Chapter 193

Xiao Fang managed to evade Wei Zidan’s pursuit, but the more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He had never suffered such a setback since he started his career—not only had he fallen for Xie Wendong’s trick, but he had also lost his territory. As he thought about it, he felt a heat in his chest and spat out a mouthful of blood before collapsing to the ground. It took him a while to get up with the help of a wall, and then he stumbled into a small inn to stay. The next day, he set off for the Nan Hongmen headquarters in Guangzhou to apologize to Xiang Wentian.

The two thousand people he had brought to Hongwu Villa had all scattered; some were arrested by the police, while the rest fled and hid, too afraid to show themselves. The massacre at Hongwu Villa indeed alarmed the authorities at the central level. A few days later, they issued a document calling for a severe crackdown on gangs or organizations with mafia-like characteristics. In Nanjing, the authorities even sent people to investigate the case directly. Xie Wendong hadn’t expected things to escalate this much, but it was good in a way—at least it would slow down Nan Hongmen’s attacks in the other three cities, giving his side time to prepare. Now, not a single member of Nan Hongmen could be found in Nanjing; most had fled, and those who stayed hid at home. Xie Wendong effortlessly not only regained his original territory but also filled all the gaps left by Nan Hongmen. During this time, the police were also cracking down on gangs loudly and harshly, but they only targeted those without any backing. The small gangs and organizations in Nanjing were one after another busted, with daily news reports of police successes—“So-and-so gang completely dismantled by the police overnight” or “All members of such-and-such gang captured except two who escaped.” Yet, as for Nanjing’s largest mafia-like gang, Bei Hongmen, the police didn’t even mention it.

As soon as Xie Wendong stabilized the situation in Nanjing, he began recruiting new members. Most of his over a thousand subordinates were brought in from City T as reinforcements and couldn’t stay long, while the original members had long disappeared. He timed his recruitment perfectly—with gangs in disarray due to the police’s crackdown and struggling to find backers, his announcement of Bei Hongmen’s recruitment attracted many to join. Within three days, hundreds had joined. Xie Wendong kept a few loyal men to train the newcomers while he led most of the reinforcements back to City T.

He returned victorious, and naturally couldn’t be compared to Dong Xinlei when he returned injured. The cadres of the Northern Hongmen admired this newly appointed leader greatly—someone who could devise such strategies; his mind was truly beyond ordinary people. As soon as Xie Wendong arrived in City T, the elders organized a grand welcome banquet, also serving as a celebration. No less than a hundred cadres, big and small, gathered together, creating a lively atmosphere. During the banquet, Elder Xiang started by offering the first drink to Xie Wendong, marking the beginning of the toasting. One elder after another came to offer drinks, and Xie Wendong had a strong tolerance for alcohol, but he still couldn’t handle being surrounded by a hundred people. Before long, he was already six-tenths drunk. At that point, no matter how others persuaded him, he refused to drink any more. In the end, it was Old Man Xiang who stepped in to save the situation for Xie Wendong. Just then, Jin Peng appeared at the banquet in a wheelchair, pushing the anger among the guests to its peak. Elder Lian Tianfeng also drank quite a bit. Seeing that there was an elder present, he suggested taking a family photo together. Everyone agreed upon hearing this, and Jin Peng smiled so wide his eyes almost closed. Good heavens, getting all those hundred people together in the camera frame was truly difficult. One arrangement didn’t work, another didn’t either. Finally, Lian Tianfeng waved his hand and said, “All cadres below the hall master, go down. With so many people here, why crowd in?” With that, more than half of the crowd left dejectedly. Jin Peng and Xie Wendong laughed heartily at this, their joy evident on their faces. When it was time to take the photo, Xiang Huishan turned to everyone and said, “Don’t forget to shout ‘eggplant’ together!” Without his saying it, everyone was already smiling happily. Originally, the elder was supposed to stand in the middle of the first row, but Jin Peng disagreed, saying he wasn’t the Hongmen leader anymore and that the spot should go to Xie Wendong. Upon hearing this, Xie Wendong shook his head repeatedly and said urgently, “No, no! The elder should stand in the middle. My position as leader is only temporary.” The elder deliberately grew serious and said, “What temporary about it? The Hongmen leader is the Hongmen leader. You are one now, and if you do well, you’ll remain one!” Xie Wendong shook his head with a wry smile. Seeing that the two of them couldn’t reach an agreement, Elder Wang Haijian joked, “If you two won’t stand in the middle, then I’ll stand there!”

He was an elder of the Hongmen brotherhood; he had fought alongside Jin Peng to build their empire, and their relationship was extremely close, allowing them to speak casually with each other. Jin Peng laughed and said, “Alright, then you stand in the middle!” Wang Haijian smiled and said, “I was just joking. With two generations of elders from the Hongmen here, it’s impossible for it to be my turn.” The older he got, the more mischievous he became. Spotting Xiang Huishan nearby, he pulled him over and said, “There’s no need to yield. Brother Xiang has the longest standing in the Hongmen; it’s perfect if he stands in the middle.”

Xiang Huishan shook his head vigorously and hurriedly said, “Younger brother Wang, please spare me! With Boss Jin here, I dare not.” After saying that, he stepped back again. Seeing this, Jin Peng patted Wang Haijian on the shoulder and said, “Enough, you stand in the middle. Over the years, everyone knows the contributions you’ve made to the Hongmen. In terms of seniority, you have no problem.” Hearing this, Wang Haijian felt excited. Standing in the middle was just a formality; what mattered most was that Boss Jin hadn’t forgotten him, which made him very happy. He nodded and said, “Then I won’t yield!” As he spoke, he looked at Xie Wendong. Xie Wendong also smiled and said, “As an elder, your status is no lower than that of a brother. It’s perfectly appropriate for you to stand here.”

“Alright, I’m going to take a photo!” the guy with the camera said loudly once everyone was in position. Wang Haijian smiled and said, “You little rascal, stop talking nonsense and take the photo quickly!” *Flash!* The flash lit up, freezing that moment in time. Smoke rose from the camera, its lens shattered, and a bullet flew out from inside.

The guy with the camera was stunned, the officials standing in front of the camera were shocked, and even Xie Wendong was dumbfounded. Someone in the crowd slowly collapsed—it was Wang Haijian, who had been standing in the middle. A bullet had punched a hole in his forehead; he didn’t even have time to scream before dying. Xie Wendong reacted fastest. He picked up Wang Haijian, who had fallen beside him. The old man still had a smile on his face and his body was warm, but he was dead. “Ah!” Xie Wendong cried out in pain. How could he not feel heartbroken seeing such an honest and playful old man die like this? Jin Peng trembled as he stood up from his wheelchair, bent down, and took Wang Haijian’s body from Xie Wendong’s arms. He said nothing, but huge tears streamed down his face.

At that moment, the others also regained their senses from shock and gathered around, shouting, “Elder Wang! Elder Wang!”

One of the officials stepped forward to the guy with the camera, kicked him, and roared, “Speak! Tell us why you killed Elder Wang! What did the Hongmen do to you?”

The young man was kicked around on the ground, screaming, “I didn’t do it! It’s not me, it’s not me…” “I didn’t know there was a gun in the camera, I really didn’t…”
Xie Wendong stepped forward, stopped the official, and sighed deeply before saying, “Stop beating him; he might really not know!” Hearing this, the official knelt down and wept bitterly. Wang Haijian was the best among the Hongmen members because of his straightforwardness—he never acted superior to others, could joke with anyone, and remained extremely calm. The other officials also respected and liked this old man greatly, but today he was killed unjustly, leaving them with indescribable sorrow. Xie Wendong was also upset, but he managed to control his emotions. His sharp gaze swept over everyone’s faces before he finally spoke up, “Actually, the person who wanted to kill him secretly wasn’t Elder Wang!”
These words made everyone stop crying and look at Xie Wendong. Xie Wendong narrowed his eyes and said, “If we go by normal logic, who should be in the center?” Everyone gasped. His words awakened them from their grief, and they thought to themselves that their elder was right—normally, it should be the old man or their elder who stood in the center. So, the mastermind wanted to kill the Hongmen elder! Xie Wendong turned to the young man and asked, “Where did you get this camera?”
The young man stammered, “The camera was already on the table when I arrived. Later, I heard Elder Xiang say he wanted to take photos, so I brought it over. Brother, I really didn’t know there was a gun inside!” Xie Wendong narrowed his eyes again and turned to Lian Tianfeng, saying, “If I’m not mistaken, it was Elder Lian who suggested taking photos, right?”
Lian Tianfeng’s expression changed, and he snapped, “What do you mean? Are you accusing me of secretly doing something?” Xie Wendong sneered and said coldly, “There’s no need to get so angry. I’m just asking.” Lian Tianfeng gritted his teeth, suppressing his anger, and said to Jin Peng, “Elder, I’ve been in the Hongmen for fifty years. I won’t boast about my abilities, but you, Jin Boss, must know best whether I’m loyal or not.” With that, he took off his clothes, revealing his bare chest covered in scars all over his front and back. Pointing at the scars, he said, “These wounds were left from fighting alongside Jin Boss. I never complained even when injured. Even if I was cut that day, the next day, at Jin Boss’s word, I’d still be at the forefront!”

Jin Peng nodded and sighed, “Tian Feng was indeed an extraordinary man back then—brave to the extreme, as tough as iron. Whenever people heard of Tian Feng, one of the Five Tiger Generals of the Hongmen, everyone would tremble with fear!” Even Tian Feng’s eyes moistened as he said in a trembling voice, “It’s a pity that I’m the only one left from those Five Tiger Generals.” Not long after the founding of the country, the Hongmen split into northern and southern factions, with the south being stronger and the north weaker. Jin Peng led his men to Hebei, and it was then that he began to build his power. He had five fierce generals under him, each possessing unique skills and heroic combat abilities: Lei Ting, Duan Ren, Tian Feng, Li Xiao Fei, and Wang Hai Jian. These five were feared throughout the region; whenever they appeared, no one dared to stand against them, and everyone fled at the mere sight of them. Lei Ting was as fierce as thunder, with an explosive temper. Duan Ren was as cold as ice, with a gloomy personality. Tian Feng was as hard as steel, with a tough demeanor. Li Xiao Fei was as venomous as a snake, cunning and ruthless. Wang Hai Jian was as passionate as fire, kind-hearted and straightforward. Among them, Duan Ren could be considered Jin Peng’s top warrior—brave and skilled in combat, with unparalleled swordsmanship, making it hard to find an opponent for him. Once, when Jin Peng was ambushed, Duan Ren risked his life to save him. Facing a thousand enemies, he remained calm, single-handedly repelling three waves of attackers and carrying the severely injured Jin Peng out of the encirclement to the hospital. But by the time others arrived, Duan Ren was already dead against the wall, his eyes slightly open, standing upright despite his injuries. Doctors later counted thirty-seven knife wounds on his body, more than a dozen of which were fatal even with just one wound. The fact that he managed to carry Jin Peng for miles was considered a miracle by the doctors. Among the five, Li Xiao Fei was the youngest and weakest in martial arts, but he was the most cunning and deceitful, wearing a smile all 365 days of the year. His methods against enemies were extremely cruel, earning him the nickname “Smiling Snake.” Because of his youth and intelligence, Jin Peng favored him the most. However, Li Xiao Fei died young, passing away in his early forties due to a terminal illness. Jin Peng once said that Duan Ren’s death was like losing an arm, while Li Xiao Fei’s death was like losing a leg. Later, the three remaining Five Tiger Generals retired one after another to become elders. Now, with Lei Ting and Wang Hai Jian also dead, only Tian Feng is left, filled with a sense of despair and hopelessness. The bond between him and Jin Peng was beyond Xie Wen Dong’s understanding. The latter smiled and said indifferently, “But people can also change.” Tian Feng looked up and sighed, filled with deep emotions, and lamented, “It seems I have no chance to defend myself today. Master Xie, Tian Feng is right here. Do as you see fit!”

Xie Wendong narrowed his eyes and sneered, “Do you really think just because you’ve been in the Hongmen for a long time I won’t dare do anything to you?!” With that, he waved his arm and shouted angrily, “Someone, take Lian Tianfeng away from me!” Good heavens! Xie Wendong’s words sent shivers through his subordinates. The elder had no real power and no followers, but his status was still there. Usually, even breathing heavily wasn’t necessary when encountering him, but now the eldest brother wanted him to capture the elder—this was outrageous. The subordinates looked at each other, their faces grim, with no one daring to step forward. Xie Wendong glared and snapped, “What, no one listens to me?”
Seeing that things were going wrong, Elder Tian Mufeng quietly tugged at the sleeve of Xiang Huishan beside him and whispered, “Let’s not just stand here. It seems the new eldest brother really intends to take action against Old Lian!”
Xiang Huishan shook his head and said, “Last time, I impulsively killed Brother Lei. This time, I dare not make any hasty decisions.”
Tian Mufeng sighed, stepped forward, and bowed, saying, “Elder brother, please don’t be so impulsive. Capturing Elder Lian before understanding the situation fully won’t win the loyalty of the others. I urge you to think carefully before acting.” His words made Jin Peng, who was standing by, nod repeatedly as well. He found it strange too—Xie Wendong was a cunning man. Why would he want to capture Lian Tianfeng without investigating the facts?! Such impulsiveness wasn’t like him. But since Jin Peng was no longer the leader, he couldn’t say much and decided to wait and see.