The sedan sped like a whirlwind as it raced back to the police station. Xie Jia Hua dashed straight toward the archives room, barely acknowledging the colleagues he passed by.
The case file he had overlooked was not one he had personally handled. It had been officially closed four years earlier. He had only stumbled upon its peculiarities while searching through materials related to the syndicates. Later, in casual conversation, he had mentioned it to Tang Jia Qi. Back then, many Inspectors maintained friendly ties with the underworld, and the unspoken rule of “settling jianghu matters within jianghu” meant that reports about triad affairs were often deliberately vague. That particular case had been wrapped up in an especially perplexing manner, with crucial information conspicuously missing.
He still recalled Tang Jia Qi’s keen interest at the time, reminding him that the deceased’s identity was far from ordinary. He needed to analyze the shifts in underworld power following the man’s death to determine who had benefited the most.
Once again coughing amidst clouds of dust, he rummaged through the archives for quite some time before pulling out a file dated August 1979.
The deceased was Hao Wei, the first Dragon Head of Xiao Qi Hall, and the father of Hao Cheng Qing—better known as “Azure Dragon”. Hao Wei had been driving home alone late one night after drinking excessively when his car collided with a freight truck on a winding mountain road. The truck driver, trying to evade responsibility, pushed both man and vehicle off the cliff before fleeing the scene.
By sheer coincidence, a passerby had witnessed the entire incident and promptly reported it to the police. However, before the authorities could locate him, the truck driver had already burned charcoal and taken his own life at home.
There were numerous suspicious aspects in this case.
The driver’s crime didn’t warrant capital punishment, so why commit suicide out of fear? Hao Wei, a syndicate boss, drove alone while intoxicated, without bodyguards or subordinates. Most perplexing of all, the autopsy report had mysteriously vanished from the file.
Who had removed that page? What were they trying to conceal?
What was the true cause of Hao Wei’s death?
Jia Qi had instructed him to examine the shifts in jianghu power.
Xie Jia Hua closed the thin dossier and pressed it against his forehead, deep in thought.
He had tracked Xiao Qi Hall for years and knew its history intimately. Before Hao Wei’s death, their business was limited to gambling dens and loan-sharking, with negligible influence in the jianghu. They were little more than an obscure gang within Gaau Lung Walled City.
After Hao Wei’s death, Azure Dragon rose to power, steering Xiao Qi Hall toward a full spectrum of vice—gambling, prostitution, and narcotics. Gradually, they established themselves within Gaau Lung Walled City and began competing with established factions like the Sha Family Gang, their influence spreading beyond the stronghold.
After Azure Dragon’s death, Xia Liu Yi ascended. His methods became increasingly brazen and domineering, until Xiao Qi Hall emerged as the dominant force in the Kowloon region, standing toe-to-toe with He Yi Society…
This seemingly insignificant Xiao Qi Hall—each succession of its Dragon Head had been accompanied by upheaval. Each new leader proved more radical than the last.
It was as if, in the shadows, an unseen hand manipulated everything—removing obsolete pieces at precisely the right moment, discarding them, and replacing them with newer, “better” ones.
He reopened the file and glanced once more at the officer in charge of the case.
To his surprise—and yet, not entirely unexpectedly—it was that very Inspector Hua who had passed away years ago in the Mid-Levels villa during the conflict between Xiao Qi Hall and He Sheng Society!
Inspector Hua had personally handled the case of Azure Dragon’s father. Ten years later, when Azure Dragon himself had died—while Xie Jia Hua was still studying abroad in America—Inspector Hua had also halted the investigation, hastily concluding it under the claim that Xu Ying had murdered Hao Cheng Qing before committing suicide out of fear.
Inspector Hua was dead, and all leads from the police had come to an end.
To uncover the truth behind these old jianghu affairs, there was only one path left—
To seek information from someone within the jianghu.
And not just anyone, but someone who cared deeply about the deaths of both his father and son…
…
At two in the afternoon, when the sun was at its peak, the howling sea wind battered the dockside canopy until it rattled loudly. Tourists disembarking frowned, shielding their faces with their hands. A few fashionable young women, here to shoot modeling photos, wrapped scarves around their wavy hair, laughing and playfully shoving one another.
Xie Jia Hua was the last to step off the ferry docked at Lamma Island. At a small stall run by an elderly woman near the pier, he bought two tea cakes. Removing his sunglasses, he leisurely ate while surveying his surroundings, unhurried.
Near the dock stood two young men running a small stall beneath a makeshift tent, selling woven grass trinkets. One wore a straw hat and was napping. The other yawned idly—then suddenly choked mid-breath.
He recognized this inspector, whose name was renowned throughout the jianghu!
He hurriedly nudged his companion. The two whispered briefly before furtively pulling out a brick phone, preparing to make a call.
“Good afternoon.”
The inspector had already arrived at their stall.
“Ah—Ah ins… Th-this gentleman, h-hello! Would you like to buy a toy for your child?” the young man stammered, trying to conduct business.
Xie Jia Hua crouched down, actually browsing the little grasshoppers and toy planes on display. Eventually, he picked up a small woven shark, paid for it, and stood up.
The two bodyguards thought they had slipped past unnoticed and quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
But the inspector, holding the woven shark in one hand, tapped the shoulder of the one clutching the phone with the other.
“Gentlemen, tailing me must have been tiring. Kindly make a call to your Boss Xia—tell him I’d like to meet.”
…
Fifteen minutes later, Boss Xia sent a small agricultural three-wheeled truck, sputtering putt-putt-putt as it carried the inspector deeper into the island.
The little truck bounced merrily along the mountain roads. Xie Jia Hua sat in the back among baskets of fruits and vegetables. By his legs was a large bucket filled with water, sloshing noisily with something inside.
He soon discovered what.
The truck struck a large rock with a jolt—Xie Jia Hua and several radishes were thrown into the air. When he landed, there was an extra fish in his arms.
“Inspector Xie! If the fish jump out, please help pick them back up!” shouted Xiao Ma, the shirtless driver, glancing back.
“…”
By the time Xie Jia Hua had retrieved the sixth fish, the truck finally stopped at the back entrance of a farmhouse halfway up the mountain.
Two bodyguards at the gate came forward to help unload. Xiao Ma was too busy to attend to them.
“Inspector Xie, too much stuff here—hard to walk through. Just go around to the front entrance. Boss is waiting inside.”
Walking halfway around the fence, Xie Jia Hua finally entered the modest farmhouse courtyard. It looked no different from the other fishermen’s homes on the island—a simple two-story building, plain and unadorned.
The main hall doors stood wide open, revealing solid wooden benches inside, yet no one seemed to be seated.
In front lay a small garden. A man in a straw hat, wearing a sleeveless shirt and shorts, crouched with his back turned, meticulously planting a row of dogtail grass.
“Excuse me—may I inquire if Mr. Xia is present?” Xie Jia Hua asked.
The gardener turned around.
It was none other than Boss Xia—his face covered in dirt.
Wiping his face with a hand, the boss greeted him warmly, “Inspector Xie, you’re here. Please come in and sit. I’ll wash up and join you shortly.”
…
Xie Jia Hua sat on the wooden sofa in the hall, his emotions a whirlwind of confusion.
Beside him was a cushion. He picked it up and examined it. The cushion was adorned with rustic red-and-green patterns and the words: “Harmony in the family brings prosperity in all things”
Despite having heard from informants that Xia Liu Yi had been staying on Lamma Island to clear his mind, he couldn’t comprehend this drastic change.
The last few times he had seen Xia Liu Yi, he had either been speeding luxury cars through the city or sitting smugly in interrogation rooms flanked by top lawyers—always impeccably dressed, every inch the refined beast.
And now… such rustic simplicity?
Had He Chu San’s betrayal wounded him so deeply that he had chosen to retreat into pastoral seclusion?
Xia Liu Yi soon returned. Not only had he washed his hands and face clean, but he also carried a wooden tray with two bowls of almond tea.
“The tea leaves just ran out—I haven’t had time to buy more. Inspector Xie, have some sweet soup first. I made it myself.”
Xie Jia Hua’s hand trembled slightly as he held the bowl.
“Don’t worry, the taste isn’t strange,” Xia Liu Yi said calmly, clearly accustomed to being mocked by others. “It took me ten tries to succeed once. Inspector Xie, your luck is good today—you happened to catch the successful batch.”
The two had been long-standing adversaries. The last time Xia Liu Yi had been imprisoned for three months, it had been Xie Jia Hua who had arrested him. Their meetings had always been tense, like drawn swords and bent bows.
Today, Xie Jia Hua arrived prepared for a fierce confrontation, intending to probe through confrontation.
However, Xia Liu Yi’s demeanor was surprisingly calm.
Despite his initial confusion, Xie Jia Hua accepted the situation as it unfolded. He raised the bowl, took a sip, and then, with a full face, drained it in one go.
“Thank you. It tastes excellent.”
Xia Liu Yi smiled contentedly. “Many thanks for the compliment. Inspector Xie, aren’t you afraid I might poison it?”
“Mr. Xia is not the type to harm others.”
Xia Liu Yi chuckled. “Perhaps Inspector Xie understands me better than even my own brothers. So, what brings you here this time? I haven’t been involved in any illegal activities recently, have I?”
Futile Devices Scans 
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