Chapter 62 Red Dragon

  Situ Xinyi had no taboos in this regard, and he spoke bluntly: "As people get older, they become muddled in their affairs, so it's best to step down and yield to others. I've been harboring a grudge for twenty-eight years, so I personally took care of a shocking case. To avoid implicating the mountain gate, I stepped down and yielded, coming here to live in seclusion. As for 'imperial decree', it's just an honorific term used within our mountain gate to refer to the former dragon head, and doesn't represent any rights or privileges."

  Ye Haodong looked at the dragon-headed red stick in his hand and asked: "What does this stick represent? Why do you want to pass it on to me?"

  Situ Xinyi hesitated for a moment before suddenly asking Ye Haodong, "You were forced to leave the mainland of your motherland. Do you hate the Huaxia Republic?"

  "Go ahead and ask me directly, don't play this old trick of testing my character. I can lie to you and you won't even notice, so your question is pointless."

  Situ Xinyi thought for a moment, looking at Ye Haodong's lazy and playful expression, this question was a bit too vague and the intention was too obvious. He asked again: "Why did you intervene in the Su family's affairs?"

  "Resources! The strategic resources that our country urgently needs now and in the future, mastering it can not only pave the way for my safe return to China in the future, but also prevent others from using this as a chokehold on our country's development."

  Situ Xinyi nodded, acknowledging the reliability of Ye Haodong's answer. He asked again: "One day you have in your hands the power to turn any country upside down, what would you do?"

  Ye Haodong seemed to have grasped such strength, with a confident and almost self-loving gaze in his eyes. He was somewhat complacent: "Revenge for grievances, revenge for injustices, the true nature of men is to be unscrupulous, uphold justice in the world, show off one's prowess in the capital, dominate the small and weak within the universe, anyway, live life as you please!"

  Situ Xinyi shook his head: "Xiao Ma Kun, you're wrong!"

  Ye Haodong was indignant: "With such power, must I still be a turtle with its head shrunk in? What did I do wrong?"

  Xī Shì Xìn Yì smiled: "Your previous phrase 'chivalrous and heroic' and the one after that 'Pān Lǘ Deng Xiàn' are not wrong, but the middle phrase 'displaying mighty name in the capital' is a big mistake. No matter how powerful you are, you can't surpass the government's authority, unless you can usurp power, unfortunately this is an era where you don't have that opportunity, so this sentence of yours is wrong."

  Ye Haodong thought for a moment and felt that Situ Xinyi's words were reasonable, so he humbly asked: "What do you mean by 'how to deal with him'? Didn't Du Yuesheng rise to fame in Shanghai and gain international recognition back then? In the end, no one could do anything about it."

  "Remember, Xiao Ma, you are not Du Yuesheng, and the Communist Party is not the Nationalist Party. This is a different time and place. I have a few words for you: if you can understand them, we'll continue talking; if you don't, then once you leave this place, forget everything that happened here, and let's pretend we never met."

  Ye Haodong nodded, no longer as casual as before, and respectfully clasped his fists: "I'd like to hear more about it."

  "Want to become or surpass Du Yuesheng as a big shot, you have to remember one basic principle: in chaotic times, fame is gained, but in prosperous times, it's hidden. People like Du Yuesheng lived through chaotic times when the underworld was full of people with ulterior motives, gangsters, bandits, assassins, and thugs. At that time, his rise to fame not only didn't attract envy, but also attracted followers from all sides, making him a sought-after figure by various forces. He's an example of success in our line of work. In chaotic times, opportunities are plentiful, and one can either live a peaceful life or soar to great heights when the winds of change come. Zhang Zuolin is another example of someone who rose to power by seizing opportunities in chaotic times. However, you're different from them - you were born in a time of peace and prosperity. If you follow their path and seek fame at all costs, disregarding the law and doing as you please, the only outcome will be death. Little Ma, with your intelligence, this shouldn't be hard to understand, right?"

  Ye Haodong nodded, "You're right, what should I do?"

  Situ Xinyi smiled and said, "This finally has a bit of the flavor of 'talking about heroes over wine', but unfortunately you now at most have just a heroic embryo, while I am just an old phoenix who is not as good as a chicken." He took another sip of tea to moisten his throat, then continued, "Xiao Ma Feng, if one day you grasp this kind of power, if it were me, I would choose four words as the foundation for establishing myself. One word 'hidden', hiding in plain sight; one word 'cruel', cruel enough to make people dare not act rashly; one word 'kind', kindness that can gain the help of heaven; and one word 'foolish', foolishness that can make your opponents underestimate you, and also make the strong feel at ease with you."

  Ye Haodong bowed his head in deep thought for a long time, suddenly raised his head, with a radiant expression on his face, and smiled: "Thank you, senior, for pointing it out. Now you can tell me what that red dragon represents?"

  Situ Xinyi nodded: "The child can be taught, I also heard people say this when I was young, unfortunately, I didn't have your understanding at that time. As a result, I paid a painful price for my arrogance and willfulness. By the time I understood it in middle age, everything was too late. You and Yang Junhu are both ahead of me, one in understanding martial arts, the other in seeing through human nature. Knowing you two young whippersnappers is indeed the greatest misfortune of my old age, a lifetime of pride and discontent."

  "Yeh Hao Dong, pick up this stick and I'll tell you its origin."

  Ye Haodong saw that he was serious and didn't dare to be slow, so he bowed his head and took over the Panlong red stick with both hands.

  "My father's name was Sze-Toh Chuen-Chang, he was the Dragon Head of our Hongmen Mountain in my great-grandfather's generation. During the Anti-Japanese War period, he traveled extensively overseas to rally all Chinese people who cared about their homeland, donating money and effort to resist Japan together! He united various overseas Chinese organizations to launch a fundraising campaign for national salvation and personally brought donations and supplies to Shanghai to comfort the 19th Route Army.

  After the July 7 Incident in 1937, at an advanced age, he rushed between the United States, Canada, Cuba, Peru, Brazil, Panama, and other countries, promoting resistance against Japan and national salvation. After the end of the Anti-Japanese War, he dedicated the rest of his life to the great cause of China's resurgence.

  In 1955, after his passing, he left behind this staff and a last will: 'With my blood staining the Red Dragon, later generations must remember their identity as descendants of the Chinese dragon. With my blood staining the Red Dragon, later disciples must remember the dream of China's rise. With my blood staining the Red Dragon, anyone in Hongmen who violates this will be punished by the Red Dragon staff and have their blood stained red!' This staff has been passed down to later generations of patriotic scholars and national heroes to supervise the descendants of our Hongmen.

  Whoever holds this staff must not be an ordinary person from our mountain door; they must be a patriot with a strong sense of justice, wise and capable. Since my father left behind his last will and this staff, it has been almost fifty years, but this staff still hasn't found a suitable owner. It doesn't have much restrictive power, yet it bears the heavy responsibility of constraining the Dragon Heads of Hongmen throughout history.

  So in all these years, I haven't met anyone qualified and willing to take hold of it. Ye Ho-Dong, are you willing to take hold of it? Even if there's a possibility that because of this staff, you'll become the enemy of our current Hongmen?"

  Ye Haodong was shocked by the story of Sito Chun-ching and Hung Lung. Such a strong and patriotic man, how can one not admire him? He took a deep breath and asked in return: "Do you think I'm worthy?"

  Situ Xinyi nodded: "Your means and courage are all first-rate, what's more rare is that you don't complain about the country being unfair when faced with adversity, but instead focus on strengthening yourself and the country. This kind of sentiment and everything you've achieved now is enough!"

  Ye Haodong solemnly raised the red dragon above his head, "I, Ye Haodong, make a vow here, to remember Mr. Situ's teachings for life, if there are any traitors in the Hung Men who betray their ancestors and country, I will use this stick to punish them, if I violate this oath, may heaven and earth destroy me, and may ten thousand knives pierce my heart and kill me."

  Situ Xinyi's face was flushed with excitement, his lips trembling for half a day before he finally burst out laughing: "Good! Good! Good! What a bold and daring Ye Haodong! Xiao Ma Feng, you didn't really think that getting this stick wouldn't bring any benefits, did you?"