Golden-Tooth Lei, his wife Sister Qiu, and their maid Ah Ying were forced to stand against the wall under the aim of several dark gun barrels. Sister Qiu and Ah Ying huddled together, their legs weak and unable to stand. The two of them were almost glued together in the corner. Golden-Tooth Lei, on the other hand, was Big Brother leader and a well-known figure in the underworld for many years. He showed no panic on his face. He glanced at his wife and Ah Ying two meters away, and then looked at the expressionless Thailand man Wenren across from him.
"We China person believe in not letting one's wife and children suffer the same fate. I've been out in the underworld for a long time, and I've already thrown my life at the feet of the King Yama. It's just a matter of when he decides to take it. But my wife and maid don't work in the underworld and don't know the rules. I can let them go back to their hometown tonight. They will never return to Hong Kong and will not contact the others in Fuyixing to avenge me. Can you please give them a way out?" Golden-Tooth Lei said to Wenren, who was standing under the lamp, making it impossible to see his face clearly.
Hearing that her man, facing imminent disaster, still remembered to find a way to save her life, Sister Qiu was both frightened and touched. However, the fear in her heart ultimately prevented her from saying that she would die with Golden-Tooth Lei. She could only hold back and began to sob softly, a far cry from the fierce tigress she used to yell at Golden-Tooth Lei.
Wenren, who was standing under the lamp, took two steps forward, pulled the chair that Golden-Tooth Lei had been sitting on while playing mahjong, sat back down, put his arms on the back of the chair, and straddled Golden-Tooth Lei. He then took out half a packet of Ho Choi from his shirt pocket and handed it to Golden-Tooth Lei.
Golden-Tooth Lei looked into Wenren's eyes, then reached into his cigarette case and took one. Wenren Golden-Tooth Lei lit the cigarette for him, striking a match. Golden-Tooth Lei took a deep drag, tilting his head back and exhaling smoke towards the roof. Wenren, with eyes as pure as a child's and filled with pity, looked up at Golden-Tooth Lei, who stood two steps away, and uttered two words in Chinese:
"No."
As soon as he said no, apart from the two who were holding pistols and pointing them at Golden-Tooth Lei, Sister Qiu, and Ah Ying, the remaining three put away their pistols, deftly lifted their shirts, took out the broad-bladed short-handled axes hidden at their waists, pounced on Wenren from behind, bypassed Wenren, and with Wenren looking at them with pity, the first blow landed hard on Golden-Tooth Lei's head!
Golden-Tooth Lei was stunned when he heard the word "no," but before he could finish his thought, the axe was already upon him, the first blow striking him diagonally at the Golden-Tooth Lei. Golden-Tooth Lei's body was sent staggering backward, crashing into the wall, and he slowly began to collapse. But the Thailand man didn't stop after that one fatal blow; instead, he continued to swing the axe at the already doomed Golden-Tooth Lei, striking his head, chest, shoulders, and legs...
Only when the man's face was completely disfigured, and the Thailand man who had attacked him was gradually stained with blood by Golden-Tooth Lei's blood, did he stand up straight with his axe. Sister Qiu and Ah Ying, who were standing in the corner, were also hacked to death with an axe.
"We know there are rules set by the Britain in Hong Kong's underworld: as long as no guns are fired, the Britain won't see it. We followed one of Hong Kong's rules and didn't fire, but we also retained one of our Thailand rules: not only do we kill, but we also silence witnesses. Don't blame me; you should have known your fate when you killed your gang's sworn brother, Sai Ba, and refused to do business with Sai Ba." Wenren had also been splattered with blood, stood up from his chair, made a wai (a gesture of prayer) towards Golden-Tooth Lei, and then walked towards the restroom.
The banquet at the Yu Family was drawing to a close. Yu Family's servants were clearing away the dishes in an orderly manner. A few guests who were oblivious to the situation and were staggering from drinking were politely flattered by the Yu Family's butler, who then escorted them to the Yu Family's cars and instructed the drivers to take them home.
At this moment, Yu Shiting was sitting in Sea-Viewing Tower drinking tea, humming "The Empty City Stratagem" while shaking his head. He was in high spirits. If it weren't for the wound on his forehead, he would have had the air of an old man indulging in youthful exuberance.
"Master, the guests have all been seen off." Uncle Shui stood at the entrance of the building and said to Yu Shiting with a somewhat helpless tone.
Yu Shiting then beckoned to Uncle Shui: "Uncle Shui, come and have some tea with me."
"Sir, you've had too much to drink," Uncle Shui said as he walked over. "You should go back to your room and rest early."
Yu Shiting used bamboo tongs to take out a teacup, poured tea for Uncle Shui, and then looked at the stormy weather outside. "I owe Song Tianyao a huge favor. Without him, how could I be sitting here in this building tonight, sheltered from the wind and rain?"
"Master, apart from the somewhat fake-looking injury on your forehead, I don't see any significant favor from Song Tianyao." Uncle Shui glanced at the teacup but didn't touch it. Instead, he stood beside Yu Shiting and added some more charcoal to the small stove where he was brewing tea.
He was originally a martial artist, serving as Yu Shiting's bodyguard. Yu Shiting chatted with him without any reservations, but he didn't have Yu Shiting's intelligence, so he couldn't understand most of what Yu Shiting said, which was somewhat similar to Huang Liu's situation with Song Tianyao.
"You mean this?" Yu Shiting touched the wound on his forehead and laughed. "Mine is fake. I just don't know how Song Tianyao's luck will be tonight. If he's injured, it must be real."
"Come on, let me show you my skills. Before the coin stops rolling, I can gulp down this huge bowl of beef soup!" Tan Jingwei took out a coin, spun it on the table with a snap, then picked up a large bowl of beef soup and poured it into his mouth, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down, making gurgling sounds.
The owner of the Hua County sesame seed cake stall, a young soldier who had just come down from Hanging Neck Ridge, glanced strangely at Tan Jingwei, then at the Ningbo glutinous rice ball stall in the distance. There were four Thailand men, two of whom were holding guns and two were wielding axes. The previously arrogant and smug Chan Ah-sap was now hacked to pieces. Old Huang hugged his daughter and huddled at the back of the stall, not daring to look at the corpse, much less at the Thailand men.
"How about that!" Tan Jingwei turned the large bowl, which he had just finished eating, upside down, and smiled happily and triumphantly, like a child who had won a game. At that moment, the coin was still slowly spinning on the corner of the table, seemingly about to stop, but still struggling to stay afloat.