Chapter 31: The Reconciliation Feast

I smiled at Fatty Dong.

"Seeing you slowly start to act sensibly brings me great comfort."

We went to a video arcade, winding through the aisles until we found a tattooed hoodlum. The guy was wrapped in a smelly blanket, holding a woman with dyed yellow hair. Fatty Dong grabbed him by the ear and dragged him outside. The hoodlum grimaced in pain.

"Master Dong, Master Dong, what did I do to offend you this time? Please, have a little mercy in front of my lady..."

Fatty Dong glared at him with his bull-like eyes.

"Does the Daoist's word still carry weight, or not?"

The hoodlum put on a pathetic face.

"What are you saying, sir? Isn't your humble servant A-Fa just a dog at your side?"

Hearing this, Fatty Dong patted his face a few times and shoved a cigarette into his mouth.

"Damn it! You've got a very clear sense of your position now. Listen carefully!"

Fatty Dong laid out the plan in a few sentences, pulled out a stack of cash, and handed it to A-Fa.

"Handle it properly, you hear?"

A-Fa stuffed the money into his pocket, his face full of confusion.

"Master Dong, are you giving up ghost-busting to start running protection rackets?"

"That’s not right of you, sir! If you're going to stir up trouble, you should have called me! A-Fa has the skills; I'm qualified enough to be your enforcer..."

Fatty Dong interrupted him immediately.

"Cut the crap and get to work! And tell me, you little brat, you won't betray me, will you?"

A-Fa walked away with the cigarette dangling from his lips.

"Don't you worry, sir. In this business, loyalty is everything to me!"

I turned to Fatty Dong and asked, "Is this kid reliable?"

Fatty Dong explained, "Last time, he was collecting protection money in the village below the temple, and I caught him and gave him a sound beating. He wasn't satisfied, so he brought his crew to the temple for revenge. I summoned a few ghosts, and they were so terrified they lost control of their bowels. Ever since, they’ve been shaking in their boots whenever they see me. No one messes with their own life; let him handle it, he won't cause any trouble."

I was a bit stunned.

"You really know how to summon ghosts?!"

Fatty Dong snorted coldly.

"Meng, who are you insulting? I am a Guardian of the Jade Capital in the Heavens. In ancient times, that was equivalent to an imperial guard bearing a blade. I can summon gods, let alone minor spirits."

I found out later that he was just bluffing. The so-called ghost summoning was actually something else entirely.

After breakfast, we headed to the Lian Tang headquarters of Ji Guang Pharmacy and waited in a teahouse across the street to watch the action.

Around ten o'clock, A-Fa and a few hoodlums arrived, dressed in mourning clothes and carrying white funeral banners. They stormed into the pharmacy, burning incense and kneeling, wailing and howling as if their own fathers had died.

Great acting!

Before long, some staff from the pharmacy rushed out with clubs to attack them. A-Fa and his crew scrambled away. But less than ten minutes later, he was back with his men, causing another scene.

Almost the entire day, not a single customer dared to enter the pharmacy. A crowd gathered at the entrance, watching the spectacle with amusement. The staff didn't have a clue what to do about the claims of people dying from fake medicine, and since the boss, Xiao Sanpi, wasn't there, they didn't dare report it to the authorities. Helpless, they were forced to close early. I assumed the other two branches were experiencing the same.

The next day, I had Fatty Dong keep watch while I went to the Old Fu Mountain antique market. I found an old forger I knew from my days of selling antiques and had him rush a specific item for me.

At nine o'clock that night, while Fatty Dong and I were having a late-night snack at the incense shop, my phone rang. It was Xiao Sanpi. The bastard couldn't take it anymore!

I let it ring three times before slowly picking up. A voice came through the receiver.

"Friend, this is Xiao Sanpi from Ji Guang Pharmacy."

Judging by his tone, the bastard was clearly at his wits' end, struggling to suppress the fury within him. I deepened my voice and asked Fatty Dong, "Who is Xiao Sanpi?"

Fatty Dong whispered, "Boss, he's the owner of that dump that sold the fake medicine that killed little Kunba."

I let out a sinister laugh.

"Oh, so it's this moron."

"Brother, I only just heard about what happened to your subordinate when I got back today. But for you to send people to wreck my warehouse and block my shops without even trying to communicate with me—cutting off a man's livelihood is like killing his parents. That doesn't seem to follow the rules of the underworld, does it?!"

"Damn it! I've been running the streets selling bootlegs since I was ten. I’ve made my name from Qingyunpu to Lion Peak, and even the gods have to call me 'sir.' You, a shitty fake-medicine peddler, have the nerve to call me brother?! Cutting off a livelihood is like killing parents? The fact that I haven't had someone set fire to your dump of a house in Bishuiwan is proof of my own mercy!"

With my imposing tone and the specific mention of his house in Bishuiwan, Xiao Sanpi was clearly stunned on the other end, pausing for several seconds.

"It seems you were prepared. Tomorrow, I'll host a 'reconciliation banquet' at the Shuiyun Pavilion. Let's sit down and talk!"

A reconciliation banquet—a product of dockside culture. When two enemies have an irreconcilable conflict, they hold a feast to sit down and negotiate. If they agree, everyone is happy. If the talks break down, the fighting starts.

I sneered.

"Xiao Sanpi, your godfather has been so good to you, didn't he teach you any manners?"

"What did you say?!"

"Idiot! When you're in this business, you need to know the basics! If you're begging someone for a reconciliation banquet, the restaurant, the food, and the entertainment should all be chosen by your godfather! What kind of dump is Shuiyun Pavilion? You think I'd want to dirty my godfather’s shoes by stepping in there?!"

I imagine Xiao Sanpi was furious enough to explode. However, as the person in charge of the Nine Nether Hall's branch in Chang City, he wasn't just a reckless brute. I heard him grind his teeth as he replied.

"Fine! I'll be waiting for your word!"

The line went dead. Fatty Dong was staring at me, mouth agape, a lamb skewer hanging from his teeth.

I turned to him. "What?"

He took a huge bite of the meat.

"I thought I was the best at bluffing in the world, but compared to you, I'm like a firefly next to the radiance of the sun!"

"Get lost!"

I picked up my phone and called Ji Xiaoyao. Her voice sounded very happy.

"Brother, time to get to work?"

"Yes. Tomorrow night, get your makeup done, bring your things, and come with me."

"How should I do my makeup?"

I thought for a moment.

"Buy a poster of the Hong Kong star Sharla Cheung, do your makeup like her, and wear something nice."

"..."

"Is it too hard?"

"No, is your sister-in-law that pretty?"

"She's alright."

The next day, we prepared everything, rented a car, and went to pick up Ji Xiaoyao in front of a small hotel on Jiayan Road. When we saw her, Fatty Dong and I were both stunned. She was the spitting image of Liao Xiaoqin!

Xiaoyao giggled, lightly pinched the edge of her skirt, and spun around for us by the car.

"Do I look good?"

I swallowed hard.

"Liao Xiaoqin's personality is arrogant and overbearing; you looking like her is going to mess with my head."

Xiaoyao hopped into the passenger seat, tossed her hair back, and suddenly her expression turned cold as she glanced at Fatty Dong in the driver's seat.

"Fatty, what are you spacing out for? Let's go!"

The car sped off toward the location I had set for the reconciliation banquet.