Chapter 188

He got into the car sent to pick him up and drove all the way to the northern suburbs. Xie Wendong glanced out the window and saw vegetable fields everywhere. He couldn’t help asking, “Haven’t we arrived yet?”
The man below turned red and lowered his head, whispering, “We still need to go a while longer.” Xie Wendong shook his head with a bitter smile, thinking to himself: It’s really difficult to leave Dongxin Lei behind to sort out this mess! In fact, Dongxin Lei hadn’t left anything behind at all—the chassis had been taken over by others, most of the hundreds of brothers had been captured, some were dead or seriously injured, and others had scattered, hiding in corners where no one could find them, afraid to show themselves. By now, the entire force could be said to have been wiped out.
The man said they needed to go a while longer, and that “a while” turned out to be an hour. Finally, the car stopped at a farm. On the stone wall at the entrance were the four characters “Hongwu Villa.” It was built by the Northern Hongmen, covering a large area with fish ponds, fruit orchards, a small golf course, and other recreational facilities. It was originally a tourist resort but now served as the Northern Hongmen’s temporary base in Nanjing. Xie Wendong got out of the car and took in the view—the lush greenery and fresh air were quite pleasant. He smiled and said, “You’ve chosen a nice base!”
The men below all lowered their heads, their faces turning red, too embarrassed to admit that this was the only place they had left in Nanjing.
Xie Wendong said, “Take me to see Miss Ling. Let’s see if she has anything urgent to keep her busy.” Everyone’s heart trembled; they thought trouble was coming. But who dared disobey their leader’s orders? They forced themselves to lead Xie Wendong into a small building. In front of the building was a field full of colorful flowers, blooming in splendid diversity. Their refreshing fragrance could be smelled from afar. On the door of the building was the red character “Flower Appreciation Pavilion.” Xie Wendong looked around and sighed, thinking that being away from the city’s hustle and bustle and able to live here for a while was a pleasure. As he thought this, he entered the building and turned to ask, “Which floor is Miss Ling on?”
One person whispered, “Second floor!” Xie Wendong nodded and went upstairs. He didn’t need to look; there was only one room in the corridor with two women standing outside its door—two very beautiful women with long black hair, delicate brows and big eyes, tall figures, and lightly dressed, even more eye-catching than the flowers outside. Xie Wendong thought Ling must be in that room and strode over. Before he could say anything, the two women glared at him and snapped, “Who are you?”
Hah, what fierce girls! Xie Wendong smiled and said, “I’m looking for Ling.” The two women sized him up from head to toe and asked, “Who are you? We’ve never seen you before.”

At that moment, the people who came to pick up Xie Wendong hurried over quickly, standing straight with rigid postures and saying sternly, “Be careful with your words—this is our Hongmen brother!” Normally, they would never dare speak to the two girls in such a manner. Though the girls were brought by Lingmin and quite attractive, their temper was the complete opposite of their appearance—they spoke to others in a harsh tone, as if everyone owed them five million. Since they were Lingmin’s “close attendants,” no one dared say much, speaking in a submissive tone, avoiding them when possible, and if they couldn’t avoid them, they would just lower their heads and walk away quickly. Today, with Xie Wendong here, they felt they had a leader and spoke more boldly. But Xie Wendong was unaware of these circumstances. Seeing those people with narrowed eyes and snarling faces, as if ready to attack, he waved his hand and said, “What are you doing? It’s normal for them not to recognize me—there’s no need to get so agitated.” Then he smiled at the two girls and said, “I’m Xie Wendong. Is Lingmin in this room?!”

Upon hearing that the young man was Xie Wendong—someone far above even Lingmin, the top leader of the Northern Hongmen—they glanced at the people behind him, gave them a fierce look, and said, “Our sister is inside, but…” They didn’t finish their sentence. Xie Wendong narrowed his eyes, sensing something, and said, “I’ll go in and see what Lingmin is busy with. There are so many matters in Nanjing—if she gets overworked, I’ll feel guilty.” Without waiting for the two girls to react, he pushed the door open and entered the room. The room wasn’t large, but it had everything needed, designed like a standard hotel room. After taking in the situation, Xie Wendong smiled—indignantly. There, lying on the bed with her head covered, was the legendary Miss Ling, sleeping soundly, seemingly very content, with soft snoring sounds coming from her. Pointing at the sleeping Lingmin, Xie Wendong turned to the people outside and asked, “Is this what you call being busy with important work?”

Everyone lowered their heads, including the two girls. Xie Wendong strode over to the bed, took a deep breath, and resisted the urge to pull back the blanket covering her. He grabbed a strand of her hair, pulled gently, and said with a smile, “Miss, isn’t it time for you to get up?” Lingmin was sleeping soundly when she felt someone pulling her hair. Thinking it was one of her companions below, she waved her hand and mumbled, “Go away! Don’t disturb me!” The two girls she had brought with her were nearly in a sweat as they rushed to pull her up, but Xie Wendong stopped them with a gesture. He pulled at Lingmin’s hair again, and she covered her head and shouted, “Didn’t I say don’t disturb me?!”
Xie Wendong laughed, “I heard you!” “If you heard me, then get out quickly!” Lingmin suddenly sat up, realizing the voice was male. She pulled back the blanket and peeked out, first seeing a pair of smiling eyes less than two inches away from hers. She screamed and punched out. Xie Wendong blocked it with his hand and asked, “Is this how you greet the leader of the Hongmen?” Lingmin fully woke up then and asked suspiciously, “Who are you?” Xie Wendong replied calmly, “Xie Wendong!”
Lingmin wanted to get up but suddenly remembered she had little clothing under the blanket. “You arrived quickly!” Xie Wendong nodded. “Indeed, quite quickly. I arrived just as a great threat loomed and saw you sleeping.” Lingmin’s face turned red. “I need to rest to regain my strength; otherwise, how can I defeat the enemy?” Xie Wendong said, “If I’m not mistaken, Kunming is much farther from Gansu.” Lingmin looked at him, sighed, and asked, “Can I put on my clothes?” Xie Wendong stretched out his hand and said, “Please!” He showed no intention of leaving. Lingmin frowned and stared at Xie Wendong, who was also looking at her. Neither spoke, but their gazes clashed, sparking tension in the air.
Those outside watched and swallowed hard. They had informed Lingmin when they planned to go pick up Xie Wendong, but the young lady said it was more important for her to sleep than to greet the leader. When Xie Wendong asked, they didn’t dare say anything. Now it seemed war was about to break out. In the end, Lingmin unexpectedly conceded, saying, “This time it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have failed to pick you up. But as the leader, you shouldn’t be so petty.”
Xie Wendong slowly walked out of the room, stopped at the door, and said, “If it were the old master who came, you definitely wouldn’t be sleeping now. Remember, I am now the leader of the Hongmen. No matter what you think, you must respect me. You must obey my orders!”

Watching him disappear outside the door, Lingmin sneered dismissively, “Arrogant fool! The South Hongmen will teach you how to behave.”
That was how the two first met. Later, whenever they thought back on it, they couldn’t help but laugh. Just as Lingmin finished getting dressed, two girls came to call her, saying it was time to go to the leader to discuss matters. Inside the small building, there was a fairly large entertainment room filled with tables of various sizes, originally used by visitors for mahjong and poker, now rearranged into meeting tables. Dozens of people were in the room—all the senior officials of the North Hongmen in Nanjing were present. Xie Wendong sat in the center, tapping his fingers on the table while waiting for Lingmin to arrive.

The “third-place winner” strode in, chose a chair at random, and pretended not to notice Xie Wendong’s eagle-like sharp gaze. She kept her eyes half-closed and said nothing. Xie Wendong understood what she was thinking and knew she held him in no regard. Smirking inwardly, he said, “Miss Ling, looking so relaxed—have you already figured out a way to deal with the South Hongmen?”

Lingmin replied, “I do have some ideas.” Xie Wendong said, “Then share them with us.” Lingmin curled her lips inwardly, thinking, “Can you even understand if I do? How much do you know about Nanjing after just arriving?” Though she thought this, she couldn’t say it aloud—after all, Xie Wendong was also a leader of the Hongmen, and she needed to maintain appearances. She said slowly, “The place closest to us in Nanjing now is the large factory area. It used to be our territory, but after being occupied by the South Hongmen, they’ll surely send people to guard it. It’s a strategic location—ideal for attacking or retreating. But taking it back is too difficult; at least not with our current forces. I think we should take a different approach—bypass the factory area and strike directly at the South Hongmen’s headquarters in Nanjing. Since they’re currently at an advantage and have troops deployed elsewhere, their headquarters must be unguarded. A decisive attack from us should succeed easily. Once their headquarters falls, the South Hongmen will be in chaos, and we can take back lost territory—or even drive them out of Nanjing. What do you think, leader?”

After speaking, Lingmin looked at Xie Wendong with a triumphant gaze. She was confident in her plan. Not to mention Xie Wendong’s lack of familiarity with Nanjing’s situation, even if he were familiar, he wouldn’t think of a better plan. Xie Wendong lowered his head and pondered for a moment before shaking his head and saying, “No! That plan won’t work!”

“What?” Lingmin doubted her own ears, thinking, “Are you targeting me?!”, and asked, “What’s wrong with it?” Xie Wendong replied, “It’s too risky. What if the Nan Hongmen are prepared? We might suffer another total defeat, so it won’t work!” Lingmin said, “The Nan Hongmen are on the verge of victory now, full of momentum. What preparations could they have?” Xie Wendong narrowed his eyes and said, “As far as I know, the person in charge of the Nan Hongmen in Nanjing is Xiao Fang, one of the Eight Heavenly Kings, extremely intelligent. What about Hong Yun? He was brilliant but killed by his schemes. And Dong Xinlei? He was both wise and brave, yet trapped by him and nearly lost his life. Don’t underestimate this man. I think he would definitely consider what you just said and might make secret preparations.” Lingmin gasped. Her mind wasn’t comparable to Dong Xinlei’s or Hong Yun’s. After hearing Xie Wendong’s words, she also began to think. Indeed, Xie Wendong made a valid point. If Xiao Fang really made preparations, going in alone, it was uncertain how many of them would return alive. With these thoughts, she couldn’t help but glance at Xie Wendong several times, thinking, “This young new leader is really not ordinary!”

Had Xiao Fang prepared to defend against an attack on his base? Xie Wendong was right—he had indeed made preparations. Spies had informed him that Dong Xinlei had returned to City T to recover, and Lingmin, known as “Third Place Winner,” had taken his place. Xiao Fang had information on all the key officials of the North Hongmen. Although he had never met Lingmin, he knew exactly who she was. Though she was a woman, and a very beautiful one at that, not all beautiful women were just decorations without brains. Lingmin was definitely an exception. Given her personality, her ability to stand out among such a talented younger generation couldn’t be underestimated. At this moment, Xiao Fang secretly wondered if Lingmin could launch a surprise attack on his base. Most of his forces were deployed elsewhere, leaving the headquarters empty—a fact she must know. Taking drastic measures to turn the situation around and seek victory in danger wasn’t impossible. To be thorough, Xiao Fang secretly placed many people around the headquarters, though it couldn’t be seen from the outside. The base still had few people coming in and out, looking deserted.

What Lingmin thought of, Xiao Fang thought of too, and what Xiao Fang thought of, Xie Wendong also thought of. Wisdom secures the world. Courage conquers the world.

After Xie Wendong explained it, Lingmin also felt scared. She was smart and quick to understand; Xiao Fang’s stratagems were beyond ordinary people’s capabilities, and he almost always had a backup plan. She asked, “So, what do you think we should do to turn the situation around?” Xie Wendong scratched his head and asked back, “With such chaos in Nanjing, why isn’t the police doing anything?”

One of the officials nearby replied, “We do have a certain relationship with the police. Not only do we pay them a lot of money every year, but when there are murders or robberies in the city, the police can’t solve many cases without our help. I think the Nan Hongmen also have a similar relationship with the police, so they turn a blind eye as long as things don’t get too serious on the surface!” “Oh!” Xie Wendong nodded and asked again, “Can we tell which side the police are leaning toward?”

The man replied, “Naturally, the side that’s in the advantage. Now that we’ve retreated from the city, it seems the police are leaning toward the Nan Hongmen side. So, the situation in Nanjing is very unfavorable for us. Brother Dong, what do you think? Should we ask for reinforcements from the headquarters in City T?”

Xie Wendong asked, “How many people do we have now?” The man replied, “A little over a thousand!” Xie Wendong laughed heartily and said, “That’s enough.” Lingmin was stunned and asked, “Do you have any good plans, Brother Dong?” Xie Wendong smiled and said, “If the police have a reason to take action against the Nan Hongmen, wouldn’t that save us a lot of trouble?” Lingmin urgently asked, “How can we get the police to deal with the Nan Hongmen?” Xie Wendong rested his chin in his hand and smiled, “November is coming soon—peak tourist season. We should do something too.”