Chapter 227

Xie Wendong smiled and said, “Is it dangerous? I’ve been there many times before and always returned safely!” Ren Changfeng had also heard about Xie Wendong’s past visits to Kunming. He shook his head and said, “But things are different now. Back then, when Brother Dong went there, the Northern and Southern Hongmen hadn’t started fighting yet. Even if Xiang Wentian knew you were there, he would turn a blind eye. But now, the Northern and Southern Hongmen are in full battle—three of their Heavenly Kings have died at Brother Dong’s hands, one has been captured, and Xiao Fang is seriously injured by you. If Xiang Wentian finds out that Brother Dong has penetrated his territory, the consequences are obvious. No matter how noble Xiang Wentian may be, he might not take action himself, but who can guarantee his subordinates won’t? Moreover, there are still three Heavenly Kings of the Southern Hongmen hiding and waiting to strike.”

Ren Changfeng kept talking nonstop, but Xie Wendong listened without really taking it to heart. Jiang Sen and Dong Xinlei nodded repeatedly, agreeing that he made good points. Jiang Sen added, “Changfeng is right. After all, that’s the territory of the Southern Hongmen. If something unexpected happens, it will be troublesome. Besides, if Brother Dong takes too many people, the target becomes too large and danger increases. If he takes too few people… it’s even more dangerous. So it’s better not to go at all.”

Xie Wendong shook his head firmly and said, “I must go.” “Why?” Jiang Sen and the others asked in unison. Xie Wendong sighed and said, “For one person.” “Who?” “Qiu Ningshui!” Jiang Sen sighed. He had plenty of reasons to stop Xie Wendong, but hearing that name, he could only shake his head with a bitter smile. Although Xie Wendong was ruthless and cunning in his actions, he would go to great lengths for his friends. Especially for Qiu Ningshui—though Xie Wendong never said it, Jiang Sen knew he had been deeply blaming himself for her misfortune. If Qiu Ningshui was in danger, even if it meant stepping into a pit, Xie Wendong would do it. There was nothing Jiang Sen could do to stop him.

Jiang Sen blinked, speechless. Dong Xinlei and Ren Changfeng didn’t know who Qiu Ningshui was, so they asked together, “Who is she?” Xie Wendong closed his eyes and remained silent. Jiang Sen also didn’t answer. Instead, he said, “Brother Dong, if you really must go, I have only one request—take me with you.” Xie Wendong tapped the table gently and said seriously, “Taking too many people makes the target too large and increases danger.” Jiang Sen’s face turned red as he stammered, “One more person means one more piece of strength.” Xie Wendong smiled and said, “We’re not without people in Kunming.” Jiang Sen’s eyes lit up as he suddenly slapped his forehead and said, “Wu Xing!” Xie Wendong nodded. “That’s right, Wu Xing!”

Dong Xinlei and Ren Changfeng were a bit confused, not understanding why Jiang Sen’s stance changed as soon as he heard the name Qiu Ningshui. He had originally been against Xie Wendong going to Kunming, but now he seemed to want to go too. Ren Changfeng didn’t care about that; he thought it was right to take on whatever Jiang Sen wanted to do. He said anxiously, “Taking one person is taking someone, taking two is also taking someone—adding me shouldn’t count as too many!” Jiang Sen felt annoyed inwardly—why did he have to join in? Brother Dong hadn’t agreed to take him yet, and now he was meddling again! He glanced at Dong Xinlei, who looked eager to go. Well, no need to ask—this one wanted to go too. Sure enough, as soon as Ren Changfeng finished speaking, Dong Xinlei stepped forward and said, “If everyone else is going, how can I be left out?!”

Xie Wendong nodded and said, “My trip to Kunming this time needs to be kept secret—neither the Nan Hongmen nor my own people must know. Moreover, the attack plan must go ahead as if I hadn’t left. Otherwise, if everyone knows I’m not here, morale will collapse, and the Nan Hongmen will get another chance to recover. It won’t be easy to fight in such a situation then. So, I don’t object to you all coming with me, but one person needs to stay behind to oversee things and apply pressure to the Nan Hongmen together with Tian Xing.”

Jiang Sen sighed in relief and smiled, “I can’t oversee things—after all, I’m an outsider!” Ren Changfeng added, “I’m not suitable either. In terms of wisdom, I’m no match for Old Lei, and in terms of martial skills, I’m far inferior. Only Old Lei is fit to oversee things!”

Dong Xinlei, looking at Ren Changfeng’s smug face, wished he could punch him to pieces. He gritted his teeth and said, “I don’t believe you can beat me. We can give it a try!”

Ren Changfeng shook his head. “No need to try. When it comes to skills, you’re the only one I admire.” Dong Xinlei sneered, “I truly feel honored!”

Whether Dong Xinlei felt honored or not, and no matter how unwilling he was, Xie Wendong still didn’t take him along. As Ren Changfeng said, Xie Wendong trusted Dong Xinlei more than him. It wasn’t because Dong Xinlei had been with him longer, but because Dong Xinlei was much more steady in handling matters. Arrogance is a kind of momentum that can overwhelm everything, but sometimes it’s also the most deadly. Ren Changfeng had an arrogant spirit, which was both what Xie Wendong admired the most and what worried him the most.

Nanjing and Kunming weren’t very far apart, but they weren’t close either—five provinces lay between them. They were considered not far because of airplanes, which took only two hours to travel between them.

Xie Wendong, Jiang Sen, and Ren Changfeng dressed casually, wearing sunglasses, and quietly flew south from Nanjing straight to Kunming. On the plane, Ren Changfeng couldn’t help but sigh as he looked out the window: “It’s the first time in my life I’ve traveled such a long distance.” Xie Wendong chuckled and said, “If things change, we might even have to go abroad.” “Huh?” Ren Changfeng was stunned and asked, “Where?” Xie Wendong replied in a low voice, “The Golden Triangle.” Jiang Sen frowned slightly and asked, “Brother Dong, why go there?” Xie Wendong sneered, “To have a chat with the big general in the Golden Triangle.” Jiang Sen’s expression changed upon hearing this, and he muttered, “If I had known we were going there, I would have brought more people.”

Xie Wendong shook his head and said, “No matter how many people we bring, they can’t compare to an army.”

In Kunming, this was the fourth time Xie Wendong had been here. Each time he returned, the situation was different, but this time his movements were kept even more secret. As soon as he got off the plane, his first task was to find the Five with Golden Eyes. After several months of recovery, the Five with Golden Eyes’ injuries had mostly healed. They rented two rooms in the northern part of the city, and life had been relatively peaceful over the months. These days, the Five with Golden Eyes were planning to call Xie Wendong to say they didn’t want to stay in Kunming anymore. But suddenly they heard that Qiu Ningshui had seized the goods from the Golden Triangle. After discussing it, they decided not to go back, as Brother Dong might have to come in person. Their guess turned out to be correct—two days later, Xie Wendong indeed arrived in Kunming.

The Five with Golden Eyes waited at the airport for a long time. When they saw Xie Wendong come out, their calm expressions changed. Xie Wendong stepped forward and examined the five of them carefully. After a while, he smiled and said, “You’ve all gained quite a bit of weight.” He patted Golden Eye on the shoulder and asked, “Are your injuries healed?”

Golden Eye tilted his head, smiled, stretched out his arm, clenched his fist, and said loudly, “I feel like I can now punch a giant elephant to death.”

“Hehe!” Seeing Golden Eye like this, Xie Wendong was also relieved. If he had suffered any lasting effects from his injuries, Xie would have felt guilty.

Golden Eye glanced behind Xie Wendong and saw two more people following. After recognizing their faces, he smiled. Jiang Sen and the other five were extremely familiar to him, and Ren Changfeng and the rest were not strangers either. After all, before joining Xie Wendong, the Five with Golden Eyes had been part of the North Hongmen, so how could they not know this second-in-command of the younger generation? It was just that Ren Changfeng was too proud and looked down on their assassin skills. So although they were in the same gang, they had little contact, with only a few words exchanged between them.

Ren Changfeng stepped forward, looked at the five of them, and sighed, “It’s been about two years, right? Yeah, we haven’t seen each other in almost two years.”

Golden Eye sighed, “Yes! Time flies by in the blink of an eye.” Ren Changfeng chuckled lightly and said, “It’s been so long since we last met. I wonder if your skills have declined. I’d love to have a match if there’s a chance.” That guy is still the same—always eager to be first. Golden Eye grumbled to himself, but couldn’t say that out loud. With a smile, he replied, “Sure!”
Xie Wendong didn’t want to waste too much time at the airport, so he urged everyone to leave. Outside, Golden Eye and the others had already arranged a vehicle—a medium-sized van. Xie Wendong was momentarily surprised but didn’t ask questions. With Golden Eye and his group’s capabilities, getting a car wasn’t difficult. After getting into the car, they headed straight to where Golden Eye and the others were staying. In the car, Xie Wendong asked, “You must know that the goods from the Golden Triangle were seized, right?” Golden Eye nodded. “I heard about it. It was Qiu Ningshui who seized them. It’s astonishing that someone dared to seize the Golden Triangle’s goods. Rumors are swirling everywhere. Maybe…” He paused, glanced at Xie Wendong, and whispered, “Maybe that incident dealt a huge blow to Qiu Ningshui. Shui Jing tried calling her, advising her not to mess with the Golden Triangle, but she wouldn’t listen.”
Xie Wendong sighed and said, “The Golden Triangle isn’t something to mess with easily!”
Shui Jing asked from the side, “What’s their reaction?” Xie Wendong replied, “That old guy talked to me. There’s only three days left. If the goods aren’t found by then, the general will offer a million in ‘hidden rewards.’” Golden Eye exclaimed, “Hidden rewards? If the Golden Triangle offers those, Qiu Ningshui is probably…” Mu Zi continued, “Probably doomed.” Jiang Sen asked, “What if Qiu Ningshui really refuses to back down by then?” Xie Wendong narrowed his eyes and said, “I owe her a favor.”
The others exchanged glances and shook their heads silently, stopping talking.
Seeing the heavy atmosphere, Mu Zi laughed and said, “Since Brother Dong has made up his mind, it can’t possibly be wrong. This is China, not Myanmar. Even if the Golden Triangle is powerful, they can’t exert their influence here. There’s nothing to fear.” Jiang Sen cautiously said, “The Golden Triangle may not be able to act here, but isn’t it the same for us? After all, Kunming is territory of the Southern Hongmen. It’s dangerous for Xie Wendong to reveal his identity here, let alone deal with the Golden Triangle.” Mu Zi rolled his eyes and changed the subject, saying, “Stop saying such depressing things. Today, I’ll show off the cooking skills I’ve practiced for months.”
When Ren Changfeng heard he was going to cook, the corners of his mouth almost dropped to his ears. He said, “I’ll be grateful if you don’t poison us.”
The car approached a residential complex with an elegant and unique interior—gardens, pavilions, bridges over streams. The cold climate of the north wasn’t felt here at all, with flowers blooming brightly and vividly.

After getting out of the car, Xie Wendong looked around and couldn’t help but say it was nice. Jin Yan added, “It’s a bit remote, but the environment and air quality are great.”
Ren Changfeng nodded. “It’s a great place to retire.” Jiang Sen agreed, “Exactly. When we get older, we can buy a house here and live a leisurely life.”
Jin Yan rented a room on the second floor, claiming it was the best spot—easy to defend or retreat from in case of trouble, and even possible to escape through the window if necessary. Jiang Sen was impressed by his logic, praising him as someone born for the underworld. Xie Wendong and the others had no idea how good Mu Zi was at cooking, but judging by his appearance, they thought the meal wouldn’t be very tasty. Mu Zi wore a white hat tilted sideways—Ren Changfeng bet it wasn’t a chef’s hat—and a floral apron, clearly belonging to Shui Jing. He had a cigarette in his mouth, eyes narrowed, as he wielded a kitchen knife skillfully. Everyone else stepped back from the kitchen, fearing the knife might be thrown at any moment.
Ren Changfeng watched Mu Zi through the glass and asked Jin Yan, “Do you usually let him cook?”
Jin Yan replied, “Usually not!” Before Ren Changfeng could ask why, there was a sharp crack. Looking up, they saw the knife fly from Mu Zi’s hand, punching a hole the size of a bowl in the glass door. Mu Zi waved his hands apologetically at everyone. Ren Changfeng raised his eyebrows and said, “I figured it out.”
Mu Zi cooked extremely fast, chopping vegetables in the blink of an eye—after all, he was an expert with a knife. As the dishes were served, Xie Wendong took a bite and nodded. It wasn’t top-notch, but it was delicious. During the meal, Jin Yan stared at his glass of wine and said, “Brother Dong, I have an idea.”
“What?” Xie Wendong asked. Jin Yan grinned. “If Qiu Ningshui remains stubborn in three days, we can make her disappear. That way, everything will be peaceful!” “Disappear?” Xie Wendong was stunned. “What do you mean?” Jin Yan explained, “Get her drunk and send her straight to the north.”
Ren Changfeng almost spat out his wine after hearing this. Swallowing hard, he said, “That’s the worst idea ever.”
Xie Wendong also shook his head. “That’s not right. Ningshui is too stubborn. Doing that could cause trouble. Besides, it’s too childish.”
“Nothing works. What should we do? Changing her mind is impossible,” Jin Yan said helplessly.

Xie Wendong took a sip of wine and smiled, saying, “There’s always a way when you get to the mountain; if not, you have to dig one out.” Jin Yan blinked his eyes inexplicably and asked, “Brother Dong, do you have a good idea?” Xie Wendong smiled and pointed at his own head, saying, “I’m still thinking about it!”