Chapter 324

Xie Wendong was not at fault, nor was Zhou Ting. It was just a coincidence that the convoys of the Northern and Southern Hongmen happened to arrive together. After seeing this clearly, not only were the people present shocked, but even Xie Wendong and Lu Kou were stunned and secretly amazed. The North and South were sworn enemies, destined for either death or destruction; they had been in open and secret conflict for decades, with countless casualties on both sides, too many to count. Especially after Xie Wendong took charge, the Northern Hongmen advanced southward with unstoppable force, defeating four of the Southern Hongmen’s Eight Heavenly Kings and reaching as far as Shanghai. It was only thanks to Xiang Wentian’s desperate efforts that they managed to turn the tide. The conflict between the North and South had become widely known, and just when Lu Kou and Zhou Ting had a golden opportunity to stop Xie Wendong, reinforcements from both sides arrived at the same time, traveling along the same route. Both leaders were among the most prominent figures in their respective factions. Everyone fighting fiercely there was a top-tier fighter, and none of them could understand what was going on. Dong Xinlei led the Northern Hongmen, while Xiang Wentian led the Southern Hongmen. Everyone stopped fighting and stared in astonishment at each side’s convoy.

Xiang Wentian’s and Dong Xinlei’s cars stopped on opposite sides of the road. After getting out, they were also stunned by the situation. Dong Xinlei burst into laughter and said, “I wonder where exactly Brother Xiang is referring to the Soul Group?” Xiang Wentian didn’t reply. Instead, he stepped into the middle of the scene, glanced at Xie Wendong, then looked around, finally fixing his gaze on Lu Kou and Zhou Ting. The two shrank back in fear, already guessing what their leader was about to say. Sure enough, Xiang Wentian calmly asked, “You two, where are the people from the Soul Group? Weren’t you here to chase them?”

Lu Kou smiled bitterly and said helplessly, “The Soul Group didn’t catch up, and then we ran into Mr. Xie… So, we ended up fighting.” “Very good, very good,” Xiang Wentian nodded repeatedly without saying more. He then turned to Dong Xinlei and asked, “Did you hear that?” Dong Xinlei replied coldly, “I’m not deaf. I heard very clearly what your ‘Heavenly Kings’ said. But I must say, Brother Xiang, you’re a man who upholds justice. You should understand better than I do what’s important and what’s not. No matter how deep the feud between our two families is, it’s still an internal matter of our Hongmen. I think you haven’t forgotten the original purpose of our ancestors when they founded Hongmen—‘The world belongs to the Han people; how can it be trampled by barbarians’! That’s all I have to say.”

The Hongmen was founded in the early Qing dynasty with the goal of overthrowing the Qing and restoring the Ming dynasty. As it developed, it became an armed organization resisting foreign powers. The Kongo is a secret gang supported by Japanese right-wingers, and its intentions upon coming to China go without saying. Logically and morally, the Hongmen should have risen up to suppress them, yet at a critical moment, the Southern Hongmen turned against them, helping the Kongo to capture Xie Wendong. Dong Xinlei’s words implied indirectly that Xiang Wentian had failed to fulfill his duties. Xiang Wentian sighed and simply said, “I’ve learned something!” Then he turned and returned to his car, leaving without saying goodbye, and drove back the way he came. Lu Kou glanced at Zhou Ting, who was also staring at Lu Kou. The two exchanged glances for a long time in silence. It was Zhou Ting who first stamped his foot angrily and then complained in a low voice, “You really got us into trouble this time!” He pulled at Lu Kou’s sleeve and said, “Stop standing here and embarrassing us. Let’s go!” Xie Wendong didn’t make things difficult for them either. He watched them get into the car and leave with a smile. Ren Changfeng sheathed his sword and said regretfully, “It’s a shame to just let them go like this.” Xie Wendong laughed and said, “Since Old Lei spoke in such a righteous manner, what more can we do?” Dong Xinlei’s face turned red as he said, “There was no other choice. Forced into this situation, we had to say those words. Otherwise, it might lead to another fierce battle, resulting in losses on both sides and giving the Kongo an opportunity to laugh at us.” Xie Wendong patted Dong Xinlei’s shoulder and said, “Old Lei, I’m not blaming you. On the contrary, I think what you said was very right and impressive. You’re the first person to leave Xiang Wentian speechless!” The car had already driven far away, and the Northern Hongmen was out of sight. Zhou Ting still felt his face burning, constantly blaming Lu Kou for coming up with such a bad idea that could cost lives. He didn’t know what kind of punishment Brother Tian would give him when they got back! Lu Kou remained silent the whole time, the smile that often appeared on his lips gone entirely, his expression dark. He didn’t say a word in protest, and no one knew whether he really listened to Zhou Ting’s words. It wasn’t until they were almost back at the Southern Hongmen headquarters that he sighed and said, “Sigh! Once we miss this opportunity, it will be hard to find another chance to quickly dismantle the Northern Hongmen!” “Tch!” Zhou Ting laughed in anger and shook his head. “I’ll never listen to what you say again. Do your daydreams by yourself. Don’t drag me into them!” With that, he closed his eyes and stopped looking at Lu Kou, believing that out of sight was out of mind.

The Soul Group’s sudden appearance in Shanghai, coupled with a bold ambush, disrupted the balance between the Southern and Northern Hongmen factions. It was like two players in a high-stakes chess match who were suddenly disturbed by an unexpected third party, throwing their plans into disarray. That’s exactly what happened to Xie Wendong—he had just taken control of the largest and most luxurious casino in Shanghai belonging to the Southern Hongmen and was on an upward trajectory. He intended to use this momentum to dismantle Xiang Wentian’s forces in Shanghai one by one, but the arrival of the Soul Group forced him to reconsider his own security concerns.

On the way back to the Fresh Flower Hotel, he was escorted by countless convoys, with Dongxin Lei leading the way. Even so, Xie Wendong still felt uneasy and depressed. The Soul Group’s first ambush failed, and they did not launch another attack, seemingly retreating. Yet, Xie Wendong and his men had no reason to rejoice, as this setback came at the cost of over a dozen elite members of the Secret Group—the greatest loss the group had suffered since its founding. Xie Wendong lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and exhaled a wisp of smoke. He placed a hand on his chest, where there was a handkerchief wrapped around the severed hair of his group’s members. Slowly, he asked, “Between the Soul Group and Xiang Wentian, and between the Southern Hongmen and the Soul Group—which is more important, and which less?”

The others in the car understood what he meant. Jiang Sen clenched his fist and said, “The Soul Group is elusive, and this time they’ve sent a large number of elites—far stronger than before. Hiding in the shadows, they pose a huge threat to us.” Ren Changfeng shook his head and said, “To fight external threats, we must first stabilize our own situation. No matter how strong the Soul Group is, it can’t compare to Xiang Wentian. No matter how large their forces are, they don’t pose a real threat to our North Hongmen. So, between the two, we should focus on North Hongmen. What we need to do now is take advantage of South Hongmen’s low morale and disorganized state to drive Xiang Wentian out of Shanghai. Once that happens, South Hongmen will have no refuge and will be forced to retreat to their hometown of Guangzhou. By then, the day when the North and South Hongmen are unified won’t be far off. That’s what the old master has always wanted—compared to that, the Soul Group is insignificant!” Ren Changfeng had his reasoning, but different perspectives lead to different views. To Gao Qiang, his words sounded extremely harsh. Whether the North and South Hongmen were unified had nothing to do with him. He came to Shanghai not to help North Hongmen but to follow Xie Wendong. But if he had to sacrifice Brother Dong’s life for the unity of the two Hongmen, Gao Qiang couldn’t bear it. With a cold expression, he said, “But have you considered that the existence of the Soul Group remains a threat that Brother Dong can’t ignore? If anything happens to him, what’s the point of North Hongmen trying to defeat South Hongmen? It would already be good enough if they could just protect themselves at that point.” Gao Qiang held back the rest of his words. After all, having worked together for so long, he still wanted to save some face for Ren Changfeng. Ren Changfeng didn’t notice Gao Qiang’s dissatisfaction. After all, someone as proud as him only paid attention to himself and rarely considered others. He chuckled and said, “There is a threat, but if we’re careful and don’t give the Soul Group any chance, it shouldn’t be a big problem.”

Upon hearing this, Gao Qiang’s blood boiled with anger, his gaze turning as cold as frost. He slammed the steering wheel and said slowly, word by word, “Be more careful? How? If Dong Ge had been in the first car just now, have I thought about what the consequences would have been?!” Ren Changfeng was shocked; he didn’t expect Gao Qiang to get so angry. Blinking, he still couldn’t figure out what he had said wrong. To avoid embarrassing him, Xie Wendong smiled and said, “Changfeng has a point. But if we prioritize dealing with the Nan Hongmen over the Soul Group, we’ll likely be laughed at by the underworld. If Xiang Wentian can set aside his grudges between the north and south, so can we.” He didn’t clarify his own thoughts but added after a pause, “Things in the world are unpredictable. We’ll decide as the situation unfolds. If there really is a great opportunity to kick Xiang Wentian out of Shanghai in one go, even if it means facing severe criticism, I won’t miss it.” The latter part was indeed Xie Wendong’s true feelings.

The people in the car exchanged looks and smiled knowingly. That was just Xie Wendong—he never acted under worldly constraints. As long as he thought something could be done, not even the king himself could stop him. Phrases like “fear of public opinion” or “the power of collective criticism” had never existed in his dictionary. The journey went smoothly, and upon returning to the Fresh Flowers Hotel, everyone was physically and mentally exhausted. Xie Wendong noticed their low spirits and gave a few instructions before sending them off to rest. While others could rest, he couldn’t. Back in his room, he called Liu Bo over and asked right away, “Any news from the Soul Group?” Liu Bo shook his head reluctantly, clearly troubled, biting his lips without saying a word.

Xie Wendong gave him a disdainful look and said, “Liu, is there anything you still can’t tell me?” Liu Bo smiled bitterly and said, “I just regret boasting in front of Dong Ge back then. This time, the people from the Soul Group are hiding very well, showing no signs at all. Besides, Shanghai isn’t like City H. We’re unfamiliar with the place. Even though our intelligence network is starting to take shape, it’s far inferior to that in City H. And… I suspect the Soul Group might be hiding within the territory of the Nan Hongmen. That’s the hardest place for us to access. If we take drastic action, we’ll easily alert the Nan Hongmen, and all our carefully placed spies will be exposed right under their noses—it’s not worth it.”

“Oh!” Xie Wendong exhaled softly, walking back and forth in the room with his hands behind his back. Then he changed the subject and asked, “How’s things inside the Zhongyi Gang now?”

“Huh?” Liu Bo was taken aback. He had thought he was considering matters related to the Soul Group, but unexpectedly the topic shifted to the Loyalty Gang. It took him a while to catch up with Xie Wendong’s rapid thinking before he said, “What else can we say? In one word—chaos.” Just as Xie Wendong had expected, he narrowed his eyes and asked, “How chaotic?” “Today, Xuanzi Dan captured Bo Zhanhui in one fell swoop. All the powerful leaders are now on high alert, gathering more people for protection. At the same time, many are trying to seize power. In short, the entire gang is in complete chaos.” Since the incident had happened not long ago, Liu Bo didn’t know very many details. Xie Wendong nodded and smiled, saying, “It’s not chaotic enough. We should add more chaos.”
“What do you mean, Brother Dong…?” Liu Bo asked confusedly. Xie Wendong smiled and said, “If one or two more top leaders die, then the real show will start soon.”
“Ah, ah!” Liu Bo’s eyes lit up as he nodded vigorously and smiled too. “Exactly! I’ll take care of it!” Xie Wendong replied, “Let Lao Sen handle it. The Secret Group is more experienced in this kind of thing. Tell Lao Sen not to leave any traces.” “Understood!” Just as Liu Bo was about to leave, he suddenly remembered something, turned back, and asked, “Brother Dong, what about the Soul Group?”
“We still don’t even know where they are, how many they are, or who they are. Even if we strike, it’s likely we’ll miss or hit a wall. If we can’t strike, then we won’t. If we can’t figure it out, then we won’t think about it. Their target is me. Sooner or later, they’ll come to me on their own. We just need to wait,” Xie Wendong said confidently with a smile. Seeing his certainty, Liu Bo didn’t ask any further questions and left. What he didn’t know was that despite his calm appearance, Xie Wendong himself had no idea what to do. But he wouldn’t show it—if he showed the slightest sign of panic, things would get even more chaotic!
After Liu Bo left, fatigue set in. Xie Wendong yawned and was about to take a bath to rest when Jiang Lin showed up unexpectedly. She had been outside the door for a while, hearing voices inside and not wanting to disturb them, so she hadn’t entered. When Liu Bo came out and saw her, he chuckled. Having known each other for a long time, their relationship had grown closer. Half-jokingly, he said, “If there were a beautiful woman like you waiting outside my room, I’d dream happily.” Jiang Lin rolled her eyes at him and replied with a fake smile, “It seems you’ll never dream happily again in your life.” “Women are really vicious!” Liu Bo scratched his head and left dejectedly.

When Jiang Lin entered the room and saw Xie Wendong’s appearance, she was shocked, then burst into silver-bell-like laughter. Xie Wendong was dressed in black clothes that had almost turned yellow, covered in mud mixed with blood. His face was streaked with yellow and white, not much different from the painted faces in Peking opera. Seeing Jiang Lin laughing at him, he turned to look at himself in the mirror and muttered, “At least it’s not dark yet.” Jiang Lin asked with a smile, “Why?” Xie Wendong joked self-deprecatingly, “If someone saw me like this in the dark, they’d think I was a zombie that crawled out of the ground and scare themselves to death.” His words once again made Jiang Lin laugh heartily. “Go take a bath and change of clothes first!” Xie Wendong said with a smile, “That’s what I originally planned, but then suddenly you…” “I understand, I understand. You’re not used to having someone in your room while you bathe, especially a woman—moreover, a ‘stranger,’ right?”