PCJ – Chapter 299 Group Fight, Who’s Afraid of Who!

“Meow! Meow!”

Seeing the macaque leader, who was now hanging upside down in the pigpen just like last time, Fat Cat proudly cheered from the wooden frame of the pigpen. The macaque leader was so enraged that it nearly burst its eyes out. Despite its desperate struggles, the leader only swayed more violently beneath the eaves, which only delighted Fat Cat more. In its overconfidence, Fat Cat accidentally rolled off the frame and fell to the ground with a thud. It took a while for Fat Cat to recover its breath, but luckily, its thick layer of fat cushioned the fall, leaving it unharmed.

The macaques were not about to give up their leader easily. They screeched incessantly and summoned their entire group, surrounding the pigpen from all sides. Within half an hour, at least a hundred macaques gathered around the pigpen. The mountain-driving dogs, totaling forty-four, stood unflinchingly in front of them. While the macaques were troublesome in the trees, the dogs had no fear on the ground. Over a hundred black cats were distributed on the rooftops, preventing the macaques from taking over the roofs. Several of Fat Cat’s black cat leaders were also stationed outside.

The macaques attacked the pigpen frantically, but the mountain-driving dogs held their ground. Even the younger pups stood firm against the macaques, not backing down despite their smaller size compared to the macaques. In one-on-one combat, they were just as strong.

The macaques had the advantage in numbers. Although the black cats were numerous, their combat effectiveness was not enough to match the macaques. They could manage to keep the rooftops secure, but that was about it.

The number of macaques continued to increase, as if they had stirred up a hornet’s nest, with macaques constantly arriving from the back mountain.

“Jiaohua, this is bad. There are so many macaques! The mountain-driving dogs are barely holding up. If we lose them, it will be a huge loss for us,” Zhang Wenrong said anxiously.

“Yes, we should join in,” Zhang Jiagen said, grabbing a stick and preparing to join the fight.

“Wait! What good would it do for you to go? Quickly release all the wild boars. When it comes to a group fight, who’s afraid of who?” Zhang Jiaohua quickly pulled Zhang Jiagen and Zhang Hanguo back, who were ready to rush out.

“Right!” Zhang Jiagen immediately ran into the pigpen. They had planned to capture macaques today but hadn’t had time to release the wild boars yet. Now, the wild boars were mostly free-range, which made their job easier. They no longer needed to go out daily to cut pig feed; they only needed to deliver food to the pigpen regularly. However, the wild boars’ appetite had grown, and they used a cart to deliver their food every day.

When the pigpen’s large gate was opened, the macaques thought it was an opportunity and increased their attack. To their surprise, the mountain-driving dogs guarding the gate deliberately cleared a path. A large group of macaques rushed into the pigpen.

However, just as they were about to enter, the pigpen suddenly erupted with the thunderous sound of hooves, like a stampede of thousands of horses.

Before the macaques could reach the gate, their eyes widened in shock as a large group of dense wild boars charged out from inside. The macaques were well aware of the terror of wild boars but could not have anticipated such a large group hidden in the pigpen. These boars, while housed, had not lost their wild nature and were even fiercer than those from Meishan. They were larger, stronger, and more explosive in temperament, with a touch of cunning compared to the Meishan boars.

The macaques, despite their efforts to rescue their leader, lost their courage in the face of such a formidable group of wild boars. Those at the front tried to retreat but were completely blocked by the macaques behind them, causing hundreds of macaques to crowd together.

Although there were fewer than thirty wild boars, their sheer size and strength, led by two large adult boars, caused them to charge at the macaques. The macaques blocking their path were directly knocked over. Just one charge sent the macaques scattering in disarray.

If Zhang Jiaohua hadn’t intervened and let the boars charge back and forth a few times, most of the macaques would have been driven away from the pigpen, except for those who managed to escape quickly. The boars had endured the macaques’ noise for a long time. The male boars seemed frustrated, grumbling to show their displeasure.

The macaques were in dire straits. The unluckiest among them had broken limbs, lying on the side and crying out in pain. Yet, none of the macaques died, which Zhang Jiaohua was pleased to see. By capturing the macaque leader, Zhang Jiaohua intended for these macaques to become the backbone of his garden.

Hearing the macaques’ screams, the macaque leader struggled even more fiercely in the net.

“Squeak squeak squeak!”

At this moment, Zhang Jiaohua entered the pigpen where the macaques were confined.

Although the pigpen housed many wild boars, which should have made it stink, the smell was not overwhelming. The wild boars did not defecate in the pigpen but went to the garden’s compost area, covering their waste with soil afterward. If villagers saw this, they would be astonished.

Seeing Zhang Jiaohua approach, the macaque leader became very agitated, knowing that the person who had set this trap was the boy in front of it. The rope and pole rubbing against each other made a squeaking sound.

“If you’re willing to be quiet, I will find a way to heal your descendants,” Zhang Jiaohua said.

The macaque leader knew it could not attack Zhang Jiaohua but was surprised to understand what Zhang Jiaohua was saying. It was a strange feeling, as if it were hearing a fellow creature speaking.

Zhang Jiaohua had gradually mastered the skill of communicating with animals, a specialty of the Meishan Water Masters.

“You shouldn’t have attacked Fat Cat, especially after it became my pet. So, as for grievances and debts, you approached me first, not the other way around. That forest and the peach trees are my territory. How dare you come here to steal food!” Zhang Jiaohua said slowly.

The macaque leader was enraged but seemed to have realized it was at Zhang Jiaohua’s mercy.

Zhang Jiaohua was not preparing to win over the macaque leader easily. Capturing spirit beasts was not like a dinner party; the defeated had to accept their fate, much like a village child who had misbehaved and faced punishment from adults.

“If you obey me like Fat Cat, you will be comfortable as its king of monkeys,” Zhang Jiaohua said, pointing at Fat Cat.

Fat Cat knew it had to step in at this moment.

“Meow meow!” Fat Cat shouted outside. Several black cat leaders immediately ran in, standing respectfully behind Fat Cat.

“In the future, there will be even better fruits than those peaches on the back mountain. If you submit, that place will become your Flower-Fruit Mountain,” Zhang Jiaohua tempted.

The macaque leader was stubborn and was not easily persuaded by Zhang Jiaohua’s words, remaining defiant.

“If you refuse to obey, it won’t just be you who dies. The macaques outside won’t survive either. I believe you hold a deep grudge against Fat Cat. If you don’t submit, I’ll let Fat Cat take revenge,” Zhang Jiaohua threatened.

The macaque leader glared furiously. At that moment, several injured macaques flew in from outside, falling to the ground unable to move, moaning in pain.

Zhang Wenrong brought a bowl of clean water, and Zhang Jiaohua immediately turned it into a bowl of hemostatic water: “Great General One, Great General Two, Great General Three, stop the bleeding of the Yangtze River, small soldiers stop the small Yangtze River. If the bleeding doesn’t stop, the disciple will use rhino bone powder to stop the blood flow forever. One seal, two seals, comprehensive seal. I serve the Supreme Lord Laozi, urgent as per the law!” Zhang Jiaohua chanted an incantation as he made a hand seal over the bowl, transforming it from ordinary water into bone-setting water.

As Zhang Jiaohua performed the ritual, the previously agitated macaque leader calmed down, its eyes reflecting less hatred and more confusion. There was something irresistibly attractive about Zhang Jiaohua. The macaque leader was puzzled as to why the one who had harmed it carried such a strange aura.

Zhang Jiaohua dipped his fingers into the bowl and continuously flicked the hemostatic water onto one of the injured macaques. The suffering macaque gradually calmed down, looking at Zhang Jiaohua with gratitude.

Zhang Jiaohua then applied the hemostatic water to the other injured macaques, and their wounds began to heal rapidly, with their pain slowly fading.

The macaque leader’s ferocity slowly dissipated, and it became less resistant to talking with Zhang Jiaohua.

“There are many of your injured kin outside. You need to make a choice now,” Zhang Jiaohua said.

The macaque leader hesitated for a long time, its eyes complex as it looked at Zhang Jiaohua. It made the difficult choice, still unclear whether it was for the sake of its kin or something else. After leaving an indelible mark on the macaque leader’s soul, it finally became another valuable member of Zhang Jiaohua’s team.

Only Zhang Jiaohua, this fearless kid, would dare to accept such wild beasts as his spirit animals. If it were another Water Master, they would never do this. But Zhang Jiaohua was still young, with a long future ahead. Right or wrong, who can say for sure?