Crimson Light

As long as they didn't cross the line, the senior and junior brothers could still get along. It wouldn't come to them fighting to the death.

Mr. Lu Bolin had gotten the information he wanted, so he didn't linger. He turned and quietly slipped away.

From the corner of his eye, Mr. Ye Hai glanced toward the spot outside the door where Lu Bolin had been, then settled his gaze on Xu Yi.

"Jing Hesheng has been bedridden for years. He's long since been unable to shoulder the burden.

Jing Tao is just a young woman. Running such a large Lingtong Hall must be more than she can manage alone.

We've already helped her get the factory. If we only maintain security and ignore the difficulties she faces running the place, that would be unjust.

If we let a young woman get bullied by others on our own turf, that would be unkind.

The poor girl has a hard enough time as it is. Xu Yi, help her out more and get to know her better.

I'll recommend a few people to you later. They've worked as accountants and company directors' assistants, and they're skilled at running businesses.

Recommend them for jobs at Lingtong Hall. They can help Jing Tao and ease the pressure of running the company.

Jing Tao owes you a great favor, so she certainly won't turn you down. She'll let them start work without a hitch.

That way, we'll have shown Lingtong Hall the full measure of our benevolence and righteousness, and brought honor to the Green Gang. If word of this gets out, it'll make our Golden Orchid Nunnery look good!"

As soon as he heard this, Xu Yi realized that Mr. Ye Hai wasn't trying to help. He wanted to plant his own people in Lingtong Hall.

Jing Tao was still underage, after all, and had no experience running a company. If the old foxes Mr. Ye Hai recommended got into Lingtong Hall, it probably wouldn't take long for them to strip Jing Tao of her authority.

Knowing what was really going on, Xu Yi didn't immediately respond to his master. Instead, he let his gaze fall on the Elephant God Cup beside the tea table.

Mr. Ye Hai saw the greed in his eyes and grinned.

Not bad, kid. You've even learned the tricks of getting along with people.

Mr. Ye Hai didn't think greed was a bad thing.

The ability to be greedy was a sign of ambition.

And ambition was what gave people the drive to get things done!

He felt a little more admiration for Xu Yi.

Getting along with people was all about give and take, exchanging resources so the relationship could last.

This time, Xu Yi had not only survived but also settled things with Lingtong Hall. He'd earned the right to exchange favors.

Mr. Ye Hai smiled.

"This is what your eldest senior brother brought back from the Ganges. He spent a great deal of money having it specially made. It's called the Elephant God Cup, and it's worth a fortune.

"If you like it, take it."

He'd even emphasized twice in a single sentence that the thing was expensive.

What Mr. Ye Hai really meant was:

You did a good job this time. I'd been planning to reward you with money.

But since you've spoken up, you can have this 'valuable' cup as your reward.

The implication was too subtle for Xu Yi to catch clearly, but he could make out some of it.

To Xu Yi, Spirit Remains were worth far more than money.

So he looked a little embarrassed.

"Is it valuable? ... I couldn't possibly accept it."

As he spoke, he picked up the Elephant God Cup, his fingers unconsciously rubbing across its surface.

The moment he touched it, his fingertips tingled, as though he were stroking someone's skin... At the same time, the spicy fragrance he'd noticed earlier grew stronger, and he could make out the faint trace of blood in it more clearly.

The sensation made Xu Yi even more certain of his guess.

This had to be a Spirit Remains with powerful spirituality!

Mr. Ye Hai had nothing else to tell him. He only said that Xu Yi should come back often in the coming days, since the people he recommended needed to start work at Lingtong Hall as soon as possible.

Xu Yi simply agreed, looking as though he didn't have even a millimeter of rebelliousness in him.

After taking his leave of Mr. Ye Hai, Xu Yi carried the Elephant God Cup out of the Golden Orchid Nunnery. He went to the bank of the Green Shore River, leaned against the railing, and pressed Ye Miao's sachet to his nose.

The fragrance awakened his spirituality, and a black-and-white world unfolded before him.

He looked again at the Elephant God Cup in his sleeve and clearly saw a layer of crimson bloodlight wrapped around it, exactly like the light on Lu Bolin.

At the same time, the spicy curry-like scent of blood grew stronger.

"This fragrance is unusual. It's nothing like the others I've encountered."

Most of the fragrances Xu Yi had come across before had a distinctive sense of "beauty" about them.

Even the fragrance on Ji Xiao, the fox demon, had only been pungent, and even that pungency had held a hint of stimulation.

But the spicy fragrance on the Elephant God Cup in his hand made Xu Yi's hair stand on end.

Fear—this was the scent Xu Yi detected from the Elephant God Cup.

Xu Yi didn't try to activate it by any means.

He had no idea what kind of spirituality these Spirit Remains possessed. If something went seriously wrong, he wouldn't be able to handle it.

"The Spirit Husk Fox Incense is used by lighting it.

"To use this Elephant God Cup, am I supposed to pour water or alcohol into it?"

Xu Yi couldn't be sure.

An idea came to him.

He found a secluded, shaded spot, took out the Shadow Wood Incense Burner, and lit it with a match.

As the Shadow Wood Incense Burner refined spirituality into divinity, Xu Yi focused his attention on the Elephant God Cup.

His Sniffer divinity activated, and a pale red tassel-like thread appeared on the Elephant God Cup, stretching into the air in the distance.

Xu Yi followed the pale red thread.

He passed through the 38th Shop District, left the banks of the Green Shore River, and crossed several bustling downtown areas. Heading south, he arrived an hour later at Songding Gate Street in the Twenty-Third Shop District.

The pale red thread finally disappeared inside an imposing Western-style building.

Xu Yi stood outside and looked up. Dotted neon tubes outlined five large characters across the building, where people came and went—

Neon Grand Ballroom.

"Neon Grand Ballroom? Isn't this where Ji Xiao used to work?"

Xu Yi had never been there, but he'd heard of the place. The Neon Grand Ballroom was some distance from the foreign concession, and most of its customers came from the Chinese Settlement. It was a mid-range establishment, offering not only the usual nighttime entertainment found in dance halls but also three meals a day—

It served as both a restaurant and a hotel.

Xu Yi glanced at his watch. It was ten twenty in the morning.

People from all walks of life streamed in and out of the Neon Grand Ballroom. There were even Foreign Devils and Japanese among them.

Though it was crowded and full of prying eyes, Xu Yi was unknown in the underworld, so he wasn't worried about anyone recognizing his true identity.

And so Xu Yi followed the crowd into the Neon Grand Ballroom. He tracked the pale red thread around the dance floor, took the elevator up to the third floor, and finally stopped at a corner in the hallway.

Lu Bolin's angry voice came from around the corner.

"Xiao Lianxin was one of your star dancers! And you expect me to believe she went straight? Who are you trying to fool?"

A middle-aged man answered in a fawning, aggrieved voice.

"Please calm down, Master Lu!"

At the Golden Orchid Nunnery, Lu Bolin was the approachable "eldest senior brother," his master's "dear Bolin," the harmless "good guy."

But outside, anyone in the underworld whose standing was below his had to call him "Master Lu"!

Not only because his fearsome reputation had been forged with his fists back when he'd run with the underworld, but also because the Lu family had deep gang ties. He was someone ordinary people couldn't afford to offend.