Chapter 146

Xie Wendong didn’t care either. He walked past him, smiling to himself and saying, “Ambition knows no age. Some people remain ordinary even at a hundred years old, while others are destined to be extraordinary from birth. I might belong to the latter group, which is why no one has ever looked down on me, even though I’m young.”

“Tch!” The bald middle-aged man sneered, leaning back in his chair and exhaling smoke. “Don’t be so arrogant at such a young age. Isn’t everyone here your elder?”

Xie Wendong ignored him and went to sit in the farthest chair. He picked up a cigarette and fiddled with a lighter in his hand. The middle-aged man with a horse-like face sitting not far away leaned forward and said, “Xie Wendong, I’ve heard of your name.”

“Oh?” Xie Wendong raised an eyebrow and narrowed his eyes at the speaker. He didn’t recall having met him before. “I’m sorry, but I don’t know you.”

The man with the horse-like face laughed heartily and stretched out his hand. “It would be strange if you did. My name is Li Wei, the leader of the Japanese Hongmen.”

Xie Wendong was momentarily stunned. So this was the leader of the Japanese faction that supported the Southern Hongmen. He shook his hand and smiled. “How could someone as insignificant as me catch your attention?” Li Wei replied with a laugh, “Others might know you, but I’ve heard of you extensively. You see, there are probably few in the world who can seriously challenge the Soul Group. The Soul Group has immense power in Japan, and the Japanese Hongmen, as part of a larger organization, have naturally suffered under its pressure. With the secret support of the government behind the Soul Group, Li Wei had to endure humiliation. He had heard about Xie Wendong’s repeated attacks on the Soul Group in the Northeast and found it very satisfying. He had long wanted to meet this legendary young man but never had the chance.”

Li Wei’s voice wasn’t loud, but it was enough for everyone in the room to hear. Everyone stopped talking and stared at Xie Wendong, their eyes filled with surprise. The members of the Soul Group had heard of them and knew what kind of organization they were and how strong they were. They never expected this handsome young man to dare confront them. Given Li Wei’s words, it seemed the Soul Group had even suffered losses, which seemed almost unbelievable.

Xie Wendong shook his head modestly. “That was all in the past. Actually, driving the Soul Group out of Province H was just luck—there’s nothing to boast about.”

Li Wei nodded in approval and said, “Not bad! A young man who doesn’t become arrogant for his achievements—just that alone makes him far better than some people here.” He spoke to Xie Wendong, but his gaze swept around. The bald middle-aged man who had spoken rudely earlier turned red in the face, feeling embarrassed; his cigarette was also crushed in his hand. But as an experienced veteran, he still had some cunning in him. He snorted but didn’t lash out. Some others wore mocking expressions, clearly enjoying the spectacle. Xie Wendong shook his head inwardly—it seemed the conflicts between the various Hongmen factions were serious and complex, making any talk of unity utterly impossible.

At that moment, the door to the meeting room opened, and Xiang Wentian approached with a smile, nodding repeatedly. “I’m truly sorry for being late—there was traffic on the road.” After saying that, he found a seat behind and happened to see Xie Wendong. He nodded and smiled, to which Xie Wendong nodded back.

When everyone was present, an elderly man full of energy stood up and looked around. “The leaders from various regions have almost all arrived. So let’s not waste time—after all, time is equivalent to money for you all. Let’s first talk about what’s happened in our Hongmen factions this year. We’ve always said that no matter where we are in the world, we Hongmen are one family and should work together. Yet there are always those who cause discord—why can’t issues be discussed openly instead of resorting to violence? Li Wei, Brother Li, Zheng Long, Brother Zheng—do you agree I’m right?” Li Wei fiddled with his nails and remained silent. Zheng Long, the bald middle-aged man and leader of the Korean region, waved his hand and sneered, “What’s the point of sitting down to talk? Will sitting down bring back my goods worth tens of millions of dollars? Elder Liang, you can’t handle this!”

Li Wei laughed. “Don’t forget it’s your territory where the delivery takes place. And do you think only you’ve suffered losses? More than a dozen of my brothers have died at sea!”

Zheng Long snapped, “It’s true the delivery happens on my territory, but does that mean I have to bear all the losses? After all, since the goods haven’t reached me, it can’t be considered a successful transaction. Anyway, you’ll have to pay me seven times the amount!” “Tch! I think you’re joking—or maybe you’ve gone senile!” “What did you say?”

Xie Wendong was utterly confused by their argument. Dong Xinlei whispered from behind, “Originally, Zheng Long bought a batch of goods worth tens of millions from Li Wei and paid in full. But during delivery at sea, they were robbed by a group of mysterious people. Not only were the goods stolen, but none of Li Wei’s more than a dozen trusted subordinates survived. Both sides tried to figure out who these mysterious people were, but to no avail. A few months later, Zheng Long, unwilling to give up, demanded his money back from Li Wei, who refused outright. That’s when their relationship deteriorated, leading to constant disputes.”

“Oh!” Xie Wendong sighed lightly. So that’s how it was. There was nothing he could do—this was a case of both natural disasters and human misfortunes.

The elder presiding over the meeting saw them arguing again and slammed the table in anger, “Quiet! Quiet!” It took some time before Li Wei and Zheng Long stopped arguing, their faces red and throats thick, staring at each other with murderous intent. The elder, panting, said, “What are you doing? Do you even know this is a Hongmen summit? Where are the rules?”

Zheng Long stood up and said coldly, “Elder Liang, this isn’t aimed at you. I said from the start that you can’t interfere. As long as that Li guy doesn’t give me my money, my attacks won’t stop! It’s no longer just a matter of money. Tens of millions worth of goods are gone, and I can’t even get any compensation. How can I still call myself the leader in front of my own brothers?” With that, Zheng Long turned and walked away, waving his hand. “I don’t think we’ll reach any conclusion here. Everyone, I’ll take my leave first.”

“You…” The elder stomped in anger, unable to speak for a while. Li Wei sneered and said, “Everyone, look at his attitude—so arrogant and domineering. It’s not just about those ten million. If I really gave him the money, those who know me would think it’s out of brotherly loyalty, while those who don’t might think I’m afraid of him. Where would my face be then? Elder Liang, am I not right?”

“Sigh!” Elder Liang sighed, annoyed. “Do whatever you want. I’ve said what I had to say. When the two of you end up suffering losses and become a laughingstock, don’t come to me. Don’t blame me, an elder, for not warning you.” After saying that, he looked at the others and added, “There’s another matter related to the Hongmen that I think everyone should know—Jin Peng, the leader of the Northern Hongmen on the mainland, was assassinated and is now hospitalized. Xiang Wentian, what’s your opinion on this?” He turned his gaze toward Xiang Wentian.

Xiang Wentian also sighed and said, “I was shocked when I heard about it. Who would dare assassinate an elderly man like Jin, who is both powerful and kind?”

Elder Liang said, “I heard that this matter seems to be related to your Southern Hongmen. Didn’t you hire someone to do it?”
Xiang Wentian laughed heartily and said, “Someone has asked me the same question before. I know I’m the most suspected in Master Jin’s matter, but I want to declare here that I really didn’t do it and wasn’t involved at all. I guarantee it with my honor and life!”
Elder Liang turned his gaze to Xie Wendong and asked, “Are you satisfied with this answer?”
Xie Wendong stopped what he was doing, put the lighter in his pocket, and said calmly, “I believe him!”
The reactions among the people varied—some were surprised, while others sneered. A thin old man slammed the table and shouted angrily, “Just because of his simple words, you believe him? Are you an idiot?” Xie Wendong raised his eyebrows and narrowed his eyes, saying, “How do you know he’s not telling the truth?”
The old man trembled and pointed at Xie Wendong, saying, “If it weren’t for Brother Jin carrying you onto the stage, I’d really suspect you two are in cahoots! I don’t understand why Brother Jin chose someone as weak as you as his successor—without the determination of a leader, it’s hard to achieve greatness.”
Xie Wendong’s shoulders stiffened as he looked at the old man with a smile. Dong Xinlei, sensing trouble, quickly whispered, “Brother Dong, this old man is Huang Shen, an old friend of the master and the leader of the Hongmen in the United States. We can’t offend him.” Xie Wendong had already anticipated this and didn’t react. There weren’t many within the Hongmen who could speak up for the master, and Huang Shen was probably the most outspoken among them. Xie Wendong sighed and said, “Our suspicions are just assumptions; there’s no solid evidence. There’s always a culprit behind every crime. I won’t wrong an innocent person and let the real culprit laugh in secret, but I won’t let any of my enemies get away either. If he really did it, my revenge will be something neither he nor anyone else can bear.” He paused, his gaze like a knife scanning Xiang Wentian and the others, then added, “With the Hongmen’s immense power, there are countless envious people. It’s not impossible for them to stir up trouble secretly. If we retaliate blindly, those people will laugh their heads off. I hope the elders can understand my difficulties.”
Huang Shen’s expression softened slightly as he sighed and said, “I hope you can keep what you said earlier. Anyway, this is ultimately a matter between your Southern and Northern Hongmen. As an outsider, I’m just overstepping my bounds.” Xie Wendong shook his head and said, “Anyway, I still want to thank you for your advice. I also hope you can offer more help in this matter.”

“Hehe!” Huang Shen nodded with a smile. “These kids these days are really remarkable—speaking in such a way as to avoid offending either side. Truly impressive! Actually, even if you hadn’t mentioned it, I would have stepped in to help. Brother Jin has been my good friend for many years. To suffer such misfortunes in old age… sigh!” Huang Shen let out a sigh, then added coldly, “Attacking Brother Jin is the same as attacking me. Don’t make me drag that man out—otherwise, hehe…” He sneered. As he aged, his temper grew worse, making him easily angered.

“Oh…” Elder Liang said, “Since the Northern Hongmen has its own decision on this matter, we can’t say much. As for the merger of the Northern and Southern Hongmen…”

Before he could finish, Huang Shen interjected, “Brother Liang, Brother Jin just got admitted to the hospital. How can you still be thinking about merging? I think we should discuss this later—at least wait until Brother Jin is discharged and the real culprit is found. Wen Dong, if you have any opinions, go ahead and share them.”

Xie Wendong had no opinions anyway. He didn’t want to discuss the merger either. Not to mention who would be in charge after the merger, in his experience, it was always “power comes from the gun”—only by using force to overwhelm the opponent and relying on strength as a backing. If a merger was to happen, it had to be resolved through force; a merger achieved through negotiation was unreliable and unstable. Xie Wendong quickly played along, saying, “Senior Huang is an old friend of the master. What he says is as good as the master’s words. I have no objections. Let senior decide everything.”

Huang Shen felt pleased and laughed, “You little monkey really know how to talk. Very well, I’ll make the decision this time. We can discuss the merger later. What do you think, Brother Liang?” Xiang Wentian wasn’t enthusiastic about the merger either and said, “I also think we should wait until Master Jin is discharged before discussing it.”

Seeing the lukewarm attitudes of both sides, Elder Liang realized there was no point in pushing further and sighed, “As long as the Northern and Southern Hongmen don’t merge, the battles will likely continue day after day.”

“That’s fate ordained by heaven,” Xie Wendong said with a smile. Xiang Tianxiao added, “Exactly. Heaven insists on having two tigers in one mountain, and there’s nothing we can do about it.”

Xie Wendong shook his head and placed a hand on his forehead. “There is a way, and it’s quite simple.” Xiang Tianxiao replied calmly, “As long as one tiger kills the other, the world will be at peace.” Xie Wendong waved his finger at him and smiled, “The tiger from the north will never be the one that falls.” “I believe the tiger from the south will stand until the end,” Xiang Tianxiao affirmed.

Xie Wendong said, “We can take a gamble.” “What’s the stake?” “Our own lives, plus the world!” “Haha, you know, I’m starting to like your arrogance.” “It’s better not to, my arrogance can cost lives, because…” “Because you’re smart!” “So you have a good memory too, haha…” “Haha…” The two smiled at each other. To those who didn’t know the truth, it would seem like two good friends chatting jokingly, but in the eyes of everyone in the room, they had already issued a challenge to one another. The merger of the Northern and Southern Hongmen failed amidst Xie Wendong’s and Xiang Wentian’s joking conversation. Such is the world of martial arts.