He looked at the materials Ning Manfei brought, and he himself was someone who knew both the legitimate and criminal worlds.
Otherwise, how could the Ning family have grown so big in the Hong Kong business world during the 1960s and 70s, when the law was practically non-existent and the business world was a battlefield?
Ghost Fourth is not to be trifled with; he's a tyrant in Hong Kong's underworld.
But how did Ning Yuan, this young woman from the mainland, end up with people like this! She's only been in Hong Kong for a short time! How could she have so many ulterior motives!
Ning Zhengkun slammed the documents in his hand onto the table, his face cold and his eyes narrowed: "You're just a young girl from the mainland, do you even know how deep the waters of the Hong Kong underworld run? You dare to go down there to make money? I bet you don't have the ability or the connections."
He paused, then stared intently at Ning Yuan with a deep and imposing gaze: "I'm afraid you don't have the ability or the connections. Is it your mother or your older brother who wants to use you to do this? What exactly is your second branch of the family planning to do!"
Ning Yuan chuckled lightly, her tone respectful but her words utterly blunt: "Uncle, who are you looking down on? Mommy and my older brother don't even know how I know Ghost Fourth."
As she spoke, she slowly pulled off an ivory carving from around her neck and tossed it in front of Ning Zhengkun: "If you're curious, you might want to take a good look at this."
Since she stopped wearing the jade chili pepper, she has switched to this ivory carving given to her by Uncle Jiu.
With a cold and serious face, Ning Zhengkun picked up the ivory carving and glanced at it, wanting to see what Ning Yuan was up to.
To everyone's surprise, upon seeing it, even the most seasoned and shrewd business tycoon's pupils instantly constricted.
On the ivory, carved into the shape of a small spring knife and about the length of a finger, is a finely carved Buddha head with a kind and benevolent face.
Behind the Buddha's head, three lines of characters are engraved—
The waters of Qingpu rise, half a day of fleeting life;
A spring knife, three cups of sake;
Without destruction, there can be no construction; without letting go, there can be no gain.
Ning Zhengkun's expression changed drastically.
How...how is this possible?!
He looked at Ning Yuan in disbelief, his voice trembling slightly: "This...this is a Green Gang leader's token! How do you have it?!"
Ning Yuan smiled lazily, her eyes filled with a cold cunning: "It seems that you spent many years in Shanghai before the liberation, Uncle. You must have had dealings with the Green Gang when you were doing business."
She sighed softly, "It seems my old uncles weren't lying to me. Our Ning family paid a lot of protection money back then, otherwise you wouldn't have been able to come into contact with the tokens of a hall master."
Ning Zhengkun's face turned pale and then red, and the way he looked at Ning Yuan changed.
Who exactly is this girl?!
She was nothing like the little girl he and the old man had initially thought they could just pick up and manipulate at will. Now it seemed he had completely underestimated her abilities!
This seemingly harmless little girl actually has such a deep connection with the Green Gang!
Just then, the door suddenly opened, and the old master of the Ning family was pushed in in a wheelchair by the old butler.
Although the old man is advanced in years, he is still in good spirits, and his eyes are as sharp as an eagle's.
Looking at the tense atmosphere inside the room, he simply said, "Qingpu Water Rising refers to Qingpu, the birthplace of the Green Gang; Half a Day of Life is a metaphor for the brevity of a life in the martial arts world."
The old man slowly took the herbal tea offered by the butler and drank a sip.
"A spring knife symbolizes the methods of the underworld; three cups of sake represent sworn brotherhood. 'No destruction, no construction; no loss, no gain' is the life-or-death code of the Green Gang. It's been many years since I've heard this old saying."
Ning Yuan looked at the old man and smiled: "Grandpa seems to know more. I didn't know at first that these four lines of poetry were the secret code of the Green Gang."
She paused, a hint of amusement in her voice: "When Uncle Jiu gave it to me, I thought it was some pedantic literary doggerel."
Old Master Ning stared intently at Ning Yuan with his inscrutable old eyes for a long while before slowly speaking, his tone carrying both admiration and a hint of warning—
"That kid, Yu, didn't bring us a well-behaved and beautiful poodle, but a wolf cub with sharp teeth and claws. But..."
He paused, a slight smile appearing on his lips: "He does resemble someone from our Ning family."
Ning Yuan raised an eyebrow and sighed, "Grandpa, are you praising me or scolding me? It sounds like you're scolding me for being like a dog, but then you're praising your own good bloodline?"
Old Master Ning chuckled, his old eyes gleaming as if he were reassessing Ning Yuan's value.
After a long pause, he turned to look at Ning Zhengkun, whose face was ashen, and said in an unquestionable tone—
"Alright, don't argue with your niece about these trivial things. Like begets like, and a mouse's son knows how to dig a hole. This girl has a bit of wildness, isn't that a good thing?"
Ning Zhengkun frowned deeply, his tone grave: "Old Master, this is no small matter. This shipment involves gang smuggling, and it's a major case with a notorious international reputation. It's immoral for our Ning family to get involved, and it's too risky."
Ning Yuan chuckled: "Uncle, what you said is really interesting."
"Was the initial capital accumulation of our Ning family, and even some of the businesses we are doing now, all conducted within the framework of Hong Kong government law?"
In the 1970s and 80s, many of the Hong Kong government's laws were merely for show.
She asked calmly, "If these were all the actions of morally upright and conscientious citizens, how could Grandma have died in middle age? How could the treasure she brought with her from the Sheng family have been taken away by her friend, Master Zhong Ling, instead of being left to future generations?"
Upon hearing the words "Sheng family," Ning Zhengkun's face instantly turned ashen. He glared fiercely at Ning Yuan, his gaze carrying a strong warning.
Upon hearing the name "Sheng family," Old Master Ning's previously ruddy complexion darkened.
The atmosphere inside the room suddenly froze, like a taut string that could snap at any moment.
Ning Yuan, however, acted as if she hadn't seen it and continued coolly, "The whole family are ancient fox spirits, what are they doing putting on a show here? I'm definitely going to auction off this batch of goods."
She paused, a hint of provocation in her voice: "Of course, the Ning family is large and powerful, with a strong background. If they want to go back on their word with Gui Laosi and refuse to help him sell, or even refuse to pay for these antiques, they can bear the consequences. So, they won't sell them."
Ning Zhengkun was furious and was about to reprimand him when Old Master Ning raised his hand to stop him.
"Alright," Old Master Ning said slowly, taking a sip of tea.
His cloudy old eyes, however, gleamed with a sharp light, staring directly at Ning Yuan—
"Girl, since you're so determined to do this business, have you thought about what would happen if things went wrong? The world is a dangerous place; can a greenhorn like you handle it?"
Upon hearing this, Ning Yuan showed no fear whatsoever; instead, her smile broadened, and she warmly moved closer to them.
“Grandpa, do you think I’m the kind of person who likes to joke around with my life and fortune? I don’t do business just on a whim; I do a lot of risk assessments.”
"Oh?" Old Master Ning became interested and leaned forward slightly. "Then tell me, what is your contingency plan?"
Ning Yuan didn't speak, but stared at Old Master Ning and Ning Zhengkun. Her smile deepened, but her eyes were as deep as an ancient well, making them unfathomable.
The sight of the seasoned business magnate, Mr. Ning, and Ning Zhengkun, sent a chill down their spines—why was this girl staring at them with a smile that concealed a dagger?
What mischief are they plotting now?
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