Chapter 215

Xie Wendong returned to the headquarters, feeling dizzy. He forced himself to give a few brief instructions to prevent a sudden attack by the Nan Hongmen. Once back in his room and having closed the door, he felt the world spin around him. He collapsed onto the bed, chest tight, and spat out blood with a “waah” sound, staining the white sheets red. The gunshot wound he sustained in Yunnan had never healed, and after running around constantly, he never had the chance to recover properly. The injury had remained hidden, not yet manifesting. After a fierce battle and the stress of recent events, no matter how much he tried to act indifferent, suffering such a heavy loss in his first confrontation with Xiang Wentian—losing over 200 lives due to his own strategic mistake—left him deeply distressed. The combined physical and mental exhaustion caused his hidden injury to suddenly flare up. Xie Wendong wasn’t a war god; he was just an ordinary young man.

The loud coughing in the room caught the attention of the men outside. They exchanged surprised looks. One of them quickly knocked on the door and asked, “Brother Dong, what’s wrong?”

Xie Wendong was somewhat confused, with blood foam coming from his mouth with each cough. He no longer had the strength to speak. Seeing no response, worried that something might be wrong with Xie Wendong, they broke in without hesitation. Upon seeing the bloodstains on the sheets and Xie Wendong curled up on the bed, pale as paper with blood dripping from his lips, they were shocked. Someone suddenly shouted, “There’s an assassin! An assassin tried to kill Brother Dong!”

This loud cry was heard by almost everyone in the headquarters. Brother Dong had been assassinated? Jiang Sen was changing clothes in his room when he heard the shout. He rushed outside in his pants, reaching Xie Wendong’s room in a few steps. He was fast, but someone was even faster—Ren Changfeng, shirtless and holding a knife, stood in the room shouting, “Assassin! Where is the assassin?” The person who had shouted earlier said apologetically, “I saw so much blood on the bed and thought Brother Dong had been assassinated…” Ren Changfeng wanted to stab him on the spot and shouted, “What are you standing around for? Call an ambulance! Never mind.” He picked up Xie Wendong and ran outside. Jiang Sen stepped forward and asked urgently, “What’s wrong with Brother Dong?”

Ren Changfeng shook his head anxiously, “I don’t know. Maybe he suffered some hidden injuries in that battle.” Xie Wendong struggled to open his eyes and said weakly, “I’m fine. Don’t let anyone know I’m injured, especially not Xiang Wentian.” Ren Changfeng felt sad and nodded deeply, saying, “Don’t worry, Brother Dong. I understand.”

Xie Wendong forced a smile, his head drooped, and he fainted. When he woke up again, it was already two days later. Xie Wendong slowly opened his eyes, feeling refreshed—so comfortable that he didn’t want to wake up. What a great sleep! He sighed inwardly and glanced around; there was someone sitting beside him—a stunningly beautiful woman, a dazzling yet thorny ice rose. Xie Wendong couldn’t help but smile and asked, “Why are you here?”
The woman, who had been lost in thought, jolted at the sound of his voice. Seeing Xie Wendong awake, a hint of joy flashed in her eyes as she calmly replied, “Why can’t it be me?”
Xie Wendong shook his head, knowing any argument with her would be fruitless. He asked, “When did you arrive in Nanjing?” She replied indifferently, “Yesterday! Last afternoon.”
Xie Wendong sat up. He wasn’t used to looking up at others while speaking. He stretched, his joints creaking, and said with a wry smile, “It seems I slept for quite a while.”
The woman said, “You had been unconscious for a day by the time I arrived.” Xie Wendong smiled and said, “By the way, I still don’t know your name.” She glanced at him and said, “You’re quite impolite.” Xie Wendong was stunned. After a moment, he asked again more formally. A faint smile crossed her face—so quickly that even Xie Wendong thought he might have mistaken it. She replied, “Qin Shuang.” “Qin Shuang?” Xie Wendong nodded and said, “A nice name. It suits you well.” The woman knew he had misunderstood but was too lazy to explain and said nothing.
Qin Shuang and Xie Wendong weren’t close, but they weren’t strangers either. He had been injured while taking on the challenge as the leader of the Northern Hongmen, and it was Qin Shuang who treated him. She was also the “Ice Sister” mentioned by Nie Tianxing. Her sharp personality was cold, but compared to Qin Shuang, it paled in comparison—she seemed to have been born to challenge human language.
Xie Wendong remained silent, and so did she. The two sat there in awkward silence, staring at each other. Xie Wendong hated this atmosphere and sighed inwardly. What a difficult woman. He asked, “I remember vomiting blood before I fainted.” Qin Shuang replied, “Your internal injuries haven’t healed yet.” Xie Wendong asked, “What about now?” She said, “It’s a pity I don’t have any elixirs.” Xie Wendong almost vomited blood again. Blinking, he said helplessly, “Then when will I recover?” Qin Shuang replied, “Half a year, based on your current lifestyle.”

Xie Wendong let out a soft sigh and said with a bitter smile, “It’s a pity I don’t have any time off.” Qin Shuang replied, “That’s why I came.” Xie Wendong felt warmth in his heart and said seriously, “Thank you! I’m really sorry for making you travel all the way to Nanjing.” Qin Shuang rarely showed a smile, but this time she did, saying, “No need to thank me. I’m a member of the Hongmen, and you’re our elder brother.” Xie Wendong was stunned. He thought to himself, How beautiful—there’s no doubt Qin Shuang is a beauty. A cold and elegant flower is undoubtedly the most beautiful in the world. Her smile could make any man in the world fall in love with her. Xie Wendong couldn’t help but sigh, “A single smile can bring out a hundred charms. You should smile more—it’s good for you and for others too.”

Qin Shuang’s face turned red, and her smile disappeared. She stood up and said, “I’ll go inform the others.” Without waiting for Xie Wendong’s consent, she quickly left the room.

Xie Wendong shook his head and muttered to himself, “It’s good to be praised by others. Why run away?” Before long, twenty or thirty people came in. Xie Wendong glanced up and saw, aside from Dong Xinlei, Jiang Sen, Ren Changfeng, and others, many officials from City T as well. What surprised Xie Wendong the most was that Dou Zhan Tang was also there. This middle-aged man in his fifties, who was chubby, could be considered the god of wealth of the Northern Hongmen. He was in charge of all the legitimate businesses under the organization and was the nominal chairman of Hongwu Group. The industries under the Northern Hongmen all belonged to Hongwu Group, which was also one of the main sources of income for the organization. Dou Zhan Tang had many years of experience in business, was shrewd and resourceful, knew how to seize opportunities, and Hongwu Group’s current scale was largely thanks to him. This was also why Jin Peng entrusted such a large portfolio of businesses to him alone.

Dou Zhan Tang was often nowhere to be found, traveling all over the country. Xie Wendong had only met him once, but he was still very grateful to this old god of wealth. With him around, the Northern Hongmen avoided many financial troubles. He greeted everyone one by one, and finally his gaze fell on Dou Zhan Tang. Smiling, he said, “Elder Dou, why do you have so much free time today?” Dou Zhan Tang smiled and replied, “I was in Yangzhou doing business. When I heard that our leader was ill, it wasn’t far, so I came to check on him. Seeing that you’re fine, I’m finally relieved.” Xie Wendong expressed his gratitude, “I really appreciate you taking the trouble, Elder Dou.” Dou Zhan Tang said, “What are you talking about?”

Xie Wendong turned to Dong Xinlei and asked, “Has there been any activity in the Nan Hongmen in the past two days?” Dong Xinlei shook his head and said, “I don’t know what Xiang Wentian is up to. He’s remained inactive, keeping all his men in the southern suburbs.” Liu Bo added, “For some reason, many people from the Hongye faction have returned to Taiwan. Hou Xiaoyun has also left, leaving fewer than twenty people. I think the Tai Hongmen is likely in trouble.” “Oh?” Xie Wendong was surprised by this and asked, “Is this information reliable?”
Liu Bo replied, “This information was obtained by my subordinates from the underworld. It can’t be completely trusted, but it can’t be dismissed either.”
Xie Wendong scratched his head; it was as if nothing had been said. He said, “Liu, go verify this information to see if Xiang Wentian is deliberately spreading false news to make us careless.” Liu Bo nodded in agreement. Xie Wendong smiled and said, “As the saying goes: If the enemy doesn’t move, we don’t move; if the enemy moves, we act first. Keeping an eye on every move of Xiang Wentian, and the accuracy of our intelligence, are key to determining our success or failure.” Hearing this, Liu Bo didn’t dare delay and bid farewell to Xie Wendong before rushing off to gather more information.
Xie Wendong made further arrangements. After ensuring everything was in order, he let out a sigh of relief and closed his eyes to rest. Seeing that he was tired, everyone else left, except Dou Zhan Tang, who didn’t leave right away but pulled up a chair and sat by the bed. Xie Wendong opened his eyes and asked him, “Old Dou, is there something?”
Dou Zhan Tang smiled and said, “Actually, it’s not something very important. I’m thinking of opening a film and media company in Nanjing or Yangzhou. I was wondering what your thoughts are, boss.”
Xie Wendong was taken aback and asked, “Film and media company? What’s that?” Dou Zhan Tang explained, “It’s a movie company.” “Oh!” Xie Wendong nodded. He knew nothing about this area, so he couldn’t offer any advice. He said, “Old Dou, as long as you think it can make money, go ahead. I have no objections.” Dou Zhan Tang smiled and said, “Actually, I have another purpose in mind for opening a movie company.” Xie Wendong asked, “What purpose?” Dou Zhan Tang replied, “To defeat Xiang Wentian isn’t easy. The Nan Hongmen has tens of thousands of disciples. Can we kill them all?” Xie Wendong was struck by this thought and looked at Dou Zhan Tang in surprise. The old man was right—there were at least hundreds of thousands of genuine members under the Nan Hongmen, not to mention those scattered elsewhere. Could they really kill them all? He asked, “So what’s your plan, Old Dou?”

Dou Zhan-tang said, “As long as the economic system on which the Nan Hongmen relies for survival collapses, Xiang Wen-tian won’t have anything to support so many people. By then, he will be defeated without even fighting. The ‘Hongying Group’ of the Nan Hongmen is their main source of income. Over the years, competition with our ‘Hongwu Group’ hasn’t been fierce—just because there aren’t many overlapping fields. We mainly deal in real estate, import and export, transportation, etc., while the Nan Hongmen focus on high-tech and media industries. My interest in film companies this time is to wage a business war against Xiang Wen-tian indirectly, putting pressure on his media industry and crippling one of his economic pillars.”

Xie Wen-dong lowered his head and pondered for a moment. He knew very little about this industry, but he had seen pigs run away even though he had never eaten pork. Worried, he said, “This is a good idea, but Xiang Wen-tian has been in this field for years, while we’re just starting out. What do we have to compete with him?” Dou Zhan-tang smiled and said, “As long as the leader supports us secretly, I’m confident we can defeat Xiang Wen-tian.” Xie Wen-dong shook his head and said, “I can support you secretly, but I think Xiang Wen-tian’s film company must also have hidden forces protecting it. It won’t be easy to deal with.” Dou Zhan-tang replied, “That’s what a business war is all about—secretly competing while openly facing off. Success depends on human effort, but fate decides the outcome!”

“Success depends on human effort, but fate decides the outcome!” Xie Wen-dong sighed and said, “All along, fate has been on my side. I wonder who fate will be on the side of when I fight against Xiang Wen-tian.” Dou Zhan-tang said, “When two armies meet, the brave win! When two sides confront each other, the wise prevail!” Xie Wen-dong laughed and said, “Exactly! Forget fate! Wisdom can overcome it.”

The arrival of Dou Zhan Tang brought new ideas to Xie Wendong. The war without gunpowder in the business world was likely to determine the ultimate winner in the conflict between the North and South. Many people say money isn’t important. Those who say so are either extremely poor or very rich. One does so out of jealousy, while the other pretends to be aloof. In this world, without money, even if you have the bravery of Lu Bu or the talent of Zhuge Liang, it’s hard to move forward. With money, even the highest laws will make way for you—how can it not be important?! The North and South Hongmen have countless followers, but without money, how many of them would fight to the death? Xie Wendong understood this, so he valued Dou Zhan Tang greatly and fully supported his suggestions. With influential people above, Dou Zhan Tang proposed establishing a film and media company, and approval came within days. At the same time, Xie Wendong received accurate information from Liu Bo: Hou Xiaoyun had indeed returned to Taiwan, along with Xiang Wentian. The reason was simply that Chen Qi’s 60th birthday was approaching. Hou Xiaoyun argued that as Chen Qi’s ally, Xiang Wentian had no reason not to attend the celebration, and since he still needed Chen Qi’s help, he definitely had to go.

Xiang Wentian left, but the three kings didn’t dare to leave either. As the temporary commander, Xiao Fang was extremely cautious, sticking to rules and procedures, aiming not to make mistakes but also not to seek glory. He withdrew all his troops to defend key points, ensuring mutual support. Even if Xie Wendong attacked, Xiao Fang wasn’t worried. Later, rumors spread that Xie Wendong seemed sick and was in the hospital, leaving the North Hongmen temporarily defenseless. Zhan Long and the injured Qian Xixi came to Xiao Fang to discuss whether to take the opportunity to launch an attack. Especially Qian Xixi, who still remembered the knife wound in his side vividly and was furious—whenever anyone mentioned Xie Wendong in front of him, this wolf king would go berserk. But Xiao Fang shook his head vigorously and said, “Come on, who doesn’t know Xie Wendong is full of tricks? Who would believe he’s sick?! Obviously, this is a trick to lure us in. If I fall for it again, my name, Xiao Fang, will be completely ruined.”

Xiao Fang had always been bold yet cautious, daring to seek victory through bold moves. But whenever it came to Xie Wendong, he unconsciously became more cautious, missing the best opportunities for battle. Perhaps this is the principle that one thing can be overcome by another!