these things directly to my senior brother.
My words moved my senior brother!
Although he didn't say it aloud, his expression betrayed his inner turmoil... What I just said went against the "reasoning" he had always believed in, but undeniably, though unpleasant to hear, it was a stark reality right in front of him—facts he could see, hear, and touch! He had no choice but to waver!
At least, he doesn't seem to be forcing me to leave the gang anymore... It seems he's realized that it's better to keep me, "Fifth Master," in the gang.
Seeing that he was wavering, I stopped saying anything that might provoke him. Instead, I respectfully took a step back, stood with my hands at my sides, and appeared to be at his mercy.
"Never mind!" The eldest brother's face seemed to have aged a few years in that short period of time, and there was a sense of helplessness on his face... I know that this was partly because he suddenly began to question the principles he had believed in for half his life.
When a person's beliefs suddenly waver, it's inevitable that they will experience great turmoil in their mind.
“Everyone has their own ambitions.” The senior brother’s voice was hoarse. “You… no one has ever said those things to me before, and I don’t know if they’re right or wrong. You’re grown up now, you’re mature, you’re not the little kid you used to be… maybe you really do know more than I do, maybe you’re right… or maybe I shouldn’t have forced you to do anything…” He shook his head, gave me a deep look, and then waved his hand weakly. “Chen Yang, go… from now on, I’ll pretend I don’t have a junior brother like you anymore. Let’s just forget about our past relationship. I don’t care about you anymore, and I can’t control you.”
I couldn't help but feel a little anxious.
A complete break? No way!! I've finally found a family member, how can I let him sever ties with me?
I opened my mouth to say something more when I suddenly heard footsteps outside. A person rushed in, looking anxious. It was my eldest brother's disciple. He shouted, "Master, something terrible has happened! Outside...outside..."
He suddenly glanced at me, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Outside... someone else is coming to challenge us!"
Part Two: The Road to Success, Chapter Eighty-Nine: A Despicable Person Responds with Despicable Struggle
Is someone else trying to challenge us?
Upon hearing this news, not only my senior brother but I was also stunned. What a coincidence! Two groups of people came to challenge us in just one day… After all, this is just a small shop, not some big martial arts school. Big names attract unwanted attention…
However, I quickly came up with the name "Baozhilin".
To be honest, I'm also very curious about how my senior brother got involved with Po Chi Lam.
However, there was no time to ask those questions now. After hearing his disciple's report, the eldest brother's face darkened, and he didn't have time to talk to me. He snorted heavily, left me behind, and immediately followed his disciple out. I quickly followed behind.
When we got outside, there were already quite a few people standing in the training ground. The senior disciple's disciples were already standing together, confronting a group of strangers.
To be honest, my senior brother's martial arts school is indeed very small. This training ground is not even half the size of the gym in the auto repair shop. With so many people suddenly coming in, it immediately feels a bit crowded.
The eldest disciple must be very strict with his own teaching, because although his disciples all looked angry, they all restrained themselves and none of them acted recklessly first.
As for those strangers who suddenly appeared, they were probably people who came to challenge us.
What struck me as odd was that the leader of this group had bandages wrapped around both his arms and even his head. He appeared to be around forty years old, with yellowish skin and slightly graying hair. He wore a black samurai outfit, clearly identifying him as Japanese.
...How come I see Japanese people everywhere I go?
I frowned slightly. There were about twenty people in total. Besides the man with bandages, there were three others who stood out! The first was a fellow who looked somewhat similar to the bandaged man, but a few years younger. He wore a black samurai outfit embroidered with a black dragon. He had his arms crossed, his eyes slightly closed, and a glint of shrewdness occasionally flashed in his eyes.
The second person was also of Asian descent, but he wore a white outfit. The style of the outfit was somewhat peculiar, resembling Japanese samurai attire in its design, yet with subtle differences. He had short hair, and his face clearly displayed an air of arrogance.
The third person was a white man, but what struck me as odd was that he was wearing a Chinese-style martial arts uniform and black cloth shoes! This white man was about thirty years old, tall, blond, and blue-eyed, but his Chinese-style martial arts uniform and cloth shoes clearly indicated that he was most likely a practitioner of Chinese Kung Fu.
As for the other henchmen, they were all dressed in identical black coats, each looking quite burly. But after just one glance, I noticed something amiss… These people were here to challenge us. However, many of their men had bulges at the waist of their clothes, clearly indicating they were carrying weapons.
Since this is a challenge, it should be a fair one. Why bring so many people and weapons? Do you want a brawl? Besides, I could clearly sense some ill intent in their eyes.
I followed behind my senior brother. As soon as they saw him, all eyes were on him, and few people noticed me. I was very young, and they probably thought I was just one of his disciples.
I sensed something was amiss. I felt that these people probably weren't there to honestly challenge the rules, but rather had ulterior motives. So, I deliberately moved a little to the side without making a sound.
The people I brought were standing near the wall by the entrance. When these challengers confronted the senior disciple's disciples, I only brought five people. Since there were few of them, they didn't pay any attention. Although some people glanced at me curiously, they didn't seem to care much.
After the senior brother appeared, the Japanese man who was in the lead and whose body was wrapped in bandages immediately revealed a look of resentment and malice. He suddenly opened his mouth and let out a few cackling laughs, then stared at the senior brother in a hoarse voice: "Lei Zhenjun, since we last parted, I am grateful for your guidance. I swore that I would bring people to challenge you again! Today I have brought my younger brother to learn from your skills!" His Chinese was extremely fluent, but his tone was filled with deep hatred.
The eldest disciple looked at the Japanese man, his expression turning calmer, his eyes filled with disdain: "Toya Mitsuo... Hmph, no need to be so polite. Since you've come to learn from me, why bring so many people? Hmph..."
The Japanese man named Toya Mitsuo snorted, a fierce glint in his eyes, and quickly said, "Lord Lei Zhen, let me introduce you to these martial arts masters! They heard my description of Lord Lei Zhen's superb Chinese martial arts and have come to witness it for themselves today!" He then pointed to the Japanese man beside him and loudly proclaimed, "This is my younger brother, Toya Hideo! He is the junior disciple of the head of the Kitabayū school of the Yagyu sect of our Great Japanese Empire!"
The eldest disciple raised an eyebrow, glanced at Toya Hideo, and suddenly grinned: "The Kitabayū of the Yagyu school? I heard that this school was pushed to Hokkaido by the Bunkyo-ryū and Asado-ryū decades ago. So it hasn't been wiped out yet?"
The man named Hideo Toya, with a cold expression, slowly took a step forward, nodded to his senior brother, and spoke a sentence in Japanese, the meaning of which was unclear. However, his brother, Mitsuo Toya, quickly explained with a cold laugh: "I didn't expect that Lei Zhen-kun also knows the name of the Kitabayū of the Yagyu school. Hmph, you're right, the Kitabayū was indeed ostracized and attacked back then, but you probably don't know about the changes that have taken place from last year to this year! My brother, Hideo, is the most outstanding talent of the current generation of the Kitabayū! Since last year, he has successively defeated the heads of the Yagyu school's branch school and the Asado school in Chushū! Now, under Hideo's leadership, the Kitabayū has restored their glory!"
The eldest brother chuckled and gave Hideo Toya a deep look.
I don't really know much about the Yagyu school or any of those schools; I was just listening. The general idea is that this guy named Toya Hideo probably does have some real skills.
Then, Mitsuo Toya, who was covered in bandages like a mummy, pointed to the Asian man in white: "This is Mr. Lee Sung-ki from South Korea. With your extensive knowledge, Lei Zhenjun, you should have heard of the 'Shimoga Lee Family'!"
Oh, so he's Korean... This Lee Sung-ki obviously speaks Chinese too. He looked at his senior brother and nodded slightly, but his expression wasn't very friendly.
I can't stand people being arrogant in front of us, so I deliberately asked loudly, "Senior Brother, what's the background of this Li family of Xiahe? I've never heard of them before."
The eldest brother glanced at me. He vaguely understood my intention. Although there was some unpleasantness between us, he put it aside in front of these outsiders. He pondered for a moment, then smiled and said, "You don't know. The Hahe Lee family is a martial arts family in South Korea. They are most famous for the Taekwondo and Karate Wars of the last century. Several formidable masters from the Hahe Lee family emerged during the war, and in three consecutive years of ring matches, they crippled nine Japanese Karate champions and one master-level guy... Hehe!"
I deliberately laughed and said, "Ah, so the Li family of Xiahe became famous for fighting the Japanese? Good! Very clever, very clever!"
That guy, Hiroaki, immediately looked rather unpleasant and glanced at me. He was probably surprised that I had called him "Senior Brother." He stared at me intently for a few moments, seemingly trying to figure out who I was. I looked at him with undisguised sneer… What a joke! In Vancouver, who dares to challenge me, Little Five? Damn it!
Mitsuo Toya took a deep breath, suppressed his anger, looked at the last white man, and slowly said, "Lokisu, from the Hung Kuen Association in San Francisco!"
The eldest disciple's expression changed, and he gave the white man a deep look: "The Hung Kuen Association of San Francisco? What is Chairman Su's relationship with you?"
"He's my master." The white man grinned, but his smile always carried a cruel and bloodthirsty edge. His next words were startling: "Chairman Su has already been defeated by me… Your Chinese rules are really strange. A master teaches a disciple, but the disciple can't challenge the master! How can you prove the disciple is indeed stronger than the master? Don't you Chinese have a saying, 'The student surpasses the master'? Heh heh…" Loki Su's eyes were like those of a venomous snake: "I won't abide by your foolish rules. I've already challenged my master and successfully defeated him! In my opinion, only by stepping on the shoulders of the strong can we witness the birth of a new strongman!"
The eldest brother's face showed a look of sudden realization. He stared at Loki Su and sneered, "Oh, I see... So the news from San Francisco that Chairman Su was ambushed and seriously injured by his own disciple was your doing?"
"Hmph, what assassination! You Chinese are just unwilling to admit defeat and are too proud to admit it! I challenged him openly and defeated him, it wasn't assassination at all." Lokisu said arrogantly.
The eldest disciple sighed and muttered to himself, "Brother Su, you've really lost your mind. Those who aren't of our kind are bound to have different hearts. How could you not understand such a principle, and yet you've raised such a rebellious disciple with wolfish ambitions..."
It turns out that Rocky Sue was no ordinary person. Born in San Francisco, he became obsessed with Chinese kung fu movies in the 1970s and developed a love for Chinese martial arts. San Francisco has one of the largest Chinese populations in the United States, so naturally there are many martial arts schools run by Chinese people. Rocky Sue went to learn martial arts and within just three years, he studied at four different schools!
Why did he go to four different martial arts schools? Because this Rocky Sue was truly extraordinary; he was a natural-born martial arts prodigy with exceptional physical abilities! While there were many martial arts schools in San Francisco, frankly, most were just mediocre, flashy displays with little real skill. The four schools Rocky Sue studied at were all those kinds of schools that relied on flashy moves to make a living. Yet, in less than three years, Rocky not only mastered the skills of all four schools, but he also became a match for the masters of all four!
This guy stayed at one martial arts school for too long, and seeing he wasn't learning anything, he immediately left to join another. That's not unusual; martial arts schools are places that accept students, and as long as you're willing to pay the tuition, you can naturally go in and learn. But what's most ruthless about him is that before leaving each school, he would challenge the headmaster and defeat him before leaving.
In this way, Lokisu became very famous!
Finally, he became a disciple of the largest Hung Kuen martial arts school in San Francisco! The head of that school, Master Su, was a true master of Hung Kuen! He wasn't just some show-off who opened a martial arts school to scam people out of tuition fees! He was a person with real skills!
Although Rocky Su had a reputation before, how could Hung Kuen Gym be compared to those small martial arts schools? Moreover, most martial arts schools abroad are established with the spirit of promoting martial arts, so they naturally wouldn't refuse to let foreigners come and practice martial arts.
It must be said, this Rocky Su is indeed a talent. He joined the Hung Kuen martial arts school, and in less than a year, he was noticed by Master Su and taken as a disciple… You must understand, being taken as a disciple by Master Su is a completely different concept from simply training in the school!
In martial arts schools, as long as you're willing to pay the tuition, you can join and be taught kung fu by the school's instructors... It's like those fitness centers outside nowadays; as long as you pay the membership fee, you can become a member. However, what you learn are only some common, superficial skills; you won't learn the real essence.
But being accepted as a disciple by Chairman Su is a different story!
As a result, after being noticed by Chairman Su, this Rocky Su even gave himself a Chinese surname, taking Chairman Su's surname...
This guy's talent is truly exceptional. Although Chairman Su initially had some reservations when teaching him his skills, after all, he was a white man, not Chinese. But later, Loki proved to be a natural-born martial artist, and Chairman Su, without much consideration, actually taught him many of his most powerful techniques.
It must be said that there are many differences between the way martial arts masters overseas teach their disciples and those who remain in China.
For example, my master. I practiced so diligently back then, but in the end, he absolutely refused to teach me his secret techniques! He was extremely picky and strict when imparting his martial arts skills! He wouldn't easily pass on those secret techniques. Perhaps some might think my master was too conservative… but I must say, his approach was very wise! Especially his refusal to teach me those secret techniques! Otherwise, with my explosive temper, I would have been constantly fighting and probably caused a huge disaster long ago!
However, those overseas martial arts masters are perhaps too casual and lenient when selecting disciples! In fact, they're quite careless!
More importantly, they often don't care much about their disciples' "martial virtue" and don't really scrutinize their disciples' character.
It must be said that this is due to the influence of Western concepts. Moreover, many martial arts masters, in their eagerness to "promote martial arts" and expand its influence, have lost their sense of proportion when selecting disciples, even taking in some unscrupulous individuals, resulting in a mixed bag of disciples, and even some scoundrels.
This Lokisu is clearly an ingrate. He is indeed talented, and Master Su taught him many skills that even the other disciples hadn't learned. He learned them very quickly and was also very diligent.