Chapter 65 Sworn Brotherhood

"What did I say? I told you he wouldn't run."

Tang Shaojie stood in front of the mirror while Hu Qing helped him straighten his clothes.

"You only won because he didn't run, nothing to be so smug about."

"My judgment of people is always accurate, yet you still doubted me."

"Alright, alright, I believe you. You should go set up a fortune-telling stall under the overpass; you'd make a killing!"

The couple bantered playfully in the room before heading out together.

Downstairs, a line of cars was already waiting. Cao Yang sat in the lead vehicle with the couple.

Fulin Grand Restaurant was a time-honored Cantonese establishment, famed for its seafood and roast goose.

Tang Shaojie had reserved dozens of tables here, inviting a wide array of guests.

Among them were the local triad bosses invited yesterday, as well as bosses from provincial factions such as the Chaozhou and Meizhou gangs.

In addition, there were heavyweights from the local Dongguan underworld: Baimo, the owner of the largest night club, Liang Hui, the biggest hotel owner, and even two veteran members of the Yee Wo Hoi—one a veteran from Shenzhen on the mainland and the other from the Hong Kong headquarters.

They had come to witness Tang Shaojie taking on a new disciple, an initiation that would officially register Cao Yang, whose name would now be recorded at the Hong Kong headquarters.

Was there any practical use in being registered?

Not really, to be honest. It was merely a tradition passed down through generations.

If one had to name a purpose, it was that if anything ever happened to Tang Shaojie and he was no longer around, it would be difficult for outsiders to inherit his career and status, whereas his recognized confidants and subordinates could do so much more easily.

The nominal status was right there; as an analogy, Tang Shaojie was the emperor, and these trusted subordinates were the princes.

"Thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend. Yesterday, some friends asked me what the banquet was for. Some guessed it was my mother's grand birthday, others that I was taking a young concubine. In truth, it's nothing major—I just wanted to gather with all of you my friends."

Holding a microphone on the elevated stage, Tang Shaojie spoke in a rather humorous tone.

"Hahaha..." Roars of laughter erupted from the audience.

"Boss Tang, didn't I hear you were taking on a new subordinate?"

Tang Shaojie smiled faintly. "Taking a subordinate is a family matter, it just happened to fall on this day."

"Oh, come on, Boss Tang, since it happened to coincide, why not call your newly accepted subordinate out so we can all take a look?"

"That's right, that's right! Everyone knows Boss Tang doesn't easily take underlings, and every single one you do take is capable of handling things on their own. We'd love to see what kind of young talent has caught your eye this time."

"Very well." Tang Shaojie nodded. "My new subordinate has a habit of stirring up trouble, and I'm afraid he might accidentally offend you gentlemen in the future. I'll have him come out to familiarize himself with everyone, and I hope you can cut him some slack down the road."

"Hahaha... Boss Tang loves to joke! It's your subordinate who should cut us some slack!"

Waiters carried several chairs onto the stage and prepared some tea.

Sun Xiao patted Cao Yang on the shoulder, signaling that it was time.

Cao Yang straightened his clothes and, walking as if a celebrity down a red carpet, made his way toward Tang Shaojie and his wife amidst the gaze of everyone present.

Previously, Cao Yang hadn't expected their acceptance of a subordinate to be such a grand affair; he thought it would just be a matter of a few words.

You become my underling, I become your boss; you help me do things, help me make money, and afterwards I give you a cut—much like the relationship between an employer and an employee.

From the looks of it now, it really wasn't like that at all. They truly placed a great deal of importance on him, leaving Cao Yang feeling a little touched.

"Smack!"

Suddenly, someone slammed their hand on a table, drawing everyone's attention.

Cai Xudong, the newly appointed boss of the Henan Gang, was shaking with fury. He had never met Cao Yang in person, but he had seen photographs and recognized this brat as the very same Cao Yang his gang had been searching the world for.

She Zhishan, boss of the Hunan Gang, also wore an extremely grim expression. Knowing full well that this Cao Yang had a blood feud with them, Tang Shaojie was still taking him in as a subordinate—it was a blatant provocation against them.

As if taking him in wasn't enough, they had even fucking invited them here to watch. It was a complete disrespect to their faces!

Liu Changling, boss of the Sichuan Gang, first frowned, and then his expression darkened considerably. He could see that the matter was far from simple; Tang Shaojie was sending him a message.

"Don't be rash, Old Cai."

"Old Sha, don't be reckless either! This is his territory!"

Other gang bosses chimed in to persuade them, urging them to swallow their anger and avoid starting a conflict here.

Seeing their reactions, the rest of the guests quickly guessed Cao Yang's identity.

So this was the kid who had been making such huge waves in the Dongguan underworld recently, the one who had taken out the Henan Gang boss.

Tang Shaojie and Hu Qing acted as though they were completely oblivious to the reactions of She Zhishan and Cai Xudong, paying them no mind whatsoever.

Cao Yang ignored them as well. He walked up to the couple, picked up a teapot, and poured two cups of tea.

Then, he knelt on one knee and presented the tea to Tang Shaojie with both hands.

"Boss, please have some tea."

"Mm." Tang Shaojie smiled as he took the cup and took a light sip.

"From now on, we're family. Let's hope for good fortune." With that, he took out a red envelope and handed it to Cao Yang.

Cao Yang accepted it and put it in his pocket. He poured another cup and handed it to Hu Qing with both hands.

"Sis-in-law, please have some tea."

"Mm."

Hu Qing also smiled, accepted the cup, took a light sip, and handed a red envelope to Cao Yang.

"From now on, you're a member of the Yee Wo Hoi. Don't be so willful in your actions; whatever you do, others will assume it was arranged by your boss. Make sure to discuss things with us beforehand. Of course, nobody will be able to bully you either."

Cao Yang nodded and took the red envelope. "Thank you, Sis-in-law."

Not far away, A-Le said sourly to Sun Xiao, "Brother Xiao, what's so great about this kid Cao Yang? Why do Brother Jie and Sis-in-law value him so much? Is it just because he can fight?"

When A-Le and the others had pledged allegiance to their boss, they went through the same procedure, but it was strictly among their own people without any outsiders witnessing it.

Sun Xiao rolled his eyes at him. "Do you really think Cao Yang is the main character today?"

"What else? Could it be you or me?"

"You idiot! Brother Jie set up this stage today for the local gangs to see."

"I know, the Henan and Hunan gangs, right? But that's still because of Cao Yang!"

"Can you use your pig brain for a second? Brother Jie is targeting the Sichuan Gang boss today; Hunan and Henan are just collateral."

"Bullshit! The Sichuan Gang has no grudge against Cao Yang, why target them?"

"They might not have a grudge right now, but they soon will—depending on whether the Sichuan Gang boss is stubborn enough after today."

"What do you mean? I don't get it."

Sun Xiao sighed. "A-Le, I've suddenly figured out why Brother Jie is taking Cao Yang in."

"Why?"

"Because he's too disappointed in you."

"I used to think Cao Yang was just a reckless brute with no other merits besides his fighting skills, but now I realize you're even more reckless than he is!"

A-Le wore a puzzled expression, wanting to press further, but Sun Xiao ignored him.

The waiters began serving the dishes, and Tang Shaojie led Cao Yang from table to table to toast the guests and introduce them.

When they reached the tables reserved for the local gang bosses, the atmosphere grew somewhat solemn.

Tang Shaojie rested one hand on Cai Xudong's shoulder and the other on She Zhishan's shoulder.

"Gentlemen, I know Cao Yang has some friction with both of you. Later on, we can have a detailed discussion and see if we can resolve it."