Chapter 31

Xie Wendong took a look and sighed. It was already the second time in these past few days that he felt the guild lacked talent—not only in finance but also in those who understood weapons. Xie Wendong decided that the guild needed to recruit more people in the future; otherwise, it would suffer consequences sooner or later.

Xie Wendong and the others arrived at Guiwu in a broken car and stored their guns there first. Not long after arriving, Sanyan’s phone rang. It was Zhang Yanjiang calling, asking him to pick up the money and deliver the goods. Sanyan took two of his brothers, said goodbye to Xie Wendong, and rushed out of Guiwu.

Since Xie Wendong and Li Shuang had nothing else to do, they decided to check out the territory of the Axe Gang to get a feel for the area.

Dongsheng Dance Hall was located in the southern part of City J. It was extremely large, with two floors that could accommodate over a thousand people without feeling crowded. However, there weren’t many people there, and the atmosphere was quite quiet. Dongsheng Dance Hall fell under Zhang Hong’s jurisdiction. Zhang Hong was timid and content with the status quo; his faction was the weakest among the five major forces in the southern part of the city. Xie Wendong chose him as his first target.

Xie Wendong and Li Shuang arrived at Dongsheng. There were less than a hundred people inside. Although it was daytime, business was slow. The two picked an arbitrary table to sit at. A waiter came over and asked listlessly, “What would you like to drink?”

Li Shuang got angry at his attitude and said, “Damn, haven’t you eaten yet? I can’t hear you!”
The waiter glared at him, “What’s the problem? Are you here to cause trouble?!”

Unexpecting such arrogance from a waiter, Li Shuang stood up abruptly, grabbed his collar, and Xie Wendong glared at him before saying sternly, “Li Shuang, sit down!” Hearing this, Li Shuang glanced at the waiter and pointed at him, “Kid, be more careful with your words from now on!”

Seeing the waiter’s face turn red, Xie Wendong politely said, “Could you bring me two beers? Any kind will do.”

The waiter looked at Xie Wendong then at Li Shuang. Based on his years of experience judging people, he sensed that these two were special, so he endured his anger and said, “Okay, right away!” Then he glanced at Li Shuang before turning to leave.

After the waiter left, Li Shuang muttered, “Damn, what an annoying look!” He scanned the room and noticed three brightly dressed girls entering from the door, which caught his attention. He tugged at Xie Wendong’s sleeve, his eyes still fixed on the three girls, “Bro Dong, look! They’re perfect!”

Xie Wendong followed Li Shuang’s gaze and saw three girls sitting not far from him. They were dressed in trendy outfits, made up heavily, with rosy faces that hid their true features. Xie Wendong disapproved of girls who dressed like this. Seeing Li Shuang staring at them intently, almost drooling, he shook his head without saying a word.

After a while, Li Shuang turned to him and asked, “Brother Dong, what do you think?” Xie Wendong replied perfunctorily, “It’s okay, not bad!”

Li Shuang laughed and rubbed his hands together, saying softly, “I’ll go invite them for drinks in a bit. Maybe I can pick one out, haha!”

Xie Wendong was annoyed that Li Shuang had forgotten their original purpose so quickly and snorted in frustration, ignoring him. At that moment, five shady young men walked over from the crowd, laughing as they approached the three girls. A young man with yellow hair and a cigarette in his mouth sat down next to them, smiling mischievously and saying, “Hey, girls, it’s just the three of you! How about we guys keep you company?”

One girl in red curled her lips and said with a smile, “No need! If we wanted company, we wouldn’t choose you!”

The blond young man was stunned and asked, “Why?” The girl blinked and said, “Because you’re too ugly! Looking at you for too long might make me sick!” Then she laughed with the other two girls. The blond young man turned to see his companions also snickering. His face turned red instantly, and out of shame, he shouted, “Bitches! It’s your luck I like you. You have the nerve to be ungrateful? Today, I’m going to get you!” With that, he pulled the girl in red up and hugged her, while his other hand started fumbling on her body.

The girl screamed in shock, not expecting the young man to be so rude. She slapped him back. The sharp sound drew the attention of those around them. Li Shuang was about to get up to rescue her when Xie Wendong pulled him back and whispered, “Wait! Let’s watch first!”

The blond young man’s ear buzzed from the slap. Filled with anger and humiliation, he slapped the girl back as well. “Bitches! How dare you hit me? I’m going to make you pay today!” With that, he pulled the girl away toward the second floor.

The other two girls realized what was happening and grabbed the blond young man’s clothes, shouting, “What are you doing? Trying to kidnap her?”

The young man grinned viciously and said, “So what if I kidnap her? Today, I’m going to have some fun with her!” Then he said to his accomplices, “Leave these two to you. Let’s go up to the second floor and have some fun!” The four young men laughed and pulled the other two girls away.

The three girls struggled desperately, screaming for help. Li Shuang could hold back no longer and stood up, determined to teach those youths a lesson. As soon as he stood, someone was faster than him. Two youths, not even twenty years old but with dark skin, blocked the way for those hooligans. The taller one shouted, “Damn it, there’s no law anymore! They’re just robbing people openly! Let them go!”
The blond-haired youth was stunned by his words. Seeing that there were only two of them, he spoke scornfully, “Damn you, who the hell do you think you are? Why are you standing around? Get lost!”
Before he could finish speaking, the taller youth punched him in the mouth, then kicked him in the neck, knocking him to the ground. The blond-haired youth didn’t understand what was happening. He felt a sharp pain on his face and then fell to the ground, seeing stars before his eyes. It took him a while to recover. Sitting on the ground, he touched his mouth and found two front teeth missing. Filled with anger, he screamed, “Damn you bastards! Guys, beat him up!”
Before he could finish speaking, the others rushed in. Four hooligans fought against the two newcomers, and the six of them engaged in a chaotic fight. After being set free, the three girls stood aside. One girl in a white sweater saw that the blond-haired youth was still unconscious on the ground. She pulled the other two girls over and glared at him. The other two girls immediately understood what she meant. The three of them silently approached the blond-haired youth, exchanged glances, and then kicked him hard together.
The girls were wearing pointed leather shoes, and with all their strength, they kicked the blond-haired youth so hard that he lay on the ground groaning in pain, shouting, “Guys, come help me! Ah!” The three girls didn’t spare him and kept kicking him mercilessly.
The four hooligans fighting with the two newcomers heard his cries and wanted to go help him, but they were trapped by those two. One hooligan, distracted by the cries, was kicked in the stomach by the taller youth. It felt like his stomach had been hit by a car, and he rolled around in pain.
Seeing one of their companions fall, the remaining three hooligans panicked. One of them picked up a beer bottle and threw it at the other. The taller youth couldn’t dodge in time, and the bottle exploded against his forehead. Instantly, blood flowed from his forehead, covering his whole face. His companion shouted, “Liu Bo! How are you?”

The young man named Liu Bo touched the blood on his face and stared red-eyed at the thug still holding the bottle. The thug screamed in fear and turned to run. After a few steps, he reached where Xie Wendong and Li Shuang were sitting. Li Shuang smiled inwardly—good thing he left one behind; it would be perfect to show off his power in front of the girl. With that thought, Li Shuang shouted loudly, blocking the thug’s path. The sound was so loud that it startled Xie Wendong, who was sitting nearby.

Li Shuang didn’t stop. With one hand, he grabbed the man’s collar, and with the other, his belt. Using all his strength, he lifted the man overhead and threw him back horizontally. The thug screamed in midair before falling at Liu Bo’s feet. Just as he tried to get up, Liu Bo pressed his head down and punched him in the chest. With a crack, two of the thug’s ribs broke, and he collapsed, unable to rise.

Liu Bo looked at Li Shuang gratefully, who nodded and smiled at him. At that moment, over a dozen strong men came in from outside, led by a man of medium height, under forty years old, with a small beard. Upon entering the dance hall, he asked loudly, “What’s going on here?”

The waiter rushed over and said, “Brother Hong, someone is fighting in the yard!”

Li Shuang sat down and said to Xie Wendong, “Brother Dong, it seems this man is Zhang Hong!” Xie Wendong nodded. The man’s appearance matched the descriptions, and since the bartender called him Brother Hong, it was almost certain he was the right person.

The middle-aged man, called Brother Hong by the bartender, scanned the surroundings. Seeing the few young men in the yard, he understood what had happened, but still pretended not to know and asked, “Who dares cause trouble in my place, Zhang Hong? Step forward!”

Hearing that he was Zhang Hong, the thugs became terrified and knelt down, shouting, “Brother Hong, we… we didn’t know this was your place. We won’t dare do it again! Please spare us this time!”

Zhang Hong chuckled, knowing these were just low-level thugs with no backing. He wasn’t afraid of their retaliation. He said to the people behind him, “Take these guys outside and break one leg each as a lesson for them!” As soon as he finished speaking, a group of men came up behind Zhang Hong and grabbed the five thugs and Liu Bo, pulling them outside without hesitation. Liu Bo panicked and shouted, “I fought to save someone! Do you have any sense?”

Zhang Hong ignored him completely and said, “No matter why you did it, fighting in my place means you deserve punishment!”

Liu Bo tried to struggle, but two strong men held his arms tightly, preventing him from moving.

At that moment, Xie Wendong stood up and said, “Wait!”

Zhang Hong glanced at Xie Wendong in surprise. Seeing that he was a young boy, he raised an eyebrow and asked, “What do you want?”
“I hope you’ll release these two,” Xie Wendong said, pointing at Liu Bo and the other man. The three girls beside them added, “Yes, they fought to save us!”
Faced with challenges to his words, Zhang Hong grew angry and demanded, “Who are you? How dare you speak to me like this? Get lost!”
Xie Wendong laughed and said, “Brother Hong truly comes from the Axe Gang—your way of speaking is so bold. As the leader of a gang, why bother with a few young people? It wouldn’t look good if word gets out.” His tone was casual, but it sounded strange to others because his age didn’t match his words. The three girls also stared at Xie Wendong in surprise, wondering who this student-looking boy could be.
Xie Wendong’s words carried both softness and firmness. Zhang Hong’s expression changed slightly as he asked, “Who exactly are you?”
Xie Wendong smiled without answering. Li Shuang spoke up loudly, “Have you heard of the Wendong Gang?”
Zhang Hong asked doubtfully, “Are you from the Wendong Gang…?”
Li Shuang nodded firmly and said, “Please do us a favor, boss—release these two brothers. We won’t interfere with what you do to the others!”
Zhang Hong lowered his head in thought. If he released them just because they were from the Wendong Gang, it would be embarrassing, and people might think he was cowardly. But if he refused, he’d offend the Wendong Gang. His territory overlapped with that of the Wendong Gang, and though there was no direct interaction, he was well aware of their strength. Especially after the Qing Gang claimed to be allied with the Wendong Gang yesterday, Zhang Hong definitely couldn’t afford to provoke them!
Seeing Zhang Hong stuck between choices and not wanting to conflict with him right away, Xie Wendong gave Li Shuang a glance. Li Shuang understood and poured a glass of wine for Zhang Hong, saying, “Brother Hong, let me apologize on their behalf. Here’s to that!” Then he drank the glass in one gulp.
In the underworld, face is everything. Zhang Hong was already timid and didn’t want to offend the Wendong Gang. Seeing their determination, he went along with it and said, “Alright, since they insist, it would be unfair of me not to release them.” Then he ordered his subordinates, “Release these two brothers!”
Liu Bo and the other man breathed a sigh of relief and thanked Xie Wendong and Li Shuang. The three girls realized now that Xie Wendong and Li Shuang were from the Wendong Gang, explaining why they seemed so confident.

Although Xie Wendong had met Zhang Honggang, he already had a certain understanding of him—concluding that this person was soft-hearted and afraid of strength, and unlikely to achieve much. He nodded at Zhang Hong and said, “Thank you, Brother Hong. Then we won’t disturb you any longer!”
Zhang Hong laughed and said, “You’re too polite, brother! Go back and give my regards to your boss!”
Li Shuang almost laughed upon hearing this. Xie Wendong nodded in farewell and led Liu Bo and the others out. Li Shuang waved to the three girls, who understood and followed behind.
“Young man, thank you so much this time!” After coming out, Liu Bo wiped the blood from his forehead and thanked Xie Wendong.
Xie Wendong asked, “Judging from your accent, you’re not from around here, right?”
Liu Bo nodded and said, “My family lives in the countryside not far from City J. I came here to look for work.”
Seeing that his forehead was still bleeding, Xie Wendong said, “I think you’d better go to the hospital now. It could be trouble if it’s tetanus!” The person with Liu Bo also said, “Yeah, Liu Bo. I’ll take you to the hospital.”