Chapter 17 — Sassy Boy: Heir to the Underground Family

A week after the failure at warehouse No. 7, Co Bach Nghi convened an emergency meeting with the most trusted associates of the Black Gold Society. The atmosphere in the meeting room was more tense than ever, as everyone felt the smoldering anger emanating from the leader who always maintained his composure in front of others.

"We let an eighteen-year-old child humiliate this organization right on our own territory," Co Bach Nghi said, his voice cold and chilling. "That cannot be allowed to happen a second time."

"Sir, we have increased security at all key facilities," one of the associates spoke up. "But attacking the Blue Wind Guild directly right now might be too risky, when they're on high alert."

"Who said I want to attack directly?" Co Bach Nghi replied, the corner of his lips curled up in a cold smile. "There are much more effective ways to weaken an organization from within."

He signaled Trinh Anh Kiet to show a report on the big screen, which detailed the Thanh Phong Association's internal power structure, with special emphasis on the relationship between Duong Vinh Bach and his uncle, Duong Khai Phong.

"We have learned that not all the elders in the council fully support this young master," Co Bach Nghi explained. "Especially Duong Khai Phong, who always doubts his nephew's leadership ability. This is the loophole that we can exploit."

"What are you going to do, sir?" another associate asked.

"Sowing more doubts," Co Bach Nghi replied. "Spreading rumors that Vinh Bach deliberately leaked information about the detention location to create an excuse to attack our territory, breaking the tacit agreement on the operational boundaries that has existed between the two sides for many years. If this rumor spreads, some important partners of the Thanh Phong Association will begin to waver, and the internal division of the council of elders will also be more serious."

This plan, although not directly causing physical harm, was much more dangerous than a conventional attack — it aimed directly at the foundation of power and prestige that Vinh Bach was trying to build.

A few days later, those rumors began to spread in underground circles, cleverly planted through many different information channels to avoid being traced back to the source. Lam Chinh Dao was the first person to discover this unusual sign, when a few long-time partners of Thanh Phong Hoi began to be more reserved in business exchanges.

"Someone is spreading false rumors about you," Lam Chinh Dao reported to Vinh Bach, his face full of worry. "That you deliberately provoked the Black Gold Society to break the hidden agreement, pushing the entire organization into an unnecessary war."

"This is clearly a psychological attack by Co Bach Nghi," Vinh Bach said, clenching his fists, sensing the sophistication of his opponent's tactics. "He did not attack directly, but aimed at our reputation and internal unity."

As expected, Tang Kaifeng convened another emergency meeting of the council of elders immediately after the rumors spread, this time with a much stricter attitude.

“I warned you about the consequences of acting impulsively,” Duong Khai Phong said, his voice filled with pressure in front of the entire council. "Now, the reputation of the entire organization is at stake because of these rumors. Some partners have begun to reconsider their partnership with us."

"This is a false rumor spread by Co Bach Nghi himself to divide us internally," Vinh Bach countered, his voice resolute. "I have never revealed the location of warehouse No. 7 to anyone other than the team directly participating in the rescue. That information has a completely different origin."

"Do you have any evidence to prove that?" another elder asked, his voice filled with skepticism.

Vinh Bach paused for a moment. He couldn't reveal that the real source of the information came from Khanh Linh's locator bracelet without revealing Dieu Linh's role, which he promised would protect her from being drawn deeper into this underworld.

"I cannot reveal details about the source, for security reasons," Vinh Bach replied, knowing that this answer would not satisfy those who were skeptical of him.

A heavy silence enveloped the meeting room. Duong Khai Phong looked at his nephew with complicated eyes, both disappointed and worried.

"Vinh Bach," he said, his voice low. "I do not doubt your courage or your good intentions. But leading an organization as large as the Thanh Phong Hoi requires much more than that — it requires transparency, the ability to persuade, and most importantly, the ability to unite people under a common goal. If you cannot resolve this crisis of trust, I fear the council will be forced to reconsider your leadership role."

That sentence was like a knife stabbing straight into Vinh Bach's self-esteem. He knew, this was exactly what Co Bach Nghi wanted — not only to weaken his reputation with the underground public, but also to sow division within his own family, causing him to lose the support he needed to continue fighting.

After the meeting, Vinh Bach returned to his office, his face heavy with thought. Dieu Linh, who had been waiting for him throughout that stressful meeting, immediately recognized the fatigue in his eyes.

"What's up?" she asked, sitting down next to him.

Vinh Bach recounted the entire meeting, without hiding any details, just like the promise of transparency he had given her.

"So it's because of me that you can't reveal the real evidence," Dieu Linh said, her voice filled with self-blame. "If I hadn't participated in locating Khanh Linh, perhaps you wouldn't have fallen into this awkward situation."

"No, don't think like that," Vinh Bach replied immediately, holding her hand. "This was my choice, to protect you from being drawn deeper into this world. I don't regret that decision, even if it got me in trouble before the council."

Dieu Linh looked at him, her heart filled with both emotion and worry. She knows that the war that Vinh Bach is facing comes not only from external enemies, but also from his own family's own doubts - a silent but no less fierce war, and she is determined to find a way to help him overcome it, even at the cost of stepping deeper into this dangerous world.

That evening, after Dieu Linh returned home, Vinh Bach called Lam Chinh Dao, asking him to learn more about the true origin of the rumor. "Co Bach Nghi couldn't spread the news himself without leaving any traces," he said. "There must have been someone inside or near the Thanh Phong Association who assisted."

"I doubted it from the beginning," Lam Chinh Dao replied. "I will have people review all communication channels, especially focusing on characters who can access internal information but have suspicious connections with the outside."

Three days later, Lam Chinh Dao's intelligence team discovered an important clue: a low-level assistant in an elder's office had secretly contacted a phone number linked to the Black Gold Society's network. Although it is not direct evidence accusing Co Bach Nghi of being behind the rumor, this is still a valuable clue.

"This could be the starting point for us to counterattack," Vinh Bach said as he looked over the report, his eyes regaining some of their usual sharpness. “If we can prove the true origin of the rumor, the council of elders will no longer have any reason to doubt you.”

"But we need more time to consolidate the evidence before making it public," Lam Chinh Dao warned. "If we act too hastily without solid evidence, we may be accused of slander in return, making the situation even more confusing."

Vinh Bach nodded, understanding the necessary caution in this sensitive situation. He knew that every next step had to be carefully calculated, because just one small mistake could cause his entire effort to restore his reputation to completely collapse before the already skeptical council of elders.

"Continue investigating quietly," he ordered. "And in the meantime, I will personally go to each of the elders, clearly explain my decision in the rescue, trying to win back their trust with sincerity instead of relying solely on evidence."

"That's a wise approach," Lam Chinh Dao nodded in agreement. "Sometimes, sincerity is more convincing than hard evidence."

Vinh Bach smiled slightly, feeling a little more confident after that encouragement. He knew the road ahead was still long, but at least now he had a clear direction to start correcting the increasingly unfavorable situation for him.