Chapter 139

Xie Wendong took the flying knife handed to him by the burly man. The blade was silver in color, engraved with patterns, and the words “Hongmen” were inscribed at its tip. He weighed the knife and found it just right in terms of balance. Standing in front of the target, he glanced at the elders and the over a thousand gang members, all staring at him intently. Some wore amused expressions, some looked disdainful, while others had serious faces. He chuckled inwardly, took large steps back about thirty paces, turned his back on the target without looking around, and played with the knife in his hand. He closed his eyes, trying to calm himself down—after all, from such a distance, even the slightest deviation would prevent him from hitting the center of the target.

Time passed slowly, and everyone grew impatient. Lei Ting was about to speak up to urge him on when Xie Wendong suddenly turned around, swung his arm, and a streak of silver light flashed—blindingly bright in the dark night. With a sharp whoosh, the light vanished instantly. With a soft “thud,” the flying knife landed precisely in the center of the target, its tip completely buried and the blade trembling. Before anyone could react, Xie Wendong threw another knife; two streaks of silver light appeared one after the other, as if guided by eyes, and nailed themselves to either side of the first knife. It was so fast—just in the blink of an eye—Xie Wendong had thrown three knives, smiling as he tapped his fingernails.

The scene was dead silent, so quiet that even the fall of a needle could be heard. Then, someone suddenly shouted “Good!” Like a fuse, applause erupted, followed by continuous cheers. Dong Xinlei wore a proud smile, feeling as if he were the one being praised. Nie Tianxing sneered and said, “What’s there to be proud of? It wasn’t you who threw the knives!” Dong Xinlei, in high spirits, ignored him and said, “Well? Someone who can impress me must be extraordinary, right?” Nie Tianxing shook his head without saying a word.

Xie Wendong’s performance also greatly surprised the five elders. Lei Ting’s eyes sparkled as he muttered, “This young man… maybe he’s not bad after all!” Another elder heard this and laughed, “Hmm! At least Boss Jin didn’t pick a worthless son-in-law! Haha!”

Xie Wendong bowed to the elders and asked, “Have I passed this test?”

The five elders replied in unison, “You have!”

Thunder smiled, feeling somewhat fond of Xie Wendong. He said in a low voice, “Kid, don’t get too excited just yet. Da Tou is still behind us. This second challenge isn’t easy at all!” With that, he snapped his fingers twice, and several strong men came over carrying a large iron pot. A few others had already set up a platform with a fire burning underneath, and the strong men gently placed the iron pot on it. Xie Wendong took a closer look and was shocked—there was half a pot of oil inside. He thought to himself, Could this second challenge of “finding a needle in a haystack” mean he has to dive into the oil pot?!

Before long, the oil in the pot began to boil, bubbling up noisily. The elders nodded at each other. Thunder took a gold pin from a tray beside him, shook his wrist slightly, and the pin flew out, landing precisely in the oil pot. Thunder said, “This second challenge is simple. As long as you retrieve the gold pin from the oil pot, you’ll pass.”

Xie Wendong blinked, looking at the oil pot. Even from five steps away, the heat was intense, let alone reaching in to grab some gold pin. Was this a joke? Dong Xinlei, standing nearby, protested, “Elder, how is this possible? Brother Dong has never practiced qigong. Even if he had, he couldn’t do this without decades of training. Isn’t this forcing someone too hard? Aren’t you deliberately making things difficult for him?!”

With Dong Xinlei’s words, the disciples below agreed he was right. Although they didn’t know much about Xie Wendong yet, they admired his skill with flying knives deeply, and their goodwill toward him grew. They also felt this second challenge was excessive and began to whisper among themselves.

The five elders blushed. Thunder’s face darkened as he shouted, “Silence! Silence!” Under his loud voice and the angry glares from the other elders, everyone quickly shut up. “This is a rule set by our founder. Every previous leader had to go through this challenge! If anyone else has doubts, step forward and speak up.” With the founder’s name brought up, who would dare express dissatisfaction? Dong Xinlei could only grumble softly and say nothing more. Seeing this, Thunder nodded in satisfaction and added, “Of course, we’re not unreasonable. Considering Xie Wendong is still young, we can make an exception once.” Then he said to the strong men below, “Give him gloves.”

The strong man nodded and handed a pair of deer skin gloves to Xie Wendong. Thunder continued, “You can use these gloves to retrieve the gold pin. This is the first time it’s been done by any of our predecessors!”

Xie Wendong looked at the pitiful gloves in his hands, feeling like crying but having no tears. The gloves were thick enough, but their length was terrible—barely reaching his wrists when worn. The oil in the wok was at least a foot deep; to reach the bottom, one would have to stick their arm in, yet the oil would still not reach the elbow. It seemed pointless to wear those gloves. With his hands behind his back, Xie Wendong circled the wok, muttering to himself, “Old man, you really know how to give me a tough task! If I try to fish out that gold needle, won’t my arm end up like fried chicken wings? But since such a smart man as the old man chose me to take over, he must have thought of a way to overcome this challenge! But what could it be? What else has the old man taught me?”

As he thought, Xie Wendong had an idea. He stopped in front of the wok and placed his hands, still wearing the deer leather gloves, on the surface of the oil. Everyone held their breath, wondering if he really intended to put his hands in. Some timid people lowered their heads, not daring to look, yet unable to miss what happened, they peeked from the corners of their eyes.

After a while, Xie Wendong finally moved. His arms stirred the oil continuously, causing it to swirl slowly. The faster he stirred, the faster the oil spun, until a vortex formed in the center, with the gold needle right at its heart. Oil already has strong buoyancy, and since the gold needle was in the vortex where buoyancy was greatest, its lighter end slowly rose while the heavier end remained still. In no time, the gold needle stood upright in the center of the vortex. With less oil there than around it, it was easily reachable. Seizing the moment, Xie Wendong plunged his hand into the vortex like lightning, grabbed the gold needle with two fingers, and quickly pulled his hand back. Still, a few drops of oil splashed onto his arm, causing a burning pain. Gritting his teeth, he managed not to cry out, though blood seeped from between his teeth, tasting sweet and salty.

Xie Wendong let out a sigh of relief and raised the gold needle high, triggering thunderous cheers from the crowd. People gradually realized that this unassuming young man could always bring them endless surprises. Perhaps being with him would be quite interesting! Nie Tianxing also had to admire Xie Wendong’s wisdom.

The five elders exchanged smiles and nodded in approval. “The young man is bold and intelligent, knowing how to seize opportunities. It seems we old folks really need to retire soon!”

Xiang Huishan, one of the five elders, said, “Anyway, he’s still too young. How can he convince others? Don’t forget, the leaders in various regions are no easy opponents! Let’s see if he can make it through the third challenge first.”
“The third challenge… I hope he can survive it,” Lei Ting sighed and said, “The second challenge is already over. Now, the third challenge—Invincibility!” With that, he looked down at Xie Wendong and asked, “Do you know how many steps lead to the main hall?”
Xie Wendong was stunned, not sure why Lei Ting asked this. After a quick estimate, he replied, “About thirty steps, I guess.”
Lei Ting said, “There are actually thirty-three steps. Your third challenge is to climb these thirty-three steps and take over the token from the leader.”
Xie Wendong smiled and said, “Elder Lei, I don’t think it’s that simple. Just tell me what you have to say at once. I think I can handle it.”
Lei Ting trembled slightly and smiled, “It’s great to be with young people. I even feel younger myself.” Then he turned and said, “Kids, come out!”
As soon as he finished speaking, dozens of burly men armed with steel knives rushed into the hall. Lei Ting pointed at them and said, “These are the elite warriors of the Hongmen. There are thirty-three of them, representing the thirty-three steps. If you want to climb up, you must overcome them. But I must warn you—they won’t let you pass easily, nor will they show mercy. Countless people who wanted to become leaders have died here. To be a leader of the Hongmen, one needs not only courage and wisdom but also proven strength!”
Xie Wendong had nothing to say. Thirty-three elite warriors—how am I supposed to defeat them? Why not just shoot me? he thought angrily, but his face remained smiling. “Can I use a weapon?” he asked.
“Of course!” This time it was Xiang Huishan who spoke. He waved his hand, and Xie Wendong felt a dark object flying toward him. He caught it—it was a wooden sword. Looking up in confusion, he asked, “Is this my weapon?”
“That’s right!” Xiang Huishan grinned mischievously. “It’s not easy for the Hongmen to train an elite warrior. To reduce unnecessary casualties, those who attempt the challenge can only use wooden swords.”

“Banana, you jerk!” Xie Wendong gritted his teeth in anger. “I can only use a wooden sword, while they all use real knives. Just because you guys are from the Hongmen, does that mean I’m not human?” Even someone as scheming as Xie Wendong couldn’t help but silently curse the ancestors of those five elders under such treatment. Xie Wendong shook the wooden sword in his hand, nodded, narrowed his eyes, and smiled, “Good! Very good! Really excellent!”

Anyone could hear the anger in his voice. The elders understood even better. Thunder sighed inwardly—this wasn’t a game. There were no skilled fighters here. If anything happened to Xie Wendong, not only would he feel guilty, but he’d also be unable to face the old master. After thinking this through, Thunder asked, “Xie Wendong, if it’s not too late to back out now, you should think carefully. What if…”

Thunder’s words were well-intentioned, but to Xie Wendong, who was already angry, they sounded like mockery. Filled with rage, Xie Wendong swung his wooden sword, cutting off Thunder’s words, and laughed loudly, “There’s no need to think. There’s no ‘what if.’ I’m taking the token of the Hongmen brother today!” With that, he raised his sword and walked toward the steps, unafraid of the thirty-three men armed with steel knives. He shouted, “Whoever disagrees, come at me!”

Xie Wendong’s confident and bold demeanor impressed even the members below. Even the elders and Nie Tianxing secretly gave thumbs up, praising him.

When Xie Wendong reached the steps, the man at the front roared and swung his knife at him. His speed wasn’t fast, and he shouted loudly, but he held back in his attack. He didn’t know Xie Wendong’s skills and was only making a tentative move. Since he held back, Xie Wendong went all out. He blocked the knife with his wooden sword, sensing that the opponent wasn’t using much force. Smirking, he pushed the sword outward forcefully, sending the man’s knife flying. With the path cleared, Xie Wendong seized the opportunity, stepped forward, and punched hard at the left armpit of the man’s arm holding the knife.

The man grunted, swayed twice, and collapsed weakly. The left armpit is a vital point on the body, close to the heart. A heavy strike there can cause the heart to stop beating momentarily, leading to shock in the victim.

Xie Wendong pushed aside the unconscious man without even glancing at him and declared loudly, “Next! Who’s next?”