Chapter Summaries

Handkerchief Qing confronted Chen Tai about Xianyu Shuan’s family and revealed a ten-million-dollar bounty on Song Tianyao. Tan Jingwei invited Gu Linshan to take her business to Taiwan, but she refused and denied that Billy was her boyfriend.

• Handkerchief Qing arrived at Chen Tai’s workshop with several men and asked whether Chen Tai still belonged to the He-prefix gangs.
• Handkerchief Qing asked Chen Tai where Xianyu Shuan’s wife and daughter lived, saying he wanted to use them to force Scribe Hui to call him.
• Chen Tai realized Handkerchief Qing was targeting Scribe Hui over Song Tianyao’s actions and objected to involving Xianyu Shuan’s family.
• Handkerchief Qing revealed that a secret ten-million-dollar bounty had been placed on Song Tianyao, payable for his corpse.
• Tan Jingwei asked Gu Linshan to move her business to Taiwan, but she declined and said Billy was no longer connected to her.

Gu Linshan and Tan Jingwei discussed Song Tianyao, He Xian’s plans for him, and their scheme to force him to reveal his hand. Gu Linshan left Tan Jingwei to return to his hotel, while he mused about Yu Shiting’s adopted daughter.

• Tan Jingwei teased Gu Linshan about her interest in Song Tianyao, but she said she wanted to test him and warned Tan to focus on staying alive.
• Tan Jingwei and Gu Linshan discussed how He Xian had made Yu Shiting’s adopted daughter his goddaughter and may have planned to bring Song Tianyao to Macau as his disciple.
• Tan Jingwei said no one caught in the coming storm would leave alive, while Gu Linshan argued that Song Tianyao should be forced to play with his cards face up.
• Tan Jingwei and Gu Linshan compared business and battlefield rules, and Gu Linshan told him to put away his desires and return to his hotel.
• After Gu Linshan left, Tan Jingwei dismissed the idea of pursuing her and lamented that Yu Shiting’s adopted daughter was unavailable.

Han Chongshan and his men went to Lengzai’s family shack in Shawan to abduct his children and silence the rest of the household. After noticing a suspicious longevity lock on Gui Xiu Wen’s belt, Han Chongshan interrupted the raid and narrowly escaped a bayonet attack, then opened fire into the shack.

• Han Chongshan led Gui Xiu Wen and two other men through the storm-soaked Shawan shantytown to Lengzai’s family home.
• Han Chongshan ordered Gui Xiu Wen to check the shack, take two children, and kill the other family members.
• Han Chongshan spotted a child’s longevity lock on Gui Xiu Wen’s belt and suspected something was wrong.
• After Gui Xiu Wen and the others entered, Han Chongshan called for everyone inside to come out.
• A bayonet stabbed through the shack’s sheet-iron wall where Han Chongshan’s head had been, and he dodged behind a neighboring house.
• Han Chongshan fired bursts into the shack as figures moved inside.

Chen Tai refused Handkerchief Qing’s demand to reveal where Xianyu Shuan’s family lived, then reflected on whether loyalty to the He-prefix gangs was worth betraying his old friends. He remained uncertain about his place in the jianghu but came to understand why Xianyu Shuan and Scribe Hui had wanted to leave it.

• Handkerchief Qing asked Chen Tai to identify the home of Xianyu Shuan’s wife and daughter so the gang could pressure Scribe Hui, but Chen Tai refused.
• Handkerchief Qing kicked his disrespectful lackey out of the factory and accepted Chen Tai’s decision to stay out of the affair.
• Handkerchief Qing reminded Chen Tai to consider whether he stood with the He-prefix gangs or outsiders, then left.
• Chen Tai thought about his loyalty to Bo Cong and his memories of working with Xianyu Shuan and Scribe Hui for Song Tianyao.
• Chen Tai concluded that Xianyu Shuan and Scribe Hui had been wise to seek respectable lives beyond the jianghu.

Chen Tai went to protect Sister Fen and Xiu'er from the gangs, but Lui Lok and armed men surrounded him outside their grocery store. Chu Xiaozhong told Chu Yaozong about the gang upheaval and the bounty on Song Tianyao, leaving the Chu Family to decide how to respond after Brother Ten's death.

• Chen Tai left the factory to defend Sister Fen and Xiu'er, while Handkerchief Qing followed him with other men.
• Chen Tai found Sister Fen's grocery store shuttered and heard an unfamiliar man inside deny knowing her or Nine-Tattooed Dragon.
• Armed men closed in on Chen Tai as Lui Lok offered him a chance to get into his car and talk.
• Chen Tai pushed back his hood and asked who would come forward to give him a light.
• Chu Xiaozhong told Chu Yaozong that Song Tianyao had taken gang bosses to a military camp, where several prominent men were shot dead.
• Chu Xiaozhong reported Xu Enbo's apparent kidnapping and a ten-million-dollar bounty on Song Tianyao, as Chao Yong Yi's people asked what the Chu Family would do after Brother Ten's death.

Chu Yaozong realized that someone was targeting Song Tianyao and anticipated his attempt to implicate the Chu Family. When Jiang Yongen arrived with gifts from Song Tianyao, Chu Yaozong instructed Chu Xiaozhong to publicly add to the bounty on him.

• Chu Yaozong told Chu Xiaozhong that someone had forced Song Tianyao into a dangerous conflict.
• Jiang Yongen arrived at the Chu Family home with British specialties from Song Tianyao.
• Chu Xiaozhong feared Jiang Yongen's visit would make the other families believe the Chu Family backed Song Tianyao.
• Chu Yaozong told Chu Xiaozhong to receive Jiang Yongen politely and then add two million dollars to the bounty on Song Tianyao.
• Chu Yaozong went to bed and left Chu Xiaozhong to handle the visit.
• Lu Peiying reproached another woman for waiting until then to tell her she was getting engaged.

Tiffany told Lu Peiying that her family had arranged her engagement to Song Tianyao, whom she had met under the name Scribe Hui. Lu Peiying praised Song Tianyao and described how much the people around her admired him, but Tiffany said she already knew what he had done to earn their praise.

• Tiffany admitted that she had not met the man she was engaged to marry and questioned how her family could arrange the match without her meeting him.
• Tiffany showed Lu Peiying a photograph from Oxfam’s founding and identified the man circled in red as the person she had met using the name Scribe Hui.
• Lu Peiying recognized him as Song Tianyao and explained that he was Oxfam’s treasurer and her neighbor.
• Lu Peiying recounted how her father, Chu Xiaoxin, and others praised Song Tianyao’s intelligence, loyalty, and steady judgment.
• Tiffany said she already knew what Song Tianyao had done to earn those people’s praise.

Song Tianyao reassured Qi Weiwen that Mr. He had not forced him into the dangerous situation, but refused to explain his plans before the night was over. As he waited at the Harp Restaurant for someone, Chen Tai fought off attackers in the rain while Lui Lok watched.

• Qi Weiwen warned Song Tianyao that his new entanglement was more dangerous than the jianghu and asked how he would survive the night.
• Song Tianyao said Mr. He could not have forced him and promised to explain his changed behavior another time.
• Lu Yuanchun told Qi Weiwen that Song Tianyao would adapt to events as they unfolded, but Song denied that either woman understood his situation.
• Song Tianyao said Qi Weiwen and Lu Yuanchun had to leave with him because he was waiting for someone and had one hour until the restaurant closed.
• Chen Tai disarmed one attacker and cut down another as he fought a group of men in the rain.
• Lui Lok watched Chen Tai fight and asked Handkerchief Qing whether his men had been going hungry.

Sheng Zhaozhong, a sidelined Kuomintang officer assigned to protect Tan Jingwei in Hong Kong, waited in his car and reflected on his stalled career. A radio report said the men from Hanging Neck Ridge had completed their job, obtained a bolt, and learned the target’s whereabouts on Peng Chau Island.

• Sheng Zhaozhong waited in a black Ford on Watson Road and watched the stormy bay.
• Sheng Zhaozhong recalled his Whampoa and Blue Shirts Society service and how internal rivalries had left him isolated and removed from active duty.
• Sheng Zhaozhong recounted how Teng Jie eventually arranged for him to protect Tan Jingwei and oversee relief work in Hong Kong.
• Sheng Zhaozhong complained that his new assignment felt like running errands, then drank from a concealed flask.
• A voice on the radio told Sheng Zhaozhong that the men from Hanging Neck Ridge had finished the job and returned with a bolt and the target’s whereabouts.

Sheng Zhaozhong negotiated with Han Chongshan to retrieve the hidden goods and drove toward the Shau Kei Wan warehouse, while Chu Xiaoxin headed to the Harp Restaurant despite warnings that Song Tianyao was in danger. The chapter left Chu Xiaoxin unconvinced that Song Tianyao had recklessly sided with the Shanghai people.

• Sheng Zhaozhong insisted that Han Chongshan lead his men to the goods before receiving payment, and ordered his own men to guard the search with explosives.
• Huang Liu introduced himself to Sheng Zhaozhong, and Gui Xiu Wen identified the Dafa Fish Market warehouse on Old Cantonese Street in Shau Kei Wan as the hiding place.
• Huang Liu told Sheng Zhaozhong that his men had tortured Lengzai’s family to make him reveal the warehouse’s location.
• Sheng Zhaozhong drove toward Shau Kei Wan, saying the operation was meant to force Song Tianyao into a difficult position.
• Yan Hung warned Chu Xiaoxin that the Harp Restaurant might be dangerous, but Chu Xiaoxin continued there to question Song Tianyao.
• Chu Xiaoxin dismissed the idea that Song Tianyao had foolishly helped the Shanghai people, while A Wai said he had sent armed men ahead.

Chu Xiaoxin dismissed rumors about Yu Shiting wanting A-Yao as a son-in-law, while Huang Liu and Sheng Zhaozhong discovered that their warehouse meeting was a setup and fought in a rain-soaked car. They killed their companions, then ended with empty guns pressed to each other’s foreheads.

• Chu Xiaoxin snapped at Yan Hung for repeating the rumor about Yu Shiting and A-Yao.
• Sheng Zhaozhong and Huang Liu arrived near the Fish Market Warehouse and realized neither side had brought the real goods or their main forces.
• Huang Liu and Sheng Zhaozhong admitted that Huang Liu had impersonated Han Chongshan and that Song Tianyao had arranged the deception.
• Huang Liu and Sheng Zhaozhong seized guns from their companions and exchanged fire inside the car.
• Huang Liu accidentally shot Gui Xiu Wen, and Sheng Zhaozhong’s subordinate was killed in the struggle.
• Huang Liu and Sheng Zhaozhong pressed their guns to each other’s foreheads and pulled the triggers, but both weapons clicked empty.

Sheng Zhaozhong and Huang Liu fought in the rain before calling off their clash, while Song Tianyao waited at the Harp Restaurant for news. After Huang Liu reported that the bait had failed and Song Tianyao’s family had reached Macau, Song refused Chu’s request to speak with him.

• Sheng Zhaozhong and Huang Liu fought their way out of a car, then agreed to stop without either man dying.
• Sheng Zhaozhong drove off with two corpses, and Huang Liu asked Zhao Wenye to take him to the Harp Restaurant.
• Song Tianyao warned Zheng Yutong to stay at the Cloud Palace Hotel because trouble might break out outside.
• Huang Liu called Song Tianyao and reported that the enemy had not taken the bait and that Song Tianyao’s family had reached Macau.
• A Wai told Lam Kong that Mr. Chu was waiting downstairs, but Song Tianyao refused to speak with him.

Chen Tai faced Handkerchief Qing in the rain to protect the people in the shop, despite being wounded and urged to leave. He charged into Handkerchief Qing’s whip attack, and blood spread across the flooded road.

• Handkerchief Qing offered Chen Tai a chance to leave, warning that he could not protect the people in the shop and that more gangsters would come.
• Chen Tai refused to back down and raised his long blade to fight Handkerchief Qing.
• Chen Tai muttered that he would return to the countryside after the fight, then charged at Handkerchief Qing.
• Handkerchief Qing struck the ground with his nine-section whip, sending water into Chen Tai’s face, but Chen Tai kept advancing.
• Handkerchief Qing’s whip struck flesh, and dark red streaks spread through the rainwater.

Chen Tai realized too late that Song Tianyao had protected the people from their past, while he fought Handkerchief Qing in a desperate, potentially fatal battle. Outside the Cloud Palace Hotel, underworld elders and their followers waited tensely for events to unfold.

• Chen Tai blamed himself for joining the gang and recognized that Song Tianyao had already moved Sister A-Fen and the others somewhere safe.
• Chen Tai and Handkerchief Qing exchanged grave wounds as Chen fought without regard for his own life.
• Lui Lok watched the fight and reached for his gun, realizing he might have to intervene.
• Underworld factions gathered in the rain along Queen's Road, watching the Cloud Palace Hotel.
• Senior Big Brothers reassured their followers that the restaurant would close after midnight and would not make an exception for Song Tianyao.

As rival gangs surrounded the Cloud Palace Hotel to capture or kill Song Tianyao, Chu Xiaoxin arrived and invited him to get a late-night meal. Lam Kong watched their reunion with relief, believing Chu Xiaoxin’s status could protect Song Tianyao from the gangsters.

• Gang elders ordered their men to block Queen's Road and capture or kill Song Tianyao, even if Lam Kong and the police opened fire.
• A black Rolls-Royce stopped outside the Cloud Palace Hotel, but Song Tianyao came out with Qi Weiwen and Lu Yuanchun and saw it was Chu Xiaoxin's car.
• Song Tianyao joked with Chu Xiaoxin about returning early from their plan to pretend to be Black Jockeys, then Chu Xiaoxin invited him to a late-night meal.
• Lam Kong watched Song Tianyao and Chu Xiaoxin's exchange in the rain and worried that Song Tianyao's choices had put him in danger.
• A Chevrolet Corvair arrived and flashed its headlights, while Lam Kong's men turned their attention toward it.
• Lam Kong felt relieved that Chu Xiaoxin had invited Song Tianyao into his car, since he believed the gangs would not dare attack Chu Xiaoxin directly.

Chu Xiaoxin confronted Song Tianyao over whether he would help the Shanghai people fight the Hong Kong people, and Song Tianyao confirmed it. Chu Xiaoxin cut ties with him and left, while Song Tianyao remained with the others.

• Chu Xiaoxin invited Song Tianyao into his car and said he trusted him and would support him, but Song Tianyao mocked him and refused to explain.
• Chu Xiaoxin dismissed Yan Hung when he tried to defend him and asked Song Tianyao whether he would help the Shanghai people fight the Hong Kong people.
• Song Tianyao answered yes, prompting Qi Weiwen to move away from him and Lam Kong to fear the consequences.
• Chu Xiaoxin knocked away A Wai's umbrella, faced Song Tianyao in the rain, and declared that they were no longer brothers or friends.
• Song Tianyao said nothing as Chu Xiaoxin walked away, then asked Lu Yuanchun whether he would curse him too.

Song Tianyao left with Tan Jingwei while Chu Xiaoxin ordered Yan Hung to protect him from the gangs. Yan Hung’s message left the underworld leaders unwilling to attack, and news arrived that Handkerchief Qing had killed Silly Tai but suffered a crippled leg.

• Song Tianyao left with Tan Jingwei after Chu Xiaoxin departed and told Yan Hung to protect him.
• Tan Jingwei asked whether Yan Hung would help Song Tianyao, and Song Tianyao said he trusted his boss and turned to discussing money.
• Yan Hung told the underworld leaders that Chu Xiaoxin had forbidden anyone from attacking Song Tianyao.
• The leaders hesitated to attack because Chu Xiaoxin’s Justice of the Peace status gave his threat weight, leaving the gangs at a stalemate.
• A messenger reported that Xianyu Shuan’s wife and daughter and Nine-Tattooed Dragon were missing, and Handkerchief Qing had killed Silly Tai but lost the use of his right leg.

After Song Tianyao escaped the jianghu crowd, the elders backed down and blamed their retreat on deference to Young Master Shun and the local merchants. Lam Kong publicly chose Song Tianyao’s side and prepared to escort Lu Yuanchun and Qi Weiwen, but Huang Liu arrived in a hurry.

• Uncle Wai and the other elders called off their attack, claiming they would wait for the local chambers of commerce to move against Song Tianyao.
• Yan Hung thanked the elders, and the jianghu men dispersed as Song Tianyao’s Chevrolet drove away.
• Lam Kong and Yan Hung declared their opposing loyalties before their subordinates and parted ways.
• Lam Kong told Lu Yuanchun and Qi Weiwen that he had sent men to follow Song Tianyao’s car and offered to take the women home.
• A black car rushed up, and Huang Liu jumped out before it had fully stopped.

Song Tianyao rode with Tan Jingwei through the rainy night, turning their dangerous alliance into a candid argument about business, money, and Hong Kong’s rules. He left Tan with a warning that money could overcome every other power, while their rivalry remained unresolved.

• Huang Liu learned Song Tianyao had left in Tan Jingwei’s car and told Lam Kong to take the two women to the Peninsula Hotel or arrange their trip to Macau.
• Tan Jingwei drove recklessly as Song Tianyao calmly offered him a cigarette and joked about risking his life for money.
• Song Tianyao and Tan Jingwei traded accusations over Tan’s use of Song’s people and his attempt to smear Song, then agreed they were even for the moment.
• Tan Jingwei asked why Song was risking his life and warned that word of his collusion with Shanghai could cost him his standing.
• Song Tianyao said Hong Kong’s decisive rule was British supremacy and argued that money could make triads, police, and foreigners obey him.

Song Tianyao refused Tan Jingwei’s offer to abandon his current deal, then returned to Jing Garden at Yu Shiting’s summons. Yu used his injury and their tangled ties to challenge Song to prove himself over a chess game that would last through the night.

• Tan Jingwei offered Song Tianyao a profitable deal, but Song refused to break his existing commitment and got out of the car when it stopped in the dark.
• Uncle Shui arrived to escort Song Tianyao back to Jing Garden, where Yu Shiting waited in the Waterside Pavilion Hall with a chessboard.
• Yu Shiting argued that his bandaged injury would earn him honor among the Shanghai people and warned that Song’s next moves would determine whether the incident remained a family matter.
• Yu Shiting invited Song Tianyao to play chess, insisting that he compete on the chaotic board rather than reset it.
• Song Tianyao accepted the challenge, and Yu Shiting told Uncle Shui to bring them tea for their game through the night.