Chapter 291

By the time Xie Wendong woke up, it was already dark. He didn’t open his eyes right away but silently recalled what had happened. After knocking Bai Yan down with a punch, he couldn’t remember much of the rest. His mind was fuzzy, and he felt a dull pain, sighing inwardly. Heaven was always fair—giving him something good meant it would take away something else. He had an exceptional mind but no particularly strong body. With 24 hours a day full of tasks, Xie Wendong often felt short on time. His mind could keep working nonstop, but his body had long been overworked. A sweet, fragrant scent reached his nose. He opened his eyes and saw a beautiful yet somewhat cold face—a woman, a very beautiful woman. Realizing who it was, Xie Wendong grinned. It was Lingmin standing beside him, along with Sanyan Ren Changfeng and others, all with concerned expressions. Seeing him awake, they gathered around and asked, “Brother Dong, how do you feel?”
Xie Wendong shook his head, his throat dry. “I’m fine, just thirsty,” he said. Li Shuang quickly poured a glass of water and handed it to him. Xie Wendong took a big gulp. The cool water revived him, and he looked around. “Am I in a hospital?” “Sigh!” Sanyan sighed. “That’s right! Brother Dong, you almost scared us to death. Don’t keep faking unconsciousness—my heart can’t take it.” Xie Wendong smiled bitterly. “How long was I asleep?” Li Shuang checked his watch. “Almost ten hours.” “Damn it!” Xie Wendong cursed, took a deep breath, and sat up. As he moved, he noticed a needle in his wrist. He pulled it out hastily and tried to get out of bed. Sanyan and Lingmin quickly stopped him. Sanyan said anxiously, “Brother Dong, what are you doing?” Xie Wendong replied, “Ten hours—so much can happen in ten hours. If Xiang Wentian finds out I’m in the hospital, that’s enough time for him to take care of everything.” Sanyan shook his head. “Don’t worry, Brother Dong. Lao Lei is watching at home, and I just called—everything’s calm, nothing’s wrong.”
“Everything’s calm? How is that possible?!” Xie Wendong laughed. “If you were Xiang Wentian, would you be able to stay calm after learning I’m in the hospital? Would you miss such an opportunity?”

Sanyan blinked. Though he was concerned about Xie Wendong’s health, he couldn’t refute his words. Calmly and clearly, he said, “Liu Bo is outside gathering information. As soon as anything happens at the Nanhong Gate, he’ll bring the news to us right away.” “I’m afraid,” Xie Wendong said while putting on his shoes, “that once Xiang Wentian takes action, we won’t even have a chance to get any messages through.” When Xie Wendong was fully dressed, Sanyan said, “But Brother Dong, your illness…” Xie Wendong smiled narrowed-eyed and said, “I know my own body best.”

After leaving the hospital, Sanyan asked, “Brother Dong, where to? Back to the factory?” After thinking for a moment, Xie Wendong nodded and said, “Yeah, let’s go back.” In the car, Sanyan specifically called Dong Xinlei to ask how things were. The latter replied indifferently, “Everything’s calm, no trouble.” Hearing this, Xie Wendong felt a bit relieved.

The journey was bumpy. The closer they got to the factory, the more desolate the surroundings became. There was not a soul in sight. Xie Wendong had to admit Dong Xinlei’s skill at finding such a place—even in a bustling city like Shanghai. No wonder he and Xiang Wentian could keep fighting for so long. But the last time he invited Xiang Wentian, this place had been exposed, turning what was once the safest spot into the most dangerous. The road was rough; what used to be a flat road had become uneven due to years of neglect.

Xie Wendong and the others were in three cars. He, Sanyan, Gao Qiang, and Jiang Sen were in the middle car. As they drove, the car at the front slowly stopped. The door opened, and Li Shuang ran out. Xie Wendong frowned, rolled down the window, and asked, “Xiaoshuang, what’s wrong?” “Brother Dong, someone’s blocking the road ahead.” Xie Wendong was shocked—so fast! He got out of the car and peered over. Sure enough, faint lights could be seen in the darkness ahead. Upon closer inspection, there were at least twenty cars of various sizes parked on the road.

“Brother Dong…?” Jiang Sen and the others also got out of the car and said cautiously, “We don’t know who they are or how many there are. We…” Xie Wendong waved his hand and said, “It’s less than ten minutes’ drive from here to Lao Lei’s place. No matter who they are, there’s no need to be afraid. Let’s go!” Sanyan nodded, called Dongxin Lei to bring reinforcements, and then got into the car behind Xie Wendong. The car slowed down and moved forward slowly. Before long, the two sides got closer. From inside the car, it was clear that the road was completely blocked by their vehicles, with thirty or forty burly men standing around. The man at the front was in his twenties, tall and slender, with fair skin and delicate features. He was gently tapping a steel knife over three fingers wide and over three feet long against the car, producing a clear ‘ding’ sound. Pushing the car door open, Xie Wendong stepped out, looked around, and silently counted the number of opponents. Finally, his gaze fell on the man in white, who he asked with a slight smile, “It’s dark and windy. Why are so many of you not sleeping at home but blocking the road?”

The man in white leaned against the car, not even lifting his head, and replied indifferently, “To kill.” “Hehe!” Xie Wendong chuckled, looked up at the night sky, and sneered, “There are always plenty of people who overestimate themselves in this world.” A glint appeared in the man in white’s eyes as he slowly raised his head and glared at Xie Wendong, saying coldly, “Is that so? How will you know who’s overestimating themselves unless you try?”

“You’re not even worthy!” Ren Changfeng stepped forward, sized up the man in white—his arched eyebrows, large eyes, red lips, and white teeth—triggering a memory of someone from the Nan Hongmen, Zhou Ting! He deliberately snorted disdainfully, “A sissy like you—what’s so impressive about that?” The man in white’s expression changed instantly. He hated it the most when people called him a sissy. Now, with Ren Changfeng touching on his pain and showing arrogance by not taking him seriously, a flame ignited in his heart, blazing in his eyes. With red eyes, he slowly stepped forward, said nothing, and swung his knife in one swift cut. The knife in his hand weighed at least ten pounds, and the force behind the strike was well over a hundred pounds.

Fortunately, Ren Changfeng was prepared. Calmly, he sidestepped more than a meter away, out of reach of the attack, while his Tang sword, emitting a fierce glow, appeared in his hand. He laughed and said, “I don’t work for nameless ghosts or sissies from the Nan Hongmen. Choose a name!”

“Die!” The young man in white ignored him completely, swinging his cleaver and striking at Ren Changfeng’s vital points. With a hiss, after just three exchanges, a corner of Ren Changfeng’s robe was torn off. This time, he dared not be careless. He closed his mouth, calmed himself down, and fought with all his might. Their knives clashed against each other, their fists met with a ringing sound. Within a few minutes, both of them were sweating and slightly out of breath. The young man in white suddenly stepped back, jumping outside the circle, pointing his knife at Ren Changfeng’s nose and saying coldly, “Your skills are decent, but I’m not interested in fighting you.” “Oh?” Ren Changfeng raised an eyebrow and asked, “Then who do you want to fight?” “Xie Wendong!” “Haha!” Ren Changfeng laughed heartily and said, “Forget it. If you can’t even beat me, how do you have the right to fight Brother Dong?! Brother Dong was right—you really overestimate yourself!” The young man in white’s chest heaved as anyone could tell he was trying hard to suppress his anger. Avoiding Ren Changfeng in front of him, he called out to Xie Wendong behind him, “Xie Wendong, act like a man and come fight me!” At the young man’s shout, Xie Wendong raised an eyebrow and laughed out loud. A sense of fighting spirit arose in him, and he was about to step forward, but then he thought better of it, realizing that the opponent was clearly from Xiang Wentian’s group. Xiang Wentian wouldn’t be stupid enough to think that sending just a few dozen people could kill him—there must be a trick! Xie Wendong’s expression turned serious as his eyes darted around. Suddenly, he picked up the phone, ready to call Dong Xinlei’s mobile. Before he could dial, the phone rang first. Feeling a badpremonition, he answered it, and sure enough, it was Dong Xinlei calling, his voice urgent, with noisy sounds in the background. He shouted loudly, “Brother Dong? Someone’s attacking our home!” “Who?” “If I’m not mistaken, they’re from the Nan Hongmen!” Xie Wendong slapped his head, thinking to himself that Xiang Wentian was cunning—using his subordinates to distract him while simultaneously attacking his “home,” preventing him from sending help. “Don’t worry, I’ll be back right away!” Xie Wendong calmed Dong Xinlei first, hung up the phone, and then said firmly, “Someone’s attacking our home. Deal with them quickly.” San Yan and the others were stunned for a moment before realizing what was happening. They quickly drew their weapons.

Actually, Xie Wendong was right. Xiang Wentian had indeed already learned of his hospitalization, and he certainly didn’t intend to miss this opportunity. The young man in white was Zhou Ting, one of the Eight Heavenly Kings of the Nan Hongmen. Xiang Wentian must have had his reasons for sending him to stop Xie Wendong. Although Zhou Ting had a fiery temper, he wasn’t impulsive; instead, he was quick-witted and thorough in his actions. Seeing that Xie Wendong had figured out their intentions, the anger on his face vanished instantly, and he laughed, saying, “It’s probably too late for you to realize this now—Brother Xiang’s fire seems to have already started burning.” Hearing this, Xie Wendong and the others looked in the direction of the factory. In the dim light, a red glow appeared on the horizon.

“Ah!” Ren Changfeng cried out in shock, filled with rage. He raised his sword and charged at Zhou Ting. He moved fast and was even quicker at dodging. After taking just a few steps, he suddenly retracted his sword and rolled to the side of the road. It turned out that Zhou Ting had somehow acquired a pistol. As soon as he showed the gun, the thirty or so strong men there threw down their knives and sticks, got out of the cars, and took out guns of various lengths, firing wildly at Xie Wendong and his group. Xie Wendong’s men were all experts, especially the Five Elements Group, who were ex-assassins with keen senses and rapid reactions. Although the enemy pulled out guns first, it was Jin Yan who fired the first shot. Without hesitation, he shot, and two people fell instantly. The bullet entered the left eye of the man in front and exited through the back of the man’s head. At the same time, Mu Zi hugged Xie Wendong and jumped behind the car to hide. San Yan and the others either hid behind trees by the road or crouched under the cars to return fire. The two sides engaged in a gunfight in the open wasteland. Bullets flew through the air, and people kept falling to the ground. Especially Jin Yan and the others were precise marksmen—every shot hit its target. Before long, no fewer than ten people from the Nan Hongmen were dead. Zhou Ting gasped for breath as he fought. If this continued, all his men would die soon. He never expected Xie Wendong to have such skilled fighters at his disposal. The Five Elements Group usually stayed low-key, and during the conflict between the Nan and North Hongmen, they spent most of their time in Yunnan. Last time, when they conspired with Dong Xinlei to assassinate Xiang Wentian, they were driven away by the police before even firing a shot. So the Nan Hongmen weren’t familiar with their capabilities.

Zhou Ting leaned against a van and turned to shout at his men, “Try not to show your heads. Just hold your ground and resist them.” Just as he spoke, there was a loud crash—as the window above his head was shattered by bullets, sending shards of glass raining down on him. “Damn it!” Zhou Ting cursed, not daring to peek out. He simply reached out and fired a couple of shots at the enemy in a random manner. Things were tough on his side, and Xie Wendong was even more anxious. Now that only Dong Xinlei was in charge at home, how could they withstand Xiang Wentian’s attacks? If there was any lapse, losing soldiers would be the least of their worries—Xie Wendong was worried it might be Dong Xinlei himself. Since the enemy didn’t show themselves, the Five Elements team couldn’t do much either. They couldn’t attack upward, and they couldn’t hit them when they tried to shoot. San Yan was so anxious he started kicking his legs, muttering, “If only I had a grenade right now.” Just then, a dark green grenade appeared in front of him with a thud, startling San Yan almost to the point of screaming. Turning his head, he saw Li Shuang with his small eyes narrowed and a silly grin on his face. San Yan asked blankly, “Fatso, what do you usually carry this kind of thing for?” Li Shuang smirked wickedly, “Some people like to bully me, so I always carry a grenade. Just in case they really get me angry, hehe…” “Damn! You’re really ruthless!” San Yan shuddered. It seemed that the one who usually bullied Li Shuang the most was himself. He seriously patted Li Shuang’s shoulder and said earnestly, “Don’t worry, Fatso. Give me the grenade now, and I’ll never bully you again.” “You promise?” “Yeah!” “Okay then!” Li Shuang handed the grenade to San Yan, who carefully took it. It was heavy—definitely real. With a dark expression, San Yan silently cursed Li Shuang dozens of times. He waved the grenade in front of Jin Yan and the others and shouted, “Cover me!” The Five Elements team understood and fired rapidly, forcing Zhou Ting and the others to stay hidden. Seizing the opportunity, San Yan pulled out the grenade’s fuse and threw it straight at the center of the enemy’s convoy. “Ah…” “There’s a grenade…?” Amidst the enemy’s screams, those who had been hiding could no longer stay concealed and rushed out from behind the vehicles. Jin Yan and the other four, who were ready in advance, didn’t let them get away. After several rounds of firing, clouds of blood rose—there were hardly any people left under Zhou Ting.