Chapter 200
Seeing him dig a pit, the men below rushed forward. Thousands of them worked together quickly, and thanks to the soft soil in the forest, a large pit five meters square was dug in no time. Ren Changfeng wiped the sweat from his face. He ordered that the corpses of the Soul Group be thrown into the pit first, then glanced at the captives—their faces filled with panic and fear. With a smirk, he said, “Are you still afraid of death? You’re from the Soul Group, after all; ghosts aren’t afraid of death.” If they weren’t afraid of death, they wouldn’t have surrendered.
Ren Changfeng grabbed one of them, kicked him in the buttocks, and the man screamed as he fell into the pit. He struggled to get up and climb out, only to be slashed down again by the men above. Impatiently, Ren Changfeng waved his hand and said, “Hurry up! Push all these so-called ghosts and spirits down and bury them together.”
The poor members of the Soul Group had no chance to resist. They were dragged and thrown into the pit one after another. Before they could stand up, the men above began filling it with soil. Cries of pain echoed everywhere. Nie Tianxing closed his eyes in agony, sighing inwardly. Xie Wendong was too ruthless, leaving no room for others. Though smarter than the old master, he wasn’t someone Nie Tianxing would willingly assist. At this point, Nie Tianxing considered leaving the North Hongmen and finding a peaceful place with an ordinary job to live in seclusion.
The Soul Group was completely wiped out, leaving no trace—neither the living nor the dead, as if they had vanished into thin air. This worried the Japanese Soul Group headquarters greatly. Over 200 people, trained at great expense, had all disappeared in China. This was unacceptable. They sent people to search in China, but found nothing except traces of struggle and blood in the forests on the outskirts of City T. Eventually, Xie Wendong had the Japanese Hongmen deliver a letter to the Soul Group headquarters, addressed to “Mr. Inoue, President of the Soul Group, from Xie Wendong.” The letter contained few words—only numbers: 213 lives have been taken by me. If you want them back, send more people; I’ll keep recruiting.
After the Soul Group meeting, Inoue Kazuo asked someone to translate the contents of the letter into Japanese. After reading it, he was on the verge of crying in pain. These over 200 people were the backbone of the Soul Group, yet they had all fallen into Xie Wendong’s hands. His position as president probably wouldn’t last long either. As he had predicted, when several right-wing tycoons who helped establish the Soul Group learned of this, they immediately ousted Inoue and replaced him with someone they considered more strategic and experienced. Though the Soul Group wasn’t severely weakened by this setback, it was still taken aback. Only Yamada was left in China, with no further reinforcements sent. They decided to wait and plan after recovering for a while.
Once matters concerning the Soul Group were settled, Xie Wendong narrowed his eyes and said, “It’s time to talk to our Elder Xiang.” Upon hearing this, the disciples of the Northern Hongmen gritted their teeth, eager to fly to Xiang Huishan’s side and tear him to pieces. Elder Xiang was waiting behind with many officials for news. While others were anxious, he wasn’t in a hurry; he was waiting to see Xie Wendong fail. His claim that he could wipe out the entire Soul Group was nothing but delusion. Just then, someone from ahead reported that the Soul Group was trapped and couldn’t escape. Hearing this, everyone behind cheered. Only Xiang Huishan took a deep breath, feeling uneasy. Less than half an hour later, another report came in: the Soul Group had been completely wiped out, none surviving. Xiang Huishan’s head buzzed. It felt like his head was splitting in two. Whether it was psychological or not, he sensed that the subordinates who came back to report were looking at him strangely. He thought, “This is bad. Could it be that Xie Wendong knows I’m a spy?” That’s what they call guilt. Tian Mufeng, who was excited beside him, was stunned by his pale face and asked, “Brother Xiang, are you not feeling well? Why do you look so pale?” Xiang Huishan quickly turned his gaze and took the opportunity to say, “Yes! I don’t know what’s going on, but my stomach hurts terribly.”
Tian Mufeng immediately asked worriedly, “If you’re not feeling well, go back and rest. Do you need me to send someone to take you to the hospital?”
Xiang Huishan hurriedly replied, “No, no. Stomach pain is a minor issue. I’ll just lie down for a while at home. There’s no need for the hospital!” Saying this, he covered his stomach and pretended to get into the car. As soon as the car started moving, before it could leave, the door opened, and someone bent in with a smile, sticking their head inside and asking, “Elder Xiang, where are you going?”
Xiang Huishan shuddered in fear. Turning his head, he saw it was Ren Changfeng. Forcing a smile, he said, “It’s Brother Ren. I’m not feeling well and want to go back and rest for a while.” He paused briefly and then asked, “Why have you come back? Has the battle ahead ended?”
Ren Changfeng chuckled and said, “It’s already over. Not a single member of the Soul Group escaped; I had them buried under soil. But the leader of the Soul Group claimed that someone within our Hongmen faction was colluding with him. I wonder if Elder Xiang is aware of this?” Xiang Huishan shuddered and shook his head, saying, “I don’t know.” Ren Changfeng smiled and said, “Brother Dong has something interesting to share. It would be a shame if Elder Xiang doesn’t listen!” With no choice, Xiang Huishan got out of the car, knowing very well what kind of person Ren Changfeng was. Seeing him return, Tian Mufeng was puzzled and asked, “Why has Brother Xiang come back?” Xiang Huishan didn’t answer, only giving an awkward smile.
Xie Wendong, along with Dong Xinlei, Jiang Sen, and a few others, went to the headquarters in person to bring Jin Peng out. The old man had been trapped for over ten days yet still remained energetic and cheerful. Having seen much in life, Jin Peng didn’t take the Soul Group seriously. If not for his age, he would have already led people to fight back. When Xie Wendong entered the headquarters hall, Jin Peng was playing chess with an old man around the same age as him, taking sips of tea from time to time, looking quite carefree, though his expression was serious. Xie Wendong smiled upon seeing this. He recognized the man playing chess as Li Wei, the Hongmen leader from the Japanese region. Though puzzled, he didn’t say anything to disturb them and stood respectfully aside, watching them play. When the old man tried to move his horse, Xie Wendong coughed. Jin Peng, being clever, put the horse back down and picked up his rook. Xie Wendong nodded. When Jin Peng intended to move his cannon, Xie Wendong coughed again; when he moved his pawn, Xie Wendong nodded with a smile. This happened several times, and Li Wei couldn’t stand it. Regardless of whether Xie Wendong’s subtle hints were good or bad, those constant coughs were enough to annoy him. He put down his chess pieces and complained, “Young man, a true gentleman observes the game without speaking!” Xie Wendong replied innocently, “Elder, I haven’t said anything!”
Jin Peng burst into laughter and nodded, “Wendong indeed hasn’t spoken. Brother Li, you’ve lost this game.” Li Wei looked down at the board and sighed, “There’s nothing I can do to turn things around!” He looked at Xie Wendong and asked with a smile, “There are many ghosts and monsters outside. How did you get in?”
Xie Wendong said, “Spirits and ghosts aren’t scary; only people are. I’ve turned them into real spirits and ghosts.” Li Wei laughed with his head back and said, “I really didn’t come here in vain this time. In Japan, I often saw the Spirit Group capturing spirits, but now I see the Spirit Group being captured itself—haha, what a joy in life!” Li Wei wasn’t originally close to the Northern Hongmen; he had always supported the Southern Hongmen. When he met Xie Wendong at the Hongmen summit last time, learning that this young man was the one causing the Spirit Group so much trouble, he took a great liking to him and wanted to get closer.
He came this time hoping to reconcile with the Northern Hongmen, but unexpectedly encountered an attack by the Spirit Group. Yet, as a dominant figure, he remained calm. Trapped for over ten days, he played chess with Jin Peng for nearly the same amount of time. The two, being around the same age, chatted while playing. Unexpectedly, the two elders found common ground and got along exceptionally well, feeling as if they had met too late. In fact, they had met before, but out of hostility and prejudice, they hadn’t been as open as they were today.
Xie Wendong and Li Wei exchanged a few more words before Xie stood up, nodded at Jin Peng, and said, “Elder, there are still some matters I need to handle.” Jin Peng looked somewhat gloomy. Although Xie didn’t say what he was going to do, Jin Peng guessed quite accurately. With a sigh, he said, “Go early and return early. For the elders in our sect, if they can have their wish, let’s grant it to them!”
Xie Wendong nodded deeply and said, “I understand.” He stepped out of the hall and took a deep breath.
Ren Changfeng pretended to be ‘helpful’ by holding Xiang Huishan’s arm, claiming to be supporting him, but actually fearing he might run away. Ren was impatient, while Xiang Huishan wished time could stop forever and that Xie Wendong would never arrive. But time wouldn’t stop—what was meant to happen would happen. Xie Wendong arrived slowly, got out of the car, glanced at everyone, and said calmly, “The crisis brought by the Spirit Group has been resolved. The elder is safe. Everyone can now go to the headquarters to visit him.”
Hearing this, everyone was overjoyed and rushed into their cars, heading quickly to the headquarters. Xiang Huishan also tried to take advantage of the situation, ‘excitedly’ running toward his car, muttering, “I need to pay my respects to Boss Jin too.” But Ren Changfeng didn’t loosen his grip and pulled him back, sneering, “You? Hmph, wait your turn!”
Some of the slower-moving officials sensed something was wrong. How could Ren Changfeng treat the elder in such a manner? They just wanted to get out of the car and question him, but Xie Wendong waved his hand and said coldly, “No one is allowed to stay without my permission. Otherwise, family rules will be enforced!” The officials, puzzled, shrank back in fear and started their cars to leave quickly. Xiang Huishan realized he wouldn’t get anything good today, so he mustered up courage, adopted an elderly tone, and snapped, “Ren Changfeng, what do you mean by this? Why won’t you let me go?”
Ren Changfeng replied coldly, “You can leave if you want, but first ask about the knife in my hand!” As he spoke, without any visible movement, a dark Tang sword appeared in his palm. With a swift swing, a chilling aura spread. Xiang Huishan shuddered and glanced at Xie Wendong. It would have been better not to look, but once he did, he almost fainted. Xie Wendong’s eyes were bloodshot red, and though they were narrowed, they couldn’t hide the cold light within. The red glow resembled two bloody knives slashing across Xiang Huishan’s face. After a while, Xie Wendong finally calmed down and said, “Elder Xiang, do you think I’m stupid?” Xiang Huishan never expected his first question to be like this. He was too stunned to respond immediately and murmured, “The leader is extremely intelligent and valiant…”
Xie Wendong waved his hand to cut him off and shook his head. “But in front of you, I act like a fool. When you killed Lei Ting, I suspected it was you, yet I still gave you a chance, leading to the death of Elder Wang Haijian. That’s my fault. If it weren’t for my stupidity, Elder Wang wouldn’t have died, and the old man wouldn’t be in danger now.” Xiang Huishan’s complexion changed rapidly—white turning to green, then back to white. Xie Wendong continued, “I’m just curious. You’ve been lurking in the Hongmen for so long—why wait until now to act?”
Xiang Huishan could no longer hide it. He looked up at the sky, his gaze drifting into the distance. “It’s because Xiang Wentian became the leader of the Southern Hongmen, and you, Xie Wendong, became the leader of the Northern Hongmen. He can’t defeat you.” Xie Wendong slowly turned his gaze back, his expression calming down. “Xiang Wentian is your nephew, right?!” Xiang Huishan trembled and stared at Xie Wendong in shock. After a long while, he sighed, “Xie Wendong, you’re truly formidable. Nothing can be hidden from you. Wentian is my nephew. That’s exactly why I tried every means to bring you down and pave the way for him to unite the Northern and Southern Hongmen. It’s a pity I’m not as smart as you. In the end, I still lost to you.”
Xie Wendong shook his head with a bitter smile and said, “But you shouldn’t have killed Lei Ting, nor should you have assassinated Elder Wang.” Xiang Huishan replied in pain, “I had no choice but to kill Brother Lei, because it was I who incited him to start trouble. If things were exposed and he stayed alive, only I would die. As for Brother Wang’s death, it was completely an accident. It should have been… I or the old man who stepped in instead, right? It was Elder Wang who acted impulsively and took the blame. What a pity—such a hero ending up like this.”
Xiang Huishan looked gloomy and nodded silently. When Ren Changfeng heard this, anger surged from his chest to his forehead. With a roar, he shouted, “I’ll skin you alive, you beast!” and charged at Xiang Huishan with his sword. Xiang Huishan closed his eyes, resigned to his fate. Remembering the old man’s words, Xie Wendong sighed, drew his sidearm, and stopped the enraged Ren Changfeng. He asked, “Elder Xiang, the Hongmen won’t trouble your family after your death. Is there anything else you want to say?” Xiang Huishan gave him a grateful look and smiled. “I, Xiang Huishan, have never had a wife or children. My only relative now is Wen Tian. If one day he really falls into your hands, I hope you’ll spare him. That’s my only request.”
Xie Wendong smiled bitterly. He was also considering whether he could do the same if such a day came. Cutting off the roots meant leaving seeds for the future—a great taboo in the martial world. Since one was in the martial world, enemies could take one’s life; giving them a chance meant signing one’s own death warrant. Still, he nodded and said, “If such a day comes, I won’t kill him.”
Xiang Huishan nodded and closed his eyes with a smile. Xie Wendong turned around and said, “End it quickly for him!” Ren Changfeng indeed acted swiftly. As soon as Xie Wendong finished speaking, his sword had already sliced through Xiang Huishan’s throat. His swordsmanship was fast and precise, indeed something to be proud of. He spat fiercely at the corpse on the ground and cursed, “Beast!”