Chapter 218

The short man sneered and said calmly, “Blood Kill!” Those two words struck Qian Xixi like a heavy punch. His body trembled as he murmured, “Blood Kill?” A person’s name, the shadow of a tree—now, few in the Nan Hongmen didn’t know of Blood Kill. Qian Xixi had naturally heard of it too, thinking to himself that misfortune was likely to be his fate tonight. Gathering his courage, he declared fiercely, “So what if it’s Blood Kill? If you’ve got guts, come and fight me one-on-one!”

The short man smiled and nodded. “Alright, I’ll fight you one-on-one!” He pulled back the black cloth covering his face, revealing an ordinary, honest, and upright face. With a slight shake of his shoulders, a mountain-cutting knife over three inches wide appeared in his hand, its tip pointing at Qian Xixi’s nose. Calmly, he said, “You may strike now.”

As the saying goes, an expert’s move reveals his skill. Just by watching the short man draw his knife, Qian Xixi felt even more terrified. How could Xie Wendong have so many skilled men under him?! Without responding, he shouted and swung his knife at the short man’s forehead. Qian Xixi used all his strength in this strike, aiming to knock down this unfathomable opponent with a single blow. The blade came with fierce momentum; even before it reached its target, its wind was already bone-chilling. The short man remained calm, blocking the attack with his knife. Without seeming to exert much effort, the two knives collided. Qian Xixi felt numbness in his arm and stepped back three times before barely managing to steady himself, breathing heavily as he stared at the short man in silence. In truth, he shouldn’t have been so weak—just injured and exhausted from a fierce battle with Ren Changfeng, he was easily pushed back by a single strike. His heart pounded with fear, but he shouted to boost his morale and charged again with his knife.

The short man shook his head. “You’re no match for me now.” Qian Xixi hated it the most when people called him ugly and feared being looked down upon the most. Angered, he said, “Stop talking nonsense and just come at me!” The short man replied, “It’s going to rain, and my mother is getting married. If someone wants to die, there’s nothing I can do.” He swung his mountain-cutting knife, engaging Qian Xixi in combat. After a few exchanges, the short man nodded inwardly. If Qian Xixi weren’t injured and full of energy, he would surely be a tough opponent. But alas! With that thought, he didn’t stop attacking—“Swish! Swish! Swish!”—delivering three rapid slashes that forced Qian Xixi to retreat continuously. Seizing this opening, the short man quickly turned, reaching under his clothes. By the time Qian Xixi turned back to face him, a black pistol was already in his hand. Without any warning, he raised it and fired.

No matter how skilled Qian Xixi was, it was impossible to dodge bullets from such close range. He let out a scream and darted sharply to the left, but it was too late. Out of mercy, the short man fired, piercing Qian Xixi’s right leg bone. He cried out in pain and fell to the ground. The short man tossed his clothes aside, put away his weapon, and ordered, “Tie him up!” A few people came forward and tied Qian Xixi tightly without hesitation.

Qian Xixi’s head was pressed to the ground. Gasping for breath, he cursed angrily, “What kind of hero are you, anyway? Hitting someone from afar—what does that make you?” The short man smiled and said, “I’m neither a hero nor a hero-like figure; I’m just a scoundrel!” He stepped closer to Qian Xixi, bent down, and said, “My name is Jiang Sen. Blood Killing is under my control!”

Furious, Qian Xixi gritted his teeth and roared, “Jiang Sen! I’ll tear you to pieces!” Before he could finish, a member of Blood Killing kicked him hard in the mouth with a precise strike, silencing him. He coughed violently and spat out two teeth.

Jiang Sen laughed and said, “Be smart and shut up!” Then he walked straight into the bar. Inside, they were already cleaning up the scene, separating the dead from the living.

When Xie Wendong saw Jiang Sen arrive, he asked with a smile, “Done?” Jiang Sen replied, “A worthless scoundrel—no match at all!” Xie Wendong clapped his hands, stood up, adjusted his clothes, and said with a smile, “It seems we should head back too.” He glanced at the bartenders in the bar, lowered his gaze for a moment, then walked over. Taking out a check from his pocket, he placed it on the table and said cheerfully, “Today, nothing happened here—just an act, right?”

The waiters weren’t fools. Although this man was young, everyone else treated him with great respect; clearly, he was their leader. The waiters nodded repeatedly and said, “Yes, yes… nothing happened! We saw nothing, and nothing happened here. We’re closing up for the night!”

Xie Wendong snapped his fingers and raised it, smiling as he said, “Hmm, I like talking to smart people!” He stepped out of the bar with a laugh, took a deep breath of stale air, stretched, and looked up with a smile, “It’s going to rain tomorrow, I’m afraid…” Before he could finish, he suddenly saw a flash of red light. This red light was different from the others; though it was just a brief flash, he could still make out countless tiny particles within it. Infrared! Xie Wendong had played with this technology in high school and was familiar with it. Knowing what seeing infrared meant, he instinctively leaned back hard, colliding with Ren Changfeng who had come out behind him. The two tumbled back into the bar. At the same time, another gunshot echoed through the air, leaving a hole the size of a thumb on the ground.

Xie Wendong supported himself against the wall and snapped, “There are assassins on the rooftop outside!” Jiang Sen pulled out his gun and rushed out through the window. He rolled twice on the ground to steady himself before raising his gun and aiming at the rooftop. But there was no one there—just an empty space, not even a shadow of a gun. Unsettled, Jiang Sen scanned the area carefully. Only after confirming nothing suspicious was left did he slowly put away his gun and return to the bar. Xie Wendong’s expression darkened. If he hadn’t looked up, if he hadn’t seen the infrared light, if he had reacted any slower, he might already be dead. Luck played a role here as well. He asked, “The assassins ran away, right?”

Jiang Sen said in a low voice, “Brother Dong, I’m sorry!” Xie Wendong waved his hand and said, “If I’m not wrong, this shot was also fired by the Soul Group. I expected them to come back, but I didn’t expect them to be so quick and choose such a timing. Hmph, old rivals are back!” Xie Wendong and the Soul Group were indeed old rivals. Their conflict had started in City H, and there had never been peace between them. Although many members of the Soul Group had died at Xie Wendong’s hands, many of his men had also been hurt by them. Their enmity grew deeper over time, turning into a bitter feud. The reappearance of the Soul Group made Xie Wendong even more cautious and cast a lingering shadow over Ren Changfeng and the others.

Xie Wendong fought his way into the bar and captured Qian Xixi alive. Most of the two hundred men he brought were scattered by Jiang Sen’s Blood Killers. Some fled in panic, ignoring everything, while others hid in corners—after all, Qian Xixi hadn’t appeared yet, and they couldn’t explain themselves if they went back. They all witnessed what happened afterward in secret. Once Xie Wendong and his men left, they emerged from the alleys, exchanged glances, and rushed toward the Nan Hongmen inn. They explained the situation to Xiao Fang, who was stunned. Not only he was shocked, but Zhan Long and other officials were too. After some time, Xiao Fang realized what had happened. He stamped his feet and pounded his head, shouting, “Stupid! So stupid! Truly stupid!” Initially, hearing that Qian Xixi had been captured had left everyone upset and anxious, but seeing Xiao Fang’s reaction made them want to laugh—unclear whether he meant Qian Xixi was stupid or himself. Xiao Fang paced the room anxiously before stopping and shouting, “Whatever happens, we must rescue Brother Qian! Otherwise… otherwise…” There was no “otherwise” left. Forced into a corner by Xie Wendong, and with Qian Xixi as well, he saw three of their leaders either dead or captured. Even if Wen Tian and the others said nothing, he himself would have no face to stay in the Hongmen any longer. Zhan Long stepped forward and patted his shoulder, saying, “Brother Xiao, don’t worry yet. I think since Xie Wendong has captured Brother Qian, he won’t hurt him right away. If I’m not wrong, he wants to use Brother Qian as a bait to lure us in, then surround and annihilate us. Surely you can see Xie Wendong’s scheme, right?” Xiao Fang shook his head and sighed, “How could I not see it? But what can I do even if I do? At this point, even if Xie Wendong digs a pit and puts oil in it, I still have to jump in! If Brother Qian loses again, I really can’t go on living!” Zhan Long shook his head and comforted him, “It’s better to think things through carefully. We’ll definitely find a solution.” Xiao Fang, in a state of panic, said, “I’m completely lost. Brother Zhan, please give me some advice!” Zhan Long lowered his head in thought. His wisdom wasn’t as sharp as Xiao Fang’s. If even Xiao Fang couldn’t come up with a good plan, how could he? The messenger who returned reported, “Later… later, Xie Wendong almost died.” Xiao Fang and Zhan Long looked up at him and asked, “What happened?” The messenger recounted how Xie Wendong left the bar and narrowly escaped being shot. Zhan Long’s eyes lit up as he asked, “Was it Brother Hongye who did this?”

After Hou Xiaoyun left, Hongye did not take everyone back to Taiwan; about a dozen people remained. Zhan Long was asking about these people. The dozen of them looked at each other and pointed—one by one, thirteen of them, not a single one missing. They all shook their heads. One of them said, “It wasn’t us. We didn’t even know about this beforehand. How could we have gone to assassinate Xie Wendong?”
Zhan Long nodded, stroking his chin in thought. “If it wasn’t Brother Hongye, then who could it be? Infrared technology—this isn’t something ordinary people can obtain.” Xiao Fang suddenly said, “Could it be the Soul Group? Xie Wendong and the Soul Group have a deep feud. If someone wants his life, and the intelligence is so accurate and the weapons so sophisticated, it must be the Soul Group.”
Zhan Long agreed. “That’s right, it’s the Soul Group. How fast! They were just severely defeated by Xie Wendong once, yet they’ve already returned to China so quickly. It seems we can take advantage of this too!” Xiao Fang shook his head repeatedly. “That won’t do. We shouldn’t ally with the Soul Group, and the leader brother won’t agree either.” He hung his head, said goodbye to everyone, and returned to his room. Before leaving, he gave a slight finger gesture—a tiny movement that no one in the room noticed, except Zhan Long.
Zhan Long felt a stir in his heart. After sitting for a while longer, he also got up and said he needed to rest in his room. Leaving the others behind, he went straight to Xiao Fang’s room, knocked on the door, and entered. He asked right away, “Younger brother, is there something going on?” Xiao Fang smiled wisely and said, “We can use the Soul Group. There were too many people outside just now, and Brother Xiang strongly opposes the Soul Group, so I couldn’t bring it up.” Zhan Long nodded at him and said with a smile, “I knew you must have something on your mind. Tell me, how can we use the Soul Group?”
Xiao Fang was confident. “First, cooperate with them. After defeating Xie Wendong, then eliminate them completely. Even if Brother Xiang finds out later, he won’t blame us too harshly.”
Zhan Long leaned back in thought and asked, “How do we cooperate?” Xiao Fang smiled and said, “One in front, one behind—one visible, one hidden!”

Xie Wendong returned to the headquarters and issued an order: all members’ holidays were canceled, and they were to return to their posts and stand by. Capturing Qian Xixi wasn’t the end of it—he needed to assign people to maintain full vigilance. Xiao Fang was likely to become furious and lead all his men in a forced attack. If that happened, Xie Wendong wasn’t afraid; with proper arrangements, he could prevent Xiao Fang from leaving. However, with the reappearance of the Soul Group, he had to be even more cautious. If fighting individually, the Soul Group might not be weaker than the Red Leaves, but their determination to achieve their goals at any cost, willing to sacrifice everything, was terrifying to everyone. This was also why Xie Wendong was worried.

Where to lock up Qian Xixi? After much consideration, Xie Wendong initially thought of keeping him in the headquarters, under his own watch. But then he realized that might not be wise—Xiao Fang might not dare rescue him there. So he ordered Qian Xixi to be taken to the “Hongwu” Villa in the northern suburbs, a remote area far from the city, making it easier to carry out plans. He also arranged for thousands of men to lie in ambush near the villa, with Dong Xinlei and Lingmin guarding from both inside and outside. Xie Wendong secretly deployed the four major leaders and their subordinates near the southern suburbs, controlling the key routes leading into the city from the south. He reminded them that if the Southern Hongmen attacked, they didn’t need to stop them—let them in, but ensure none could escape. The four leaders agreed readily; having fled without fighting last time, they felt somewhat embarrassed. This task was simple, and they wanted to prove themselves. With all preparations in place, Xie Wendong waited for Xiao Fang’s forces to arrive.