Chapter 27

The little girl slept soundly. When she was in Ma Wu’s hands, she had been worried all day long and couldn’t sleep well at night. But after being brought here by Xie Wendong, for some reason, she felt that this boy, who was only a few years older than her, wouldn’t harm her. Her mood relaxed, and the fatigue from days of travel overwhelmed her, causing her to fall asleep without realizing it. She slept comfortably, feeling as if she were at home. Suddenly, someone pushed her. Still half-asleep, she thought it was her father calling her to get up, so she covered her head with the blanket and mumbled, “Dad, let me sleep a little longer!”

Xie Wendong was both amused and exasperated. He wasn’t that old! The girl must be confused in her sleep; it seemed she wouldn’t get up unless pulled forcefully. With that thought, he grabbed the blanket and pulled it away. What happened next shocked him—turns out, the girl had taken off her dirty onesie before going to bed and was now wearing only her underwear. Seeing her half-naked body, Xie Wendong’s face turned red as red as it could get. “Damn!” He closed his eyes and covered her again with the blanket. How could a girl, taken to a strange place by a stranger, dare to take off her clothes and sleep?! She really didn’t know how to protect herself! A nameless anger rose in Xie Wendong’s heart, and he shouted, “Get up now~~~!!!”

The loud noise scared the brothers outside, who shuddered and exchanged glances, shaking their heads in dismay. The girl was the first to react, jumping out of bed at the shock. She looked around the room before fixing her gaze on Xie Wendong and asking, “Is… is there an earthquake?” Xie Wendong didn’t respond, just staring at her with blazing eyes.

Still unaware of the danger, the girl asked, “What’s wrong with you? Are you scared stiff?”

Xie Wendong sighed inwardly. This girl was really testing his patience. He shouted, “If you don’t put your clothes on right now, I’ll spank you!”

These words woke the girl up. She looked down and realized she was standing on the bed in just her underwear. She screamed and hid under the blanket. Seeing this, Xie Wendong shook his head and said, “I give you five minutes to get dressed and come out. Otherwise, I’ll come in and help you!” With that, he strode out of the room.

After leaving, Xie Wendong closed the door and leaned against the wall, taking a deep breath. His face was still burning with embarrassment. He went to the tap to wash his face, ashamed of his thoughts from just a moment ago.

After waiting for a while, the little girl came out from the inner room, her dirty dress still on. Xie Wendong looked at her thin frame and said gently, “Hungry? I’ll take you to get something to eat!”
The girl didn’t say anything, just nodded, still shy about what had happened earlier—after all, the boy had almost seen her whole body. Her face turned red at the thought. Though she was young, she understood more about relationships between men and women than Xie Wendong might think.
Xie Wendong took her to a KFC fast-food restaurant in the city center and ordered two chicken legs and a Coke for her. Due to Li Shuang’s matter, he was in a depressed mood and only ordered some fries. Watching her gobble down the food, Xie Wendong grew even more resentful toward Ma Wu. He said to the girl, “Where do you live? I’ll come pick you up and take you home tomorrow!”
The girl was surprised and put down her chicken leg. Looking at Xie Wendong, she hesitated and said, “You… you really want to let me go?”
Xie Wendong joked, “You eat so much! I’m afraid I can’t afford to support you! I’d better send you home soon, or you’ll drive me into poverty!”
The girl’s eyes reddened, and tears streamed down her cheeks. She took Xie Wendong’s hand and said, “Thank you, big brother. You’re a good person!” Then she burst into tears, pouring out all the hardships she had endured over the past few days. She felt that this boy was like a family member to her; being with him gave her a sense of closeness and security.
Noticing the curious looks from those around them, Xie Wendong patted the girl’s hand and said awkwardly, “Stop crying. If you keep crying, you won’t look pretty. Look, so many people are watching you!” The girl looked around and indeed saw everyone in the restaurant staring at her. Embarrassed, she leaned her head against Xie Wendong’s shoulder, too shy to stand up.
Xie Wendong stroked the girl’s hair and laughed at her innocent, shy expression. He thought to himself, How great it would be if I had a sister like her!
After a while, the girl finally mustered the courage to look around. By then, no one was paying attention to them anymore. She pouted and let out a long sigh. Her cute expression made Xie Wendong laugh again. He found it really fun being with this girl; she always brought him surprises and lifted his depressed mood. It was just a pity that separation would come the next day.
Suddenly remembering something, Xie Wendong asked, “You still haven’t told me your name or where you live.”
The girl whispered, “I live in City H. My name is Jin Rong. And you, big brother?”

Jin Rong, Xie Wendong silently repeated this name in his mind. Jin Rong! Finance? Thinking of this, he smiled and said, “It’s a great name. I’m Xie Wendong!” The girl didn’t say anything, but she firmly engraved this name in her heart.

J City was still bustling at night. Shops along the commercial streets were all open, with colorful neon lights hanging outside, illuminating the entire street brightly. Walking here on a summer night was a pleasure—free from the daytime noise, with the tranquility of the night.

Xie Wendong and Jin Rong came out of KFC. Seeing that little Jin Rong’s clothes were extremely dirty, he felt through his pockets and found less than a hundred yuan. He usually didn’t buy anything; even if he did, it was his brothers who paid. The money he had was just for food, given by his parents. Xie Wendong wanted to buy some clothes for the girl, but he didn’t have enough money. Shaking his head, he thought to himself that as the leader, his situation was really miserable—even the younger members in the gang had more money than him. He needed to carry more money in the future just in case.

Xie Wendong led Jin Rong to the night market. After haggling for a long time with the stall owners, they managed to buy a set of clothes and a pair of new shoes with the money he had. He thought it was a good deal. Jin Rong watched Xie Wendong haggle with the stall owners, giggling nonstop.

Finally, the two took a bus to Xie Wendong’s home. Xie Wendong explained to his parents that she had been tricked into J City by bad people, and he had rescued her when they accidentally left. Since she had nowhere to sleep that night, she could stay at his house for the night and go home the next day. Xie Wendong’s parents felt sympathy for Jin Rong and agreed. In the end, Jin Rong slept in Xie Wendong’s room, while he had to sleep on the sofa in the living room.

Early the next morning, Xie Wendong took Jin Rong to the station to buy two tickets to H City. Then they went to find a kind brother named Xin Xin to take Jin Rong home. Before leaving, Xie Wendong looked at Jin Rong, whose eyes were red, and said softly, “Xiao Rong, please don’t mention Ma Wu after you go home. I’ll teach him a lesson for you, okay?”

Jin Rong nodded, choking up as she said, “Big brother, don’t worry. I definitely won’t tell anyone. I’ll come back to see you!”

Xie Wendong also felt sad. Waving goodbye to Jin Rong, he thought to himself that he didn’t know when he would see this lovely girl again. H City! It was the provincial capital and also his goal for the future!

After sending Jin Rong away, Xie Wendong went to Guiwu to find Sanyan. Upon meeting, Xie Wendong asked, “Brother Zhang, how’s things going?” Sanyan replied, “We still haven’t figured out everything about the Sickle Gang, but I’ve bought a mobile phone.” Saying this, Sanyan handed Xie Wendong a black Songxia mobile phone and gave him the number. Xie Wendong took it, checked it out, called Ma Wu, and told him the phone number, which Ma Wu happily wrote down. After hanging up, Xie Wendong said to Sanyan, “We must find out more about the Sickle Gang today no matter what. Once Gao Qiang returns, we’ll take action!” Hearing this, Sanyan’s blood boiled with excitement, and he shouted, “Brother Dong, don’t worry! If I can’t find out anything today, I won’t come back!” With that, he took a few brothers and left. Before noon, Gao Qiang and the captured brothers were all released. When he saw Xie Wendong in Guiwu, Gao Qiang shouted, “Brother Dong!” Xie Wendong turned to look at Gao Qiang, whose face was covered in bruises, indicating he had been beaten badly. He said, “How was it? Did you suffer in there?” Gao Qiang, heartbroken, replied in a trembling voice, “My suffering isn’t anything. How’s Lao Fei?” Xie Wendong shook his head and said, “He’s not out of danger yet. Whether he lives or dies depends on his own efforts.” Gao Qiang wiped away his tears and said fiercely, “Brother Dong, I won’t let the Sickle Gang off easy! When are we going to settle accounts with them?” Xie Wendong replied, “Once we know everything about them, we’ll get back double what they owe us!” Gao Qiang nodded. At noon, Sanyan returned to Guiwu after gathering the necessary information. Seeing Gao Qiang back, he hugged him warmly; neither of them spoke, but a brotherly bond filled the air between them. Xie Wendong said, “We’re going to Xinxin for a meeting this afternoon! Qiangzi, go back to school first and get the brothers ready to act tonight!” Gao Qiang nodded in agreement. In the afternoon, Xie Wendong and Sanyan along with others analyzed the situation of the Sickle Gang in Xinxin, quickly developed an attack plan, and began making arrangements. At 10 p.m., dark clouds covered the sun, and a light rain fell. There were few pedestrians on the streets, but the Basha Shen Di Hall was bustling. Feng Hai, the leader of the Sickle Gang, sat alone on a sofa, with hundreds of young men standing below him. Feng Hai was very happy—he had just received a call saying that Wendong planned to leave Guiwu that night. Now that Guiwu was unoccupied, that lucrative business would soon belong to him. The thought of being able to manage two dance halls in the southern part of J City made a smile appear on Feng Hai’s face.

“Listen up, everyone! In a moment we’re heading to Guiwu. Wendonghui has already fled—from now on, it’s ours! Starting today, our Scythe Gang will be the absolute rulers of Biannan!” Feng Hai stood up and shouted at his subordinates. His men cheered loudly, shouting in unison, “We’ll always follow our leader!”
Feng Hai laughed triumphantly upon hearing this. He had reason to be happy—controlling two venues meant having two sources of income, which would greatly boost his power, and he would undoubtedly become the top figure in Biannan of City J.
Feng Hai yelled, “Brothers, grab your weapons! Let’s go take control of Guiwu now! I’ll treat everyone to drinks tonight! The money we make from now on will be shared among us!” The hundred men below cheered again, their enthusiasm reaching its peak at Feng Hai’s words. Feng Hai hadn’t reached his current position by chance; he also had exceptional skills.
Feng Hai left some men in Bashen and led fifty men on a grand march toward Guiwu. There were no pedestrians on the road, and vehicles were extremely rare. Feng Hai and his men walked in the middle of the road. When cars passed by, they gave way upon seeing their imposing presence.
Bashen wasn’t far from Guiwu. In less than ten minutes, the large sign of Guiwu was already in sight. Feng Hai suppressed his excitement and shouted at his men, “Guiwu is almost here! Hurry up, brothers!” With that, he took the lead and ran forward.
As they neared the entrance to Guiwu, they saw a man standing in front of the main road. The man covered his nose and mouth with black cloth, was tall and muscular, and held a one-and-a-half-foot-long axe, its handle wrapped in white cloth.
Feng Hai and his men were stunned and walked toward the man. When they got closer, Feng Hai burst into laughter and said loudly, “I wondered who could be so bold as to block my way—turns out it’s my former subordinate, Three-Eyes!” Feng Hai recognized him as Three-Eyes from the scar between his eyebrows.
Three-Eyes smirked coldly and said in a sinister tone, “Feng Hai, you’re going to die today!”
Feng Hai paused for a moment, looked around—there was no one around—then grew bolder and said, “Heh, is that so? Do you really think you can kill me all by yourself?”
Three-Eyes replied coldly, “Feng Hai, my brother was stabbed seventeen times—I’ll make you suffer the same number!” With that, he shouted, “Brothers, kill them!” Before his words faded, countless young men armed with knives rushed out from the alleys on both sides of the street. Without hesitation, they charged at Feng Hai and his men.

Sanyan’s eyes were red. Without looking for anyone else, he rushed straight at Feng Hai. Feng Hai realized he had fallen for a trap and cursed inwardly, “Bitch, how dare you trick me! I’ll make you pay!” Sanyan didn’t give him time to think further and swung his knife at Feng Hai. Feng Hai wasn’t weak either; he easily dodged and then stepped back a few times, drawing the knife at his back to confront Sanyan. Their strengths were roughly equal, and their strength was similar, but Sanyan’s fighting spirit far surpassed Feng Hai’s. Determined to avenge Li Shuang, he threw every ounce of his strength into each strike at Feng Hai. Feng Hai managed to hold off for a while, but his hands became numb from the force. Eventually, he dared not meet Sanyan’s heavy blows head-on and could only dodge by sidestepping.

Feng Hai’s men also suffered greatly. They felt these opponents weren’t there to fight fairly but to kill mercilessly—each strike was meant to be fatal. If they weren’t careful, they’d be seriously injured or die. Hundreds of people engaged in a fierce gang battle outside the Ghostly Gate, with blades flashing everywhere and cries of pain filling the air. The eight-meter-wide street was stained red with blood.

Just as the two sides were evenly matched, an old Jiefang truck rushed over from afar. It stopped beside the battlefield, and over forty young men with their mouths covered by black cloth got out, drawing knives and attacking Feng Hai’s men. As these men struck, Feng Hai and Sanyan were locked in a fierce battle and didn’t notice the knife coming from behind. A tall youth swung his knife hard at Feng Hai’s back, causing a nearly two-foot-long wound deep into the flesh. Feng Hai cried out in pain and, unable to turn around quickly, jumped to the side.

Reaching back, he found his entire back covered in blood. Feng Hai couldn’t care less now; he turned and ran toward Basha Shen. Seeing the situation worsening, Sanyan shouted, “Stop him!” Then two men rushed out from the battlefield, blocking Feng Hai’s path with their knives. Feng Hai’s eyes turned red as well, and he charged straight at them. The two men stabbed at him, but Feng Hai was fierce—he didn’t stop; instead, he shifted slightly and stabbed one in the shoulder while another’s blade pierced his abdomen. Gritting his teeth, Feng Hai swung his knife across the two men’s chests. Regardless of the severity of their injuries, he pushed them aside and fled.