My expression changed instantly after just one glance! The eldest brother, with his back to me, looked up at the memorial tablet above and suddenly coldly commanded, "Kneel down!"
At that shout, I instinctively fell to the ground, but my knees didn't feel the hardness and coldness I expected. It turned out that just as I knelt heavily, my senior brother, unable to bear it any longer, kicked a prayer mat over without turning around, which landed squarely beneath my knees.
My heart warmed; it seemed my senior brother still cared for me.
Before I could even think of what to say, my eldest brother turned around. He stared intently at me, his face filled with anger, guilt, and a hint of reluctance... After a moment's hesitation, he pointed to the memorial tablet above his head: "Do you still recognize Master's memorial tablet?"
"I recognize it!" I quickly shouted.
"Heh!" The eldest brother chuckled, but his laughter carried a hint of desolation. He gave me a deep look, a fleeting warmth flashing in his eyes before vanishing into cold indifference: "Chen Yang! You still recognize Master's memorial tablet! But I'm afraid you haven't remembered a single word of Master's teachings!"
I looked up at the memorial tablet above, and a pang of pain shot through my heart. I gritted my teeth, softly called out, "Senior Brother..." and then stopped speaking.
The eldest brother's eyebrows twitched, but his face remained cold. His voice trembled slightly, though: "Hey! Good! What a formidable Fifth Brother of the Big Circle Gang, the infamous Fifth Master of Vancouver! Hey! So imposing! So menacing!! Your men in Vancouver have committed murder, arson, crimes, smuggling, and drug trafficking—so many evil deeds! Chen Yang, not a single word I uttered was unjust!"
“…No.” I sighed.
"Alright!" The senior brother suddenly and quickly took off his outer jacket, revealing a white, tight-fitting vest underneath. Beneath the vest, his incredibly powerful and elastic muscles were astonishing, making one's heart skip a beat! He walked to my side, looked down at me, and asked, "Chen Yang, what else did Master teach you when he was passing on his martial arts skills?"
"...Master taught us to be good people," I said through gritted teeth.
"..." The senior brother looked at me quietly for a moment: "But you became a gang leader!"
"I..." I started to speak, but suddenly my senior brother raised his hand and slapped me across the face. The sound of the slap echoed, and half my cheek instantly swelled up. The blow made me stagger, almost falling over. My senior brother raised his hand high, but after staring at me for a long time, he couldn't bring himself to deliver the second slap. Half my face was numb, but I didn't utter a sound, just looked up at him. We just stared at each other, staring, staring...
Finally, the senior brother's gaze softened, and he slowly lowered his hand, looking at me: "Why didn't you dodge that slap just now?"
"You're hitting me on behalf of my master, so I didn't dare to dodge," I said with a wry smile.
"You still have the nerve to mention Master?" The eldest brother suddenly became angry again: "If Master were alive, and knew that you had actually become a gang leader, he would probably be so angry that he would die! Hey! With his temper, if he knew that his disciple had done such a thing, he would probably have already cleaned up the sect and crippled you!"
I looked up at my senior brother, and suddenly my mind drifted back to when we were both learning martial arts under our master. Back then, if we didn't perform well, our senior brother would scold us with a stern face, and if we needed to be punished, he would punish us severely, never showing any mercy. Even after he had punished me from behind, he would come to my room in the middle of the night to apply medicine to my wounds, but he would never utter a single soft word. Yet now, this same strict senior brother stood before me, and after I had been slapped by him, I felt a pang of sadness… even a faint warmth.
I remember when I got into trouble in Nanjing, my master came all the way there and took me home… I remember that even on his deathbed, he didn't forget to teach me how to be a good person… It's fair to say that since my parents passed away, my master has been practically my only and closest relative. And in the two years before his death, I was the only disciple who lived with him (my eldest brother had already passed away, and the other two brothers didn't live with him). Under these circumstances, for my master, who had no children of his own, I was almost like a son to him. And before he passed away, he was very worried about me. In his heart, I had become an orphan, and he was afraid that I would go astray in the future…
Facing my senior brother, my eyes reddened and my throat tightened. Suddenly, I knelt down and kowtowed three times to the memorial tablet above me. I raised my face and looked at my senior brother: "You're right. I have failed Master's teachings."
The eldest disciple was clearly quite agitated, but he forced himself to suppress his anger and slowly said, word by word, "Since you've admitted it, I won't say anything more." He sighed, his tone softening slightly, "Chen Yang, we are fellow disciples. A small part of your kung fu was actually taught to you by me... Now that Master is gone, as the eldest disciple, I should have taken on more responsibility to look after you all... However, I failed to fulfill my responsibilities as the eldest disciple. In this respect, your going astray today is also my responsibility! In this respect, I, your senior disciple, have let you down!"
These words brought tears to my eyes again!
Indeed, after my eldest brother left, and when our master passed away, I felt a deep sorrow, and even a faint resentment towards him grew in my heart. If my eldest brother were still alive back then… I probably wouldn't have gone to Nanjing. I even felt back then that, although I didn't know why he left, if he had taken me with him… I would have preferred to live a simple life with him, rather than wandering aimlessly without a home or roots!
Seeing my eyes redden, the eldest brother sighed, a hint of self-reproach on his face, but he quickly concealed it and said slowly, "Your kung fu was given to you by your master, but you've used your skills to do evil! Chen Yang, I'm giving you two choices now!"
He paused here, then stared intently at me.
"You tell me, Senior Brother." I shook my head.
"Although you've gone astray now, you're still a well-known figure in your area," the eldest brother said coldly, his tone laced with mockery. "Your senior brother here is just a nobody running a small shop. With your current fame and status, it wouldn't normally be my place to discipline you... So, today you can choose whether or not to acknowledge me as your senior brother! If you don't, Chen Yang, we're severing all ties! Whether you're called Fifth Brother or Fifth Master, no matter how famous you become in Vancouver, as long as I'm alive, I won't let you go! If you dare to cause trouble here, I will..." "I will definitely cripple you! The fact that you're still here today, kowtowing before our master's memorial tablet and even crying, means you haven't completely forgotten our gratitude! I won't harm you today; I'll let you go back! But from today onward, we are not brothers, but enemies! I will find a way to settle accounts with you, whether it's assassination or a challenge, I will cripple all your skills! Only then can I be worthy of our sect! Use whatever methods you have on me—assassinate me, hire a gunman—as long as you can really kill me, I'll accept it! And after I'm dead, no one will bother you anymore!"
The senior brother's words were like daggers to the heart! Each sentence carried a chilling aura! Hearing them made my heart ache even more.
I trust my senior brother's methods! With his current martial arts skills and abilities, he can scale walls and enter rooms with ease, almost like an ancient knight-errant. If he's determined to eliminate my sect, unless I ruthlessly send someone to kill him using despicable means, I'm definitely no match for him… Moreover, even if I could be so ruthless, I might not be able to stop him from crippling me! After all, if someone with his level of martial arts is truly intent on causing me trouble and assassinating me, even with all my brothers under my command, I might not be able to stop him!
Besides, how could I be so heartless to my senior brother who had supervised my martial arts training since I was a child, applied liniment to my injuries, and treated my wounds?
Part Two: The Road to Success, Chapter Eighty-Six: Persuasion
"Senior Brother." I shook my head: "Even if I'm a worthless wretch, I wouldn't dare disown our sect. You're my senior brother, and you'll be my senior brother for life."
"Alright!" The eldest brother looked at me, his eyes softening considerably, even carrying a hint of expectation. "Since you haven't forgotten your roots, that's fine! Go back immediately. I'll give you three days to pack up. Then, I don't care if you dismiss your subordinates or find someone to take over. In short, I want you to sever all ties with the underworld from now on! I was wrong before, leaving you all and failing in my responsibilities as your senior brother! From now on, you'll stay by my side, Chen Yang..." As the eldest brother spoke, he became somewhat emotional. "After all, you made a mistake, and I can't avoid punishing you with family rules. But from now on, with you by my side, we brothers will be together like we were back then. I know you like practicing kung fu, and you didn't learn many of Master's secret techniques. From now on, as long as you focus on being a good person, I can teach you all the skills you didn't learn back then. My shop isn't big, but it's not small either, but it can support us. Simple meals, but we'll be at peace! A true man should live a life with a clear conscience, and never do anything crooked!"
My senior brother's words, three parts kindness and seven parts seriousness, moved me deeply, and stirred a longing within me... Indeed, if only I could go back to the way things were before, without enduring these bloody battles, without having to deal with these scheming, life-or-death struggles, back to how things were a few years ago. Running a small shop, relying on my senior brother for support, practicing martial arts by day, and eating winter melon and pork rib soup he made by me at night. Under the dim light of a summer evening, we would swat away mosquitoes while listening to my senior brother and master recount tales of the martial arts world... Hearing about my master's battles with masters from other schools in his youth, his face lighting up with excitement, oblivious to the mosquito bites he had sustained...
Looking back now, those days were so carefree, peaceful, and joyful! It was like being a god!
I've never been particularly driven by fame, fortune, or ambition. Since my debut, both domestically and internationally, I've gradually risen to where I am today, a powerful figure in the underworld. Most of this wasn't due to my own greed for power; rather, it was the result of various events and objective factors that forced me to this point.
I left my peaceful life to go on the run to save Ni Duoduo; I went abroad because of Huan Ge's betrayal. I joined the gang because of a surge of anger, and my efforts to climb the ranks weren't primarily driven by a desire to be the boss, but rather by self-preservation. My feud with Eighth Master was unavoidable; in that situation, it was either him or me who died…
Looking back, I realize that I've gotten to where I am today mostly because I had no other choice.
Honestly, I can disregard fine clothes and sumptuous food, luxurious cars and mansions, and a throng of followers. I don't care about the power I hold... If I could truly go back to the way things were, that's what I truly desire most!
Overwhelmed with emotion, I couldn't help but stammer, "Senior brother, I..." My lips trembled as I was about to agree.
Seeing my excited expression, my senior brother couldn't help but show some joy as well. He nodded and said, "If you are really willing, then listen to me. You will be punished, but I will take care of you. You will recover in less than ten days. Then, my brother and I will open a temple here together to teach people. During the New Year, I will take my son and my brother and I will go back to our hometown in China to sweep our master's grave!"
His words certainly stirred my heart, but after that initial excitement, I gradually calmed down...
Going back to the past... is that even possible for me?
The moment that thought crossed my mind, I felt a chill run through me! My face changed too!
Is it possible? Of course not!!
Sitting in my position, I am already admired by countless people. Among them are loyalists, envious people, jealous people, and even more who want to get rid of me and replace me!
Like rowing against the current, if you don't move forward, you'll fall behind!
Refund? Am I even eligible for a refund?
If I weren't the big boss of the enclave, if I were just some nobody with no power or influence, I'm afraid I'd be hacked to death or shot to death within three days!
Don't I have enough enemies already? Hehe!
Throughout history, how many people who wielded great power and then voluntarily retired have had a good ending?
Admittedly, I want to go home, to live a peaceful and happy life with my senior classmates and my family...
Go home? Can I even go back?
Ye Huan is doing very well for himself in China now. If I lose my power and go home alone, even if I'm strong and capable... hehe, if he finds out I'm back, he'll definitely kill me to silence me!! Even if I can take on ten people, what about a hundred? A thousand?
During my last days in China, I experienced far too much of the life of being powerless yet hunted down by those in power!
Even if I didn't think about myself... what about all the brothers I have under my command?
Besides me, who else in the Big Circle can lead it now? Xiluo is too young, he can't command respect, and he's impulsive, not calm enough, not shrewd enough… And then there are the businesses under his command—the smuggling business, the partnership with Doug, the partnership with the Yang family… If I immediately back out and quit… the Big Circle will likely be leaderless! And if things get chaotic…
Having figured all this out, my face gradually turned cold, and my once burning heart gradually turned to ice... In its place, a faint sadness welled up from the depths of my heart.
I can never go back!
After the eldest brother finished speaking, he looked at me expectantly, but seeing my strange expression and hesitation, he immediately understood that I couldn't agree. His expression changed, his face darkened, and even his voice became hoarse: "Chen Yang... you, are you really so unwilling to relinquish power? Do you really have to get your hands stained with blood? Master warned us: 'Those who do many evil deeds will surely perish!' Have you forgotten that? Hmph, you just can't bear to give up that power, you can't bear to give up that wealth!"
“Senior Brother…” I had calmed down, looked at him, and gently shook my head: “You don’t understand, you really don’t understand.” I smiled bitterly: “Although you are highly skilled, you are not in my position, so you don’t understand.”
"What don't you understand!" the eldest brother roared. "I think you're blinded by greed and unrepentant!"
After saying that, he flew into a rage. He grabbed my clothes and pulled me up, pulling me by the collar, raising his fist to strike... I stared at him with my eyes open. I neither resisted nor dodged, just watching my senior brother's punch come at me without moving an inch.
Bang!
I heard a gust of wind brush past my ear, even causing a slight stinging sensation on my cheek! My senior brother couldn't bring himself to do it after all. His fist was about to strike when he flicked his wrist, grazing my ear and missing its mark.
"Why didn't you dodge!" He looked at me coldly.
"My senior brother hit me. I've never been able to dodge it since I was a child, so why should I?" I smiled wryly. After a pause, I laughed and said, "I remember back then, every time I did something wrong, you would spank me. Every time you hit me, I couldn't dodge it. Later, I practiced kung fu for a month just to learn how to dodge your few moves, but I still couldn't dodge it... Hehe."
The eldest brother's face showed a mixture of reluctance and distress. He finally lowered his fist, released me, and turned around: "Fine! I'm just being soft-hearted today. You should leave now! I don't have a junior brother like you anymore. Take care of yourself. If I hear you've done something wrong, I'll naturally come after you!"
I sighed. After all, the eldest brother is the eldest brother. His cold-faced but warm-hearted nature hasn't changed, nor has his somewhat pedantic nature, which was instilled by our master!
Imagine if it weren't me, but someone with a vicious heart. Even if my senior brother had let him go, he might have brought gunmen and killed my senior brother the very next day! How many people in the underworld are truly soft-hearted?!
"Senior brother..." I called out, but the eldest senior brother coldly said, "You should leave now! Don't call me senior brother again!" He refused to turn around and look at me.
I sighed, glanced around the room, walked to the side and sat down on a chair. Ignoring my senior brother's coldness, I slowly said, "Senior brother, I don't expect you to forgive me... Well, I'm a bit slow-witted, and I have a question I'd like to ask you. If you can help me understand, what does it matter if I drop everything and go with you?"
My senior brother still cares about me, and hearing my words, he suddenly had a glimmer of hope... It seems he still can't bear to part with me. As long as I still have a shred of good intentions, he is still willing to try to persuade me.
"Go ahead, what's the problem?" He turned around.
"Senior Brother, let me ask you..." I said with a wry smile, "From ancient times to the present, regardless of whether it is domestic or foreign, whether society is developed or backward, whether the law is sound or imperfect, whether the police are diligent or lax... in any era, in any place, has there ever been a time when the underworld did not exist? Has there ever been a time when it was truly eradicated?"
"...The eldest disciple lowered his head and thought for a moment. He was an honest man and unwilling to lie. He nodded and sighed, "Never."
“That’s it.” Seeing his answer, I continued, “The underworld has always existed! In this world, where there is white, there is black! Where there is light, there is darkness! The best-case scenario for the underworld is to keep it within a certain range… but to completely eradicate it is absolutely impossible!”
Part Two: The Road to Success, Chapter Eighty-Seven: Between Black and White
Although my statement was somewhat blunt and overly dark, my senior brother couldn't object to it, simply because what I said, though unpleasant to hear, was the truth.
“Since gangs are going to exist anyway, as long as there are gangs in this world, there will always be people who want to join the underworld, people who want to walk this path and make a living from it. Even if I, Chen Yang, don’t walk this path today, what’s the use?” I sighed helplessly, but secretly observed my senior brother’s expression, and slowly said, “In your opinion, senior brother, I am now a gangster boss, a gang leader, bullying the market, collecting protection money, fighting, smuggling and trading… Except for drugs, which I haven’t touched since, I admit to everything you just accused me of… Although I didn’t do these things myself, most of my subordinates are currently doing these things.”
"Then what else do you have to say!" the senior brother snorted.
"Senior Brother, please let me finish," I said seriously. "Many things are not as simple as people think. Perhaps, from your position, you are just an observer. It is certainly easy to observe from the sidelines, but it is difficult for you to understand the truth of the matter. Your standards for judging good and evil are far too simplistic."
"Nonsense!" the senior brother immediately retorted. "Are gangsters some kind of benevolent people? There are no good people in the underworld!"
"I've never said I'm a good person." I shook my head, still patiently saying slowly, "But senior brother, aren't there enough bad people in this world? Okay, in your opinion, all gangsters are bad guys and should be arrested and brought to justice, with the police conducting a large-scale crackdown on organized crime. If all these gangs are wiped out, then the public order will be better, the streets will be peaceful, there will be no petty theft, no fighting, no gang formation, no smuggling or drug trafficking, no turf wars, no protection money collection, and no forcing women into prostitution, right?"
"This..." The eldest brother was speechless... But despite his grim expression, he refused to budge. He simply clenched his teeth tightly. Indeed, given the eldest brother's character, his upbringing, and the temperament instilled in him by the sect, it was truly difficult for him to openly admit that "good will always prevail over evil."
Seeing that he was stumped by my question, I couldn't help but breathe a slight sigh of relief. I continued, "Then I'll say it again... Even if I, as your junior brother, listen to you, I'll immediately go back and dismiss all my men, letting them all turn over a new leaf. Those with strength can find work at the docks, those with skills can become laborers, and those with capital can start a small business, living a peaceful life from now on. They won't be involved in the underworld anymore..." As I said this, I couldn't help but look at my senior brother. Judging from his expression, even he himself felt that such a thing was absolutely impossible.
I laughed and said, "Alright, let's assume I have two hundred direct subordinates and nearly two thousand henchmen on the periphery! Even if I were capable enough to heed your teachings, and all two thousand-plus gangsters repented and turned over a new leaf at my request... I won't even discuss how likely such a thing is. Let's just assume this scenario is possible... Then, what happens?" I looked at my senior brother's face: "Even if the entire Big Circle Gang under my control reforms... and all the illegal transactions and crimes under Big Circle's control disappear... then, can people truly live in peace and prosperity in these areas controlled by Big Circle? Will there really be no more gangsters?"
"..." The eldest brother couldn't utter a single word.
However, I didn't intend to question my senior brother with such a question, and immediately continued, "Of course not!! There are more than a dozen gangs of all sizes in Vancouver! Even if I disband the Big Circle, and the Big Circle ceases to exist, other gangs will immediately move into the vacated territories! Then all the territories that originally belonged to the Big Circle's territory will be reoccupied by other gangs! At that time, there will still be thugs extorting those businessmen, some fighting, some stealing chickens and dogs, some robbing, some engaging in prostitution, some trafficking drugs... nothing will be different." "What's changed?!" Seeing my senior brother's grim face, I sighed and continued, "Fine, let's take another step back... Senior brother, let me make a bold claim! With my current status, the entire Vancouver underworld is at my beck and call! Now, simply by virtue of my nickname 'Fifth Master,' I can have absolute power in Vancouver!" As I spoke, a hint of arrogance crept into my voice, and I said proudly, "In Vancouver, during the day, the Canadian government is in charge, but at night... hmph, I, Chen Yang, am in charge!"
Upon hearing this, the eldest disciple's expression changed again.
"But even if I, Chen Yang, risked my life to reform all the gangsters in Vancouver... I smiled and said, 'Those Indians, Iranians, Arabs, whites, and other Chinatown gangs all listened to me and reformed, giving up those underworld activities... then, would there be no gangsters left in Vancouver?'"
At this point, I sighed heavily, then said, word by word, "Of course not!! If Vancouver were without gangs, countless other gangs from other places, criminal organizations from other regions, would immediately flood into the city and seize every inch of territory! Before long, everything would revert to the old ways..."
Seeing that my senior brother's confidence had collapsed, I continued with a smile: "So, even if I had the greatest ability to make all the gangs in Canada disappear and all the gangs in Canada reform... then what would happen then?"
"...Stop talking." The eldest brother finally understood what I meant. He shook his head. My last assumption would probably seem absurd even to an idiot.
Trying to reform all the gangs in a country all at once? Do you think I'm Jesus Christ on earth?!
The eldest brother caught his breath, his confidence nearly shattered by my words, and a hint of dejection appeared on his face. However, he wasn't a fool; after a brief moment of dejection, he immediately snapped out of the trap I had set. He glanced at me and said, "Chen Yang, I don't care what others do, nor can I. I know that gangs can't disappear, but you, you're my junior brother. I just need to keep an eye on you and prevent you from going astray. As for others… to be honest, I can't control that much. At least I can't just stand by and watch you go astray!"
"Sigh!" I sighed deliberately. "Senior Brother, so you mean 'everyone sweeps the snow from their own doorstep and doesn't care about the frost on someone else's roof,' right?"