Chapter 320

Bo Zhanhui said, “Since you clearly know there’s a trick involved yet still insist on coming to your death, I have no choice but to fulfill your wish.” Faced with over a hundred people surrounding him, Xie Wendong didn’t move an inch, not even blinking. He simply asked softly, “Do you think you’re sure to win?” Hearing this, Bo Zhanhui shuddered in fear, wondering if Xie Wendong also had reinforcements. No, his spies were very clever and wouldn’t make a mistake—within ten miles, there were no others except Xiang Wentian’s men. Then it struck him—he realized Xie Wendong might be tricking him. Despite his calm appearance, he might actually be terrified. With this thought, he grew confident and said, “Xie Wendong, I hope you’ll remain as calm when we fight later.” “I hope you won’t beg me for mercy then too!” Xie Wendong replied with a smile. Seeing his confidence, Bo Zhanhui instinctively glanced around. Xuan Zidan and his loyal subordinates stood ready, ready for battle, their eyes fixed on their opponent, not daring to look away for a moment.

He laughed and shook his head. “Xie Wendong, I really admire your composure.” Xie Wendong slowly drew a long, dark Tang sword from his waist and said, “I’ll give you one chance to fight me alone. If you win, you can leave.” Bo Zhanhui didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Look carefully—everyone around you belongs to my Loyal Brotherhood, not your Nan Hongmen!” “Don’t you dare fight me alone?” Xie Wendong asked self-consciously. “Heh, do you think I’m stupid?” Bo Zhanhui replied darkly. “Wait until you’re dead and then fight the King of Hell!” With that, he stepped back, waved his hand, and shouted, “Attack! No mercy!” He feared any delay might lead to failure.

As soon as Bo Zhanhui finished speaking, he felt numbness in his waist, followed by intense pain surging through him like a tidal wave. He let out a cry of shock, rushed forward two steps, and turned to see a steel knife stuck in his lower back. It was thin and gleamed sharply, with two-thirds of its blade already inside his body. Trembling, he slowly raised his head and looked at Xuan Zidan, who had been standing beside him. Unable to believe it, he said, “Is… is it you?” Xuan Zidan took out a spotless white handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his palms back and forth. His originally respectful expression had vanished, replaced by a sinister and cunning look. “That’s right, it’s me,” he said. “W-why?” Blood kept flowing from Bo Zhanhui’s waist, and dizziness made his sturdy body sway. But being betrayed by someone he trusted most made the physical pain seem insignificant.

Xuan Zidan threw away his handkerchief, stepped forward toward Bo Zhanhui, his gaze filled with hatred. Gritting his teeth, he said, “I’ve endured this knife for so long already.”
“Haha!” Bo Zhanhui shook his head with a bitter smile and said, “Among the people in the Loyalty Gang, you are the one I trust and value the most. I treated you like a brother. You ungrateful wretch! You actually colluded with Xie Wendong behind my back and stabbed me in the back. You…” “Fuck your trust! Fuck your brotherhood!” Xuan Zidan raised his leg and kicked Bo Zhanhui hard in the stomach. The latter staggered back several steps but managed to stay upright. Trembling violently, his face pale and twisted in rage, Xuan Zidan said, “If you’re not completely senile, you should still remember that beautifully picturesque woman, Jiang Feng, right?” Bo Zhanhui’s expression stiffened as he took a sharp breath. Indeed, he hadn’t forgotten her. Even after years, it was hard to forget the woman who could make all men go mad. He clearly remembered Jiang Feng’s beautiful face and longed even more for that unforgettable night with her.
Xuan Zidan laughed, tears streaming down his face, his face twisted in laughter, his fists clenched so tightly that his nails dug deep into his flesh without him feeling any pain. He said, “She was my lover.”
Sighing deeply, Bo Zhanhui lamented, “Karma reaps what it sows—this saying is truly true! Now everything makes sense. Why Xuan Zidan would stab me in the back, why he holds such hatred toward me. His hatred diminished greatly. He even felt a bit admiring for Xuan Zidan, for having endured such humiliation at the hands of a man who defiled his wife for so many years without showing any signs.” Bo Zhanhui’s lips twitched as he was unable to speak. Xie Wendong, standing nearby, also sighed inwardly. Lust is a deadly weapon—it causes great harm! If it weren’t for Bo Zhanhui having defiled Jiang Feng first, Xuan Zidan would never have betrayed him, nor would he have colluded with him secretly to give him information. With that thought, he looked at Bo Zhanhui with pity and said, “I gave you a chance earlier, but sadly you threw it away easily. So now, you have only death ahead of you.”

Bo Zhanhui no longer blamed Xuan Zidan, but he hated Xie Wendong deeply. Biting his lips and letting out a muffled cry, he forced himself to pull out the steel knife from his back, shouting, “Any brother of my Loyalism Gang who can kill Xie Wendong will take my place!” With that, he charged at Xie Wendong, wielding the knife frantically. He shouted loudly and moved swiftly, but not a single disciple of the Loyalism Gang moved. These people were all part of Xuan Zidan’s faction, carefully cultivated over many years. Those who were truly loyal to Bo Zhanhui had been heavily lost in the battles at the Harbor Casino and the Nan Hongmen. The remaining ones were either injured or secretly detained by Xuan Zidan, and none of them obeyed his orders.

Xie Wendong sat motionless in his chair. Facing Bo Zhanhui’s furious charge, he didn’t even lift an eyebrow. With a cold smile, he said, “Bo Zhanhui, you’ve no chance left.”

It seemed Bo Zhanhui didn’t hear him. He raised the steel knife high and swung it straight at Xie Wendong’s head. With a clang, his knife was blocked by another—narrow and radiating a chilling aura. The wielder was Ren Changfeng, using his usual Tang sword. They clashed briefly before stepping back, Ren Changfeng silently praising the opponent’s bravery—being able to force him back even though he was severely injured. “Be careful!” Ren Changfeng shouted, flipping his wrist and thrusting his sword horizontally.

Though injured, Bo Zhanhui’s movements remained steady. He could hold his own in a head-on fight, but Ren Changfeng was agile, using unpredictable and sharp tactics. In no time, Bo Zhanhui was drenched in sweat, his back clothes soaked with blood. Seeing that Bo Zhanhui had several more wounds and was on the verge of collapse, Xuan Zidan quickly shouted, “Brothers of the Hongmen, show mercy! Leave his head to me!” Hearing this, Ren Changfeng feinted, stepped back out of the circle, nodded at Xuan Zidan, and shrugged with a smile, “Alright, I’ll give it to you!”

Xuan Zidan thanked him and stepped forward with his sword aimed at Bo Zhanhui. As Ren Changfeng retracted his attack, the pressure around Bo Zhanhui vanished, and the strength to support his body also disappeared. With a thud, he knelt down, gasping for air like an ox. Not wanting to end it quickly, Xuan Zidan ordered his subordinates, “Hold him up.”

Xie Wendong knew what to do next. He stood up and said, “It’s Xuan’s own family matter; outsiders shouldn’t interfere. I’ll wait for you outside.” With that, he left the room along with Jiang Sen, Ren Changfeng, and the others. He didn’t want to see or think about the methods Xuan Zidan might use to torture Bo Zhanhui. The power of hatred was terrifying—capable of destroying everything in the world. He sighed, “When acting, one must be decisive and leave no room for doubt. If you don’t eradicate the problem completely, Bo Zhanhui is a living example. All those talkings about upholding justice or Zhai Xin’s kindness are just lies told by scholars to deceive people!” Li Shuang scratched his head and suddenly realized, “So that’s why Brother Dong is always so ruthless in his actions—this is the reason!”
Jiang Sen said, “I thought Xuan Zidan kept coming here to pass messages between Brother Dong and Bo Zhanhui. Now I realize he was secretly plotting with Brother Dong!”
Xie Wendong nodded and smiled, then said seriously, “Xuan Zidan is quite remarkable too—having endured all these years. If it weren’t for our appearance, if he hadn’t happened to see Jiang Lin at ‘Fresh Flowers,’ who knows how much longer he would have waited!” “Yes!” Jiang Sen nodded, then asked doubtfully, “Did Xuan Zidan never know that Jiang Feng had a sister?” Xie Wendong shook his head. “He knew she existed, but didn’t know who she was. Jiang Feng and Xuan Zidan’s relationship was always secret; it was never made public. Moreover, she was well aware of Xuan Zidan’s criminal background and didn’t want her sister to get too involved. So Jiang Lin and Xuan Zidan never met, nor did they know each other’s names—only that such a person existed.”
“Oh!” Jiang Sen understood a bit better. “That time when the Loyalty Gang besieged ‘Fresh Flowers,’ he happened to see Jiang Lin. She must have some similarities with her sister, so…”
“So,” Xie Wendong continued, “later, Xuan Zidan quietly approached me and, through me, got to know Jiang Lin. After confirming her identity, he allied with me secretly, using both internal and external forces to take down Bo Zhanhui. The bloody battle at the Seaport Hotel was his doing—he incited Bo Zhanhui to fight. The people sent by the Loyalty Gang in that battle were also arranged by him skillfully. All of Bo Zhanhui’s die-hard supporters were among them, only to be completely wiped out in the end.” “Haha!” Jiang Sen laughed. “In the end, it was we who reaped the greatest benefits.”

Xie Wendong and the others spoke as they walked outside. After waiting nearly half an hour, Xuan Zidan finally led people out. His hands were covered in blood, clearly left by Bo Zhanhui. Xie Wendong asked, “Brother Xuan, is Bo Zhanhui dead?” “No!” Xuan Zidan shook his head. “How could I let him die so easily? I just cut off ten of his fingers. I want to torture him and make him understand what it means to suffer more than to die.” As he spoke, he glanced at Xie Wendong and cautiously asked, “Mr. Xie, you don’t think I’m too cruel, do you?” “How could I think that?” Xie Wendong smiled. “If I were you, I would choose the same method.” “Sigh!” Xuan Zidan sighed sadly. “The deep-seated hatred in my heart over the years has vanished, as if my body has been emptied. I feel lost and don’t know what to do in the future. Actually, I’m a bit afraid of this feeling.” Xie Wendong patted his shoulder and comforted him, “Let bygones be bygones. Life must go on. Now that Bo Zhanhui is dead, the Zhongyi Gang has no leader. You are the legitimate heir. Make good use of the power you have.”

Xuan Zidan was shocked. In fact, what Xie Wendong said was exactly what he planned to do next. But it wasn’t easy to turn things around. The Zhongyi Gang was powerful with many internal factions. He wasn’t the only one with ambitions. The reason they hadn’t stopped him from plotting against Bo Zhanhui was that various factions had long been dissatisfied with him and had their own ulterior motives—everyone wanted to become the leader. With Bo Zhanhui dead, such an opportunity had arisen. Coupled with Xie Wendong’s influence, the name of the North Hongmen was no joke. So everyone was waiting to see what would happen, planning to wait for the right moment. After thinking this through, he asked, “Please, Mr. Xie, give me some guidance.” Xie Wendong’s eyes curved like crescent moons as he smiled and asked, “First, we need to see if you really want Bo Zhanhui’s position.” Xuan Zidan hesitated for a moment, looked around to ensure no one was listening, and then said firmly, “I do!”

“Very well!” Xie Wendong’s expression turned serious as he said, “Let me give you a piece of advice: go with the flow, or perish; when eliminating rivals, leave no room for hesitation.” After saying that, he straightened up and said, “I must take my leave!” Then he turned and walked away. Xuan Zidan waslowering his head pondering his words when Xie Wendong seemed to remember something before getting into the car. He turned around and said, “By the way, if you encounter difficulties or need help, feel free to come to me!” Upon hearing this, Xuan Zidan’s worries vanished instantly, and he smiled broadly. This was exactly what he wanted to hear. Without Xie Wendong’s help, he might not even be able to maintain the status quo. He quickly bowed and said, “Xuan Zidan thanks you very much, sir!” Xie Wendong waved as he got into the car and said, “You’re welcome, my friend!”

“Does Brother Dong want to support Xuan Zidan?” Jiang Sen was smart enough to immediately understand Xie Wendong’s intention. The latter smiled but remained silent, not answering. Jiang Sen added, “But in my opinion, Xuan Zidan is even more cunning and terrifying than Bo Zhanhui. He might not be someone who will listen to us.” Xie Wendong nodded. Of course he understood. How many people in the world could hide deep grudges for years without showing any signs? At least he wasn’t sure he could do it himself. He said meaningfully, “Xuan Zidan is essentially the second Bo Zhanhui—he’s equally unreliable. But it’s not easy to wipe out the Loyalty Gang all at once. The best approach is to create chaos within first. Hopefully, Xuan Zidan will stir up trouble and mess things up!”

“Haha!” Ren Changfeng couldn’t help but laugh, clapping his hands in approval. “Brother Dong’s analogy is great! Xuan Zidan is like a big salted fish. If he wants to become the leader of the Loyalty Gang, it’s like a fish trying to turn over!” “When the fish finally turns over, that’s when the soup will be ready! Haha!” Jiang Sen laughed heartily.

Li Shuang wasn’t interested in their talk about salted fish and soup, but seeing everyone laughing happily, he joined in with forced laughter despite not fully understanding. As soon as he opened his mouth and started laughing loudly, a ball of fire suddenly appeared in front of the sedan driven by Xie Wendong and the others. The entire car was lifted into the air, rising more than two meters high, flipping once before crashing down. With a loud crash, the front and back of the car hit the ground and slid dozens of meters across the surface, the vehicle turning into a giant ball of fire. The scorching flames were so intense that one could feel the pain from ten meters away, let alone those inside the car, who must have been reduced to ashes long ago. Gao Qiang braked suddenly, staring in shock at what had happened. The other two sedans also stopped, and several members of the Dark Group stepped out, looking around. Apart from the half-human-height saxaul grass by the road, there was nothing else. While they were puzzled, Xie Wendong and the others were about to get out to investigate when someone let out a scream and collapsed.