Chapter 106: Being A Bestseller
Translator: WQL Editor: Geoffrey
When the six members of the Hit-Plane Brotherhood arrived at Wild Wolf Castle, It was already completely dark, and the square with the bonfires was becoming increasingly boisterous. Looking from a distance, the red flames from the bonfires in the square looked like bundles of flower blossoms that attracted crazy bees and romantic butterflies to fly over. In addition to that, the music played on the accordions, and over time, the aroma of the roasted meat drifted far away along with the cheers of the horny students. The pleasant atmosphere could even be felt by the other people at the foot of the mountain.
The moment they paced up to ascend the mountain, they heard the exclamations and whistles of the animals who were sitting around two girls with masks on their faces who were performing a belly dance, which had many chaotic movements as they twisted their waists and bellies.
"After the party, we will meet up here before heading back to the tree base together. Brothers, seducing girls is a personal fight. I will go first, good luck!" After saying this with an obscene smile, Hista spat out the two tea leaves that were brought by Barley and immediately drilled into the crowd before disappearing.
Barley and the other members also cleansed their mouths before spitting out the tea leaves used to refresh their mouths. After exchanging glances, they said "good luck" to each other before drilling into the crowd and disappearing, leaving Zhang Tie standing on the ground alone, confused as to where to go.
Zhang Tie was not aware that what had happened to him at noon today, especially his fight with the bodyguard of the Samira Business Group, which was even described as marvelous, had caused his name to be well known among the girls in Wild Wolf Castle. They all knew how he forced back a LV 3 bodyguard of the Samira Business Group within a round and had used the "Hidden Blade Move" to deter the people who tried to set him up. Winning the fight using his intelligence and verbal prowess, he finally revealed Samira's status as a "mole of the empire". He was able to beat Samira, who had intended to frame him and put him in a hellish state, in such a short period of time. Such a reversal did not only shock the onlooking students but also the teachers of the Temporary Supervision Committee. How could such a talented person just be silently digging in the mines before? Wasn't that strange? Well, there was no need to be curious about that, as it was a profound mysterious cultivation method of the Chinese clan in the Oriental Continent...
When some of the gossipy students asked about that amazing, black-haired miner, they realized that he was exactly the Zhang Tie who was known everywhere in Wild Wolf Castle since a few days ago for his heroic feat of killing three wild wolves before jumping into a 200-m deep cave in order to survive. Realizing this, they felt that Zhang Tie was even more mysterious.
Powerful and mysterious were how many girls felt about Zhang Tie when they heard this name.
As there were only a few Chinese students attending this survival training, the moment Zhang Tie appeared in the square of Wild Wolf Castle, he was instantly recognized by many people who paid attention to him. Unexpectedly, Zhang Tie was also handsome and robust, which had caused many girls who were stealthily paying attention to him to become exceptionally spirited at the sight of this key person. In truth, Zhang Tie's figure and his personalities definitely made him attractive in the eyes of others.
Standing in pace, Zhang Tie swallowed his saliva as he stealthily glanced at the two hot girls beside him. Out of his expectation, a beauty had suddenly appeared in front him.
Almost as tall as Zhang Tie, that beauty had amber-colored hair, white skin, and a delicate face. She was wearing an elegant longuette while her two plump breasts were exposed from her V-shaped collar.
Wow, so huge!
Zhang Tie exclaimed inwardly. Regardless of sex, white people had the advantage over Chinese people when it came to physical development. Taking this beauty as an example, although she looked no more than 16 years old, her hot figure could even match those Chinese women in their thirties. She was the perfect example of a woman with an angel's face and a terrific figure.
Seeing the beauty gazing at him with a big smile, Zhang Tie looked left and right before ascertaining she was here for him.
"Hello, I'm Alice, can I invite you to be my playmate in this bonfire party?"
'Being invited by a beauty to be her playmate? Oh my god!' Zhang Tie exclaimed inwardly. 'Is today April Fool's Day? Or I am just lucky enough to encounter beauties?'
"Are… are you talking to me?" As it had only been a single day, Zhang Tie had not fully completed his transition from a poor adolescent to the focus of the girls, thus hearing the beauty's invitation, Zhang Tie became unconfident as he pointed at his own nose and asked the girl.
"Of course, do you think I am talking to someone else?" Alice winked.
A man, at such a moment and on such an occasion, unless there was something wrong with his mind, would never refuse the invitation of enchanting girls like Alice.
Having satisfied his vanity, Zhang Tie recovered his composure as he forced a smile. "I'm Zhang Tie, it's my pleasure to be your playmate!"
Hearing Zhang Tie's words, Alice also showed a smile as she seized Zhang Tie's arm and hugged it between her breasts. While she did this, Alice looked proud as she glanced over the onlooking girls who had been focusing on Zhang Tie, sending them a special signal—he's mine! This method of showing off was perhaps something that only girls could understand.
At this moment, Zhang Tie's left hand was being hugged by Alice while his arm was tightly glued to Alice's plump breasts and was sandwiched between them. Although Alice did not see this as something serious, Zhang Tie's face immediately blushed. That sensation transmitted from his arm to his brain made him exceptionally excited and Tie felt his d*ck instantly pop up like a beast capturing a prey. Zhang Tie immediately foisted his right hand into a pocket of his trousers before firmly pressing down on that thing.
"What's wrong with you?" Unknown whether or not she had noticed Zhang Tie's abnormal movement, Alice innocently asked Zhang Tie as she silently rubbed Zhang Tie's arm onto her breasts a couple of times.
Feeling the mischievousness and craftiness hidden in Alice's naive face and her innocent tone, Zhang Tie immediately converted his embarrassment into a braveness that even surprised himself. Pretending to be ferociously staring at Alice, he kissed her under her surprised look. Moving his mouth to Alice's ear, he whispered, "Earlier, I realized that thing was not tamed, so I just made it tamed!"
"How are you so bold? You want to kiss me, but you don't ask whether I'm willing?" Alice, with wide opened eyes, looked at Zhang Tie in amazement.
"Well, if you felt that you suffered a loss, you can kiss me as compensation. Then, we will be even!" Zhang Tie shamelessly said.
"You bastard!" Alice smiled again as she tightly hugged Zhang Tie's arm.
Zhang Tie slightly heaved a sigh inwardly.
After kissing Alice, Zhang Tie was also worried about what would happen next. He also felt that he was too bold just now, but then he remembered what his elder brother had told him. In fact, women really hated those gentlemen who dared not to be aggressive to them. If you bravely kissed a girl and she didn't slap you, then it meant that she had not lost interest in you; at the very least, she did not lose interest in you because of this kiss. You then have to stand the upcoming test. The biggest loser was those who instantly apologized after kissing a girl. Many girls didn't plan to slap you after being kissed; however, after you apologized, you might be slapped by them, and they would even add you into a list of bastards and would never form a good opinion of you—girls were born to wait for a man with a whip to conquer them!
Zhang Tie thought he was really lucky enough to meet such a beauty tonight, but never would he expected that this was not his only luck tonight. After walking a few steps forward with Alice, another beauty appeared in front of them. This was a blonde beauty who wore a skintight red mini-vest, which caused her huge breasts to almost burst out, skintight trousers, and a pair of boots. She was as hot as Alice, and in a single sentence, she was really pleasant to Zhang Tie's eyes.
With eyes fixed on Zhang Tie and a sweet and confident smile, that beauty directly walked towards Zhang Tie and Alice. When that beauty walked towards them, Zhang Tie felt Alice's tension and her hostility towards this women.
"Hello, I'm Beverly. Could I invite you to be my playmate tonight?" that beauty directly and boldly said to Zhang Tie.
After receiving the same invitation from the two beauties, Zhang Tie felt as if his popularity was skyrocketing.
"Sorry, I have already promised Alice to be her playmate tonight!"
Hearing Zhang Tie's explanation, Alice made a sweet smile and directly kissed Zhang Tie before glaring at Beverly.
The smile on Beverly's face remained unchanged. "Would you mind changing your playmate by choosing me?"
After a stealthy glance at this blonde girl's breasts and Alice, who was looking at him with a sweet smile, Zhang Tie replied, "Hmm… I.. I do mind!"
"Do you mind having one more playmate?" Beverly proudly stood straight, causing her frame to be even more pronounced. "I think that as a gentleman, you should not refuse the invitation from a beauty like me for consecutive three times at a party!"
"Then, fine!" Zhang Tie had long been extremely excited inside. Who would refuse the invitation from a beauty like Beverly if there was nothing wrong with his mind? They were just playmates at a night party, the more the better.
When Beverly walked beside Zhang Tie and hugged his other arm, putting it between her breasts, Zhang Tie really felt a bit dazzled while his d*ck greatly expanded and became erect.
'Happiness arrives so fast that this father has not even been circumcised yet.' Zhang Tie sighed inwardly.When he was glued by their breasts at the same time, Zhang Tie immediately felt something was wrong between Alice and Beverly as there was a sense of animosity on them like what other female animals would do in front of their enemies.
"You two… do you two know each other?" Zhang Tie asked them out of curiosity.
"Of course..." Before Alice opened her mouth, Beverly had already spoken, " Alice is a member of the Rose Association, while I am a member of the Lilac Association. We usually make exchanges with each other!" After recovering her composure, Alice raised her chin and proudly said, "Men fight to conquer the world, while we women fight to conquer men. Since this man is my target, Beverly, I will never lose this fight!"
"Alice, I have never doubted my charm!" Beverly also defiantly said before hugging Zhang Tie's arm even more tightly, "I also won't let this man go in front of me!"
"Just wait for that!"
"Fine, I hope you won't cry!"
After fiercely glaring at each other, the girls both "harrumphed" and turned their heads away.
What the f*ck? What Rose Association and Lilac Association? Zhang Tie became really confused about what the two girls had talked about. Relationships between girls were much more complex than that between boys. Zhang Tie was not interested in interfering with the conflict between these girls.
"Stop, you two..." Zhang Tie couldn't stand it anymore as he glanced at Alice and Beverly. "I'm really flattered by your adoration, but now that we are playmates for tonight's party, we should just be happy. There's no need to destroy the happy atmosphere!"
"Of course, we will definitely make you happy. Alice and I are not only your best playmates but also your best partners, aren't we, Alice?"
"Of course!" Alice replied quickly as she returned a smile to Beverly. "This man belongs to us. We won't let any more in, agreed?"
"Yes!"
The bold behaviors of these two girls almost made Zhang Tie pass out, but he had to admit that he really enjoyed being hugged by the two beauties with huge breasts. It felt cool both psychologically and physiologically. Seeing the envious eyes of the other male animals, Zhang Tie felt an extremely sweet sensation inside. It's pretty cool, and it's exciting!
...
'In the past, I thought that I would be very happy as long as I was surrounded by beauties, but it was only today when I am tightly hugged by two hot girls with huge breasts did I realize… this was true. Yeah! Hahaha...'
'Well, I have to admit that I am a just a secular man who likes beauties and big boobs. The more beauties around me, the happier I will be and the more sense of achievement I will have!'
Zhang Tie said to himself in his heart!
Feeling as if he was being watched by a pair of eyes, Zhang Tie realized it was Miss Qili who was solemnly staring at him. In the past, Zhang Tie had felt that Miss Qili looked at him as if she were looking at a big, drooling toad; however, now that her opinion of Zhang Tie had improved, Miss Qili looked at him as if she were looking at a wolf disguised in human skin who would walk straight on the ground. Her eyes were teeming with alert and warning. Thinking of the strange punishment that woman had given him, Zhang Tie became pretty infuriated inside. 'You don't want any girls to stay with this father alone for three minutes… Heh heh, as you can see, I have two girls with me right now. Your motherf*cking punishment doesn't work on me anymore.'
Facing Miss Qili's stare, under the slight cry of Alice and Beverly, Zhang Tie pulled his arms away from the two girls' breasts before directly hugging their slim waists and kissing the two girls' faces right in front of Miss Qili. Then, he pointed at his own face, letting the two girls kiss him before finally grinning towards Miss Qili, exposing two rows of white teeth...
Zhang Tie felt really refreshed at the sight of Miss Qili being really infuriated as her willow-leaf-like eyes raising upwards.
In the distance, Hista and Barley encountered each other. When they thought that Zhang Tie was still a virgin and had no experience in seducing girls, their repulsive attitudes drove them to look for Zhang Tie. They wanted to see how Zhang Tie would lose face in front girls. Out of expectation, they caught sight of Zhang Tie ferociously hugging and kissing two beauties with huge breasts, causing their eyes to almost pop out of their sockets. And it even went further; he even let the two beauties kiss him back and the two beauties just did as he told them to.
Hista and Fatty Barley, who had thought they had rich experiences in seducing girls, were really shocked by what they saw. They became mouth agape.
"Beast!" Hista shouted. "Could he have been born with seducing skills? My god, he even let two girls kiss him at the same time. It's two girls, not one! He has two girls accompanying him at once. God! Are you kidding me? Am I dreaming? Could digging in the mines really help people seduce girls? F*ck!"
"Beast!" Fatty Barley also cursed loudly. However, Zhang Tie instantly became much greater in his mind. In such a short period, a guy who had not yet even been circumcised was able to successfully seduce two beauties at the same time. Which other drooling guy was capable of this? Is digging in the mines really a super mysterious knowledge? At this moment, even Barley, who had heard of those rumor, started to feel his mind waver.
At the same time, it was not only Hista and Barley who were loudly cursing Zhang Tie but Miss Qili and Mr. Zerom as well...
But each of them was in a different mood when cursing him.
Kristine and Pandora were also cursing him. Zhang Tie never knew that his move was seen by so many people at the same time.
After cursing Zhang Tie, Kristine and Pandora, who were far from each other in the crowd, made the same movement—lowering their heads, they looked at their own breasts and both felt infuriated and unconvinced.
Bastard—they added one more word at the same time!
Chapter 107: Secret Exposed
Translator: WQL Editor: Geoffrey
At dawn, a cavalry squad who all wore light uniforms covered by a black cloak arrived at Wild Wolf Castle. The sudden arrival of the clattering hoofs broke the tranquility at dawn and surprised a flock of birds, causing them fly away. The overnight howls and curses of Samira, who had already been put behind the bars of an underground cell in the Wild Wolf Castle, would soon become desperate weeps!
...
While dreaming, Zhang Tie slept very well last night and even had a foolish smile on his face. As for the bonfire party last night, it made Zhang Tie very happy. In that night party, he had hugged two beauties with huge breasts and walked here and there to show off. He had even kissed and touched the two beauties at his will and let them fight for his favor. What he had done had truly stimulated the other animals, causing their eyes to turn green, and had even caused Miss Qili's eyes to turn red. To do such a deed in such a manner, in truth, it was motherf*cking cool! Zhang Tie thought that he had never been so cool since he was born.
Through last night's party, Zhang Tie was able to understand three things, or rather, three truths.
The first truth was that beauty was the source of happiness.
The second truth was that the main driving force behind a man's will to improve his strength and abilities was to possess more sources of happiness. Zhang Tie remembered that a teacher once said that before the Catastrophe, a famous human psychologist attributed the basic driving force of human society to human's sexual impulses. At that time, Zhang Tie couldn't understand what that meant, but after what happened last night, he finally realized that it was truly a damn wise opinion. Over a single night, Zhang Tie felt that he started to desire more in his future. He had more opinions and more desires than before, and although Zhang Tie also felt that he longed for the future even more than before, after what happened last night, he realized that he could long for it even more. For example, he realized that Iron-Body Fruit might accelerate its speed to become ripe...
As for the third truth, Zhang Tie realized that he was still a commoner and a mortal. While the Castle of Black Iron and that small tree had neither made him greater, more honorable, nor more tasteful, he had not been able to live without being vulgar. When a beauty showed him her adoration, he would always feel excited inwardly as he hugged her waist. At that moment, both his vanity and his naughty d*ck would expand a lot from the excitement. All these showed that he was still as vulgar as before.
...
As usual, Zhang Tie's biological clock woke him up at a bit past 6:00 am.
Waking up, Zhang Tie felt highly spirited and full of vitality. After putting on that set of mining clothes, Zhang Tie slipped out of the tree hollow. For the second half of last night, it was Doug's turn to be on duty. Doug was currently hugging the machine bow as he squatted in the small pit of the tree with eyes half closed. Seeing Zhang Tie getting up so early, Doug, who had been familiar with Zhang Tie's style, grinned and passed his machine bow to Zhang Tie before yawning and returning to his hole to sleep. Zhang Tie then hugged that machine bow and squatted in the tree pit to start his first homework—visualizing an abacus and practicing mental arithmetic using the abacus. Aside from improving the prowess of one's mental calculations, it could also improve one's spiritual energy. Currently, this secret was only known by Zhang Tie. If Donder had not told him to not casually impart how to use an abacus to others, Zhang Tie would have long been practicing it together with the other guys of the Hit-Plane Brotherhood.
After Zhang Tie practiced for more than an hour, Barley also got up, followed by the other guys. Seeing all the other members having gotten up, Zhang Tie ended his cultivation. After simply cleaning himself, he casually gnawed on a small piece of dried meat before carrying his mining basket and starting a new day of work.
On the way to his mining cave, Zhang Tie was highly spirited, as another Leakless Fruit would be ripe today. After eating this fruit, the burning point on his rear end would be ignited and he himself would also be officially promoted to a LV 2 warrior. After that, he would definitely be an elite among all the students attending this survival training. Starting from the burning point on one's rear end, each additional ignited burning point would obviously help improve one's physical qualities, especially strength. According to Captain Kerlin, this was because Strength of Blood, Strength of Channel, Strength of Vein, Strength of Bone, and Strength of Marrow were gradually activated in addition to the Strength of Qi.
Zhang Tie estimated that after the ignition of the Shrine Burning Point, his strength was only a bit lower than Glaze's. This trivial difference laid in Glaze's physique, but if he truly fought with Glaze, then Zhang Tie felt that he would not necessarily be defeated by Glaze. Although Glaze held the advantage in strength, he could not match Zhang Tie's speed and battle experience. Zhang Tie refused to believe that Glaze would also have a Trouble-Reappearance Fruit to eat, in which he could experience life and death situation seven to eight times in that mysterious space.
Additionally, based on the speed that the leakless fruit would help him ignite his burning points, Zhang Tie estimated that he could ignite two more burning points before the end of the survival training. No matter what, with his recent cultivation speed, Zhang Tie felt that he would soon catch up with Glaze. Glaze would not be ahead of him for much longer; within a short period, he would completely surpass Glaze in all aspects.
What would a man whose strength is gradually increasing obtain? Heh heh… Of course, more and more sources of happiness. Thinking of those two enchanting vixens, Alice and Beverly, and their huge boobs, Zhang Tie grinned. Last night, he couldn't help but do many "terrible and disgusting" things to those two girls in his mind. After what had happened last night, Zhang Tie found that he actually had a strong sense of possessiveness when it came to women, especially beautiful women. Although his desire had not reached levels of insanity, it was still pretty strong. If he spoke out his desires, he would definitely be constantly cursed at by those apologists and hypocrites both in writing and verbally.
Zhang Tie felt that his ideal life was to lay on a bed covered in money as he was surrounded by many beautiful virgins and young married women that had already drawn close to him last night!
'Come on!' Zhang Tie encouraged himself as he picked up the pace...
...
However, before he had reached the mining cave, Zhang Tie was intercepted by an on-duty student who was attending the survival training. As the officials of Blackhot City's Ministry of Internal Affairs had already arrived at Wild Wolf Castle this morning, they asked Zhang Tie to go there to cooperate with their investigation since, after all, Zhang Tie was the person who was directly related to that incident.
... "You're saying that you felt someone drop something inside your mining basket, which was when Jagla had silently thrown that purse into your mining basket?" Within a dark room, Zhang Tie was cooperating with the investigation of some guys in black cloaks. As the investigation proceeded, several strange guys were standing in the corridor outside the room, allowing no one to move close by or gossip. Compared to the how the Temporary Supervision Committee interrogated Zhang Tie yesterday, these guys from Blackhot City's Ministry of Internal Affairs were more meticulous.
"Yes, my senses are quite sharp, so I noticed it when he threw it into my mining basket, especially because my mining basket was empty. They might not think that I could notice that, but I was able to!"
"Where's your mining basket? Did you bring it?"
"Yes, it's outside in the corridor..."
Hearing Zhang Tie's words, they asked Zhang Tie to bring in his mining basket. One of them then weighed it on his hand as he showed his suspicion towards Zhang Tie. "Was there a mining hoe and a torch inside the mining basket when you were in the square yesterday?"
"Yes!"
"With these items inside along with the weight of the mining basket, in total, they would weigh up to more than 10 kg. You were able to sense it when someone silently put the purse inside?" The interrogators felt amazed as they fixed their eyes on Zhang Tie's expression.
"Yes!" Zhang Tie calmly replied.
"Where's that purse then?"
"When I was escaping to the mining cave, in order to avoid being framed by them, I had thrown it away. Later on, I had returned to search for it, but unfortunately, I wasn't able to find it!" Zhang Tie told a reasonable lie. At that time, not only was it pitch black inside that mining cave, but there were also many people who had rushed into it. Zhang Tie doesn't believe that these guys would investigate each and every student in an attempt to find out who had picked up the purse. Unless they were an idiot, if someone picked up the purse, no one would hand it in; if it were Zhang Tie, he would never hand it in either. Thus, it would be next to impossible to find that purse.
After interrogating Zhang Tie about the details, they drew close to each other and whispered amongst themselves before one of them said to Zhang Tie, "What you have told us is almost consistent with what we have learned about yesterday's event, but I have another question. How did you ascertain that they were trying to set you up the moment you heard someone loudly shout that his purse was gone and urged others to capture the thief?"
"If someone throws something into your mining basket when passing by you before loudly shouting that his item is gone, then that's definitely a trap. In such an event, unless one was an idiot, who would stay to be framed?" Zhang Tie stared at the interrogators with eyes wide opened, making them a bit embarrassed.
"Well, take you mining basket. You may leave now!"
Carrying his mining basket once again, one guy accompanied Zhang Tie to the door. The moment they arrived at the door, Zhang Tie suddenly turned his head and looked at that interrogator. "I feel that there is something new in my mining basket!" Stopping his footsteps, Zhang Tie put down his mining basket and opened its cover. Unknowing when a purse had been placed inside, Zhang Tie took out the purse and handed it to the guy who was pretending to accompany him to the door. "Can I leave now?"
That guy looked back to the other interrogators while they slightly nodded. "We just wanted to test your senses. You didn't tell a lie. You may leave now!"
Zhang Tie carried his mining basket once again and left the room.
...
After Zhang Tie left, the interrogators closed the door and whispered to each other once again.
"Is there any problems with this brat named Zhang Tie?"
"No problem. Last night, we investigated his records. His family background is clean. His father and mother are average people, and he has two elder brothers, one who had died for Blackhot City and the other is still serving in the city guard army of Blackhot City. He is 15 years old and has not left Blackhot City since he was born..."
"Then, Samira's going to have some bad luck!"
"No one asked him to set up an average student in such a despicable manner. For such a huge problem, we, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, are not here to clean his butt!"
"We all know that Samira might not be a mole of the Norman Empire!"
"That isn't the most important thing. The most important thing is the fact that at least one to two thousand people here believe that Samira is a mole of the Norman Empire. After they return to Blackhot City, they will definitely spread this news everywhere, consequently causing more and more people to believe that Samira is a mole of the Norman Empire!"
"Samira is really an idiot. He can't even deal with a normal student. I am really confused as to how such an idiot could gain the favor of Master Abyan!"
"This student named Zhang Tie is too cunning!"
"Chinese guys are always cunning..."
"Report the truth to the superiors. Let the big figures decide Samira's fate. We have done what we should do!"
"That's for the best. We still don't know whether Blackhot City and the Andaman Alliance will be included in the new map of Norman Empire. We'd better not work too hard during this period..." One guy heaved a deep sigh.
...
Zhang Tie didn't care about what had happened in the room after he left. For him, the result had already made him happy. Samira wanted to destroy his reputation and his bright future by framing him, but instead, it was his reputation that had been irreparably damaged. He did not care about Samira's life or death. Even if Samira was punished with death, Zhang Tie would not feel any guilt towards him, as he thought that Samira deserved it.
After walking around Wild Wolf Castle for a while, Zhang Tie descended the mountain and arrived at that mining cave where he used to work. Surprisingly, compared to the usual calm scene, at this moment, the mouth of the mining cave was brimming with at least fifty to sixty people despite it being early in the morning. They all carried their mining baskets and gathered at the mouth of the mining cave. At the sight of the boisterous scene, Zhang Tie was greatly shocked.
Why did so many people come here to mine today?
At the sight of Zhang Tie, that group of noisy people immediately became quiet. After exchanging glances, they then fixed their eyes onto Zhang Tie's face, causing Zhang Tie's heart to pound. 'Are they Alice and Beverly's pursuers? Are they blocking the entrance to beat me up? No, it doesn't seem that way! Even though they are here to beat me up, they don't have to be miners. Do they want to enter the mining cave together with me before beating me up?'
Zhang Tie racked his mind. Unexpectedly, a person whom he was acquainted with suddenly pushed out from that group of people.
"Since the others are reluctant to say it, I will say it!" as he said this, Wood walked towards Zhang Tie. Generously patting Zhang Tie on the shoulder, Wood said, "Brother, we all know about your secret..." Hearing Wood's words, Zhang Tie's expression immediately changed, as he mistook that his Castle of Black Iron had been exposed to the public.
"My secret? What secret?" Zhang Tie pretended to be calm.
"Hahaha, brother, no need to continue pretending..." Wood burst out into laughter. "We all already know that digging in the mines is a great cultivation method and a mysterious knowledge among the Chinese in the East, right?"
Seeing Zhang Tie's eyes immediately widened, Wood felt happy inwardly, yet he pretended to be solemn. "We are all here to follow you. Do you agree with it? We all know that mysterious knowledge and cultivation methods are very precious, so no one would give up an opportunity to learn it. Since we are classmates, if you feel reluctant to teach us, you can just say something to enlighten us. If you can do that, then we will appreciate it a lot!"
...
Seeing the horny students' eyes filled with desire, Zhang Tie immediately thought about hundreds of ideas.
Chapter 108: Barbarian Lifestyle in the Mining Cave
Translator: WQL Editor: Geoffrey
Zhang Tie remembered a story that Donder had told him when he was still working in the grocery store. The protagonists of that story were a group of barbarians who had been living in a cave ever since they were born. One day, the group of barbarians found a new area in the cave, one where there was a huge human shadow shaking on the wall. The human shadow was so big that those barbarians had even taken it as a god and deity. Every year and every day, all of them would kowtow in front of that shadow as every one of them showed their respect to that huge shaking human shadow. Many years later, a young barbarian also noticed that huge shaking shadow on the wall; however, unlike the others, who worshiped the shadow in awe, this young barbarian was smart. At the sight of that shadow, he wanted to figure out how the shadow was formed in order to explain it to the others. Later on, after many difficulties, that young barbarian became the first person to leave the cave. Leaving the cave, he realized how the "deity" was formed—a bunch of rays shone upon a stone by the entrance of the cave, causing the shadow of that stone to be projected on the wall of the cave in the shape of a human figure. Because of the movement of the sun, the human-like shadow also became longer.
Having found the reason, the young barbarian excitedly returned to the cave and told the other barbarians what he had seen outside. However, rather than being shocked, those barbarians were infuriated. Tying up that young barbarian, for the reason of blasphemy, they had killed that young barbarian right in front of the "deity" and continued to happily kowtow in front of that human-like shadow.
There were two truths within this story that Donder had wanted to impart unto Zhang Tie. The first: when everyone else believed in one thing, even if it was wrong, you should not reveal the truth and you should not put yourself in the opposition of these people, as they all took it as the truth. This was a rule of survival in human society. The second: truth was mastered by only a few people. For most people, they wouldn't know what the truth really was and instead only believed in the illusions created by their emotions, thus emotions were more important than the truth.
It was truly out of Zhang Tie's expectation that his casual joke could impact them in such a grand way.
Mining… a mysterious cultivation method? F*ck! That went too far.
Seeing the desire in their eyes, Zhang Tie realized that if he told the truth, he would quickly be buried in their saliva and condemnation, turning into the enemy of 50 to 60 people.
'Should I tell the truth?'
'Of course not, this father is not an idiot!'
'It seems that I have to use my killing move…'
'Three… Two… One. I got it. "Barbarian Lifestyle in the Mining Cave"...
Within only a second, trains of thoughts had already flashed past Zhang Tie's mind. Under the looks of amazements of all the horny students, Zhang Tie's expression changed from one of shock and amazement into an expression of endless solemnity.
Zhang Tie looked very serious at this moment.
"I really can not imagine that my secret has actually been discovered… Ugh!" Zhang Tie helplessly heaved a deep sigh.
Hearing Zhang Tie's sigh, everyone became excited. It was truly a secret! Earlier, many of the animals only wanted to give it a try; they did not imagine that they could have obtained such a great fortune.
"It's truly a mysterious knowledge?" Wood became extremely excited as he rubbed his hands and asked.
"It's not convenient to talk about that here. Let's enter the mining cave!" Pretending to be cautious, Zhang Tie turned his head left and right before turning his gaze towards those animals. "From now on, please don't act on your own. Keep quiet and follow my orders. Those who can't follow this, please leave. As for those who will listen to me, follow me in!"
As he said this, Zhang Tie had already taken out the torch from his mining basket and had already ignited it. Waving his hand towards Wood, he whispered to him:
"After a while, when we enter the mining cave, you should stay at the back. Remember not to ignite your torch. After we have entered roughly 100 m, you should just lurk at the end of the team for five minutes to check whether someone is silently following us. We will wait for you at the front of the tunnel!" Zhang Tie told Wood in a low voice.
"But I have no watch, how could I tell how much time has passed in the dark?" Wood restlessly scratched his head.
Unexpectedly, that guy named Wood had really treated this thing seriously. Zhang Tie had no choice but to teach him how to calculate time. "When you start lurking at the back, press down on your pulse and count to 300 before you leave..."
"Fine!" Wood's eyes shone. It was secret knowledge, the most mysterious and powerful Oriental secret knowledge! At this moment, not only Wood but also all the other animals' heart had started to heavily pound.
Wood then silently stood to the side and stared at Zhang Tie, who had ignited his torch. At this moment, Zhang Tie carefully glanced over the thirsty faces of the 50 to 60 animals. Zhang Tie noticed several familiar faces among the animals. They were the unlucky fellows who had been digging in the mines with him over the past few days. They were the truly unlucky fellows who had moderate strength and were not able to capture any prey. Adding on the fact that they were introverted and had few friends, they had no choice but to dig in the mines in order to survive.
When Zhang Tie glanced over those unlucky fellows who had always been digging in the mines here, they all tried their best to raise their chests. Even Zhang Tie himself had not realized that he was already the pride and idol of all the miners here. Besides Zhang Tie's amazing display of intelligence and fighting prowess yesterday, even just what he had done last night—hugging two beauties with huge boobs and swaggering in public—had already made those guys sincerely respect him.
"Brothers who have always been mining here, please move forward!"
Hearing Zhang Tie's words, those guys restlessly walked out of the crowd. They exchanged glances, fearing that they would be driven out of the crowd by Zhang Tie. For these guys, over the more than ten years, they have already gotten used to being unlucky and ignored by others, both at school and anywhere else, thus when Zhang Tie had called them out, they all looked pretty nervous. Some of the more pessimistic guys among them had even instantly become visibly depressed as they furrowed their eyebrows.
"We… we want to follow you in!" a guy plucked his courage and shouted to Zhang Tie with a red face.
"Of course, when that holy gate is opened, nobody would be left alone!" Thinking of the barbarian lifestyle in the mining cave, Zhang Tie forced an easy going and warm smile, one that would be seen on those damn lecherous priests when they stood in front of their followers. "Since you are more familiar with the terrain of the tunnel than the others, I want you to walk ahead with your torches to light the path ahead as our guides in case your fellow brothers enter the wrong path. Can you complete this mission?"
"Yes, of course, we can!" Those guys, who were just slouching, stuck out their chests excitedly.
"Then, you can go now. Use your torch to light up the path for your fellow brothers!" Zhang Tie's thought became increasingly clearer at this moment. He had been able to cleverly apply the barbarian lifestyle in the mining cave, and his words were gradually becoming mysterious as well. "When you begin to light up the path filled with darkness for others and not yourself, your future path will also be brightened!"
Hearing his enlightenment, the highly spirited, unlucky guys immediately became solemn. One of them even blushed, expressed that he wanted to follow Zhang Tie, and had even bowed in front of Zhang Tie. Afterwards, raising their chests and heads, they entered the pitch black cave with their burning torches in hand.
"Everyone, let's follow..." Following those unlucky guys, Zhang Tie shouted to the other people behind him. Some of them had torches in hand, while the others didn't. Although there were only a bit more than 30 people among the group that had torches, it was already enough for them to march onwards. After having received militarized education and training for several years, it had caused them to have high discipline. Nobody talked and nobody wanted to be left alone. All of them just calmly followed Zhang Tie in. Assuming a great responsibility, Wood slowly moved to the end of the team, as Zhang Tie had ordered him to do so...
For those animals who followed Zhang Tie in, this was their first time to enter a mining cave. The circular marks left by the Gold-Eating Boas on the walls were seen every once in awhile in the darkness. Everyone seemed to be walking in an endless tunnel that had a sense of mysteriousness and solemnity.
Nobody talked. In the entire mining cave, the only sounds that could be heard were the sound of footsteps and the occasional "Zi La" sound that came from the torches every now and then.
Zhang Tie's walking speed remained unchanged, and so did his followers'. Walking in the tunnel, although Zhang Tie looked calm, he was quickly racking his mind as all the stories and events concerning liars told by Donder flashed across his mind. Since the moment they had entered this mining cave, Zhang Tie was using this time to work out a good plan. Thankfully, roughly 300 m away from the mouth of the mining cave, an audacious idea that was very suitable for the current situation came to mind. Then, Zhang Tie gradually started to work out a plan with a bit of mischief and playfulness.
No matter what, even if they found out that this had been a ruse after the survival training, this would not have harmed them in any way. They can just consider it as playing the mouse meeting[1]. Zhang Tie then started to think about the next step. Although he laughed loudly inwardly to the point that it caused his intestines to be twisted, his expression became increasingly serious.
"Stop!" Zhang Tie's voice reverberated far in the cave as he stopped his footsteps. All the others also stopped, not knowing what Zhang Tie's intentions were.
Zhang Tie didn't give an explanation. He only remained silent. Since Zhang Tie had told them to stay silent, everyone else also kept silent, fearing that they would lose this opportunity to learn about mysterious knowledge the moment they opened their mouth. In such a weird silence, the atmosphere in the pitch black mining cave became increasingly mysterious and serious.
Five minutes later when Zhang Tie had thought over his plan again and improved some of its details, Wood's footsteps became gradually clearer as he caught up with them with a torch in hand.
"Nobody has followed us!" Although Wood didn't specifically raise his voice, his words could still be clearly heard by all the others in the tunnel. Seeing Zhang Tie treating this thing so seriously, everybody gradually confirmed that the mysterious knowledge about mining that they were about to learn was true...
This method was usually used by liars to control people's mind. No matter how absurd and no matter how much of a sham the thing was, as long as you treated it seriously, carefully, and faithfully, that thing would gradually become true and important in eyes of others. As Donder had once said, for most normal people, one's thoughts and attitude towards something was not determined by one's own judgment and observations, but rather, it was based on the attitude and judgment of others that could be seen with the eyes. Therefore, in public, even if there was nothing in the sky, as long as you raised your head and stared at the sky, you will soon have more and more people that would stare at the sky together with you. Even if there was nothing in the sky, they would continue to try their best to find something in the sky, trying to convince themselves. If they couldn't see anything, instead of others, they would first doubt themselves. Thus, a liar, if he could even cheat himself, had already succeeded half of the way…
[1] Mouse Meeting refers to Pyramid Scheme, namely an illegal multi-level viral marketing that originated in the United States. Read more in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyramid_scheme
Chapter 109: Big Blessing Skill
Translator: WQL Editor: Geoffrey
When Zhang Tie took everybody out of that long tunnel and arrived at the spacious underground mining field, he knew that all his followers had already confirmed that he wanted to share that great secret with them.
This was able to be seen from the look of desire in their eyes and their attitudes towards him.
Of course, what he wanted to share with them was a great, great mysterious knowledge. Hehhehhehheh...
In the dark mining field, there were only two burning torches with flickering flames. The dim sound of mining hoes knocking at a mining bed reverberated in the space. Among his fellow miners, some of them believed that Zhang Tie had a great, hidden cultivation secret related to mining, while the others didn't believe that as they continued working hard in their usual place.
As for these guys who continued to work hard inside, Zhang Tie had to say sorry to them—now that it has become a great and outstanding mysterious knowledge, people who were not related would never be allowed to eavesdrop; otherwise, it would not be qualified to be called mysterious knowledge.
Arriving at the mining field, everybody, including those miners that had walked ahead, cast their eyes filled with desire onto Zhang Tie.
At this moment, Zhang Tie's face showed a significantly serious expression.
"All brothers with food, please move one step forward..."
Hearing Zhang Tie's instruction, over 30 people immediately moved out of the group and one step forward. Although nobody knew what Zhang Tie's next instruction would be, nobody asked.
"If I want you to offer half of your food, would you be willing?"
"I will!" After exchanging glances, everybody then loudly shouted in unison.
Does Zhang Tie want to take food as tuition? Some of the animals started to be suspicious. Facing the slightly suspicious looks, Zhang Tie sneered inwardly, 'This father doesn't even feel reluctant to gift dozens of dried meat to Pandora, so who cares about your dried rations? If you could learn this 'great mysterious knowledge' in exchange for just a bit of dried rations, then mysterious knowledge would be worthless.'
At this moment, hearing their footsteps and seeing the flames, the guys who were just mining here also walked towards them out of curiosity.
Waving his hand, Zhang Tie called over the miner who had just been in awe at Zhang Tie and had guided them in the tunnel.
"What's your name?"
"I am Potter!" that guy replied slightly tensed.
"Okay, Potter, I have a mission for you. Bring some brothers with you and distribute half of the donated rations to the students who have been mining here. Tell them that we will be using the mines for a day and that the dried rations will be their compensation!" Zhang Tie slightly raised his voice that was full of emotions, allowing all the other animals to hear it. "This is god's will. Since they did not wait for me outside the cave like you all had, they have lost their chance to participate in our next course of action. Just have them leave for a day!"
Such a simple sentence caused two effects—those who thought Zhang Tie was going to take their food as "tuition" felt embarrassed, while all the others, especially the miners who had been guiding them, immediately became highly spirited.
"What if… what if… there's someone that doesn't want to leave?" The moment Potter opened his mouth, from his pessimism and the way he thought about a poor outcome, Zhang Tie realized that Potter must have been frequently bullied by others.
"Don't feel like leaving?" Zhang Tie smiled and turned to face Wood.
Wood then patted his chest: "Trust me, they will leave after taking the food!"
After making that promise, Wood directly spoke to the crowd, "Which brothers would like to go with me to persuade those guys to leave!?"
Immediately, five or six tough guys with robust shoulders and thick waists walked out of the crowd.
A few minutes later, several miners left the mining cave with more food than they could have earned by mining. Some of them were happy since they were able to obtain a large amount of food without doing any work, while others felt reluctant to leave since they wanted to stay and join them. Of course, it was impossible to join them at this moment. After Wood and the other tough guys "persuaded" these guys to leave, those who had followed Zhang Tie all felt that this was a precious chance.
Zhang Tie let them compare themselves to the others, allowing a sense of excellence and identity to come out.
When Potter and Wood used their food and "fist" to clear out the mining field, Zhang Tie let the miners who were acting as guides take these animals to search the areas where people could easily hide, ensuring that there was nobody hiding here.
At this time, the more serious and cautious Zhang Tie was, the happier and more excited the animals were and the harder they worked.
Ten minutes later, the entire mining field was cleared. Everybody then gathered in front of Zhang Tie with their eyes full of desire fixed on Zhang Tie.
Zhang Tie pointed at the mouth of the cave in the distance and glanced at those animals in a profound way. "After a while when the inheritance ceremony begins, it cannot be disturbed by anyone, thus four of you have to defend that area over there and prevent others from coming in. Unfortunately, those four people would not be able to attend the inheritance ceremony, and since the inheritance ceremony will not be held for a second time during this survival training, it would be unfair for whoever has been arranged to defend that area. Thus, the people who defend that area must do so voluntarily. The four people will need to sacrifice their own chance for others!"
Hearing Zhang Tie's words, everybody's face turned pale. Everybody looked at the entrance of the mining cave and then looked at Zhang Tie, who showed the traces of a mysterious smile on his face. As they all did not want to miss the chance presented at this moment, they all became worried.
"Then, will the four people who come out have another chance to accept the same inheritance ceremony?" someone among the silent crowd plucked up his courage and asked.
"Maybe there is, maybe there isn't. That is the meaning of sacrifice!" Zhang Tie swept a glance over all the animals. Hearing Zhang Tie's reply, everybody felt a holy and solemn feeling filling this quiet mining field.
"What if… what if nobody wants to defend the entrance?"
"If you cannot find four people among you who would voluntarily sacrifice their own chance, then all I have to say is that you are a group of selfish people. Such a group of selfish people is not qualified to accept the inheritance of such a great Oriental mysterious knowledge like the Big Blessing Skill!" Zhang Tie coldly said.
Big Blessing Skill!
Hearing these words, all the animals were shocked. Judging from its name, it was a highly valuable mysterious knowledge. The name of the mysterious knowledge coming out of Zhang Tie's mouth made everybody's heart pound.
At this time, someone suddenly thought about something and exclaimed, "Last time when you were chased by the wild wolves and had chosen to jump into a 200 m deep hole in order to survive, you were able to be as lively as normal several days later. Is that the effect of the Big Blessing Skill..."
Although Zhang Tie had long burst into laughter in his heart, he kept silent...
All of a sudden, everybody felt that it was hard to breathe. With Zhang Tie, a living person who had benefitted from the Big Blessing skill, in front of them, nobody doubted the mysterious knowledge anymore.
This moment was a true test of the human heart. People would have to sacrifice their chance to learn the Big Blessing Skill in order to defend the entrance. These people could perhaps lose the chance to learn the Big Blessing Skill for the rest of their lives. It was the Big Blessing skill—a mysterious knowledge that enabled a guy to jump into a 200 m deep pitch black hole in order to survive! It might even have other effects. Who would want to give up on this chance?
Every person had a different expression on their face as they all struggled within their hearts. They had realized that if nobody sacrifices their own opportunity, then they would all lose this chance; however, if someone decides to sacrifice their own opportunity, then it meant that they wouldn't have such an opportunity for the rest of their lives.
"I'm willing to make this sacrifice for everyone!" Potter stood out. With his lips pressed together, the youth was nervous; however, his face looked quite holy while the bright flames from the torch were reflected in his eyes, moving Zhang Tie. Looking at that somewhat serious face of Potter and the firm confidence in his eyes, Zhang Tie suddenly realized that after starting off with the "barbarian lifestyle in the mining cave", he had gone too far with his act. Zhang Tie silently swallowed his saliva. At this moment, he had no other choice but to continue with the act. He will seriously continue the act in order to not let those guys be disappointed.
"Potter, as a fire-bearer, in this inheritance ceremony, you are not eligible to be a sacrifice for the others!" Zhang Tie solemnly told Potter.
Seeing Potter somewhat confused, Zhang Tie decided to make the act more convincing.
"Potter, do you think what had happened today was a coincidence?" Zhang Tie put one hand onto that youth's thin shoulder. "Do you think it was a coincidence for you and I to be gathered here today? Do you think it was a coincidence for me to survive after jumping into a 200 m deep hole? Do you think it was a coincidence for me to beat back the bodyguards of the Samira Business Group yesterday? Do you think it was a coincidence for me to reveal Samira's scheme in the office? Do you think it was a coincidence for me to let you fire-bearers guide us? Do you think it was a coincidence that you are a fire-bearer? No, these were are all arranged by God and destiny…"
"Fire-bearer!" Potter murmured the name filled with religiousness and mysteriousness as his eyes began to shine with a different kind of brilliance.
"Yes, fire-bearer. It is also a part of today's holy inheritance ceremony. Everything that has happened today is arranged by God and destiny. Without the presence of you fire-bearers among the crowd, then the conditions for today's holy inheritance ceremony would not be met…" Zhang Tie looked more serious than before as he started to hum an aria like the ones from the church choirs: "Those who walk in darkness… your face is covered in dirt, your footsteps are staggering, your hands are tainted with filth, and you walk in the dark and dirty land, yet the light and flames within your heart will never die out. One day, the light and flames within your heart will become a torch within the darkness. The ferocious, burning torch will light up the path for your brothers, enabling them to see the troubles and difficulties on the road ahead. For the people who take the responsibility of sacrificing their own opportunity, the burning torches in your hands will be the best blessings in the world. This is the blessing from light, which lights up the road towards the ultimate holy gate!"
Hearing Zhang Tie's fabrications based on the religious books and the Bible that he had read, led by Potter, all the miners began to cry as tears began to drop down from their eyes. Since they were born, they had never thought that their humble bodies were holy and dignified.
Chapter 110: Inheritance of Mysterious Knowledge
Translator: WQL Editor: Geoffrey
Zhang Tie's words did not only affect the group of guiding miners led by Potter but everyone else as well. At this moment, even if Zhang Tie told them that everything that was set up by him has been a lie, most likely, none of them would believe him. They could not imagine Zhang Tie fabricating this whole ordeal so perfectly. If he could fabricate things this well, then Zhang Tie was definitely a genius!
Zhang Tie also suddenly realized that he truly had the talent to be a damn clergyman, as he almost believed in his own fabrications.
At this moment, Wood, whose face had turned red from excitement, took in a deep breath before stepping out as the first person who would sacrifice his chance to see the Big Blessing Skill.
"I am willing to sacrifice my chance!"
Another person then walked out from the crowd...
"I am willing to sacrifice my chance!"
Followed by a third person...
"I am willing to sacrifice my chance!"
And a fourth...
"I am willing to sacrifice my chance!"
Seeing the four faces that had the same serious expression as the one previously seen on Potter's face, Zhang Tie immediately thought back to Donder's comment on young people—simple, naive, blood-boiled, and impulsive.
Seeing himself in these guys, Zhang Tie felt that he was obliged to see this performance through the end no matter what happens.
"All sacrifices have the most profound blessing and are the sturdiest of guardians. Those who sacrifice their own opportunity will be our guardians and the key to this holy gate. You are truly brave men. With your selflessness, you have shown your own worth as well as allowing the dreams of your brothers to come true!" Hearing Zhang Tie's praise, everybody else extended their gratitude to the group of four headed by Wood with complex expressions. Zhang Tie was also solemnly looking at the four people. "Before you become the strongest guardians, please loudly speak out your names in front of your brothers so that your brothers will remember all you have done for them!"
"I, Haren Wood..." Wood moved one step forward with his chest raised as he loudly said out his full name.
"I, Jack Jones..." the second person also raised his chest and his chin as he loudly spoke.
"I, Nadili Gandhi..." the third person raised his chest and his chin as he shouted.
"I, son of a common gardener in Blackhot City, Francis Franca!" The fourth person's introduction was a bit special, winning him a couple of glances from Zhang Tie.
"Ah you brave men who have willingly sacrificed yourself, for you to sacrifice yourselves for the sake of your brothers, this is the most righteous of deeds..." Zhang Tie continued to hum the aria of the church choir, "Your names will forever be engraved upon the holy arched door. When you treat your brothers as extensions of yourself, you will have already arrived at the level of true knowledge. Although time will stop, the seas will dry up, and the mountains will collapse, your name will never fade away. The sacrifices you have made for your brothers will bring you immortality. One day, when we all gather in the holy land of immortals, everything that you have done for your brothers will return to you. Your brothers will never leave you alone. You should know that the light is in your body, and everything that you have created will stay with you, just like how are one with holiness."
Hearing Zhang Tie's aria, which was even more shocking than what the clergymen say, Wood, Jones, Gandhi, and Franca felt as if they were filled with a sense of sacredness. In response, they were all moved to the point where their eyes were turning red and the sides of their nose were expanding and shrinking. Finally, they could not help but burst out into tears. The four people felt as if their souls had ascended, and everything else they had done for the others was worth it.
Seeing them crying again, Zhang Tie could only inwardly sigh at the prowess of words!
"Wood, Jones, Gandhi, and Franca, as the guardians for this holy inheritance ceremony, please loudly tell everybody that before you fall, you will not let anyone else disturb our upcoming holy inheritance ceremony," Zhang Tie told the four. By then, Zhang Tie felt that he could already control the way these people thought, which was also what all those liars and motherf*cking lecherous clergymen liked and pursued.
"We promise! Before we fall, nobody else is allowed to enter the cave!" After sniffing in their mucus, they raised their fist and glued it to their chest before proudly and loudly swore.
Zhang Tie turned around and glanced over the other animals with an unprecedented solemn look, intending to frighten them again. "Before the sturdiest of guardians, who have sacrificed their own opportunity to see the Big Blessing Skill, stand at the entrance, you will have one last chance to leave. Once the ceremony begins and after you swear on the oath and obtain the mysterious knowledge of the Big Blessing Skill, you will be obliged to take responsibility for this mysterious knowledge. If you cannot do that, then you may have to pay the price with your life. Try to think about it again. Are you ready to obtain the mysterious knowledge?"
Everyone firmed their gazes and shook their head. Nobody left. At this moment, even if Zhang Tie used a stick to drive them away, they wouldn't leave.
"Since everyone has decided, then… Wood, Jones, Gandhi, Franca, the cave is in your hands now. When we begin the inheritance ceremony of the Big Blessing Skill, please keep out anyone who want to pass the entrance!" Zhang Tie told the four guys.
Hearing Zhang Tie's instructions, they bowed in front of Zhang Tie. Afterwards, each of them held a torch and pulled out their short sword or dagger from their waists. They stood in a row facing the entrance with a resolute expression on their face, completely blocking the entrance.
"As for the others, follow me..." Holding onto his torch, Zhang Tie walked towards a dark place in the mining field as everyone else silently followed him.
After walking in this mining field for a bit less than three minutes, Zhang Tie had led all the others to a relatively hidden yet spacious area.
"Everyone, find a place to put your torch and then stand in front of me!" Zhang Tie instructed. Hearing Zhang Tie's instruction, all the animals hurriedly found a place to put their torches. Since there were many rocks in the mining cave, they could either insert their torches into the walls or have them stand up by using the ground and the support of two rocks. After a few minutes when they had all put down their torches, they all came back in front of Zhang Tie.
Under the illumination of the surrounding torch light, in such a dark underground space, the expression of longing and seriousness on the faces of these animals looked more real than before. After experiencing the two incidents with Potter and Wood, everybody had been filled with a sacred feeling. At this moment, Zhang Tie's figure looked rather big and holy in the eyes of the other animals., especially Potter and the other miners, who had guided the other guys. Their eyes were already filled with true worship and admiration that was not restrained in the least. As long as Zhang Tie glanced over at them, Zhang Tie would feel his face hot. Zhang Tie then tried his best not to glance over them again. However, Zhang Tie's attitude at this moment made many people think that he was unconventional and mysterious.
When the barbarian lifestyle in mining cave proceeded to this moment, Zhang Tie started to feel that everything had gone smoothly.
"The Big Blessing Skill could be dated back to the far ancient age of 5000 years before the Catastrophe. It is a top mysterious knowledge within Chinese clan, and the lengths of which I had to go through to get this Big Blessing Skill was extraordinary. As the person who will now pass this mysterious knowledge onto you, from now on, you can call me the Enlightener. Only the Enlightener is qualified to complete the inheritance of the Big Blessing Skill..." After naming Potter and the other torch holders as "fire-bearer" and Wood and the other miners as "sacrifices", in order to make this game and ceremony more holy and more mysterious like he had implied to them, Zhang Tie thought that he should also give himself a title. As the old Chinese saying goes, "If you don't have an official title, you would not be accepted by the public." Therefore, Zhang Tie decided to make a title for himself. With this title, his words would have more weight. After thinking for a while, Zhang Tie finally decided on the title "Enlightener" for himself.
Hearing Zhang Tie's introduction, all the other animals were shocked. None of them could have imagined that the Big Blessing Skill had such a great background, and even Zhang Tie's title, "Enlightener", also made many people feel respect.
"Now, please take out the daggers at your waists and cut your fingers before dripping your fresh blood into the stone pit in front of me to mix your blood with that of your brothers. This is the holy symbol of the beginning of the inheritance ceremony. When your blood has mixed with that of your brothers, it symbolizes that from then on, you will not feel alone even after vicissitudes and you will not depart from your brothers as the fresh blood in your blood vessels will be the one and the same!" After saying that, Zhang Tie took out his own dagger, and gritting his teeth, he devoutly made a small cut on his left index finger before dripping a bit of blood into that stone pit.
A dagger was a necessity for all the students attending the survival training used to protect themselves. Seeing Zhang Tie doing that, all the other animals became excited. After seeing Zhang Tie's demonstration, nobody hesitated as they all pulled out their daggers and made a cut on their fingers. Seeing how fiercely those animals cut their fingers, even Zhang Tie frowned. 'Motherf*ckers, you'd better not cut off your finger and give me trouble in the future.' All the animals then silently cut their fingers before standing in line in front of Zhang Tie to drip their blood into that stone pit by squeezing the finger with the cut.
"When you prepare to mix your fresh blood with that of your brothers, please let go of your soul. The fresh blood that you have dropped is you. At this critical, holy moment, when you stay together with your brothers, please let go of your hypocritical moods. You don't need to feel the need to be humble, as you are incomparable majestic in the eyes of your brothers. You don't have to pursue perfections, as all your brothers are your perfections. Just like a drop of water when converging into the ocean, it will never feel humble. Just like a drop of water when converging into the ocean, it will become perfect by having the true strength and finding its true identity. Your brothers will lift you up. Their strength is your strength, and their existence is your existence. From then on, we will be in unity and will never feel alone in this dangerous age..."
Hearing Zhang Tie's words, all the animals burst out into tears...
Chapter 111: The Enlightener
Translator: WQL Editor: Geoffrey
As more and more people, with faces covered in tears, were affected by the sacred and holy atmosphere and dripped their fresh blood into the stone pit in front of Zhang Tie, Zhang Tie knew that he had succeeded. Yes, he had made it. Later on, whatever he would say, these people would no longer doubt his words.
Zhang Tie clearly knew how these animals were feeling. In the past, he was also like these guys whose emaciated shoulders were overwhelmed by this age. In the past, when he was alone, he would always feel lonely and anxious deep into the nights. Facing this world, he would usually feel as if he were a trivial figure, and thinking of the future, he would always be filled with an irrational fear. He also had a lot of dreams which he knew may very well never come true in his entire life. That was actually a kind of torturing despair.
Today, under the fabricated sacred and holy atmosphere in the mysterious mining cave, which continuously moved and shocked the animals because of their desire for the illusory mysterious knowledge, these guys couldn't control their feelings anymore and finally burst out into tears.
As a drop of water could converge into the ocean, then why couldn't a youth's desire to be great? Such a realization suddenly flashed across Zhang Tie's mind, completing forcing him to give up on the attitude of treating this as a joke. He started to seriously take on the responsibilities of the "Enlightener".
Even if were just simply a dream for those guys, Zhang Tie had to assume the responsibility of building the dream which they have imagined. 'Zhang Tie, you must exert your utmost efforts to give them hope, even if that hope may never be realized. For those guys who might join the army and lose their lives on the battlefields after this survival training, a life without hope since the day they were born is the most tragic.'
'If they want mysterious knowledge, then just give them one! Use all your wisdom, all your strength, all your mysterious knowledge! Even at the risk of your life, you have to give them hope! At this moment, you have to make them happy and show them the hope for a bright future. Just this one time, even if it's only this one time, please!'
Zhang Tie shouted to himself inwardly. When he glanced over those devout expressions, Zhang Tie felt as if he were looking at himself through a mirror. Suddenly, his face felt slightly cold. Not knowing when, Zhang TIe's face had already been covered in tears. Zhang Tie didn't know whether he cried for others or for himself; he only knew that he was suddenly moved and felt extremely sad, and he even felt an impulse to sacrifice everything for those guys who placed their trust in him...
The stone in front of him had been covered with fresh blood and tears, and a puddle of fresh blood had already formed in the stone pit, though it was not completely filled yet. Because of the texture of the stone, some of the fresh blood had already seeped into it, causing it to look dimmer. Seeing this, although Zhang Tie's eyes were filled with tears, he smiled.
"This is the blood of your brothers. Before the completion of the inheritance ceremony of the Big Blessing Skill, how could you dry up?" As he said this, Zhang Tie turned over his dagger, and with the flash of an edge of the dagger, Zhang Tie made a cut on the blood vessel on his wrist, causing his blood to spray over the stone.
"Ah, don't do that..."
"Use mine, use my blood..."
"Bastard..."
For those youths whose faces have already been covered in tears, at the sight of Zhang Tie cutting the blood vessel on his wrist with a smile in order to completely fill that stone pit, everyone rushed forward, as they had realized Zhang Tie was sacrificing himself in order to complete the inheritance ceremony of the Big Blessing Skill. As for those who only had their eyes turn red, at this moment, tears also began to drop from their eyes. Meanwhile, a scarce number of smart guys who had remained sensible among the crowd were also shocked at the sight of Zhang Tie's action. Seeing that Zhang Tie cut his wrist, causing his fresh blood to spray over the stone like water, they were deeply shocked. They then confirmed that everything had been true, as no one would slit their own wrist just for a prank. Zhang Tie was obviously completing the ceremony at the risk of his own life.
The Big Blessing Skill is real! At that moment, everybody was convinced. Like what Donder had told him, even Zhang Tie had already been cheated by himself, completely absorbed into this role, so who else would doubt him?
Like raising a wall, Zhang Tie raised his hand, instantly stopping those animals with tear-filled eyes who wanted to rush forward to stop him.
"It's my responsibility and my honor to do this as the Enlightener. Please do not stop me..." Zhang Tie smiled, radiating a brilliance that came from the soul. Everybody then witnessed Zhang Tie's wrist constantly bleeding until it completely filled that stone pit, splattering everywhere. After experiencing that incident with Huck and Snade, Zhang Tie had already become well-versed as to how to deal with such wounds as well as controlling the bleeding. Although it seemed like he had bled a lot, in reality, it was not that much; it was merely between 200 ml and 300 ml, an amount he could still stand.
The moment Zhang Tie moved his hand away, Potter and the other two guys who were not far from him immediately rushed forward. Using his dagger to make a cut on his sleeve, Potter fiercely tore off a piece of cloth from the sleeve, while the other two guys took out some medicine and applied the medicinal powder over Zhang Tie's wounds before wrapping it with the cloth.
Zhang Tie's wounded hand naturally hung down as the other three people kneeled on one knee as they started to treat his wounds with eyes filled with tears.
"Please kneel together with them. Follow me and make the Blood Oath of Brothers and accept the inheritance of the Big Blessing Skill. You can swear after me. When I say the word "Oath-taker", you need to say out your own name! Afterwards, I will read the sutra of the Big Blessing Skill and the relevant passages that you need to recite. You need to listen with the most sincere attitude while kneeling on the ground. After that, you need to draw three horizontal lines that are like wrinkles on your forehead using your own fresh blood before coming in front of me to complete the final step of the Big Blessing Skill. I will then execute the Big Blessing Skill on your body by drawing a vertical line on your forehead. That's what we need to do, am I clear..." Zhang Tie solemnly said.
"Clear!"
"Well then, please kneel down!"
At this very moment, nobody hesitated. They all knelt down in front of Zhang Tie on one knee, while the other three who were tending to Zhang Tie's wound simply knelt down in front of him as closely as they could to Zhang Tie...
"The Lord who controls everything, the karma which predominates everything..." After saying each sentence, Zhang Tie would slightly pause...
Everybody then repeated after Zhang Tie. "The Lord who controls everything, the karma which predominates everything..."
"Today, in the name of the bloodline of my brothers, I will make this sacred oath and agreement..."
"Today, in the name of the bloodline of my brothers, I will make this sacred oath and agreement..."
"Today, everything that I have seen in this cave will not be released to anyone, not even my parents, my wife, nor my children. Even when facing blades, swords, and cruel torture..."
"Today, everything that I have seen in this cave will not be released to anyone, not even my parents, my wife, nor my children. Even when facing blades, swords, and cruel torture..."
"The acceptance of the blessing of the Big Blessing Skill is a top secret of my brothers, who have mixed their blood with mine. I swear to protect this secret, even at the cost of my life..."
"The acceptance of the blessing of the Big Blessing Skill is a top secret of my brothers, who have mixed their blood with mine. I swear to protect this secret, even at the cost of my life..."
"If I violate today's oath and agreement, please turn this blessing into a curse. Please kill me with the blades of my brothers who have mixed their blood with me, the Oath-taker..."
"If I violate today's oath and agreement, please turn this blessing into a curse. Please kill me with the blades of my brothers who have mixed their blood with me, the Oath-taker..." Everybody then said out their names. Afterwards, they continued to listen to Zhang Tie's sutra of the Big Blessing Skill...
"Shun became outstanding among the farmers, Fu Yue became famous among the plasterers, Jiao Ge became well-known among the fish and salt sellers, Guan Zhong became a prime minister after he was set free as a prisoner, Sunshu Ao lived alone beside the ocean before being introduced into the imperial court, Baili Xi was also promoted to be a prime minister from a common citizen. Thus, when the gods wanted to deliver a major mission to a person, he would definitely make him suffer pain inwardly, make both his veins and blood fatigued, make him starve, make him lack money, and make him unsuccessful. The gods would use these methods to enable him to be diligent inwardly, to make him stubborn, and to increase the abilities that he has never had before."—Zhang Tie was forced to recite a paragraph of ancient Chinese warnings by his parents since he was young. He said it extremely quickly and had even changed the way the words were enunciated, causing some of the words to sound longer, while others sounded shorter. He also read some words in the form of short voice or lingual voice, even in the form of vibrato or changing the pronunciation of the words after translation. The people in front of him didn't know Chinese, and even if they did, they would never be able to figure out what Zhang Tie was talking about. This was the "Sutra of the Big Blessing Skill" fabricated by Zhang Tie. After all the others finished reciting that strange sutra, Zhang Tie immediately changed his tune and started to hum the words for praying, which were words they could understand.
"The Lord who controls everything, the karma which predominates everything, the innocent and foolish humans are usually puzzled by the outward forms of things and take the blessings of God as sutra and bitterness. Only those with true wisdom and perseverance can figure out the truth and be puzzled by the outward forms of things. Only those with true wisdom and perseverance are qualified to accept the best blessing in this secular world. Those people will extend their gratitude to this blessing, embrace bitterness, and finally complete your undertakings."
Chapter 112: Natural-born, Damn Priest
Translator: WQL Editor: Geoffrey
In the pitch-black hinterland of the mining cave, everybody was immersed in the mysterious atmosphere built by Zhang Tie. The entire mining cave was so quiet that even the sound of a needle dropping onto the ground could be heard. In this place, only Zhang Tie's words were reverberating in the air in a singing voice, which resonated in the ear of every person, shocking them down to their souls...
By then, Zhang Tie had already gained control over everything in his presence...
"When God wants to give you resilience, he will bring pain to your soul. The innocent and foolish humans are like those farmers who only know how to sow yet not knowing how to reap. They experience pain, yet they forget to reap resilience!"
"When God wants to give you strength, he will make you work hard. The innocent and foolish humans are like those farmers who only know how to sow, yet not knowing how to reap. They experience hard work, yet they forget to reap strength!"
"When God wants to give you intelligence, he will make you experience difficulties. The innocent and foolish humans are like those farmers who only know how to sow, yet not knowing how to reap. They experience hard work, yet they forget to reap intelligence!"
"The blessing of the God is always displayed in some other outward form. This is the top secret in the world. For the people who are familiar with this top secret, all the difficulties are the sweetest of fruits given to you, as they are God's blessings. Show your gratitude and welcome all of the blessings from God. Take the King's Mark on your forehead as your contract, and you finally will gain the freedom!"
Although the sutra Zhang Tie had said earlier was puzzling, everyone was able to understand the latter paragraph. Hearing Zhang Tie's benediction, everybody suddenly realized and was shocked to their souls. It turned out that such a huge secret was hiding behind the guise of just digging in the mines. While others saw this job as difficult labor, the Enlightener has been constantly receiving the blessing of the Gods in this mining cave. In loneliness, he received resilience, and through hard work, he received strength. He might even have been practicing his fighting skills by repetitively waving his mining hoe...
Zhang Tie used his finger to draw three horizontal lines in the air above his forehead. Seeing Zhang Tie's actions, those guys thought about the next move as they also piously drew three horizontal lines on their own foreheads using the blood on their finger.
"This is the King's Mark. The first horizontal line symbolizes the difficulties of the sky, the second horizontal line symbolizes the difficulties of the land, and the third horizontal line symbolizes the difficulties of human beings. After receiving the blessing of the Big Blessing Skill, you will learn how to show your gratitude to the blessings hidden behind difficulties. I will break through the King's Mark by drawing a vertical line using the fresh blood of your brothers. This represents that all your difficulties will be broken through. In the future, each of you will have an unusual achievement. You will gain freedom through experiencing all types of difficulties, as these difficulties will be the source of your strength..." As he said this, Zhang Tie dipped his finger into the fresh blood in the stone pit and drew a vertical line on the forehead of Potter, who was kneeling in front of him very devoutly, forming the Chinese character "王"[1] on his forehead
When Zhang Tie's finger touched Potter's forehead, that young person became so excited that his body began to tremble all over.
"From now on, the King's Mark has been engraved in your mind. Every time you encounter difficulties, it will remind you that you should think like a king and that you should face all difficulties, as they are simply just outward forms. Only those who have truly acquired the King's Mark could receive the blessing from the Gods that have been hidden behind these outward forms. As a fire-bearer, you will also gain the Mark of Light, which will enable your mind to be filled with light. Even in the darkest of places, the light in your mind will never die out..." As Zhang Tie solemnly and seriously said that, he dipped his finger into a bit of the fresh blood and used his finger to draw a painting on Potter's head, one which was in the shape of the Chinese character "火". After drawing it on the left side of Potter's forehead, Zhang Tie found that it was not symmetrical, thus he drew another one on the right side of his forehead, making the two symmetrical with each other. Together, the three Chinese characters truly seemed to be full of mystery.
Others stared at Potter with eyes full of admiration.
Following Potter was the second person, the third person, the fourth person… Every one of the youths knelt down in front of Zhang Tie on one knee, letting Zhang Tie, who was pretending to be mysterious, draw a vertical line on their foreheads using their fresh blood, leaving behind the Chinese character "王" on their foreheads.
The "fire-bearers" then became the object of admiration for everyone. Aside from the commonly shared "王" on their foreheads, there were also the two "火" characters, which Zhang Tie had said was the Mark of Light, something that could fill even the darkest places in one's mind with light.
After doing such a series of steps, although Zhang Tie had tortured himself a lot and had even used his own blood, upon seeing the expressions of happiness and hope and the special, shining brilliance in their eyes, which was completely different from before they had entered the cave, he realized that what he had done for them was worth it.
It was not important whether or not it was true. After such a long prank, as long as these guys could live happily while filled with hope, Zhang Tie would have already achieved his goal. However, in the case of emergencies, Zhang Tie added the following explanations.
"Remember, the key factor of the Big Blessing Skill is that you must remain grateful and filled with joy in your heart when facing any difficulties or challenges. If you don't want to face them, you can choose to leave and come back when you are ready. However, you should never complain and doubt your belief. If you begin to complain and doubt your own beliefs, then you will lose the power of belief and the effects of the Big Blessing Skill will never appear. The Gods will not give any blessings to a person who frequently complains about everything. If you complain, then you will truly encounter difficulties. Remember this in your minds! Complaining and doubting are blasphemous to the Big Blessing Skill!"
Everybody nodded.
"Revered Enlightener, if we are lucky enough to hear it, could you please tell us as to which party or school does such a perfect Big Blessing Skill come from? After receiving such an inheritance, do we have to assume some obligations?" A guy walked out of the crowd and bowed in front of Zhang Tie before respectfully asking. At this moment, Zhang Tie looked both tall and mysterious in the eyes of the public.
The Age of Black Iron was brimming with a mysticism. Hidden groups and schools emerged one by one everywhere as many people even considered it to be an honor to be able to join those groups or schools. The guy walking out of the crowd had aroused the curiosity of the others as all their eyes were shining and remained fixed on Zhang Tie.
At this moment, even if Zhang Tie had told them that everything that has happened so far had been fabricated, the others would only regard it as a joke and nobody would believe him. Thankfully, Zhang Tie had long been prepared for this problem.
"The Big Blessing Skill is a mysterious knowledge from the Ancient Gods Church. For those who have received the Big Blessing Skill, aside from keeping this confidential, having mutual affection with your brothers, and providing assistance to your brothers when in need, you have no other obligations. You are all free now. The Ancient Gods Church will not request you to do anything!" Zhang Tie calmly explained. At this time, even Zhang Tie started to admire himself. 'Zhang Tie, you are truly a natural-born, damn priest! Just by opening and closing your mouth, you have already built the Ancient Gods Church.'
"Revered Enlightener, can we join the Ancient Gods Church?" This question was really what many other people had wanted to ask. Many people then cast their eyes full of desire onto Zhang Tie. Ancient Gods Church—its name sounded great, and it seemed to contain a great amount of mysterious knowledge. "We, the Ancient Gods Church, only allow the most devoted of followers who have the firmest of beliefs and have obtained the blessing from the Gods to join us. In truth, the Big Blessing Skill was a standard used to select followers for the Ancient Gods Church. Everyone who has obtained the blessing of the Big blessing Skill has received the favor of the Gods. In the future, some among you will deeply sense the majesty of the Big Blessing Skill and will absorb the great strength from all difficulties and troubles. When this great strength combines with your awe, your devotion will come into being. Only the most devoted people can join the Ancient Gods Church after obtaining the consent of the Enlightener!" Hearing Zhang Tie's words, many people became slightly disappointed; however, after thinking for a short while, they looked more decisive and held more expectations. Just like what Donder had said, Zhang Tie was very clear that only things that could not be gained or could be gained only through hard work were the best. If he became soft hearted and let those guys feel as if it was easy to join the Ancient Gods Church, then the church would have no future, thus Zhang Tie decided to not waste any time.
...
After completing the inheritance ceremony of the Big Blessing Skill, when Zhang Tie and the group of people reappeared in front of Wood, Jones, Gandhi, and Franca, the "sacrifices" who stood at the entrance of the cave, the four people immediately felt a great change in the people behind Zhang Tie. Since they all had a water bottle, the blood stain on their foreheads had already been cleaned off, but after undergoing that "baptism", everyone looked completely different than before, both in spirit and in bearing. In the eyes of Wood and the other three "sacrifices", the motley crew who were noisy when they entered this entrance now looked mysteriously calm, decisive, and very devoted.
Zhang Tie walked ahead of them and the calm people followed behind him. In this way, a group of people walked out from the darkness, much like a scene where a priest had led his followers out of the abyss of hell. It was truly a shocking scene.
Walking beside Zhang Tie was still Potter, who was holding a torch for Zhang Tie. Wood remembered that Potter, before entering the cave, was someone who was self-abased and didn't even dare to look straight into the eyes of others. Amazingly, after such a short period, Potter had already had an exceptional bearing that it even amazed him. That was a firm and unspeakable crazy personality. At this moment, Potter did not only look straight into Wood's eyes, but he had also calmly smiled.
With a sound of "Ding", Wood, who had fixed his eyes on Zhang Tie and his followers, unconsciously loosened his grip, causing his dagger to fall onto the ground.
Was this because of the Big Blessing Skill? The four sacrifices exchanged glances as they saw the burning flames and shock in the eyes of the others. This was truly a great mysterious knowledge...
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[1] 王 Chinese character for King.
[2] 火 Chinese character for Fire.