I began to understand the myriad things by chopping wood

Chapter 7 Fatal
Xie Yuan heard the noise behind him and turned his head quickly, and what came into his sight was an angular stone.

In the past, he would have certainly been beaten to a bloody pulp; but after many days of full meals, a few meals of meat, and chopping wood every day, he gained some strength and became much more agile.

He dodged to the side narrowly to avoid the blow on his head. Xie Yuan then stretched out his foot and hooked Li Mazi, sending him to the ground.

He looked at the pointed stone and subconsciously touched the back of his head. He felt that the big bump had not yet disappeared, and he couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.

Seeing Li Mazi struggling to get up, Xie Yuan was furious. He stepped on Li Mazi's lower back and pushed him back to the ground, squeezing out a voice through his teeth:

"You want to fucking kill me?"

Li Mazi groaned and was stepped on the ground.

He tried to pupate for a few times but failed to get up, and he couldn't help but wonder:
"I haven't seen you for a few days. How come Xie Yuan has become so much stronger?"

In fact, most people in the poor mountain villages live one meal and go hungry the next, especially idlers like Li Mazi, who are always causing trouble and are aggressive. They have no food to eat and can only take bribes. They are often hungry all year round, just like a skinny monkey. They are just more cruel than ordinary people, but they don't actually have much strength.

But Xie Yuan would not treat himself badly. Modern people cannot afford to go hungry. He exchanged all his income from cutting iron poplars for food. He had meat for every meal. After a few days, even if he was originally weak, he would feel different after having a full stomach.

Li Mazi couldn't figure it out, so he lay on the ground and muttered:

"You can't be killed by a single hit. Last time you landed on your head, weren't you still alive and kicking?"

After hearing this, Xie Yuan felt a surge of anger in his heart and tightened his grip on the axe.

He has already died once!

Today, I almost got killed for the second time by the same filthy bastard in a similar way.

This ruffian didn't take his life seriously at all... Well, in such a desolate mountain village, how many people would take an orphan's life seriously?
If we really want to kill him, just throw him into the mountains, who will care?
This is the world as it is.

"Yuanzi, that's enough, let go. You hit me and I've hit you, what else do you want?"

At this time, Li Mazi's voice came from under his feet.

"That's enough. You don't have anything to worry about anyway. I admit defeat today. Next time I see you, I will...well, stay away from you. Okay?"

After Li Mazi finished speaking, he felt silence behind him, without any reply.

He couldn't help but raise his head and arch his body to look back.

The forest was foggy, with only a little sunlight shining through the gaps between the leaves, making it seem even dimmer and unable to clearly see Xie Yuan's eyes.

Li Mazi felt a little panic in his heart, and said in a timid tone:
"Yuanzi, I advise you not to hit me again! I haven't told Zhang Laoer about this yet. Wait until I tell him and see if he will punish you!"

"You're not afraid of Zhang Lao Er? Then there's Zhang Lao Da! He's doing very well in the county and is already a martial arts master. When he comes back, be careful of your skin! Damn, a beating is the least of your worries. Do you believe I can let him fuck your ass?"

"Yuanzi, I advise you to let go quickly. Brother Jun won't bother with you. Otherwise, just wait until I get out. You won't have a good life!"

"Oh, right? There are also Wang Shitou and the others. I won't let them have an easy life even if I don't want to help you! I helped Zhang Laoer take away Wang Shitou's land. And Li Lanhua is so coquettish, I just climbed through her window when her man was not around. And there's also a little kid, right? Just wait, Zhang Laoer knows a human trafficker, and the most sought-after ones are little boys..."

"Yuanzi, Brother Yuan, Master Yuan! Why the hell say something!"

Li Mazi was like an animal that had a premonition of danger, and howling desperately like a mad dog.

Suddenly, he felt the foot on his lower back loosen.

For a moment, Li Mazi was so moved that he almost cried.

I knew this guy was a coward!
He propped himself up halfway and was about to roll over when his eyes suddenly bulged and rolled upwards, instantly filled with a rich blood red.

He collapsed to the ground, twitching, and after a while he was completely motionless. Xie Yuan supported himself with the axe, took a deep breath, and felt his hands and feet go weak.

The first time, it's normal, nothing serious...

He kept repeating to himself as he rubbed the red and white stains on Li Mazi's body, then silently looked at the corpse whose back of the head had completely sunken.

I have done nothing wrong. If I keep him around, am I giving him the third, fourth, and fifth chance to kill me?

If you mess with a brainless, vicious scoundrel like this, you will never be safe. The threats he made later will definitely come true if there is a chance.

There was no way he could leave these woods alive.

Xie Yuan stood there for a long time and suddenly took a deep breath.

Thanks to Li Mazi, he is now completely sober. This is no longer the rule of law society he used to live in.

When facing evil people, being tolerant will only lead to them becoming more aggressive.

If he wants to survive, he can only rely on himself and the axe in his hand to chop down all threats.

Xie Yuan cleaned up the bloodstains on the spot with dust, then silently dragged Li Mazi deeper into the woods, preparing to dig a hole and bury him.

Few people come to this forest anymore, and no one goes further in. Even he has only been there a few times. It should be no problem to find a secluded place.

Xie Yuan dragged Li Mazi's body away, and the forest returned to silence.

Suddenly, a bush moved.

A black-faced man wearing an animal-skin coat stood up and slowly walked to a dark patch of soil. He looked around and then glanced into the depths of the forest.

Afterwards, he walked around in circles in the woods as if nothing had happened, and with his kicks and stomps, he happened to step on a few bloodstains that had not been cleaned up.

After looking around again, the man nodded slightly, then left the woods carrying a wild rabbit.

It was not until the sun was setting that Xie Yuan came out of the woods exhausted, carrying a few bundles of firewood.

"You poor bastard, I dug a hole for you for nothing."

Xie Yuan muttered to himself.

Li Mazi only had about ten copper coins on him. If he died outside, he wouldn't even be able to buy a straw mat.

Thanks to my kind heart, I let him return to dust.

But the most regrettable thing was the cotton coat, which was buried in the pit to prevent anyone from noticing it.

Otherwise, after others discovered that Li Mazi was missing, the cotton coat he stole returned to Xie Yuan, and anyone would have guessed what happened.

It was the first time Xie Yuan killed someone, and he still felt a little uncomfortable, but he was exhausted after working for most of the day, and he had already thought a lot about it before, so he didn't worry too much about it. He was just afraid of being discovered.

The road from the woods to home was not far, but he always felt as if someone was watching him. He quickened his pace and walked home, then he breathed a sigh of relief.

Then he laughed at himself:
"How could anyone be in this desolate mountain and just happen to see me? Don't scare yourself. Observe for two days and see how the village is doing... But no one would care about a guy like Li Mazi who is hated by everyone. I just hope he never shows up again.

"But the Zhang brothers are always a problem, especially if Zhang Da comes back... He has to learn martial arts. He must learn martial arts. At least he has to ask first.

"The only person in the village who has some knowledge, besides Zhang, is Zhu Dongming. He has been out there for a few years. Let's go find him tomorrow."

(End of this chapter)