Chapter 427: Old Huang’s Trouble!

Beijing. Hot Pot Restaurant!

“Ring-ring-ring!”

The urgent ringing of the phone made Li Yi, who had just stepped away from the counter, stop in his tracks. He turned back and picked up the phone.

“Who is this?”

“Is this Brother Li Yi? It’s Huang Lixing here!”

Actually, Huang Lixing didn’t need to identify himself—Li Yi knew it was him right away. That distinctive Hong Kong-accented Mandarin was something mainlanders just couldn’t pull off.

“Old Huang, it’s been ages! What made you think to call me?” Li Yi said with a laugh.

“Nothing much. My brother-in-law gave me your number…”

Old Huang’s broken Mandarin was indeed hard to understand. Before he could finish, Li Yi couldn’t help but say, “Old Huang, just speak Cantonese—you know I can understand that!”

“Alright, my Mandarin really isn’t that great!”

“Then you’d better practice your Mandarin more. You’ll definitely need it when doing business on the mainland—not everyone can understand Cantonese like I can!” Li Yi said with a laugh.

“Alright, I’ll work on learning Mandarin more from now on!”

Huang Lixing then continued, “After Ah Ying sent me your number yesterday afternoon, I meant to call you, but some things came up and delayed me.”

“I heard yesterday was your niece and nephew’s full-moon celebration. I’m really sorry I couldn’t make it!”

Li Yi smiled and said, “It’s no big deal. Once the weather warms up, you and your wife should come to Beijing—we can get together!”

“That’s a great idea. We’ll do that when the weather warms up!” Huang Lixing agreed.

Li Yi suddenly recalled Chen Chuying’s hesitant expression from that day. A thought struck him, and he immediately asked, “Old Huang, how have things been for you lately?”

“Great! Everything’s going smoothly!”

“Really going smoothly?”

Old Huang’s voice on the other end of the line paused for a moment, then he said with some surprise, “Brother, have you figured something out again?”

“That’s none of your business. Just tell me—what exactly happened?” Li Yi asked in a low voice.

Huang Lixing was silent for a moment, then said, “There’s been a bit of a problem with the business, but I can handle it!”

“I’m guessing it’s not exactly legitimate business, is it?”

Huang Lixing’s voice trembled slightly before he replied, “Right, someone in Hong Kong is trying to take me down!”

“Why are they after you?”

“Brother Li Yi, you know I used to be part of a triad in Hong Kong. Some of my dealings involved the gray market.”

Huang Lixing continued, “Ever since Amin was born, I suddenly lost interest in the triad’s business. I’d planned to become an honest businessman from now on, but I didn’t expect those guys in the triad to refuse to let me step back, so things have gotten a bit tense.”

Hearing this, Li Yi immediately understood.

Huang Lixing wanted to wash his hands of the underworld, but others weren’t happy about it, leading to a conflict between the two sides.

Li Yi could certainly understand why Old Huang wanted to go straight.

After all, he’d spent the first half of his life as a desperado—lugging heavy loads at the docks, slashing people on the streets—surviving amidst a hail of bullets and a fog of blood. It was only after narrowly escaping death time and again that he’d managed to make a name for himself.

Now, nearing fifty, he’d grown weary of a life of violence.

With the birth of his daughter, it made perfect sense that he’d want to retire, cut ties with the underworld’s feuds and vendettas, and live out the rest of his life in peace.

But his thinking was still too naive—is the underworld really a place you can just walk away from whenever you want?

“Old Huang, tell me straight—what kind of business are you running on Hong Kong Island?” Li Yi asked in a low voice.

Huang Lixing, on the other end of the line, paused briefly before replying, “Mainly smuggling, and a few casinos on the side!”

“What exactly are you smuggling?”

Li Yi needed to know exactly what kind of business he was in before he could decide whether to help him; after all, there were certain lines that simply couldn’t be crossed.

“Cars, home appliances, cigarettes, and so on!”

“Any drugs?”

“No, my operation doesn’t deal in that!” Huang Lixing said.

“You really don’t?”

“Yeah, I’m from Humen!” Huang Lixing said.

Hearing this, Li Yi felt reassured. He thought for a moment and asked, “Old Huang, do your smuggling routes involve the mainland?”

“No, they don’t. We’re smuggling appliances and cars from Japan and South Korea into Hong Kong. Our ships don’t even go near mainland waters—we have no choice; the inspections are too strict!” Huang Lixing said.

“If that’s the case, I don’t think it matters if you hang up your hat!” Li Yi said, making a startling remark.

“Brother Li Yi, what do you mean by that?”

Li Yi sighed and said, “Old Huang, your current situation isn’t right for you to hang up your hat!”

“Why?”

“If you quit now, it won’t end well for you!” Li Yi said.

“Well…”

At that moment, Li Yi spoke again: “Old Huang, do you read wuxia novels?”

“Of course I do. There aren’t many people in Hong Kong who don’t read wuxia novels!”

Li Yi immediately replied, “Since you read novels too, you should know that those who try to wash their hands of the underworld and retire rarely meet a good end. More often than not, they fail to retire and end up with their families destroyed and their lives ruined.”

“Well…”

“Have you read Jin Yong’s *The Smiling, Proud Wanderer*?”

“I have. I’ve read that book three times from cover to cover!” Huang Lixing replied.

“Then do you remember Liu Zhengfeng, the junior disciple and leader of the Hengshan Sect in the book? He had originally planned to wash his hands of the martial arts world and retire. Yet on the very day he was to retire, he was dragged back into conflict. Not only did he watch his family members die one by one right before his eyes, but in the end, his entire family was wiped out. Isn’t that tragic?”

Hearing Li Yi’s words, Huang Lixing’s spirits sank to the depths.

Then, in a heavy voice, he said, “Brother Li Yi, are you saying that if I ever retire from the underworld, my family could be destroyed?”

“It’s possible! If you retire now, you’ll not only put yourself in danger, but you’ll also drag your family down with you!”

Li Yi wasn’t trying to scare Huang Lixing; there were simply too many cautionary tales to draw upon.

It’s no easy feat to wipe away all the merits, demerits, honors, and disgraces of one’s past in the underworld in a single day.

Once you set foot in that world, you become entangled in a web of debts and grudges with others—how could anyone possibly remain untouched and walk away unscathed?

Washing your hands of the underworld means you’ve let down your guard and have no intention of killing—why would your enemies in the underworld pass up such an opportunity?

Furthermore, for a major figure like Huang Lixing, there are always intricate web of interests connecting him to others in the underworld—it’s not something one can simply walk away from at will.

If he were to step back, he would inevitably sever the chain of interests. Others would see him as having harmed their interests—and if not him, then who else?

“So what am I supposed to do? Am I supposed to live this life of violence and bloodshed forever?”

Huang Lixing continued, “In the past, I didn’t really see anything wrong with this kind of life. But ever since Amin was born, I’ve suddenly grown tired of it. All I want is to be there to watch Amin grow up!”

Li Yi immediately replied, “I understand how you feel, but the underworld has its own rules. You can’t just come and go as you please!”

“Then what should I do?”

“Keep running your business, but at the same time, start preparing to retire completely!” Li Yi said.

“What kind of preparations?”

“Protect yourself!”

“Protect myself?”

“Exactly. People will come after you because your withdrawal harms their interests, and once you retire, you’ll lose the influence that made others fear you!”

Li Yi continued, “Before, people didn’t dare mess with you because they respected your standing and connections in the underworld. Once you step back, you’ll be nothing more than a toothless tiger—no one will fear you anymore!”

“So, if you want to retire from the underworld peacefully, first of all, you mustn’t infringe on anyone else’s interests—including those of your partners and subordinates.”

“Second, you must always retain the power to keep others in check, so they dare not act rashly!”

After hearing Li Yi’s words, Huang Lixing frowned and said, “If that’s the case, can I still call it ‘washing my hands of the underworld’?”

“Yes, you have!”

Then, Li Yi thought of something and immediately said, “Don’t worry about this just yet. In a little while, I’ll make a personal trip to Guangdong Province, and I’ll teach you how to break the deadlock then!”

“Alright, then I’ll be waiting in Guangdong Province for you, Brother Li Yi!” Huang Lixing said.

“Alright, I’ll give you a call before I go!”

“Alright…”

……….