Chapter 207

Xie Wendong smiled slightly and said, “In today’s society, physical prowess is becoming less important. Look at Lao Lei—wasn’t he seriously injured despite his strength? The brave fight for the world; the wise plan for it.” Jiang Sen nodded and said, “Brother Dong is right!” He took a sip of wine and sighed, “The motorcycle cavalry you created this time is really amazing. If I hadn’t known in advance, I would have been shocked too!” Xie Wendong waved his hand and laughed, “Since ancient times, cavalry has always had a decisive advantage over infantry. But in today’s society, it’s unrealistic to have hundreds of warhorses, so I thought of using motorcycles instead—maybe it could work wonders.”

Ren Changfeng said, “It indeed worked wonders. At least Zhang Jufeng was shocked by us and couldn’t fight back at all!” He chuckled and said, “Let’s toast to Brother Dong’s ‘new era cavalry’… No, let’s drink an entire bottle!” “Great! An entire bottle!” Everyone clinked their bottles, the sound echoing, and the atmosphere grew lively.

They kept drinking until around 3 a.m., all somewhat drunk, with Ren Changfeng being the most intoxicated. People get drunk easily when they’re depressed—just one drink can make them dizzy. They also get drunk easily when happy; when in high spirits and surrounded by friends, they drink heartily, and once they start, it’s hard to control the amount. Ren Changfeng was drunk, very drunk. He hugged Lingmin’s shoulders, talking nonsense, calling her brother, and even claiming he wanted to sleep in the same bed with her to show their bond. Eventually, Lingmin punched him in the eye, leaving a big bruise, before he calmed down. Wei Zidan staggered over to Xie Wendong and asked what he thought about his men wanting to go to a sauna after drinking.

Xie Wendong, being astute, immediately understood the ulterior motive—most likely, they wanted prostitutes. He smiled and said, “Go ahead. I’ll cover the cost, as long as you don’t cause trouble!”

Wei Zidan quickly replied, “Of course not!” Then, with a smile, he ran off to inform his men.

Xie Wendong first had Ren Changfeng taken to his own residence to rest, then drove back to the main hall. His place was on the top floor of the hall. As he lay down and was fast asleep, the phone suddenly rang. “Damn it!” Without even opening his eyes, Xie Wendong picked up the phone and asked, “What is it?”

The call came from the hospital. “Brother Dong, Zhang Jufeng has woken up. The doctor says he’s out of danger.” Xie Wendong opened his eyes, yawned, pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, “Okay, I’ll go to the hospital and take a look.” Xie Wendong got dressed and looked outside—the sun had just risen, painting the sky red. Most people were still sleeping after a night of revelry, and he didn’t want to disturb them, so he quietly left the hall. When he reached the first-floor lobby, the few subordinates on duty saw him come down and quickly stood up to greet him.

Xie Wendong smiled slightly and asked, “Who here can drive?” One of them rushed to answer, “I can!” “Hmm!” Xie Wendong nodded politely and said, “Could you take me to the hospital?” The man scratched his head and said shyly, “Brother Dong, you’re too kind.”

Xie Wendong rushed to the hospital by car. Disciples of the North Hongmen were already waiting for him at the entrance. As he got closer, one of them bowed and said, “Brother Dong, Zhang Jufeng actually survived! When we brought him to the hospital, even the doctor said he was beyond saving. Who would have thought he’s so tough…” Xie Wendong felt his head ache from listening to his rambling and waved his hand to stop him, saying, “Take me to see him!”

The group went up to the third floor’s intensive care unit. Xie Wendong pushed the door open, glanced around, and nodded in approval—the environment here was quite good. He walked over to the bed and looked down at Zhang Jufeng. He smiled—Zhang Jufeng had also woken up and was staring at him. In fact, his injuries weren’t as serious as they seemed; most of the cuts were just superficial, without damaging any bones or muscles. After the doctors provided emergency treatment and gave him plenty of blood transfusions, he was fine now. Neither of them spoke; one stood while the other lay there, silently staring at each other.

It was Zhang Jufeng who couldn’t hold back anymore and spoke first, “Did you bring me to the hospital?” He regretted asking right away, feeling his question was stupid. He was already in the hospital, and Xie Wendong was right in front of him—wasn’t that obvious?! So he quickly asked, “Why did you save me?”

Xie Wendong pulled up a chair and sat in front of him, speaking calmly and directly, “I want you to follow me.”

“Tch!” Zhang Jufeng sneered, wanting to scold Xie Wendong loudly, but he was too weak to muster any strength. He closed his eyes and said coldly, “Do you really think that’s possible?” Xie Wendong chuckled and said, “I can wait. We both have plenty of time, right?” After saying that, he stood up and headed out. Before leaving, he stopped, turned around, and smiled, “Take your time to think about it. I hope one day we can fight side by side—that would be wonderful, don’t you think?”

The morning sun outside cast a dazzling light through the glass into the ward, illuminating Xie Wendong’s cheeks. Combined with the smile on his face, it was so striking it was hard to look directly at. Zhang Jufeng sighed secretly; for a moment, he too was captivated by Xie Wendong’s smile. He slowly glanced outside and felt that even the sunrise wasn’t as dazzling or bright as that smile. He couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to fight alongside Xie Wendong, as he had said—perhaps it would indeed be a wonderful thing.

Xie Wendong stepped out of the ward. The subordinates waiting outside were also surprised, not expecting him to come out so quickly. One of the leaders mustered the courage to ask, “Brother Dong, did you finish talking with Zhang Jufeng so fast?” Though he didn’t know what they had discussed, he could guess somewhat.

Xie Wendong smiled and said, “It doesn’t take much—just getting to the point is enough.” With that, he headed downstairs. At the corner of the corridor, another person was walking toward him, seemingly lost in thought, and collided head-on with Xie Wendong. Xie Wendong didn’t seem too affected, only stepping back slightly, but the other person stumbled back three or four steps, swaying before catching himself on the wall to avoid falling. He raised his head and glared at Xie Wendong, who also looked at him. Both were stunned when their eyes met. The subordinates, seeing this, stepped forward and shouted, “Are you blind…?” But when they saw the person’s face, they choked back their words, mouths agape in surprise. The others were also stunned, their eyes flicking between the man and Xie Wendong’s face.

It turned out the man looked very much like Xie Wendong, both in build and appearance—almost identical. But his complexion was pale, and his eyes weren’t as bright as Xie Wendong’s. Xie Wendong recovered first. He stepped forward and said with a smile, “I’m so sorry. Did I hurt you?”

The man was stunned for a long time before shaking his head, sighing, and slowly walking past Xie Wendong. Xie Wendong turned to look at his back, chuckled, and continued downstairs. Only then did the subordinates snap out of their daze and hurried after Xie Wendong, shouting, “Brother Dong, that man looked exactly like you just now!” “Yeah! They’re identical. If I met him outside, I might even call him Brother Dong!” “Indeed! He could pass for Xie Wendong himself!”

Pass for Xie Wendong! An idea struck Xie Wendong. He stopped and said to the subordinates below, “Go investigate this man for me—his background, what he does. It seems he might have a serious illness too. In short, I want all information about him!” “Yes!” they replied in unison. “Don’t worry, Brother Dong. We’ll figure everything out!”

Xie Wendong rushed back to Tangkou by car. He didn’t take this matter too seriously and found his own sudden insight somewhat ridiculous, shaking his head. What he had thought of earlier was the word “replacement.” But upon further consideration, he dismissed this idea immediately.

A few days later, Zhang Jufeng’s injuries gradually stabilized. Xie Wendong ordered him to be sent to City T, as Nanjing was not safe, and he didn’t want to allocate extra personnel to protect or monitor him.

During these days, Xiao Fang also did not launch any attacks. Zhang Jufeng’s battle had left him severely weakened—almost half of his 7,000 men had been lost, and Zhang Jufeng himself had been captured by Xie Wendong. One could imagine the morale of his subordinates. Being cautious, Xiao Fang refused to fight battles he wasn’t sure of and instead chose to hold his ground, waiting for Nan Hongmen’s leader, Xiang Wentian, to make a move.

The temporary ceasefire between the Northern and Southern Hongmen gave the police a breather. The authorities were already strict in cracking down on organized crime, and the conflict between the North and South was no small affair. Both sides focused their efforts on Nanjing, leading to continuous large-scale battles, putting immense pressure on the police. However, since both factions had connections at the higher levels, the authorities turned a blind eye, and the Nanjing police certainly wouldn’t interfere and risk trouble. Still, a ceasefire was a good thing—now the police could enjoy some peace without constant complaints.

Xie Wendong expected the Nan Hongmen, having just suffered a major defeat, to hesitate to launch another attack. Guangzhou would surely send reinforcements, but it would take some time before they arrived in Nanjing. He took this opportunity to gather more troops and intensify training. He transferred another 2,000 men from City T and ordered Jiang Sen to train some of them in driving skills. From the battle with Zhang Jufeng, he realized that motorcycle cavalry had great potential and might be used extensively in future battles. He also instructed Liu Bo to send undercover members into Nan Hongmen’s base in Guangzhou to find out who they would send and how many reinforcements they had. Knowing your enemy and yourself ensures victory in every battle! He tasked Ling Min and Ren Changfeng with bringing their men in batches to Hongwu Villa for training, as both in regular military conflicts and gang battles, individual combat skills were crucial. He ordered Wei Zidan to strictly guard all positions in Nanjing, launching occasional probing attacks to keep the Nan Hongmen busy and prevent Xiao Fang from focusing on other matters.

Xie Wendong deployed all available personnel. Although the South Hongmen held their ground and did not attack, the North Hongmen was by no means relaxed; it functioned like a massive machine, constantly in motion. During this time, someone brought him the file of a man who resembled Xie Wendong greatly. Xie Wendong glanced at it briefly, sighed, and thought it was a pity.

The man’s name was Fei Jinhe. He was 23 years old, unemployed, and had lived at home since his parents divorced when he was young. He lived with his mother, who had been ill for years and mostly bedridden. Recently, he had often suffered from dizziness and pain, and on the worst occasion, he fainted at home. Neighbors took him to the hospital, where tests revealed advanced brain cancer. The doctors said that even with the most advanced treatments, he would live no more than two years. Xie Wendong felt sorry for this man who looked so much like him; at just 23, he had been sentenced to death by the doctors, a fate even more torturous than being shot. No wonder he appeared furrowed and pale when met. Xie Wendong asked his subordinates, “Is his family in trouble?” They nodded and replied, “I asked his neighbors. His family has no source of income and relies on social subsidies to survive.”

Xie Wendong sighed softly, feeling a hint of sympathy, and said, “Help support him.” Then he took out a check from his pocket and handed it to his subordinates. He himself was surprised to offer money to a stranger he had only met once. His explanation was that Fei Jinhe looked so much like him that he couldn’t help but think he was himself. But Xie Wendong couldn’t imagine that this impulsive act would bring about earth-shattering changes in the future, making him the true underground emperor, the lord of darkness.

This was just a small episode, and Xie Wendong quickly forgot about it. But Fei Jinhe remembered Xie Wendong firmly. That check, which seemed insignificant to Xie Wendong, resolved Fei Jinhe’s greatest concern—his mother’s illness. That’s a story for another time.

The members of the secret group truly lived up to their reputation, quickly bringing back news from Guangzhou. The Nan Hongmen did have reinforcements, though the exact number was unknown. They were led personally by Xiang Wentian, with Zhan Long, the “King of Spears” among the Eight Heavenly Kings, and Qian Xixi, the “King of Wolves,” accompanying him. Zhan Long was the best spearman among the Eight Heavenly Kings and even among all members of the Nan Hongmen; some believed his spear skills could rank among the top three in the world. He preferred solitude, was quiet, and rarely spoke, yet no matter where he was or whether he spoke or not, his presence could not be ignored. As for Qian Xixi, Xiang Wentian disliked him greatly. He was the war god of the Nan Hongmen, extremely ugly in appearance, with an irritable and cruel personality. He only fought when necessary, but whenever he did, he caused havoc wherever he went. He was the least favored among the Eight Heavenly Kings by Xiang Wentian. If it weren’t for the other three Heavenly Kings being unable to return due to external circumstances and a shortage of manpower, Xiang Wentian would not have taken this “King of Wolves” out for a “walk.”