Chapter 232

The full-force slash was caught by the other man. The bald man’s heart trembled as he realized he had met a worthy opponent. His eyes widened, and without saying much, he drew back his steel knife and swung again, aiming straight at Ren Changfeng’s forehead. So fast! Despite being an enemy, Ren Changfeng couldn’t help but marvel—this man could be considered the finest swordsman he had ever seen. The bald man’s ferocity also stirred Ren Changfeng’s own competitive spirit. Without dodging or avoiding, he raised his knife to meet it head-on. With a loud clang, Ren Changfeng stepped back two steps before managing to steady himself, his arms tingling as if struck by electricity. His face showed no sign of pain, instead brimming with vigor as he shouted, “Try catching my slash too!” With that, he took two quick steps forward and swung his three-foot-long Tang sword from bottom to top at the bald man’s abdomen. The strike was fast and unpredictable, like a flash of lightning. The bald man didn’t even see the blade; he only felt a cold light approaching his lower body. Reacting instantly, almost on instinct, he leaned back, causing the Tang sword to trace a bright half-moon arc in the air before flashing past him. The bald man stepped back two steps, feeling a chill in his stomach. Looking down, he saw a deep cut of over three inches in his abdomen, clearly injuring him. Having fought countless battles in his life, he had never suffered such an early setback. Filled with shock and anger, he roared and charged at Ren Changfeng with his sword. As the two fought fiercely, the others weren’t idle either. The seven men who had come with the bald man drew their knives and rushed at Xie Wendong, who was trying to retreat.

Xie Wendong certainly didn’t take these people seriously, but not wanting to get entangled with them, he quickly stepped back. Jiang Sen and the others with Golden Eyes wanted to step forward, but he quietly pulled them back and shook his head slightly. The group was stunned and glanced at Xie Wendong suspiciously. He easily brushed the dirt off his clothes, glanced behind him, and said, “Someone will surely deal with these people. Save your strength; the enemies ahead are likely even stronger.” Jiang Sen and the others looked back, and indeed, several cars were silently approaching from behind. If they were full of people, Jiang Sen estimated there were at least forty or fifty of them. The group exchanged glances, all showing caution. Golden Eyes pulled a gun from his waist and handed it to Xie Wendong. Xie Wendong, Jiang Sen, and the others had come by plane, so they couldn’t bring weapons. After arriving in Kunming, Golden Eyes had prepared guns and knives for them. Golden Eyes also took out a gun—completely black and large in size. Even without holding it, its weight was evident. He skillfully disarmed it, removed the safety, and walked toward Ren Changfeng and the other man who were fighting fiercely, smiling. Jiang Sen frowned, knowing what this guy intended. In a fight between two people, the worst thing is for a third party to strike from behind. He turned to look at Xie Wendong. The latter just smiled innocently and said softly, “In times of crisis, extraordinary measures are needed.” These words undoubtedly gave Golden Eyes a boost of confidence. He had hesitated before, but after Xie Wendong said that, he stepped forward, approached the two men, and shouted, “Changfeng, get out of the way!” Ren Changfeng and the bald man were fighting evenly when suddenly a loud shout startled him. Not knowing what was happening, he swung his sword with all his strength, forcing the bald man back a step before stepping out of the fight. Looking in the direction of the shout, it was Golden Eyes. He asked suspiciously, “What’s going on?”

Golden Eye didn’t respond. He raised his arm and fired a shot at Bald Head. If it were anyone else, they would have had no chance of escaping Golden Eye’s shot. But Bald Head seemed prepared—before the gun even fired, he had already leaped into the wasteland by the road. His figure flickered briefly before disappearing into the darkness. At the same time, Bald Head’s voice came from the grassland: “The North Hongmen rely solely on despicable tactics. Their so-called reputation is nothing but that.” Golden Eye and Ren Changfeng both stomped their feet. The former regretted not killing his opponent with a single shot, missing a great opportunity. It would be even harder to kill him later. Such a person posed a potential threat to both Xie Wendong and the North Hongmen. Ren Changfeng didn’t think this far. Fury burned in his heart as he stepped forward, grabbed Golden Eye’s arm, and snapped, “I’m fighting him right now. Why are you interfering?” Golden Eye pointed behind him and said calmly, “I’m afraid those ‘friends’ behind us won’t give you such a chance.” Ren Changfeng glanced back and saw faint shadows moving in the darkness. Shocked, he crouched down and saw that at least a dozen cars were slowly approaching. It’s not true that the higher you stand, the farther you can see. Sometimes, what you can’t see standing up, you can see clearly when lying on the ground. Ren Changfeng certainly knew this common sense. He jumped up and exclaimed, “People from the South Hongmen?!” Golden Eye nodded. “That’s right!” The fury in Ren Changfeng’s heart faded significantly. Wiping his finger across the blade, he muttered, “It seems they’re in number.” Golden Eye weighed the gun in his hand and said, “This gun has twenty bullets.”

Just as Xie Wendong had said, those who came with Bald Head did indeed have someone helping them take care of him. Ashui and his dozen or so subordinates used knives to block off seven men in black. There was nothing left to say between the two sides—one side’s goal was clearly to kill Xie Wendong, while the other wanted to avenge their fallen brothers. You could call the people in the Golden Triangle evil and cruel, but the bond they shared over the years was beyond outsiders’ understanding. After countless life-and-death battles and battles side by side, their relationship was even closer than that of brothers. Killing one of them would require paying ten or a hundred times as much in return. The two sides fought fiercely, slashing at each other’s vital points, blood flowing with every strike. In just a short while, several people from each side fell. Seeing that it was almost over, Xie Wendong gave Jiang Sen a glance and said, “Give them a hand.”

Jiang Sen nodded in agreement, drew his sword, and stepped forward. Just then, one of the men stepped in front of him, smiled, patted the man’s shoulder, and said, “Brother, you’ve done enough!”

Startled by his sudden slap, the man quickly turned around. Upon seeing Jiang Sen’s face, his expression was filled with confusion—he had no idea who this not-so-tall young man was. Jiang Sen grinned, revealing a row of white teeth, and without warning, swung his knife. Though not particularly skilled with a knife, Jiang Sen was far from ordinary, and his attack came so suddenly that even Ren Changfeng would have found it hard to dodge. The man let out a scream as a cut over a foot long, deep enough to reach the bone, appeared on his chest. He staggered twice before collapsing to the ground.

Killing one man with a single strike shocked Ah Shui and the others from the Golden Triangle. Together with Jiang Sen, they took down the remaining fighters one by one. Before they could check on their own injuries, footsteps sounded from behind, and dozens of men in black jumped out of vehicles, wielding knives and charging forward with overwhelming force. The mere sight of dozens of knives glowing in the moonlight was enough to frighten anyone. Xie Wendong, being human, also felt a chill at this sight, but having encountered such situations many times before, he simply smiled, tossed his gun to Ah Shui, who stepped forward, and said, “Use this. Your marksmanship is better than mine.” Ah Shui glanced at Xie Wendong gratefully. Most of the people from the Golden Triangle were from regular military forces, trained mainly in firearms, so he was indeed unaccustomed to using a knife. Nodding at Xie Wendong, he took the gun without hesitation and fired five shots at the charging crowd. Instantly, several people were shot down. Jin Yan and the others also drew their guns and started shooting. With guns against knives, the advantage was obvious—more than half of the forty-some fierce attackers fell in an instant. Jiang Sen’s hands grew weak as he put down his gun. This was outright slaughter; the opponents couldn’t even fight back. Before they could get close, they had already been hit by several bullets. Feeling regretful, he said helplessly, “The person who planned this ambush must be either crazy or stupid.” Xie Wendong didn’t agree. After fighting against the Nan Hongmen for so long, he hadn’t encountered a real fool yet.

Just as everyone thought the battle was over, five vans sped toward them from ahead on the road at high speed, showing no signs of stopping as they approached the battlefield. Xie Wendong, quick-witted, realized something was wrong. He quickly pulled Jin Yan and Ren Changfeng aside and dashed to the side of the road, shouting loudly, “Dive!”

As he finished speaking, five vans arrived before their eyes. Jiang Sen, Mu Zi, and the others, being seasoned veterans with exceptional reflexes, sensed something was wrong the moment Xie Wendong moved his golden-eyed man. They instinctively dodged to both sides of the road. A Shui was slightly slower; after hearing Xie Wendong’s shout, he leaped with all his might and managed to avoid it, the van screeching past just above his nose. He dodged quickly, but the men he brought with him weren’t so lucky—almost simultaneously, five of them were flung into the air, flying for three seconds before crashing dozens of meters away, landing among the crowd at Nanhong Gate. Some who were still alive struggled to get up, only to be attacked by several people around them with slashing knives. The sound of knives cutting through flesh was incessant, audible even to Xie Wendong, who had taken cover in the bushes by the road. His stomach churned violently—he knew that was the sound of knives piercing bone.

With a screech, the five vans stopped. The doors opened, and dozens more men armed with knives rushed out, joining the first wave in the attack.

If Xie Wendong’s side had had the upper hand earlier, it was now instantly reversed. Jin Yan and the others had used most of their bullets after a fierce barrage, and now the enemy had more fresh troops, with no guarantee of further reinforcements. Even the usually arrogant Ren Changfeng frowned deeply, his knuckles turning white as he clenched his fists. Xie Wendong patted his shoulder calmly, took off his jacket without haste, pulled out a shirt from beneath it, grabbed one corner, and tore off a strip. While wrapping it around his hand, he narrowed his eyes and said, “I remember when I first arrived in City H, I was chased and attacked by twenty or thirty people alone. The situation back then was far more dangerous than now. Yet here I am, still alive.” After saying that, he cut another strip from the shirt and tied it under his nose, speaking as if to Ren Changfeng as well as to himself, “It’s been a long time since I’ve fought a head-on battle like this.”

“Yes, Brother Dong!” Jiang Sen and the others had somehow arrived beside Xie Wendong. He carefully put away his nearly empty pistol, drew his machete, and, just like Xie Wendong, tore a strip of cloth from his shirt to tie under his nose. With pride, he said, “Those who are part of Wendong’s group never fear—they only make their opponents tremble with fear.” The Five Golden-Eyed men exchanged smiles, tore off pieces of their clothes, and followed Jiang Sen’s lead, declaring, “We are the strongest force!” Although the Five Golden-Eyed men originated from the North Hongmen, they had spent more time with Xie Wendong. The memories of fighting side by side to conquer the world made their blood boil at the thought of it. Although Ren Changfeng couldn’t fully understand, their words also stirred his own pride. His face turned red as he waved his Tang sword, looked around, and shouted, “What are you babbling about? Who said I’m afraid?!”

Out of Ah Shui’s original group of over ten people, only six remained. The Golden Triangle had never suffered such a heavy loss in China before. His eyes were bloodshot, stretched wide, and regardless of Xie Wendong and the others’ plans, he picked up a knife from the ground, roared, and along with his six men, charged frantically at the members of the South Hongmen. Their swordsmanship wasn’t very good, nor were they accustomed to close combat, but each of them was a desperate man who fought mercilessly and with full determination. One man fighting desperately could be hard to stop, and these six, fighting with all their might, were no less formidable. Surrounded by dozens of South Hongmen members, they dared not approach for a moment. Xie Wendong had a good relationship with the Golden Triangle, so there was no reason for him to stand by, either for public or personal reasons. He flicked his sword, producing a clear sound, narrowed his eyes, and said, “It’s our turn!”

Xie Wendong and his eight men, with their eight swords—these swords were no ordinary ones. It wasn’t the swords themselves that mattered, but the people wielding them. Xie Wendong led the way at the front. Due to the chaos earlier, plus his hiding in the bushes by the road, the South Hongmen members hadn’t noticed him. Now that he stepped forward, he immediately caught everyone’s attention. One of the South Hongmen disciples, who was thin, screamed, “Xie Wendong!” He acted quickly, rushing toward Xie Wendong while thrusting a knife straight at his heart.

The man was short in stature. Xie Wendong was barely average in height, but he only reached the man’s shoulders. Ren Changfeng behind him almost laughed—could such a person really make a name for himself in the world? If Dongxin Lei were here, he could trample him to death with one foot. Ren Changfeng underestimated this man, but Xie Wendong did not. He was extremely clever; even a single hair pulled from him seemed to hide something significant. It was obvious this man was no ordinary person. To be able to establish himself in the Nanhongmen required extraordinary skills, so Xie Wendong became more cautious. His guess proved correct. When the short man got within two steps of Xie Wendong, he suddenly twisted his body, changing the knife’s trajectory from aiming at his heart to slashing at Xie Wendong’s neck.

“Not good!” Ren Changfeng was shocked. He tried to rush forward to help, but it was already too late—the short man’s movements were terrifyingly fast. It took less than a second for him to change the knife’s direction. Xie Wendong had been prepared, knowing the short man’s weakness in strength. He reached out and grabbed the man’s wrist holding the knife, while using his other hand to swing the knife downward. The short man was incredibly agile. Despite having his wrist seized, he used Xie Wendong’s grip as leverage to leap into the air, narrowly avoiding the blow. Xie Wendong sneered, pulled his arm back, and simultaneously kicked out with his leg. The kick was fast and sudden, and combined with Xie Wendong’s pull, the short man, no matter how agile, couldn’t dodge in time. His leather shoe struck him in the chest, causing him to let out a cry as he flew backward.