PCJ – Chapter 136 Heaven and Earth Net

The wild boar’s roar immediately pointed the direction to the big wolf.

“Woo”

The big wolf howled towards the sky, summoning its companions.

Their companions were scattered across the forest. When they encountered enemies they couldn’t handle, they would summon their companions.

Upon hearing the big wolf’s howl, Zhang Jiaohua knew they were in big trouble. If the wolf pack surrounded them, even casting a hiding spell wouldn’t help. The big wolf was different from the water python. There was only one water python, but there were definitely many big wolves. The water python, though formidable, posed no threat once diverted. However, the big wolves were different; there were too many of them. Even if one escaped momentarily, they might be discovered the next instant. Zhang Jiaohua had to break out of Meishan Mountain before the wolves formed a surround.

“Quick, quick, quick!” Zhang Jiaohua’s speed kept increasing. If he hadn’t practiced the Meishan Mountain Stake Skill, he would have been exhausted long ago. But now, his running speed was getting faster, his calves moving like two wind turbines, dashing forward swiftly.

The wild boar, bound like a rice dumpling, and the basket of medicinal herbs also flew quickly like arrows.

The atmosphere in Meishan Mountain suddenly became tense.

Liu Qiaoye seemed to hear her son crying for help from afar. Anxious and worried, she didn’t call Zhang Youping but directly ran towards Meishan Mountain.

People in the village asked, “Qiaoye, where are you going?”

Liu Qiaoye didn’t hear them at all. She couldn’t remember who she met or what they said on the way, only knowing she had to keep running forward.

Xie Chun’e met Liu Qiaoye on the way and greeted her, but Liu Qiaoye acted as if she hadn’t heard.

Xie Chun’e was also heading to help at Zhang Zhiyi’s house. She immediately informed Zhang Youping about what she saw earlier, “Brother Youping, I just saw Sister-in-law running towards Meishan Mountain. She was running desperately and didn’t hear me when I called her, even though I was right next to her. Something urgent must have happened. You should go check it out.”

Zhang Youping knew something was wrong as soon as he heard it; she must have gone to Meishan Mountain to find their son. Without even notifying Zhang Zhiyi’s family, he started running towards Meishan Mountain.

“What’s happening with Brother Youping’s family? Why are they so anxious?” Xie Chun’e couldn’t understand.

At this time, Xie Chun’e’s mother-in-law, Chen Meijuan, said, “What could make them so anxious? It must be about their son. Jiaohua probably went to Meishan Mountain. The big wolf appeared recently, and we don’t know the situation in Meishan Mountain now. That kid always causes trouble.”

“Brother Youping and his wife spoil Jiaohua too much. How can they indulge the child in everything? That’s asking for trouble.” Xie Chun’e shook her head.

“What kind of fate does Jiaohua have?” Chen Meijuan whispered, obviously referring to the disaster that happened in the summer.

Ma Zhihua couldn’t help but say, “Jiaohua is pitiful. Don’t talk about the past. During the snake disaster, if it weren’t for Jiaohua, who knows what would have happened?”

Xie Chun’e and Chen Meijuan felt embarrassed, “Yes, yes.”

Liu Qiaoye ran desperately, not knowing how many times she fell. Her body was covered in mud, but she didn’t feel any fatigue, only knowing she had to keep running.

Zhang Youping ran even faster. He was considered to have the best physical fitness in the village and was not slow in running. After running for ten minutes, he caught up with the staggering Liu Qiaoye.

“Qiaoye, stop. I’ll go get our son.” Zhang Youping softened upon seeing his wife in that state.

“Our son went to gather herbs! The small bamboo basket is missing. He also invited the gods before leaving!” Liu Qiaoye couldn’t hear anything else. She wouldn’t speak unless she saw the most important person in her life, Zhang Youping.

“I know, I know. You rest here. I’ll go find our son!” Zhang Youping sped up, starting to get anxious. He originally thought Jiaohua was playing in the village and shouldn’t be in any danger, but who knew he had actually gone to Meishan Mountain? There were wolves in Meishan Mountain now!

Zhang Jiaohua was still running swiftly, hearing the howls of big wolves around the mountains, indicating they were conveying messages and surrounding him. He knew he was in extreme danger.

While running, Zhang Jiaohua chanted a spell, “Build an iron fortress, invisible in all directions, walls of copper and iron ten thousand feet deep, a rope eight feet deep, copper and iron ropes tied at the center, unaffected by golden or jade scissors, golden or jade knives. I invoke the supreme Lord Laozi, urgently as commanded!”

With this incantation, the surroundings immediately changed. Grasses and wild vines began weaving themselves into ropes, creating nets in the mountains, forming what seemed like a sky net. This spell was called the Sky Net, typically used by Meishan Mountain hunters for hunting. It was rare to hear of someone using it to escape. However, Zhang Jiaohua had his reasons. The Sky Net was a large-scale spell primarily used to trap wild animals. Once the beasts were trapped, they could be dealt with easily. But when used cleverly, this offensive spell could also serve as a defense.

As the spell took effect, the natural jungle masters, the wolves, planning to ambush Zhang Jiaohua, were instead caught in his Sky Net.

The big wolf that had been chasing Zhang Jiaohua was instantly bound by the ropes in the bushes. The more it struggled, the tighter the binding. Though the wolf was trapped due to the spell’s power, once the spell’s effect wore off, the wolves would naturally be freed.

Zhang Jiaohua had no intention of tasting wolf meat, so he didn’t take the opportunity to kill a few wolves for soup. These beasts would make a nourishing soup for him. He had to seize the chance to escape from Meishan Mountain as quickly as possible.

If Zhang Jiaohua had used another spell, the Golden Knife Flying Knife, those trapped big wolves would have been doomed, suffering severe injuries if not death. But in his panic, Zhang Jiaohua didn’t dare to think about this, only focusing on escaping Meishan Mountain. He comforted himself: Next time, I’ll come back and stew you all for soup.

The Meishan Mountain Stake Skill was indeed powerful. Without it, he would have collapsed from exhaustion by now. He had run at least twenty miles, and on mountain paths, which were much harder to navigate.

As Zhang Jiaohua emerged from Meishan Mountain, he suddenly felt the sky brighten, a sense of rebirth making him feel closer to this familiar world. Even his breathing felt smoother.

He continued running for over a mile, faintly seeing the village buildings. From a distance, he saw a familiar figure running towards him.

“Darn, I’m in for a beating,” Zhang Jiaohua muttered as he recognized the person as Zhang Youping. He quickly had Jin Hu and the others put down the wild boar, adjusted his basket, and sat on the ground to catch his breath.

The unfortunate big wolves stopped chasing at the mountain’s edge, not daring to venture further. They had encountered something unprecedented today, almost scared to death. They followed Zhang Jiaohua to the mountain’s edge, purely to remember him and avoid him in the future. Such a powerful human at a young age would only become more terrifying as he grew.

“Son, who told you to go to the mountain alone? Are you tired of living?” Zhang Youping finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“Dad, we caught a huge boar. It’s too heavy to drag any further,” Zhang Jiaohua pointed to the wild boar bound like a rice dumpling.

“A wild boar!” Zhang Youping, momentarily forgetting to scold his son, stared wide-eyed at the massive boar. Drag? Could ten of his sons drag it? Zhang Youping vaguely understood how Zhang Jiaohua managed to bring the boar here. Seeing no one around, he kept silent. Now, how would they take it back?

Liu Qiaoye finally arrived, limping from an injured foot. Seeing her son, she ignored the pain and rushed to hug him tightly, “Son, you scared me to death!”

Tears streamed from Liu Qiaoye’s eyes, causing Zhang Jiaohua to choke up as well.

“Mom, this big boar kept chasing me. It fell and hit a rock, knocking itself out. I dragged it back,” Zhang Jiaohua proudly claimed credit.

“What!” Liu Qiaoye was as shocked as Zhang Youping.

“How do we get it back?” Zhang Youping couldn’t think of a solution. Though strong, he could only carry a hundred or two pounds at most. This four or five hundred pounds boar was beyond his capability.

Liu Qiaoye, with both their strengths combined, couldn’t drag the boar back.

“Son, how about you keep dragging it?” Liu Qiaoye said exasperatedly.

Zhang Jiaohua was stunned. How could he possibly drag it? He had just made an excuse; they couldn’t be serious, right?

Zhang Youping, having no other options, nodded, “Hmm, let our son keep dragging it.”

Zhang Youping and Liu Qiaoye pretended to turn and leave.

“I can’t drag it anymore, no strength left,” Zhang Jiaohua panicked. If Jin Hu and the others helped, the villagers saw it, wouldn’t they be scared to death?

Zhang Youping and Liu Qiaoye smiled at each other.

“Let’s go back and ask someone to carry it.” Liu Qiaoye said unhappily. 

Zuan Shanbao touched the wild boar’s nose with its claws. Who knew that the wild boar suddenly woke up again. It suddenly opened its huge eyes and roared at the Zuan Shanbao. This came a little suddenly, and the Zuan Shanbao was so scared that it rolled on the ground. It hurriedly hid behind Zhang Jiaohua. Then he remembered that although the wild boar was fierce, it couldn’t move at all. He rushed over angrily and barked at the wild boar.

“Is he still alive?”