Chapter 75

After Jin Rong left, the old man said to Xie Wendong, “I know you have many questions in mind. Let me explain them to you slowly. First, let’s talk about the origins of the Hongmen.” With that, the old man pulled Xie Wendong to sit on the bed. “The founding of the Hongmen dates back to the end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty. Wu Sangui led the Qing troops into the pass, destroying the Ming Dynasty in an instant. Zheng Chenggong, the Prince of Yanping, defended Fujian, resisting the Qing and striving to restore the Ming Dynasty. He then crossed the sea to recover Taiwan and continued his resistance against the Qing. In Taiwan, he established organizations such as ‘Jintai Mountain,’ ‘Mingyuan Hall,’ ‘Hanxin Xiang,’ and ‘Wanlan Shui.’ He formed brotherhoods with high-ranking officials and generals, and his troops also took oaths—this marked the beginning of the Hongmen.”

Although Xie Wendong already knew that the Hongmen was a senior gang in China, he didn’t realize its origins went back to Zheng Chenggong’s efforts to restore the Ming Dynasty. He grew increasingly interested and listened attentively as the old man continued. “At that time, the secret slogan of the Hongmen was ‘Ming Da Fuxing Yi,’ meaning ‘to restore the Great Ming with one heart.’ It used Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang’s reign title, ‘Hongwu,’ as a reference, and regarded ‘Hong Ying’ as the founder of the Hongmen, implying ‘heroes emerging from the Hongwu school.’ The Hongmen organization grew rapidly and had a huge influence. Secret societies emerged in various provinces, including the Dian San Hui, Sam Ho Society, Dagger Society, Twin Knife Society, Red Gun Society, Big Knife Society, Small Knife Society, and other groups fighting to restore the Ming Dynasty. At the same time, secret anti-Qing organizations were developed within Taoism, giving rise to the ‘Baimen,’ which later evolved into groups like the White Lotus Sect, Red Lantern Society, and Red Gun Society.”

Sam Ho Society? Small Knife Society? White Lotus Sect? Xie Wendong was shocked—these well-known gangs all originated from the Hongmen, which was hard to believe. He quickly asked, “Elder, do these gangs still exist today?”

The old man smiled and said, “Let me finish explaining. There’s still much more about the Hongmen. For example, Dr. Sun Yat-sen and Zheng Shiliang established the ‘Zhigong Hall’ in Honolulu. Later, they went to Boston, America, to carry out revolutionary activities under the guise of being ‘Hongmen elders’!”

Xie Wendong was stunned—even Sun Yat-sen had relied on the Hongmen, though history books never mentioned it. The old man continued, “After the Prince of Yanping founded the Hongmen, he also established the Triad, which became popular mainly in Zhejiang and Hebei, with Shanghai as its center. Famous leaders included Ye Chengzhong, Huang Jinrong, Du Yuesheng, and others. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, both the Hongmen and the Triad declined gradually. Especially the Triad, whose leaders were mostly loyal to the Kuomintang, suffered the most damage and can no longer be found today.”

Xie Wendong asked, “What about the Triad in City J…?”

“Hehe!” the old man laughed. “That’s not really the Triad—it’s just using their name!”

“Oh!” Xie Wendong cursed himself for being so stupid. If it were really the Qing Gang, would they let him take it over? “So what happened to the Hongmen after that?”
The old man’s expression darkened as he murmured, “Since the fall of the Qing Dynasty, the Hongmen had achieved their political goals, and from then on, they gradually declined. When the new China was established, although they weren’t severely impacted, they still faced pressure everywhere under those circumstances. Later, due to intense internal conflicts, they split into two factions—the Northern and Southern Hongmen. The two sides didn’t get along, and conflicts continued incessantly. Many Hongmen brothers died at the hands of their own people. Alas! The glory of the Hongmen is now a thing of the past, gradually lost in the flow of history!”
Xie Wendong asked, “Then… then what about you, old man…?”
The old man replied, “I am the leader of the Northern Hongmen. If counted, I should be the twenty-ninth-generation leader!”
Xie Wendong was shocked. This old man who had taught him Tai Chi for two months turned out to be the leader of the Hongmen. He felt admiration for him immediately and quickly stood up to pay his respects, saying, “Old man!”
The old man waved his hand and laughed, “You’re not a Hongmen disciple, and I’m not your master. There’s no need to be formal with me. We’re just friends across age gaps, haha!”
Xie Wendong admired the old man’s magnanimity but still had questions. “Old man, since you’re the leader of the Northern Hongmen, you must be very familiar with the gangs in the north. Why didn’t you send anyone to rescue Rongrong when she was captured? After all, she’s your granddaughter—there should be plenty of people to protect her!”
The old man shook his head. “The Northern and Southern Hongmen are separated by the Yangtze River. The north belongs to the Northern Hongmen, and the south to the Southern Hongmen. Although I’m from the Northern Hongmen, due to the underdeveloped economy in the northeast, our influence has never spread there. We’re not familiar with the local gangs or organizations either.” After saying that, he sighed, “I only had one son in my life. I hoped he would take over my position, but he never liked gang life from a young age and longed for an ordinary life. Eventually, pushed to the limit, he even took my daughter-in-law and moved to City H to settle down. I tried to persuade him many times here, but to no avail. Eventually, I gave up and followed him. It wasn’t until I suddenly heard news of Rongrong’s disappearance that I rushed to City H and sent people around to look for her, but to no result. Just a week later, Rongrong was brought back by a student. Only then did I find out that you had saved her. But because the Hongmen were busy at the time, we couldn’t thank you in time. Who would have thought it would take over two years? Haha!”

Xie Wendong finally understood roughly what was going on and smiled, saying, “Elder, if I hadn’t interfered when you were practicing Tai Chi, what would you have done? Would you still have tried other ways to get close to me?”
The old man laughed heartily after hearing this. “Wendong, maybe I’m a bit superstitious because of my age. I believe in fate. The day I first met you, I knew we were destined to be friends! Haha!” Then he changed the subject and said, “After spending nearly three months with you, I feel you’re very cunning, though you haven’t shown it in front of me. Still, the way you saved Rongrong left a deep impression on me. Lust is the root of all evil. The fact that you didn’t take advantage of Rongrong in that situation at least proves you still have a conscience!”
Xie Wendong secretly smiled bitterly. He already hated the word “lust” greatly. This was also why he had grown so successful without making a penny from women—a rarity among other gangs. Additionally, Xie Wendong preferred women older than himself; it would be strange for him to feel sexual interest in the then-14-year-old Jin Rong. Of course, he wouldn’t say this to the old man. Smiling, he replied, “I think if I had done such a thing in that situation, I’d be worse than an animal!”
The old man nodded in approval. “Good! It’s great that a young person has such values. Lust is like a knife—harmful to both others and oneself! I hope you’ll keep to what you said today.”
Xie Wendong nodded in agreement.
The old man patted Xie Wendong’s shoulder, hesitated for a moment, and finally said, “You must be hungry too! I’ll go have someone bring the food over!” With that, he left the room.
Soon, Jin Rong and a burly man came in. The burly man carried a large tray with various dishes, which he placed on the table one by one before leaving.
Jin Rong, smiling, pulled Xie Wendong over and said, “Big brother, come and eat quickly!”
The way she called him “big brother” was the same as before, making Xie Wendong freeze momentarily. The events of three years ago seemed like they happened just yesterday. Seeing Xie Wendong dazed, Jin Rong quickly asked, “Big brother, what’s wrong? Are you not feeling well?”
Xie Wendong shook his head lightly and smiled. “No! Let’s eat.”
Jin Rong said with a smile, “I’ve already finished eating. Hurry up, or the food will get cold!”
Xie Wendong nodded. Seeing the delicious food, his stomach growled. He sat down and began to eat slowly. Jin Rong sat across from him, resting her chin on her hands on the table, smiling at him.
“Have you had enough? If you keep looking, I’ll get embarrassed!” Xie Wendong said while eating, without even lifting his eyes.

Jin Rong felt a bit embarrassed after hearing this, her face turning red as she coquettishly said, “I haven’t seen you in years, so I was worried and wanted to see if you had changed!”
Xie Wendong pretended to be angry and said, “Then why didn’t you come to City J to see me?!”
Jin Rong hurriedly replied, “It’s not that I didn’t want to go; it’s Grandpa and Mom and Dad wouldn’t let me!”
Xie Wendong knew that after what had happened, Jin Rong’s family would keep a closer eye on her and surely wouldn’t let her go to City J. He smiled and asked, “So, do you see any changes in me?”
Jin Rong brought her little head close to Xie Wendong, examining him carefully from top to bottom and left to right. After a while, she said, “There are no changes. You just seem taller. I like tall boys!” Seeing Xie Wendong smiling at her, she suddenly realized she had said too much and covered her face with her hands, not daring to look at him.
Watching Jin Rong’s shy expression, Xie Wendong laughed heartily, feeling that she was still the same as before—time hadn’t dulled her innocence.
With a red face, Jin Rong shouted, “Stop laughing!” But Xie Wendong continued to laugh.
Xie Wendong stayed there another night. Early the next morning, he bid farewell to the old man, as there were still many matters to attend to in his gang, and he couldn’t stay longer. The old man didn’t insist and sent someone to escort him back. Before leaving, the old man called over the burly man who had brought Xie Wendong and said to him, “His name is Dong Xinlei. He’s one of the top experts among the Hongmen. Your situation is too dangerous right now, so have him stay by your side. That way, I’ll feel much more at ease!”
Xie Wendong quickly thanked him, “Thank you very much, old man. But I’ll be more careful from now on. I think I won’t need Brother Lei’s protection anymore!”
The old man shook his head and said, “That won’t do. Although Xiao Lei looks fierce, he’s very thoughtful. Before joining the Hongmen, he was a top assassin with rich experience in assassinations. Don’t underestimate the assassination agencies of the secret groups!”
Xie Wendong thought it made sense and bowed deeply to express his gratitude. This time, the old man accepted it with a smile, having his own plans in mind.
Just as they were about to leave, Jin Rong grabbed Xie Wendong’s clothes, unwilling to let him go. “Big brother, why are you leaving so soon? Stay a few more days!”
Before Xie Wendong could speak, the old man said with a smile, “Rongrong, let Wen Dong go! We’re in the same city. He’ll definitely come to see you when he has time!”
Xie Wendong nodded in agreement and bid farewell to the old man and Jin Rong once more. Dong Xinlei drove Xie Wendong back to New Century.

It was already overcrowded here, and the disco hall had to suspend operations temporarily. The cousins gathered in the dance hall, shouting that they wanted to avenge their elder brother and settle accounts with the Soul Reclaiming Gang and the Soul Group. Finally, Three-Eyes, annoyed by the noise, shouted, “Damn it, stop making noise!” Then he pulled out his machete and said, “Who said I’ll chop him up?”