Chapter 317

Xie Wendong smiled calmly and said, “Your head surely isn’t worth that much, but don’t forget—Xiang Wentian is a man who values emotions and loyalty. Would he consider material possessions more important than his brother’s life? Would he stand by and do nothing while someone dies? Would he watch you get killed?”
Xiao Fang was speechless. No one knew better than him what kind of person Xiang Wentian was—a heroic figure who could shake the heavens and move even the spirits. Xiang Wentian would come to save him, no matter how high a price Xie Wendong offered. “Hehe!” Xiao Fang smiled bitterly, his eyes filling with tears. He slowly raised his head and asked softly, “Xie Wendong, are you still human?”
Xie Wendong crossed his arms and turned away, unwilling to see Xiao Fang’s emotionally charged gaze. He recited aloud, “People experience joy and sorrow, parting and reunion; the moon waxes and wanes.”
Everyone was stunned. No one understood why he was quoting a passage from “Water Melody” at that moment. Xiao Fang also didn’t understand and just stared at him in silence. Xie Wendong turned back and said with a smile, “The moon may wane, but no one is perfect. I’m not a good person, and neither is Xiang Wentian. This struggle for dominance is a life-or-death game. Once you join it, you should disregard life and death. That’s the rule of the game—something you should understand, and Xiang Wentian even more so.” Xiao Fang sneered, “But your methods are despicable!”
“Victors reign, losers perish—that’s the way it’s always been,” Xie Wendong said. “If I’m the one who laughs last, my methods will be admired by thousands. Otherwise, they’re worthless.” Xiao Fang had nothing to say, nor anything left to say. If only Xiang Wentian had half of Xie Wendong’s tactics and methods, the South Hongmen wouldn’t have fallen to such a state.
The decline of the Harbor Hotel shocked everyone in the South Hongmen, and Xiao Fang’s capture was like a blow to Xiang Wentian’s head. He couldn’t imagine what tactics Xie Wendong would use against his friend and brother who had grown up together. For a moment, he even felt the urge to lead people to attack the North Hongmen and tear Xie Wendong to pieces, but he held back. All he wanted to know now was whether Xiao Fang was still alive. He sent everyone in the South Hongmen who could still move to gather information. But the results were disappointing. On the third day after Xiao Fang was captured, a highly important member of the South Hongmen returned to Shanghai—Lu Kou, the leader of the Eight Heavenly Kings.

He was 180 centimeters tall, with broad shoulders and a thick back; his arms were long enough to reach his knees. Dressed in white, his shirt was half-unbuttoned, revealing his tanned skin underneath. His face was covered by large sunglasses, his nose straight, his lips thin as blades. A cigarette was tucked between his lips, slightly raised, giving the impression that he was smiling, and indeed he was smiling. 365 days a year, no matter what happened, he rarely stopped smiling. This was Lu Kou. That’s what Xiang Wentian saw when he met him. To be honest, Xiang Wentian didn’t particularly like him, as his casual and thuggish demeanor made it hard for the upright and principled Xiang Wentian to like him.

“Xiao Kou, it’s great that you’re back!” Even if he didn’t like him very much, seeing him now brought some peace to Xiang Wentian’s heart. With Lu Kou around, he had an extra set of hands to rely on. As soon as Xiang Wentian finished speaking, Lu Kou opened his arms wide and gave him a big hug, his mouth stretched almost to his ears, revealing two rows of neat white teeth. He laughed heartily, “Brother Tian, I really missed you! It feels like almost two years since I left!” Xiang Wentian did some quick calculations and realized it was true. When Lu Kou left, the North and South Hongmen factions hadn’t yet started fighting. He forced a smile and said, “You must be tired from the journey. Let’s go get some updates first.” Xiang Wentian patted his back. Lu Kou laughed, “Brother Tian, I’m not tired at all, it’s just… I heard that Xiao Fang was captured?” Xiang Wentian nodded. “He’s in Xie Wendong’s hands. His fate is still unknown. It’s really worrying!”

“Xie Wendong?” Upon hearing this, Lu Kou laughed. “I’ve heard of this guy in the U.S. too. He seems pretty powerful, right?”

Zhou Ting, who was standing nearby, interjected sarcastically, “Powerful? Not really. He’s just full of tricks and cunning schemes.” “Oh?” Lu Kou took off his sunglasses, revealing his bright, dark eyes like black holes. He curved his lips and said, “I really want to meet him! But since Xiao Fang is in his hands, I’ll have to wait for a while.” After a pause, he asked again, “Why did Xie Wendong capture Xiao Fang?” Xiang Wentian shook his head, indicating he didn’t know. Zhou Ting said, “Only Xie Wendong himself knows what he’s thinking.”

Lu Kou felt extremely bored after hearing this. Yawning, he said, “Brother Tian, since there’s nothing to do in the gang, I’m going to bed.” Before Xiang Wentian could speak, Zhou Ting blurted out, “Old Lu, what do you mean there’s nothing to do? Isn’t it a big deal that Xiao Fang was captured by Xie Wendong?” Lu Kou shrugged helplessly and said, “Xiao Fang is in their hands. What else can we do but wait?” “You… you,” Zhou Ting stammered for a while but didn’t continue. Indeed! The only thing to do now was to wait and see what tricks Xie Wendong would play. Lu Kou blinked, waved as he walked away, and said, “It’s better to rest more now, build up our strength, and then deal with Xie Wendong when we’re fully energized. Even if he’s smart, ugh, it’s really frustrating!” Lu Kou left the room as if talking to himself. Zhou Ting was furious and said to Xiang Wentian, “Brother Tian, look at his attitude! What do you think of this?!”
Xiang Wentian smiled bitterly, looked up intently, and asked, “Is this your first day meeting Xiao Kou?!” Zhou Ting was speechless after hearing that.
Xiao Fang wasn’t dead—he was alive and well, with food and drink at his disposal. The one who accompanied him was none other than Xie Wendong. The Burning Knife liquor, as its name suggested, felt like a knife cutting through the stomach once it was consumed, causing intense burning. Most people would wrinkle their faces in pain after just one sip, but Xiao Fang downed an entire glass in one go. He wiped his mouth with his hand and sighed deeply, “Great liquor!” Xie Wendong couldn’t help but laugh and said, “From the way you act, it seems you’re not the kind to like strong liquor.” Xiao Fang replied, “When someone wants to get drunk, only strong liquor works.” “Oh?” Xie Wendong asked, “Why do you want to get drunk?” Xiao Fang said helplessly, “When you have to face the person you hate the most and still drink with them, other than getting drunk, do you have any other choice?” Hearing this, Xie Wendong burst into laughter. He admired Xiao Fang’s honesty and even more his courage.
Sure enough, Dong Xinlei, who was waiting nearby, saw this and furrowed his brows. He raised his fist and smashed it fiercely onto Xiao Fang’s smiling cheek. “Thud!” Xiao Fang slid sideways along with his chair until he hit the wall and stopped. He lay there, hunched over, unable to get up for a long time, with blood seeping from his tightly closed mouth. Dong Xinlei’s powerful punch had knocked out at least three of Xiao Fang’s front teeth, but he forced them down and stood up shakily, smiling and saying, “Brother Dong, your way of showing hospitality to guests is really unique. But I accept it and will remember it.” “Is that so?” Dong Xinlei narrowed his eyes like a leopard, stepped forward, and said coldly, “Then I’ll make sure you remember it well.”

Xie Wendong shrugged, stood up, and said, “Lao Lei, don’t be too harsh on guests—be polite.” With that, he turned and left the room. Outside in the hall, there were at least twenty or thirty people, sitting or standing. Sanyan was wearing a black suit with his upper body bare, his lower abdomen wrapped in thick bandages. Although he had been seriously injured in the fight outside the Flower Hotel last time, he was young and strong, and injuries had long become commonplace for him; he had left the hospital after just three days. No wonder Li Shuang always said his resilience was as tenacious as that of a cockroach. Bo Zhanhui and his trusted subordinates were also there, waiting for Xie Wendong’s next move. After all, the Harbor Hotel had already been secured—how the profits would be divided and how much he could get was what concerned him most. After coming out, Xie Wendong slowly closed the door, glanced around, and smiled slightly. “A few days have passed—any news from the Nanhong Gate?”
Liu Bo replied, “None. Everything is calm.” Xie Wendong smiled. “Xiang Wentian sure knows how to stay patient!” Jiang Sen said, “Maybe he doesn’t know what to do next either. After all, Xiao Fang’s people are in our hands.” Xie Wendong said slowly, “In that case, let’s call him and ask him to come talk.” “Now?” “Now!” “Okay!” Jiang Sen agreed, picked up his phone, and went to a corner of the hall. Sanyan, with a cigarette in his mouth, slowly pulled out his machete and took out a clean handkerchief to wipe it repeatedly.
Li Shuang asked, not amused, “Brother Sanyan, what are you doing?” “Getting ready to kill someone!” Sanyan’s face darkened, even darker than the bottom of a pot. “Kill who?” “Xiao Fang!” Li Shuang said, “Kill Xiao Fang? We’re supposed to exchange him for Xiang Wentian. If you kill him, what will we use to exchange for the Harbor Hotel’s property?” “His body!” Sanyan replied coldly. “Anyway, we can’t let the tiger return to the mountains.” Li Shuang blinked rapidly and looked at Xie Wendong. “Brother Dong, is this okay?”

Xie Wendong looked up at the sky, neither agreeing nor objecting, only saying, “Let Xiang Wentian go to Brother Bo’s territory to trade with us.” He was speaking to Jiang Sen, who was on the phone in the corner. Bo Zhanhui’s expression changed, and he forced a laugh, “Mr. Xie, this seems… not appropriate!” Only a fool would agree to bring the battlefield to his own home. Xie Wendong said seriously, “If we let Xiang Wentian come to my territory to trade, do you think he’ll agree? If I were to go to the Nan Hongmen’s territory to trade, I wouldn’t have the courage either. Only by choosing a third-party territory can everyone feel at ease.” “But…” Bo Zhanhui hesitated, “But when you and I teamed up to take over the Harbor Hotel, Xiang Wentian must have known about it, right?!” “How could he possibly know?” Xie Wendong laughed. “That day, the Harbor Hotel was surrounded by us like an iron barrel; not a single person could escape. There’s no way the news could get out. Xiang Wentian is human, not a god. Don’t worry, he won’t know!” “Oh… this…” Bo Zhanhui felt something was off, but couldn’t refute it immediately, hesitating and unwilling to make a hasty decision. Xuan Zidan interjected, “Brother Hui, just do as Mr. Xie suggests. Anyway, it’s time to take action, and we already have a share in the Harbor Hotel. Nan Hongmen will find out sooner or later.” Saying this, he leaned in close to Bo Zhanhui’s ear and whispered, “It’s better to owe Xie Wendong a favor. The more effort we put in, the larger our share will be.” Bo Zhanhui frowned deeply, still undecided. Xie Wendong laughed heartily and said, “Since Brother Bo is in a difficult situation, I can’t force him. I’ll have to find someone else. But adding one more person means one more person to share with. Whether it’s two people or three, it’s up to Brother Bo to decide. As the old saying goes, anything in the world can be taken if you’re willing to pay a corresponding price. If you want something, you must first give something in return, including risks!” Bo Zhanhui took a breath, turned to look at his advisor Xuan Zidan, who kept nodding at him. With a firm decision, he finally said, “Alright, Mr. Xie is extremely intelligent and loyal. He surely won’t harm me. I’ll do as you say!” Bo Zhanhui tried to use the concept of “loyalty,” which is most valued in the underworld, to win over Xie Wendong, but the latter sneered secretly—loyalty was pure fantasy to him.

Since it was decided to host Xiang Wentian on his own territory, Bo Zhanhui got up early to take his leave and head home to prepare. He hadn’t had much contact with Xie Wendong, but he knew this man was scheming and ruthless in his actions; it wasn’t out of the question that he might turn against him! Worried, Bo Zhanhui returned to the headquarters of the Loyalty Gang, gathered his men. The battle at the Harbor Hotel had cost him dozens of elite fighters, leaving him deeply distressed. Although he still had over two hundred strong young men under his command, he couldn’t shake his worries. Back in his room, he specifically fetched Xuan Zidan and asked, “Zidan, what exactly is Xie Wendong planning? Do you think he’s trying to harm us this time?!”
Xuan Zidan paced around the room for a while before saying, “If he wanted to harm us, he would have attacked right away. Why go to the trouble of coming to our territory? I don’t think so!”
“Hmm!” Bo Zhanhui let out a long sigh. Xuan Zidan’s words were like a pill of reassurance, calming him down. He sighed and said, “Maybe I’m just overthinking it…”
“Actually…” Xuan Zidan glanced around to ensure no one else was present, then leaned in close to Bo Zhanhui’s ear and whispered, “Brother Hui, this might actually be a great opportunity for us!”
Xiang Wentian finally received a call from the Northern Hongmen. “Xiao Fang is in our hands. Fortunately, he’s still alive. But how long he lives depends on you. If you want to save him, we’ll negotiate like in a business deal. Meet at the Loyalty Gang’s headquarters in two days, at 2 p.m.” Jiang Sen spoke all at once, not giving Xiang Wentian a chance to interject, before hanging up.
Xiang Wentian was stunned at first by the call, then overjoyed to learn that Xiao Fang was still alive. This might have been the only exciting news he’d had in days. He gathered all the key members of the Southern Hongmen and held a meeting. During the meeting, everyone argued fiercely, with the main debate being whether Xiang Wentian should go or not. Just then, someone sneered, silencing everyone as they turned to look at the source of the laughter. Lu Kou sat calmly in his chair, swaying back and forth with a faint smile on his lips.
Seeing his carefree attitude, Zhou Ting was furious and almost pointed at him, demanding, “Old Lu, what do you mean? Are you laughing at us?”