Chapter 293

Seeing Ren Changfeng and the Three-Eyed man charging at the One-Eyed Man one after the other, Xie Wendong also wanted to step forward. Before he could take a step, three slashes came at him. He slipped on the ground and darted away like a loach, swinging his arm violently. A golden light flashed, and as fast as a shooting star, he wrapped his arm around one man’s neck and pierced the throat of the man next to him. Xie Wendong trembled, retracted his golden sword, and looked at the two men again. One had a bloody hole in his throat, while the other had bloodstains around his neck; blood gushed out as they slowly collapsed weakly. The remaining man was stunned in fear. Before he could pull back his sword, Xie Wendong rushed up to him in an instant. Their faces were less than five inches apart, and he could even hear the other man’s breathing clearly.

The man shuddered with fear, quickly retracted his sword, and tried to stab Xie Wendong in the back. Xie Wendong was extremely cunning. Just by looking at the man’s eyes, he knew what he intended to do. He quickly turned around, moving from in front of the man to behind him. As soon as he moved, the man failed to hit Xie Wendong with his sword. Instead, due to excessive force, he couldn’t pull it back, and half of the sword pierced his own abdomen. “Ahh!” With a scream, the man died, clutching the sword stuck in his belly. Xie Wendong smiled cruelly. Just as he was about to turn around, more than twenty men charged at him from ahead, holding swords and clubs, with wide eyes, seemingly determined to tear him apart and swallow him whole. “Haha!” Xie Wendong laughed loudly, showing no fear at all in the face of those twenty men.

More than twenty disciples of the Nan Hongmen surrounded him, trapping him in the center. Seeing the three bodies on the ground that hadn’t yet cooled down, they were secretly terrified. When they looked at Xie Wendong, his face was covered in blood, his eyes red as blood, seemingly emitting a red glow in the darkness. “What are you waiting for?” Xie Wendong shook the mountain-cutting sword in his hand, a faint smile on his lips.

“Kill him!” His words enraged everyone. In an instant, five burly men with knives rushed at Xie Wendong from different angles. With a cold smile, Xie Wendong felt a surge of courage. Having gained experience earlier, he was confident in his footwork. Without moving his feet, he simply shifted his body slightly— the first knife pierced beneath his armpit, stunning the man wielding it. He had clearly seen his knife about to strike the other man’s heart, but somehow it ended up under his arm. Before he could figure out what was happening, Xie Wendong closed his arms around the man’s knife, then turned around without looking and swung his axe, the wind howling as it sliced toward the man’s face. The man had no chance to pull out his knife to defend himself. With a “spurt,” blood gushed out, and the man with half his head cut off staggered back, causing the surrounding crowd to scream and dodge in panic. Xie Wendong severed the man’s head in one swing, then continued to wave his axe fiercely, producing a series of metallic clangs as he deflected the other four knives. Seizing the opportunity, he gathered all his strength and swung at one of the men with a single strike. The man dared not underestimate him and tried to block with his knife, but with a crisp crack, his knife broke and he died. The gruesome wound ran from the man’s cheek to his lower abdomen, showing just how powerful Xie Wendong’s strike was. The remaining three men, having never seen someone so formidable, were terrified. They exchanged glances, said nothing, and dashed away into the crowd. The others stared in shock, not knowing whether to approach. Xie Wendong tossed his axe aside, still wearing a faint smile, and said, “Next, who?” As he raised his blood-red eyes, everyone in his line of sight stepped back in fear. He scanned the surroundings, and the circle of people surrounding him expanded even further. One of the men who seemed to be a leader, seeing his comrades terrified by Xie Wendong, stomped in anger and cursed, “What a bunch of useless idiots!” Then he stepped forward, pointing his knife at Xie Wendong and said angrily, “Friend, your skills seem to indicate you’re no ordinary person!” Xie Wendong glanced at him, sneered, bent down to wipe his blood-stained knife carefully, and said calmly, “Xie Wendong!” “What?” he suddenly blurted out, and the small leader didn’t immediately understand what he meant.

Xie Wendong helplessly said word by word, “My name is Xie Wendong!” He looked at the other person pitifully, with a pity so deep it seemed like he was looking at someone on the verge of death. The small leader wasn’t dead yet, but he saw the Golden-Eyed man outside the crowd. “Xie Wendong?!” The small leader was first shocked, then overjoyed. He turned to the crowd and shouted loudly, “It’s him! It’s Xie Wendong!!” As he spoke, he rushed forward at full speed, as if afraid someone else would get there first, and frantically charged at Xie Wendong with his knife in hand, his hands trembling slightly.

Xie Wendong didn’t move. He stood still, sighed, and looked up at the sky. Seeing his expression, the small leader grew even more excited and thought to himself, “Xie Wendong, this is your death wish!” When he was less than three steps away, the small leader leaped high and brought his knife down hard on Xie Wendong’s head.

“Bang!” A cold gunshot rang out. The small leader, still in mid-air, twisted in the air before crashing to the ground with a thud, dust rising around him. There was a thumb-sized hole in his temple. Those who had been following behind him, ready to fight, heard the gunshot and saw the small leader fall. They immediately stepped back in silence. The Golden-Eyed man, holding his smoking pistol, was about to shoot the fleeing disciples of the South Hongmen when Xie Wendong stopped him, saying, “We still have some bullets left. We haven’t found the person we’re looking for yet.” The Golden-Eyed man’s eyes shifted, and he immediately understood who Xie Wendong meant. Nodding, he put away his gun and said, “I get it! Brother Dong!”

Meanwhile, Ren Changfeng and the Three-Eyed man charged at the One-Eyed Dragon. The disciples of the South Hongmen couldn’t stop them at all, especially with Ren Changfeng’s Tang sword—anyone it touched was injured or killed. After just a few encounters, more than a dozen people were wounded by his sword. At that moment, the One-Eyed Dragon also noticed them. He parted the crowd and sized up Ren Changfeng, then laughed heartily, saying, “I wondered who it was—turns out it’s that arrogant brat from the North!” Ren Changfeng stopped and spun his Tang sword in his hand, saying coldly, “Just for that remark, you deserve to die a hundred times!” “Heh?” Tian Fangchang raised an eyebrow, tilted slightly to the side, and pulled out a square sword, saying, “I only have one life, kid. If you’re brave enough, come take it!”

Ren Changfeng glanced at the sword in his hand. It was about the same length as his own but extremely heavy, like an iron bar. Swinging it would be incredibly powerful, and if one were hit by it carelessly, they’d either die or lose a layer of skin. Ren Changfeng stepped forward slowly, staring intently at the other man’s square sword, and said calmly, “It’s a good sword. I just wonder what kind of person wields it?”

The distance between the two gradually narrowed, and the atmosphere grew increasingly tense. The disciples of the South Hongmen instinctively stepped back, leaving a space about half the size of a basketball court. Tian Fangchang clutched the hilt of his sword tightly, his expression dark. Though he spoke casually, he had heard of Ren Changfeng’s martial skills—he was considered the second-best fighter in the North Hongmen. With less than five steps between them, both were within striking range, yet Ren Changfeng continued to move forward. Unable to bear the pressure exerted by his opponent, Tian Fangchang remained silent before suddenly thrusting his sword forward, signaling the start of the attack. The strike wasn’t fast, but it was full of variations, intended as a probe. Ren Changfeng snorted coldly, neither dodging nor avoiding, and countered with the same move, only much faster than Tian Fangchang’s strike. Tian Fangchang cursed inwardly, thinking Ren Changfeng was reckless for going all out from the start; he didn’t want to take such a risk. With no choice, Tian Fangchang retracted his sword and stepped back several steps. This was exactly what Ren Changfeng wanted—he seized the opportunity to regain the initiative. His sword flashed up and down as he moved side to side, always targeting Tian Fangchang’s vital points. The attacker always had an advantage over the defender, at least in terms of stamina, morale, and confidence. In less than two minutes, sweat appeared on Tian Fangchang’s forehead, and his breathing grew heavy. Only then did he regret his cowardice earlier, allowing Ren Changfeng to take the lead. He hadn’t expected the opponent’s attacks to be relentless, like the Yangtze River, leaving him no chance to counter or catch his breath. This couldn’t continue! Tian Fangchang roared and also adopted a desperate fighting style. Ren Changfeng slashed at his lower abdomen, but he gritted his teeth and refused to block, instead counterattacking with a straight strike at the opponent’s neck. Not wanting to lose the advantage, Ren Changfeng kept attacking, leaning his upper body back sharply as his sword whistled past his face, snipping a strand of hair. His own sword also grazed Tian Fangchang’s abdomen, failing to cut through the skin but tearing a one-foot-long gap in his clothes. After stepping back two steps and stabilizing themselves, Ren Changfeng checked his forehead and cheeks, relieved to find no injuries. Tian Fangchang lowered his head to examine the cut on his abdomen and breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing it was only a scrape on his clothes. He realized that if Ren Changfeng’s sword had gone just an inch further, it could have torn him apart. After checking themselves and confirming they were unharmed, both began to stare at each other.

At this moment, Dong Xinlei, who had been driven into the small building, also led his men out to fight alongside the disciples of the South Hongmen. Soldiers clashed with soldiers, leaders fought against leaders; swords flashed, murderous energy filled the air, and cries of battle echoed incessantly. When Xie Wendong returned, the morale of the North Hongmen soared, and it became difficult to drive them back. From start to finish, Xie Wendong kept searching for Xiang Wentian while fighting, but after circling the factory yard, he didn’t find a single trace of him. Yet he was sure Xiang Wentian must have arrived. The fierce battle intensified, with more and more casualties. The entire factory was filled with people lying motionless, blood flowing like rivers, almost turning the ground red. Broken limbs were a horrifying sight, causing disgust.

Perhaps even heaven was saddened by humanity’s self-destruction and cruelty toward its own kind, as sparse rain began to fall. At first it was just light rain, but it grew heavier. The rain washed away the blood on the ground but could not cleanse the world’s sins. Suddenly, a dazzling light appeared in the sky, lighting up the area as if it were day. Tian Fangchang, who was facing Ren Changfeng, changed his expression, glared fiercely at Ren Changfeng, and said while retreating, “Our battle isn’t over yet! I’ll settle accounts with you later!” With that, he waved his hand and ran toward the wall without looking back. At the base of the wall, he leaped over and jumped out. The other disciples of the South Hongmen also retreated upon seeing the bright light, moving in an orderly manner—those behind held back the enemy while those in front retreated at full speed. Dong Xinlei tried to chase after them but was stopped by Xie Wendong. Looking at the retreating disciples of the Hongmen, Xie Wendong said coldly, “Stop chasing. Even if you catch up, it won’t lead to anything.” “Just let him get away like this?” Dong Xinlei was filled with resentment and couldn’t contain it.

Xie Wendong smiled and said, “We have only two options now: either clean up the battlefield quickly or withdraw from the factory at full speed. If I’m not wrong, the police are almost here.”

“Huh?” Hearing about the police, Dong Xinlei’s heart sank. Looking around, he saw corpses everywhere, and those still alive were crawling around for help. If the police arrived now, their side would be in trouble no matter what they did. After hearing Xie Wendong’s words, San Yan rested his chin in his hand, pondered for a moment, then slapped his head and murmured, “What a cunning Xiang Wentian! Brother Dong, even if we clean up the battlefield now, it will take at least two or three hours. By then, the police will have arrived. What should we do?”

“Dressed in cold dishes!” Xie Wendong chuckled as he took out a handkerchief and calmly wiped his machete. “Cough!” Sanyan stamped his feet in frustration—truly, the emperor isn’t anxious, but the eunuchs will die of worry.
Noticing Sanyan’s expression, Xie Wendong smiled and said, “Brother Zhang, don’t worry. If necessary, we just leave this place, take our own people with us, and ignore the people from Nan Hongmen. Let them explain to the police on their own!” Dong Xinlei was shocked and asked urgently, “Then where shall we go?” “Tianyi Bar!” Xie Wendong flicked his hand, and the handkerchief drifted to the ground.
An hour later, when Division Chief Jing Xuewen finally cleared the traffic jam on the road and arrived at the scene, there wasn’t a single person in the factory who could stand. Everywhere, dead and injured lay scattered, with intermittent cries of pain. Even Jing Xuewen was deeply shaken by the sight, let alone his other police officers. The team leader stared blankly and said, “Good heavens, what happened here?” Jing Xuewen’s face darkened as he snapped, “What are you standing around for? Go seal off the nearby roads immediately! And notify the local police right away!” The team leader snapped out of his daze, didn’t dare breathe heavily, and rushed off with his men. Jing Xuewen frowned deeply and muttered to himself, “This is too much. If this gets out, it’ll be disastrous!” With that, he took out his phone and dialed Xiang Wentian’s number.
After leading his men to Tianyi Bar, Xie Wendong filled the already sizable bar to capacity. People were everywhere—upstairs and downstairs. A quick estimate showed that at least fifty of their men were dead or injured downstairs. Xie Wendong sat in a private room on the second floor, slowly smoking a cigarette. About twenty people sat or stood around him; the room was dead silent, so quiet one could hear a pin drop. Everyone was waiting for him to speak. After a while, he extinguished the cigarette and asked, “I wonder how many men Nan Hongmen lost this time?”