Chapter 163: The Most Influential Competition Yet (One) (1/2)
Chapter 163: The Most Influential Competition Yet (One)
“Brother Wang, your name is one that reverberates through the country, but the men you’ve angered are many as well. Sooner or later you will come across someone with a grudge. The country is not a place you’ve set up a foundation in. You have not enough dealings of sincerity, and not enough friends you’ve gone through plenty of hardships with. If something happens to you one day, I’m afraid it will be the day when your enemies knock down the walls. Have you any plans in preparation for that?”
Chen Aiyang suddenly changed the topic to ask Wang Chao.
Wang Chao had understood what Chen Aiyang was getting at. Observing the icy-wheel that was the moon and how the usually misty clouds were gone, Wang Chao slowly closed his eyes in thought, “I know that I’ve made plenty of enemies. While it’s smooth sailing for me now, it won’t always be like this. One day, disaster will come. But I will plan for that.”
He knew that whether it was Cao Yi, general Zhou, or the organization, they all only looked at him because of his martial arts and influence. Within the organization, he still had no true friend. If anything happened and he happened to offend someone that was far too powerful, the organization would waste no breath to try and protect him.
Duan Guochao for example had the backing of the Shaolin Temple, but with his death, Duan Guochao ceased to be a problem. Although Wang Chao had killed him, it only signified that people like Duan Guochao and Wang Chao were powerful, but in the end, they were nothing more than silver candle wicks disguised as gun barrels. They may be strong on the outside, but they were useless in reality.
“The bureaucracy do not have any tried and true friends between them. Although the Yamen were said to be involved in martial arts, you are still far too deep.” Chen Aiyang spoke. “It’d be better for you to cut your losses and withdraw. That way your life will remain safe.”
TL Note: Yamen are government workers of old, generally martial artists in Wuxia novels.
Wang Chao shook his head, “I’ve already dug too deep in. It’s far too late to withdraw now.”
Chen Aiyang knew that Wang Chao had been subjected to the country’s support after tending to Beijing for them. Combined with the trouble he had caused in Singapore, Chen Aiyang had no idea what to do next after that.
Wang Chao had hidden himself before and had a small name for himself. But the organization had no need for a nobody and made his name resonate across the country so that he was now a somebody.
“The marshes of Liangshan pays extra emphasis on the meaning of friendship. You and I are friends to the death. But if one day. Just one day that you and I had to fight to the death, what would you do?” Chen Aiyang suddenly asked.
“How would that ever happen….” Wang Chao spoke. His heart had begun to beat even faster now at that question. However, this was a situation that was more possible than impossible. Chen Aiyang’s Chenshi Corporation had committed many illegal transactions and were always being watched by the government. It was not as if they had gone unnoticed.
“It’s very possible that one day, the higher ups may call on me to fight Chen Aiyang to the death.”
Assassins could be hired to kill an influential person like Chen Aiyang, but if news of that were to leak out, then it would have undesirable consequences. It was far better to have a member of the Wulin kill him in a fair and just stage so that they could be free of any crime.
Having Chen Aiyang say this had shaken Wang Chao. He had a feeling that it wouldn’t be too far in the future that such a command could come down on him. But should he ever receive such an order, Wang Chao was sure that he’d refuse.
“I’ve made enemies with many people by this point despite the relative safety I’ve been in. But everything was because of the orders I followed. They wanted me to kill Ye Xuan, so I killed him. They wanted me to teach Duan Guochao a lesson, but he died. If I were to disobey an order now, they would either discipline me or expel me. Either way, that would lead me wide open to my enemies.”
Just thinking back to his past, Zhao Jun had once hired several members of the axe-gang to blind him with lime dust and kill him in the alleys just for a small misunderstanding over Zhu Jia.
Any soldier would see their mission as their own goal in life to fulfill. To disobey a direct order is to be disciplined and court martialed. But with Wang Chao’s enemies as bountiful as the sky, he would have to rely on the organization giving him asylum.
“The marshes of Liangshan is everywhere as long as there are forced and helpless men.” Chen Aiyang fished out a box from within his pockets and handed it over to Wang Chao.
“I actually came to Shandong this time to give you something on behalf of another.”
Skeptical, Wang Chao watched as Chen Aiyang took out a small box where a single ring-like object seemed to be held in it.
At the initial sight of the item, was very light, but when he had a better look at it Wang Chao had been instantly floored! A wave of emotions had immediately overturned his heart as if an ocean had appeared out of nowhere.
Within the box was a circular golden strand that seemed as if it was meant to be coiled around a finger.
Wang Chao had recognized this circular gold strand. Way back then, Tang Zichen had once several golden needles strung around her finger like a ring!
“You…………” Wang Chao’s eyes closed as he took in a deep breath.
“Don’t ask me. I don’t know the full story behind this either. But judging from your face, you clearly recognize this needle.” Chen Aiyang saw that Wang Chao had wanted to say something and shook his head, “A martial artist from the Hongmen gave this to me on behalf of another. They also had me pass something on as well; ‘should you ever find yourself forced into a corner, then come to the Hongmen Society in Honolulu, Hawaii. Over there, you will find all the clues you need’.”
“Honolulu, the Hongmen Association….” Wang Chao picked up the needle and tied it around the forefinger on his right hand before returning the box.
“I understand now. Let us head back.”
Wang Chao spoke out before whirling around. The doors to the world Tang Zichen was in was finally beginning to show itself to him.
When he had last heard about Tang Zichen’s battle with Chen Aiyang in Singapore, Wang Chao had realized that she was most likely preparing the chessboard for the future.
He hadn’t bothered to press Chen Aiyang for any more information. Since Chen Aiyang had been the messenger boy, there was no reason that he would know the story behind the message.
In 1992, the worldwide Hongmen Association was formed by a collaborative effort of the overseas Chinese communities and their respective Hongmen societies in Honolulu.
When Sun Yat-sen formed the Nationalist Party, he had the support of the Hongmen Society as a senior figure of it. Within the Hongmen Society, many of the members were experts of martial arts. During the Republic of China, the Guoshu Institute was filled with martial artists that were senior figures of the Hongmen Society. When the New China was formed, many of the masters were unable to continue living within it and were exiled overseas, resulting in the Hongmen Society crumbling and dispersing along with the exiled.
The princeling that was Liao Junhua had Zhu Hongzhi as his master. Zhu Hongzhi was a senior figure in the American Hongmen Society, and Liao Junhua himself had been known as the “Twin Flower Red Pole” in the Hongmen Society as well.
“Red Poles” were known to be the stronger members of the Chinese organized crime groups, and adding “Twin Flower” to their name only served to mean that they were an especially strong enforcer.
If Zhu Jia wanted to conduct a documentary of the overseas Chinese community, then sooner or later she would need to involve herself with the Hongmen Society sooner or later as well.
Cheng Shanming was most likely a great master of the Canadian Hongmen Society as well.
Despite Wang Chao now knowing that he would be able to find out more about the clues to Tang Zichen at the American Hongmen Society in Honolulu, Hawaii, he couldn’t leave now. He was a major general, and although it was merely in name only, he would have to ask for permission to leave first. To leave in secret was tantamount to fleeing the country.