Chapter 8

“What kind of person are you to speak to me like this!” The teacher, feeling his dignity challenged, shouted angrily, waving his hand in the air. Xie Wendong stared unblinkingly at this middle-aged man who was acting aggressively in front of him, feeling increasingly annoyed. He pointed at him and said, “You’re actually nothing in front of me! It’s best not to provoke me, or you’ll taste the bitterness of regret.” After saying that, he lifted the hem of his pants and sat down. “You…” The teacher wanted to say more, but upon seeing Xie Wendong’s ferocious gaze, he swallowed his words. He didn’t want to admit that he was intimidated by a new student, but his trembling legs betrayed him. He silently memorized Xie Wendong’s name, smirked, and continued calling names. Li Shuang turned to Xie Wendong and asked, “Brother Dong, are we just going to tolerate this?” Xie Wendong narrowed his eyes and said, “We’ll have our chance later!” Then he leaned over his desk, ready to sleep. Lately, for some reason, Xie Wendong felt an overwhelming urge to sleep. He used to wake up around 4:30, but now he wouldn’t get up even until 6 o’clock. If anyone disturbed his sleep, he would become extremely irritable. After calling all the names, the teacher selected class leaders. Of course, although Xie Wendong had the best grades, his “impression” on this teacher was too strong, so he didn’t get any position. The teacher didn’t realize, though, that Xie Wendong was quite satisfied with this outcome. Eventually, the class leaders “happily” went to get the new books. After the new books were distributed, the teacher said, “Class is over for now. Remember to be at school by 7 o’clock tomorrow; class starts at 8. No one is allowed to be late.” With that, he headed for the classroom door, thinking about how to deal with Xie Wendong, who had humiliated him earlier. Xie Wendong and Li Shuang left the classroom, followed by their classmates from the same class. There were a few people standing in the hallway, all wearing the uniforms of No. 1 Middle School. When they saw Xie Wendong and Li Shuang, one student with a face swollen like a pig’s pointed and said to someone beside him, “Brother Hu, it’s them! Ugh~” He had pointed too hard, causing pain in his body. Xie Wendong took a closer look and realized it was “Little Eye,” who had been beaten by Li Shuang earlier. He admired him for still being able to walk after such a beating, showing remarkable resilience. Li Shuang also recognized him and curled his lips, saying, “What’s wrong? Still not convinced?”

The student called “Little Eyes” who addressed him as Brother Tiger stepped forward, sized up Gao Shuang, and said, “Brother, you’re new here. Coming in and not showing respect to the old guys, beating someone up like that—I can’t just ignore it.” This Brother Tiger was over 1.8 meters tall, with broad shoulders and a thick waist. When he raised his eyes, three furrows appeared on his forehead, giving him a real tiger-like appearance.

“So what do you want?” Gao Shuang didn’t dare underestimate this Brother Tiger; he wasn’t sure he could beat him in a one-on-one fight.

Brother Tiger nodded. “Let’s meet behind the playground in the small woods later to sort this out.” With that, he turned and left. “Little Eyes” followed behind, limping, and glanced back at Gao Shuang as he left, saying, “You better get a stretcher ready. Whoever doesn’t show up is no son of a bitch!”

“Damn it, you’ve really gotten agitated by just a few people! Wait for me later.”

At that moment, Gao Qiang also arrived and asked Xie Wendong, “Brother Dong, what’s going on?”

Before Xie Wendong could speak, Li Shuang took over, “Those two bastards we fought with at the car shed this morning sent people to tell us to go to the small woods behind the playground to ‘sort things out’.”

Hearing this, Gao Qiang chuckled and rubbed his hands together. “Brother Dong, it’s been a while since we had a good fight. Today’s the perfect day to get busy.”

Xie Wendong nodded. It seemed impossible to avoid a fight here. After all, this was No.1 Middle School, a “concentration camp” for delinquent teens. “Gao Qiang, go call all our brothers. I have plans!” Gao Qiang replied and ran off.

The small woods behind No.1 Middle School weren’t big. Located behind the playground, they were overgrown with weeds and littered with trash. School officials never came here; it had become a gathering place for the school’s troublemakers—for one-on-one fights, gang brawls, and parties. Dry bloodstains on the ground could still be faintly seen.

Xie Wendong and Li Shuang entered the woods, followed by over a dozen others. From afar, they saw “Brother Tiger” leading a group waiting there, all holding bats. The two groups met in the center of the woods and sized each other up. Xie Wendong looked at Brother Tiger first and spoke, “Who are you among the top guys at No.1 Middle School?”

Brother Tiger smiled. “Who are you? Why are you talking to me?”

Li Shuang lit a cigarette for Xie Wendong and said, “This is Brother Dong, our boss!”

Brother Tiger glanced at Xie Wendong. “Brother Dong, huh? I’ve never heard of you. I don’t care where you came from. No.1 Middle School belongs to ‘Brother Gao’. Since you’re here, if you’re a dragon, you better lie down; if you’re a tiger, you better crouch. If you think you can be king here, you should first look in a mirror. Today, we’re going to talk about you beating my brothers!”

Li Shuang lit a cigarette and said, “I don’t know who this ‘Gao Lao’ you’re talking about, or what kind of person he is…”
Xie Wendong stopped Li Shuang from continuing. “It was us who beat them. Figure out what to do next. Whether we set up stakes here is our business—you’re not qualified to interfere.”
Brother Hu said, “Alright, kid, you’ve got guts. Let’s not talk about that for now. You beat my brother—how are we going to settle this?”
Li Shuang shouted, “I’ll settle this with your mother! Damn you, who the hell do you think you are? Just because you have a few tattoos on your head, do you think you’re a tiger?”
“Hehe!” Brother Hu sneered, “Fatty, no need to act tough now. I’ll make you scramble for your teeth later!”
Li Shuang unbuttoned his shirt and rolled up his sleeves. “Come on, you little bastard! Let’s see how you make me scramble for my teeth!”
Xie Wendong crossed his arms, knowing he couldn’t get past this without fighting. He stared at Brother Hu and said, “This fight is inevitable. I wanted to avoid it if possible, but now there’s no way around it.” Without warning, he rushed at Brother Hu, lifting his leg and slamming his knee hard into the latter’s stomach. Brother Hu wasn’t prepared for such a quick attack and bent over in pain from the heavy blow. Xie Wendong then pressed down on Brother Hu’s head and used his knee to strike his face.
Brother Hu, being an experienced fighter, quickly reacted and blocked Xie Wendong’s rising knee with his arm. Seeing that knees weren’t effective, Xie Wendong switched to hitting him hard in the back with his elbow. An elbow is one of the hardest parts of the body. With all his strength, Xie Wendong struck, and Brother Hu couldn’t withstand it, feeling as if his back had been struck by lightning. He screamed and fell to the ground. His underestimation of his opponent meant he didn’t even get a chance to fight back before being knocked down. Xie Wendong knew he couldn’t be gentle with his enemy—once he started fighting, he had to make sure the other guy couldn’t get up. His eyes now glowed like those of a beast; he no longer saw Brother Hu as a human being. He grabbed him by the hair and smashed his head against the ground. In just a moment, Brother Hu’s face was covered in blood, and he was unconscious.
As Xie Wendong rushed at Brother Hu, Li Shuang didn’t stay idle either. Shouting loudly, he charged at Brother Hu’s men, with the others following, pulling out the sticks they carried at their waists. At the front, Li Shuang spotted “Little Eyes” at once. Grinning widely, he said, “You little bastard, you think you can play around? Today, I’m going to have some real fun with you!”

“Xiao Yan” stood at the back of the crowd. From afar, he saw Li Shuang staring at him and running toward him. Frightened, he screamed “Mommy!” and hobbled outside. Li Shuang didn’t give him a chance; he caught up to him in a few steps and knocked him to the ground. He had shown some mercy when fighting him in the morning, but this time he wasn’t gentle at all, using all his strength to attack Xiao Yan. The others also found their own opponents and started fighting among themselves. At that moment, over thirty more people came in from outside, holding sheets just removed from chairs, and joined the fight without saying a word. The leader was a tall man with flashy hair and an open shirt—none other than Gao Qiang.

For a while, the small forest was filled with screams. The students on the playground were used to this by now; some chatted, some played ball, creating a “peaceful” atmosphere. But inside the forest, it was like hell on earth—students with broken bones lay on the ground screaming, while those still standing but covered in blood couldn’t hear anything. All they saw were enemies. Thus began the struggle between the new forces at No.1 Middle School and the existing forces!

Xie Wendong stood up, his hands stained red with blood, with blood spots on his face as well. Hu Ge on the ground had already fainted. Wiping the blood from his face, he bent down, grabbed Hu Ge’s hair, and forced him to stand up.

“Stop it all!” Xie Wendong shouted. His voice was as loud as Li Shuang’s. Hearing the shout, the students stopped and turned toward Xie Wendong. Everyone was shocked because what stood there didn’t seem human but rather a devil. After wiping the blood from his face, it spread across his face, making him look extremely ferocious. Covered in blood—whether his own or someone else’s—he held Hu Ge’s hair and lifted his upper body; it was unclear whether Hu Ge was alive or dead. He looked exactly like a devil just come out of hell.

“Mommy~~~” “Help~~~!” Two of Hu Ge’s subordinates screamed and ran outside the forest, only to be stopped by a dozen brothers Xie Wendong had already stationed outside. They were kicked violently before being dragged back and thrown to the ground. All of Hu Ge’s subordinates were stunned.

Xie Wendong curled his lips upward. “No one here will be able to leave today!” After hearing his words, some people sat down and cried, while the others lost all fighting spirit. Xie Wendong’s lips curled even higher—he was satisfied with the effect. It was actually just to scare them. “Either become like him,” he said, lifting Hu Ge’s body in his hands, “or work for me! Choose for yourselves!”

He glanced at the reckless Hu Ge, then at the demon-like Xie Wendong and the dozen or so of his subordinates watching them closely. Some people threw down their weapons and shouted, “Brother Dong… Brother Dong, I’ll follow you!” More than a dozen students who were loyal to Hu Ge stood there, torn between choices.

Xie Wendong smiled, nodded at them, and said, “Okay, I won’t trouble you. Take away all the injured, including this one.” He pushed Hu Ge’s body forward and added, “Go back and tell that ‘Gao Lao’—it was me who fought them, and it was me who started this. If you’re not satisfied, come look for me. My name is Xie Wendong!” Seeing that they had heard him clearly, he continued, “You can go now. I’m sparing you this time. Next time you confront me, don’t blame me for not warning you.”

The men looked at Xie Wendong and, seeing he wasn’t joking, said “Thank you” before carrying away the injured. But they would never forget Xie Wendong’s appearance that day—it would stay etched in their memories for life.

After they all walked away, Xie Wendong said to his men, “Take the injured to the hospital, quickly! Qiang, you go with them!”

Gao Qiang responded and, along with his subordinates, carried the injured out of the forest. Xie Wendong thought for a moment before telling Gao Qiang, “Once you get to the hospital, find San Yan—he has money!”

Gao Qiang walked away for a distance before turning back and shouting, “Brother Dong, I know!” Then he rushed toward the school entrance.

Li Shuang came over and laughed at Xie Wendong, “Brother Dong, that fight was really satisfying! I knocked out three of them. But you’re still more ruthless! Even the tiger is turning into a dead tiger!”

Xie Wendong shook his head. Looking at Li Shuang, he almost laughed. Li Shuang’s clothes were torn in several places, covered in blood, and his face, mixed with sweat and dirt, looked like that of a beggar. Xie Wendong took out a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to Li Shuang, saying, “Wipe your face first!”

Li Shuang awkwardly took the handkerchief and wiped his face roughly. He thought to himself: Brother Dong’s face isn’t much cleaner than mine.

Xie Wendong said to those who had followed him earlier, “I know you followed me under duress, but since you’re with me now, I treat you as my own brothers. I hope you won’t do anything to disappoint me. Otherwise… I don’t want to say more. I’m giving you one more chance to choose. Those who want to stay are welcome. Whatever’s mine will be yours. Those who don’t want to stay—leave now!”

A few of these people were conquered by Xie Wendong’s fierce determination, while others were truly forced to follow. Hearing what Xie Wendong said just now, it was really hard to decide what to do. Seeing this, Xie Wendong said loudly, “From now on, those who follow me are my men. Whoever dares to harm you won’t be spared—no matter who it is! Today serves as an example; I, Xie Wendong, keep my word!”
After hearing this, these people had no more hesitations and bowed to Xie Wendong together, saying, “We are willing to follow Brother Dong. If we ever have second thoughts, heaven and earth will not forgive us!”
Xie Wendong smiled and said to his former brothers, “Everyone sees now that these people are our own brothers from now on. Take good care of each other!” It was funny—these enemies who had just fought each other now became his own men, their fates tied together by one person.
One of them said to Xie Wendong, “Brother Dong, I know you’re very strong, but ‘Gao Laobai’ is no ordinary person. If you send us… no, if they attack, Gao Laobai won’t just let it go easily!”
Xie Wendong looked at him and asked, “What’s your name?” “Brother Dong, my name is Zhang Yanjiang. I’m from Class 2, Grade 12.”
Xie Wendong nodded and asked, “Tell me about the situation at No. 1 Middle School. Pick the most important points.”
Zhang Yanjiang thought for a moment and said, “Before you arrived, there were two factions at No. 1 Middle School. One was led by ‘Gao Laobai,’ and the other was the Black Dragon Brotherhood founded by Liu Jinglong…” Xie Wendong interrupted him and asked, “Who is Liu Jinglong? And what’s the Black Dragon Brotherhood?”
Zhang Yanjiang replied, “Liu Jinglong is a student in Grade 12. Everyone calls him Brother Long. He was one of the first to establish a gang at No. 1 Middle School. Many Grade 12 students are under his control. But not long after, Gao Laobai arrived and brought in some local troublemakers, quickly building his own faction. The two sides fought countless battles. The worst one saw about 200 people fighting inside the school, resulting in three deaths and countless injuries…” At this point, Zhang Yanjiang still felt scared.
Xie Wendong asked, “Then doesn’t the school do anything about it?”
Zhang Yanjiang sneered, “Do something? How could the school care? The principal said, ‘These are scum of society. One less is no big deal.’”
Li Shuang asked loudly, “But deaths at school aren’t a trivial matter! Even if the principal isn’t sentenced, he should be removed from his position, right?”