Castle of Black Iron

Sitting on the ground, the guy soon bottomed up Zhang Tie’s kettle. He didn’t mind that. While the guy was heavily breathing after drinking up the water, Zhang Tie found he was even a bit younger than he had speculated before. The dirt covering his face and the mustache that had not been shaved for many days caused him to look several years older. Actually, he was just a bit older than 20 years old.

After taking his empty kettle back, Zhang Tie asked, “Can you eat something now? I think it would help you recover as soon as possible!”

Hearing this, the guy nodded and started to reach for something at his waist. Seeing him taking out compressed dried rations from his small leather bag, Zhang Tie stopped him. “Eat mine. Compressed dried rations cannot provide you enough heat. It could never match meat. Can you sit up by yourself now?”

The guy nodded and struggled to sit up, supporting himself by placing his hands on the ground. During this movement, he slightly moved the bear trap that had bitten onto his shin, and cold sweat could be seen once again forming on his forehead. However, he gritted his teeth and remained silent.

Seeing him gritting his teeth and sitting up alone, Zhang Tie nodded inwardly. One who dared to wander in the Wild Wolf Valley at midnight truly was a tough man.

“Sit here, I will give some food for you!”

After saying this, Zhang Tie walked towards the bamboo-woven cage that contained the dried meat of the huge wolf.

When Zhang Tie turned away, the eyes of the guy sitting on the ground immediately became sharp. He rapidly peered at the dagger that had been thrown aside by Zhang Tie and glanced over Zhang Tie with alert eyes. During this process, he took in every details about Zhang Tie, including his age, height, physique, clothes, weapons, and his luggage that contained his sleeping bag. Nothing on Zhang Tie could escape from his eyes. After doing this, the guy winked, seemingly thinking about something. After that, he slumped down while the alertness in his eyes disappeared.

Zhang Tie, who had turned away to get food for him, didn’t know the thoughts that had flashed across the man behind him.

The dried meat of the huge wolf was put into a bamboo-woven schoolbag-sized food container that could be fixed on his waist, which was a necessity in survival training in the wild. The cages were woven by girls in the Wild Wolf Castle using bamboo and reeds, which worked the best. Although Zhang Tie could access the Castle of Black Iron at any time, he didn’t want himself to look too special. So for basic belongings and food, he preferred to carry them on his person. Even in the wild, Zhang Tie didn’t like to casually access Castle of Black Iron without necessity, since it would increase the risk of exposing his biggest secret. Additionally, his strength could increase by carrying these items with him.

Zhang Tie took out a smoked jerky of the huge wolf. The guy didn’t pick at the food, nor did he say polite words. Instead, he directly took it and engulfed it. After that, he rested for another several minutes, during which he greatly improved both spiritually and physically.

“Thank you for saving my life. If not for you, I would have hardly survive this night!” Although still weak, the guy still seriously stared at Zhang Tie with his cyan eyes. “Please let me know my savior’s name!”

“I’m Zhang Tie!”

“Are you a student attending survival training in the Wild Wolf Valley?”

“Yes!” Zhang Tie looked at him, not feeling it improper to tell him his status as a student attending the survival training. Since there were many students attending the training all over the Wild Wolf Valley, it was no secret. “What’s your name?”

“I’m Salvey!”

“Few people are as unlucky as you!” Zhang Tie looked at the bear trap on Salvey’s shin. “How do you feel now? Have you recovered a bit? I cannot open it by myself. I’m afraid if I can’t open it and let it close up again, you will suffer a greater pain. It seems like you’ve already tried it by yourself...”

Salvey’s pale face looked a bit embarrassed. “It would take a LV 5 strength to open it alone, my strength is not big enough...”

Last night, Salvey had already tried twice to open it by himself. However, the result was the one that Zhang Tie had mentioned. He could not open it and had no choice but to let it close up again, only causing him to suffer more pain.

“There are too many pioneers coming to the Crescent Prairie to hunt for golden wolves and pick Goose-neck Grass. There’s no way to know who had set the bear trap here!” Zhang Tie looked at Salvey full of sympathy. “Are you here to hunt golden wolves and Pick up Goose-neck Grass too? Why did you come over here to the Wild Wolf Valley? There are no golden wolves or Goose-neck Grasses here...”

After going blank for seconds, Salvey replied to eliminate Zhang Tie’s doubt, “It was dark, and I wasn’t familiar with the terrain...”

Zhang Tie didn’t doubt it after hearing the explanation. If it was not for the two items, why else would anyone wander into the Wild Wolf Valley and the Crescent Prairie? Picking up wolves’ sh*t? Blues said many pioneers had arrived at the Crescent Prairie these days and Salvey must be one of them.

Based on his own life experiences, Zhang Tie didn’t realize that Salvey was escaping from his doubt. So he thought that Salvey had just admitted his purpose here.

After resting for a couple of minutes, Salvey’s face regained some color. He nodded towards Zhang Tie to indicate that he was ready to open it together with Zhang Tie.

“You don’t need to rest more?” Zhang Tie asked, a bit worried about him.

“No more, this time, we two might be able to deal with it...”

“Fine, hope we can succeed...”

On the steel bars with saw teeth on both sides were a row of round holes. Such a design was to relieve the weight of the bear trap, and was convenient for one to open it. Since Salvey had expressed that he could do it, Zhang Tie said nothing more.

He then held the bear trap using his hands, allowing Salvey to move his foot to another direction and lift up his knee so that they could use their efforts to open it together. After inserting their fingers into the round holes, they exchanged glances and nodded at the same time.

“After I count to three, let’s do it together...” Zhang Tie said.

Salvey nodded and took a deep breath.

“One… two… three… Go!”

The two used all their strength to pull the bear trap open, and the saw teeth started to leave Salvey’s shin.

When the saw teeth were pulled out of Salvey’s wounds, Zhang Tie felt Salvey’s body quiver all over. At the same time, Salvey’s strength became weaker, causing the bear trap’s force on his side to increase abruptly.

Zhang Tie instantly shouted, “Stand it, come on...”

Zhang Tie’s face turned red while Salvey’s face increasingly turned paler. Sweat drops formed on their foreheads at the same time. Soon after that, the huge mouth of the bear trap slowly opened again.

“Right now...”

When Salvey’s shin could be fully pulled out of the beast clip, without Zhang Tie prompting, Salvey used his last energy to pull his leg back and get it out of the huge mouth of the bear trap. After that, they loosened their hands at the same time. With a sound of ‘Ka’, the bear trap closed once again.

Just after such a short exercise, the two were so tired that they sat on the ground, breathing heavily. The jaws of this bear trap were really powerful...

The moment the trap left Salvey’s shin, the wounds torn open by the saw teeth bled once again. However, this time, the blood looked a bit dark. After tearing off the part of trousers covering Salvey’s shin, Zhang Tie found that the lower part of Salvey’s shin was swollen like a turnip and looked black and shiny due to the gore. After poking it using his finger, Zhang Tie found that the pioneer didn’t feel it at all.

Salvey also noticed this. He tried it by himself and realized that he could feel no pain on the shin beneath the wounds. Naturally he knew what this meant; his face twitched once again.

“If we don’t deal with it at once, your shin might have to be cut off then...” Zhang Tie solemnly said to Salvey.

Salvey’s eyes became brighter hearing Zhang Tie’s words, and he hurriedly asked, “You could deal with it..?”

“I’ve heard about it from others. As it will touch your broken bones and wounds, it might be very painful. I don’t know if you’ll be able to stand it or not...”

“Come on...”

Salvey gritted his teeth.

“Fine, you have to stand it. In your case, it’s more important to make your blood near the wounds flow smoothly than wrapping them. I have to let the dead blood flow out in case of further damaging your shin...”

Zhang Tie couldn't be sure of success, but Donder had told him that this was the only method at this time. Yet, it was really his first time attempting something like this.

Salvey nodded seriously.

Zhang Tie pitched the part beneath Salvey’s knee using his hands and pushed downwards along the wounds like pushing out milk...

The moment Zhang Tie increased his strength, Salvey’s eyes popped out. After a loud scream, he stopped Zhang Tie. “Wait for a moment, please..”

Zhang Tie looked at him and stopped...

Salvey heavily gasped for air, a bit embarrassed. “Can you fetch me a stick so that I can bite into it...”

30 seconds later, Salvey bit into a stick fetched by Zhang Tie. Seeing Salvey having prepared, and nodding, Zhang Tie continued.

This time, Salvey didn’t scream, instead, his whole body started to tremble repetitively and twist like a fish thrown onto a stone to dry under the sunshine.

No matter what, Zhang Tie didn’t stop, since his actions wouldn’t kill the pioneer. So although he was a bit hesitant at the beginning, he moved faster and more ferociously as time went by. Several minutes later, the blood in Salvey’s shin could finally, smoothly flow downwards, and looked normal. However, Salvey looked as if he was scooped out of water—wet all over.

“Is it done?” Salvey asked when he felt Zhang Tie stop. He felt like he’d just survived hell itself.

“It’s done...”

Zhang Tie patted his hands.

Hearing the words, Salvey revealed a brilliant smile of one who had survived a great trouble.

“I’ve finished the preparations. Now we’ll officially start it...”

Hearing Zhang Tie’s words, Salvey rolled up his eyes and fell backwards.

“Ah, why did you pass out...”

‘You really have poor willpower!’

Zhang Tie shook his head and started to recover Salvey’s senses in his shin. First, he still needed to eliminate the dirty blood in the shin, only then could the fresh blood flow in, and Salvey’s shin start recovering. Together with fresh blood would be fresh energy and nutrients that could recover vitality in the muscles and nerves.

He could push away the dirty blood like how he pushed milk. However, Salvey’s wounds were above his shin. Therefore, the dirty blood could not flow out by itself—just like a dead pond. Over one night, it might have already conglomerated in the vessels of his shin, causing it to be more difficult to push it upwards.

Thinking of Donder’s guidance, Zhang Tie then took out his dagger and opened two wounds of medium depth along the direction of muscle fibre in Salvey’s shin before starting to push hard on his shin. With his efforts, the black, dirty blood started to constantly flow out of the wounds on Salvey’s shin.

At first, the dirty blood being pushed out was black, then it turned purple-black, purple-red, and finally recovered to normal red. At that time, the black, bright swollen shin also gradually recovered to normal due to Zhang Tie’s hard work.

After all this, Zhang Tie pulled out some his medicine for healing wounds and pasted it onto Salvey’s injuries.

Stimulated by the medicine, Salvey gradually woke up. Opening his eyes, he saw Zhang Tie still working on his wounds; while the lower part of his shin felt a bit painful. Salvey almost started crying. It was the first time he thought that it was very nice to feel pain.

……

Twenty minutes later, Zhang Tie re-embarked on his path. However, this time, compared to that one hour ago, he had a companion—bad luck Salvey.

Salvey was both weak and embarrassed. Jumping on one foot, he supported himself with a branch fetched by Zhang Tie with one hand while the other was wrapped around Zhang Tie’s neck.

The two slowly walked towards the border between the Wild Wolf Valley and the Crescent Prairie. Salvey said he had several more companions in the border, so he only requested Zhang Tie to accompany him back to his base.

Now that Zhang Tie had saved his life, he naturally would not just leave him alone, especially since the man could not even move freely. With the belief to be a good man and help people for as long as it was necessary, Zhang Tie gritted his teeth and carried his luggage once again. He promised Salvey to send him back to his base to meet his companions. According to him, they were just 3-5 km away from Zhang Tie’s base.

‘It won’t take me too long time to come back after sending him back to his base.’ Thinking this, Zhang Tie agreed and considered it a good way to become more familiar with the surrounding terrain.

……