Acting Righteously!

"Mr. Xu, the sound of bells rings out every morning and evening along the banks of the Green Shore River. Have you ever heard them?"

Xu Yi nodded:

"I have indeed."

Golden Orchid Nunnery was on the other side of the Green Shore River, quite a distance from the British Concession, yet Xu Yi had indeed frequently heard the tolling of bells at dawn and dusk.

Old Zhang said:

"Those bells come from the clock tower of the Griffin Firm.

The office building of the Griffin Firm is five stories tall, built entirely in the English style.

The clock tower is constructed right on top; it is truly magnificent!"

Xu Yi said in a low voice:

"It is truly a... behemoth.

What is the situation with that Stevenson Griffin?"

Xu Yi handed over the newspaper he had bought earlier and added:

"I just saw this."

Old Zhang looked at the newspaper, and the smile on his face faded slightly:

"This man is very reclusive. There have always been rumors that he and his father are at odds, and their relationship is extremely strained.

The Griffin Firm is vast, and Alfred Griffin has many nephews and sons; he is not exactly short of this one.

But... no matter how rotten this man is, he still carries the Griffin surname.

If he does something outrageous, the reputation of the Griffin Firm will suffer, and their business will be affected as well."

Xu Yi was puzzled:

"Reputation can affect business? That sounds like a rather childish way to run a business."

Old Zhang said with great seriousness:

"Mr. Xu, you don't understand. The Griffin Firm is a publicly traded company in England!

If their reputation sours, shareholders will think the company is unreliable and poorly managed.

Once that happens, shareholders will likely turn bearish on the company and dump their stocks.

When the stock price plummets, what evaporates is real, hard money!"

Xu Yi did not quite understand this explanation.

Fortunately, he grasped the general fact: the Griffin Firm cared quite a bit about its reputation.

This seemed to be something he could use as leverage in his gamble.

"There is one more thing..."

Even though there was no one nearby, Old Zhang lowered his voice:

"This Stevenson Griffin is likely just like his old man—not a good sort."

Old Zhang muttered:

"But as for the specifics, I don't really know.

Don't pry into the affairs of foreigners; that is the ancestral teaching passed down by our founders."

Xu Yi cupped his hands toward Old Zhang and pressed a silver dollar into his palm, speaking with earnest sincerity:

"Brother, we are both in the same boat; let's lay our cards on the table, speak plainly, and keep it real—no double-crossing!"

This bit of underworld slang was troublesome to say, but its meaning was simple:

"We are both brothers of the Green Gang; let's speak plainly as honest men!"

It was Old Zhang's first transaction of the day, and there was no reason to turn away business that had come to his door.

He leaned closer to Xu Yi, his voice dropping even lower:

"Although I don't have direct evidence, I have heard rumors that this Stevenson Griffin is connected to many of the murders that have occurred in Puxi City over the past year.

Mr. Xu, you wouldn't know, but those foreigners are absolute perverts! Don't let their suits and polished appearances fool you; in private, they are worse than beasts!

The fact that he was burned and sent to the hospital is nothing but his just deserts!"

Xu Yi said in a deep voice:

"Such a monster should not be allowed to continue wreaking havoc on the world.

Mr. Zhang, can you find out which hospital he is in? Which ward? Let me strike while he is ill, finish him off, and rid the people of this scourge!"

Upon hearing this, Old Zhang was stunned for a moment.

When he saw the determination in Xu Yi's eyes, he was shocked:

"Mr. Xu! What are you thinking!"

Old Zhang looked at Xu Yi, assuming he was merely young and reckless, brainwashed by the chivalrous rhetoric of his elders, and unaware of how cruel the world truly was to say such things.

Do you think chivalry is something you can just decide to perform whenever you please?

Old Zhang had spent so long mingling within the Green Gang that he had grown accustomed to the hypocritical morality of its members; seeing such genuine sincerity in Xu Yi, he immediately felt a sense of affinity toward him.

When he was young, had he not possessed that same chivalrous heart?

He painstakingly tried to persuade Xu Yi:

"The British Concession is strictly guarded! Ordinary people don't even have the qualifications to enter, let alone brothers from our gangs.

Although the concession police aren't all foreigners, what difference does it make if they're our own kind?

They look at your clothes first, then your entry permit. If you don't have a permit, they'll draw their guns immediately!

We can't get in."

Xu Yi pondered this seriously:

"What if I use a disguise?"

Old Zhang replied:

"That, there is a way."

He held up five fingers:

"For people like us, to forge a permit to enter the British Concession, it costs this much."

Xu Yi asked:

"Five silver dollars?"

He still had nine silver dollars and some copper coins left, so he could afford that.

To his surprise, Old Zhang shook his head:

"It's 50 silver dollars!"

Xu Yi fell silent.

Old Zhang was a veteran of the Green Gang and could be trusted.

This meant that Old Zhang did not have the resources to help him sneak into the British Concession.

If even a well-informed "Bao Dating" like Old Zhang couldn't help him get into the concession, then it was unlikely anyone else could.

Xu Yi sighed softly:

"Then I shall let that monster live for a few more days."

Xu Yi bid farewell to Old Zhang and walked along the 38th Shop District toward the Golden Orchid Nunnery, contemplating how to deal with the impending, frantic retaliation from Stevenson Griffin.

At this very moment, at the end of the 38th Shop District, by the banks of the Green Shore River.

Golden Orchid Nunnery.

Mr. Ye Hai was dressed for the day, having risen early to practice his arts, buy the newspaper, and eat his morning vegetarian meal. He was sitting under the window of the tea hall, reading the paper as usual.

Around eight o'clock, following the sound of a Chevrolet engine cutting out, brisk and powerful footsteps echoed from outside the Golden Orchid Nunnery, and a call rang out from the shadow wall:

"Master! I have returned!"

The man appeared to be twenty-six or twenty-seven years old and quite tall. His bespoke dark blue flannel suit was impeccably tailored, the shoulder lines perfectly level and precise. His pair of English leather shoes were polished to a mirror shine, and the row of brass studs along the edges of the soles caught the sunlight, nearly blinding anyone who looked at them.

A smile appeared on Mr. Ye Hai's face as he walked out of the tea hall and arrived at the entrance of the incense hall.

Waiting for the man to reach the front of the incense hall, Mr. Ye Hai lit three sticks of incense and inserted them into the burner.

The man knelt on the prayer mat outside the incense hall, bowing once for every stick of incense Mr. Ye Hai placed.

As they paid their respects to the founding masters and Guan Sheng Di Jun, a wisp of spiritual essence drifted from the young man's forehead, unseen by either of them, and glided through the air into the mouth of the statue of Guan Sheng Di Jun.

After the three bows, Mr. Ye Hai smiled, his voice gentle and soft:

"Bolin, your journey this time must have been exhausting."

The young man spoke with fervor:

"For Master, for the gang, I have fulfilled my mission!"

This man was named Lu Bolin, the eldest of Mr. Ye Hai's seven disciples.

The incense hall was not the place for business, so Mr. Ye Hai led Lu Bolin to the tea hall.

Although Lu Bolin had been away for a long time, he was still familiar with the tea set. He boiled water, brewed tea, and served a cup to his master with both hands.

Mr. Ye Hai took the cup and sipped it lightly, while Lu Bolin's men moved the packaged jars, cans, and crates into the tea hall.

"During this trip to England, I encountered many rare curiosities. I thought Master might be interested, so I bought some back to honor you!"

Lu Bolin described the stories behind each item, embellishing them with such flair that he turned mundane purchases into fascinating tales, drawing hearty laughter from Mr. Ye Hai.