Chapter 257

San Yan shook his head repeatedly, muttering to himself that this couldn’t be considered a victory—winning in such a dishonorable way! Just when he thought Li Shuang had already won, Ren Changfeng, who was lying on the ground, suddenly sat up and thrust a knife at Li Shuang’s lower abdomen. In the blink of an eye, the knife was already near Li Shuang’s clothes. Almost instinctively, he twisted his waist to dodge the blade. The Tang sword skimmed past Li Shuang’s left rib, sending shivers down his spine. What a cunning guy! Li Shuang roared in anger, used his left arm to firmly grip the blade against his rib, and sneered, “What other tricks do you have?” With that, he raised the knife and prepared to swing it at Ren Changfeng’s head. The blade was tied with a cloth strip, so although it wouldn’t completely sever Ren Changfeng’s head, it would still cause a huge bump that would hurt for days. His plan was sound, but he didn’t dare bring the knife down.

It turned out that as soon as Li Shuang gripped the blade, pressing the spring on the hilt caused the blade—half white and half black—to slide out of its sheath with a clatter. With a swift motion, Ren Changfeng pointed the menacing, icy-pointed blade at Li Shuang’s throat. It was so close that it might have cut off a few hairs; just a little closer, and blood would have flowed. Thus, Li Shuang couldn’t bring his raised knife down any further. The scene fell silent for a while, until the surrounding followers started cheering loudly and applauding, admiring Ren Changfeng’s ability to adapt on the spot. Li Shuang stepped back numbly. After a long pause, he glanced at the crowd, unable to bear the embarrassment, and pointed at Ren Changfeng, shouting, “You’re cheating! This round doesn’t count!”

Ren Changfeng sheathed his knife and slowly got up from the ground, carefully brushing off the snow stuck to his clothes. He said seriously, “Deception is part of warfare! If this weren’t a competition, you’d be dead by now.” Li Shuang gasped in shock. The man was right—on a battlefield, no one would give the enemy a chance. He scratched his head and asked, “Brother, did you deliberately fall just now?” After the fight, Li Shuang’s attitude toward Ren Changfeng changed completely, and he even started calling him “brother.” Now he truly understood why Ren Changfeng was so proud and domineering—he had every reason to be.

Ren Changfeng stroked the Tang sword as if caressing his own child. Sanyan stepped forward, glanced at Li Shuang, muttered something under his breath, then stared at Ren Changfeng coldly and said, “It’s my turn.” Before Ren Changfeng could speak, Li Shuang stepped forward and said, “Forget it. This guy is quite strong; there’s no need to continue the fight.” “I have to try to see if he’s really that strong,” Sanyan said, reaching out to Li Shuang and asking, “Lend me your sword.” Li Shuang sighed helplessly and handed the sword to Sanyan. Ren Changfeng was ready for this. Previously, Jiang Sen had often talked to him about Sanyan, saying how amazing he was and how Wen Dong’s achievements were closely tied to him. He had heard this so many times that his ears were almost calloused from it. Naturally, he wouldn’t miss the chance to see it for himself today. He smiled broadly and said, “I think I won’t disappoint you.”

The two stood about a meter apart—close enough that either could attack the other. Without warning, they drew their swords almost simultaneously. There were no feints, no dodging moves; it was all about speed, precision, and intensity. One attacked while the other defended; both stood still as their swords flashed up and down, creating a dazzling display. Fighting like this was extremely dangerous—any slight mistake could result in their swords clashing. Visually, this fight was far inferior to Li Shuang’s earlier match, but only the two fighters knew the true danger involved. In less than two minutes, sweat appeared on both of their faces, and their foreheads were steaming. Yet neither was willing to back down; they gritted their teeth and held their ground. After another two minutes, their movements slowed, and their sword strikes were no longer as rapid as at first. The clash of their swords produced a dull thudding sound. The onlookers grew bored, wanting to leave but reluctant to do so. There weren’t many chances to see Sanyan in action, and that unfamiliar young man also seemed quite skilled. But leaving would mean missing out on this utterly dull fight—more like two kids playing with clapping hands than a genuine sparring match. After yet another two minutes, Sanyan was gasping for breath like a bellows under pressure, and Ren Changfeng wasn’t faring any better, his face red from exertion. Remarkably, neither of them had stepped back an inch, refusing to yield.

Xie Wendong had somehow stepped out of the villa and stood at the door, holding a fried dough stick in his hand, eating it as he watched. When he finished, seeing that both fighters were also nearly exhausted, he clapped his hands and shouted loudly, “That’s enough! Stop sparring for now. There’s no winner—let’s continue another time.”

Xie Wendong spoke up. The two, already at their limit, stepped back several times to steady themselves. They first looked up to see if their opponent was chasing after them, then Three-Eyes sat down hard on the ground, gasping for breath as if his lungs were about to explode. Ren Changfeng no longer had the strength even to lift his sword. Seeing Three-Eyes sitting on the ground, he relaxed, losing all strength; his numb palms could no longer grip the sword hilt, and the sword slipped from his hand, piercing into the snow. Xie Wendong walked around the two with a smile and asked, “How do you two find your opponent? Didn’t they disappoint you?” Zhang and Ren exchanged a glance. Three-Eyes glanced at him and said without hesitation, “Not bad, I guess!” Ren Changfeng, even more arrogant, stared at the sky expressionlessly and said, “Not as great as I thought.” Hearing this, Three-Eyes became furious. After taking two deep breaths, he staggered to his feet and snapped, “I refuse to accept this! Let’s fight again!” “Am I afraid of you?!” Ren Changfeng forced himself to stand up, leaning on his sword. It seemed this fierce battle hadn’t resolved anything, with neither side convinced. Xie Wendong sighed and frowned, “Now, you two go back to the house and take a good bath. If you cause trouble again, each of you will get thirty lashes.” When Xie Wendong got angry, the two calmed down and were helped into the villa by Li Shuang and Jiang Sen. Before going back to their room, Three-Eyes still couldn’t help pointing at Ren Changfeng weakly and saying, “If it weren’t for Brother Dong giving the order, you kid…” Before he could finish, Li Shuang pushed and pulled him into the room and closed the door tightly. Originally, Xie Wendong planned to hold a meeting, but seeing the condition of Three-Eyes and Ren Changfeng, he figured they wouldn’t be able to get out of bed that day, so he gave up. As soon as he returned to his room and had barely sat down, one of his subordinates contacted him, saying Wu Ming had arrived. Xie Wendong invited Wu Ming into the villa. Everyone knew exactly what needed to be discussed, so there was no need for pleasantries. He got straight to the point and asked, “Have you made a decision?”

“Yes!” Wu Ming nodded and said, “After two days of consideration, they’ve made a decision. We accept your proposal. However, the Red Army must break ties with your Wen Dong Society. As for whatever personal demands you have, we’ll do our best to meet them.” “Oh!” Xie Wendong sighed lightly and asked, “Why?” Wu Ming replied in surprise, “There’s too much internal opposition. You know, the Japanese still have…” He stopped mid-sentence. Xie Wendong smiled slyly and said, “Disdain! Right?” “Mm!” Wu Ming nodded. Xie Wendong laughed heartily, rubbed his cheek in thought for a moment, and said, “Do as you said!” He intended to bring the Wen Dong Society and the Red Army together, but no matter what kind of organization it was, the Japanese nature remained—deeply despising the Chinese. Though he appeared cheerful on the surface, he silently noted that he wouldn’t tolerate anyone looking down on him. In fact, to him, the Red Army and the Soul Group were the same—one could be exploited, the other wanted to fight to the death. Once the former lost its value, he would definitely kick them aside, and if possible, trample them hard.

“Then…” Wu Ming quickly asked, “Sir Xie, do you agree?” “No problem!” Xie Wendong replied promptly. “What about the funds…?” Xie Wendong chuckled and said, “Although we’re friends, I can’t just hand over the money at your word. I need to meet your leader.” “Leader?” “The top leader,” Xie Wendong explained further, fearing he might not understand. “Well…” Wu Ming pondered, unsure of what to do. After a while, he said, “Sir Xie, you have to understand that our… leader’s identity makes it difficult for them to appear in public…” Before he could finish, Xie Wendong shook his head and stood up. “If you can’t meet him, you won’t get a single penny.”

Seeing Xie Wendong’s firm attitude, Wu Ming helplessly said, “Then I need to go back and ask.” Xie Wendong snorted and tried to be polite, “I don’t have much time. I hope you can satisfy me next time you come.” Wu Ming’s face turned red as he apologized, “I’m sorry for taking so much of your time. I’ll take my leave now.” Xie Wendong said, “Go ahead.”

Perhaps this time, Wuming was unhappy with Xie Wendong’s attitude and grew anxious, rushing over again the next day. He said he had urgent matters to attend to at Inoue’s place and was unlikely to come to City H, but might have a video meeting with Xie Wendong in the next few days. His words made no sense, and Xie Wendong, puzzled, asked who Inoue was. Wuming hurriedly replied, “Inoue is the supreme leader of the Red Army.” Xie Wendong asked, “Then what’s the video for?” Wuming took out a silver box about one and a half feet long from his backpack and patted it, saying, “With this device, you can see people thousands of miles away on TV.” “Oh?” Xie Wendong had never seen such a thing before; back then, not to mention him, few people in all of China had seen it. Curiously, he took it and examined it, but couldn’t figure out how it worked after a while. Li Shuang pointed at it and asked doubtfully, “Can you really see people thousands of miles away with just such a broken thing?”
Wuming shook his head repeatedly, saying, “Of course not. There are many other components. This machine is just the core device.” Ren Changfeng, who had remained silent and lazily half-lying on the sofa, still felt numbness and weakness in his arm from the fight with Sanyan the previous day. Suddenly, he spoke up, “Using video? So on the day of the video call, your Red Army leader should also be in China, right? Otherwise, setting up the video call would be very difficult, at least not in a short time.”
Wuming glanced at Ren Changfeng with approval. He hadn’t expected to find someone understanding in what Japan considered a highly backward place. He nodded and smiled, saying, “Inoue-kun will indeed come to China, but I don’t even know which city he’ll be in. We’ll just communicate by phone then.” “Tch!” Li Shuang snorted. “Is it really necessary to make it so mysterious?” Wuming replied, “Of course! The Red Army has been officially recognized as a terrorist organization by several countries, including your China. So every time we enter the country, we’re taking considerable risks. Inoue-kun is naturally even more cautious. If he gets caught, we’re all done for. It’s just like when Xie-kun gets caught, Wen Donghui will also be finished.” Xie Wendong laughed with his head back, saying, “You’re wrong. Even if I get caught, Wen Donghui will still operate. Someone will fill in the gap I leave behind.”

Could someone really do it? Li Shuang and Gao Qiang couldn’t help but wonder. Soon, they thought of Sanyan. As for Sanyan, they admitted he was capable—both in terms of intelligence and skills, second only to Xie Wendong within the Wendong Society. Yet when Sanyan stood beside Xie Wendong, something seemed missing; they couldn’t quite put their finger on it. Perhaps it was charisma. Wu Ming talked for a while longer before getting up to leave. He always came and went in a hurry, never staying a minute longer than necessary. Xie Wendong joked, “This is the Japanese concept of efficiency.” After seeing Wu Ming off, he gathered all the senior officials of the Wendong Society to discuss going south together to deal with the Nan Hongmen.

One after another, people entered the villa’s hall. Soon, it was crowded, with not enough seats available. Some of those of lower status had no choice but to stand aside. Xie Wendong knew most of these officials, but there were also quite a few he didn’t recognize. This meeting provided an opportunity for him to get to know them. Most of these people had joined the Wendong Society after Xie Wendong went to the Nan Hongmen, as the society expanded. They weren’t all from Province H; some were also powerful figures from neighboring provinces. Xie Wendong’s mind functioned like a computer, memorizing each person’s name, characteristics, and subtle gestures as they spoke. After everyone was introduced, Xie Wendong got straight to the point and said loudly, “In a few days, I’ll send some senior officials to Shanghai. Do any of you have any opinions?”

Sanyan and the others had already known about this, but most of the officials below had never heard of it. Instantly, they began whispering and discussing among themselves. Xie Wendong tapped his slender fingers gently on the table. He had patience while letting them discuss, but some people simply lacked it. Li Shuang, annoyed by the noise, slammed the table and shouted, “Stop making noise! If you have any opinions, speak up!” His voice drowned out everyone else in the room, even causing the window panes to rattle. The officials, not yet familiar with Xie Wendong, were somewhat afraid and hesitated to speak their minds. Seeing their hesitation, Xie Wendong smiled and said, “Speak freely if you have anything to say. I’m not someone who gets angry easily.” As he spoke, he gave Li Shuang, who was about to shout again, a glare.