Chapter 694: Clash Between Master and Disciple
Zhao Weixiang was a meticulous man. No matter the opponent, he always secured an escape route first.
He picked up his phone and dialed a number he hadn’t contacted in ages.
The phone rang seven or eight times before a raspy male voice answered.
“Who is this?”
“Master, it’s me,” Zhao Weixiang said.
The line fell silent for a few seconds, followed by a sigh.
“A-Xiang… I thought you were dead already. The fact that you’re still alive is truly regrettable.”
“Thanks to you, I’m alive and doing quite well. Master, I need to see Mr. Jiang.”
The raspy voice on the other end laughed, laced with sarcasm.
“A-Xiang, have you been over there so long you’ve forgotten who you are? You think you can just see Mr. Jiang whenever you want?”
“After everything you’ve done—using Mr. Jiang’s name and channels—it’s a miracle he hasn’t come after you. Don’t push your luck.”
“This isn’t about the channels. I have something I want to hand to Mr. Jiang personally.”
“What is it?”
“Eleven years ago, a police officer surnamed Gao…”
Zhao Weixiang only said half, confident the other party would understand.
The phone went noticeably silent.
A few seconds later, the voice returned, colder than before.
“A-Xiang, you can’t just say anything that comes to mind. That case is long closed. The killer died in a car accident.”
Zhao Weixiang chuckled. “Is that so? Because I heard someone else was behind Captain Gao’s stabbing. I even heard, with my own ears, that Mr. Jiang ordered it.”
The other side erupted in fury immediately.
“Bullshit!”
“Zhao Weixiang, I’m warning you—don’t go looking for death!”
“Master, I’ve already fled to the States. Do I still fear death?”
“Oh right, I almost forgot to mention—I was one of the witnesses that night. So don’t think what I have is fake.”
“My demands aren’t much. I just want Mr. Jiang to give me a sum of money and arrange safe passage out of the States to a country without extradition. In exchange, I’ll hand over everything I have.”
Heavy breathing came from the other end, as if suppressing rage.
After a long while, the raspy voice spoke again.
“A-Xiang, I trained you myself. I know you. You’ve made backups, right?”
“You’ve misjudged me, Master. I’m actually quite trustworthy. I’m not like you—you even sent your own brother, who took the fall for you, to sleep with the fishes.”
“I’ve got photos, a list of everyone involved, financial transaction records… enough to put Mr. Jiang away for life—maybe even earn him a self-funded execution.”
“Where did you get all this stuff?”
“Collected it bit by bit over the years, of course.”
“Ever since I saw what happened to Captain Gao that night, and later when my boss Skinny Ge and the others all kicked the bucket in accidents, I knew this wasn’t simple. I was lucky I was just a newbie back then, didn’t make Mr. Jiang’s list. Otherwise, I’d probably be ‘accidentally’ dead too, right?”
“But this gave me a heads-up, so I did some private digging. And wouldn’t you know it, I found quite a few things. I actually thought about giving what I found to you in exchange for working for Mr. Jiang. Unfortunately… so yeah, I was lucky I didn’t hand it over.”
“Master, I know you’re just a messenger. Pass this along to Mr. Jiang: Liu Yutong has arrived in Los Angeles. She’s Liu Lei’s daughter, and the biological sister of Gao Min—Captain Gao’s adopted daughter. She’s come to the States to capture me and dig out whoever’s behind Captain Gao’s murder.”
“They’ll never find anything.”
“Master, you’re still too absolute in your statements.”
“If Liu Yutong keeps pulling that thread, sooner or later it’ll lead to Mr. Jiang. Or… simpler yet, what if I just hand everything directly to her?”
The phone remained silent for a full minute before the voice returned.
“What’s your proposed trade?”
“Three days from now, Los Angeles Port, Pier Seven, ten PM.”
“I want to see Mr. Jiang in person. As soon as I see him, I’ll hand everything over and board a ship out.”
“And if Mr. Jiang doesn’t agree?”
“Then I’ll have no choice but to give everything to Liu Yutong. If I’m going down anyway, might as well take someone with me.”
“By the way, Master, let me remind you: I’ve dealt with Liu Yutong. She’s far more capable than I ever was. And certainly… more than you ever were.”
“I understand. I’ll pass it along.”
“Thank you, Master.”
Zhao Weixiang hung up and tossed the phone onto the table before him, sinking back into thought.
This call was his final escape route.
If he couldn’t eliminate that woman Liu Yutong in Los Angeles, he’d have to use this trade to secure a new identity and fly far away, start over where no one knew him.
Of course, if Master failed to convince Mr. Jiang.
Then the Snakehead Gang’s cannery would become their battleground.
Either she dies.
Or he perishes.
There was no third option.
………..
On the other end of the line, the man Zhao Weixiang called Master was actually named Wu Kun.
He currently sat in a luxury office in Harbor City overlooking Victoria Harbor, his face ashen with anger.
Zhao Weixiang was his own protégé from back in Pearl City—sharp, ruthless, and patient, the finest among his many disciples.
Later, as Pearl City’s landscape shifted and Yilian Society rose to power, Mr. Jiang behind him needed to adjust his strategy. Zhao Weixiang, that ambitious and increasingly disobedient hidden piece, had outlived his usefulness.
Useless pieces should be disposed of.
What he hadn’t expected was the boy’s sharp instincts—he’d run ahead of time, leaving the men Wu Kun sent to clean up empty-handed.
Later, Mr. Jiang’s business grew, and he focused his development in Harbor City. He chose Harbor City because regulations weren’t as strict as the mainland. If trouble arose, he could escape through special channels—much more convenient than staying inland.
As for the old people and old matters of Pearl City, they gradually faded from memory.
Who would have thought Zhao Weixiang would return to Pearl City, build his own faction, and thrive…
If he hadn’t encountered that freakishly talented Liu Yutong, he might have become a top legend in Pearl City, ruling his own territory.
After falling behind in their struggle, he was as cautious as ever and ran ahead of time again.
What infuriated Wu Kun more was Zhao Weixiang’s audacity—fleeing abroad and daring to use Mr. Jiang’s name to partner with the Snakehead Gang, conducting illegal business on the sly.
He only found out later.
The guy’s got balls of steel!
Most critically, this rebellious disciple had kept a hidden ace—using that eleven-year-old case to blackmail both him and Mr. Jiang.
Wu Kun and Mr. Jiang were deeply bound together. He wasn’t some ordinary fixer—he was a proxy for the big boss.
Their fates were truly intertwined—rise together, fall together.
Wu Kun took a deep breath, quelling his rage, and began recalling the case from back then.
Captain Gao’s incident was indeed one of the very few, and most severe, stains on Mr. Jiang’s rise to power.
Everyone directly involved had been dealt with afterward, and the relevant case files sealed long ago.
Zhao Weixiang had been nothing but a small-time newcomer then—how could he have evidence?
But Wu Kun couldn’t take that gamble.
Especially with this disciple he’d trained himself, the most cunning one. He couldn’t gamble that the other man’s hands were empty.
Better to believe they held something.
After much consideration, Wu Kun finally made a decision: he would not report Zhao Weixiang’s matter to Mr. Jiang for now.
The reasons were simple—and urgent.
Mr. Jiang was currently in the mainland, presenting himself as a patriotic Hong Kong businessman on an inspection tour, preparing to invest in a large chain of private hospitals.
Many have played this game before—accumulating capital through illegal means early on, transferring it to Harbor City or overseas through certain channels, changing identities, then returning to the mainland as honored investors. Not only does it launder the money, but it also earns you VIP treatment and connections with officials. Truly a win-win.
The project negotiations were at a critical stage. Mr. Jiang needed to maintain a spotless image.
Reporting an old case that might implicate Mr. Jiang now would be like stepping on a landmine.
He knew Mr. Jiang’s temper all too well.
“Wait until the hospital project is secured, then find an opportunity.”
Wu Kun muttered to himself, “As for that rebellious disciple Zhao Weixiang, I’ll handle him myself!”