Chapter 143

The small tactics used earlier were nothing; if he directly used the Disappearance Technique, later he would find it impossible to move an inch in Gangdao, clashing with his Red Trust Group.

Not worth the loss!

Gangdao cannot be moved, so we'll apply some pressure on them in Wanwan. His sworn brothers are the leader and strategist of the Triple Union Gang—surely they didn't become sworn brothers for nothing?

While he was wandering in his thoughts, many people called him, all asking the same thing: whether they should help him, and he refused their good intentions.

When he tried to call again, he discovered there was no power!

He took out a battery, replaced it, and the phone rang immediately; he picked it up and put it to his ear.

"A Xin, can you still hold on? Should I step in? Hong Yi is also my business; there's no reason for you to bear the thunder."

Jiang Tian Sheng spoke on the phone, his tone a bit unpleasant, possibly also angered by the Ma family!

Li Xin explained: "Mr. Jiang, I can still hold on, no problem. Let them play; I just want to see what else the Ma family has up their sleeves. If that's all they've got, I'll swallow the Oriental Daily."

"That's good. If you can't hold on, just speak up—I'll back you to the end. A stray dog dares to bark? Then I'll beat it to death."

After hanging up Jiang Tian Sheng's call, Li Xin went straight to Kowloon Walled City.

Inside, he met a few people, discussed some things, then went to Long Shu's barbershop.

He said nothing, sat directly in the chair, waiting for Long Shu to give him a haircut.

Maybe it's because he's old, but today Long Shu was very talkative, saying: "A Xin, if you can step back, do so; don't be too headstrong. The waters of Gangdao are deep—don't let yourself get stuck in a mud pit; it's not worth it!"

"Look at me now—I'm doing pretty well. Behind the Ma family is the Chaozhou Merchant Association, which is very powerful; you can't match it right now."

"Their Oriental Daily has Li family shares; it's not easy to move. This time, listen to Long Shu: step back, and you can retrieve it later."

"The Li family has good relations with foreigners; if you mess with their cake, you can imagine the consequences—it's really not easy to move, so think it through."

After Long Shu finished cleaning him up and washing his hair, he looked in the mirror and nodded in satisfaction.

Then he said: "Long Shu, let Xin keep an eye on the walled city; go to Xi Gong and watch over things for me. Without you, this old hand of the jianghu watching, I can't rest easy."

"Everything in the walled city is arranged; you're not useful here today—come with me."

……

Zhongyong Bo received Li Xin's message and asked Jin Bo beside him: "How did A Xin get into a conflict with the Ma family? They can't even get in touch with each other!"

Jin Bo laughed and said: "What's the point of worrying about all that? It's just the Ma family—let Shan Ji handle it; this kid has some ability."

When Shan Ji arrived at the main hall, hearing that this was Xin Ge's affair, he patted his chest and promised: "Leave it to me; what is the Ma family? Just a bunch of has-been newbies—I'll get right on it."

From that day on, the Ma family's enterprises in Wanwan suffered disasters, fires breaking out everywhere with no apparent cause.

Whether to speak or not, Shan Ji's ability is truly not bad; he does things meticulously, and after finishing, he leaves no trace—he really has some tricks.

In Gangdao and Wanwan, both sides employ tactics, playing it rough; both suffer losses, but neither side stops, and we'll see who ends up laughing last.

……

By this time, Li Xin had pretty much figured out the forces behind the Ma family; only Li Huanggua was a bit troublesome.

He came up with a plan; Elder Li went alone to the meeting, directly going to Li Huanggua's home.

Jianguo got out of the car and politely said to the butler: "Mr. Li of the Red Trust Group has come to pay a visit; please announce him."

Upon hearing the butler's announcement, Li Huanggua immediately knew who wanted to see him, and told the butler: "Please let Mr. Li in."

Li Xin entered the living room, and Li Huanggua was the first to speak: "I've long admired your great name, Mr. Li; today I dare to disturb you—truly my fault."

Li Huanggua is well cultivated; no matter how biased one might be toward him, Li Xin can always evaluate a person objectively—strategically he despises the opponent, tactically he values them, and he is never arrogant.

There are far too many people smarter than him!

"Mr. Li, your visit today is about the Oriental Daily, right?"

Li Xin didn't deny it, saying directly: "Exactly; as a newcomer to the business world, I ought to greet Mr. Li, otherwise I'd be rude."

Li Huanggua chuckled and asked: "You're full of confidence; it seems you've already got the Ma family under control—no need to greet me! I only bought shares in the Oriental Daily out of fellow‑township sentiment."

Li Xin looked at him and asked: "Mr. Li, do you have any plans to sell your shares?"

"Ten percent of the shares of Red Trust Agency—I'll hand over my shares to you."

"It's settled; tomorrow a lawyer will go and sign the contract with Huang; leave the details to the subordinates—I'm taking my leave today."

After leaving the Li family residence, Li Xin directly returned to Xi Gong.

Li Huanggua's eldest son came out of the house, puzzled, and asked: "Dad, this deal isn't worthwhile, is it? Why are we exchanging it?"

Li Huanggua smiled and asked: "Do you know how many companies have already joined Red Trust Agency?"

Seeing his eldest son shake his head, he then explained: "The most important thing in business is information; I've learned that Shin Tak Real Estate, the Huo Clan Group, and New River Real Estate all have the qualifications to enter."

"Their transaction time is the end of '83; at our current development speed, by then Red Trust Agency will be the industry's leader—those few newspaper shares can't compare."

"This time we also have to thank the Ma family; without them in the middle, I wouldn't dare to reach out—that Li Xin isn't someone to provoke, so there's no need to offend him."

"We're merchants; whoever brings us profit is our friend, and vice versa—there's no need to compete in ruthlessness with jianghu people."

"Huo Jingning was the one he poached—look, what reaction do I have?"

Li Ju still shook his head.

"It's still the same old saying: the cost‑performance ratio isn't high, it's unnecessary, and besides, this person has a bit of genuine temperament—such people are easy to deal with but also hard to deal with; getting rid of them is easy, yet the aftermath is just as great."

"There's no need to clash head‑on with those outlaws, and besides, Li Xin has Huang Bingyao standing behind him—wouldn't it be better to make friends?"

Li Ju exclaimed in surprise: "Chief Superintendent Huang? How could that be? This person isn't from the jianghu—how could he have connections with Huang Bingyao?"

Li Huanggua explained: "This Li Xin owns a security company with 150 gun permits, all obtained through Huang Bingyao's connections—don't you think they're related?"

Some things, once done, leave traces; the Li family's relationship network spreads across Gangdao; many things cannot escape my eyes.

This is also an important reason I don't want to fall out with him; Huang Bingyao is a prominent figure in the pro-mainland faction of the Hong Kong Police, and if we later want to enter the mainland, his obstruction will increase the difficulty.

Li Ju asked in one sentence: "What's there in the mainland? Is it worth it?"

"Worth it!"

Li Huanggua replied affirmatively.