Chapter 169

The rooftop of the hospital building. The sky was overcast, with dark clouds looming overhead. Xie Wendong stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the sky and sighing, “It seems it will rain heavily tomorrow.” No one replied to him, but no one dared ignore his presence either. Everyone’s eyes were fixed on him, unsure of what he was thinking or what he planned to do. Xie Wendong slowly turned around, looked at the crowd, and smiled, “Well, tell me, what do you want by gathering everyone here?” A man with a yellow face stepped forward and said, “We think you’re not fit for the position of leader, so we hope you’ll step down voluntarily.” “Not fit?” Xie Wendong asked, “Is that your own opinion, or someone else’s?” The man with the yellow face glanced around and said loudly, “It’s obviously everyone’s opinion.” Xie Wendong nodded, glanced at the others, and said slowly, “Since it’s everyone’s opinion, then let this ‘everyone’ step forward so I can see them.” The crowd exchanged glances and lowered their heads, refusing to speak up. Although they hadn’t seen Xie Wendong kill the Wan family, they had heard about it—the methods were extremely brutal—and they felt some apprehension toward him. Seeing that the others were backing down, the man with the yellow face became furious, thinking they were just selling themselves out. He shouted, “What are you afraid of? Just step forward if you dare!” With that, he took a big step forward. With his lead, the eleven others could no longer hide. Determined, they thought that since they were in numbers, Xie Wendong couldnning do much to them. The eleven of them then stepped forward one after another. Lei Ting glanced around, sighed, and also stepped forward. Xie Wendong raised his eyebrows and stared at him, “Are you also against me?” Lei Ting remained calm and said, “I indeed think the position of leader isn’t suitable for you.” Lian Tianfeng, who was also an elder, quickly grabbed his sleeve and whispered, “Brother Lei, why are you joining in their chaos?” Xiang Huishan’s expression changed as he looked at Lei Ting but said nothing. Xie Wendong narrowed his eyes and said coldly, “So these twelve gang leaders were also instigated by you?” Lei Ting nodded, “I did contact them.” Xie Wendong stared at Lei Ting for a long time before slowly saying, “Why? You must have a reason even if you’re not supporting me.”

Lei Ting took another step forward, visibly agitated, and shouted, “Reasons? Fine, I want to ask you—what have you done for the Hongmen since you became its leader? If you killed Wan Fu first, then I have nothing to say; he was indeed too arrogant. But after the Hongmen assembly, you disappeared for over ten days without any explanation. Is there any leader in any faction who would act like that?”
Xie Wendong sighed and shook his head. “No!”
Lei Ting continued, “That’s one thing, but even after returning, you showed no remorse. What’s worse, you spent three days and nights in a nightclub and ended up in the hospital. Tell me, can a Hongmen leader really act like this?”
Xie Wendong sighed again and shook his head. “No.”
Lei Ting poured out everything he had in mind. Seeing that Xie Wendong didn’t refute a single word, he was at a loss for words.
Xie Wendong said, “I had reasons to leave during those ten-odd days of disappearance. Getting sick from spending time in the nightclub was intentional—I just wanted to lure someone out.”
Lei Ting was stunned and asked, “Lure whom?”
Xie Wendong replied, “Ever since the old master was assassinated, I suspected there was a spy inside the Hongmen, someone with a high position who knew exactly where the old master was at all times. Later, a killer even managed to get into the Hongmen headquarters, shot at me recklessly while driving, and then escaped as if nothing had happened. This made my suspicions even stronger. I wanted to uncover who this person was, so I pretended to disappear. Sure enough, that spy didn’t want to miss such a good opportunity and sent another killer to assassinate the old master. Everyone must be aware of the bloodshed that happened in the hospital.”
Everyone was shocked. The existence of a spy within the Hongmen was beyond their imagination, yet his words seemed true—Xie Wendong had indeed been assassinated in the headquarters, and there had indeed been an attempt on the old master’s life in the hospital. Everyone nodded, holding their breath, waiting for Xie Wendong to continue.
Xie Wendong took a breath and said, “In the hospital, the spy’s assassination plan was very thorough. He calculated that Dongxin Lei would leave to attend a meeting in the headquarters, leaving the rest unimportant. And indeed, the killer succeeded in luring away most of the guards. The plan was about to succeed when suddenly someone appeared to save the old master. Before dying, the killer said that the one who sent him was one of the five elders within our Hongmen!”
Those last words exploded like a bomb in everyone’s minds. Their expressions changed drastically as their gazes instinctively turned toward the five elders.
Lei Ting’s face turned pale as he murmured, “This… this can’t be true.”

Xie Wendong sneered and said, “I hope it’s impossible too, but a killer’s words before death are likely true. I want to know more than any of you which elder is the spy, so I deliberately stayed in the nightclub for three days and then pretended to be sick and went to the hospital. During that time, I figured the spy would get bored and cause trouble, and indeed that’s what happened.” His gaze was like two sharp knives, piercing Lei Ting’s face.

Everyone’s attention also focused on him. Even the twelve officials who had gathered to push Xie Wendong down looked at Lei Ting with disbelief. The charge of being a spy was one they couldn’t afford. Pressuring the leader to step down was because they thought they were in the right—after all, it was an internal matter of their own sect. But assassinating the leader was an unforgivable crime, despised by all gangs and societies; there would be no place for them in the world. The man with the yellow face, who had once been so confident, was now sweating profusely, his legs trembling as he knelt down in panic and said, “The assassination of the two leaders has nothing to do with us at all. It was Elder Lei Ting who urged us to force the leader to step down.” The others also knelt down, trembling and saying, “Yes! We were also brought here by Elder Lei Ting.”

Xie Wendong sighed and waved his hand, saying, “Get up. This isn’t your fault.” Then he turned to Lei Ting and narrowed his eyes, saying, “I suppose Elder Lei must have something to say.”

Lei Ting looked around and said with a bitter smile, “It seems I can’t defend myself now. You all suspect me to be that unforgivable spy, right…” Before he could finish, Xiang Huishan roared in anger, drew his pistol, rushed at Lei Ting, grabbed him by the collar, and shouted, “I was truly blind to call you a brother for decades! Our master has been so kind to us, yet you did such a despicable thing. Do you even deserve to be called a Hongmen disciple? Do you even deserve to be human?”

Xiang Huishan grew angrier by the second, his face turning purplish-red. He raised his gun and aimed it at Lei Ting’s chest.

Xie Wendong saw what he intended and quickly shouted, “Stop!”

But he shouted too late; Xiang Huishan’s bullet pierced Thunder’s heart. Thunder widened his eyes in disbelief, staring at him, a gurgle escaping his throat as his body slowly collapsed against Xiang Huishan. Xie Wendong stepped forward quickly and supported his body as it nearly hit the ground. With eyes wide open, Thunder lay in Xie Wendong’s arms, gripping his clothes, blood bubbling from his mouth as he struggled to speak word by word: “I… didn’t… assassinate… Boss Jin. Believe… me. Don’t… drive me out. Even in death, I want to… remain a Hongmen disciple…”

Xie Wendong let out a long sigh, leaned close to his ear, and said softly, “I believe you.”

A smile forced itself onto Thunder’s face. His grip on Xie Wendong’s clothes loosened slowly. His gaze grew unfocused, and with his last strength, he said, “Spy… spy…” Before he could finish, Thunder’s head sank, and he died with his eyes still open. Xie Wendong felt heartache. He covered Thunder’s eyes and gently laid his body on the ground. Standing up, he narrowed his eyes and stared at Xiang Huishan, who was in tears, murmuring, “Brother Lei, don’t hate me! We’ve worked together for decades—like brothers. It’s better for me to die at your hands than to face clan punishment.”

Xie Wendong was troubled. He asked, “Does Elder Xiang also think Elder Lei is the spy?”

Xiang Huishan was stunned and replied, “Isn’t that the case?”

Xie Wendong waved his hand. Although he hadn’t known Thunder for long, he understood his personality somewhat—frank and straightforward, like a cannon, someone who said what he thought and did what he wanted. He had also studied the details of the five elders. Thunder was a warrior by birth; in his youth, he was famous among the Hongmen for his combat skills, having won countless battles. Of the five, he was the least scheming, so Xie Wendong ruled him out first. Moreover, Thunder’s personality made him easy to manipulate—anyone close to him who whispered in his ear could get him to incite trouble. It seemed Thunder not only died unjustly but also served as a scapegoat. Who among the remaining four elders was secretly laughing? Xie Wendong sighed inwardly, then thought again and said to Xiang Huishan, “Since he’s dead, let’s not bring it up anymore. What do you think?”

Xiang Huishan looked gloomy, sighed sadly, and choked out, “Lei… Thunder also made significant contributions to the gang. I hope the leader won’t take it out on his family.”

Xie Wendong gave a bitter smile and said, “Of course not. Bury him properly, following the rituals for elders.”

Xiang Hui Shan expressed his gratitude, saying, “Thank you, Master! You are truly kind-hearted!” The others also praised him, saying things like Lord Xie Wendong was forgiving of others’ faults and had the patience of a great leader. San Yan was fuming beside them; when he saw these people earlier, he hadn’t realized they could be so shameless.

Xie Wendong shook his head helplessly, feeling an unparalleled bitterness in his heart. This was the first time he had felt utterly at the mercy of others. Thunder had been sacrificed in vain, the spies still hid in the shadows, and they would be even more cautious from now on, making it even harder to expose them. It was a cancer that, if not removed, would spread and become an even bigger threat. Xie Wendong understood this clearly, but he felt powerless, helpless, and distressed.

Annoyed, he walked back and forth on the rooftop twice. Then he stopped, staring at everyone with blazing eyes and asked loudly, “Do you still want me to step down?”

None of them dared say a word. They all replied in unison, “Master, you are talented and wise—Hongmen cannot do without you!”

“Good!” Xie Wendong nodded with a smile. What a bunch of opportunists. He pointed at the more than a thousand people outside the main gate below and said coldly, “Take your men back. This is a hospital, not a parade ground.”

“Yes!” They nodded in agreement and stood still, waiting for further orders. Xie Wendong waved his hand and said, “Hurry up and leave. Are you standing here basking in the sun?” Relieved, they rushed downstairs as fast as rabbits, fearing that slowing down might lead to suspicion about their loyalty.

Xie Wendong walked to the edge of the rooftop and gazed into the distance with his hands behind his back. San Yan came up behind him and said softly, “Thunder died unjustly.”