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After about half an hour of driving, the convoy rolled into a sprawling villa district on the hills of Repulse Bay, Hong Kong. Living here meant you were either filthy rich or stupidly powerful—no exceptions. The road was lined with lush greenery, and up ahead stood a vintage-style apartment building. Outside, a bunch of beefy guys in matching black vests and sunglasses guarded the entrance, looking like they’d just bench-pressed a minivan. These dudes were all bodyguards from the Hung Prosperity Syndicate.
The convoy slowed to a stop at the apartment’s parking lot. As Henry Hung got out with Shawn Young, Miracle Water and Fire Bull followed right behind. The four of them strode straight for the building, and every bodyguard they passed bowed respectfully to Henry Hung, calling him 'Hung Lord!'
Henry Hung nodded at them, keeping his cool and saying nothing, leading Shawn and the others inside. They crossed a courtyard and soon reached a spacious, sunlit hall. Outside the hall, more bodyguards were posted, and there was a separate little yard—the Hung Prosperity Syndicate’s sacred altar.
Standing outside the hall, Shawn glanced over and saw that the altar was built of three stacked offering platforms, set right in front of what used to be the Second Lord’s main room. First tier: right side, Ram’s Horn of Sorrow; left side, Elder Left’s Token. Second tier: the One Hundred and Eight Heroes of Liangshan. Bottom tier: the Five Founding Ancestors (Cai Dezhong, Fang Dahong, Hu Dedi, Ma Chaoxing, Li Shikai) and the Later Five Ancestors (Li Shidi, Hung Grandmaster, Empress Hao, Lin Yongchao, Yao Bida).
In front of the altar was a paper pagoda, its doorway marked 'Gao Creek Pagoda.' On either side of the table sat the Dragon and Phoenix Staff and the Hung Syndicate Blade. In the center, there was a wooden 'Yang City' measuring bowl—three feet six inches tall, with a circumference of one hundred and eight inches, symbolizing the One Hundred and Eight Heroes of Liangshan. Below it hung a plaque: 'Wood Establishes the World.' The characters had hidden meanings: 'Wood' for eighteen (the years of Shunzhi’s reign), 'Establish' for sixty-one (years of Kangxi), 'Bowl' for twelve (years of Yongzheng), and 'World' for twenty-three (years of Qianlong, after which the Qing Dynasty was doomed). Below that sat a wooden plank called the 'Second Bridge.' At the highest point of the altar was the Portrait of Guan Yu Reading by Moonlight. Hanging above the altar was the syndicate’s name plaque, and to the left and right, two more plaques: 'No pavilion stays beautiful all day, but every flower has its morning fragrance,' and a wild string of names: 'Tiger Ghost, Dragon Ghost, Snake Ghost, Turtle Ghost, Meeting Ghost...'
On both sides of the hall, a row of old-school wooden chairs were lined up. On either side of the altar, seven or eight local bosses from the Hung Prosperity Syndicate sat stiffly, looking all serious and official. Shawn glanced over—he didn’t recognize a single one, and they were all pretty old.
But the real attention-grabber was an elderly man with white hair, standing sternly next to the Guan Yu portrait. He wore a yellow-and-red Taoist robe and held a ceremonial Dragon Staff.
Henry Hung, dressed in a crisp white Tang suit, led Shawn inside. The two of them stood side by side, each lighting incense according to Hung Society tradition.
"Summon the altar master!" A tall middle-aged man stepped out on the right, waving a white paper fan and shouting loudly. That was the official signal—the Initiation Ceremony had begun. Then the old Taoist in the robe stepped forward. Usually, the altar master was the number two figure in the Hung Society.
The white-haired elder walked up to the altar, gently set down his Dragon Staff, then picked up three and a half sticks of incense, lit them, and raised them high above his head. Everyone stood up—including Henry Hung, Shawn, and the rest—and when the altar master knelt, the whole crowd followed suit.
"Three sticks of incense for the Red Flower Hall, the Hung Society’s ancestral flame!" the white-haired elder intoned, then knelt and bowed with the incense. Everyone else did the same, and when the ritual was done, they all sat back down. The old Taoist stayed standing by the altar, while Henry Hung took the 'Dragon Head' seat and pulled Shawn down to sit beside him.
Miracle Water and Fire Bull didn’t even blink—it was all business as usual for them. But the local bosses from the Hung Prosperity Syndicate were floored by Henry Hung’s move. Even the old Taoist frowned a little. In a strict, rule-heavy society like this, Henry’s gesture meant one thing: Shawn Young’s status was off the charts.
Sure enough, the tall middle-aged man couldn’t help but ask, “Hung Lord, who is this young guy, anyway? How come someone so fresh-faced gets to sit in the Red Pole Enforcer’s spot?” (Note: The Red Pole Enforcer is a super high rank in the Hung Society—Sun Yat-sen himself once held it!)
“Yeah! That seat’s a big deal—he’s just a newcomer doing the Initiation Ceremony, you can’t just plop anyone down there!”
“Exactly, what’s his story? That seat isn’t for just anybody!” The other syndicate bosses chimed in, all curious and skeptical about Shawn’s status.
Henry Hung waved his hand, cool as ever. “Relax, guys, let me explain—this is Shawn Young’s first time in Hong Kong, and things were a bit rushed, so I didn’t have time to fill you in. But I promise you, he totally deserves that seat!”
“Oh? Henry, what makes you say that? Got any proof?” the white-haired Taoist cut straight to the point.
“You bet.” Henry Hung nodded at Shawn. “Shawn, mind showing them your badge? Let them see what real credentials look like!”
“Sure thing!” Shawn answered, calm and collected. He pulled out his Hung Society Emblem—a yellow jade badge—and handed it to Henry Hung. Henry stood up, flashed the badge for everyone to see, then handed it to the white-haired Taoist, grinning, “Take a good look, Azure Dragon!”
The white-haired Taoist took the badge with trembling hands, studying it carefully for a long moment. Finally, his voice shook with excitement: "That's it—this is the Grand Chancellor's Medallion of Grandmaster Tyler Xuan! When this badge appears, it's as if the Grand Chancellor himself is here! Everyone below the Chief, even the 'Third Brother,' must obey its authority!"
"Whoa—no way! That's Grandmaster Tyler Xuan's yellow jade medallion!"
"Grandmaster Tyler Xuan is the Grand Chancellor of the entire Hung Society, both in China and overseas! He’s a living legend—who would've thought he’s so closely connected to this young... senior!"
The bosses from the Hung Prosperity Syndicate were all stunned. No one had expected Shawn Young’s background to be so epic! With credentials like that, sitting in the Red Pole Enforcer’s seat was more than justified.
Even Shawn himself was shocked—he had no idea the Grand Chancellor’s Medallion was such a big deal! Honestly, he was only this surprised because he didn’t really know much about the Hung Society.
The Hung Society’s influence stretched across the globe—Hong Kong’s branch was just one piece of the puzzle. So even the local bosses here had never met Grandmaster Tyler Xuan, but they all knew of his legendary reputation. And they knew the Grand Chancellor’s Medallion was the ultimate symbol of his status.
That’s why, all of a sudden, every boss in the room started looking at Shawn Young with complicated, almost feverish eyes. These old-school underworld pros knew exactly what it meant to get close to a big shot like him—it was the ultimate jackpot!