Chapter 194

Xie Wendong raised his eyebrows and turned to Xiang Huishan, asking, “Elder Xiang, what do you think?” “Oh…” Xiang Huishan didn’t expect Xie Wendong to ask him suddenly. After a moment of thought, he said something that wouldn’t offend either side, “Everyone knows the abbot’s abilities now. I believe he would never wrong an innocent person nor let a villain escape. We’ll just follow his decision.” Tian Mufeng almost laughed in anger, thinking to himself, “You sure know how to play the good guy.” He curled his lips sarcastically, “Sure enough, you were Jin’s top advisor back then. Your way of speaking is really different from ours, simple folks!”
Xie Wendong was stunned after hearing this and stood there with narrowed eyes. Xiang Huishan’s face turned red as he said irritably, “I’m telling the truth! The abbot was able to drive the South Hongmen out of Nanjing without using a single soldier. That alone is enough to convince me.” Tian Mufeng realized he couldn’t argue with him, so he simply shut up. Xie Wendong smiled slightly and said, “Elder Tian, you don’t need to plead anymore. My decisions generally don’t change. Lock Elder Lian up for now; I’ll make a decision later!” After saying that, he nodded at Jin Peng and left the banquet hall. Jiang Sen, who had remained silent in the corner, hurriedly followed. Outside, seeing no one around, Jiang Sen whispered, “Brother Dong, I don’t think Elder Lian is a spy.”
“Oh?” Xie Wendong raised his eyebrows and asked, “How do you know?” Jiang Sen smiled bitterly. “He doesn’t seem like a spy. Besides, if a spy were so easily exposed, his intelligence would be questionable. But the death of Lei Ting shows this person is far from ordinary—at least much smarter than Elder Lian.”
Xie Wendong said slowly, “People’s hearts are hidden deep inside. Who can know what others are thinking? Sometimes recklessness is the best disguise. But this Lian Tianfeng is indeed not a spy.”
Jiang Sen was surprised and asked, “Then why did Brother Dong arrest him?” Xie Wendong smiled with narrowed eyes. “I just wanted to see the reactions of the other two elders. Since Lian Tianfeng is ruled out, one of these two must be problematic.” “Ah! I see.” Jiang Sen nodded understandingly and asked again, “Has Brother Dong figured out which one it is?” Xie Wendong nodded then shook his head, smiling. “Very likely, but there’s no evidence.” Jiang Sen quickly asked, “Who is it?” Xie Wendong whispered a few words in his ear and then said, “Help me keep an eye on this person from now on and investigate his background thoroughly. I suspect he’s connected to the South Hongmen.”

“Mm!” Jiang Sen nodded. Xie Wendong’s words made him pay close attention. The celebratory banquet had turned into a mourning ceremony. Such incidents happened so soon after the turmoil caused by the change in leadership of the Northern Hongmen, truly a time of chaos. With Wang Haijian’s death, Tian Feng naturally became the main suspect and was placed under house arrest in a small villa in the suburbs. Of the five elders, only two remained, leaving the people restless and morale low. Within a few days, the Southern Hongmen took advantage of the situation to make a comeback. Three members of the Eight Heavenly Kings, still led by Xiao Fang, along with three thousand elite troops, advanced toward Nanjing with fierce determination, seemingly intent on conquering it.

Xiao Fang returned to Guangzhou coughing up blood, but Xiang Wentian did not blame him. He had met Xie Wendong before and knew what kind of person he was; suffering a crushing defeat under him was not a disgrace. In fact, Xiao Fang had lost badly, but he was unwilling to admit it. Just like in a chess match, one mistake does not determine who is stronger. The day after returning to Guangzhou, he heard that another major incident had occurred in the Northern Hongmen: one elder was killed, another was under house arrest, and the disciples were demoralized. Although he was supposed to be recovering in the hospital—actually not seriously ill, just feeling depressed and unable to vent his anger—he jumped up from bed upon hearing the news, his face filled with excitement. He exhaled deeply and said, “Heaven favors our Hongmen!” At that moment, his illness seemed to have vanished, and he rushed out of the hospital to see Xiang Wentian, asking to take advantage of the situation to attack the Northern Hongmen. Nanjing could be recaptured, and if successful, they could even advance northward to take City T.

Xiang Wentian thought it over for a while and found it reasonable, so he agreed to his request. He provided Xiao Fang with another three thousand elite troops and assigned two more from the Eight Heavenly Kings to assist him. This time, Xiao Fang came with a desire for revenge, appearing imposing on the surface but being extremely cautious inwardly. News of the Southern Hongmen’s renewed attack quickly reached Nanjing and also City T. Xie Wendong had intended to handle Wang Haijian’s affairs before going to Nanjing in person, but scouts reported that it was still Xiao Fang leading the forces, supported by two Heavenly Kings from the Southern Hongmen, Zhang Jufeng and Li Wangye. Hearing this, Xie Wendong did not dare to be careless. Though he was sharp, he found it difficult to contend with the three great generals of the Southern Hongmen. He did not hesitate and quickly gathered all the Northern Hongmen officials in City T for a meeting.

At the meeting, Xie Wendong glanced around at the hundred or so people below and asked, “This time, the South Hongmen is coming with great force; we must not underestimate them. Who is willing to go to Nanjing with me?” As he spoke, he looked at Nie Tianxing—the only person present whose eyes he could see clearly. Before Nie Tianxing could respond, a man stood up. Of medium build, with a short, flat haircut, raised eyebrows, and a sallow complexion, he bowed and said, “I was originally planning to go to Nanjing with the leader!” Xie Wendong looked up and saw it was Ren Changfeng. He was also one of the outstanding young members of the North Hongmen and had once attended the Hongmen summit with Xie Wendong. This man was brave and resourceful, but unfortunately, he was born at the wrong time—his bravery couldn’t compare to Dong Xinlei’s, and his strategy wasn’t as good as Nie Tianxing’s (in his own opinion). His greatest weakness was his arrogance, as he overestimated himself and looked down on everyone else.

Xie Wendong nodded in agreement. Nie Tianxing knew exactly what he was thinking and sighed inwardly before standing up and saying, “I am also willing to go and assist our leader!”

Xie Wendong was pleased and smiled, saying, “With Tianxing’s help, we’ll be able to achieve twice the result with half the effort.” After the meeting, Xie Wendong selected two thousand elite soldiers in City T, exempting them from all procedures. He then set off for Nanjing that very night, along with Nie Tianxing and Ren Changfeng. As soon as they arrived, Xiao Fang and the others also arrived. Since the South Hongmen no longer had a place to stay in Nanjing, they had to choose a strategically defensible location in the southern suburbs as their temporary base to stabilize themselves and look for an opportunity. Xiao Fang, Zhang Jufeng, and Li Wangye had barely settled in their room when scouts came to report that Nie Tianxing and Ren Changfeng were also with Xie Wendong. Hearing this, Xiao Fang was shocked and exclaimed, “I really didn’t expect him to come too.”

“Who?” Zhang Jufeng asked, noticing Xiao Fang’s serious expression. Xiao Fang replied, “Who else but Nie Tianxing? He’s extremely cunning. The rapid growth of the North Hongmen in recent years is partly due to him. Dealing with Xie Wendong alone was already difficult; now with Nie Tianxing added, it seems we’ll return empty-handed.” As he spoke, he glanced at Zhang Jufeng and Li Wangye’s expressions. Sure enough, both raised their eyebrows—Xiao Fang’s words had stirred their fighting spirit. Zhang Jufeng sneered and said, “I don’t even take Xie Wendong seriously, let alone some minor figure like Nie Tianxing.” Li Wangye, however, was much more cautious. He said, “Brother Zhang, don’t be careless. You know well how sharp-minded Xiao is, yet you still suffered under Xie Wendong. It’s better to be cautious!”

Xiao Fang sighed and said, “Xie Wendong is full of tricks. It’s by no means easy to defeat him!” Hearing that Xiao Fang and the others had set up their positions in the southern suburbs, Ren Changfeng hurried to Xie Wendong’s room. After knocking and entering, he saw Xie Wendong, Nie Tianxing, and Lingmin there. He immediately said, “Elder brother, according to reports, Xiao Fang has gathered at an inn in the southern suburbs. They’ve just arrived in Nanjing and aren’t yet settled. If we launch a surprise attack now, we can deal a heavy blow to the southern invaders.”

Xie Wendong pondered for a moment, smiled slightly, and turned to ask, “Tianxing, what do you think?” Nie Tianxing replied after some thought, “Xiao Fang is extremely cunning and cautious. He must be aware that they’ve just arrived in Nanjing and aren’t yet stable, so he’ll surely be prepared. If we attack rashly, we might fall into his trap.” “Hmm!” Xie Wendong nodded repeatedly. Xiao Fang was indeed a cautious person—just as in the last battle, his repeated attempts to provoke him had failed, proving this point. He said to Ren Changfeng, “Tianxing and I agree. Changfeng, we’ve also just arrived in Nanjing, exhausted from the journey, and we still don’t fully understand our opponent’s situation. It’s not appropriate to fight now.”

Ren Changfeng wasn’t convinced and said regretfully, “But this is a rare opportunity. What if Xiao Fang isn’t prepared? Wouldn’t that mean we miss the chance to wipe out his entire army?” As he spoke, he glanced at Lingmin, blinking repeatedly, signaling for her to speak up on his behalf. The two of them had a very close relationship—they were both outstanding members of the younger generation of the Northern Hongmen and around the same age, sharing a deep bond. Lingmin naturally understood his intention. After thinking for a while, she said, “Changfeng has a point. But we still need to be prepared for them to be ready. I think we can divide our forces into two groups: one to probe in front of the enemy, and the other to support from behind. If there’s indeed an ambush, the front group can retreat immediately while the back group charges, preventing the enemy from pursuing them. If there’s no ambush, we can attack from both sides and surely defeat Xiao Fang.”

After hearing this, Nie Tianxing smiled, impressed. He thought to himself that Lingmin’s intelligence was actually on par with his own; she just stayed low-key, which made her seem less prominent. He nodded in approval and said, “That’s a great idea! Dividing the forces into two groups, one in front and one behind, allows us to attack when needed and defend when necessary, creating a pincer attack.” Xie Wendong narrowed his eyes and pondered for a moment before also nodding and saying, “Alright, let’s follow Lingmin’s plan! We’ll launch a surprise attack on Xiao Fang at 2 a.m. tomorrow!”

Ren Changfeng was overjoyed. He secretly gave Lingmin a thumbs up—great! Xie Wendong gathered the officers and outlined the plan for the battle the next day at dawn. Everyone praised the tactic as excellent, rubbing their hands together in excitement. Xie Wendong roughly counted his forces: the two thousand he brought plus those already in Nanjing made up over three thousand men. He assigned Ren Changfeng to lead the vanguard, with Wei Zidan as his deputy, commanding three hundred men who were to retreat quickly upon encountering the enemy, no matter how many they were. He would lead the rear force personally, with Lingmin accompanying him, leading another thousand men. Nie Tianxing, whose combat skills were not very good, was left in the city by Xie Wendong to act as a backup for the rest of the men, fearing chaos in battle that could lead to his getting separated. After everything was arranged, everyone returned to their accommodations to rest and regain their strength.

There was no talk all night. Just after 1 a.m. the next day, the disciples of the Northern Hongmen quietly gathered, dressed in black with cloth covering their mouths, hiding weapons beneath their clothes. At Xie Wendong’s command, over a thousand of them silently left the city by vehicle. It was deep night, utterly silent; the city lights were far away, with only the streetlights along the roads emitting a faint glow. It was the perfect time for silent killing. Though no one spoke along the way, the murderous intent radiated from them, and the air around them was so heavy it made it hard to breathe.

Ren Changfeng and Wei Zidan led three hundred men along the main road, which was faster than Xie Wendong’s rear route. When they were nearly at the hotel, he ordered the vehicles to stop and continued on foot. In the darkness, as the silhouette of the hotel became faintly visible, Wei Zidan pulled on Ren Changfeng’s clothes and whispered, “Should we wait first? I think Brother Dong will still be some time away.”

Ren Changfeng was no simple man either. After hearing this, he nodded, waved his hand behind him to tell everyone to stop and rest in place. He and Wei Zidan walked a bit further ahead to carefully observe the surroundings of the inn. The inn was an old five-story building. Although it was dark, it was easy to see that some of the wall paint had peeled off. There was a highway in front of the building, and a large grassy area behind it. The weeds, seemingly neglected for a long time, were as tall as half a person. Aside from a few repair shops that had closed down long ago, there were no other buildings on either side of the building. Ren Changfeng was shocked and couldn’t help but say, “What a desolate place!” Wei Zidan narrowed his eyes and stared for a while before wondering, “Why don’t I see any sentries? Could Xiao Fang be so careless as to withdraw even his scouts?!” Ren Changfeng looked closely and indeed, there wasn’t a single guard in front of or behind the building. Just as he was about to say it might be a trick, two men staggered out of the building, smoking cigarettes and yawning constantly. The two exchanged smiles, relieved. Ren Changfeng checked his watch and said, “It’s almost time. Let’s go!”
Wei Zidan personally led the two of them, moving stealthily as they approached those two men inside. The two men were leaning against the wall next to the door, chatting loudly and laughing from time to time. Before Wei Zidan could get close, they both yawned and went back inside. Wei Zidan’s eyes flickered as he sensed something was off, though he couldn’t quite figure out what. As he got closer to the building, he finally realized what was wrong—the entire building was too quiet, eerily so. There wasn’t a single sound inside, not even in the surroundings. In the middle of the wilderness, with overgrown weeds, it was strange there wasn’t even the sound of crickets!