Greenwater City, Shanyuan Road, inside a mansion, Li Banfeng sat on the sofa wearing a top hat, its brim pulled down low.
Shen Jinzhong, the second-in-command of the Three Heroes Gang, was forty-eight this year. He was bald, with a round face, a beard that covered his jaw, and a Seventh Layer Martial Cultivator.
Looking at Bao Yingchen beside him, Shen Jinzhong felt a wave of unease.
"Seventh Master, this Puppet is flawless except the complexion is a bit off; it looks kind of green," he said.
Li Banfeng nodded. "The complexion is easy to handle; we can take care of that with some makeup when the time comes."
Shen Jinzhong added, "His manner of speaking and demeanor are not quite the same as our Head of the family.
"When our Head of the family speaks, he only reveals three parts and conceals seven. Even these three parts are spoken in a veiled manner.
"When people listen to him, they all feel there’s a good reason behind his words, but hardly anyone can clearly articulate what that reason is."
Shen Jinzhong had clearly expressed his impression of Bao Yingchen. Li Banfeng, however, sank into deep thought.
Shen Jinzhong asked, "Seventh Master, how much do you think would be appropriate for him to say?"
"I think three sentences should suffice."
Shen Jinzhong was puzzled. "Can three sentences really make the situation clear?"
"Add two sentences of preamble and two sentences of conclusion. The main topic should only be three sentences. Seven or eight sentences in total should be enough, I think."
Shen Jinzhong was somewhat anxious.
Li Banfeng said, "It’s not crucial whether he says more or less; what’s key is having witnesses. You invite the leaders of the various Gangs to the Golden Seal Hall. How many you can get depends on your influence.
"From my end, I will also have people come. Tonight, you bring the Great Gold Seal home. Just make sure you don’t let the news slip out in advance."
Shen Jinzhong was somewhat troubled. "Seventh Master, if you don’t want me to leak the news about bringing the Great Gold Seal home, how should I invite people?"
Li Banfeng took out a piece of Contract Paper. "That depends on your ability," he said. "I don’t think you need to worry. Those who should come will inevitably do so, and those who shouldn’t bother shouldn’t come to make trouble. Let’s first make a Contract Book; everything we previously agreed on is written in here."
Shen Jinzhong pricked his finger and stamped a blood handprint.
Li Banfeng rewrote the script, and the two rehearsed it meticulously several times.
「Shen Jinzhong returned to the Golden Seal Hall.」
The Golden Seal Hall was a large mansion where the Three Heroes Gang usually discussed important matters.
Shen Jinzhong sat in the second chair, as instructed by Li Banfeng. The first chair, the seat of greatest importance, remained vacant until the matter was settled—a sign of respect for Bao Yingchen and loyalty to the Gang.
He summoned several subordinates and ordered them to prepare invitations. "I’ve purchased twenty sheep on the Hundred Shepherds Plains. You go and prepare twenty pots; we dine tonight."
His subordinates asked, "Whom shall we invite?"
"I’ve made a list. You go and prepare the invitations," he directed.
"Head of the family, at this juncture, isn’t it inappropriate to hold a large feast?"
Shen Jinzhong frowned. "What grand feast? Just some mutton hotpot. I’m inviting these people over to help us find our Head of the family."
One of the subordinates glanced at the list, which included some prominent figures of Greenwater City. "Head of the family," one said, "inviting someone two days in advance is polite; calling them the day before is a summons. But on the day itself? That’s practically hauling them over. If we try to strong-arm people like this now, they might not be willing to come."
"Those who should come will definitely grant me this courtesy. As for those who shouldn’t, it’s better they don’t come and cause trouble. Go on now!" Shen Jinzhong said impatiently.
By six o’clock in the evening, guests started arriving one by one.
The earliest to arrive were members of the Three Heroes Gang. Shen Jinzhong had invited several Elders. He himself sat in the second-highest seat, leaving the chief seat vacant, and asked Elder Dong Kaibin to sit in the third seat.
Supported by the Chu Family, Dong Kaibin had already taken over the duties of the third-in-command of the Three Heroes Gang, lacking only the official title.
When Shen Jinzhong invited him to take his seat, Dong Kaibin demurred, "Head of the family, I think it’s not yet appropriate for me to sit here, as the title isn’t official."
"What’s there to be afraid of!" Shen Jinzhong laughed. "We’ve arranged this meal precisely to make your title official."
"We still don’t have news about the Head of the family, so my little issue isn’t worth mentioning..."
"We must continue the search for the Head of the family, but your matter also needs to be settled. Elder brother, please, sit down and make yourself comfortable."
From Shen Jinzhong’s attitude, Dong Kaibin understood the situation.
The members of the Three Heroes Gang had almost all arrived, and figures from other Gangs gradually made their entrance. Han Yaomen, the Head of the Qingyun Society, greeted Shen Jinzhong with a clasped fist salute, "Shen Gold Seal!"
He then turned to Dong Kaibin, offering a clasped fist salute as well. "Elder Dong."
Shen Jinzhong smiled. "Brother Han, you can’t just call him ’Elder’ anymore. Now, he is Dong Jingyin."
Han Yaomen smiled, flicked his long robe, and took his seat without a word.