The Lion Gang didn’t occupy any courtyards. Their main office was located in a ten-story building where the gang leader and elders resided. The three deputy leaders lived elsewhere, while the rest of the gang members scattered into nearby buildings. This arrangement made it difficult for enemies to target and eliminate the gang’s main force all at once.
The Lion Gang was holding a meeting in a conference room upstairs. Due to pressure from the Black Tiger Gang, most of the Lion Gang’s major businesses had ceased operations for rectification. Although some merchants on Chinatown offered support, it wasn’t a sustainable solution. With 1,500 members relying on dwindling resources, the gang’s finances were nearly depleted.
Currently, the Hudson family was embroiled in internal conflict, leaving them unable to focus on the Black Tiger Gang. This gave the Lion Gang a brief respite. At this time, several local New York families—the Black family, the Stanley family, the Mosey family, and the Pull family—extended their influence toward the Lion Gang. They offered financial support and promised comprehensive assistance to restore the Lion Gang’s strength, hoping that the Lion Gang would eventually become one of their branches.
Mu Lin thought to himself that these troubles stemmed from internal conflicts among Chinese people. Coming to foreign soil and still fighting for dominance would only benefit these foreigners. Once the Hudson family emerged from their internal strife, they would fully take over the underground world of Chinatown. At that time, the Chinese people who had previously been protected by the Lion Gang would once again suffer from the oppression of New York’s underground families.
The Lion Gang did not occupy a courtyard; their main headquarters was located in a 10-story building where the gang leader and elders resided. The three deputy leaders lived elsewhere. The remaining core members were scattered in buildings near the main headquarters, making it difficult for enemies to wipe them out in one strike.
The Lion Gang was currently holding a meeting in the conference room upstairs. Due to the suppression by the Black Tiger Gang, their primary businesses had mostly shut down for reorganization. Although some merchants in Chinatown provided support, it was not a sustainable solution. With 1,500 members idling away their resources, the gang’s finances were nearing a deficit.
Now, the Hudson family was preoccupied with internal strife, temporarily unable to deal with the Black Tiger Gang, giving the Lion Gang a brief respite. However, local New York factions—the Black, Stanley, Morse, and Poole families—had extended their claws, offering financial aid to help the Lion Gang recover its strength, hoping to turn them into a subordinate branch in the future.
Mu Lin thought to himself that this disaster stemmed from infighting among the Chinese themselves. Coming to foreign territory and still fighting for dominance would only benefit these outsiders. Once the Hudson family resolved their internal conflicts, they would fully take over Chinatown’s underworld. The Chinese, who once had the Lion Gang’s support, would again fall under the oppression of New York’s underground families.
At this point, the Lion Gang had split into three factions:
1. One advocated accepting aid from a local underworld family, choosing one to repay later once they overcame their crisis, ensuring no future obligations.
2. Another insisted on rejecting all aid, temporarily relocating their forces to another city to regroup and return stronger.
3. The third faction refused any foreign aid outright, proposing to take advantage of the Hudson family’s distraction and launch a decisive battle against the Black Tiger Gang to completely expel them from Chinatown.
Listening to the heated debate in the conference room, Mu Lin felt somewhat relieved. At least none of the remaining members suggested surrendering to these foreigners—they were still men of principle.
Mu Lin decided to help these Chinese warriors in a foreign land. Currently occupied with his cultivation, he couldn’t involve himself too deeply in worldly affairs, but he could assist from the upper echelons to improve their standing in the Western world. The mundane matters would be left to them, while he would do his utmost to support them.
With this in mind, he sent a voice transmission to Lü Dahai, the Lion Gang’s leader, altering his tone to sound like an elderly man.
*”Leader Lü, please adjourn the meeting now. Keep only your most trusted members behind. I have something to tell you—and I can help.”*
Lü Dahai, presiding over the meeting, was a man in his fifties with a refined, scholarly appearance. However, Mu Lin knew that beneath his calm demeanor lay formidable martial prowess—his internal energy cultivation had reached an advanced level.
Startled by the sudden voice in his ear, Lü Dahai looked around before realizing it was the legendary technique of “voice transmission.” This skill, long thought lost, required profound mastery of internal martial arts. The fact that someone could use it now meant a true expert was offering aid.
Regaining his composure, Lü Dahai announced, *”We’ve debated long enough without resolution. There’s no need to rush a decision today.”* He then named a few individuals and said, *”You stay. The rest, return and reinforce security. We’ll reconvene tomorrow morning.”*
The others exchanged puzzled glances. The meeting had been urgent—two factions had given them a deadline for a response. Why the sudden change?
Seeing their confusion, Lü Dahai explained, *”During the discussion, I recalled that a senior from our sect lives in seclusion in New York. He instructed me to seek him only in dire emergencies. I nearly forgot until now. I must consult him first. Whether he helps or not, we’ll meet again tomorrow to finalize our strategy. My apologies, brothers!”* He clasped his fists in salute.
Pointing to those remaining, he added, *”I’m keeping them as escorts—the senior dislikes disturbances. Please don’t overthink it. We’ll see you all tomorrow!”*
Satisfied with the explanation, the others dispersed, though a few seemed uneasy. Mu Lin noted their reactions.
Once alone, Lü Dahai bowed toward the empty air. *”Senior, they’ve left. Whether you can aid us or not, the Lion Gang thanks you for your kindness.”*
Mu Lin smirked inwardly—no matter how flattering Lü Dahai’s words, he wouldn’t reveal himself. Getting entangled with these old foxes would ruin his peace.
Using voice transmission again, he instructed, *”Leader Lü, write down a bank account on paper—don’t speak it. I’ll see it. Burn the note afterward. Tomorrow, I’ll deposit 50 million to help you through this crisis. Have your men step back while you write.”*
Lü Dahai silently wrote the account number, paused, then burned the paper.
Mu Lin had two reasons for this method: his psychic senses allowed him to observe everything in the room, and he had noticed one person’s abnormal heartbeat and breathing when Lü Dahai mentioned the “senior.” This test confirmed his suspicion—the man kept trying to peek at what Lü Dahai was writing.
Using his true energy, Mu Lin sealed the man’s acupoints and transmitted, *”Leader Lü, I’ve memorized the details. Let me repeat them to confirm.”*
After verifying, he continued, *”Among your men, the second to your right is a traitor. I don’t know his allegiance, but I’ve immobilized him. Search him—he’s carrying a hidden recorder, still running, capturing today’s meeting.”*
Lü Dahai’s face turned ashen. The accused was his second son. If true, the Lion Gang’s downfall was due to his own blood betraying them—leaving them defenseless against their enemies.
Listening to the intense debate among the three factions in the meeting room, Mu Lin felt a slight sense of relief. At least among those who remained in the Lion Gang, none had suggested surrendering to these foreigners. They were still a group of proud and spirited men.
Mu Lin decided to help these Chinese warriors in a foreign land. Currently, due to his cultivation, he couldn’t personally deal with worldly matters. However, he could offer support from a higher level, helping improve the situation for Chinese people in the Western world. As for the mundane affairs below, he would leave them to these men to handle while he did his best to assist them.
Thinking thus, he used sound transmission to speak to Lü Dahai, the leader of the Lion Gang who was presiding over the meeting. However, Mu Lin altered his accent and tone, making his voice sound like that of an old man. “Director Lü, I ask you to end your meeting now and keep only the personnel you trust. I have something to tell you and can also offer assistance.”
Lü Dahai, who was presiding over the meeting, was around fifty years old. He had a pale complexion and a tall, slender build, giving the initial impression of a gentle, scholarly figure. Mu Lin knew that this man had cultivated his internal energy and physical strength to a high degree, making him appear calm and poised when still, yet swift and agile when in motion—clear evidence of mastery in internal martial arts.
When Lü Dahai suddenly heard someone speaking in his ear, he was startled. After glancing around and realizing it was a technique of secret sound transmission, he understood. He also knew that only someone who had reached a certain level of internal martial arts cultivation could use such a technique, and this skill had already been lost to time. He hadn’t heard of any martial artists, either domestically or abroad, who still possessed this ability.
Suddenly hearing the secret sound transmission technique caught him off guard. The fact that a martial arts expert capable of this technique was now offering help meant salvation for the Lion Gang. Having led the Lion Gang for many years, Lü Dahai had cultivated a calm demeanor and quickly regained his composure. He addressed the group, saying, “Alright, we’ve been discussing this for a long time without reaching a conclusion. There’s no need to rush into a decision today. Let me pick a few people to stay behind while the rest of you return for now. Stay vigilant and we’ll continue our discussion tomorrow morning. Everyone, please disperse.”
The group looked at him with confusion and doubt. After all, he had been the one to call the meeting, especially since two factions were approaching their deadline for a response. Everyone had gathered today specifically to discuss strategies tonight. Why had he suddenly changed his mind?
Facing their suspicious glances, Lü Dahai knew he needed to explain or they wouldn’t leave willingly. “Here’s the thing,” he continued, “just now during the meeting, I suddenly remembered that there’s an elder of our sect also living in hiding here in New York. He told me that I should only seek him out in times of extreme crisis when the sect’s survival was at stake. I had been so overwhelmed these past few days that I nearly forgot. It was only during the meeting just now that I suddenly remembered him. I now want to go seek his help first. Whether it works or not, I’ll reconvene everyone tomorrow morning to discuss this matter again. I apologize to all of you brothers!”
He then bowed to the group with clasped hands.
Then he pointed to the few he had chosen to stay behind: “I’m keeping these few with me because the elder dislikes being disturbed, so I can only bring them along for protection. I ask all of you not to take offense. Please come back tomorrow morning to discuss further plans together. Brothers, please go safely!”
After hearing this explanation, the group finally relaxed and dispersed. However, a few among them still seemed uneasy, and Mu Lin silently noted their features.
Once everyone had left, Lü Dahai bowed toward the empty space in front of him and said, “Senior, now that everyone has gone, you can come out. Regardless of whether you can help the Lion Gang or not, I thank you on behalf of the entire gang for your goodwill.”
Mu Lin thought to himself that no matter how nicely Lü Dahai spoke, he wouldn’t come out. If he let himself get entangled with these old foxes, he would never have peace again.
He then used secret sound transmission again: “Director Lü, listen carefully. Now give me a bank account number—not by speaking it out loud, but by writing it down on paper. I’ll see it, and then you can burn the paper.”
Lü Dahai, after listening, silently took a pen and wrote down the bank account number on a piece of paper. After a brief pause, he burned it.
Mu Lin wanted him to do this for two reasons. First, his spiritual sense could observe everything happening in the room. Second, he noticed that when Lü Dahai mentioned the existence of a senior from their sect, one person’s heartbeat and breathing had become abnormal. He wanted to test this person with this method. As expected, the person kept trying to move closer to Lü Dahai to see what he was writing.
Mu Lin extended his spiritual energy and froze the person in place, then continued transmitting sound: “Director Lü, I’ve memorized the number. Now I will repeat it back to you. Please confirm whether it’s correct.”
After repeating the number, Mu Lin continued, “Director Lü, among your people, the one sitting second from your right is a spy. I don’t know which side he belongs to, but I’ve already immobilized him. Search him and you’ll find a miniature tape recorder still running, probably recording everything from today’s meeting.”
Upon hearing this, Lü Dahai’s face turned pale with shock. The person Mu Lin described was actually his second son. If what Mu Lin said was true, then the reason for the Lion Gang’s downfall was because his own son had been a spy for the enemy. The Lion Gang had essentially been offering its neck to be cut all along.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage