Chapter 339

The wounds on Sanyan’s body hadn’t healed yet. After a fierce battle, the wounds that had previously healed torn open again, and the pain this time was a hundred times worse than before. Although Xie Wendong was still not out of danger, he knew that Dongge was fine, so he relaxed. The pain from his wounds surged like a tide. He gritted his teeth and found a doctor nearby to get his wounds simply bandaged. Just as it was done, he wanted to check on the injuries of Li Shuang and the other brothers. A subordinate rushed upstairs and went straight to Sanyan, whispering in his ear, “Brother Sanyan, Xiang Wentian is here.” “Huh?” Sanyan was stunned, wondering if he had heard wrong. He asked carefully, “What did you say?” “Xiang Wentian, the leader of the Nanhongmen, is here,” the subordinate confirmed again. “Tch!” Sanyan took a deep breath, thinking to himself why he came and what he wanted. No… He clenched his fist, his eyes moving rapidly. He took out his phone and asked in a deep voice, “How many people did Xiang Wentian bring?” “Less than ten.” “Oh? Heh, that’s strange.” Sanyan put the phone back in his pocket and said with a smile, “Less than ten? He’s not here to check on Dongge’s injuries, is he? What a peculiar person.” Shaking his head, he got up, put on his coat, covered the bandages around his body, and headed toward Xie Wendong’s ward. He didn’t dare make a decision on whether to meet Xiang Wentian on his own; he wanted to ask Dongge’s opinion first. When Sanyan entered the ward, Xie Wendong was lying with his eyes closed, connected to tubes of varying thicknesses. Hearing the door open, he opened his eyes, smiled slightly, and asked, “What’s the matter?” Sanyan was shocked and exclaimed, “Dongge, your injuries…?” Xie Wendong smiled and said, “They’re not as serious as you think.” Sanyan wondered, “But the doctor just now said you…”“I’m still not out of danger, right?” Xie Wendong said with a smile. “When a person’s life is in peril, that’s when they’re most vulnerable. It’s only when someone is at their weakest that the hidden enemies around them can surface. I can sense that the Soul Group isn’t our only enemy. Behind them, there must be some force supporting them. Otherwise, even if they had great audacity, they wouldn’t dare to be so reckless in Shanghai, resorting to violence.” Sanyan was so surprised he couldn’t speak for a while. After a long pause, he finally asked hesitantly, “Who? Who could be supporting the Soul Group?” Xie Wendong shook his head. “I don’t know yet, but one thing is certain: those who support them must have great power, at least enough to influence both the political and military circles in Shanghai.”

Sanyan tapped his head and shook it, saying, “Damn, this is really troublesome! Forget about him for now. Xiang Wentian is downstairs at the hospital. Dongge, do you want to see him?”
“Oh?” Xie Wendong’s face lit up as he smiled. “He came pretty fast. Zhangge, do you know? There are two people I really want to see right now, and one of them is Xiang Wentian.”
Xiang Wentian was already strange enough, and Dongge’s strangeness was definitely no less than his. It was hard to know what these two long-time rivals from the north and south were thinking. Sanyan smiled bitterly and asked, “Who’s the other person?” “Nameless.” “Nameless? Dongge wants to find the Red Army?” “Yeah, I want to ask them for a favor.” “What favor?” “To deliver a gift for me.”
Xiang Wentian was welcomed into the hospital by Sanyan and the others. He usually liked coming to hospitals—partly because he hated the pervasive smell of disinfectant, and partly because coming to a hospital meant parting, a parting between life and death. Many times, he had seen good brothers who were still full of energy just a few days earlier slowly close their eyes and stop breathing, while he could only stand by, unable to do anything. This time, he came to visit his greatest enemy, Xie Wendong, but it didn’t feel much different.
He was also surprised when he saw Xie Wendong. He didn’t expect him to be so full of life. Although he seemed listless, his eyes were still sharp and piercing. Xiang Wentian waved his hand, signaling for Lu Kou and the others to leave. Xie Wendong smiled knowingly and nodded at Sanyan, who wisely followed Lu Kou and the others out of the room.
The two stood on opposite sides of the corridor. Though they wouldn’t resort to violence, their intense gazes clashed in the space between them. Sanyan stared at Lu Kou, who stared back. If glances could turn into knives, both of them would have been stabbed hundreds of times. Finally, Sanyan couldn’t bear it anymore. He threw his cigarette butt on the ground, stepped on it fiercely, stepped forward, and growled, “Kid, what are you staring at?” Lu Kou replied coldly, “I’m not staring at anyone.”
At first, Sanyan didn’t realize what was going on. It was only when Zhou Ting and the others started laughing that he understood. He grabbed Lu Kou by the collar and snapped, “How dare you insult me!” Suddenly, he attacked, and the disciples of the North and South Hongmen drew their weapons. The smell of gunpowder filled the air, and the situation seemed on the verge of erupting into violence.

Lu Kou waved his hand coldly, opened his three-eyed hand to grasp his own palm, and said expressionlessly, “If not for Tian Ge’s prior words, the moment you moved just now, I had at least a dozen ways to break your wrist.” Hearing this, Three-Eyes laughed, glanced up and down at Lu Kou, and said disdainfully, “Kid, I know who you are. Everyone says you’re the top expert in the Nan Hongmen. I was just waiting to see what you could do.” As he spoke, he glanced at Xie Wendong’sward, then walked away with his hands in his pockets. “If you’ve got the guts, follow me.”

Lu Kou sneered, “Wendonghui’s number two, the one with three eyes—don’t think just because no one dares to provoke you in the Northeast that you’re something special. The world is huge!”

“Hehe, hahaha…” Three-Eyes laughed heartily, nodding repeatedly. “Good, good, good. People from the Nan Hongmen are famous for their eloquence. I wonder if they really have real skills.” “More than two—six or seven even. But for someone like you, one is enough to take care of you.” Unfazed, Lu Kou strode after Three-Eyes.

Needless to say, everyone knew what the two of them were about to do, so they set off right after them. Three-Eyes raised a hand to stop them and said proudly, “The brothers of Wendonghui and the Hongmen never bully the few with the many. You stay here to guard Dong Ge. As for those little ants from the Nan Hongmen, I alone am enough.”

Lu Kou shrugged helplessly. “I’ve always heard that people from the Northeast like to brag. Today, I’ve seen it for myself.” He turned to Zhou Ting and the others and said, “Stay here. I’m not that arrogant—I’m not afraid he’ll exaggerate me.” Hearing this, Three-Eyes trembled with anger, wishing he could bite him. He clenched his fists, gathering his energy, determined to knock out Lu Kou’s two front teeth first. With Three-Eyes ahead and Lu Kou behind, they didn’t go downstairs but instead headed to the hospital’s rooftop terrace.

Three-Eyes stood in the center of the terrace, took a deep breath. The sky was dark, with the old moon hanging low, and a few gray clouds floated overhead, dimming the light of the stars, as if reminding people of their unreachable distance. After what seemed like a long time, Three-Eyes slowly turned around to face Lu Kou and said softly, “A guest is welcome. I’ll give you three moves first.” “No need, thanks,” Lu Kou replied, taking out a handkerchief and wrapping it around his right hand. “I’m afraid after three moves, you’ll already be on the ground, and then I won’t have anything to do.”

“Sigh!” Sanyan sighed and said, “I really don’t know where your confidence comes from. But since you helped Brother Dong today, I’ll fight you bare-handed.” With that, he dashed forward, swinging a powerful punch straight at Lu Kou’s face.
What? He started attacking right after giving just three moves! Lu Kou cursed inwardly, calmly raising his palm to block. Sanyan’s punch hit his defense squarely, and at the same time, Lu Kou spun and kicked at Sanyan’s weak point. So fast! Sanyan quickly twisted his waist and stepped back.
In the blink of an eye, both had changed their tactics and gained a slight understanding of each other’s strengths. They cautiously moved closer until there was less than three feet between them, then shouted simultaneously and engaged in a fierce fight. Neither Sanyan nor Lu Kou carried weapons, but even with their fists, the fight was intense and full of danger. As skilled fighters, they knew the vital points of the human body better than most doctors. With the force they used, even without weapons, hitting those vital points would result in serious injury or death. Thus, both were extremely cautious, daring not to be careless in the slightest.
While Sanyan and Lu Kou fought fiercely on the rooftop, Xie Wendong and Xiang Wentian chatted and laughed in the hospital room, their affection as strong as that of old friends who hadn’t seen each other in years.
Xiang Wentian pulled a chair and sat beside the hospital bed, then said with a smile, “I didn’t expect Brother Xie to still be so energetic despite such serious injuries. Truly, you have extraordinary skills.”
Xie Wendong laughed and said, “What else could I do? After all, we live in the underworld, take risky paths, and are prepared for anything. I’ve been injured much worse before, yet I’m still alive. Do you know why?”
Xiang Wentian shook his head smilingly without speaking. Xie Wendong continued, “Because I don’t want to die. I’ve always believed that as long as I don’t want to die, nothing can kill me.”
“Haha!” Xiang Wentian laughed loudly. “There are many people in the world who don’t want to die, but thousands die every day from being killed.”
“It’s simple,” Xie Wendong said with a calm smile. “Because none of them are named Xie Wendong.”

“Haha…” Xiang Wentian laughed even louder this time. After hearing Xie Wendong’s words, he seemed to have no other reaction besides laughing. If it were anyone else, they would surely laugh at Xie Wendong’s arrogance, but Xiang Wentian knew his words made sense. He laughed because Xie Wendong, when showing off his arrogance, was actually quite endearing. “What?” Xie Wendong raised an eyebrow and asked with a smile, “Do you think I’m bluffing?”
“No. You’re telling the truth.” Xiang Wentian finally stopped laughing and changed the subject, saying, “The leader of the Soul Group has run away.” “I know.” “You know?” “Hehe,” Xie Wendong said, “I also have my informants.” “Mm!” Xiang Wentian nodded and asked again, “Do you know where he went?” “To the army.” “Don’t you find that strange?”
“Of course. That’s why I told the doctor that I was seriously injured this time—so badly that my life was in danger.”
Xiang Wentian stared at Xie Wendong for a while before smiling broadly and nodding, “Smart!” Xie Wendong smiled and said, “If I weren’t smart, I might have been swallowed up by others as soon as I stepped into the underworld. By the way, I’ve always wanted to ask you a question.” “Do you believe in people?”
“I do.” Xie Wendong replied without hesitation, seriously, “Xiang Wentian is a true hero. I believe what he says.”
“A hero?!” Xiang Wentian pondered those words before shaking his head. “I can’t bear such a title.”
“There’s nothing you can’t bear,” Xie Wendong said with a smile. “Everyone in this world is a hero, at least to themselves, right?”
“Hehe, that’s interesting,” Xiang Wentian said with a smile. “If we didn’t fight, we would definitely become good friends. I seem to have said that before too.”
“Yes,” Xie Wendong nodded. “In Nanjing.” Xiang Wentian said, “Brother Xie remembers well!” “Hasn’t Brother Xiang heard that Xie Wendong holds grudges? Actually, I’m good at remembering other things too.” “Haha!” Xiang Wentian laughed loudly, then suddenly stopped, staring at Xie Wendong intently and asking, “Can we stop fighting?” The smile on Xie Wendong’s face faded and stiffened. Could they stop fighting? Was that something he could decide? Could he control the long-held desire of tens of thousands of people across generations of the Northern Hongmen? He couldn’t bear it. He shook his head and said, “Maybe, maybe not.”
Xiang Wentian asked again, “Can we really become friends?”
Xie Wendong sighed and still shook his head. “Maybe, maybe not.”

“Could it be,” Xiang Wentian retorted, “that there are still things in this world that trouble you?” “If so, it’s you,” Xie Wendong said with a bitter smile. “Brother Xiang must have heard the old saying: In the world of martial arts, one has no control over their own fate. There are some things that neither you nor I can decide. Sigh! The world of martial arts…”