Chapter 75

Compared to the attention Zhang Tie was attracting at this moment, the Gries quartet was also drawing attention, but their attention was at the opposite extreme—Zhang Tie was a freshly minted miserable miner, while they were victorious warriors returning with spoils. Shalon held three wolf skins, Garnier and Zahir carried a forty-kilogram argali, and Gries stood with his arms crossed, looking haughty. The four of them immediately blocked Zhang Tie’s path.

"Why are you so down and out? On the third day here, you already have to work as a miner. Do you want us to share some meat with you? After all, we are schoolmates. We’ve been eating wolf meat for two days and have thrown away a lot. If we had known you were so down and out, we could have saved some for you!" Shalon said, waving the wolf skins in a show of bravado.

"Right, we’re having argali for dinner tonight. If you can kneel down and apologize to Boss Gries right now, maybe we’ll leave you some broth..." Zahir said with a sinister smile.

Looking at these fools, Zhang Tie was speechless. Were their heads filled with manure? A Level 2 Warrior and a few lackeys were being so arrogant in front of him. After taking out Snider and Hack, even Zhang Tie himself hadn’t noticed that his heart had changed, becoming stronger. Before eating the first Perfect Fruit, Zhang Tie had the courage to face several people, so why not now?

"Are your skins itching again?" Zhang Tie’s words froze the smirks on the faces of the four Gries members. His words were like a sharp dagger, instantly exposing their scars.

"**..." Shalon’s face twisted as he was about to step forward, but Zhang Tie’s spear thrust forward, the sharp tip immediately pressing against Shalon’s throat. The cold spearhead against Shalon’s chin silenced him, his face changing drastically as cold sweat poured down. He stood there, frozen like a statue, unable to move.

The Gries group hadn’t expected Zhang Tie to move so quickly. Just a moment ago, Zhang Tie’s spear was straight in his hand, but in the blink of an eye, it slid, retracted, and thrust forward in a fluid motion, the tip already at Shalon’s chin before anyone could react. Zhang Tie’s movements were too fast, too fierce, and too precise, instantly intimidating the four of them. At the moment Zhang Tie thrust his spear, a cold and ruthless aura seemed to flash around him, making the other three feel as if the spear was about to pierce Shalon’s neck completely, sending chills down their spines. How could this guy be so ruthless? They had never seen this side of him at school.

As the remaining three changed their expressions and Gries was about to draw his weapon, Zhang Tie’s spear suddenly retracted, as if it had never been thrust. Zhang Tie stepped forward, roughly pushing the still-shaken Shalon aside, and walked away.

After taking about seven or eight steps, Zhang Tie was still savoring the feeling of his spear thrust and the heightened sensitivity of his hearing. But he heard the quick footsteps of the Gries group following him, unwilling to let him go. Zhang Tie cursed inwardly, realizing he needed to teach these bastards a lesson. Tang De was right; when it came to these bastards, you had to crush them whenever you had the chance.

"**..." Zhang Tie’s angry roar, full of sorrow and indignation, echoed like thunder. It not only stopped the Gries group in their tracks but also drew the attention of many people in the square, who turned to see what was happening. For a moment, everyone in the square, men and women, turned to look, and the square fell silent. The Gries group had already attracted some attention when they blocked Zhang Tie at the castle gate, and Zhang Tie’s shout drew everyone’s gaze.

"Don’t follow me anymore, don’t harass me. I like women, not men. Even if you four bastards strip naked and kneel in front of me, I have no interest in your stinky butts. I’ll say it again, I like women..." Zhang Tie continued to shout indignantly, "To get rid of you, I’ve stopped hunting and am going to work as a miner. Are you still going to harass me? Do you still want to use your stinky meat to lure me? I’ll say it again, I’m a man, I like women, and I have no interest in your dirty games, where you pretend to be men in public but play disgusting games in private. Keep your wolf skins, which you use for your dirty deeds, away from me. If you dare to follow me, don’t blame me for using my spear to blast your buttholes and make you thoroughly satisfied!"

Zhang Tie’s words were fast and urgent, but the information was too much, too shocking, and too explosive. After a few seconds of silence, the small square erupted like a bomb, with everyone’s gossiping flames burning fiercely. In an instant, hundreds of people, men and women, surrounded the scene. Everyone’s eyes swept over Zhang Tie and then focused on the Gries group, then on the argali carried by Garnier and Zahir, and finally on the wolf skins in Shalon’s hand. The scene clearly showed that these people were chasing the boy who was about to go mining. Seeing the wolf skins, a few people in the crowd bent over and started to vomit.

The Gries group, hearing Zhang Tie’s words, felt a surge of blood rush to their heads, and they were speechless, unable to come up with a strong response...

"You... you... **, don’t talk nonsense!" Zahir angrily pointed at Zhang Tie, his mind in chaos as he saw the strange looks from the crowd. He could only weakly protest.

The crowd began to whisper and murmur.

"Yes, I’m a **. As long as you don’t harass me anymore, I’ll do anything..." Zhang Tie sighed tragically, "You can’t force such things. I like women, Zahir..." Zhang Tie gestured around, "These beautiful, big-breasted, and curvy girls, they are my treasures. I yearn for a passionate and beautiful love with a woman. If you all swear in public never to harass me again and to avoid me, I’ll explain to everyone that what I said was nonsense, and you can continue your dirty games on the wolf skins..."

More people in the crowd started to vomit. Many eyes focused on Shalon, who felt the wolf skins in his hand become as hot as burning iron. The horrified looks from the girls, who covered their mouths, made Shalon shudder. It was over; he would never get a girl in this trial.

"You disgusting bastards, you’ve forced him to work as a miner, and you’re still harassing him. Get lost, don’t defile Wild Wolf Castle..." Someone in the crowd shouted, and the crowd quickly joined in, drowning the Gries group in a sea of insults.

"Yes, it’s too shameless. There are such boys..."

"You don’t know, some boys in the school are very troubled during puberty. Those with less self-control might do some strange things..."

"Too disgusting... I can’t help but feel sick when I see those wolf skins!"

"I heard and saw it all. When this boy was about to go mining, these guys ambushed him at the castle gate, trying to lure him with meat to make him submit. But the boy ignored them, pushed the one with the wolf skins aside, and tried to leave. They still chased after him..." Another voice in the crowd added, filling in the details.

"I can also testify. These four bastards are from our Seventh Boys’ School. Everyone can testify that since their bodies started developing, they formed a small group that no one could join, and they were always together, never leaving each other. Do normal boys act like that? I was always puzzled, but now I understand..." This was a crucial statement, and even Zhang Tie couldn’t help but give a thumbs up. The speaker was a hidden talent, especially with the use of "body development," "always together," and "a group that no one could join." It was too good, too real, and too thought-provoking.

"Yes, yes, that’s right. I’m from Seventh Boys’ School, and I can also testify..."

The Seventh Boys’ School students joined in, adding to the humiliation of the Gries group.

It was too despicable, too shameless, and too disgusting. This was the biggest scandal of the survival trial. Some people in the crowd, who had exchanged wild vegetables and fruits, couldn’t resist throwing their produce at the Gries group...

"Get lost!"

...

"Get lost!"

...

"Get lost!"

The crowd was filled with shouts of disgust and hatred, from both men and women.

Gries still couldn’t understand what had happened. He had come to the castle and square to show off and attract some girls, but then he met Zhang Tie and decided to teach him a lesson, to humiliate him. But now, he was the one being humiliated. After being hit by two unknown wild fruits, seeing Zhang Tie’s feigned sorrow, and feeling the new and old grudges surge in his mind, Gries’s head felt like it was boiling with lava.

With a "clang," Gries drew his sword, and the crowd’s shouts instantly stopped. Everyone stepped back in fear.

Seeing Gries draw his sword in such a public setting, Zahir’s face changed, and he tried to stop him, but it was too late. Gries, with red eyes, stared at Zhang Tie and swung his sword, shouting, "I’ll kill you..."

The crowd of girls let out a chorus of screams...

Zhang Tie tightly gripped his spear, adopting a defensive stance, but he wasn’t very nervous. As the crowd gathered and started to make noise, he saw a figure standing in the crowd.

Gries was fast, but the figure was faster. As Gries lunged forward, there was a "bang," and he was sent flying back, landing dazed on the ground. Before he could stand up, a cold voice rang in his ear.

"Drawing a sword and attacking another trial participant in a public place, according to the wartime laws of this trial, can be punishable by death..." The cold figure said, making Gries and his group’s faces turn pale.

"Teacher..." Zahir tried to say something, but the cold figure raised a hand and sternly said, "Shut up!" "But considering this is your first offense and you haven’t caused any harm, and that it’s not easy to advance to Level 2 Warrior before the trial, I will punish you by not allowing you to approach Wild Wolf Castle within ten kilometers for a month. Now, before I change my mind, take your things and get lost!"

The cold figure waved a hand, and the sword he had taken from Gries in a single move flew back and reinserted itself into Gries’s scabbard with a "clang."

Seeing the sword fly back, Gries’s heart almost stopped. He thought of the spotted leopard that Captain Collin had pinned to the ground with a spear. Only when the sword landed in the scabbard, not in his body, did Gries’s heart start beating again, and he was drenched in cold sweat. Knowing his actions were rash, Gries didn’t dare to say anything, just giving Zhang Tie a venomous look before leaving the square with Shalon and the others, amid strange looks and jeers.

Zhang Tie knew that from now on, he and Gries were mortal enemies. But he wasn’t worried because time was on his side...

Only now did some of the girls in the crowd come to greet the cold figure.

"Teacher Qili..."

The crowd dispersed, and Zhang Tie tried to slip away in the crowd, but his mining basket was too conspicuous. As soon as he moved, he was noticed.

"As for you..." Hearing the cold voice, Zhang Tie froze, turned around, and forced a harmless smile. Unfortunately, his smile didn’t earn him any warmth, only a slightly disgusted look from Qili, who looked at him like a drooling toad. "As for you, you shameless pervert, you’re not a good person either. If you dare to be alone with any girl for more than three minutes during this trial, I’ll cut off your hands!"

Hearing this punishment, Zhang Tie was stunned, unable to believe that this woman, Qili, was making him a celibate during the trial, not allowing him to be alone with any girl. Who had he offended? Was this punishment even normal? Damn...

...

The crowd dispersed, and Zhang Tie, feeling depressed with an unexpected punishment, was about to leave the square. This confrontation with Gries had been a Pyrrhic victory, and Zhang Tie didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

As he walked, Zhang Tie felt his head bump into something soft and elastic. Looking up, he saw a beautiful girl protecting her ample chest with both hands. Seeing her chest, Zhang Tie thought only one thing: "Wow, so big!"

The girl’s face was as red as her hair, and her familiar, pretty face was frowning at him.

Before Zhang Tie could say sorry, the girl spoke first.

"So what if I have a big chest and a curvy butt? Who is your treasure? I know, you’ve had your eye on me for a long time, haven’t you? You haven’t forgotten me, and you’ve been thinking about me. These past few days, you must have done countless terrible and disgusting things to me in your mind. I warn you, don’t do those disgusting things in your mind anymore, and don’t think about me, you pervert who deserves to be remembered by those sick freaks!" The girl said in a rapid-fire manner, then kicked Zhang Tie’s shin with her pointed deer-skin boot and ran away.

Is she talking to me? She can’t be talking to me!

Zhang Tie stood there, stunned, looking around, but there was no one else. Remembering the unreasonable kick and the sharp pain in his shin, Zhang Tie let out a loud, anguished scream and hopped around, holding his foot.

---

The crowd dispersed, and Zhang Tie, feeling depressed with an unexpected punishment, was about to leave the square. This confrontation with Gries had been a Pyrrhic victory, and Zhang Tie didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.