Chapter 25: The Xiang Family's Moves

Xiang Yan sat behind his rosewood desk, a cigar between his fingers; amidst the swirling smoke, his gaze was gloomy and unsettled. Xiang Qiang and Xiang Sheng stood before the desk, their expressions grave.

"Big Brother," Xiang Sheng spoke first, "that Wu Xiangqian's martial prowess is terrifying; he alone took down our Kowloon branch."

Xiang Qiang added, "Moreover, he looks... far too much like you."

Xiang Yan's fingers paused slightly, cigar ash falling. He raised his eyes: "How much like me?"

"Simply a replica of you in your youth," Xiang Sheng lowered his voice, "especially those eyes."

Xiang Yan extinguished his cigar and pressed the intercom on the desk: "Ah Zhong, come in."

A lean middle-aged man pushed the door open: "Brother Yan."

"Investigate someone," Xiang Yan said hoarsely, "Wu Xiangqian; I need all his information, every experience from childhood to now."

Ah Zhong nodded: "Understood."

After Ah Zhong left, Xiang Qiang could not help but ask: "Big Brother, do you suspect he is..."

"Ah Fei." Xiang Yan closed his eyes briefly, "Ah Fei, who vanished ten years ago."

Xiang Sheng drew in a sharp breath: "Surely it cannot be such a coincidence?"

"Ten years ago," Xiang Yan stood and walked to the window, "a servant took Ah Fei to Tongluowan to buy things; in the blink of an eye, he was gone."

Xiang Qiang recalled: "The Old Master flew into a rage then, and that servant..."

"Was sunk into the sea," Xiang Yan said coldly, "Father mobilized every connection across Hong Kong Island and searched for three full years, yet not a shred of news emerged."

Xiang Sheng pondered: "If Wu Xiangqian truly is Ah Fei, then how did he appear at the Kowloon branch? And why strike our people so heavily?"

Meanwhile, Xiang Qian was sleeping in his hotel room; Zhang Guorong and the others had already returned, while Zhou Huimin's family and Xiang Qian's parents had also gone back to their own homes.

Sun Li and Zhou Huimin also came to the hotel where Xiang Qian was staying, sitting on the sofa all the while, waiting for Xiang Qian to wake.

"Sister Li, is it true that Xin Yi'an's branch was taken down by a single person?" Zhou Huimin tilted her small head, looking at Sun Li.

"It should be true; such a person must have undergone training. Besides, taking down Xin Yi'an is no bad thing; keeping such Heishe Society members around is only a disaster," Sun Li said solemnly.

"That's true," Zhou Huimin nodded, "I wonder how much wine Qian-zi drank with Big Brother and the others last night, to get so drunk."

"Those few really are something," Sun Li shook her head; she knew the person who had taken down the Xin Yi'an branch last night was Xiang Qian, yet seeing him go to such lengths for Zhou Huimin, she then looked at Zhou Huimin and nodded.

Xiang Yan's father, Xiang Butong, was in the courtyard feeding the koi in the pond.

Upon learning that the Kowloon branch had been taken down, Xiang Butong was furious yet also deeply curious, so he ordered his subordinates to investigate.

Holding a photograph of Xiang Qian, Xiang Butong's eyes instantly turned red, and he murmured, "Ah Fei, Ah Fei, is little Fei back?"

Immediately, he clapped his hands, and two figures instantly appeared from behind.

"Bai Long, Hei Hu, the two of you are to secretly protect the person in this photograph; he must not suffer even the slightest harm, not even a single hair," Xiang Butong said in a deep voice.

Having spoken, the two behind glanced at the photograph and instantly vanished from the courtyard.

It seemed a traitor had emerged within Xin Yi'an; thus, he placed a call to his eldest son, Xiang Yan.

"Yan-er, a traitor has appeared within Xin Yi'an; remember to cleanse it," the Old Master said without even opening his eyes, sounding utterly indifferent.

"Yes, Daddy!" After hanging up the phone, Xiang Yan

turned to his subordinates and immediately executed a thorough purge.