PCJ – Chapter 135 Encountering a Wolf

Liu Qiaoye, who was helping in the village, took a break to check on what her son was doing. Ever since Zhang Jiaohua said he wanted to go into the mountains to gather herbs, Liu Qiaoye had been on edge, constantly worrying about her son. Today, however, Zhang Youping’s sixth uncle, Zhang Zhiyi’s son, Zhang Jingbing, was getting married. Relatives and friends in the village all came to help. Zhang Youping and his wife, known for their competence, naturally had to lend a hand.

Liu Qiaoye had been keeping an eye on her son from time to time. Just a moment ago, she saw him squatting on the ground playing with ants, thinking he would be occupied for a while. However, when she turned around, he had disappeared.

“Our son has run off somewhere. What should we do?” Liu Qiaoye asked Zhang Youping, worried.

“Maybe he went home to watch TV. It’s noisy here, and he doesn’t like such places. I said we shouldn’t have brought him. It would have been better if you let him stay home and watch TV,” Zhang Youping wasn’t very concerned.

“You’re not worried about our son at all. A few days ago, he told me he wanted to go to the mountains to gather herbs. I forbid him, but our son is very determined. He might be planning to sneak off on his own. I’ve been keeping a close eye on him these days, so he didn’t have a chance. But today, with me busy, I’m afraid he has gone into the mountains alone. There were blue wolves in the mountains recently. If he encounters wolves, what should we do?” Liu Qiaoye was extremely anxious.

“Don’t worry. We haven’t heard of anyone encountering wolves in the mountains lately. That pack of blue wolves might have just passed through,” Zhang Youping was somewhat concerned but couldn’t leave in the middle of such an important event for someone else’s family.

Liu Qiaoye couldn’t rest easy and told the host, “Aunt Six, I’ve almost finished my work here. For the remaining tasks, I’ll have to trouble everyone. I need to find Jiaohua. He’s always causing trouble.”

Liu Qiaoye was indeed skillful and efficient in her work. Aunt Six, Ma Zhihua, readily agreed, “Go ahead, and bring Jiaohua back for dinner later.”

“Will do.” Liu Qiaoye quickly hurried home, taking three steps at a time. Sure enough, she found the lock had been tampered with. Liu Qiaoye always left a mark when placing the key. Seeing the mark disturbed, she knew someone had moved the key, likely her son.

“Jiaohua, Jiaohua.” Knowing her son had already left, Liu Qiaoye couldn’t help but call out a few times. Entering the house, she saw a pile of fresh paper money ashes under the shrine, confirming her son had gone into the mountains. Liu Qiaoye panicked. She thought about informing her husband but knew he couldn’t leave. So, she grabbed a firewood knife and headed straight for Meishan Mountain.

Meanwhile, Zhang Jiaohua, having scared away the blue wolf, started running, throwing down a few talismans as he fled. The fireball was merely a distraction, disappearing halfway. Knowing the blue wolf would soon realize this, Zhang Jiaohua had to escape quickly. He alternated between using the sliding spell and the anti-sliding spell, climbing a bit, then sliding down the mountain to catch his breath before running again.

The blue wolf, frightened, ran a great distance before stopping. When it looked back and saw no fire, it was baffled. It returned to the spot where it had been scared and found no signs of fire. The wolf, though afraid of fire, could recognize it. A fireball should have ignited the dry leaves and branches, potentially setting the whole mountain ablaze in the dry air.

The blue wolf looked around, seeing no signs of burning. When it tried to find Zhang Jiaohua’s scent again, the human and dog were nowhere to be seen. Annoyed at being tricked, the wolf quickly started tracking again, finding human scent at the spot Zhang Jiaohua had thrown the talismans.

Zhang Jiaohua and the Shanbao ran quickly, reaching the outskirts of Meishan Mountain in no time. This familiar area gave him a sense of safety, but the danger wasn’t over if the blue wolf caught up and called its pack. Only by reaching Meizi’ao Village, the area of human activity, would they be truly safe.

To make matters worse, the wild boar that Jin Hu and the others were carrying woke up. Bound like a bundle, it couldn’t move but used all its strength to howl.

“Yow!”

The boar’s cry shattered the tranquility of Meishan Mountain, potentially alerting the blue wolf.

“This is trouble,” Zhang Jiaohua thought. The boar’s cry could lead the blue wolf straight to them.

“Lift it higher and then drop it!” Zhang Jiaohua scratched his head, directing Jin Hu and the others.

Obediently, Jin Hu and the others lifted the boar higher than the pine trees and let it fall freely onto the clearing below, aiming for a rock. The boar’s previous experience had inspired them.

As the boar fell, it opened its eyes and struggled but couldn’t escape its fate.

“Bang!”

With a loud crash, the boar was silenced, blood quickly pooling beside the rock.

“Run, quick!” Zhang Jiaohua started running again.

Jin Hu and the others followed, some carrying baskets, others the boar, with the Shanbao guarding the rear.

The blue wolf, hearing the boar’s howl, quickened its pace, puzzled at not seeing the human despite running a long way. It had passed the crooked tree multiple times. Realizing it had been running in circles, the wolf returned to its original spot, feeling as if it had hit a wall.

This was the effect of the talisman Zhang Jiaohua had thrown, creating a magnetic field that confused the wolf’s sense of direction. However, these low-level talismans wouldn’t last long. As their effect weakened, the wolf began to see clearly again.