Chapter 6

Liu Axiang had a blissful expression. “It’s so sweet!” She scooped up a bit with her finger and held it near Wang Tiezhu’s mouth. “Da Chui, try it! It’s really sweet!”

Wang Tiezhu swallowed hard and took it into his mouth. The honey coated that softness, making it irresistibly sweet. Unable to help himself, he licked it with his tongue.

“Ah!”

Liu Axiang shivered and quickly withdrew her finger, her face blushing red. “Tiezhu, you… you’re so bad!”

Wang Tiezhu scratched his head awkwardly. “Xiangxiang-jie, I’m sorry! This honey is just too delicious—I couldn’t help myself.”

Liu Axiang huffed softly, slightly pouting. Was it really just the honey that was delicious?

What about my fingers?

Seeing her pouting and slightly displeased, Wang Tiezhu didn’t quite understand why and said, “Xiangxiang-jie, let’s gather this honey and take it to the county to sell. I’m sure we can make good money from it!”

“Mm!”

Liu Axiang nodded. “Tiezhu, is that bamboo basket over there yours? I’ll go get it to store the honey.”

“Alright!”

Just as Wang Tiezhu was about to bend down to collect the wild honey, the dense foliage in front of them suddenly rustled violently, making a loud noise.

The sudden disturbance made them tense up again. Liu Axiang quickly hid behind Wang Tiezhu, her face turning pale. “Tiezhu, is it that blind Xu and his gang coming back again?”

Wang Tiezhu stared intently ahead. That’s impossible. Xu and his thugs were just stung by wild bees and ran away crying. They wouldn’t dare come back.

He spoke in a deep voice, “Xiangxiang-jie, if anything goes wrong, you run first. I’ll hold them off.”

“But what about you?” Liu Axiang asked anxiously.

“I’ll be fine!”

Wang Tiezhu reassured her. “Xu and his men are just a bunch of spineless cowards. They can’t do anyth—”

Swoosh!!

Before he could finish his sentence, a large, dark figure suddenly burst out from the bushes ahead. It was too fast to see clearly, but its size was enormous—a massive beast!

And when they finally saw what it was…

“Ahhh!”

Liu Axiang screamed in terror. “A bear! A huge bear!

Tiezhu, w-we’re going to die, aren’t we?!”

Wang Tiezhu was also dumbfounded, his heart filled with fear. Of all things, it had to be a black bear! This was far more dangerous than Xu and his thugs—completely out of their league.

The black bear was covered in thick, dark fur, drooling at the mouth, and looked like a small tank. It must have weighed five or six hundred pounds.

Even though Wang Tiezhu was a hunter, there was no way he could take down such a brutal beast. Their only option was to run for their lives.

Grabbing Liu Axiang’s hand, he whispered, “Xiangxiang-jie, whatever you do, do not run. Listen to me—step back slowly, one step at a time. Don’t panic. Stay calm!”

“Okay… okay…”

Liu Axiang was already scared out of her wits, her mind blank, but she obeyed Wang Tiezhu’s instructions, carefully stepping backward with him.

The black bear seemed to be testing them, not attacking immediately. It huffed loudly, its heavy breath making deep noises, while saliva dripped from its mouth. It was a terrifying sight.

Suddenly—

“Ah!”

Liu Axiang tripped and fell to the ground. The bear immediately sensed an opportunity.

“ROAR!!”

With a deafening roar, it reared onto its hind legs, pounding its chest a few times before charging straight at them.

Liu Axiang was so terrified she nearly fainted. Wang Tiezhu quickly picked her up, using all his strength to sprint away.

The bear’s furious roars grew closer and closer behind them. Wang Tiezhu thought about using his greatest secret—his hidden spatial ability, something not even his parents knew about—to escape. But at this moment, survival came first, and he didn’t have time to think about anything else.

Just as he was about to activate his power, the sound of pursuit suddenly stopped.

Glancing back, he saw that the black bear had found the honey and was devouring it greedily.

Now it made sense why the bear had appeared at the outskirts of Daniu Mountain—it had been drawn by the honey.

Seizing the opportunity, Wang Tiezhu carried Liu Axiang to a large tree with thick vines growing around it. Catching his breath, he said,

“Xiangxiang-jie, climb up!

That honey will be gone in no time, and when it is, the bear will come after us next. Hurry, climb!”

Liu Axiang was nearly in tears. “Tiezhu, but… but I don’t know how to climb trees!”

“It’s easy!”

Wang Tiezhu urged, “Just grab the vines and pull yourself up. I’ll help you! Come on, hurry!”

“Okay, okay!”

Liu Axiang grabbed onto the vines, clumsily trying to climb up.

Wang Tiezhu followed right behind her, supporting her by placing a hand on—well, an unexpectedly soft and full area.

This woman looks slim, but she’s actually quite curvy…

There was no time to think about that, though. Their priority was escaping the bear. With considerable effort, they finally climbed onto a thick branch about ten meters off the ground.

Liu Axiang clung tightly to Wang Tiezhu, her small face pale.

“Tiezhu, it’s so high!”

Wang Tiezhu gently patted her hands. “Don’t worry, Xiangxiang-jie. I’m here. You’re safe.”

“Mm!”

Liu Axiang nodded obediently. “As long as you’re here, I’m not afraid of anything.”

She moved even closer to him.

Her soft fragrance drifted into Wang Tiezhu’s nose, easing the tension of their dire situation just a little.

Meanwhile, the black bear finished off the thirty or so pounds of honey in just a few minutes. It even licked its paws, clearly still craving more.

Wang Tiezhu felt a pang of regret. That wild honey sells for 500 to 600 per pound. If we had taken it to market, we could’ve paid off the family’s debts.

Now, it had all gone into that beast’s stomach!

Even after eating, the black bear didn’t leave. It wandered under the tree, occasionally standing on its hind legs and roaring angrily, clearly still thinking about them.

Liu Axiang whispered, “Tiezhu, the bear isn’t leaving… what do we do? If it gets dark, we’ll be stuck here.

How is it still hungry after eating so much honey?!”

Wang Tiezhu had been racking his brain for a solution, but now, an idea struck him. His eyes lit up.

“I have a plan!”

He shouted down at the bear, “Hey, you beast! Over there! There’s more food in that basket! Go eat it!”

As he spoke, he snapped off a vine and tossed it toward the bamboo basket to draw the bear’s attention.

Sure enough, the bear lumbered over to the basket and started rummaging through it.

Liu Axiang looked at him in confusion. “Tiezhu, what food did you put in there?”

Wang Tiezhu grinned.

“Sticky rice cakes!”