Song Tianyao stopped what he was doing, looked at Golden-Tooth Lei, and then at Chen Tai, who hadn't understood Golden-Tooth Lei's words at all. "What? Brother Lei admires my cousin?"
"Of course I admire your cousin's talent in the martial arts world. However, although I have the advantage of being close to him, I still need to ask Secretary Song's opinion first. If you agree, I will arrange for someone to open Xiang Hall, and I guarantee he will become Red Pole within three years."
Song Tianyao looked at Chen Tai and didn't see at all how this stupid so-called cousin had the aura of a talented person in the world. Wasn't he just knocking down four and two dock gangsters with a pole?
"Just brute strength, taking down a few people, and you call that talent?" Song Tianyao handed Golden-Tooth Lei a cigarette, then offered one to Gao Lao Cheng, before lighting his own and asking Golden-Tooth Lei.
Golden-Tooth Lei chuckled as he sat down and said, "Secretary Song Wo Two Ping asked for three thousand yuan for medicine. If it was just a fight, why would it cost so much? Didn't your cousin tell you?"
"He said he took down four people, and the others didn't dare to step forward. In the end, the police arrested him. Three thousand dollars? My cousin doesn't understand the rules of the underworld, but I do. Calling the police with Wo Two Ping and provoking the emperor, does he not want to stay at the docks anymore?" Song Tianyao raised an eyebrow slightly and said casually.
Golden-Tooth Lei shook his head. "Provoking the imperial aura is naturally a major taboo in the martial arts world, but Wo Two Ping didn't break any rules. The three constables who came all have martial arts backgrounds, so they can't be considered real officials. The main problem is that your cousin is too fierce. Do you know why the others didn't dare to step forward? Because two of the four lying on the ground were the Red Pole who were in charge of the docks with Wo Two Ping, Bian Dan Wei and Wo Two Ping Niu Shi Gen. Those two guys were already considered the most powerful and vicious in He Erping's docks. Even they were beaten to the point of not being able to get up by your cousin with a carrying pole. How could the others dare to step forward? The people in charge of the docks were all beaten down. What else could they do but go to the constables?"
When Song Tianyao looked at Chen Tai again, he suddenly felt that his seemingly dull-witted distant cousin possessed an invisible aura of dominance. If he were to watch a movie in Song Tianyao's later life, he would at least be a gangster idol like Chan Ho-nam.
How could this dimwit take down two Wo Two Ping Red Pole members of the He Erping gang by himself? Even if Wo Two Ping is worthless, it is still a legitimate Hung Mun gang with the He-prefix gangs "He" in its name. In any case, Red Pole member shouldn't be too cheap.
In fact, if Song Tianyao had been interested in learning a little about the history of Hong Kong's triads in his previous life, he would have discovered that Chen Tai, who now appears to be a simpleton, was a well-known figure in the underworld throughout the late 1950s, the 1960s, and even the mid-1970s. He was known as "Silly Tai" by the underworld. He used a Japan sword to fight his way from the docks to Wan Chai, and at one point, Lockhart Road in Wan Chai was known as Chen Tai Street in the 1960s. In the 1960s, he also rose to the position of leader of the Wo Hop To He-prefix gangs, a legitimate triad organization. According to the rules of Wo Hop To, the leader was called the Old Crooked Emperor." After Chen Tai became the Big Brother of Wo Hop To, he was known in the underworld as Emperor Tai, the Wan Chai Emperor.
The only connection between Chen Tai and Song Tianyao's imagined Chan Ho-nam was that of Ng Chi-hung, the actor Big Brother played Chan Ho-nam in the movies, who became Chen Tai's apprentice in the late 1970s.
In the 1960s, Taihe and his Wo Hop To gang were like loyal and vicious henchmen of Five-Billion Detective Lui Lok. Any gang leader who dared to defy Lui Lok's rules would be met with this Silly Tai wielding a Japan sword and leading his men into battle, fighting until the other side begged for mercy and submitted to Lui Lok. The reason Lui Lok was able to establish the order of the underworld and rule with an iron fist in the 1960s was because he had two outstanding talents in the underworld under his command: Chu Yau-chai in literature and Silly Tai in martial arts.
However, at this moment, Chen Tai did not show any of the aura of a gangster from the 1960s and 70s. He was watching Song Tianyao and Golden-Tooth Lei chat with a simple smile on his face.
"I don't plan to let him join the gang. In a few days, I'll have him go to Likang to do manual labor. When he has time, I'll have someone teach him to drive. It would be good for him to be a driver in the future." After hearing Golden-Tooth Lei say that Chen Tai had taken down two Red Pole, Song Tianyao immediately and decisively rejected Golden-Tooth Lei's suggestion. If he followed Golden-Tooth Lei, a fool like Chen Tai would probably end up dead in the street at any time.
Chapter Seventy-Seven: Because of a Woman
Song Tianyao was unaware of Chen Tai's ferocity in his previous life. He simply believed at this moment that no matter how good Chen Tai was at fighting, his mind was not suited for the underworld, especially for a gang like Fuyixing that mainly engaged in shady dealings such as prostitution, gambling, and drugs.
Song Tianyao suggested that Chen Tai learn to drive, so Golden-Tooth Lei stopped mentioning Chen Tai joining the gang. Seeing that Golden-Tooth Lei's eyes kept darting towards Chen Tai without changing the subject, Song Tianyao knowingly took out fifty yuan from Chen Tai and said, "A-Tai, go out and buy me a few packs of State Express 555 cigarettes."
"Oh!" Chen Tai took the money with a smile, turned around and walked outside. Once only Song Tianyao, Golden-Tooth Lei, Gao Lao Cheng remained in the room, Golden-Tooth Lei said to Song Tianyao:
"Secretary Song, regarding the matter you mentioned last time about the Chinese interviewer at the police academy, we've investigated it. The interviewer's name is Ren Chunsheng, from Shunde, and he's thirty-seven years old."
It turned out that after Song Tianyao asked Golden-Tooth Lei to help investigate the matter that day, Golden-Tooth Lei summoned his underlings who worked in Kowloon Walled City and told them about the short, fat, dark-skinned Chinese interviewer that Song Tianyao had described, instructing them to find out the interviewer's name first.
The reason for choosing Fuyixing Hing, a member of the Kowloon Walled City gang, is that Kowloon Walled City is a place where all sorts of people from all walks of life frequent, and it is also the most complex area in terms of interpersonal relationships. People from the underworld who make a living in this area often have the widest network of connections, encompassing multiple regions.
Within two days, a henchman claimed to have discovered that the interviewer's name was Ren Chunsheng. They had thoroughly investigated the interviewer's address, age, family, interpersonal relationships, and even his daily routine and travel schedule. After clarifying his interpersonal relationships, someone else investigated his friends, following the clues step by step. Finally, a quick-witted and insightful member of Fuyixing, White Paper Fan forward, pretending to have a favor to ask. Through the connections he had uncovered in the underworld, he invited Ren Chunsheng to sit down at a dinner table.
First, he mentioned that he had two nephews who had turned eighteen and were preparing to take the police academy entrance exam. He hoped that the interviewer, Ren Chunsheng, would give them some consideration. He then probed to find out how much money was needed for bribes. They continued to talk about this topic while drinking. Finally, when White Paper Fan saw that the time was right, he had his underlings come in and spread an outdated message, saying that a kid from the Squatter Area named Song Tianyao had stabbed Black-Hearted Wah, the Straw Sandal guy from Fuyixing.