Chapter 62

The trip to the War Pavilion went smoothly. In the afternoon, there were hardly any guests in the first-class service area of the War Pavilion, so Zhang Tie played with the training equipment in the training area, which he had never seen at school, gradually restoring his strength. Several times, Zhang Tie wanted to test his current level on the equipment that measured physical indicators, to see how much of a gap there still was between him and Gries, but he held back. He didn't know if revealing his strength as a first-class warrior would make him too conspicuous and bring unexpected trouble, especially since he had killed someone last night and was already involved in a huge mess. At this time, it was better to be low-key. His father had once told him an Eastern proverb full of wisdom: "The protruding nail gets hammered down." Gries was the best negative example, and Zhang Tie didn't want to follow in his footsteps. Moreover, Zhang Tie felt he had too many secrets, and the more he could hide his strength, the better it would be for him!

God created the olive tree in ten thousand years, while a bean sprout completes its life cycle in a week.

"I want to be an olive tree," Zhang Tie said to himself.

Because he spent the entire afternoon at the War Pavilion, Zhang Tie actually managed to have a staff meal there in the evening. For a place like the Iron Thorns War Pavilion, even the ordinary staff meal was too sumptuous for Zhang Tie, better than what he had for lunch at school.

By accident, Zhang Tie discovered that his childhood humble dream of having meat for every meal was actually realized on the last day he left school. From morning to night, all three meals really had meat.

Could this be the legendary "those who survive great disasters will surely have good fortune"? Zhang Tie felt that his luck was turning.

After finishing the staff meal at the War Pavilion, Zhang Tie felt his strength had recovered a bit. After resting for over an hour, Benetta, that arrogant kid, finally came...

Although he was beaten, Zhang Tie, who had experienced the terror of life and death last night, found himself more calm when facing Benetta's attacks. The tension he used to feel was completely gone. Both his mind and body reacted more quickly and sensitively, and he felt more at ease in his movements. This mental advantage, to some extent, made up for the physical disadvantage of not being fully recovered, allowing Zhang Tie to hold out until the end without being knocked unconscious.

After another exhausting fight, both Zhang Tie, who had been used as a punching bag, and Benetta, who had been doing the punching, were so tired that they could only sit on the ground and catch their breath. Looking at Benetta's arrogant face, Zhang Tie couldn't help but feel a bit of admiration. Regardless of the kid's background and character, just his indomitable perseverance earned Zhang Tie some respect. Perhaps the upbringing of the rich wasn't as frivolous and arrogant as he had imagined. Those who could become rich in this era must have something extraordinary about them.

"You're not bad," Zhang Tie, drenched in sweat and completely wet, sincerely praised him. After several times, Zhang Tie had learned how to take off the damn headgear, and a strange sense of默契 (rapport) had developed between him and the arrogant kid.

"Don't think you can win me over with a few words!" Benetta, also drenched in sweat, sneered with an adult's demeanor, giving Zhang Tie a disdainful look. "Such a childish trick, I've been immune to it for a long time. To make Mary my woman one day, I will definitely step on you. You are just a stepping stone on my path, and your miserable end is already determined!"

Damn! Listening to these arrogant words, Zhang Tie instantly felt the urge to beat the kid up. Finally, Zhang Tie stood up, looked at the kid, and said, "I'm going to participate in the survival trial next Monday. You won't see me for two months. I hope your strength will be as sharp as your tongue after two months!"

"Don't you dare die! If you die, I won't be able to fulfill my promise with Mary!" the arrogant kid retorted immediately.

The two glared at each other fiercely and then parted ways. It wasn't until Zhang Tie left the training room that Benetta suddenly realized something. "Hey, how come this guy recovered faster than me!"

...

When Zhang Tie left the Iron Thorns War Pavilion, he didn't go home immediately but went to Tang De's grocery store at the train station. When Zhang Tie arrived, Tang De was about to close up. Seeing Zhang Tie, Tang De huffed and puffed, still holding a grudge over what happened yesterday.

Do old men care so much about this! Tang De's reaction made Zhang Tie secretly amused.

Zhang Tie didn't say anything but helped Tang De push the shop's door shut and helped him tidy up the store.

After they had closed the shop, Tang De, who had been frowning for a long time, was about to speak when Zhang Tie suddenly hugged him tightly, catching him off guard.

"Brat, what are you doing? Let go quickly, I'm not interested in men!" Tang De shouted.

Zhang Tie let go, looked at Tang De seriously, and said sincerely, "Thank you..."

If it weren't for the two things Tang De gave him yesterday, he might have already been dead. So Zhang Tie's gratitude was genuine and heartfelt.

"For what? You seemed to have a good time yesterday, how was the taste of a woman?" Tang De's face couldn't stay serious, but he still pretended to be cold.

Zhang Tie scratched his head awkwardly, "I'm still a virgin."

"You didn't go to a woman?" Tang De asked curiously, his cold facade instantly crumbling, revealing his gossipy nature.

"I went!" Zhang Tie answered honestly.

"I didn't do it!"

"I did it halfway!"

"Did it soften?"

"It was very hard, very hard!"

"Then why..."

Zhang Tie explained his problem in a low, embarrassed voice.

"Hahaha..." Tang De, the unscrupulous fat man, laughed so hard he almost rolled on the ground, his mood completely improved. After laughing for a long time, Tang De wiped his tears and patted Zhang Tie's shoulder, "Kid, how did I teach you? Never be too full of yourself. See, you got your comeuppance! If you had asked me for advice earlier, this problem could have been discovered earlier, and you wouldn't be a virgin when you go to the survival trial. If you die, that would be truly shameful!"

"I won't die that easily!" Zhang Tie said firmly, the confidence in his words making Tang De look at him more closely. "I came to say goodbye. I won't be able to come here for the next two months!"

Tang De smiled and waved his hand, "Actually, you don't need to come here anymore. After the survival trial, you will start a new life, and you will have many things to do. You have already learned everything I can teach you here. If you have time in the future, you can come here to chat with me!"

...

Leaving Tang De's grocery store, Zhang Tie walked home, suddenly feeling like he had grown up a lot. The small grocery store and the Seventh Middle School seemed to have disappeared from his life, and what he was about to face was the mysterious and unknown world behind the tall walls of Black Flame City...

Let's see what Hake and Sneider left for me!

Thinking of this, Zhang Tie quickened his pace and ran home...

When he got home, it was already late. As soon as he pushed open the door, Zhang Tie smelled the aroma of chicken soup.

Mom was probably still angry or didn't know what to say to Zhang Tie. When he came back, Mom was in the room, and only Dad was waiting for him, looking worried.

"The chicken soup is in the pot, eat quickly and go to bed!" Dad said stiffly and then disappeared.

The atmosphere at home seemed a bit cold, but Zhang Tie's heart was warm. He naturally knew that the chicken soup was for him.

The food was in the pot, and after drinking a small bowl of chicken soup and washing up, Zhang Tie returned to his small room.

As soon as he returned to his small room, Zhang Tie didn't waste a second and went directly to the Black Iron Castle.

—Welcome, noble and handsome lord, to the Black Iron Castle!

The familiar words slowly faded away, disappearing from Zhang Tie's sight. Zhang Tie took a deep breath and walked to the two bodies he had brought in last night. He hadn't seriously examined them yet. Only a day had passed, and the bodies hadn't deteriorated, which made Zhang Tie feel relieved.

First, he went to Sneider's body and pulled out the dagger still stuck in him. Last night, he had been worried that pulling out the dagger would cause blood to spill everywhere, making it hard to clean up. After a day, a dead body wouldn't spurt any more blood.

Sneider and Hake's faces were somewhat black, but not too scary. The strong rat poison had acted too quickly, instantly killing the life in their bodies before they could show any signs of distress.

Hake's eyes were closed, but Sneider's eyes were still open, as if he couldn't rest in peace, with too many things he couldn't understand.

"It was you who wanted my life first, so don't blame me now. I just want to live..." Zhang Tie, feeling a bit uneasy, silently prayed and then began to search the bodies, starting with Sneider. Zhang Tie remembered that this guy had a money bag with a lot of gold coins. The image of Sneider's money bag had been in his mind since he had seen it last night.