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A Prophet - Chapter 12 (Part 2)

Chapter 2 - The Affiliation of the Fourth Boss 

These words left Grandfather feeling desolate and grief-stricken. After all, no one is born wishing to be a con artist. This path is arduous, and regardless of gender, a glamorous and radiant halo is inevitably underpinned by endless sorrow and bewilderment. Grandfather thought of his own parents, brothers, and sisters. Fate was cruel, shattering families and snuffing out lives, leaving them to eke out a meager existence amidst the turbulent and boundless underworld. Drinking deeply today only to lose one's life tomorrow—the ever-shifting tides of life and death were like a fierce wind blowing out a flickering candle. When would people as insignificant as blades of grass ever be able to enjoy the remainder of their days in peace?

At that moment, a low-ranking member hurried over, and Huang Farong hastily turned her head to wipe away the tears at the corners of her eyes.

"Grandfather, the Southern Sect's Grand Master has arrived!"

Grandfather hurriedly turned around. Jiang Feiyan had come? "Quickly, invite her in!"

Hearing that Jiang Feiyan had arrived, Huang Farong bolted out the door.

As they spoke, Jiang Feiyan and her entourage had already entered the courtyard.

"Godmother!" Huang Farong threw herself straight into Jiang Feiyan's arms, tears streaming down her face.

Not knowing what was wrong and assuming Huang Farong was simply feeling homesick after a long period without visiting her family, Jiang Feiyan hurriedly embraced her foster daughter. "Don't cry, child. Isn't your Godmother right here to see you?" Though she said this, her own eye rims grew red.

The sect's various Boss Ba figures stepped forward one after another to pay their respects. Zhang Zizan, who had a low tolerance for alcohol, also scrambled over to greet her. "I was unaware Godmother was arriving and failed to welcome you properly from afar!"

Grandfather was equally baffled as to why Jiang Feiyan had made such a sudden visit. After a round of polite pleasantries, Grandfather ushered Jiang Feiyan into the main hall to be served tea so they could talk in detail.

Jiang Feiyan said, "Feiyan has come uninvited, and I hope Grandfather will not take offense."

Grandfather bowed and smiled in response. "Sister Yan's arrival brings light to my humble abode."

Jiang Feiyan continued, "Waves and winds have been running high in the Jianghuai region lately, and all five southern provinces have heard the news. An undercover operative I planted in Fujian's Taiji Gang sent word that Mei Xuanzi of the Plum Blossom Society recently appeared in Fujian and has been moving in very close circles with Abbess Ruolan of the Taiji Gang. The Taiji Gang also appears intent on distancing themselves from us."

The Taiji Gang mentioned by Jiang Feiyan was the largest secret society in the Fujian region. The head of their sect was an elderly Daoist nun whose secular name was Li Meihe, with the Daoist title Ruolan, widely known as Abbess Ruolan. For many years, due to their geographical proximity, the Taiji Gang and the Crossing Sea Begonias had maintained exceptionally close ties. In 1929, Jiang Feiyan had traveled specifically to the Taiji Gang to offer birthday congratulations to Abbess Ruolan and discuss matters, only to cross paths with the dying Huang Farong by the roadside on her way out.

Jiang Feiyan took a sip of tea and went on, "The Nationalist secret investigation unit has also taken note of this development. Mei Xuanzi summoning ghost lanterns by the river shook the entire Jianghuai region, and even the secret society leaders from Tianjin, Beiping, and Jiaodong have traveled here one after another to offer congratulations. For heavyweight figures within the circle such as the Five Tigers of the Central Plains and 'Half-Immortal Zheng' of Jiaodong to condescend to pay homage to Mei Xuanzi is a rare occurrence indeed."

Only then did Grandfather realize that this leader of the Southern Sect seemed even more familiar with the situation in Jianghuai than he was.

This was precisely the cleverness of the female con artists of the Southern Sect's Crossing Sea Begonias.

Back then, Fang Zhaoyu, one of the Five Ancestors of the Hongmen, founded the Jiangxiang School, establishing four major branches: Qian, Kun, Kan, and Li. The Li branch later became the Crossing Sea Begonias. The very first leader of the Li branch was Tang Yonghe, a renowned talented woman during the Kangxi Emperor's reign. Her father, Tang Guoyong, was a major silk merchant in Jiangnan. Because the silk tribute he presented to the imperial court was embroidered with the phrase, "Imperial grace stretches vast through the ages, and the realm of China brings peace to all four seas," he became embroiled in a literary Inquisition. The Kangxi Emperor believed that the characters for "China and the barbarians" were a veiled reference to the Manchus and accordingly ordered Tang Guoyong's execution, wiping out nine degrees of his kin.

On the day of the execution, a fierce gale blew, sending sand and stones flying. A man of the green forest whom Tang Guoyong had aided years prior led men to raid the execution grounds and rescue Tang Yonghe; that man was none other than Fang Zhaoyu. After joining the Heaven and Earth Society, Tang Yonghe never forgot her quest for vengeance. Later, under the unified deployment of the Heaven and Earth Society, Tang Yonghe assisted the chivalrous heroine Lü Siniang in taking off the head of Kangxi's son, the Yongzheng Emperor, using a blood-dripping flying helmet.

Lü Siniang's ability to sneak into the inner palace and assassinate Yongzheng was thanks to an undercover operative Tang Yonghe had successfully planted within the imperial palace. From that moment on, Tang Yonghe understood a fundamental truth: to accomplish great things, one must have people inside the imperial court. Furthermore, women are naturally gifted with the advantage of physical beauty, and employing the honey trap to infiltrate the inner circles of high-ranking officials became the ancestral precept of Tang Yonghe's sect.

For three hundred years, beauties emerged in succession among the Crossing Sea Begonias. Generation after generation, they cultivated undercover operatives and planted informants within the government, making the Crossing Sea Begonias the branch with the deepest roots inside the government among all four major factions. It was not until the Republic of China era that Liu Congyun broke out from the Western Sect's Dragon Beard Sprouts, dedicating himself to military and political affairs, that this dynamic was broken. However, good times did not last; Liu Congyun was quickly disposed of by his own disciple, Qin Baichuan.

The reason Jiang Feiyan had her finger firmly on the pulse of the situation in Jianghuai was entirely due to her inheritance of Qiao Wumei's network of human resources within the Nationalist secret investigation unit.

In truth, amid the warlord fragmentation and foreign invasions of that era, the Nationalist government simply had no time or energy to spare for affairs concerning secret societies. It was just that secret societies walked hand in hand with the criminal underworld, and the criminal underworld shared blood ties with the Nationalist spy network. Moreover, secret societies had long historical roots in China, and everyone in the Nationalist apparatus—from top commanders down to low-level secret agents—was deeply superstitious, which allowed various secret societies to flourish brilliantly during the Republican era.

After listening to Jiang Feiyan's analysis, Grandfather remarked, "It seems Zuo Yongchan's words were not unfounded. The history of China's secret societies is about to be rewritten!"

Jiang Feiyan was startled. "Rewritten?"

Grandfather nodded. "Zuo Yongchan visited me not long ago, claiming that a series of recent events in Jianghuai are backed by influential figures behind the scenes. Now it appears that not only Jianghuai, but all of China is headed for a massive upheaval."

Just as they were speaking, the housekeeper entered and handed over a letter.

Grandfather opened it and was utterly shocked. It was a confidential letter from Mei Xuanzi. Its contents roughly stated: "Enmities are best resolved rather than perpetuated, and I hope Grandfather can cast aside past grievances and restore friendly relations between our two families." Mei Xuanzi intended to host a banquet at the Xiya Hotel in the Luwan District to offer a formal apology, and he sincerely hoped Grandfather would attend.

Mei Xuanzi had laid out the black-hair coffin trap, which had thrown Grandfather into a state of anxiety, followed by the grand scheme of "summoning ghost lanterns by the river," which aimed to drive Grandfather to total ruin. Grandfather had been harboring burning hatred toward him, yet Mei Xuanzi was suddenly extending an olive branch. Grandfather felt utterly surprised.

For many years, the Muzi Lotus and the Plum Blossom Society had always minded their own business and never crossed paths. The Plum Blossom Society had started relatively late, only coming into existence during the Second Zhili-Fengtian War. It lacked the centuries-old foundation of the Jiangxiang School, which was why it had always shown utmost respect to the Muzi Lotus. It was only recently that its actions had turned abnormal, characterized by frequent and malicious disruptions. In Grandfather's eyes, Mei Xuanzi was merely a junior; when Yan Xishan had invited Grandfather to tell his fortune, Mei Xuanzi had only been in the trade for a few short years.

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