Chapter 210

December was approaching, and the weather was gradually getting colder, but the festive atmosphere of the new millennium was already showing signs of emergence. It would soon be 2000! Xie Wendong gazed at the sky, filled with emotion. That night, he, Jiang Sen, Ren Changfeng, and Lingmin took some time off to stroll around in the darkness. It was rare for Xie Wendong to take off his ever-present Zhongshan suit and wear a set of beige casual clothes. Jiang Sen and the others were also in casual attire; especially Lingmin, who wore a pink dress, which nearly made Ren Changfeng’s eyes pop out.

The four of them decided to visit the night market. At night, the busiest place in the city was probably the night market, where you could buy anything you wanted at extremely low prices. If you got tired from shopping, there were dozens of street stalls at the end of the market offering a wide variety of snacks from all over the world. The aromas filled the air, easily tempting your appetite. Xie Wendong had visited a night market with his parents long ago, at least six or seven years back, and the scale of J City’s night market couldn’t compare to that of Nanjing. This one covered an entire street, packed with people, including many foreign tourists.

Xie Wendong just wanted to relax. These days, he had been extremely busy, having to defend against the attacks of the Nan Hongmen and arrange for the four new arrivals. Taking a walk helped his mind unwind. He looked around, having covered most of the night market without buying anything. Ren Changfeng also hadn’t bought anything. How could he tolerate those cheap, low-quality goods at the stalls? He would touch a piece of clothing here, roll his eyes, glance at some trinkets there, and show disdain. Jiang Sen and Lingmin, on the other hand, bought a lot of things. Lingmin, who had never been to a night market before, wanted to buy anything new she saw. Jiang Sen, meanwhile, was attracted by the low prices. Although he wasn’t short of money, he still retained a simple mindset typical of someone from the countryside. He wouldn’t spend hundreds or thousands on branded goods; in his view, as long as the clothes fit, they were good enough.

Seeing how much clothing—what he considered rags and tattered clothes—Jiang Sen had bought, Ren Changfeng frowned and said, “Lao Sen, if you’re short of money, just say so. I’ve got some here.”

Jiang Sen’s face turned red as he shook his head silently. Xie Wendong patted Ren Changfeng’s shoulder and said with a smile, “Changfeng, I bet Old Sen must be richer than you!” Jiang Sen, still red-faced, laughed and said, “I’m not stingy; I just think as long as the clothes fit and are comfortable, that’s enough.” “Mm!” Xie Wendong nodded. “That’s right. Although it’s easy for us to make money, every penny is earned at great cost. If we don’t cherish it, who will?” Ren Changfeng raised his hands in surrender and said helplessly, “I give up to you two!” He turned to see that Lingmin had also brought quite a lot of stuff, rolled his eyes, and sighed, “One should at least try to be tasteful, okay?” Lingmin replied calmly, “Those who think they’re superior are the least tasteful.”

Ren Changfeng pursed his lips and couldn’t speak for a long time. Xie Wendong and Jiang Sen laughed heartily. It seemed Lingmin was born to frustrate Ren Changfeng.

At the end of the night market, the air was filled with the mixture of various scents. Xie Wendong took a deep breath, patted his stomach, and turned back with a smile, “There’s no way around it—I’m hungry!” Being hungry was indeed something beyond control. Following the familiar scent, Xie Wendong walked ahead and spotted a metal rack. He snapped his fingers and turned back with a smile, “The most delicious food in the world must be grilled meat.” With that, he walked straight over, glanced around. The food stall was quite large, with over a dozen tables and more than twenty customers. Even though it was already November, many of them were shirtless, sweating profusely as they ate. Xie Wendong glanced at the customers sitting there and nodded secretly—this place was truly a mix of all kinds of people. He chose an empty table and sat down, with Jiang Sen and the others following closely, sitting around him. The other customers at the stall raised their heads to look at the newcomers, their eyes lighting up. Dozens of pairs of eyes focused on Lingmin. Her well-fitting pink dress made her already graceful figure appear even more slender. Her black hair flowed gently, making her look like a fairy, with skin as fair as snow that was truly captivating. Her beautiful eyes held a calm depth, with a hint of fire within. Lingmin was very pretty; any man who saw her couldn’t help but take a few extra glances. Xie Wendong knew this, and now he regretted bringing Lingmin along—bringing her meant bringing trouble as well.

The owner came over and asked with a smile, “What would you like, gentlemen?” Xie Wendong replied, “Boss, four plates of mutton.” “Okay!” The owner agreed but stood there motionless, staring at Lingmin without blinking. Ren Changfeng, furious, slammed the table and shouted, “Boss, are you even going to do business or not?”

Only then did the boss come to his senses and hurriedly apologized, saying, “I’m coming right away, right away!” He bowed repeatedly before reluctantly leaving. Soon, he brought in charcoal and placed it in the oven on the table, followed by four plates of marinated raw lamb along with various seasonings. Jiang Sen picked up a few pieces and placed them in the oven, smiling and saying, “We’ve always eaten meat cooked by others; I wonder what it’ll be like if we cook it ourselves?” Ren Changfeng swallowed hard and replied, “As long as it doesn’t get burnt, that’s fine.”

Ling Min couldn’t forget Ren Changfeng’s words and snapped, “A person with taste wouldn’t eat barbecue in a street food stall.” Ren Changfeng’s face turned red as he muttered, “You’re such an annoying guy!” Ling Min stretched her hand toward him and said coldly, “Give it to me!” Ren Changfeng asked confusedly, “Give what?” “The knife, my Tang sword!” Those words instantly made Ren Changfeng shut down, his shoulders slumping as he hung his head in silence. Xie Wendong and Jiang Sen exchanged smiles—used to this already.

At that moment, a burly man with his upper body bare and a green dragon tattooed on his arm staggered over, his face red, and stood behind Ling Min. Grinning widely, he said, “Girl! Five hundred yuan to spend the night with me—how about that?” The man’s strong smell of alcohol made Ling Min frown, and Xie Wendong and the others also frowned. He grew angry and said, “Brother, do you think we don’t exist?” The man glanced at Xie Wendong, who already had a delicate appearance and, dressed casually, looked more like a high school student. The man dismissed him completely, glaring and saying, “Kid, get lost!” Xie Wendong sighed and said nothing more. He had always looked down on fools; if someone wanted to bring trouble upon themselves, why stop them? Sure enough, Ren Changfeng’s eyebrows gradually raised, and his fingers twitched—signs that he was about to draw his sword. Jiang Sen held his hand and shook his head. Ren Changfeng took a deep breath, stood up smilingly, and asked, “Brother, where are you from? Your accent doesn’t sound local!”

His question was essentially pointless—if he were from the local gang, he probably wouldn’t dare even glance at Ling Min. The man replied arrogantly, “I’m from Donglian!”

Xie Wendong narrowed his eyes and looked at Jiang Sen beside him. Jiang Sen understood what he meant and whispered, “Donglian is a gang from Shandong. Not very big, not very small either. The leaders are two brothers—one martial, one intellectual—quite capable.” “Oh!” Xie Wendong nodded. Ren Changfeng lowered his hands and tried hard to remember what Donglian was, murmuring, “Donglian…”

The burly man sneered, “Those who know better should make way for me!” As he spoke, he reached out to pull Ren Changfeng’s clothes. Ren Changfeng chuckled, grabbed the chair beneath him suddenly, and with a swift motion of his shoulder, the chair, whizzing through the air, struck the burly man on the head. The man let out a loud cry and fell backward. Still unsatisfied, Ren Changfeng stepped forward and kicked him hard, shouting, “Donglian, I’m going to put you into hibernation!” The kick was powerful enough to make the man’s eyes roll back and he lose consciousness.

His two companions, seeing this, panicked and rushed forward, grabbing wine bottles. Jiang Sen stood up to stop them, pulled at his clothes to reveal the handle of a gun at his waist, and pointed at the unconscious man on the ground, saying with a smile, “Take him and get out of here immediately!” The two men were stunned at the sight of the gun, realizing they had encountered a serious opponent. They didn’t dare breathe heavily and carried the unconscious man away at full speed. The other guests watched clearly, gasping in shock, wondering who these four people were that could easily scare away Donglian’s men.

Xie Wendong called out while grilling meat, “The meat is almost ready. Come and eat quickly!” Ren Changfeng glanced around and saw that no one else dared to stare at him, so he sat down satisfied. Soon, the street food stall returned to its usual bustle, with clinking of glasses and chatter filling the air.

Not far from Xie Wendong, there were five men. One of them was short but quite sturdy. After taking a sip of wine, he said, “The leaders of the Southern and Northern Hongmen are all gathered in Nanjing, competing fiercely. It’s unclear who will come out on top.” A man with a red face next to him laughed and said, “It doesn’t matter who wins or loses; it has nothing to do with us. But I think Xiang Wentian has a better chance.” Another man with small eyes shook his head and said, “Not necessarily. The Northern Hongmen has a vast territory and many people. Besides, who is Xie Wendong? He’s the leader of the Wendong Society, controlling the entire Northeast. When it comes to fighting, people from the Northeast and Shandong are willing to risk their lives. I think Xiang Wentian has a 90% chance of losing.” “Tch!” The man with the red face sneered, “Fighting these days isn’t about just risking your life. You need money—more money than anyone else. The financial power of the Southern Hongmen is probably not even comparable to the combined forces of the two Northern Hongmen and the two Wendong Societies. And I’ve also heard…” He deliberately paused, glanced around to see that everyone was listening intently, then smiled smugly and continued, “I’ve also heard that the Taiwan Hongmen, who have always been on good terms with Xiang Wentian, are planning to send people to support him. The leader of the Taiwan Hongmen, Chen Qi, intends to help him unify all the Hongmen on the mainland before merging them into one.”

“Ah!” Everyone around gasped in shock. A man at the next table stood up and said, “Brother, is what you said true or false?”
The man with the red face frowned, clearly displeased, and said, “Of course it’s true. I have a distant relative who works for the Nan Hongmen and knows many confidential matters. There’s no way it’s false!”
Another person said, “If that’s the case, it’s likely very difficult for Xie Wendong to confront Xiang Wentian. The Tai Hongmen not only has substantial financial resources but also has assassins who are extremely famous worldwide. No matter where you are, just hearing the name ‘Red Leaves’ sends chills down everyone’s spine!”
Ren Changfeng and Ling Min were also shocked upon hearing this. “Red Leaves” was the code name for the assassin group under the Tai Hongmen. It was said that anyone the “Red Leaves” wanted dead already had died. Even gangsters in some European and American countries, who had enemies they couldn’t deal with, would go to great lengths to hire the “Red Leaves” to solve the problem. This showed just how notorious they were. Ren Changfeng and Ling Min looked at Xie Wendong worriedly, but he remained unfazed, still smiling as he ate. Yet no matter who it was, anything delicious would seem tasteless under others’ gazes. Xie Wendong sighed, placed the skewers on his plate, took a napkin, and slowly wiped his mouth before saying softly, “Changfeng once said, ‘When enemies attack, use soldiers to resist; when floods come, use earth to block them!’ As long as Red Leaves is human and not a god, there’s nothing to fear. If Chen Qi is smart, he wouldn’t get involved in this conflict between the North and South. If he does, it only proves he’s an idiot. Since he’s an idiot, why should we care about him?”
Ren Changfeng and Ling Min exchanged a stunned look, then simultaneously covered their foreheads in a gesture of despair, smiling bitterly without saying a word. Only Xie Wendong would dare call Chen Qi an idiot.
At that moment, everyone in the eatery who was part of the gang world was whispering about whether it was time to side with the South or the North. Some even paid and left right away to convey this important news to their bosses. Seeing that Jiang Sen and the other two were worried, Xie Wendong laughed and said, “People who switch sides are unreliable!” He patted his stomach, looking happy, and said, “I’m so full from this meal!” With a snap of his fingers, he shouted, “Boss, the bill!” Xie Wendong had enjoyed his meal, but the other three had barely touched their food. Hearing that the Tai Hongmen was about to get involved, their appetites vanished completely. Even on the way back, Ren Changfeng was still shaken, muttering repeatedly, “Red Leaves… it’s really Red Leaves!”

Even Ren Changfeng, such a proud man, fears Hongye so much—how could Xie Wendong not be cautious? Yet he remained calm on the surface, showing no signs of disturbance. He smiled at Jiang Sen and said, “Xue Sha is also a killer organization. Old Sen, this time you’ve met your match.” Jiang Sen’s dark face flushed red as his lips curled slightly. He said grimly, “Who can rival Xue Sha’s Black Notice? With Brother Dong here, even the Jade Emperor in heaven, the King of Hell underground, and the Dragon King in the waters wouldn’t scare me, let alone that wretched Hongye.” In truth, Jiang Sen wasn’t entirely sure either; he said this just to boost his own morale, though he also felt an urge to compete with Hongye. Hearing this, Ren Changfeng felt embarrassed. If Jiang Sen wasn’t afraid, why should he be? It was just Hongye—nothing more than a bunch of people who only knew how to strike from hiding. He perked up and suddenly blurted out, “When soldiers come, send generals to meet them; when water comes, use earth to block it!”