Lian Youming took the cigarette out of his mouth, put it back in the pack, and looked again at the two kneeling men, with no intention of continuing the attack. "And who might you two be?"
"We... we wouldn't dare claim any standing. We're just minor figures among the Nine Streams. Our family runs some businesses in the underworld."
The pale-faced man in front hurried to answer.
The five men earlier had only known the man before them as the "Taiji Demon," but he knew this was probably the man who had called that day, the mysterious figure of the Green Gang's "Tong" Generation Character.
Among the Three Teachings and Nine Streams, the Three Teachings stood above, and the Nine Streams below.
Lian Youming asked with interest, "People smuggling?"
The pale-faced man also wore a short-sleeved shirt and shorts. His short hair was yellowed, his face bore a few small moles, and he had round eyes, thick eyebrows, and a faint knife scar at his temple. "Over to Hong Kong."
Lian Youming's eyes shifted as he asked curiously, "Are you the one in charge?"
The man hurriedly said, "I'm fourth among my siblings. I handle the people smuggling and contraband around here."
Lian Youming asked in amusement, "Then why are there only two of you?"
The man's expression dimmed again. "The old man at home didn't dare offend you, and he didn't dare offend the Taiji Gate either, so he sent us two as scapegoats. If we died, that was our bad luck. If we survived, we were lucky."
Who could have imagined that simply answering that phone call would turn them into the family's castoffs?
Lian Youming sighed. "And even after things have come to this, you're still kneeling and begging for mercy? That's beneath you."
The pale-faced man