Chapter 76

"Madwoman, stinky woman, are you crazy or just a pervert? Who the hell knows you? Who the hell thinks about you all day? You better not let me see you again, or I’ll tie you up and take turns with you a hundred times, damn it..."

Zhang Tie limped down the road, the long spear in his hand now serving as a crutch. Thinking about the woman’s sudden and foul-mouthed scolding, and the final vicious kick, Zhang Tie felt truly aggrieved and couldn’t help but curse loudly. The girls at the all-girls school were not all weaklings; like the boys, the girls also learned some combat and fighting techniques. Many of these techniques were highly targeted, and it was clear they were aimed at men. From the sudden and vicious kick, Zhang Tie could tell that the red-haired, big-breasted woman had a powerful and fast kick, and her choice of attack point was both cunning and accurate, as if she practiced this move frequently.

After framing a few of Gris’s people, Zhang Tie was quickly framed himself. Could this be karma, that those who frame others will always be framed in return? Zhang Tie felt a slight chill and a sense of awe. In the past, Zhang Tie had no firm beliefs and was a half-hearted atheist. However, since obtaining the Black Iron Castle, his atheistic views were slowly crumbling. Whether it was the small tree or the space, in Zhang Tie’s view, they had already exceeded the realm of human capability. Apart from a god, Zhang Tie couldn’t think of anyone else who could achieve all of that. And what is a god? Is there really a deity controlling everything in the universe, turning the magical wheel of fate?

The conflict with Gris and his gang had escalated to this point, which was somewhat unexpected for Zhang Tie. To be honest, when Zhang Tie turned around in the square and cursed Gris and his gang, he still had a bit of a prankster’s mindset. However, the result of this prank was not a joke for Gris and his gang but a cruel reality. At this point, Zhang Tie truly understood Tang De’s saying, "A soft tongue can break hard bones." Words are indeed a sharp blade that can kill without drawing blood.

After leaving the Wild Wolf Castle, Zhang Tie went to the nearest iron mine cave. Even in broad daylight, it was impossible to see anything after going a few dozen meters into the cave. Zhang Tie had to turn back, realizing he would need a torch to mine.

His calf, which had been kicked viciously by the woman, was bruised and made walking difficult. Without any lighting tools, Zhang Tie had to turn back and circle around the edge of the pine forest in the Wild Wolf Valley, hoping to find a piece of resinous wood or collect some pine resin to make a torch. The pine forest could be dangerous, and with his limited mobility, Zhang Tie didn’t dare to venture too deep alone.

The so-called resinous wood is the part of the pine tree trunk that has been soaked in resin for a long time, making it highly flammable. It can be ignited easily without drying and burns for a long time without easily going out, making it the best natural torch in the wild.

The Wild Wolf Valley was filled with large wild pine forests, with trees that required three to five people to encircle them. When Zhang Tie arrived at the pine forest, there were already many people at the edge, both boys and girls. The pine forest was rich in treasures: pine resin had many uses, pine cones could be eaten, and the forest floor was covered with wild vegetables. The decaying pine needles on the ground were a natural bed for various delicious edible mushrooms and wild mushrooms. From May to August, during the rainy season, these things grew abundantly. After a rain, the forest could look completely different the next day. Some fresh pine branches could be boiled and eaten, and if one wasn’t too picky, the pine forest in the Wild Wolf Valley could sustain many people.

The girls were happily collecting pine resin and pine cones, picking wild vegetables and mushrooms, while the boys were working hard, especially those who noticed girls watching them. They were chopping down pine trees with axes, which were good materials for making charcoal.

"Brother, can you come and help me?"

Seeing Zhang Tie wandering around the pine forest with a conspicuous mining basket, a boy chopping a tree called out to him.

"What do you need help with?" Zhang Tie limped over.

"Brother, are you going to mine? Are you here in the pine forest to find resinous wood for a torch?"

Surprised by the boy’s perceptiveness, Zhang Tie nodded.

"Great, I think this pine tree has a lot of resinous wood. Help me cut it down, and we’ll split it into three sections. All the resinous wood and resin on this tree will be yours, and you can have half of the pine cones too. How about it?"

Zhang Tie looked at the thick trunk of the pine tree, which had many areas with resin. There was likely a lot of resinous wood inside, and even if he couldn’t find any wood, the resin on the tree would be enough to make several torches.

"Sure!" Zhang Tie put down his mining basket and started chopping the tree with the boy. Wood, who had been chopping for a while, handed the axe to Zhang Tie and sat down to rest, chatting with him.

"My name is Wood. What’s yours?"

"I’m Zhang Tie. Are you from the second high school?"

"Yeah, what happened to your leg?"

"I was kicked by a crazy woman!" Zhang Tie replied gloomily, swinging the axe.

"Ha... Ha... Brother, you can’t force women. My mom says men have to pretend to be gentlemen in front of women. Even if you want to strip them and throw them on the bed, you mustn’t show it. Instead, you should act polite and ask if they want to rest. Also, if you want to attract women, being a miner won’t work. No woman wants her man to be a miner!"

Wood was an interesting guy, Zhang Tie thought, but he retorted, "So, are there women who want their men to be charcoal burners?"

"Exactly, my wife told me to burn charcoal. She said I shouldn’t draw too much attention in this trial and should pay attention to my safety. After thinking about it, burning charcoal seemed the best choice..." Wood answered proudly.

"You already have a wife?" Zhang Tie looked at Wood in surprise.

"Of course. We grew up together since childhood. Two years ago, one day when we were playing outside, I asked her if she wanted to rest, and then I made her mine. She goes to another school, and as soon as this trial is over, we’ll get engaged! Brother, you should learn from me..."

Wood’s words hit Zhang Tie hard. He realized his luck with women had been poor lately. After leaving school, he rarely saw Teacher Daina. His first sexual experience required a circumcision. On the third day here, he was forbidden by a woman named Qili from interacting with girls, and then he was kicked viciously by a crazy woman. Damn, some people just have it better. This guy Wood had been enjoying women for two years, while Zhang Tie hadn’t even touched a girl.

Feeling defeated, Zhang Tie stopped talking and swung the axe with a vengeance, treating the tree like an enemy. Zhang Tie’s strength surprised Wood. After about ten minutes of relentless chopping, the tree creaked and slowly tilted, finally crashing to the ground with a loud thud.

The noise attracted three girls carrying baskets and bags. One of them was a blonde beauty, and the other two were also quite attractive, the kind of girls who made you feel good just by looking at them.

"Excuse us, can we have the pine cones from this tree?" The girl speaking had long blonde hair, a tall and slender figure, skin as white as milk, a voice as sweet as a nightingale, and a smile as warm as the sun. She was a perfect beauty.

Seeing such a beauty, Wood blushed and then stood up straight, acting like a gentleman. "No problem, but the other half of the pine cones belong to him. If you want the other half, you’ll need his permission," Wood pointed to Zhang Tie, who was leaning on the axe and panting.

The blonde beauty smiled and looked at Zhang Tie. Zhang Tie, who was in a terrible mood, thought about the bizarre punishment he had just received and felt even worse. Beauty, what good is beauty to me now? I can’t eat it or touch it, and it might kick me again.

Zhang Tie bluntly refused, "No, I’m taking all the pine cones. Not a single one for you!"

The blonde beauty’s sunny smile froze, and her face turned cold. The other girls stared at Zhang Tie in shock. They had never encountered such an uncouth and rude person. Wood also looked at Zhang Tie in surprise, unsure if he was under some kind of stress. Ignoring their stares, Zhang Tie picked up his mining basket and started picking pine cones.

Seeing Zhang Tie start, the other girls, not to be outdone, looked at each other and ran over, competing with Zhang Tie to see who could pick faster...