PCJ – Chapter 204 The Spiritual Water Curse

After everyone left, Zhang Jiaohua went to the horticulture field alone. Children in rural areas know that you have to water the roots when planting trees during this season, or else the saplings will easily die. When planting the trees, the soil in the horticulture field was noticeably very dry. Planting like this is like placing the saplings directly under the sun to dry out. So, Zhang Jiaohua prepared to pray for rainwater.

To get from Zhang Jiaohua’s house to the horticulture field, one must pass through a grove behind the house. At night, even with moonlight, one has to walk through the dark grove, where it is pitch black. If it were an ordinary child, they wouldn’t dare to pass through this area. However, for Zhang Jiaohua, it seemed too ordinary. In his eyes, the world had already become a bit different. Just take the dark grove, for example; the darkness couldn’t stop him from seeing everything clearly around him. The five little companions had long been released from the bell by Zhang Jiaohua.

It had been more than half a year, and these little companions were still the same as before, shorter than Zhang Jiaohua by a head. They were as happy as before. The form of their spirits seemed to have eternally preserved their happiness.

Zuan Shanbao didn’t particularly like the cold aura emanating from his little master’s companions, so he ran far away.

The grove was very quiet, and one could hear the soft rustling of pine needles in the wind. Other children in the village were sitting in front of their black-and-white TVs, enjoying television programs. Zhang Jiaohua didn’t envy their lives at all. He had his own business to run. Only by doing this business well could his parents possibly not stay out of Meizi’ao in the future and avoid going to distant, unfamiliar cities.

When Zhang Jiaohua arrived at the pig farm’s warehouse, he found only the little puppies huddled together, lying on the ground asleep. The fifteen adult dogs were nowhere to be seen.

Zhang Jiaohua thought these fifteen adult dogs had gone hunting in the mountains. After all, they had always obtained food on their own. Even the puppies had started eating the prey that the mountain dogs hunted. These mountain dog puppies were completely different from ordinary rural dogs. Ordinary rural dog puppies would get diarrhea from eating raw meat, but these puppies were completely fine and even became a bit wilder.

Zhang Jiaohua didn’t come to check on where the mountain dogs went; he had more important things to do.

Zhang Jiaohua walked to the center of the horticulture field. There used to be a reservoir there, and the location was relatively high. However, the reservoir had been dry for a long time. Every time it rained, water would accumulate in it, and it already had a thick layer of mud.

He brought a basket with him, which he placed down and took out spirit money and incense from it, setting up a simple altar. He lit the incense and burned some spirit money, then began walking the star steps and reciting spells.

“Disciple, following the first incense at the mountaintop, the patriarch transforms with the first incense, the master transforms with the second incense, the Three Yuan Generals transform with the third incense, Hua Tuo Patriarch transforms with the fourth incense, the Five Hundred Thunder Demons transform with the fifth incense, the Venus Star transforms with the sixth incense, the Seven Sisters in Heaven transform with the seventh incense, the Eight Immortals transform with the eighth incense, the Mysterious Lady of the Nine Heavens transforms with the ninth incense, the personally taught master transforms with the tenth incense, invoking the spirit water, transforming into water, if not invoked it will not become water, once invoked it becomes water, the disciple holds a bowl of cool water, one bowl becomes ten bowls, ten bowls become a hundred bowls, a hundred bowls become a thousand bowls, a thousand bowls become ten thousand bowls of spirit water…”

Suddenly, mist began to surround Zhang Jiaohua and slowly spread out, gradually covering the horticulture field. Zhang Jiaohua, unaware, continued walking the star steps, reciting the spell without stopping. Through the spell and star steps, Zhang Jiaohua began to integrate into the environment. He suddenly transformed his fingers into a sword and kept drawing circles around him. The mist around him became thicker, almost as if water could drip from it.

The saplings in the horticulture field started to move, as if blown by a breeze. When the mist touched the saplings, it condensed into droplets on the leaves. These droplets fell into the soil and quickly disappeared. But as more droplets formed, countless droplets fell into the soil, making the soil around the citrus seedlings gradually moist, as if it had rained. Even the old tea trees in the horticulture field had droplets condense on them, making the soil underneath them moist. Strangely, the weeds and brambles around the horticulture field didn’t have a single drop of water on them, and the soil underneath them remained dry.

This ritual, covering two hundred acres, was very exhausting for Zhang Jiaohua. Even though it was not a particularly difficult spell, the area was too large. After performing the spell for a while, Zhang Jiaohua began to feel a strong sense of fatigue and could only barely persist with extraordinary willpower. Sweat beads grew larger and larger, gradually soaking his clothes until it seemed like he was drenched. His clothes clung to his body.

When Zhang Jiaohua couldn’t continue any longer, he stopped. Although he hadn’t managed to cover the entire horticulture field, reaching this point was already quite an achievement for him. His legs gave out, and he sat down on the ground. The spell had drained all his energy. As soon as the spell ended, a wave of fatigue overwhelmed him.

Seeing Zhang Jiaohua so exhausted, Jin Hu and the others panicked. Zhang Jiaohua was their only reliance in this world. They naturally feared something might happen to him. The reason their spirits had not dispersed was largely due to their lingering attachment to this world. They still had feelings for their families. But now, their families had buried memories of them deep inside, and any recollections of them had become taboo. Zhang Jiaohua was their only meaning in this world.

A wooden chair flew over from Zhang Jiaohua’s house, naturally moved by Jin Hu and the others. They helped Zhang Jiaohua onto the chair, and then the chair flew back. Zhang Jiaohua was soon back home and then helped onto his bed.

“Jiaohua, Jiaohua!”

Amid the calls, Zhang Jiaohua opened his eyes, the bright light making it hard for him to keep them open.

Zhang Manyin stood by his bed, “Jiaohua, are you sick? You usually get up and practice martial arts, but why are you still in bed now?”

Zhang Jiaohua rubbed his eyes, still very tired, “Grandpa, what’s going on? I had a good sleep last night.”

“Of course, it’s to water your saplings. I drank too much yesterday and forgot something important. The citrus seedlings must be watered at the roots, or they won’t survive,” Zhang Manyin said with some regret. He shouldn’t have overlooked such a thing.