Chapter 80

The old man smiled as he looked at Xie Wendong. “Rongrong is about to enter her final year of high school. She has tutoring every day and doesn’t get home until around eight o’clock!”
Xie Wendong understood this well, especially during the final year of high school when school ended at eight every day. Although he had never attended any tutoring sessions, his college entrance exam scores were no worse than those of students who did attend tutoring. Smiling, he said, “I think tutoring isn’t the best method. It actually increases Rongrong’s study burden. Her brain, already stressed all day, can’t rest, which isn’t good. I also went through high school, so I know how much middle school students dislike tutoring!”
The old man nodded. “Maybe you’re right, but as her grandfather, I don’t have any real power! It’s Rongrong’s parents who make the decisions. It pains me to see my child studying all day long!”
“By the way, where are Rongrong’s parents? Don’t they live here? I don’t think I’ve seen them once!”
“Well… Rongrong’s father wants to stay as far away from me as possible. If it weren’t for their business trip these past few days, and because Rongrong wouldn’t stay at home alone, they wouldn’t be willing to leave her with me.” Seeing Xie Wendong’s puzzled look, the old man smiled inwardly and added insinuatingly, “That incident three years ago was too traumatic for Rongrong. She’s too scared to live alone, and she cries whenever there’s thunder outside. Sigh!” The old man shook his head in regret.
Xie Wendong felt a pang in his heart. Indeed! She was just a child back then, and even adults couldn’t bear what she went through with Ma Wu. Xie Wendong never wanted to see Jin Rong suffer, so he said to the old man, “Don’t worry, grandfather. I’ll take care of Ma Wu. I promise to help Rongrong avenge this!”
The old man nodded with a smile. “I hope you won’t disappoint me!”
The two sat on the large sofa in the living room. The old man said to someone nearby, “The guest has arrived. Tell the chef to start cooking. We’ll eat once Rongrong gets back!”
“Yes, old master!” The person replied before leaving.
Xie Wendong asked curiously, “Grandfather, I heard from Lao Lei that the Hongmen are very wealthy. I wonder if there’s any shortcut to making money?”

“Haha!” the old man said, “I knew you would ask this question! To make money, you first need a wide network—there’s good in evil, and evil in good. The Hongmen has its own legitimate businesses, but it also engages in smuggling in secret. Right now, you mainly rely on selling heroin. To be honest, it harms people and doesn’t bring in money quickly. Smuggling is different; one big deal can earn you enough to sell heroin for a year and still have some left. Of course, you need to have good connections and powerful connections at higher levels! As for other things, we have dozens of casinos, both above ground and underground, in the mainland, Macau, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and other places—these are also great ways to make money fast!” Seeing Xie Wendong nodding while listening with a thoughtful expression, the old man smiled and said, “Actually, there are many other methods, such as investing, stock trading, real estate, and other legitimate businesses. In the underworld, you can also make money through assassinations, selling information, etc. Wendong, you’re smart. I’m just giving you a general idea; it’s up to you to decide what to do next. Don’t rush!”
Xie Wendong remained silent for a long time. The old man’s words introduced him to a whole new realm. He nodded in gratitude and said, “Elder, thank you for your words today. They might influence me for a lifetime. Actually, I’ve been thinking about giving up the underworld business, but now I realize there’s no need to completely abandon it. As you said, there’s good in evil, and evil in good. The best approach is to combine them!”
“Mm!” the old man praised, “Young people need courage to achieve great things, and they also need to be flexible. I think you have both of these qualities. You’ll definitely have a place in the world ahead. But don’t forget the Tai Chi I taught you, especially its principles. The poor change, and those who change succeed. Adapting to circumstances is key to progress!”
Xie Wendong nodded firmly.
Two maids came over and poured tea for the old man and Xie Wendong respectively. The latter thanked them politely. The old man liked this very much—the Hongmen valued etiquette! He picked up his tea and said, “Here, try some top-quality Longjing. I brought it from Xi’an!”
Xie Wendong rarely drank tea. Hearing the old man’s words, he took a sip. It was bitter and fragrant, with a slight sweetness when savored slowly. Even someone like Xie Wendong, who wasn’t good at tasting tea, thought to himself: Not bad, much better than Coke! He praised, “Elder, though I’m not good at tasting tea, I can tell it’s quite good, hehe!”
“Tasting tea requires a calm mind. Only with a clear mind can you appreciate the essence of the tea.” Seeing Xie Wendong’s confused expression, the old man said, “It’s related to your mindset. When you reach my age, you’ll understand this kind of mindset!”
“Oh!” Xie Wendong replied vaguely.

The old man changed the subject and said, “Wen Dong, the Soul Group poses a great threat to you. What are your plans? Do you intend to counterattack or stick to a defensive strategy?”
Xie Wen Dong’s eyes sparkled as he smiled and said, “Defense isn’t in my nature. Since I started my career, the Soul Group has been the biggest threat to me, and now it’s even a major concern that must be eliminated! I’m just thinking of a feasible method right now!”
The old man nodded. “A rigid defensive strategy only works in special circumstances. Remember, the attacking side holds the initiative, and whoever has the initiative in battle can gain the upper hand. Attacking is always the best defense, but one shouldn’t attack blindly. It’s still what I taught you: retreat when faced with strength, strike when they’re weak, and aim for their weak points to deliver a fatal blow!”
Xie Wen Dong fell silent after hearing this. The old man knew he was thinking and didn’t disturb him, quietly sipping his tea. After a long while, Xie Wen Dong suddenly raised his head and said, “I think I’ll use a strategy of retreating to advance—maybe it will yield unexpected results!”
The old man didn’t ask what specific method he had in mind and simply nodded. “You’re smart. Do what you think will work—don’t hesitate! Even if you fail, it will still be valuable experience for you in the future. What others teach you is ultimately different; only by trying it yourself can you gain your own experience!”
Xie Wen Dong stood up and bowed deeply. “Thank you for your guidance, old man. I might need your help again in the future!” Xie Wen Dong wasn’t stupid—how could he not make use of such a great support right in front of him?
The old man smiled. “I doubt I can be of much help. I’ve lived in City H for a long time, and there are still many matters at the headquarters waiting for me to handle. I’ll leave City H for City T in a while!”
Xie Wen Dong was greatly disappointed and just uttered an “Oh.”
The old man added, “Xiao Lei will stay by your side to protect you, which will put me at ease as well. Also, once the situation with the Soul Group settles down a bit, I hope you can come to City T to see the Hongmen for yourself. It’s beneficial for you—no harm, only good, hehe!”
Xie Wen Dong nodded in agreement. It would be great if Dongxin Lei could stay; having an extra helper was certainly a good thing.
At that moment, Jin Rong came back from school. Seeing Xie Wen Dong there, she was overjoyed and rushed over, asking, “Big brother, when did you arrive?”
“Hehe! Just now!” Every time he saw Jin Rong, he felt like a gentle breeze was blowing on him—her youthful energy was so strong that it could melt the ice in Xie Wen Dong’s heart.
“Have your wounds gotten any better? Make sure to take the medicine I gave you on time!”

Feeling Jin Rong’s sincere concern, Xie Wendong could only be moved in silence. He patted her head and joked, “As you wish, little girl!”
Jin Rong pouted and pulled away from Xie Wendong’s hand, dissatisfied. “I’m grown up now; I’m not a little girl anymore!”
“Okay! Let’s say I was wrong then!”
The old man stood by, laughing heartily, filling the room with a warm atmosphere.
Soon, the chef brought in the prepared meals. Seeing the array of delicious dishes, Xie Wendong’s appetite was whetted. Being with the old man and Jin Rong always gave him a sense of being at home. Jin Rong kept serving him dishes, recommending this one as delicious and that one as tasty, filling his bowl to the brim. The old man laughed and said, “Girls grow up too fast! They forget their grandpa as soon as they meet a handsome guy!”
Jin Rong’s face turned red as she coquettishly said, “But I’m a guest!”
“Haha!” “Hehe!” Seeing Jin Rong’s childlike behavior, both the old man and Xie Wendong laughed.
After dinner, the old man and Xie Wendong drank tea while chatting. “Old man, I’ve known you for so long, but I still don’t know your name!” Previously, when Xie Wendong learned Tai Chi from the old man, neither of them had asked for each other’s names. Even after meeting in City H, they hadn’t had the chance to talk in detail. Xie Wendong took this opportunity to find out.
The old man took a sip of tea and smiled. “My name is Jin Peng. When I first started my career, my friends in the martial arts world called me Golden Knife. Do you know why?”
Xie Wendong replied, “It must be because you’re an excellent knife user!”
“That’s part of it!” As he spoke, the old man’s wrist moved slightly, and a small, shiny dagger over five inches long appeared in his hand. The speed of the movement was so fast that even Xie Wendong, who was less than two feet away, couldn’t see how the dagger ended up in the old man’s hand. The old man played with the golden dagger, saying, “This knife is five inches and two inches long. Over the years, I’ve fought many heroes, and I don’t know how much blood it’s soaked in!” Looking at the Golden Knife, his eyes shone softly, as if he were seeing an old friend. He handed the knife to Xie Wendong and said, “But it’s not needed anymore. My friends in the martial arts world have also forgotten about the Golden Knife!”

Xie Wendong took it, feeling its weight in his hand. It seemed small like a dagger, but it was quite heavy and had a great feel to it. The blade was even sharper, making it dangerous to touch lightly. Xie Wendong thought to himself that it was a fine knife and realized that the old man’s nickname “Golden Knife” didn’t come from his surname but from this very knife. Upon closer inspection, he noticed a very thin silver thread at the end of the handle, which would be hard to spot without looking closely up close. The silver thread extended all the way to the old man’s wrist. Due to the sleeves covering it, Xie Wendong couldn’t see what connected to the thread. He asked in confusion, “Old man, what is this…?”