Chapter 247
Lao San said, “I really don’t know. We usually keep in touch by phone.”
Xie Wendong nodded and said, “Alright, then arrange to meet him.” “Where?” “At a place you guys often go.”
Today, the dance hall was exceptionally busy, filled with guests. Several waiters rushed back and forth, exhausted and sweating profusely. Even so, some customers still complained loudly, “Hey, when will my beer arrive?” “Right away, right away!” the waiters shouted while wiping the tables. The owner here was a middle-aged man in his forties, with a rosy face and a plump build. His hair was neatly combed back. At this moment, he was the happiest person. What could make a businessman happier than a booming business?! He walked over to the bar and said to the bartender, “Why are there so few of our people today? Did they go slacking off again?” The bartender hurriedly replied, “No. This morning, a kid came and injured three of us.” “Oh?” The owner was stunned and asked, “Who is he?” The bartender shook his head and said, “I don’t know. But from what the injured Liu said, he seems young and unfamiliar.” “Hmm!” the owner said, “Probably some naive kid just starting out. Next time he comes, make sure to teach him a lesson!”
Needless to say, the person the bartender was referring to was Xie Wendong. He was smiling and sitting right next to the bar, hearing everything the owner and bartender said clearly. Xie Wendong had deliberately changed his appearance, wearing a black tight trench coat and a forward-curved hat with the brim pulled low, hiding everything above his lips in darkness. Lao San was sitting at a table not far away, looking around as if searching for something. As soon as the doors of the dance hall opened and a group of men in black walked in, Lao San’s eyes lit up, and he stood up, waving repeatedly.
The men in black split into two groups. Three of them walked toward Lao San, while the rest found seats wherever they could. The one leading the group was a young man under thirty, with fair skin, a heart-shaped face, and a handsome appearance. His eyes shone with intensity. Xie Wendong glanced at him secretly. He had never met Guan Pei before but had heard of him. With just one glance, he was sure this young man must be Guan Pei. By then, Lao San had already stepped forward and called out affectionately, “Brother Guan, you’re here!”
Guan Pei looked around, pulled Lao San to sit down, and asked, “Xiao Zhang, what brings you to see me today?” Lao San thought of an excuse, smiled, and deliberately pretended to look troubled. “It’s nothing much. I just wanted to talk to Brother Guan.” Seeing his reaction, Guan Pei smiled and said, “Just tell me if there’s something.” “Oh…” Lao San hesitated for a moment before saying, “Brother Guan, I’ve been spending money quickly lately, and I’m a bit short of funds…” Guan Pei was stunned for a second before smiling again and saying, “It’s no big deal!” Then he reached back to the person behind him, who took out a stack of bills from his pocket and stuffed it into Lao San’s pocket. Lao San scratched his head awkwardly and said with a sheepish smile, “Brother Guan, I really trouble you.” He paused before adding, “Xie Wendong is dead now. Without Wendong as the leader, when will Brother Guan retrieve what’s been lost?”
Guan Pei shook his head and said, “It’s not the right time yet. By the way, hasn’t Xie Wendong returned to school these days?”
Lao San was shocked inwardly but pretended to be surprised and puzzled. “Return to school? How can he go back to school when he’s dead? Can ghosts go back?” Guan Pei stared at Lao San for a long time before seeing nothing unusual on his face and then said, “I suspect he’s not dead!” “That’s impossible!” Lao San widened his eyes and hesitated. “Falling into an ice hole in the twelfth lunar month—I’ve never heard of anyone coming out alive.” Guan Pei smiled, took a sip of wine, and said, “Xie Wendong isn’t an ordinary person! Besides…” Seeing him stop speaking, Lao San quickly asked, “Besides what?”
Guan Pei sighed and said, “Besides, I sent people to investigate downstream. One group of three—unfortunately, two died and one was captured.” Lao San laughed and said, “That doesn’t prove anything. Maybe Wendong’s men are also looking for Xie Wendong, and the two groups happened to meet and fought.” Guan Pei smiled bitterly and said, “I hope so!” He stood up, pulled Lao San along, and said, “Let’s go outside for a walk. It’s too stuffy here, and it’s hard to talk.” Lao San had no objections and got up to follow Guan Pei outside. Not long after they left, Xie Wendong also quietly followed them out.
After coming out, Guan Pei and Lao San walked side by side, chatting as they went. After a while, Guan Pei stopped, looked up at the starry sky, and said, “I want Xie Wendong’s life, not to take back the territory he stole.” Lao San replied silently, “Then why?” Guan Pei’s gaze turned cold as he said, “He killed my father.” He turned to face Lao San directly and said, “The crime of killing one’s father cannot be forgiven; that’s why I must make him die!” Lao San was speechless and sighed. Guan Pei’s dark eyes grew even darker as he said, “I believe Xie Wendong isn’t dead yet. And if nothing goes wrong, he’ll come looking for you. With his intelligence, he’ll surely realize it was you who betrayed him.”
Lao San shuddered, thinking to himself how impressive this was—indeed, it matched Guan Pei’s guess. He forced a smile and said, “How could that be?!”
Guan Pei took out a cigarette and offered it to Lao San, who shook his head. Guan Pei lit one himself and asked, “By the way, I’ve always wanted to ask—when I first approached you and said that if Xie Wendong appeared at school, you should tell me where he was, why did you agree without hesitation?” Lao San’s expression changed, and after pondering for a long time, he said, “Maybe it’s jealousy!” “Jealousy!” Guan Pei laughed. “Yes! He’s indeed someone worth envying.” He stared at Lao San and asked, “How long have we known each other?” Lao San thought for a moment and said, “Almost a year!” Guan Pei nodded. “A year isn’t short, but you’ve never asked me for money. Why are you acting so strangely today?” “I…” Lao San’s face changed, and he stammered, unable to speak. Guan Pei glanced around and said, “It’s Xie Wendong who forced you to come to me, right?” “No… not at all!” The temperature in City H was as low as minus twenty degrees, yet sweat streamed down Lao San’s temples. Guan Pei didn’t even look at him and said, “If a person isn’t firm in their stance, they won’t succeed no matter what they do. But in this world, that can be fatal.” Realizing he couldn’t escape, Lao San decided to go all in and said solemnly, “If I die, you won’t survive either.”
Guan Pei smiled and said softly, “Even if you don’t die, I still won’t be able to live!” He sighed and flicked the cigarette butt from his hand. The red tip traced an arc in the night before disappearing into the vast expanse of snow. A burly man stepped up behind Guan Pei, his face expressionless. He covered Lao San’s mouth from behind with one hand while holding a gleaming dagger in the other, plunging it deep into his back. In the underworld, nothing was more unbearable than being betrayed. Lao San turned to look at Guan Pei, who wore a sorrowful expression—whether at him or at himself, it was unclear. Gradually, Lao San felt his strength draining rapidly, and everything before his eyes blurred. With a soft thud, he collapsed straight backward.
“He’s dead,” came a voice from behind Guan Pei. He turned slowly to see a pair of narrow, piercing eyes. “Xie Wendong,” he sighed.
“That’s right, it’s me,” said the owner of those eyes leisurely. “This should be our first meeting—though rather late.”
Guan Pei smiled and said, “You shouldn’t have come today.” Xie Wendong nodded without speaking. The two burly men behind Guan Pei shouted and charged at Xie Wendong, who stood with his hands behind his back, thrusting two daggers at his vital points. Xie Wendong seemed unaware of them; standing motionless amid the two fierce men, someone else moved beside him—taller and shorter—confronting them. The moment they clashed, the difference in strength became evident. The two men screamed in shock and retreated. One of them had a sickly yellow complexion, his forehead covered in sweat, and a gash over a foot long on his chest from which blood flowed, dripping onto the snow in a horrifying sight. The other was much stronger, though with blood at the corners of his mouth and two front teeth missing.
The taller and shorter men beside Xie Wendong were Li Shuang and Gao Qiang. Gao Qiang acted ruthlessly, killing the man with a single strike. At that moment, noise arose from the dance hall in the distance, followed by screams and chaotic clashing sounds. But the noise didn’t last long, and soon everything returned to calm, as if nothing had happened.
Glancing at the now-peaceful dance hall, Guan Pei realized his men were dead. He sighed, “It seems I really shouldn’t have come today.”
Xie Wendong smiled slightly and said, “It’s your mistake.” Guan Pei replied, “My mistake was trusting Xiao Zhang too much and underestimating you, Xie Wendong. I didn’t expect you to find me so quickly.” Xie Wendong rubbed his hands together and said, “I always act quickly.” He turned toward the riverbank and said, “The man who tried to assassinate me that day seemed to be a soldier.”
Guan Pei was stunned, not knowing how Xie Wendong had figured it out. Xie Wendong added, “It’s not that I underestimate you. With your abilities, you still can’t mobilize an army. There must be someone behind you!” Guan Pei smiled and said, “You, Xie Wendong, are indeed clever. But I’m not Xiao Zhang. You’ll never get what you want from me.”
Xie Wendong nodded. He hadn’t really expected that. At that moment, more men in black emerged from the dance hall and the hidden jungle, all standing silently behind Xie Wendong. Xie Wendong smiled and said, “If you don’t want to speak, I won’t force you. I’ll even give you a chance.” With that, he darted forward, pointed at the men behind him, and said, “Choose for yourself—fight them all alone or let them all attack you at once. If you win, you can leave.”
Guan Pei’s knuckles cracked as he clenched his fists, his teeth gritting in fury. Though he didn’t know everything about Xie Wendong, he was still aware of the general situation. He recognized almost all of the men behind Xie Wendong. The more he thought about it, the more terrified he became. Each of these men was capable of fighting alone, and just one of them would be enough to give him a hard time, let alone all of them. Not to mention him—even the world’s greatest expert would find it difficult to escape under their combined pressure. After clenching his fists several times, Guan Pei eventually felt disheartened. He regretted killing the third man too early; otherwise, he could have used him as a shield.
Xie Wendong walked over to Sanyan and whispered to him, “Brother Zhang, leave someone alive. I must bring the person behind this to justice.” After saying that, Xie Wendong turned and left. Jiang Sen hurried after him, not daring to let Xie Wendong act alone anymore.
Sanyan nodded understandingly, strode over to Guan Pei, sized him up, and sneered, “Brother, stop standing there. We’re waiting for you to take action!”
Guan Pei lowered his head, remaining silent. Just as everyone thought he had given up resisting, he suddenly moved, swinging a one-and-a-half-foot-long, pitch-black square knife at Sanyan’s throat.
Sanyan might seem careless on the surface, but in reality, he is more meticulous than anyone else. Not a single small movement of Guan Pei escaped his notice. With a quick dodge, he avoided the blade while smiling and saying, “Not bad, the knife is good, but the movement is too slow.” Guan Pei was highly intelligent, but his martial skills were far inferior—completely nowhere near Sanyan’s level. His swift strikes weren’t a threat to Sanyan. Before he could act, Gao Qiang couldn’t hold back any longer and kicked Guan Pei far away. The battle from three nights ago still made him blush when he thought about it. Dongge had been thrown into the river despite being under his protection; he felt utterly embarrassed. Now that he had found the mastermind behind this, he wouldn’t let it go easily. He shouted at Sanyan, “Brother Zhang, leave him to me!”
Sanyan understood his intentions and wouldn’t let him take him. Nodding, he warned, “Don’t kill him. We still need to get something out of him.” “I know!” Without looking back, Gao Qiang kicked Guan Pei, who was just getting up again.
“Dongge, where are we going?” Jiang Sen asked as he followed Xie Wendong. Checking his watch, he saw it was around 10 p.m. and said, “Lao Sen, take me to Peng Ling’s house.” “What about Guan Pei?” Jiang Sen asked. Xie Wendong smiled and said, “I’ve left him to Brother Zhang. I’m relieved.” Indeed! Sanyan was always reliable in what he did. Jiang Sen slapped his head and got into the car with Xie Wendong.