PCJ – Chapter 295 The Arrival of Fellow Travelers

Although Fat Cat wanted to return to Meishan and reunite with its subordinates to enjoy the days of commanding respect again, it was better than being chased away by a pack of young dogs daily. As the saying goes, “The King of Hell is easy to see, but the little devils are hard to deal with.” The Mountain Leopard only regarded Fat Cat with disdain, but the group of troublesome young dogs was far more troublesome. Whenever they saw Fat Cat, they would act as if they were on steroids, chasing Fat Cat around until it climbed a wall before leaving with a hint of contempt.

Fat Cat wasn’t afraid of the little dogs but dared not confront them. The Mountain Leopard would bring over forty mountain hunting dogs and tear Fat Cat apart if it tried.

If Fat Cat hadn’t offended that group of macaques so severely, it might have ventured back to Meishan. But now, Fat Cat didn’t dare approach Meishan at all. If the macaques found it, they would surely tear it apart in their rage.

Fat Cat lay on the wooden rack in the pig pen, half-asleep, fantasizing about reuniting with its subordinates and regaining its former glory. Being a cat was hard, and being a cat with ideals was even harder.

Although capriciousness was the trait of a child, Zhang Jiaohua kept his promises. The next day, he sent the Mountain Leopard with a large pack of hunting dogs to Meishan to search for the black cats. It turned out that the black cats’ territory was now empty; the macaques had been scared away by the hunting dogs and no longer dared to occupy the area. However, the black cats did not return as they had been thoroughly intimidated by the macaques.

With the hunting dogs on the move, nothing was impossible. As long as the black cats were still in Meishan, they would be found. However, the black cats, thoroughly frightened by the earlier encounter with the dogs, fled at the mere sound of them. The hunting dogs could go anywhere, but the black cats had already hidden away at the first sign of them, fearing they were being hunted to extinction.

The next day, when no trace was found, Fat Cat felt somewhat dejected. But the Mountain Leopard was undeterred. Although they didn’t find the black cats, they brought back a lot of wild game. Zhang Jiaohua also had a share. Even the lamenting Fat Cat managed to enjoy a whole wild chicken weighing one or two pounds. Though its mood seemed off, its appetite was unaffected.

“How could we not find them?” Zhang Jiaohua wondered. In his experience, there was nothing the hunting dogs couldn’t locate.

“Jiaohua, it’s not that they can’t find them, but rather that the black cats are hiding,” Zhang Wenrong speculated. “Think about it. That time at the horticultural farm, the black cats were devastated by our hunting dogs. Now, they must be terrified of the dogs. When the dogs go into the mountains, they cause a huge commotion. The black cats would have hidden away long before the dogs arrived. They won’t be found easily.”

Zhang Jiaohua nodded vigorously. “Makes sense. The Mountain Leopard is so conspicuous that even wild boars are avoiding them. The wild boar meat is almost finished, and they haven’t brought back a single boar from the mountains.”

Zhang Wenrong scratched his head, thinking: If wild boars were that easy to obtain, why would we bother raising them?

The next day, Zhang Jiaohua personally took charge, leading a large pack of hunting dogs into Meishan. Once in the mountains, he instructed the dogs not to bark loudly and let them spread out to search. Whenever they discovered a trace, they were to quietly return and inform Zhang Jiaohua. They quickly found the black cats’ trail.

The remaining tasks were not for the Mountain Leopard to handle. The black cats had already fled. Zhang Jiaohua didn’t know the details of what happened next. A few days later, a group of black cats arrived in the back mountain. They dared not enter the horticultural farm, so Fat Cat designated the back mountain as the black cats’ new lair. Fortunately, the trees in the back mountain were growing denser, and hiding a hundred or so black cats was not a problem.

From that day on, Fat Cat was always accompanied by a few black cat leaders, and its spirits noticeably improved.

Meanwhile, Wu Tong’an and Tu Chunlin returned home for a vacation. However, after two days, their mental state not only didn’t improve but worsened. A hospital check revealed no illness. The family grew concerned.

“Could it be that we lost our souls that day in Meziqiao?” Wu Tong’an’s sixty-year-old mother, Xiao Chunlan, murmured. The elderly were still somewhat superstitious. With the loosening of ideological control, some elders had started burning incense and worshipping.

“Then, should we have Tong’an’s soul retrieved?” Wu Tong’an’s father, Wu Yilin, suggested.

Wu Tong’an’s wife, Wang Xiuhong, a state teacher, didn’t believe in such superstitions. “Dad, Mom, this is superstition. Tong’an is now a state official; indulging in superstitions is detrimental. If word gets out, it could affect his future career. He’s at a critical point for promotion. If this affects his advancement, it would be bad.”

Wu Yilin understood the reasoning and frowned. “But Tong’an’s condition is as it is. If he can’t recover soon, it will impact his promotion too.”

Xiao Chunlan complained, “Now that he’s like this, you’re still worried about this and that? If something happens, you’ll regret it. You two don’t interfere; we’ll secretly ask Meishan to check the place where Tong’an was frightened. If a ritual is needed, we’ll perform it discreetly. As long as it doesn’t affect Tong’an. He clearly looks like he lost his soul. This isn’t a disease; otherwise, the hospital would have found something.”

While Wu Tong’an’s family hesitated, Tu Chunlin’s family couldn’t wait. Tu Chunlin’s wife, Shi Guilan, from the Yiputown village, had a cousin, Shi Qingwang, who was a renowned water master in the village.

Noticing Tu Chunlin’s abnormal condition, Shi Guilan quickly returned to her family home and invited her cousin Shi Qingwang to Gezhuping Town to check on Tu Chunlin.

Shi Qingwang immediately recognized that Tu Chunlin was under a spell. “Did you offend someone?”

“How so, Uncle?” Tu Chunlin asked, puzzled.

“This isn’t just a simple case of being haunted; it’s a curse. Have you offended anyone recently?” Shi Qingwang knew that such curses were only used against those who had offended someone; otherwise, water masters wouldn’t use spells randomly.

“I haven’t. We just went to Meziqiao to collect grain and encountered a strange situation on the way back. We were only collecting grain from households; how could…” Tu Chunlin suddenly recalled something.

“What did you remember?” Shi Qingwang understood he was right; Tu Chunlin must have offended someone during his countryside work. It was likely that others didn’t realize they had been cursed.

“If anyone was offended, it could only be a child,” Tu Chunlin recounted the incident with Zhang Jiaohua’s family.

“A child under ten, managing the village’s horticultural farm, and even producing bamboo tube black tea. It’s clear this child is no ordinary person. You dared to offend them? You’re truly audacious. What could you do in the first grade of elementary school?” Shi Qingwang asked.

Tu Chunlin scratched his head, smiling awkwardly.

“Your situation can be resolved, but I can’t act recklessly. After all, you offended someone, and they placed a spell on you. If I don’t communicate with the person and remove the spell, it might offend them further. The spell on you isn’t severe; it’s just a lesson. I’ll give you a charm to temporarily suppress the spell. I’ll talk to the child and then come back to remove the spell.” Shi Qingwang handed Tu Chunlin a yellow paper folded into a triangle and placed it in his jacket pocket.

“Uncle, can you give me another charm? A colleague of mine is also in a similar situation and might be cursed too.” Tu Chunlin knew that Wu Tong’an had good connections and wanted to use this opportunity to get closer to him.

“You’re really reckless, daring to target the property of a water master. It’s truly audacious.” Shi Qingwang took another charm from his pocket.

Tu Chunlin delivered the charm to Wu Tong’an’s home that day.

Wu Tong’an’s family, hearing that he was indeed cursed, grew anxious.

“This can’t be left as is. How dare they plot against a state official? It’s incredibly audacious,” Wang Xiuhong slammed the table in anger.

Xiao Chunlan scolded Wu Tong’an, “Our family doesn’t lack tea leaves. Why did you need to get someone else’s?”

“Mom, do you know? The bamboo tube black tea from Meziqiao won a provincial gold award and is now being submitted for the tea evaluation at the Agricultural Expo. If it wins another award, it’ll be even more valuable. The tea is highly sought after. If I can get some black tea, it could help with networking. I don’t want to stay in Yudu Water Town; I want to return to the county. As long as I get a batch of black tea, it’ll definitely be useful.” Wu Tong’an felt much better wearing the charm, and his mood and conversation improved.

“Tong’an just mentioned it. Even if the person is unwilling, they shouldn’t resort to secretive curses,” Wang Xiuhong said.

“My water master uncle said he’d first communicate with the water master and try to resolve the conflict. Once that’s done, he’ll remove the spell,” Tu Chunlin noted, not revealing everything to Wu Tong’an’s family.

“This matter cannot be settled easily. I need to consult my uncle,” Wang Xiuhong said.

Wang Xiuhong’s uncle, Wang Zhengqi, was the Secretary of the Political and Legal Committee in Xintian County and had also taken on the role of the Public Security Bureau Chief after Xu Yinshan’s incident. His authority was considerable. Wang Zhengqi was not Wang Xiuhong’s father’s biological brother but a cousin within the fifth household.

Xu Chunlin was pleased, thinking he might take this opportunity to seek black tea. However, he frowned, “This might be difficult. The person is just a child. Even if it’s proven that the child is responsible, there’s little that can be done about a child.”