Chapter 192

Thousands of people stood facing each other, not a single word spoken—the silence was terrifying, so quiet that those next to each other could hear each other’s heartbeat. As time passed, while Xiao Fangzheng hesitated, the sound of cars outside the courtyard grew louder, along with sirens. Startled, he turned to Xie Wendong and asked in confusion, “You actually called the police?” Xie Wendong smiled, relieved—the police had arrived just in time! He said, “That’s right, I did call the police. The police are the reinforcements I mentioned!” “You…” Xiao Fangzheng shook his head, almost laughing in anger. To resort to calling the police in a fight among gangsters—few would do such a thing. It was embarrassing enough, but more importantly, neither side was innocent. Why call the police? To arrest them? He nodded and sighed, “I really admire you!” Xie Wendong said, “You’ll admire me even more for what happens next.” As they spoke, a police car drove into the yard. The door opened, and a middle-aged man in a suit stepped out, his mung-bean-sized eyes scanning the two groups. Xiao Fangzheng recognized him—it was Liao Zhunjia, the head of the Nanjing police force, with whom he had a special relationship. He stepped forward, nodded slightly, and said, “Director Liao, what are you doing here too?” Liao Zhunjia sighed and complained, “Do you think I wanted to come? Someone reported a robbery and murder here, with unknown numbers of casualties.” “Robbery and murder?” Xiao Fangzheng shook his head. “I think it must be a misunderstanding. There’s no robbery, no murder either. Director Liao, I think you’d better go back. Working out at midnight will exhaust you. Besides, it’s not worth rushing around for nothing.” He blinked, signaling for him to leave quickly. He was furious—Xie Wendong had claimed there were reinforcements, turning out to be the police, and he had wasted so much time without daring to act, acting like a fool. Xiao Fangzheng was lying—dozens of injured people lay on the ground, cries of pain filling the air, almost like a river of blood.

Liao Zhunjia understood what he meant, nodded, glanced around, and said, “Yes! This place doesn’t look like a scene of a robbery or murder at all.” Then he muttered, “I wonder who fabricated this fake case?” Just as he was speaking, Xie Wendong walked up with a smile and said, “I’m the one who fabricated the case!” Liao Zhunjia was stunned. He sized him up and asked, “Who are you?” “I’m Xie Wendong!” “Ah? Ah?” Liao Zhunjia’s eyes widened in shock. He realized this man was the leader of the Northern Hongmen—just as young as the legends said. Since he had connections with the Northern Hongmen as well, he didn’t dare offend him and said with a smile, “So you’re Brother Xie… But,” he glanced around and lowered his voice, “what do you mean by reporting this case? Weren’t we supposed to stay out of your north-south conflict?”

Xie Wendong chuckled and said, “The police indeed shouldn’t get involved in the north-south conflict, but there’s one thing you must handle!” With that, he took Liao Zhunjia’s arm and said with a smile, “Come with me and take a look!” Without giving him a chance to refuse, Xie Wendong pulled him along. Liao Zhunjia turned back and frowned at Xiao Fang. Xiao Fang was also confused, not knowing what Xie Wendong wanted him to see. As he wondered, Xie Wendong turned back and said with a smile, “Brother Xiao, if you don’t mind, you can come too.”

Xiao Fang nodded and smiled, saying, “Okay!” He thought to himself, “I wonder what trick you’ll play.” His subordinate quickly grabbed him and whispered, “King, be careful—it might be a trap!” Xiao Fang shook his head and smiled, “With the city chief here, he wouldn’t dare do anything to me!” These words were meant both for his subordinate and for Xie Wendong. How could Xie Wendong not understand? He laughed and said, “Of course I won’t do anything to you. I just want to watch a good show.”

Xie Wendong led the two of them toward the small building. Dozens of He Cheng’s subordinates were blocking the entrance, holding knives against the hostages’ throats. Xie Wendong said calmly, “Step aside!” Those men now had a leader and stood firm, unshaken. Xiao Fang waved his hand and said, “You guys step aside first!” They could ignore Xie Wendong’s words, but they dared not disobey Xiao Fang’s and quickly made way for him. Xie Wendong sneered and strode in. The hostages trapped by them lit up at the sight of Xie Wendong and looked at him pitifully, but they didn’t dare say a word. The knives at their throats made them too afraid to breathe. Xie Wendong nodded at them to reassure them that everything was fine.

The three of them went upstairs and entered the entertainment room. Upon pushing the door open, even Xie Wendong couldn’t help frowning. It was no longer an entertainment room at all—it was pure hell. Dead and dying people lay scattered everywhere; the blue floor was stained red. Before anyone could enter, the stench of blood hit them first.

Liao Zhunjia frowned deeply. Though he was the city director, he had rarely seen such a scene. He gave Xiao Fang a reproachful look, implying that they had gone too far. Xiao Fang dismissed it, saying, “This is just the world of martial arts—after all, it’s a bloody place. If you choose to enter here, you should be prepared for bloodshed.” When Liao Zhunjia looked at him, Xiao Fang sneered and said, “What’s the big deal about a few deaths? Isn’t that exactly what Brother Xie wanted us to see?!”

Xie Wendong narrowed his eyes at Xiao Fang, nodded, and slowly walked into the room. He approached a corpse, turned it over, and identified the face calmly. “This is the director of C City’s local tax bureau!” “What?” Liao Zhunjia was shocked, his eyes almost popping out. He rushed forward and asked, “Who… who is this person?”

Xie Wendong replied indifferently, “The director of C City’s local tax bureau, here on a trip to Nanjing.” He then walked over to a middle-aged man who was injured and unconscious. “This is the secretary to C City’s mayor, also here on a trip to Nanjing. And there’s also…” Xie Wendong pointed to the dead and injured people on the ground, introducing them one by one. “This is the deputy director of C City’s municipal government. This is the director of C City’s forestry bureau. This is…” He spoke calmly, but Liao Zhunjia was sweating profusely, his back clothes soaked through. After finishing the introductions, Xie Wendong turned around and smiled. “By the way, among the hostages outside, there’s also a vice mayor of C City, a section chief from the anti-corruption bureau, and so on. Director Liao, do you want to meet them?”

Liao Zhunjia swallowed hard, not knowing what to say. This was unthinkable—so many government officials killed and injured in his jurisdiction. It wasn’t just a matter of whether he would be removed from office; things might get worse… He didn’t dare think further and stared blankly at Xiao Fang. At that moment, Xiao Fang’s face was extremely pale, turning red, then white, then blue again. He glared at Xie Wendong and finally snapped, “You’re really ruthless!”

Xie Wendong smiled triumphantly. “To deal with extraordinary people, extraordinary methods are needed. Is that not effective?” He then turned to Liao Zhunjia and said, “Director Liao, now, don’t you think this still counts as a crime scene? The mastermind is standing right in front of you, and all those hostages below can see and hear everything clearly. What to do next is up to you!”

“Oh, this…” Liao Zhunjia was in a dilemma. Xiao Fang and he had a good relationship; Xiao Fang had always given him many benefits. He couldn’t bring himself to arrest him, but if he didn’t, he feared he would be captured by others. Stuck between two choices, he finally mustered the courage to walk up to Xie Wendong with a forced smile on his face—though it was an extremely ugly one. He said, “Both your family and mine are my friends. How could I bear to arrest you? Please, Brother Xie, show mercy and spare Xiao Fang this time. Thank you in advance!” With that, he bowed deeply to gain Xie Wendong’s goodwill first.

Xie Wendong narrowed his eyes, realizing that Liao Zhunjia and Xiao Fang were indeed very close. He hadn’t intended to arrest Xiao Fang anyway. Even if he were captured, it wouldn’t be difficult to rescue him with the strength of the Nan Hongmen. So, he decided to do Liao Zhunjia a favor. Smiling slightly, he said, “Since Director Liao is asking for a favor, I have no objections.”

Liao Zhunjia thanked Xie Wendong again, then turned to Xiao Fang with a sigh. Pointing at the window, he said, “Brother Xiao, jump out the window and run. Don’t come back ever again.”

Xiao Fang was in complete chaos, his mind reeling. He never imagined that Xie Wendong could secretly bring a group of government officials to the villa, only for them to be killed by his own people. One wrong move and everything was lost. Even though he was usually sharp-minded, he was now at a loss. He asked, “What about my brothers outside?”

Liao Zhunjia shook his head and said, “I still need to give an explanation to my superiors!” “Sigh!” Xiao Fang let out a long sigh, nodded at Xie Wendong, and snapped, “Fine! You’re really good at this. I lose to you this time, but I’ll get revenge next time!” Without waiting for Xie Wendong’s reply, he opened the window, jumped out, and fled through the back of the villa.

Xie Wendong really was ruthless this time—so ruthless that he didn’t leave Xiao Fang the slightest chance to turn things around. If it had been an ordinary person who was killed, Liao Zhunjia could have used his connections to handle it, but the victim was a government official. With casualties mounting, such a major incident would surely alert the central authorities. By letting him go, Liao Zhunjia had already taken huge risks; it wasn’t easy for him to pull off such a thing with just money and friends. These officials were all brought in by Xie Wendong through Lingmin, considering her familiarity with Gansu where he planned to set up a new branch, and since City C wasn’t far from Nanjing, he organized trips for local officials there during the National Day holiday, covering all expenses. Who wouldn’t want to join such a good deal? So, a large number of officials from City C came. Xiao Fang also had good information networks, and as soon as these officials arrived at Hongwu Villa, his spies reported back to him. He even thought they were officials from the Northern Hongmen coming to support Xie Wendong, their new leader. Little did he know, trouble would arise from these very people. Few of the officials who came were honest. Seeing the pleasant scenery at Hongwu Villa and the countless beautiful women inside, they revealed their true nature and indulged in drunkenness and debauchery night after night. By the time He Cheng led his men to attack, they had no strength to resist. That’s why He Cheng was puzzled—how could the people from the Northern Hongmen be so incompetent and easily defeated? From start to finish, everything went according to Xie Wendong’s plan, allowing him to kick Xiao Fang out of Nanjing without a single fight.

Xiao Fang escaped from the villa and could faintly hear alarms going off inside, crowds shouting, and occasional gunshots. His heart ached, and tears streamed down his face. He had lost this battle miserably—full of strength yet unable to use it, not even getting a chance to punch his opponent. With tears in his eyes, he sighed. Xie Wendong was indeed full of cunning tactics, but he refused to accept defeat. He felt suffocated, as if a heavy stone was pressing down on him. He staggered to the road, finally managing to hail a taxi and return to the headquarters. He planned to reorganize his subordinates and ask his boss for more men to fight Xie Wendong to the death. When he returned, as soon as he got out of the car and was about to enter, no less than twenty people suddenly appeared, armed with knives. The leader, a tall and burly man, waved his hand to stop him and sneered, “This road is closed!” Xiao Fang’s heart sank. He asked, “Who are you?” The giant laughed loudly and said, “I’m just an insignificant man, just a squad leader under Brother Xie of the Hongmen!”

Xiao Fang’s head buzzed. Needless to say, the hall had already been taken over by the enemy. Without a word, he turned and ran. This burly man was Wei Zidan, sent by Xie Wendong to attack the Nan Hongmen hall. In fact, the hall hadn’t been captured yet—thanks to Xiao Fang’s earlier arrangements, over a hundred men had been left to defend it. Wei Zidan wasn’t having much success; several attacks ended in failure, and he was in a difficult situation. Seeing someone rushing over in panic, he didn’t recognize Xiao Fang, but he recognized some of his subordinates. He quickly stepped forward and said, “Brother Wei, the man who’s coming is Xiao Fang!” Hearing this, he laughed heartily, thinking, “This is my chance to earn merits!” As Xiao Fang approached, he jumped out from hiding. After exchanging a few words, Xiao Fang ran away, and Wei Zidan couldn’t let this slip by—he led his men in pursuit. Xiao Fang, now unwilling to fight further, dived into alleys at every opportunity, fleeing frantically like a dog without a home.

Wei Zidan’s men failed to catch him. After chasing for a while, Xiao Fang’s figure disappeared into the alleys. Wei Zidan was filled with regret, having missed such a great opportunity. But he knew how to make use of situations. He shouted to his men, “Xiao Fang is running back alone. Obviously, his army was completely defeated by Brother Wei. The Nan Hongmen are nothing but weaklings. Follow me back to take control of the Nan Kou hall—we deserve a place at the celebration too!” Hearing this, his men became excited and shouted, “Right! We can’t fall behind during the celebration!” “We’ll never embarrass Brother Wei!”

Wei Zidan led his men back to continue attacking the hall. Desperate, he took off his shirt and fought bare-chested at the forefront. Seeing their leader’s bravery, his men also fought bravely. The hundred or so men left by Xiao Fang could no longer hold out and kept retreating.