Chapter 42

"Kid, what's wrong, why do you look so bad?" After two groups of customers left, Zhang Tie was counting the day's earnings on his abacus. Because there were many customers, Tang De didn't lie down on his chair but stayed behind the counter to serve them.

After finishing the accounts for the past two days, Zhang Tie closed the ledger and put down his pen. Tang De immediately came over and asked a question.

Damn, is reading people's expressions a natural talent for all fat people? Thinking about the fat bully Barry at school and the grocery store owner in front of him, Zhang Tie couldn't help but suspect this.

Zhang Tie smiled helplessly and recounted what happened at school today. After telling the story, he really felt better.

"Heh... heh..." The grocery store owner laughed unscrupulously, giving Zhang Tie a thumbs up, "I didn't think you had such a hard backbone. Do you regret it now?"

"Go to hell, what are they, a few plates? I can wash plates for my friends, even for beggars on the street, but I just don't care about them. Are they going to bite my bird?" Zhang Tie was very familiar with Tang De and didn't mind venting his emotions in front of this fat man. "By the way, have you ever encountered such a damn thing before..." After venting, Zhang Tie didn't forget to ask this fat man for advice. After working in the grocery store for so long, this fat man sometimes felt like half a mentor to Zhang Tie, teaching him a lot. Not to mention, Tang De's life experience was much richer than his own.

"Anyone can experience such things, because there are too many self-righteous bastards in this world. Even if you sit there properly, someone might still look at you unfavorably and want to stomp on your face to feel good. When you encounter such bastards, you should hit them hard. Do you know where you went wrong today?" Tang De asked Zhang Tie.

"Where did I go wrong?"

"Since you decided to stand against them, you shouldn't have been soft in the afternoon. You should have hit them hard, using every means to deal with them. Young man, you have guts, but you are too soft and indecisive."

Zhang Tie's eyes widened. He had offended Gris and the others so much, but in Tang De's eyes, he was still too soft and indecisive.

"Since you're already going to make enemies, what's the difference between slapping them once and slapping them ten times?" Tang De criticized Zhang Tie mercilessly. "Do you still think those bastards will be grateful to you because you only slapped them once instead of ten? If I were you, I would secretly throw their plates into the toilet and frame them, then deny it, instead of just walking away like you did. What do you think the one-eyed dragon at your school would do when he finds out the plates were thrown into the toilet? What kind of punishment would the school rules impose? The plates were lost by them, not by you, so why are you afraid?"

Zhang Tie was speechless. If he really did that, he thought, the school rules about "intentional theft and loss of public property" and "damaging the school's reputation" could be used to frame Gris and the others. Even if they couldn't be framed, the one-eyed dragon might beat Gris and the others so badly that they couldn't get out of bed for days. Why didn't he think of that at the time? Was he really too kind?

"That's your first mistake. Do you know what your second mistake was?" Tang De said, frustrated with Zhang Tie's lack of insight.

Another one? Zhang Tie looked at Tang De innocently.

"Since those guys were knocked out and injured, their overall strength must have been greatly reduced. At this time, you should have gathered a few good brothers or directly incited some people in your grade who are dissatisfied with Gris's behavior to take advantage of their numbers and attack them while they were weak. You should have ambushed them on their way home after school, armed and ready, and beat them up so badly that they would avoid you in the future or lose the ability to retaliate. Even if you beat one of them to death or crippled them, since it's a group event involving students, you haven't graduated yet, and you are still minors, and they were the ones who started it by bullying others in school, the responsibility wouldn't fall on you alone. The law doesn't punish the masses, and everyone would help you. What are you afraid of?"

Zhang Tie was speechless. Facing Tang De, he felt as pure as a white rabbit, while the grocery store owner's气势 (momentum) grew stronger, almost poking Zhang Tie's forehead with his finger. Tang De, getting excited, splattered Zhang Tie's face with saliva. "Do you know what your third and most unforgivable mistake was? You left the Airplane Brotherhood without saying a word or giving any reason. Are you an idiot? You have so many brothers and don't know how to use them. You act like a hero and show off, and when you encounter danger, you cut off your own support. Even a pig is a hundred times smarter than you. What you should have done was tell them the reason for your conflict with those bastards today and get them to help you beat those bastards after school. If they were too scared to help, it would be their fault, and they would feel guilty and wouldn't dare to challenge you again. But now, by leaving without a word, you've made it seem like you're the one who wronged them. If they don't know the reason, they might even despise you or become your enemies..." Tang De, unable to contain his excitement, poked Zhang Tie's forehead hard. "Is your brain fried by those boring knight novels, or did it get stuck in a door? How can you not understand such a simple thing? You've wasted so many years eating rice for nothing."

Listening to Tang De's analysis, Zhang Tie wished he could stick his head between his legs. At the time, he thought he was great and brave, but after hearing Tang De, he felt like a complete idiot. If he had followed Tang De's three points, Zhang Tie thought, he would now be outside the school with a group of students who were dissatisfied with Gris, armed with sticks, and they would have ambushed and beaten Gris and the others, who were weakened by Captain Collin's beating, until they begged for mercy. It might even have been possible to completely cripple those bastards in one go, solving his problem and putting an end to Gris's arrogance in school. It might even have strengthened the Airplane Brotherhood, attracting more people and creating a small power base. Why didn't he think of that? Why didn't he have Tang De's insight?

Wiping the saliva off his face, Zhang Tie looked at Tang De, who was glaring at him with anger and contempt, and scratched his head nervously. "What do you think I should do now?"

"What can you do? The best opportunity is gone. What can you do now? Tomorrow, go to school and explain the conflict with Gris and the others and the reason for your departure to the members of the Airplane Brotherhood. Even if you can't rejoin, at least gain their understanding and eliminate this potential threat. The rest depends on your luck and ability. Just remember one thing: never assume your opponents and enemies are as kind and law-abiding as you. The most terrifying thing in this world is the human heart. More people have died at the hands of their own kind than at the hands of other races. The human heart is the most terrifying. Be careful. If you can't beat Gris, don't fight a losing battle. If you have more friends, use them to overwhelm him. If you have power, use it to crush him. If you have more money, use it to buy him off. If you are smarter, use your intelligence to outmaneuver him. If you are patient, find an opportunity to ambush and kill him. If you are shameless, use shameless tactics to defeat him, like kneeling to apologize, letting him punish you, joining them, and gaining his trust, then attacking him when the time is right. Ask yourself where you excel over him and use that to defeat him. If you are inferior in every way, then you can only stay far away. This is the rule of the game in this world. Got it, kid?" Tang De, who rarely had the chance to teach, spoke non-stop like the steam-powered crossbows on the walls of Black Flame City, only stopping when he had thoroughly criticized Zhang Tie.

Zhang Tie, who seemed to be meeting this cunning grocery store owner for the first time, stared at Tang De's old face for a long time, almost making the fat man angry, before nodding forcefully and saying shyly, "I think I understand a little!"

"Think about it carefully. In the Eastern Continent, what I just said are the core principles of the Thick Black Law, a secret technique passed down by the Hua Clan to deal with bastards and shameless people," Tang De said with a wink, which greatly reduced the credibility of his words.

Thick Black Law? It seems to be just about having a thick face and a black heart. Is this a secret technique? Zhang Tie seriously doubted Tang De's claim, but despite his doubts, he felt that Tang De's words made a lot of sense. Whatever happens, he would deal with it as it comes. It's not a big deal to get beaten up a few times by those guys.

Thinking about the first ripe No-Leak Fruit tonight, Zhang Tie's heart grew hot...

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There's another chapter tonight, thanks for your support!

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