PCJ – Chapter 184 Bottleneck

Zhang Jiaohua has recently felt that his Meishan Martial Arts practice has become somewhat obstructed, with no apparent progress each day. No matter how much he extends the practice time, it has no effect. Although practicing Meishan Martial Arts has become a habit for Zhang Jiaohua, the lack of progress is making him feel helpless. His Taoist master hasn’t appeared in his dreams for a long time.

Similarly, his Qinggong has also reached a plateau. He initially thought that mastering Qinggong would allow him to move with the agility of Yan Zi Li San, running along rooftops, but he discovered that after removing the sandbags from his feet, he could only sprint up the tree at his house’s entrance without using his hands. For an ordinary person, this might count as rooftop running, but for Zhang Jiaohua, it’s far from the level of Qinggong depicted in martial arts novels. Zhang Jiaohua feels that if he jumps from a standstill, the most he can achieve is a jump of one or two meters, nowhere near the leaps to rooftops seen in martial arts television shows.

Jumping down from a ten-meter-high branch, Zhang Jiaohua landed silently on the ground by using his toes and thighs to cushion the impact, as quietly as a falling leaf.

“How should I continue my practice?” Zhang Jiaohua scratched his head, unable to come up with a solution.

It’s no wonder, as apart from receiving guidance from his Taoist master in dreams, Zhang Jiaohua has been practicing entirely on his own. The difficulties he encounters might not be solvable in dreams, and sometimes the sequences in dreams are disorganized. Reaching this point has already been quite an achievement for him.

If he were an adult, he would surely feel frustrated at this stage. But Zhang Jiaohua only feels confused. Entering the magical world of the Meishan Water Masters was originally just an exciting adventure without a clear goal, so the stagnation in his practice doesn’t trouble him much. This pure mindset might actually align with the Daoist principle of wuwei (effortless action).

Zhang Jiaohua is stuck at a bottleneck, but he hasn’t dreamt of his Taoist master for several days and hasn’t received any guidance. However, he hasn’t given up, turning his morning exercises into a habit.

On Saturday afternoon, Luo Changjun came to Meizi’ao Village and told Zhang Jiaohua that they needed to visit the Zijiang Police Dog Team the next day. Recently, there had been a series of burglaries in Gezhuping Town, and Luo Changjun wanted to borrow a police dog to solve the cases. Zhang Jiaohua also wanted a batch of hunting dogs. Luo Changjun had a friend, Zhu Kaixun, working in the Zijiang Police Dog Team, responsible for breeding and training the dogs. Some dogs unsuitable for police work would be eliminated, and Luo Changjun thought Zhang Jiaohua’s requirements for hunting dogs would be lower than for police dogs.

“Jiaohua, bring your Shanbao too. My friend is interested in seeing a rural hunting dog,” said Luo Changjun before heading back to town, planning to pick up Zhang Jiaohua the next day.

Zhang Manyin, who had come to Zhang Jiaohua’s house, suggested, “Jiaohua, since you have nothing to do, why not go to town with Uncle Luo this afternoon? It will save him another trip tomorrow.”

Luo Changjun, not wanting to make the bumpy trip again the next day, agreed. “Yes, if you come with me today, we can head to Zijiang early tomorrow morning and maybe even tour the city. It’s probably your first long trip, right?”

Zhang Jiaohua, tempted but worried about his five puppies, hesitated. “What about the five puppies?”

“I’ll stay at your place and take care of them. Don’t worry, I’ll feed them well,” said Zhang Manyin, thinking of his grandson’s well-being.

Usually, when Zhang Jiaohua went out, he left Shanbao to guard the house. This time, he called Shanbao into the car, making the dog excited and affectionate towards him.

“Can your Shanbao understand you?” Luo Changjun asked curiously. Despite visiting Zhang Jiaohua’s house several times, he hadn’t paid much attention to Shanbao. With the recent theft cases in town, he wanted a police dog and noticed Zhang Jiaohua’s Shanbao, which seemed to understand Zhang Jiaohua’s words without any hand signals.

“How can it be a hunting dog if it doesn’t understand?” Zhang Jiaohua replied dismissively.

Luo Changjun laughed, not minding the child’s disdain. “If someone in your village was robbed, could your hunting dog track the thief by scent?”

“Never tried it. Our village hasn’t had any thefts,” Zhang Jiaohua said, scratching his head, then proudly added, “But last time, it found a lost cow by scent.”

Realizing he had revealed too much, Zhang Jiaohua remembered his parents’ instruction not to tell anyone about the incident.

“So, you were the first to find that giant python,” Luo Changjun, who knew about the incident, connected the dots. He wasn’t interested in pursuing how they escaped the python but wanted to solve his current problem.

“Jiaohua, can you help me with something?” Luo Changjun asked seriously.

Feeling proud to be valued by an adult, Zhang Jiaohua replied, “Uncle Luo, just ask. I’ll do my best to help.”

Luo Changjun, delighted, drove to the crime scene.

The victim, Miao Xinghe, had been robbed the previous night. His family ran a game hall, making good money with hundreds of cash daily. It’s no wonder thieves targeted his house.

Living on Xin Street in a new building with surrounding walls, Miao’s house stood out, making it a prime target. Luo Changjun opened the sealed house, reminding Zhang Jiaohua not to touch anything to preserve the scene.

Zhang Jiaohua, understanding from watching detective shows, was extra cautious. “Uncle Luo, with so many people having been here, how do I know which scent belongs to the thief?”

“The thieves stole the homeowner’s clothes, which should be of similar build. The traces under the bed are clear and must be the thief’s,” Luo Changjun explained, showing the clear marks in the dust under the bed where the heavy iron box had been.

“Shanbao, come here,” Zhang Jiaohua called. Shanbao obediently sniffed around under the bed, then looked up at Zhang Jiaohua.

“Any findings?” Luo Changjun asked eagerly, not understanding the dog’s expression.

“It seems like it found something,” Zhang Jiaohua replied.

“Can it track the thief?” Luo Changjun asked urgently.

“As long as the thief is still in town, it should be able to track him. But if he took a car, it would be hard to find,” Zhang Jiaohua said, patting Shanbao’s head.

“Then let’s act quickly,” Luo Changjun said excitedly. The crime had occurred the previous night, and the thief was likely still in Gezhuping Town since the town’s bus hadn’t started yet. The police had guarded the bus station, and the thief wouldn’t dare take a bus. Hence, the thief should still be within town limits. If Shanbao could track the scent, they might catch the thief, solving the largest theft case in Gezhuping Town’s history, which was also significant in Xintian County and Zijiang City.