Chapter 143
On the second day, it was overcast, with no sign of improvement in the weather. A light drizzle kept stopping and starting, casting a gloomy atmosphere. Xie Wendong, however, wasn’t affected by the weather. Early in the morning, he got up, put on casual clothes, and went outside the villa to exercise. He happened to see that cold-hearted female doctor running as well and wondered why. He stepped forward and asked, “Why are you here?” The female doctor glanced at him and said, “Why can’t I be here?” “Aren’t you a doctor?” Xie Wendong pressed further. “She is a doctor!” Nie Tianxing appeared out of nowhere and continued Xie Wendong’s sentence, “She’s our Hongmen’s ‘official’ doctor, so naturally she’s one of us. She also lives in the villa, right, ‘Ice Sister’?” Seeing Nie Tianxing approaching with a playful smile, Xie Wendong understood why Dong Xinlei loved to slap him. The female doctor remained expressionless, simply opening her mouth slightly and uttering a single word: “Go away!” Then she turned and left. Nie Tianxing placed his hand on his chest, watching the woman’s retreating figure, and said as if hurt, “Heaven, you’ve hurt my heart again.” Xie Wendong watched him with a smile. It was the first time he had observed Nie Tianxing closely and realized he was actually a handsome man—his eyebrows were thin but long, lying closely over his eyes. People often say big eyes lack expression, but his eyes were large yet bright, giving off a radiant glow. If he were a woman, he would definitely be a beauty! That was Xie Wendong’s assessment of Nie Tianxing. Uncomfortable under Xie Wendong’s gaze, Nie Tianxing couldn’t help but say, “If I were a ‘sister’ and you looked at me like that, I’d definitely be very happy, proud, and satisfied. But it’s different for men.” Xie Wendong laughed heartily before turning cold again and saying, “I think you’ve forgotten my identity. I’m now the big brother of Hongmen.” Nie Tianxing was stunned and sighed, “People say power is a terrifying thing—it seems they’re right. You’ve only been the big brother for a day and already use your power to oppress others.” Saying this, he placed his hand on his chest again and said in ‘pain,’ “Isn’t this hurting the feelings of your junior too much? I thought you were a hero.”
Xie Wendong really had no way with people like him. Smiling, he said, “I wonder if anyone has ever told you that your ‘pained’ look is really annoying. Also, please never call me a hero, and don’t treat me as one. I’m a scoundrel—especially in the eyes of those who oppose me; I’m definitely their lingering nightmare!” Xie Wendong waved his hand and sighed, “It’s a shame that that pretty doctor ran away because of you. At least her cold expression looks much more pleasant than your smiling face.” With that, he headed toward the villa, losing interest in continuing his exercise.
Nie Tianxing curled his lips and muttered unhappily, “Am I that annoying?” Watching Xie Wendong’s retreating figure, he chuckled to himself, “Tonight’s dinner is going to be absolutely wonderful.”
Back in the villa, less than two minutes after sitting down, Dong Xinlei rushed in, sweating and looking anxious. He leaned in close to Xie Wendong’s ear and whispered something. Xie Wendong was stunned at first, but then smirked coldly and said, “Isn’t this just perfect? It seems whatever was meant to happen will still happen!”
As the sun set, evening arrived quickly. Xie Wendong invited the main leaders of the Hongmen to have dinner in the villa. After all, he had just taken on the role of leader, and he wanted to get closer to his brothers in the organization. Dinner was scheduled for seven o’clock, and by six o’clock, many people had already arrived. Among them were the main leaders of the Hongmen in City T, as well as some local bosses and their subordinates. Most of the six tables in the villa’s hall were occupied. Though it was called a dinner, it was more like a gathering. People in the martial world are naturally generous, and since they were all members of the same organization, they couldn’t help but compare strengths and weaknesses. The hall was filled with lively chatter, creating a bustling atmosphere.
Near seven o’clock, Xie Wendong finally appeared in the hall. Though such a scene was not common, he was experienced enough to greet the Hongmen leaders with confidence and courtesy. He addressed those older than him as juniors, showing no trace of an arrogant leader. His eyes narrowed into slits with a harmless smile, making it easy for others to like him. Seeing Xie Wendong moving around among the crowd effortlessly, the five elders exchanged glances and nodded in approval.
After greeting everyone, Xie Wendong went to a corner of the hall and took a deep breath. Dong Xinlei rushed over and whispered, “All the main leaders are here, except for Wan Fu.” Xie Wendong checked his watch—it was already seven o’clock. He said coldly, “He will definitely come today!”
Xie Wendong walked to the center of the hall and clapped his hands twice. Everyone knew the new leader had something to say, so they stopped what they were doing and waited quietly for him to speak. The hall instantly fell silent. Xie Wendong was satisfied with this reaction and smiled, saying, “I’ve invited everyone here today first to get to know you all, and second to build a better relationship among us. After all, we’ll be working together in the coming months. I don’t want my takeover to cause any deviation in the direction of the Hongmen organization. Of course, this requires not only my efforts but also your cooperation. I can’t promise how much the gang will develop during my tenure, but I’ll do my best not to disappoint the old master. As a younger member, I still need the guidance of all of you seniors. I hope you won’t hesitate to share your skills and help me manage Hongmen well while the old master is hospitalized, keeping the helm of this organization steady! I have confidence in myself—do you all have confidence in yourselves?”
“Clap, clap, clap!” Before anyone in the hall could respond, applause came from outside. Wan Fu, wearing a black coat and surrounded by several attendants, walked in, clapped his hands, gave Xie Wendong a thumbs up, and then laughed loudly, saying, “The old master chose this young man as the leader. He may be a bit young, but he’s not completely useless—at least he’s good at talking! Right?” He glanced around to seek everyone’s agreement.
None of the Hongmen officials present spoke up. They had a good first impression of Xie Wendong—though he was young and new to Hongmen, he was humble, polite, and had a leader’s demeanor. Moreover, everyone detested Wan Fu deeply, finding him arrogant and disrespectful toward others. They tolerated him only because of his strength and contributions.
Xie Wendong looked at him with a smile, checked his watch, and said, “Brother Wan, you’re ten minutes late. I wonder what kept you from coming?”
“Hmph!” Wan Fu sneered, carelessly found an empty seat at the first dining table, didn’t even glance at Xie Wendong, and said, “It’s not a little brat’s place to interfere in my affairs!”
Lei Ting’s face darkened as he slammed the table and pointed at Wan Fu,angrying, “Is this how you treat the leader?”
Wan Fu spat, pointed Thunderbolt’s finger at his own nose, and said coldly, “I don’t need you to interfere in my attitude toward this worthless leader. To put it nicely, I call you an elder; to put it bluntly, you’re just an old stubborn fool. I wonder why the leader position has to go to him—Old Jin is old and injured, unable to get up, yet he passes the position to his grandson-in-law. Truly, the benefits stay within the family. What era is it now? The one with the greatest strength should be the leader!”
“You…” Old Thunderbolt was so angry that his hair and beard stood on end, unable to speak for a while. The other four elders also showed anger but held back from reacting.
Nie Tianxing sighed, thinking, “Trouble!” He stood up, poured a glass of wine, and handed it to Wan Fu, saying, “We’re all on the same side. Why fight like this? The old man just got admitted to the hospital, and we’re already fighting among ourselves. That’s just giving the South Hongmen a chance to laugh at us! Right now, our top priority should be figuring out how to handle the Hongmen summit in three days. What do you think, Wan Baozi?”
“Heh!” Wan Fu grabbed the glass in front of him and drank it in one gulp, then slammed it hard on the table. Turning to Xie Wendong, he asked, “Kid, what do you plan to do at the Hongmen conference held in Nanjing in three days?”
Xie Wendong smiled and said, “Of course, I’ll build good relations with the Hongmen leaders from various regions, and then…” “Build good relations with them?” Before Xie Wendong could finish, Wan Fu interrupted him angrily, “It was Old Jin who got tricked by the South Hongmen. Do you still want to build good relations with their leaders? This conference is held in Nanjing, right at the border between the North and South Hongmen. We should bring more of our brothers and take the chance to eliminate the South Hongmen leaders at the conference. If the leaders from other regions dare to resist, we can eliminate them too. This way, we can avenge Old Jin and seize the opportunity to crush the South Hongmen at once. Kid, what do you think of my plan?”
Idiot! Xie Wendong and Nie Tianxing both sneered inwardly but didn’t show it on the surface. Xie Wendong shook his head and said worriedly, “The plan isn’t bad, but the risk is too high. As far as I know, the Hongmen summit every year attracts leaders from all over the world. If it fails, our North Hongmen will become the target of everyone’s anger.”
“Tch!” Wan Fu curled his lips sarcastically, “With your courage, you’d better go home and hold your kids! Kid, do you know that wealth and honor come from taking risks? If you don’t even have the guts for this, how can you be our leader? I think you’d better hand over your token right now. I think that’s the decision—I’ve brought my people, and we’ll act at the Hongmen conference in three days.”
Xie Wendong clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking, but he still didn’t explode. Smiling, he said, “I think we need to discuss this further. Acting so hastily isn’t appropriate.”
Wan Fu kicked the chair beside him away and slammed his hand on the table. “Discuss? What’s there to discuss? I’ve decided this is what will be done. Even if you all disagree, it doesn’t matter. I’m just worried that my hundreds of brothers outside won’t follow orders. Hehe! I’m not here to discuss things three days from now; I’m here to get back the leader’s token that rightfully belongs to me.”
Everyone’s expression changed drastically. Xiang Huishan couldn’t help but say, “Wan Fu, what do you mean? Do you really want to rebel?”
Wan Fu gave a sinister smile and shook his head. “It’s not that I want to rebel. It’s that my subordinates refuse to let some kid take over as the leader. Since everyone is here today, let’s speak openly. Those who oppose me, stand up.” With that, Wan Fu pulled out a pistol and placed it on the table.
Everyone’s gaze turned to Xie Wendong. It wasn’t really the gun that worried them; what they feared most were Wan Fu’s hundreds of men outside the villa. Though they weren’t sure if what he said was true or not, given Wan Fu’s boldness, they guessed it might be true.
Xie Wendong stepped behind Wan Fu, placed his hand on the table, leaned close to his ear, and said with a smirk, “I’m only acting as the leader of the Hongmen for a while. The old man is getting old and will retire sooner or later. As an elder in the Hongmen, with both strength and achievements, the position of leader should basically belong to you. So why can’t you wait? Why such haste? I thought I could build an empire with you, but it seems that’s impossible now.”
Wan Fu replied coldly, “It’s impossible because either you hand over the leader’s token or you go to heaven to pursue your dream of being the leader. Choose for yourself!”
“Sigh!” Xie Wendong shook his head and sighed. “There are things you don’t want to do, but often circumstances force you to.” He laughed and said, “Brother Wan, it seems you still don’t understand the situation.”