Recaps

Gui Zai Fang’s men surrounded Nai Khun and the other Thais, but Gui’s challenge ended with him and Nai Khun colliding legs in midair. In Hong Kong, Song Tianyao reunited with Lu Wenhui and explained his sudden return, while Lu remained puzzled by his actions in Macau and his support of He Xian.

• Gui Zai Fang’s men arrived to surround Nai Khun and the other Thais, and Gui offered to take Song Wenwen away.
• Song Wenwen refused to leave and kept watching Nai Khun, whom she found more handsome than Gui Zai Fang.
• Gui Zai Fang challenged Nai Khun to fight, and their raised legs collided as they began.
• Chu Xiaoxin selected and poured wine for Lu Wenhui, who asked Song Tianyao when he had returned to Hong Kong.
• Song Tianyao said he had returned that day and explained that he had gone to Macau and visited Yu Shiting and Uncle Sheng before seeing Lu Wenhui.
• Lu Wenhui’s displeasure eased, but he remained confused about Song Tianyao’s sudden return and his decision to help He Xian.

Lu Wenhui pressed Song Tianyao to explain why he was helping He Xian and warned him that British interests could make his intervention dangerous. Song admitted he wanted a role in Macau’s gambling industry and insisted that, despite his questionable business methods, he was a China person; he stood up as Chu Xiaoxin tried to stop him.

• Lu Wenhui challenged Song Tianyao’s claim that he was helping He Xian out of gratitude, and Song said He had offered future business and Macau opportunities.
• Song revealed that he wanted to revive Macau’s abandoned greyhound track, but Lu doubted he would dare enter Macau’s gambling industry.
• Song said he shared He Xian’s view that Hong Kong and Shanghai were fighting while China people suffered.
• Lu warned Song that the British wanted the Chinese groups to weaken each other and urged him to keep a low profile and avoid harming British interests.
• Song drank his wine, declared that he was a China person despite his dishonorable business methods, and stood up as Chu Xiaoxin repeatedly nudged his shoe to caution him.

Song Tianyao spent an evening with Chu Xiaoxin, who claimed he had become a virtuous gentleman before revealing that he had secretly arranged dinner with two jockeys. Chu Xiaoxin asked Song Tianyao to help conceal the outing from Lu Peiying and his mother so he could enjoy himself with women.

• Song Tianyao dismissed Chu Xiaoxin's worries about Lu Wenhui and suggested they find somewhere fun to spend the evening.
• Chu Xiaoxin insisted he had stopped going to nightclubs and said he was focused on the Hong Kong Jockey Club.
• Song Tianyao recalled Chu Xiaoxin's old boast about dying beneath the peonies, and Chu Xiaoxin claimed not to remember saying it.
• Chu Xiaoxin revealed that he had invited two jockeys to dinner and framed the invitation as a chance for Song Tianyao to find romance.
• Song Tianyao tried to leave for Ying Kee, but Chu Xiaoxin grabbed his hand and asked him to help conceal his outing from Lu Peiying and his mother.

Nai Khun fought Gui Zai Fang after Gui Zai Fang offended Song Wenwen, then apologized to Song Wenwen on his subordinate’s behalf. The chapter left Nai Khun addressing her while Chiu Chow Gang enforcers guarded her.

• Nai Khun’s leg collided with Gui Zai Fang’s, shocking Gui Zai Fang.
• Nai Khun attacked Gui Zai Fang’s ribs, but Gui Zai Fang blocked the blow and retreated.
• Nai Khun withdrew and turned his attention to Song Wenwen, who was guarded by Chiu Chow Gang enforcers.
• Nai Khun apologized to Song Wenwen for his subordinate’s offense and asked her not to let it spoil her mood.

Nai Khun defeated Gui Zai Fang in a fight and let him leave with Song Wenwen and Wu Xiu'er. After the group departed, Nai Khun revealed that he had considered abducting and selling the women but was keeping a low profile as his father had ordered.

• Nai Khun showed Gui Zai Fang the calluses on his legs, then attacked him with his powerful kicks.
• Gui Zai Fang tried to close in as Nai Khun seemed to tire, but Nai Khun stabbed him with a barbed fist sword.
• Nai Khun warned Gui Zai Fang to have the weapon removed at a hospital and said the stabbing repaid his subordinate's injury.
• Song Wenwen stopped Gui Zai Fang's men from fighting, and Gui Zai Fang led his group away with the fist sword still lodged in his ribs.
• Nai Khun asked Song Wenwen her name, then privately remarked that he had considered taking her and Wu Xiu'er to a hotel and selling them in Macau.

Tan Jingwei approached Di Junda with a valuable octagonal cup and asked him to appraise it, while Di suspected Tan had taken over Zeng Chunsheng’s businesses and refused to cooperate with him. Tan ended by threatening that Di could share Zeng’s fate if he would not discuss cooperation.

• Tan Jingwei introduced himself to Di Junda and explained that he had acquired Zeng Chunsheng’s businesses, leaving the Shanghai Shipping Gang without a share.
• Di Junda recalled that the gang had expected to profit from Zeng’s downfall, but Zeng’s widow had sold the family businesses in Taiwan to Tan instead.
• Di Junda asked what Tan wanted and decided he would refuse any proposal to cooperate, condemning Taiwan’s efforts to cut off supplies to mainland China.
• Tan’s attendant, Fourth Brother, brought a case, and Tan revealed an octagonal cup for Di to appraise.
• Di Junda examined the cup and warned Tan against proposing cooperation, noting that Zeng Chunsheng’s fate remained unknown.
• Tan threatened that Di could end up like Zeng if he refused to discuss cooperation.

Song Tianyao accompanied Chu Xiaoxin to the Dulles Hotel, where Chu planned a secret outing and Song reflected on Lu Peiying’s efforts to guide him. The chapter ended with Chu revealing a wardrobe of jockey outfits, leaving Song puzzled about his plan.

• Chu Xiaoxin had Chen Xingfu drive them to the Dulles Hotel and told Song Tianyao to call his family with a cover story.
• Peng Xiulian spoke with Song Tianyao and asked him to keep Chu Xiaoxin from drinking too much or embarrassing himself.
• Chu Xiaoxin blamed Lu Peiying for arranging the call, while Song Tianyao considered how she was trying to make Chu more mature.
• Song Tianyao told Chu Xiaoxin that Lu Peiying wanted him to avoid pleasure houses and protect his public standing.
• Chu Xiaoxin showed Song Tianyao several brand-new jockey outfits in the hotel suite’s wardrobe.

Chu Xiaoxin brought Song Tianyao to the Harp Restaurant disguised as jockeys, where two Black Jockeys agreed to introduce them to women. Song’s admiration turned to disbelief when he realized Chu had recruited the elite jockeys to arrange hookups rather than share racing tips.

• Chu Xiaoxin made Song Tianyao change into jockey clothes and threatened him into joining the dinner.
• Song Tianyao and Chu Xiaoxin walked along Queen’s Road dressed as jockeys and entered the Cloud Palace Hotel.
• Zheng Yutong glimpsed someone who looked like Song Tianyao entering the hotel but doubted his eyes.
• At the Harp Restaurant, a Black Jockey explained that he and his companion would introduce Chu Xiaoxin and Song Tianyao to two women before leaving.
• Song Tianyao put his money on the table and praised Chu Xiaoxin sarcastically for using two Black Jockeys to arrange dates instead of seeking racing information.

Chu Xiaoxin explained how two black-licensed jockeys connected to the Lu Family helped him meet women, and Song Tianyao learned why they had approached him for a chance to train Lu Peiying and Chu Xiaoxin’s new racehorse. The women Chu Xiaoxin had been waiting for arrived, including Lu Yuanchun, while Liao Donggui offered Boss Cen a way to have Song Tianyao killed without implicating him.

• Chu Xiaoxin gave the two jockeys the three thousand Hong Kong dollars he had won from Song Tianyao.
• Song Tianyao learned that the jockeys hoped to train Lu Peiying and Chu Xiaoxin’s promising new horse and had approached Chu Xiaoxin to secure the opportunity.
• Chu Xiaoxin spotted two women arriving at the restaurant, and Song Tianyao recognized one of them as Lu Yuanchun.
• Liao Donggui offered Boss Cen to have his own men kill Song Tianyao so Boss Cen would not be implicated.

Lei Yingdong reflected on the heavy losses he had suffered in the clash between shipping gangs and resolved that someone from the Shanghai Shipping Gang must pay for his dead men. He admired Xu Pingsheng’s courage and generosity, but the chapter left his demand for revenge unresolved.

• At the Sea-Viewing Tower, Cen Wenqing told Liao Donggui that a servant had acted on his own, then revealed that the story Liao heard had been deliberately spread.
• At the Bustling Harp Restaurant, Suki arrived with Lu Yuanchun, who recognized Song Tianyao and Chu Xiaoxin but kept up the pretense of being strangers.
• Chu Xiaoxin urged Song Tianyao to get his story straight with Lu Yuanchun before she exposed their identities.
• Song Tianyao claimed he and Lu Yuanchun had both studied at the University of Nottingham, but she spilled lemonade and left for the restroom before he could serve her brandy.
• Lei Yingdong considered the men he had lost to a mine and decided that the Shanghai Shipping Gang needed to pay for their deaths.
• Lei Yingdong recalled Xu Pingsheng scuttling his ships during the war and donating his family’s wedding gifts to the resistance, and understood why Xu had become Hong Kong’s Shipping King.

Lei Yingdong deduced that Song Tianyao and Chu Xiaoxin were using their dinner at the Harp Restaurant as bait and went to help them. At the restaurant, Song Tianyao spoke privately with Lu Yuanchun while his companions kept up their jockey disguise.

• Lei Yingdong visited Song Tianyao’s family, learned that Song and Chu Xiaoxin had gone to the Harp Restaurant in jockey uniforms, and realized they were baiting Shanghainese opponents.
• Lei Yingdong decided to go to the Harp Restaurant with his men to support Song Tianyao and avenge their dead brothers.
• Song Tianyao followed Lu Yuanchun toward the restrooms, leaving Chu Xiaoxin at the table with Brother Jie and Suki.
• Brother Jie told Suki that Chu Xiaoxin and Song Tianyao were his apprentices and that they would ride long-shot horses in an upcoming upset.
• Song Tianyao teased Lu Yuanchun, took her cigarette when it made her cough, and suggested she already knew why he had come to the restaurant.

Lu Yuanchun chose to stay beside Song Tianyao to see how he would win the coming round, while Sai Charoenwang ordered his men to claim Hong Kong’s drug trade for the Thais. Liao Donggui decided to join forces with Taiwan and ordered Chen Liang to kill Song Tianyao, and the chapter ended with Song Chengqi suddenly coughing over his ledger.

• Lu Yuanchun told Song Tianyao she wanted to stand beside him and watch how he handled the coming round.
• Sai Charoenwang said the Taiwanese had promised the Thais exclusive rights to sell Golden Triangle opium in Hong Kong and ordered Paitoon to threaten local societies.
• Liao Donggui explained to Chen Liang why he planned to leave Hong Kong for Taiwan and ordered him to kill Song Tianyao.
• Song Chengqi suffered a sudden coughing fit while writing in a ledger.

Qi Weiwen and Lam Kong wondered why the Chiu Chow Gang and Fuyixing withdrew their men from outside the restaurant, suspecting a major crisis had overtaken them. Paitoon questioned his injured half-brother Najie about what he had learned from provoking Hong Kong’s local societies.

• Song Chengqi left the crowded Kowloon Restaurant after Qi Weiwen urged him to rest, and Lam Kong asked her why his men had stayed there all afternoon.
• Lam Kong told Qi Weiwen that Mr. Song had angered the Yu Family and Uncle Sheng before Mr. Chu took him away.
• One of Lam Kong’s men reported that the Chiu Chow Gang and Fuyixing’s men had suddenly left, and Qi Weiwen suspected a serious problem had struck the societies.
• Paitoon summoned Najie, whose fingernails had been torn off after he provoked a local society, and asked whether he resented his treatment.
• Najie told Paitoon that Hong Kong gang members mostly bullied others in groups and that few were skilled, willing to kill, or concerned with underworld rules.

Paitoon urged Najie to take revenge on Rotten-Life Ju and warned that their attack on the local gangs would be an invasion. At Golden-Tooth Lei’s home, a suspicious banknote raised concern before an apparent messenger’s deception ended with A-Lok being stabbed through the temple.

• Paitoon learned that Rotten-Life Ju had torn off Najie’s fingernails and told Najie to bathe before taking revenge himself.
• Sister Qiu showed Golden-Tooth Lei a five-hundred-dollar banknote that felt strange, and he agreed she could buy a Western-style house for 120,000.
• Golden-Tooth Lei and Sister Qiu played mahjong with A-Lok and Ah Ying while discussing Suki and teasing Ah Ying.
• A man posing as a messenger said something had gone wrong at the gang headquarters, then identified himself as Wenren and pulled A-Lok through the door hatch.
• A-Lok shouted for Golden-Tooth Lei to run before Wenren drove a bayonet through his temple.

Tan Jingwei stopped a young huoshao seller from confronting Chan Ah-sap, who was extorting Old Huang and trying to claim his daughter A-Yu. The stallholders waited to see what would happen as Tan Jingwei prepared to handle the matter himself.

• Chan Ah-sap harassed A-Yu at her tangyuan stall and demanded that Old Huang give her to him.
• Chan Ah-sap slapped Old Huang and threatened the nearby stallholders through his armed men.
• The young huoshao seller reached for a red-hot iron skewer as the other stallholders rallied behind him.
• Tan Jingwei asked the seller if he and the other stallholders had served on Hanging Neck Ridge, then ordered two huoshao.
• Chan Ah-sap slapped Old Huang again, claiming seven days of unpaid stall fees as A-Yu's betrothal gift.
• Tan Jingwei grabbed the young seller's wrist and told him to let someone else deal with Chan Ah-sap.

Tan Jingwei intervened when Chan Ah-sap’s men threatened Old Huang and his daughter, while Rotten-Life Ju learned armed Thais were disrupting his opium business. At the Harp Restaurant, Song Tianyao questioned Lu Yuanchun about Tan Jingwei and challenged her view of his plans.

• Tan Jingwei showed a gun to reassure a flatbread seller, gave him money, and told him to claim ties to 14K if threatened.
• Chan Ah-sap ordered Old Huang to send his daughter to him, and Tan Jingwei condemned the gang’s abuse.
• Rotten-Life Ju cheated at dice, then heard that three armed Thais were soliciting customers outside his opium den.
• Rotten-Life Ju gathered his men and went to confront the Thais.
• Song Tianyao asked Lu Yuanchun what she knew about Tan Jingwei, and she said Song’s new approach seemed unlikely to succeed.

Song Tianyao refused to explain his change of plans to Lu Yuanchun, while Huang Liu collected a single screw from Lengzai and learned that the shipment was under tight security. Fourth Brother watched the exchange and ordered men to stop the fisherman; Chen Liang then watched the Cloud Palace Hotel from his Stutz.

• Lu Yuanchun asked Song Tianyao why he had gone back on his word, but Song refused to explain and warned her to return early.
• Huang Liu waited at the mouth of Causeway Bay for Lengzai, who brought him a single screw and said the men guarding the information trusted almost no one.
• Huang Liu drove toward the Harp Restaurant with the screw as rain fell over the bay.
• Fourth Brother emerged from the bushes and reported that Song Tianyao's man had obtained an airplane screw, then ordered men at Hanging Neck Ridge to stop the fisherman and locate the shipment and its people.
• Chen Liang stood beside his Stutz Model M and watched the Cloud Palace Hotel.

Chen Liang’s violent rise from Tianjin dockworker to feared enforcer was recounted as his subordinate reported that Song Tianyao was alone at the Harp Restaurant, where four armed Big Tin Yis were waiting. Zheng Yutong nervously smoked at the restaurant, and the chapter left the confrontation unresolved.

• Chen Liang’s subordinate told him that Song Tianyao was at the Harp Restaurant without anyone accompanying him.
• The subordinate warned Chen Liang that four Big Tin Yis with bloody reputations were inside the restaurant.
• Zheng Yutong crushed one cigarette in the ashtray, lit another, and continued smoking as his dinner sat untouched.

Zheng Yutong met Duan Sanbao at the Harp Restaurant to ransom three hostages held by Duan’s sea raiders, while concealing the loss of three hundred taels of gold from the Zhou Family. As Zheng demanded to see the hostages before handing over sixty taels of gold, Song Tianyao caught his murderous gaze.

• Duan Sanbao’s oddly dressed men ate, drank, and watched the harpist around the restaurant while keeping Zheng Yutong under observation.
• Zheng Yutong challenged Duan Sanbao for bringing so many men, and Duan said he feared Zheng might retaliate over the stolen gold.
• Zheng Yutong worried the Zhou Family would turn against him if the loss became known, and he needed to rescue the three hostages and keep the incident secret.
• Zheng Yutong said the sixty taels of ransom gold were in his briefcase and asked to see the hostages before paying.
• Song Tianyao’s gaze met Zheng Yutong’s, and he noticed the murderous intent in Zheng’s eyes.

Wenren rejected Golden-Tooth Lei’s plea and had him, Sister Qiu, and Ah Ying killed to eliminate witnesses. As the Yu family’s banquet ended, Yu Shiting worried about Song Tianyao’s luck, while Tan Jingwei drank soup near the aftermath of Chan Ah-sap’s killing.

• Golden-Tooth Lei asked Wenren to spare Sister Qiu and Ah Ying, but Wenren refused.
• Wenren’s men hacked Golden-Tooth Lei, Sister Qiu, and Ah Ying to death, and Wenren explained that they were silencing witnesses.
• After the Yu family’s banquet, Yu Shiting told Uncle Shui that he owed Song Tianyao a great favor and wondered whether Song had been wounded.
• Tan Jingwei drank a huge bowl of beef soup while, nearby, Thai men guarded Chan Ah-sap’s hacked corpse and Old Huang huddled with his daughter.

As Thai gunmen turned their attention toward Old Huang and the other restaurant patrons, Tan Jingwei prepared to intervene. Elsewhere, Xu Enbo met a woman at Tsim Sha Tsui Pier to discuss a cargo shipment, while Chen Liang began to suspect that the unusual crowd gathering near the Cloud Palace Hotel was connected to the shipment.

• Two blood-covered Thai men looked toward Old Huang and his daughter, while their companions swung their guns toward the stall owners.
• Tan Jingwei stood up after recalling how he had once used the same trick to win cigarettes, and declared that it was time to stretch his muscles.
• Xu Enbo drove through the storm to Tsim Sha Tsui Pier, where he met a woman on a fishing boat who asked where his British-flagged ship was.
• Chen Liang told his subordinate that Duan Sanbao and his gang had once robbed a shipment, then accepted only four hundred thousand dollars to return its goods and crew.
• A lookout told Chen Liang that an unusual stream of Chinese men, none of them seeming respectable, had arrived near the Cloud Palace Hotel despite the heavy rain.

Chen Liang reconsidered Liao Donggui’s plan to kill Song Tianyao as he watched rival groups enter the Cloud Palace Hotel. Meanwhile, Rotten-Life Ju confronted Najie after the Thai gang attacked his opium den, and Han Chongshan’s men questioned whether they should help Tan.

• Chen Liang suspected the Taiwanese had manipulated Liao Donggui and ordered his men to wait while he went to the Harp Restaurant.
• Rotten-Life Ju returned to find his opium den wrecked and several of his men wounded, then sent men to summon reinforcements and locate the Thais.
• Najie entered the opium den and challenged Rotten-Life Ju, who knocked him into the rain with a punch.
• Rotten-Life Ju confronted Najie in the doorway and vowed to kill him.
• At Hanging Neck Ridge, Han Chongshan’s men questioned whether helping Tan was worth the risk and complained that Taiwan and the Free China Relief Association had abandoned them.

Lou Fengyun confronted Hong Kong’s underworld bosses over someone trying to bully her, while Han Chongshan armed his former Huangpu comrades in Hanging Neck Ridge. The chapter left the armed men facing an incoming storm and the gang leaders waiting to hear Lou Fengyun’s terms.

• Han Chongshan recalled that only five members of the Huangpu 14th Term Infantry Science Cadet Battalion remained in Hong Kong.
• Han Chongshan opened two bags of new firearms and ammunition for his four companions.
• A drunk companion grabbed an M3 Submachine Gun and inspected its new rifling as the others examined the weapons.
• Lou Fengyun smoked a cigarette at a meeting with more than twenty underworld bosses at the Kowloon Peninsula Hotel.
• Lou Fengyun said someone had tried to bully her despite her business dealings benefiting the assembled bosses.
• Yulan Ming defended Lou Fengyun and offered her softshell turtles as a gift.

Lou Fengyun used One-Eyed Flag’s execution to warn the gang bosses not to leave her off-course betting business or keep its profits for themselves. The major bosses challenged her authority, believing they could unite against her, while the meeting remained tense.

• Yulan Ming pledged his loyalty to Lou Fengyun as she accused the gang bosses of concealing profits from their off-course horse betting accounts.
• One-Eyed Flag tried to leave the meeting, but his own underling forced him back at gunpoint after Lou Fengyun offered him a choice between killing One-Eyed Flag or losing his family and gang.
• One-Eyed Flag’s underling shot him and his trusted aide, then took One-Eyed Flag’s seat at Lou Fengyun’s command.
• Lou Fengyun warned the remaining bosses that they had to follow her rules or die, and no one immediately answered her challenge.
• Ma Qi and Yanqiang Wei accused Lou Fengyun of breaking underworld rules and questioned whether she intended to eliminate her partners.
• The major gang bosses privately believed they could unite against Lou Fengyun and refused to surrender the money they had skimmed from the betting business.

Lou Fengyun broke with the crime bosses who refused to hand over their profits, while Yulan Ming chose to stay loyal to her. After the others were arrested by British soldiers, Lou Fengyun had Yulan Ming hand over his criminal file and ordered the bosses’ files sent to the police.

• Lou Fengyun demanded that the bosses return the money they had pocketed, but Ma Qi and the others rejected her terms and walked out without signing the papers.
• Yulan Ming admitted he was afraid to oppose the other bosses, but chose to stay with Lou Fengyun until she left.
• Lou Fengyun gave Yulan Ming control of more than twenty illegal horse-racing betting stalls and ordered her men not to harm his people.
• Yulan Ming’s underling reported that British soldiers had arrested the departing bosses for allegedly hiding military weapons.
• Lou Fengyun told Yulan Ming to find his criminal file, then ordered Headless's people to take the files away and let the police pursue the bosses after the soldiers had dealt with them.