Futile Devices Scans

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?”

…

Xie Jia Hua set down the bowl of sweet soup, took out a handkerchief, and wiped his mouth and hands. “What crimes Mr. Xia has committed—I’m afraid asking won’t yield an answer.”

“Didn’t Inspector Xie send Qin Hao to ask?” Xia Liu Yi replied with a smile, as though chatting about trivial matters. “Haven’t seen him in a while. How’s he been lately?”

“…” Xie Jia Hua remained silent, guarded.

“Rest assured, Inspector Xie. He saved me twice. Between him and me, matters are settled. I swear to Heaven—I won’t trouble him or his sister.”

Xie Jia Hua’s expression turned stern. “The police are capable of protecting him and his family. There is no need for Mr. Xia’s promises. If you dare harm him, it won’t be Heaven that spares you—it will be Hong Kong law that refuses to.”

Instead of anger, Xia Liu Yi only laughed again. He lifted his bowl, took a sip, and sighed leisurely. “Inspector Xie is still so serious. Not even the sweetest soup can sweeten your tongue—truly admirable. Since you didn’t come to arrest me, what is it you want?”

“I want the truth behind Azure Dragon’s death.”

The smile on Xia Liu Yi’s face faded slightly. Calmly, he said, “What does Azure Dragon’s death have to do with the police? The man’s been dead four years—what, you want to dig up his grave now?”

“You misunderstand, Mr. Xia. I’m not here to trouble the dead. While investigating old cases, I discovered irregularities in the death of Azure Dragon’s father, Hao Wei. The officer in charge at the time—Hua Zhen Yun, known in the jianghu as ‘Inspector Hua’—destroyed part of the case file. Four years ago, Azure Dragon’s case was likewise hastily closed under Inspector Hua’s urging. Rumor in the jianghu says that Xu Ying murdered Azure Dragon and framed you, after which he was executed by Elder Yuan to silence him. I want to know—how much of that is true?”

Xia Liu Yi lowered his gaze, idly stirring the almond tea with a small spoon. “Oh? And Inspector Xie thinks it’s false?”

“I believe someone else killed both father and son. Inspector Hua was burying evidence. Elder Yuan hurriedly executed Xu Ying to silence him. Although you benefited most from Azure Dragon’s death, you and he were as close as brothers—and you were too young when his father died. So the culprit cannot be you.

“In recent years, Inspector Hua, Golden Maitreya, and Elder Yuan—men once closely tied to the Hao father and son—have all died, and each of their deaths is connected to you. Inspector Hua sheltered Xiao Qi Hall for years. Golden Maitreya was your partner. Elder Yuan was the grand elder who supported your rise. Their existence benefited you—it makes no sense for you to eliminate them.

“There is only one explanation: you share a deep, irreconcilable hatred with them—you had to remove them.”

Xia Liu Yi set down his spoon. “Inspector Xie—don’t you police care about evidence? Whoever dies, you pin it on me? You think you can just walk in here and slap accusations on my head?”

Xie Jia Hua rose to his feet, removed his coat, and set it aside. Then he turned around, showing the back of his shirt. “Your men searched me when I came ashore. I’m not carrying a gun or recording device. Whatever you say today will never become courtroom evidence. I only want to confirm my suspicions.”

Xia Liu Yi let out a faint snort of laughter. “And what do you think the truth is?”

“They conspired to kill both father and son. You revered Azure Dragon. Your own elder sister died alongside him. For four years, you have plotted to uncover the truth, killing Inspector Hua, Golden Maitreya, and Elder Yuan one by one.

“You are seeking revenge.”

To Xie Jia Hua’s surprise, Xia Liu Yi did not react with anger or shock at being exposed. Instead—

He laughed.

At first a faint smile, then a chuckle, and finally loud, unrestrained laughter.

“Inspector Xie truly is clever! With nothing but a few scraps of jianghu gossip, you’ve spun such a marvelous tale! Hahaha!”

So clever… yet you never guessed that your own father was the true mastermind? A Gu King straddling both black and white worlds, raising a son of incorruptible righteousness… After building such a vast fortune, who could he pass it to? Reveal even a corner of that mountain of gold, and his own son would drag him to court…

“Hahahahaha! Hahahaha…”

Xie Jia Hua caught the biting mockery hidden in that laughter, and his expression darkened slightly.

When Xia Liu Yi finally laughed his fill, he wiped the tears from his eyes and said, “I didn’t kill Inspector Hua—Fat Seven did. I didn’t kill Golden Maitreya either—his godson did that. And I certainly didn’t kill Elder Yuan. Everyone knows he gambled away his fortune and jumped into the sea. I respected the old man—still pay to support his family.

“Azure Dragon was killed by that traitorous cur Xu Ying. Everything you just said is bullshit. None of it has anything to do with me.”

“What about He Chu San? He’s connected to you, isn’t he?”

The smile vanished from Xia Liu Yi’s face in an instant. “What do you mean by that, Inspector Xie?”

Xie Jia Hua, knowing him even better than his own brothers, pressed the wound without mercy. “I know He Chu San’s feelings for you are genuine. The claim that he staged a coup to seize the Dragon Head position—perhaps Master Qiao would believe it. I don’t.”

“He’s a clean, outstanding university student. Even without taking crooked paths, he could have lived comfortably and well. For you jianghu men to fight over the Dragon Head Throne—to him, it’s no better than a broken chair in a garbage heap.

“He got dragged into this gang conflict for your sake. If he truly tried to seize power, how could you be sitting here unharmed? Not a hair out of place? He didn’t kill Cui Dong Dong either. For all we know—she might be hiding upstairs in this very house.”

…

Upstairs in the bedroom, Cui Dong Dong lay sprawled on the sofa clutching her stomach when she suddenly sneezed. She glanced nervously toward the door.

“Why does it feel so eerie? Did that Xie bastard guess we’re upstairs? Is the door locked?”

“Even if it’s locked, he could kick it open,” Xiao Luo replied, knitting a scarf on the bed without looking up.

“Then what do we do?”

Without lifting her head, Xiao Luo fished a gun out of her sewing basket. “Kill him.”

“Don’t, don’t, don’t…”

…

Downstairs in the hall, Xie Jia Hua watched Xia Liu Yi’s expression grow darker and darker, and delivered the next blow.

“I think everything you’ve orchestrated recently—the grand scheme—is still about avenging Azure Dragon. You pretended to break with He Chu San so he could gain Master Qiao’s trust. You want him to infiltrate He Yi Society—to kill whom? Master Qiao? Or someone higher behind him?”

“For revenge, you used his feelings, pushed him into a pit of fire. Do you realize this could get him killed? Xia Liu Yi… you’re truly ruthless.”

With a violent motion, Xia Liu Yi smashed the bowl of sweet soup aside and lunged across the tea table, pinning Xie Jia Hua onto the wooden bench! His face twisted in fury as he clamped a hand around the man’s throat.

“Shut up! I’ll kill you and bury you in the mountains—no one will ever know!”

Struggling for breath, Xie Jia Hua rasped, “This… is your true nature… Blood Asura… Twin-Blade Xia… All this flower planting… this sweet soup… it’s all fake… Deep down, you’re still… a blood-soaked jianghu thug… It’s you who dragged He Chu San into this…”

With a furious roar, Xia Liu Yi released his grip and smashed a punch into his face!

Xie Jia Hua did not hold back either—he drove a knee into Xia Liu Yi’s abdomen, then followed with a punch to his jaw! The two grappled violently, crashing into the wooden bench and overturning it. The solid backrest splintered under their weight with a sharp crack!

Xia Liu Yi seized a broken plank and swung it down wildly, while Xie Jia Hua grabbed the “Harmony in the family brings prosperity in all things” cushion and flailed back in defense!

…

A loud barrage of crashes echoed through the hall below.

Cui Dong Dong pressed her ear to the door upstairs. “Sounds like they’re fighting. Should I go help?”

“When men fight, it’s like stray dogs biting each other—leave them be,” Xiao Luo said. “If Boss can’t even handle a cop, he shouldn’t be in this line of work.”

“But that’s Inspector Xie… I heard he’s been the police force’s free combat champion for years. And Boss’s right hand isn’t fully recovered…”

“Xiao Ma will break it up. If not, I’ll go down and shoot him.” Xiao Luo picked up the gun again.

“Don’t, don’t, don’t…”

…

By the time the “family harmony” cushion had half its stuffing beaten out, Xiao Ma—working hard in the backyard—finally heard the commotion. He rushed over with the bodyguards, panting, to break up the fight.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Xiao Ma sneaked in a punch at Xie Jia Hua—only to receive a kick to the stomach in return, leaving him baring his teeth in pain as he and A’Mao restrained Xie Jia Hua. On the other side, A’Nan struggled to hold back the enraged Boss.

“Stop, stop! Boss! Someone must know he came here today—if you kill him, you’re finished!” Xiao Ma shouted hoarsely, then turned to warn, “Inspector Xie! Get this straight—we didn’t assault a police officer! You were the one who hit our Boss first!”

“I threw the first punch! I’ll kill him today!” Boss Xia roared, blood all over his mouth, fury blinding his reason.

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