Chapter 141

Two days later. The sun was shining brightly, the sky was cloudless, and the pleasant weather made people feel incredibly refreshed. Sunlight streamed through the window into the room, illuminating Xie Wendong’s face. “How comfortable!” Xie Wendong finally woke up, sat up, yawned, and stretched widely. Sensing something, he turned his head and met a pair of bright eyes—large, shiny, and transparent, with long, black, and neatly shaped eyelashes. “Oh!” Xie Wendong stepped back to get a better look at the owner of those eyes. It was a beautiful woman in her twenties or thirties, with neat short hair, fair skin, and a white dress that made her appear almost translucent. Her knee-length dress couldn’t hide her long and slender legs.

“Your eyes are beautiful!” Xie Wendong couldn’t help but praise her. “But you shouldn’t enter my room without my permission.”

The woman sat on the chair by the bed and said calmly, “I’m a doctor.” Xie Wendong stood up and smiled. “I’ve never heard of a doctor entering someone’s room without knocking. If that’s the case, I’d like to be a doctor too.” He lifted the blanket and realized he was naked. His face turned red, and he quickly covered himself again. He looked around the room, only to be disappointed. Helplessly, he said to the female doctor, “Could you give me my clothes back?”

The doctor didn’t say anything. She simply stood up, took a set of pajamas from the wardrobe, placed them on the bed, and sat down again.

Xie Wendong glanced at the pajamas and then at the doctor. Seeing that she had no intention of leaving, he sighed and said, “Although I’m a man, I still need privacy.”

The doctor understood what he meant. She stood up and walked out. Before closing the door, she said in that calm voice, “I’m sorry. I saw everything related to your privacy while examining you.” Then she closed the door.

“Oh!” Xie Wendong stared at the closed door and muttered, “Even if you saw it, you didn’t have to tell me so directly. What a strange woman.” He put on the pajamas and began to think. He had passed that hellish third test, and it seemed the elders had given him the token. Did that mean he was now a senior member of the Hongmen? Uncertain, he wanted to go ask someone, but suddenly the door was pushed open, and a burly man rushed in. If it had been in City H, Xie Wendong would have thought of Li Shuang first, but since they were in City T, who else could have entered the room but Dong Xinlei?

“Brother Dong, you’re awake!” Dong Xinlei said excitedly, looking Xie Wendong up and down. “Brother Dong, are you okay there?”

Xie Wendong patted his shoulder and smiled, “I’m fine. It’s just that I haven’t done much physical activity in a long time, so my body isn’t quite used to it yet. How long did I sleep?”
Dong Xinlei replied, “Not that long—just two days.”
“Two days?” Xie Wendong was surprised. “Good heavens, I slept for so long! By the way, what happened after I fainted?”
Dong Xinlei smiled and said, “After Old Xiang handed you the token, he tried to back out, claiming that using a weapon other than a wooden sword didn’t count as passing the test. It was only thanks to Elder Lei speaking up that all five elders agreed unanimously. Brother Dong, you’re now the leader of the Hongmen.”
Xie Wendong nodded, let out a long sigh, and said with relief, “It seems I didn’t disappoint the old man.”
Dong Xinlei brought over a new suit, as well as Xie Wendong’s bulletproof vest, golden sword, and other items. While helping him change clothes, he said, “Sanyan called just now.”
“Oh?” Xie Wendong asked, “How’s things back home?” “Sanyan says the situation is stable. There’s no other organization in the province that dares to challenge our gang. With black posters everywhere, no one dares to disobey him. There are no more challenges for him, so he plans to expand his influence into neighboring provinces.” Dong Xinlei said seriously, “I think this is growing too fast. If the foundation isn’t solid, no matter how tall the building is, it will collapse.”
Xie Wendong shook his head and smiled, “I trust Brother Zhang. He may seem reckless, but he’s actually very careful. Since Brother Zhang says it’s okay to expand, let’s go with his plan.” After thinking for a moment, he added, “Just make sure not to cause too much noise.” Dong Xinlei sighed and said, “I guess the person Brother Dong trusts the most in the world is probably Sanyan, right?”
“Hehe!” Xie Wendong patted his shoulder and laughed. “He, along with Li Shuang, Gao Qiang, and the others, were among the first to follow me in building our empire. If I don’t trust them, who else can I trust? And they’re all men I can rely on. Of course, I hope you can become as trustworthy as them and truly become my right-hand men.”
Xie Wendong emphasized the word “truly.” Dong Xinlei understood perfectly. With a quiet sigh, he said, “In fact, in my eyes, Brother Dong has always been as important as the old man.”
Xie Wendong looked at Dong Xinlei for a while, adjusted his clothes, and said as he walked away, “Since ancient times, there’s never been a general who can serve two masters! One must always make a choice.” He thought to himself: Will the old man get angry if he finds out I’m undermining him like this? Haha!

This is a villa built on a hillside, one of Jin Peng’s resting places. It’s not very large, but it’s fully equipped with everything needed, including a swimming pool and parking lot.
Xie Wendong went downstairs to the villa’s lobby and found the five elders and Nie Tianxing there, along with four others he hadn’t seen before. When they saw him come out, they all stood up and said in unison, “Hello, big brother!” Whether their greetings were sincere or not, they made Xie Wendong feel comfortable. He smiled and said, “I’m really sorry for sleeping for such a long time.”
Lei Ting praised, “Although it was a while, your performance didn’t disappoint Boss Jin, and it even exceeded our expectations.”
Xiang Huishan snorted, “We’ll see if you’ll disappoint us at the Hongmen meeting in three days. As long as you don’t let the Southern Hongmen make fun of us, we’ll be grateful.”
A burly man in his thirties, whom Xie Wendong had never seen before, said coldly, “What’s the point of talking about this now that the new leader has already been chosen? Use your time to teach him Hongmen etiquette instead of embarrassing us at the meeting!” With that, the man stood up and walked away, waving his hand. “I don’t have time to play games with kids. Goodbye!”
“Stop!” Lei Ting roared. “Look at your attitude! Has your arrogance shown up as soon as Boss Jin was in the hospital? Being so rude in front of the new leader—do you want to rebel?” The man returned, his face dark, and snapped, “Don’t try to label me as a rebel.” Then he pointed at Xie Wendong and said, “Look! If any of you elders aren’t nearsighted, take a good look. Is this the so-called leader you chose? What can a little monkey with all its baby hair still growing do? Why should I follow his orders? What contributions has he made to the Hongmen to deserve to be called ‘big brother’?”
Dong Xinlei whispered in Xie Wendong’s ear, “This man is named Wan Fu. He’s the boss of two provinces and the most powerful faction within the Northern Hongmen. Those three others are also regional rulers with significant influence in the Hongmen.” Xie Wendong nodded, his expression unchanged, still smiling. “If anyone else doesn’t want to play games with kids, they can stand with this gentleman.” Seeing fruit on the coffee table, Xie Wendong picked up a fruit knife and started cutting an apple.

Seeing this, everyone’s expression changed, especially those from the Wan family, who felt that Xie Wendong didn’t even consider them important at all. They pointed at him, moved their lips slightly but said nothing, then left in a huff. The other three leaders also wanted to get up and leave. Xie Wendong stared at the apple in his hand, narrowed his eyes, and smiled, saying, “If you want to leave, go ahead. You’re all local bosses with countless military achievements within the Hongmen. There’s no need to pay any attention to me, a ‘child’!” Hearing this, the three of them felt a bit embarrassed about leaving. They exchanged glances and sat back down, watching as Xie Wendong peeled the apple. He peeled it slowly and carefully. No one in the hall spoke; only Nie Tianxing, with dark circles under his eyes (from Dongxinlei’s strikes), watched Xie Wendong intently. After a while, Xie Wendong placed the peeled apple on the coffee table, cut it into twelve pieces, and distributed them to everyone present, saying, “I’ve always been fair in my actions. I never keep any benefits for myself; I always share them with everyone.” When no one moved, Xie Wendong smiled and said, “Eat. See if the apple I peeled tastes different.” Dongxinlei didn’t understand what Xie Wendong was doing, but he knew he should support him, so he took a small piece of the apple and ate it in one bite, though he couldn’t taste anything. Under Xie Wendong’s gaze, the others also ate their apples. Xie Wendong nodded and said, “Good. Since you’ve eaten my apple, you’re my friends. Let’s introduce ourselves. I don’t want to not even know my friends’ names.” Then he turned his attention to the four leaders he met for the first time. The four of them sighed inwardly, unsure whether this new leader was cunning or simply stupid. One by one, they stood up and introduced themselves: “I’m Qian Guohua, the leader of AH Province!” “I’m Bai Haixin, the leader of SD Province!” “I’m Guan Feng, the leader of SC Province!” “Zhou Bao, in charge of SX Province.” Xie Wendong memorized their names, stood up, and said, “I need to go to the hospital to check on the old man’s condition. I’ll treat you all to dinner tomorrow night. I hope you’ll all be there. Of course, I also hope you can pass on a message to that rude Wan family member—tell them I’m looking forward to their arrival!” With that, Xie Wendong walked out of the villa smiling. Dongxinlei hurried after him, sighing, “The Wan family is an old member of the Hongmen. They’re used to being domineering. Apart from the old man, I doubt anyone else can hold them in check.”

Xie Wendong’s expression darkened instantly as he said coldly, “No one dares to scold me in my face—whether in Province H or within the Hongmen!” With that, he threw the fruit knife on the ground. Dong Xinlei bent down to pick it up and found that the knife had already been distorted by Xie Wendong’s grip, which made his heart tremble.

The Second People’s Hospital. Noontime, the weather turned overcast, with dark clouds covering the sun and muffling the city’s noise.

After two days of rest, Jin Peng’s condition had stabilized, and he no longer needed an oxygen mask, though he remained weak and would cough after speaking for a while. Xie Wendong sat by the hospital bed, placing sliced oranges in Jin Peng’s mouth and sighing, “Elder, having me take charge of the Hongmen this time almost cost me my life. Those 33 Hongmen disciples weren’t gentle with me at all.”

Jin Peng chewed the oranges and mumbled, “But didn’t you still get the token? I trust my eyes. Hmm, these oranges are good—very juicy.”

Xie Wendong smiled and said, “But I became the leader of the Hongmen at such a young age. I’m afraid some people won’t obey me.”

“What?” Jin Peng glared angrily. “Is there someone who dares to ignore your orders? Who is it? Tell me, and I’ll go deal with them.”

It wasn’t just a matter of ignoring orders. Xie Wendong inwardly groaned. Seeing the elder truly angered, he hurriedly said, “It’s not that. I’m just worried that someone might exploit their high status in the Hongmen to look down on me, a young kid. If that happens, can I punish them? According to the Hongmen’s rules!”

Jin Peng said, “You decide on that. Now that you’re the leader of the Hongmen, you naturally have the authority to handle things.”

Xie Wendong nodded, covered Jin Peng with the blanket, and stood up. “Alright, Elder, rest well. I’m leaving now. I hope you recover soon. I’m afraid I might fail to carry the burden of the Hongmen properly.” Jin Peng closed his eyes and smiled. “How can a young person be afraid? Even an old man like me has the courage to hand over the Hongmen to you. How can you, a vigorous young man, lack the courage to lead it well?” Xie Wendong stepped out of the ward, closed the door behind him, and looked at Jin Peng in bed through the window. For the first time, he realized how old he really was—his hair so white, his wrinkles so deep. He couldn’t help but whisper, “Elder, I have the courage!”