Chapter 465 — A Real Shark
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
Perform for Zhong Yongliang? Wei Zhao was not so bored as that. He set about roasting his own present over the fire rack. "Wei Zhao, can you really make fire by drilling wood?" Gu Mengyao had been standing by without a word all this while, but hearing from Shen Yushu that Wei Zhao could drill wood to make fire, she was suddenly curious.
"I can." The young miss had spoken, so naturally Wei Zhao could not refuse to answer.
"Then drill for us and let us see?" Gu Mengyao did not want Wei Zhao to get into trouble. From the look of Zhong Yongliang, he probably meant every word he said! Wei Zhao was her follower, and Gu Mengyao did not want him to be hauled off either.
"Oh, all right." Wei Zhao casually picked up two pieces of wood and made ready to drill.
"Hold on—what are you doing standing so far from me? If you've got the goods, perform right in front of my eyes!" Zhong Yongliang waved a hand to stop Wei Zhao. That Wei Zhao had actually agreed to perform took Zhong Yongliang somewhat by surprise, but the more readily Wei Zhao agreed, the more he feared Wei Zhao would pull some trick.
"Do you want me to perform right in front of your eyes?" Wei Zhao thought, Zhong Yongliang, you chase Gu Mengyao, fine, chase her—what did you have to go and rig up a solar barbecue grill for? Wei Zhao had paid him no mind, but now the fellow had turned his spearhead on Wei Zhao himself. Wei Zhao was rather puzzled. Was the boy's hide itching again? Or had he taken leave of his senses?
At any other time, Zhong Yongliang would never have dared to pick a quarrel with Wei Zhao so lightly, but today was different. This spring outing was one he had organized, and the plane was one he had chartered; in a sense, then, Zhong Yongliang was the man in charge of this outing! Thus, if Wei Zhao had brought a fire source aboard the plane, it was his responsibility to stop and discipline him—which was why Zhong Yongliang dared to act so.
Had Wei Zhao simply owned up, Zhong Yongliang would not have been so angry; at most he would have said a few words. Confiscating his fire pile would have been the extent of it. But Wei Zhao had actually gone and produced fire by drilling wood!
Zhong Yongliang had heard of drilling wood to make fire, but he had never actually seen it! Besides, if drilling wood really could make fire, then those expedition teams and survey parties would not need to guard their tinder so jealously—they could simply find two sticks and make fire whenever they pleased, could they not?
"Fine, then drill right there on my hand. Let's see if you can make fire!" Fearing Wei Zhao would cheat, Zhong Yongliang demanded to hold the other piece of wood himself. He truly did not believe Wei Zhao could conjure fire so easily.
"Heh. Suit yourself. If you get burned, don't come looking for me!" Wei Zhao had been wondering how to teach the fellow a lesson, and now, to his surprise, Zhong Yongliang had volunteered to hold the wood for him.
"Fine, I won't come looking for you! If I get burned, I'll call it my own bad luck! Everyone here can bear witness!" Zhong Yongliang sneered and said with scorn, "Only I doubt you've got the skill!"
Wei Zhao said no more. He placed one piece of wood in Zhong Yongliang's hand, then took the other and rubbed it gently against it.
"Ha! I thought you had some clever trick—rubbing like that, you could go at it a lifetime and never get a spark!" Zhong Yongliang burst out laughing at Wei Zhao's motions. "Since you're so eager to make a fool of yourself, suit yourself!"
Zhong Yongliang thought to himself that he had disgraced himself often enough today; now it was Wei Zhao's turn! He was gloating when suddenly he heard a "poof," and then a scorching heat came searing into his palm.
"Gah?!" Zhong Yongliang discovered that the wood in his hand had actually caught fire and was blazing away! In a panic he flung the wood from him, howling, "It's burning, it's burning..."