Chapter 171

Li Shuang shook his head and said, “Winning first prize isn’t that easy! The odds are like walking on the street when suddenly a lightning bolt strikes you from the sky.”
Xie Wendong smiled without saying anything. He already had a good plan in mind, and his mood improved. Remembering Gao Qiang’s mention of guild affairs, he asked, “Qiangzi, what’s the other matter?”
This time, Gao Qiang spoke cautiously, “It’s about Brother Three-Eyes.” Xie Wendong raised his eyebrows and asked, “What’s wrong with Brother Zhang?”
Gao Qiang paused for a moment before saying, “Brother Three-Eyes is fine, but his underling named Chen Baicheng has become extremely arrogant lately. Relying on his many military achievements under Brother Three-Eyes, he looks down on ordinary people. Moreover, his methods are extremely cruel. For example, when we invaded City S in JL Province last time, a local boss named Tiger King Lin was very stubborn. After being defeated by Chen Baicheng and forced to flee, Chen Baicheng, unable to find him, killed his entire family to vent his anger and even had people gang-rape his wife.”
Xie Wendong narrowed his eyes and said, “Qiangzi, have him meet me right now.”
Gao Qiang nodded and called his subordinates to bring Chen Baicheng to see Brother Dong. As Gao Qiang said, Chen Baicheng had been very confident lately. With the guild expanding rapidly and engaging in continuous battles, it was always Long Tang, led by Three-Eyes, that took the lead in combat. As one of Three-Eyes’ key men, Chen Baicheng was at the forefront, never missing an opportunity to show off. He indeed had exceptional talent, and backed by Long Tang’s formidable strength, he used ruthless methods to suppress dissent. His cruelty meant that few people he targeted were ever spared; once caught, they faced certain death.
Three-Eyes greatly appreciated his tactics, believing that dealing with enemies required cruelty and coldness, without any mercy. It could be said that Three-Eyes had fully adopted Xie Wendong’s methods and even taken them further. By Chen Baicheng’s time, they had reached their extreme. In the Northeast, when it came to Xie Wendong, people in the underworld had little to say—because he was a legend, a deity among criminals. No one dared or was qualified to comment on him. When it came to Three-Eyes, people would give a thumbs up and say, “What a remarkable man!” When it came to Chen Baicheng, most people would shudder, for he was a venomous serpent among serpents—his bite was fatal.

Chen Baicheng also knew that Xie Wendong was returning today. He hadn’t been assigned to greet him, and Gao Qiang and Li Shuang didn’t have a good impression of him either; they always felt uncomfortable whenever they saw him. Chen Baicheng was aware that the two disliked him, but he didn’t take it seriously. He knew that with his current status in the Wendong Gang, as long as he didn’t offend those two, everything would be fine—one was Xie Wendong, and the other was his direct superior, Sanyan.

So he arrived at the villa early and sat in the hall chatting with a dozen or so senior members of the gang. While drinking tea, he exchanged a few words casually, thinking about how to please Xie Wendong. Chen Baicheng wasn’t someone who would settle for being second to others. The title of the top star under Sanyan no longer satisfied his ambitions. Now, he didn’t even consider Sanyan to be much of a threat; he even thought his own abilities were on par with Sanyan’s, so why should he work under him? What he wanted was the same title as Sanyan, Li Shuang, Gao Qiang, and the others—being the leader of the gang.

At that moment, a burly man came over and said respectfully, “Brother Cheng, Brother Dong is looking for you. He’s waiting for you in the backyard right now.”

Chen Baicheng was delighted. He hadn’t expected Xie Wendong to call for him specifically. Looking at the others, he wore a proud expression. But then he thought again and muttered to himself, “That’s not right! With Li and Gao by Xie Wendong’s side, they definitely won’t speak well of me, especially Gao Qiang, who’s never been kind to me. If he’s calling me, it must not be good news.” With that thought, his shoulders slumped. Still, he smiled and followed the burly man to the backyard.

When Xie Wendong saw Chen Baicheng’s expression, he couldn’t help but laugh. He had pretended to be worried, but now he forced himself to appear happy, his stiff smile looking extremely ugly. Xie Wendong said with a smile, “Baicheng, I called you here just to have a heart-to-heart talk. There’s no need for you to worry.” After saying that, he sat on the ground. Seeing Chen Baicheng standing there dumbfounded, he pointed beside him and said, “Sit down too. I don’t want to have to look up when talking to others.”

Chen Baicheng sighed inwardly. He hadn’t expected Xie Wendong to be so perceptive, able to see his worries at a glance. It wasn’t by chance that the Wendong Gang had achieved such success. He said respectfully, “Brother Dong, hello!” Then he lifted his pants slightly and sat down next to Xie Wendong.

Xie Wendong said, “You’ve been working hard lately, right? Qiangzi has told me that the gang’s rapid expansion is thanks to your efforts.”

Chen Baicheng quickly declined modestly, “Brother Dong, what are you saying! As a member of the Wendong Gang, it’s only natural for me to fulfill my duties. There’s nothing particularly hard about it.”

Xie Wendong nodded and sighed, “If everyone in the gang could be like you, then the world would be in my hands—easily attainable.” Few people in the world earned Xie Wendong’s praise, and it was a great honor. Chen Baicheng was no exception. Hearing Xie Wendong’s words, he was so excited he didn’t know what to do, his hands and feet at a loss, only repeating, “Thank you, Brother Dong, for your praise.”

Xie Wendong turned his head, narrowed his eyes, and his gaze was icy cold, like a knife piercing Chen Baicheng’s face. With a smile, he said, “But I like people who speak honestly. I dislike those who say one thing but mean another—indeed, I find them annoying. There aren’t many people in the world who annoy me. Do you know why?”

With just one sentence, Chen Baicheng’s smile froze instantly. That sharp gaze burned his face, causing intense pain, and cold sweat immediately streamed down. He wanted to explain something, but under Xie Wendong’s stare, all his words vanished, leaving his mind blank. For a moment, he saw a hint of murderous intent in Xie Wendong’s eyes—brief, but unmistakable. Despite the scorching summer heat, the fiery sunlight felt icy to him. He shuddered involuntarily, finally understanding what true terror was.

Xie Wendong slowly withdrew his gaze, patted his shoulder, and said, “I hope you’re not that kind of person.”

Chen Baicheng let out a long sigh. Having been stared at by Xie Wendong for just three seconds, he felt as if he had fought a fierce battle. His back was drenched in sweat. Wiping the droplets from his face, his mind was somewhat numb. He replied blankly to Xie Wendong’s words, “I… I’m not that kind of person.”

Li Shuang and Gao Qiang almost simultaneously burst into laughter. The once-arrogant Chen Baicheng was probably dizzy now, no longer knowing what he was saying. He usually seemed impressive, but compared to Xie Wendong, there was a huge difference.

Xie Wendong also smiled and sighed, saying, “I hope you can truly use your talents for the gang. With your abilities, your current position is somewhat beneath you. The gang is expanding rapidly, and I plan to establish a new branch. I haven’t chosen a new leader yet. Are you interested?”

Chen Baicheng’s heart stirred. He thought to himself that Xie Wendong must be testing whether he had ambition. After what had just happened, he didn’t dare even think about becoming a leader. He quickly shook his head and said, “No, no. Brother Dong, I feel I still need to hone many skills. The position of leader isn’t suitable for me right now.”

Xie Wendong stood up and smiled, saying, “Since that’s the case, I won’t force you. But I still have to say—one can be ruthless in life and thorough in action, but here,” he said, bending down and tapping his chest, narrowing his eyes, “this must be kept in check.” After saying that, Xie Wendong walked away slowly, leaving Chen Baicheng with a complex expression on his face. That day left an indelible shadow in his heart. Xie Wendong was like a towering mountain, making Chen Baicheng feel that no matter how hard he tried, he could never surpass him. It was fear, but he was always willing to admit it, so much so that later he resorted to extreme measures to prove he wasn’t afraid of Xie Wendong. That’s a story for another time. Xie Wendong didn’t stay in City H for a single day. He met with the leaders of various factions within the gang, had a brief conversation, and then hurried back to City J by car that very night. He was worried that his father might be depressed after losing his job and, combined with stress, his health might suffer. He didn’t even get a chance to see Peng Ling, whom he longed for, so he returned to City J overnight. City J remained unchanged—almost nothing had changed in a year. Perhaps this was the only advantage of an underdeveloped economy: even after decades, you could still find your way home. It was already late when he arrived home. Li Shuang came back with him, but Xie Wendong sent him away early. The residential complex where he lived was pitch black; the few street lamps along the road had long been broken. Sighing, Xie Wendong realized he had grown quite unaccustomed to this place after over a year. He kept his head down, careful not to trip over stones, and moved forward in the darkness. When he reached his building and was about to enter, several burly men suddenly appeared on either side. One of them said coldly, “You look unfamiliar, friend. You don’t live here, do you?” Xie Wendong shook his head with a bitter smile and said, “Does it matter to you whether I live here or not?” “Of course it does,” the man replied calmly. “Security has been a bit chaotic lately. What are you doing here sneaking around so late? Friend, you’re not up to no good, are you?!” Xie Wendong thought for a moment and then asked, “Brother, is Guo Biao here?” The man was clearly surprised and asked, “You know Brother Biao?” “Yeah!” Xie Wendong nodded with a smile. “Brother, just get him out, and he’ll know who I am.”

The man glanced at Xie Wendong, gave a wink to the people around him to warn them to be cautious, then stepped into the apartment and disappeared in an instant. Two minutes later, a slightly overweight man with a red face came out, followed by five or six lean men besides the one who had spoken earlier. The man with the red face had a cigarette in his mouth, was dressed extravagantly, and wore two thick, gaudy gold rings on each hand, giving him an air of nouveau riche. Upon seeing Xie Wendong, the man with the red face was stunned for a moment, tilted his head to examine him, and said blankly, “Friend, it seems we’ve indeed met somewhere before.”

Xie Wendong laughed in exasperation, but thinking of how hard these gang members worked, he didn’t say much and simply replied, “My name is Xie Wendong.”

“Ah!” The man with the red face nodded in response, suddenly remembering something. He stepped forward quickly, took a closer look, and his face turned pale. Stunned for a moment, he awkwardly bowed and said, “Brother Dong… Brother Dong!”

This man’s name was Guo Biao, the leader of Group Three of Xue Sha. He was considered one of the best in Xue Sha in terms of ability and was a trusted subordinate of Jiang Sen, assigned to secretly protect Xie Wendong’s parents in City J. Though Guo Biao appeared vulgar, disguise was often deadly. The rings on his fingers concealed sharp edges coated with a powerful anesthetic. Once it pierced the skin, it could paralyze a person’s heart within less than two seconds, causing it to stop beating. The person would die from cardiac arrest half a minute later—truly a highly toxic substance.

He had never met Xie Wendong before but had often heard others describe what he looked like. Over time, he had naturally formed an image in his mind. That’s why he found Xie Wendong familiar at first glance but couldn’t recall where they had met. It wasn’t until the other man said he was Xie Wendong that he suddenly realized it, his heart pounding as blood rushed to his forehead.