Chapter 190

“Ah, thank you so much, Brother Xiao!” He Cheng was so excited he almost knelt down and kowtowed to this Heavenly King. “Why didn’t you do this earlier?” With a face filled with ecstasy, he rushed out of the room to select members. The men he chose were all tall, strong, and robust, aged between 25 and 28—truly elite fighters. Once the team was assembled, He Cheng gathered them before him and declared loudly, “Tonight, we will launch a surprise attack on the Northern bandits’ stronghold, Hongwu Villa!” He paused, observing their expressions.

At first, the men were shocked, wondering why Heavenly King Xiao, who had always opposed battles, was now agreeing to one. But then they thought about how they had suffered enough lately—the Northern Hongmen constantly sending people to harass them, leaving them with no peace at all. Ending this situation sooner would be great. Inspired as if injected with adrenaline, they became full of energy and fighting spirit. Very satisfied with their expressions, He Cheng said loudly, “Tonight’s battle is crucial. No one is allowed to retreat—only move forward. Whoever is too afraid to fight will be killed on the spot! Don’t say I’m heartless!” Hearing this, they shouted, “Brother Cheng, don’t worry! Even if it’s a sea of fire ahead, we’ll jump in!”

“Good!” He Cheng nodded and said coldly, “Tonight, we’ll capture Xie Wendong and show those officials in headquarters that the Nanjing branch has no weaklings!”

“We’ll follow Brother Cheng through fire and water to capture Xie Wendong!” “Capture Xie Wendong!” Their faces turned red as they rolled up their sleeves and shouted loudly, as if Xie Wendong was already right in front of them and capturing him would be a piece of cake. If he were that easy to deal with, he wouldn’t still be alive today.

There was slight unrest in the Northern Hongmen, and Xie Wendong was immediately informed by the Blood Killers. These members were brought by him from Kunming. Jiang Sen didn’t want to get involved in the Hongmen conflict, so while sending the Eastern Heart Thunder back to City T, he took back all his subordinates without leaving any behind. The news of Xie Wendong coming to Nanjing was kept secret—even Jiang Sen wasn’t aware of it in advance. If he had known, he probably wouldn’t have left so quickly. After hearing this, Xie Wendong chuckled and said to himself, “It seems the Northern Hongmen are ready to act tonight! Perfect.” Lingmin, who was nearby, was puzzled and asked, “What’s perfect?” Xie Wendong smiled and replied, “It’s perfect that they’ve all arrived at just the right time!” Hearing this, Lingmin smiled wisely.

Xie Wendong waved his hand and said to the attendants below, “Call all the cadres together; we need to hold a meeting right away!” In no time, the main cadres of the Northern Hongmen in Nanjing rushed over in a hurry. They had all heard that the Southern Hongmen planned to launch a surprise attack that night, so how could they not be anxious? Xie Wendong looked around and saw that these cadres were sitting on pins and needles, with grim expressions—clearly filled with fear. After all, the two previous defeats had left a deep shadow in everyone’s hearts. He smiled and asked, “The Southern Hongmen might launch a surprise attack tonight. Are you afraid?”
Upon hearing this, the cadres trembled with fear and hurriedly replied, “Not afraid!” Xie Wendong narrowed his eyes and smiled, “Good! Although the Southern Hongmen have defeated Hong Yun and Dong Xinlei before, it was always through trickery, not through real strength. In fact, they are very timid. Otherwise, why wouldn’t they dare to fight despite my repeated provocations?”
Everyone nodded in agreement. Xie Wendong was right. Their side had been harassing them day after day, driving the Southern Hongmen almost crazy, yet they still refused to send troops. Could it really be as he said—that the Southern Hongmen were too timid to come? They exchanged glances and nodded, their fear fading somewhat. Xie Wendong continued, “From the previous battles, it’s clear that Xiao Fang is extremely smart and cunning. Since he’s decided to fight this time, he’ll surely go all out to wipe us out in one fell swoop. But he won’t send all his main forces at once. There will definitely be a small group sent to test the waters first, while he leads the main force behind to support them. If they encounter an ambush, they can either counter-attack and annihilate us or come to the rescue of the vanguard. But this will leave the Southern Hongmen’s stronghold vulnerable. Their branch hall is within easy reach. Who’s willing to go deep into enemy territory and capture it?”
After hearing Xie Wendong’s words, everyone admired him and was eager to take on this great task. Lingmin also wanted to go, but she wasn’t the type to take the initiative. She stared at Xie Wendong with her beautiful eyes without saying a word. Xie Wendong could easily tell what she was thinking. He smiled inwardly—since you don’t speak up, I won’t assign you the task. He turned his gaze elsewhere. At that moment, a tall man stood up and bowed, saying, “Elder brother, I’m willing to lead troops to attack the Southern Hongmen’s branch hall!” He was about 180 centimeters tall, with thick eyebrows, a full beard, and a loud voice, like that of a warrior. Xie Wendong realized he was a brigade leader named Wei Zidan. He was skilled and quick-witted, having become a brigade leader in less than two years since joining the Hongmen. Xie Wendong nodded and said, “Good! Zidan, I’ll give you 200 men. You must recapture the Southern Hongmen’s branch hall and cut off their retreat. If you succeed, it will be your greatest achievement!”

Wei Zidan bowed again and cried out, “Thank you, elder brother! I surely won’t disappoint you. Tomorrow, the Southern Invaders’ faction will definitely change their surname!”
Xie Wendong was assigning people to various tasks, and Xiao Fang wasn’t idle either—he gathered all his officers to discuss a night raid. After everything was arranged, he sent everyone away. Suddenly, he realized that with all his men deployed, his base would be left unguarded. If Xie Wendong decided to launch an attack now, it would likely fail. Seeing Xiao Fang frown deeply, He Cheng asked, “Brother Xiao, what’s wrong?” Xiao Fang shook his head and said, “I’m worried that Xie Wendong might return and attack our base!”
“Haha!” He Cheng laughed heartily and said, “Brother Xiao, you’re being too cautious. First, Xie Wendong doesn’t know we’re planning a night raid. Even if he did, what could he do? He has at most a thousand men, and it would be hard for them to resist us. Would he even have the energy to send troops to attack our base? Don’t worry—our base will be safe tonight.” He Cheng spoke with confidence, dismissing Xiao Fang’s concerns. But Xiao Fang shook his head and said, “Xie Wendong is full of tricks; we must be careful!” With that, he called back one of the cautious officers who had just left and said, “I’ll give you a hundred men to guard the entrance. If an enemy attacks, inform me immediately. Understood?”
“Please rest assured, Lord King!” The officer agreed on the surface but was unhappy inwardly. Tonight was the perfect chance to achieve glory, and he had prepared himself to make a big impact. Now, instead, the Lord King had assigned him to the back line. What kind of attack could the enemy possibly launch? It was absurd—seemingly, all the credit for the night would go to someone else. Thinking this, he glanced at He Cheng. The latter looked helpless and shook his head subtly, signaling that he should follow the Lord King’s orders—he was already terrified by Xie Wendong.
Only after arranging everything did Xiao Fang feel a little at ease. He ordered everyone to return to their quarters to rest and regain their strength for the fierce battle ahead. During the day, nothing happened. The Northern Hongmen, as per “custom,” came to harass the city area briefly before leaving in a hurry. Everything seemed calm, but the decisive battle between the Northern and Southern Hongmen in Nanjing had already quietly begun.

That night, Xiao Fang’s phone kept ringing nonstop—one after another were the reports from his spies, all indicating that Hongwu Villa was as peaceful as usual, with music and singing filling the air and constant noise. At nine o’clock, Xiao Fang ordered an attack. He Cheng could no longer hold back and led the two hundred elite troops he had selected, heading straight for the northern suburbs by carriage. Before leaving, Xiao Fang repeatedly warned him, “Be extremely careful. If you encounter an ambush, retreat immediately!” But He Cheng paid no attention, waving his hand and saying, “Brother Xiao, just watch. Where would there be an ambush?” Along the way, He Cheng was filled with fighting spirit; he rubbed his fists and checked the pistol in his pocket, then took out his knife and polished it. Though the knife was already shiny, it was customary in the martial world to polish it before killing.

The carriage stopped two li away from Hongwu Villa. He Cheng didn’t want to take any chances—what if the Northern Hongmen had spies outside, exposing all his plans? For safety, walking those two li wasn’t a problem. The two hundred men got off the carriage, with He Cheng leading the way at the front. There were few pedestrians on the suburban road to begin with, and even less at night. The group drew out their steel knives and strode along the road with fierce expressions. Two hundred men, two hundred knives—their momentum was overwhelming. Vehicles had to detour when they saw them. He Cheng felt extremely satisfied; he hadn’t felt this powerful in ages. Looking at the men behind him, he wasn’t afraid even of a thousand troops, let alone Xie Wendong, whom he considered a fool.

When they reached the gate of Hongwu Villa, there wasn’t a single guard around, and faint music could be heard inside. He Cheng turned to one of his spies and asked, “Is this Hongwu Villa?” The spy quickly replied, “That’s right! It’s here!” He Cheng laughed loudly and said, “Xie Wendong is finished today!” Seeing that the gate was completely unguarded and the defenses so lax, he believed it would be impossible for them to resist his two hundred elite troops, not to mention the main force of over two thousand men behind them. Thus, he declared that Xie Wendong was done for today.

He Cheng led the way into the villa. The scenery inside was breathtaking—blooming flowers, lush grass, towering trees. A narrow, clear stream ran through the villa, with an intricately carved arch bridge spanning it, adding a touch of classical beauty. But He Cheng had no interest in these things. He scanned the surroundings nervously for hidden enemies. After walking a while and seeing no signs of anyone, he felt relieved and thought, “Xie Wendong, you really are enjoying life carefree. If you don’t die today, it seems justice won’t prevail!” With that thought, he relaxed and rushed toward the building from where music was coming, with his men closely following. As soon as they entered the building, a feminine fragrance hit them.

He Cheng smirked and turned to his men, saying, “Brothers, we’ll have some fun after this is done!” Hearing this, they were overjoyed, their eyes wide with excitement. Leaving a few men to guard the entrance, He Cheng led most of them to the entertainment room. This was the liveliest place in the building, and the music was coming from here. Upon reaching the door, he gave a signal with his hand and whispered, “Once inside, kill anyone you see—kill them mercilessly! Let’s vent the anger I’ve held these past few days!”

“Right! Brother Cheng, we’ve all been frustrated these days too. Don’t worry, none of them will get away!” The men waved their knives; it seemed they weren’t there to fight but to slaughter. He Cheng nodded, stepped forward, and kicked the door open with a loud thud. Glancing inside, he saw quite a few people—men and women—in dim light. Dozens of couples were hugging and dancing softly, surrounded by onlookers some of whom were drinking and others slapping women’s bodies. He Cheng laughed and charged in. The people inside were shocked to see a group of men armed with knives. A middle-aged man with a big belly asked, “What are you doing?”

He Cheng stepped forward quickly, raised his knife, and sneered, “Killing you!” The man had never seen such a thing before. He was stabbed and collapsed to the ground, screaming like a pig. He Cheng’s nose almost twisted in disgust—how could such a wretch still be around? Too lazy to fight further, he kicked the man unconscious, finally silencing the noise.

As soon as he started attacking, the others also raised their knives and began slashing. The people inside were unprepared and had no chance to defend themselves. This wasn’t a battle but a one-sided massacre. People scattered in all directions, trying to rush toward the door, but it was blocked by Nan Hongmen members. In just a short while, dozens of people lay dead from knife wounds.

He Cheng had already put away his knife and found a chair to sit on. He regretted bringing too many people with him. If he had known the reinforcements from the Northern Hongmen were such fools, he would have brought only fifty men. Looking at the situation, even a fool could see that the Southern Hongmen had the upper hand. He shouted, “Leave the women behind! Don’t kill them!” Glancing around, he saw the women cowering in the corners, trembling. With a smug smile, he stood up and walked over, thinking of picking out a few beautiful ones for fun. But then he shook his head, grabbed someone from under the table, and asked, “Where is Xie Wendong?”
The man’s legs turned weak. If it weren’t for He Cheng lifting his collar, he would have collapsed. With a pained face, he stammered, “I… I don’t know!”
Seeing that he didn’t seem to be lying, He Cheng looked down and saw a puddle at the man’s feet—he had actually wet himself with fear. He Cheng frowned, pushed the man away, and said coldly, “Get lost!”
He turned to his subordinates and said, “Find Xie Wendong for me!” At that moment, everyone was in a frenzied state and immediately agreed, searching the entire building for Xie Wendong. But after turning every room upside down, they still couldn’t find a trace of him. There wasn’t just no Xie Wendong in the building—there wasn’t a single person outside the entertainment area. He Cheng’s subordinates were puzzled but didn’t pay much attention.
At this time, He Cheng called Xiao Fang to report that everything was going well, surprisingly smoothly. Hearing this, Xiao Fang was initially stunned. He was on his way to Hongwu Villa, with hundreds of vehicles heading there in a massive convoy. After thinking for a moment, Xiao Fang quickly shouted into the phone, “That’s not right! Withdraw quickly!”