Chapter 145

“Why are you still so happy after getting scammed, young man?” The young man who had first laughed with Xie Wendong stood up and walked over, asking. Two of the four burly men beside him had disappeared without anyone noticing. Xie Wendong rubbed his stomach and sighed, “I’m quite smart. It’s the first time I’ve met someone who could fool me. Don’t you think that’s something to be happy about?” The young man stared at him for a long time before laughing and saying, “Not many people in the world dare to claim they’re smart. You’re the first I’ve met. But in my opinion, truly smart people don’t boast about their intelligence.”
Xie Wendong sighed, “People are strange sometimes. When you lie, people tend to believe you, but when you tell the truth, they think you’re a fool.”
The young man said gently, “You’re not a fool. If you were, you wouldn’t have given that 100 yuan to your boss and kept arguing with him endlessly, haha.”
Xie Wendong smiled without saying anything. At that moment, the two burly men who had originally sat on either side of the young man and then disappeared came walking from the end of the street, each carrying one person—namely the middle-aged man and the young man who had scammed Xie Wendong, though their faces were injured. The burly men moved swiftly, arriving beside the young man in no time. They said respectfully, “Brother Tian, we’ve caught these two.” The young man nodded and looked at Xie Wendong, saying, “Young man, the two who scammed you are right here. What do you think we should do to them?”
Xie Wendong felt moved and smiled gratefully before shaking his head. “I already said they’re the first people to fool me. That’s enough to be proud of. There’s no need to trouble them. I hope you’ll let them go.” The young man crossed his arms, thought for a moment, then said, “Since the young man has spoken so, as an outsider, I have nothing to say.” With that, he waved at the burly men, who nodded and kicked the two men in the back, shouting, “Get lost!”
Watching the two men flee in panic, the young man stretched out his hand to Xie Wendong. “I’m Xiang Wentian. I’m glad to have met you today, young man.”
Xiang Wentian! Xie Wendong’s eyes lit up briefly before returning to calm. He shook his hand and said with a smile, “I’m also glad to meet you, Brother Xiang. I’m Xie Wendong.”
“Oh?” Xiang Wentian looked up at the sky as if thinking. “I remember the new leader of the Northern Hongmen is named Xie Wendong, right?!”
“That’s correct!” Xie Wendong tilted his head, seemingly lost in thought. “If I’m not mistaken, the leader of the Southern Hongmen is named Xiang Wentian.”

“Haha!” Xie Wendong and Xiang Wentian shook hands and laughed heartily. Their laughter was so loud that it drowned out the hustle and bustle of the streets. Even the heavens seemed to marvel at how coincidental life’s paths could be. The four bodyguards accompanying Xiang Tianxing were shocked—unaware that this young man was Xie Wendong, the new leader of the Northern Hongmen. They instinctively reached for their guns at their waists. Not far away, another person had already pulled out his gun, disarmed it, covered it with his clothes, and aimed it at Xiang Wentian’s back. It was none other than Dong Xinlei, who had been following Xie Wendong. If anything threatened Xie Wendong, he would pull the trigger without hesitation.

The crisis loomed, imminent. Yet Xie Wendong and Xiang Wentian seemed oblivious, continuing to laugh as they sized each other up. Xie Wendong spoke first, “I’ve heard for a long time that the Southern Hongmen has a remarkable hero named Xiang Wentian. It’s truly unexpected to meet you today.”

Xiang Wentian smiled, “Others calling me a hero might not mean much to me, but it’s truly pleasing when Brother Xie says so—it’s worth three drinks.”

Xie Wendong sighed again, “If you’re a hero, why would you try to assassinate an old man? Isn’t that the behavior of a hero?!”

Xiang Wentian shook his head, “The more charges you lay, the more excuses you find. Though I may not act openly, I certainly won’t resort to despicable tactics. As you said, people easily believe lies, but when I tell the truth, they think I’m lying.”

Xie Wendong agreed, laughing, “The world is indeed cold and unforgiving.” Xiang Wentian lamented, “That’s precisely where the pain in life lies.”

Xie Wendong raised an eyebrow and laughed loudly, “Meeting a kindred spirit in a foreign land is one of life’s greatest joys—it’s worth a drink.”

Xiang Wentian shook his head, “How can men drink just by the cup? Meeting a kindred spirit abroad is an extraordinary thing—it’s worth a whole box! Haha!”

Xie Wendong and Xiang Wentian really did drink an entire box. By the end, both were quite drunk. Xiang Wentian stood up and looked up, asking, “When will the moon appear?” Drunk as he was, Xie Wendong replied, “I raise my cup to ask the heavens.” Xiang Wentian sighed, “It’s been so long since I’ve had such a great time drinking. I really want to be friends with you!”

“Yes!” Xie Wendong stood up and stood beside him, gazing at the full moon in the sky and sighing, “If it weren’t for the Hongmen, perhaps we really could…” He didn’t finish his sentence. This was the first time Xie Wendong and Xiang Wentian met; though their temperaments matched, their respective missions forced them to stand on opposite ends of life—one end representing life, the other death. There was no way to change it, at least not for them; perhaps this was fate ordained by heaven.

Xiang Tiansao left, swaying with the support of his four subordinates. Before departing, he said, “I hope we’ll have another chance to sit together and drink. Sometimes I really feel lonely, as if there’s not a single friend in the world.”

Xie Wendong simply replied indifferently, “You’re drunk!” In truth, he felt the same way. He only had two kinds of friends: brothers and those he could use. He had no true friends—those with whom he could discuss history and philosophy, share deep conversations, and communicate on a spiritual level.

Xiang Tiansao left. Just as Xie Wendong stood up, he suddenly felt the world spinning and sat back down, thinking he must indeed be drunk. At that moment, Dong Xinlei came over and helped him up. With blurred eyes, Xie Wendong saw it was him and smiled, “You saw it all, didn’t you? I knew you’d follow me wherever I go.”

Dong Xinlei remained silent for a long time before saying, “Do you believe what he said?” Xie Wendong was stunned for a moment before realizing Dong Xinlei was referring to the attack on the old man. He couldn’t help but sigh, “He might be a formidable opponent, but he’s definitely a trustworthy enemy. After all, he’s a hero. Hehe.”

The next day, the slowly rising sun generously shed its light on every corner of the earth. Yet Xie Wendong pondered how nice it would be if the sun were more stingy, if its rays didn’t reach his head so early. Sighing, he remembered the heavy drinking the night before, which caused a dull pain in his head. Helplessly sitting up, he saw a bowl of hot ginseng tea on the table—only Dong Xinlei, who seemed rough, would be so thoughtful. Taking a big sip, Xie Wendong felt a bit better. Rubbing his head, he recalled the events of the night before and couldn’t help but marvel that the South Hongmen had been able to resist the old man and hold back the Yangtze River against all odds—it wasn’t by chance. Xiang Wentian truly had exceptional skills. But if it wasn’t Xiang Wentian who assassinated the old man, then who could it be? Who had the audacity to provoke the old man, who ruled the entire North Hongmen? Xie Wendong really couldn’t figure it out.

No one can truly say how powerful and widespread the Hongmen organization is. Wherever there are Chinese people in the world, there are gang communities, and wherever there are gang communities, the Hongmen is bound to be present. The leaders who attended this Hongmen summit came from the United States, Canada, Australia, France, the UK, Japan, the Philippines, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau—over dozens of people in total. Any one of them could be a figure whose mere presence shakes an entire region. One can imagine the scale when such people gather together. What brings them together is the World Hongmen Federation, which also organizes the annual summit. Although its goal is to unify all Hongmen organizations worldwide, in practice, it remains more like a distant aspiration. The chances are slim, but the meetings continue every year, with leaders from various regions actively participating—mainly because it is closely tied to their own interests. It’s unknown how many deals are struck among Hongmen groups at these summits; of course, building relationships among leaders is also essential. Nowadays, gang organizations are increasingly moving toward internationalization, and international cooperation has become a sign of whether a gang can develop and grow strong.

The federation chose the Jinling Hotel, the most luxurious hotel in Nanjing, as the venue for this summit and even rented out an entire floor, showing remarkable generosity. When Xie Wendong arrived at the hotel, his car couldn’t even get in, so he had to park it in a nearby lot. As the group of over a dozen people entered the hotel, a man dressed like a waiter rushed over and asked, “Are you all surnamed Hong?” These waiters were specially arranged by the federation—experienced professionals who could tell at a glance that these neatly dressed people were likely from the Hongmen.

Xie Wendong was initially stunned, then smiled and nodded, saying, “That’s right. Please show us the way.” Seeing Xie Wendong’s courtesy, the waiter felt a good impression of him. After all, everyone attending the conference was a big shot, usually speaking in an arrogant tone. It was rare to see someone as polite and amiable as him. The waiter chuckled and said, “Please, follow me.” He led Xie Wendong and the others to the elevator, stepped aside to let them in, and said, “It’s the 10th floor.” Xie Wendong nodded and thanked him.

Inside the elevator, Nie Tianxing put aside his usual playful demeanor and said seriously, “Brother Dong, be careful when talking to anyone once we get up there. A single word can change how other leaders view us. The federation has already put the issue of unifying Hongmen organizations in the north and south of the mainland on the agenda. Gaining support from leaders from various regions is very important for us.”

Xie Wendong knew nothing about the internal affairs of the Hongmen, so he nodded and kept it in mind. Dong Xinlei added, “The Southern Hongmen has always had good relations with Taiwanese forces, and those Taiwanese forces are practically as close as family to the Japanese forces. So, unless anything unexpected happens, these two groups will surely support Xiang Wentian.”

Xie Wendong frowned and asked, “Are there any forces that are on good terms with us?” “Yes!” Dong Xinlei and Nie Tianxing replied in unison, then exchanged a smile. Nie Tianxing continued, “The leaders in the United States, Australia, and Canada have always had a good relationship with the old master. They exchange gifts during festivals and have long supported us. But now that the old master is injured and in the hospital, whether we can maintain these good relations depends on you, Brother Dong.” As soon as Nie Tianxing finished speaking, Dong Xinlei added, “There’s more…”

“Enough!” Xie Wendong raised his hand to stop them, rolling his eyes. “Don’t dump too much information on me at once—I’m about to explode.” Dong Xinlei muttered under his breath, “If Brother Dong hadn’t gone drinking with Xiang Wentian last night, I wouldn’t be worried like this.” Nie Tianxing, who sometimes had an unusually sharp hearing, raised his eyebrows and widened his eyes. “What did you say just now? Who did Brother Dong go drinking with last night?” Dong Xinlei quickly shut his mouth and shook his head. “I didn’t say anything!” “Impossible. I clearly heard…” Xie Wendong turned around, and under his cold gaze, the two quickly fell silent in perfect agreement, causing Ren Changfeng and Sha Mu to snicker. It seemed that besides the old master, another person could now keep these two in check.

“Ding!” The elevator stopped, and Xie Wendong and the others stepped out. Several men in suits were waiting by the elevator in the corridor. One of them politely said, “Please show me your invitation.”

Xie Wendong was stunned. He didn’t know what invitation they were talking about and turned to Dong Xinlei. The latter quickly took out a red-background, gold-lettered invitation from his jacket pocket and handed it over. The man took it, glanced at it, nodded, and said, “Please come in.” Then he led the way to a room with double doors. He pushed the doors open, and Xie Wendong was amazed.

It was daytime, yet the room was brightly lit, with colorful chandeliers emitting dazzling light. The room resembled a ballroom, covering an area of over 500 square meters. There was a long table in the center, with many people seated on either side—some chatting in groups, others resting with their eyes closed. After opening the door, the guide announced in a deep voice, “The new leader of the Northern Hongmen, Brother Xie Wendong, has arrived!”

Everyone inside turned their heads toward Xie Wendong at once; each gaze seemed capable of piercing through hearts, more like a knife cutting across flesh. Xie Wendong paid no attention and walked in with a smile. Except for Dong Xinlei and Nie Tianxing, who followed in, the others were left outside and taken to a nearby room. A middle-aged man in his fifties with some hair loss snorted in mockery, saying, “I really don’t know what Jin Peng is up to, bringing such a kid to act as the big brother. Haha!” After saying that, he placed his hand on the empty chair next to him, clearly not wanting Xie Wendong to sit next to him.