"Right now, I can't arrange for them to come over directly.
They'll have to find their own way."
"Once the list is confirmed, I can send 1,000 yuan per person in advance as travel expenses."
"That's perfect, Boss! I'll write letters right away!"
There was no other choice.
In the mainland countryside at this time, letters were the only option.
Phone calls were a fantasy.
Telegrams didn't work either—too many complications.
Once these people arrived, they wouldn't be brought into the brotherhood.
That would only cause trouble later.
Instead, they could be placed directly into the property management company as security staff.
Everything on the company side had to be legal and compliant—
proper registration, proper taxes, proper business operations.
This "golden cicada shedding its shell" setup had to be airtight.
As for the brotherhood itself, they could recruit local street toughs,
treating them like disposable gloves.
If something happened—
they'd take the hit.
Of course, a proper recruitment filter was still necessary.
Weak kids with poor physical fitness—
no exceptions, all rejected.
To borrow and adapt a line from Jiang Tianyang:
"Business should be high-profile.
The brotherhood must stay low-profile."
…
Wu Qiuyu worked fast.
The registration of Tianyao Company was completed within a single day.
The old lecher actually performed well.
After reviewing the cleaned-up roster, Lin Yao decided to keep him.
The rest—65 people—were cut.
Now the entire hall was left with 369 members.
In numbers alone, they were already at the bottom tier within Wo Shing.
That said, recruitment of local toughs had already begun.
The terms were made very clear:
Base pay 500, bonuses separate,
major contributions rewarded heavily.
Within a short time, applications poured in.
Lin Yao put A-Bu and Wu Qiuyu in joint charge of this matter.
A-Bu tested combat ability.
Wu Qiuyu investigated backgrounds, compiled files, and submitted everything to Lin Yao for safekeeping.
Over the next few days, Lin Yao also quietly asked several veteran hall members about Wu Qiuyu's background.
Wu Qiuyu was 47 years old, from Chaoshan, single.
He'd crossed over illegally at fourteen.
Careful in his work, well-connected, with friends all over.
High school education.
Very lecherous—
—but didn't touch drugs.
He'd followed Fat Wah for seven years, having transferred over earlier from Gao Bai's side.
That transfer had been mutually agreed upon.
Otherwise, it wouldn't have been so easy.
After confirming all this, Lin Yao decided to temporarily hand intelligence-gathering duties to Wu Qiuyu.
Only temporarily.
And strictly limited to gathering information in the jianghu.
Essentially—
an intelligence unit.
Monthly pay: 5,000, bonuses separate.
That was already more than Wu Qiuyu had earned before.
Previously, even though he was the accountant, Fat Wah had let his wife control the money.
Wu Qiuyu had only handled the books.
As for being lecherous—
A minor issue.
What man wasn't?
As long as it didn't interfere with work, it didn't matter.
Plenty of hostesses under the hall's night venues—
let him take his time indulging.
Recruitment of local toughs went fast.
Within three days, they recruited 200 people.
All vetted by A-Bu and Wu Qiuyu.
After wiping out the Canada Road turf,
the hall now controlled over a hundred venues.
Monthly protection fees alone exceeded three million.
Add in the hall's own businesses—
Monthly gross income reached five million.
After expenses, there was still over two million left.
It couldn't compare to Big D—
but it wasn't bad at all.
And that was just the brotherhood's income.
What Lin Yao truly wanted to expand
was Tianyao Company's legitimate business.
The property management company officially opened one week after registration.
Low-profile—so low-key they didn't even hold a banquet.
In Tsim Sha Tsui, Causeway Bay, and Yau Ma Tei,
there were countless high-rise buildings.
Competition in property management was fierce,
and nearly every company had triad backing.
But when Lin Yao made his move, it was anything but ordinary.
After A-Bu led men to beat up the neighboring company that came over to provoke them—
their business flowed straight into Tianyao's hands.
That was normal.
Things like this happened every day.
The police couldn't be bothered—
there was no way to manage it all.
The unspoken rule between black and white was simple:
As long as normal civilian life wasn't affected,
they'd turn a blind eye.
Regarding Lin Yao starting a property company,
Inspector Luk Kai-cheung also called.
Surprised—but supportive.
"Didn't expect you, kid, to know how to do business.
What were you doing before?"
"Sir Luk, honest money—peace of mind."
"A short-term crutch can't last a lifetime.
Didn't notify you—was saving you some trouble."
"In a few years I'll go legit.
Need to leave myself a way out."
Lin Yao laughed.
"I support it—but don't make too much noise."
"And one more thing," Luk added.
"Tsim Sha Tsui is getting a new head of the anti-triad unit.
You should maintain a good relationship with him."
"Who is it?" Lin Yao asked.
"His name is Ma Jun.
Hates evil like poison, upright to the bone.
Don't get caught in his hands."
"Honestly, I'm not close to him.
If something happens, don't say I didn't help you."
"And per police regulations,
I can't acknowledge you as my informant anymore."
Luk sounded troubled.
"Sir Luk," Lin Yao said seriously,
"I'm not your informant anymore. We're strategic partners."
"Like Confucius said—strategic allies!"
"…Damn it, now you're even quoting Confucius?"
Luk hung up, annoyed and helpless.
The truth was—
Ma Jun (from SPL: Kill Zone)
was right there beside him.
They'd been close friends for years.
"Ah Cheung, what did Se Yao say?" Ma Jun asked, removing his cap.
"I've already done everything I can," Luk said, handing him a cigarette.
"He's unpredictable now.
I can't control him anymore."
"I suggest you meet him sometime.
Based on everything, he's someone worth winning over."
"Tsim Sha Tsui is a mess—too many drug gangs."
"That's exactly why I came to you," Ma Jun replied.
"You introduce talents for me, and this is how you treat your old friend?"
"Ah Jun, don't forget—he's not an undercover.
You can't command him."
"If you want to use him,
do it the way he said—strategic cooperation."
"A short guy talking strategy now?"
Luk laughed. "He never used to talk like this.
Maybe he got hit on the head and woke up."
"Alright," Ma Jun said.
"I'll meet him sometime.
As long as he doesn't cause me big trouble."
…
Meanwhile—
Lin Yao was preparing to meet someone who'd come looking for trouble.
The man demanded a one-on-one fight.
Winner would be crowned
Wo Shing's number-one fighter.
There was no one else—
It was Feiji Buk Laksei.
The battle maniac among short men.
A jianghu dreamer obsessed with fighting his whole life.
◇ I'll be dropping one bonus chapters for every 10 reviews. Comment
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ You can read 60 chapter ahead on P@treon if you're interested: patreon.com/Star1801