Luna Xiao took a deep breath, steadied herself, and cast a meaningful look at Shawn Young—a glimmer of light flashed in her eyes, barely noticeable. She then shifted her gaze away from Shawn and declared, "Alright, since everyone is here, let’s begin this year’s ritual!"
With that, she moved to the center of the sandalwood table. With a graceful flick of her hands, a new object appeared—everyone saw it was a purple jade thumb ring, intricately carved with a lifelike horned dragon. The ring glimmered with age and history, clearly a rare antique.
"Oh! That’s King Hong’s Dragonseal Jade Signet! I haven’t seen it in nearly thirty years!" Andrew Qi’s shadowy eyes flashed with excitement as he stared at the purple jade ring in Luna Xiao’s hands.
"That’s right! It’s the Dragonseal Jade Signet! My father passed it down to me, and it’s the supreme token of the Thirteen Enforcers’ leader. I’ve just taken charge and have no real foundation yet, so I’ll use this signet to conduct the ritual!" Luna Xiao said, sliding the signet onto her right thumb, closing her eyes, pressing her palms together, and chanting an ancient prayer.
She soon finished the prayer, opened her eyes, hooked her left thumb and pinky, pressed the other three fingers against her right shoulder, and raised her right hand. The Dragonseal Jade Signet suddenly flashed with purple light—"Whoosh—"—and the ancient Nine Dragons Banner on the sandalwood table floated up, surrounded by a misty purple cloud. The nine dragons on the banner seemed to come alive, roaring and writhing with incredible momentum!
"Hmm—True Qi! Didn’t expect her True Qi to be this strong. She must have trained for quite some time!" Shawn Young recognized Luna Xiao’s energy as a rare form of True Qi, though he couldn’t tell which type—after all, the Codex of Ascension lists countless varieties.
Then Luna Xiao called out, her voice bright and clear: "Dragons soar the seas, phoenixes fly the skies—rise!"
"Whoosh—" Another flash of purple light. The ancient black ceramic wine jug on the table floated up. Luna Xiao traced an arc in the air with her right hand, tapping her finger five times. The jug’s spout moved in sync, pouring five sparkling streams of wine—each landing perfectly in the five yellow jade cups on the table, not a drop spilled.
Luna Xiao called out again, her voice crisp: "Heaven square, earth round, all laws are empty—descend!"
The wine jug floating in midair landed softly back on the sandalwood table, and the Nine Dragons Banner spun once in the air before settling into its original place, perfectly neat, without a single wrinkle. Such mystical skill was truly awe-inspiring!
"The ritual is complete—now, may I invite the elders—" Luna Xiao picked up the central cup of ancient wine and spoke.
Splash—Andrew Qi, hearing this, strode naked from the hot spring, followed by Warren Cloud. May Gu grabbed Shawn Young and stood up with him in the pool. The four walked to the sandalwood table and each took a cup of ancient wine. Five of them now stood bare before the table; except for Luna Xiao, the tattoos on the other four were strikingly vivid, lending an eerie and mysterious air.
"Please, elders, drink this year's Centennial Unity Wine. May our Thirteen Enforcers remain strong in the underworld and may our affairs run smoothly—cheers!" Luna Xiao raised her cup in salute to the others.
"Cheers!" the other four echoed.
Luna Xiao swept her gaze across the group, then tipped her head back and drank her wine in one go, her eyes narrowing. May Gu followed suit. Shawn Young, ever the imposter, hesitated and watched Andrew Qi and Warren Cloud. He noticed the two exchange a quick glance, their pinkies twitching as they held their cups, before they too downed the wine in a single gulp.
"Hmm—those two are up to something. I can't drink this!" Shawn Young spotted Andrew Qi and Warren Cloud's little trick and grew wary. While the others were drinking, he pretended to raise his cup but quickly dumped the wine into the pool behind him.
"Cough—cough—" Luna Xiao felt something odd about the taste as she drank, coughing lightly. A faint blush rose on her jade-like cheeks, making her look even more stunning.
"Boss Xiao, are you alright?" May Gu asked with concern.
"I'm fine, I just rarely drink. Thank you for worrying, Elder Gu!" Luna Xiao replied quickly.
"Hmm—Elder Qi, this year's Nine Dragons Ancient Wine tastes different from before. So strange!" May Gu noticed the wine lacked its usual fragrance and had a hint of bitterness. Remembering that Andrew Qi prepared it this year, she quickly asked.
"Really? I didn't notice any difference! Gu Fox, you're overthinking it," Warren Cloud sneered before Andrew Qi could reply.
Luna Xiao quietly channeled her inner energy, suppressing her discomfort. She then spoke gently to the group, "Though I'm the leader, I'm still new to the role and not as familiar with our affairs as the elders are. I'd like each of you to report on this year's business in the Asia region, so I can be prepared for the upcoming triennial summit. Elder Qi, as our most senior member, please begin your report."
Andrew Qi nodded coolly and began, "This year, our Chinese district's business has been solid. In traditional sectors—Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and several mainland cities—we've expanded thirty major casinos, added fifty large nightclubs, and control over two hundred four-star-and-above bathhouses. We also hold about fifteen construction contracts. However, due to joint crackdowns by the mainland, Thailand, Burma, and others, our Golden Triangle drug supply is tight, so we're sourcing new product from Afghanistan's Golden Crescent. As for arms—"
As Andrew Qi spoke at length, Shawn Young's scalp tingled—the Thirteen Enforcers' "business" was far broader than what Rainie Cheng had told him! It spanned the globe, and the scale was terrifying. No wonder Interpol was so desperate to wipe them out!
Andrew Qi spent nearly ten minutes reporting his "business results" before suddenly adding, "By the way, Japan's Yamaguchi-gumi wants to partner with us to develop new drug markets and lucrative organ trafficking. I've already agreed to work with them!"
"Cough—cough—Elder Qi, how could you work with the Japanese!? Have you forgotten our Thirteen Enforcers' top rule is never to cooperate with them?!" Luna Xiao, shocked by the news, felt her chest tighten and coughed.