PCJ – Chapter 445 The Herbal Gatherer

Liu Zhaodong, a herbalist from Muyun Village, often ventured into Meishan to gather medicinal herbs.

Roar!

As he was collecting herbs on a hillside, a beast’s roar suddenly echoed from a nearby valley. The sound was eerily familiar, but he had only ever heard such roars on television or in movies—never in real life, and certainly not in Meishan. Hearing such a roar in person was overwhelming, like true surround sound. Liu Zhaodong’s legs gave way, and he plopped onto the ground in shock.

“A tiger! There are tigers in Meishan!” A storm of thoughts surged through his mind.

Scrambling to the hilltop, he looked around and spotted not just one tiger but several on a neighboring mountain. His eyes widened in disbelief—it was the first time he’d ever seen real, living tigers. He’d heard stories of tigers in Meishan from long ago but had never seen one himself. People had recently mentioned hearing tiger roars, but no one ever claimed to have seen one. But today, Liu Zhaodong had.

Wait! One of the tigers had something in its mouth—a person! It was a child, perhaps a teenager!

At first, Liu Zhaodong thought the tiger was carrying prey, but when he saw clearly, he gasped in horror. The tiger was about to eat a human!

Somehow, summoning courage he didn’t know he had, Liu Zhaodong dashed toward the opposite mountain. He didn’t stop to consider whether the tiger might see him as a bonus meal. Liu Zhaodong often told his child that to be a healer, one needed a warm heart. If his blood ran cold, how could he save others?

Years of traversing the mountains made him nimble, even on steep paths. The distance wasn’t far, and he quickly descended and climbed to the opposite peak. But by the time he arrived, the tigers were already ambling deeper into the forest.

Liu Zhaodong had closed the gap, though, and now he could see there were five tigers in total. Strangely, alongside them were a stray dog, a black cat, and a monkey. The monkey sat on one tiger’s back, while the child was draped across another tiger like a rag doll. The tigers seemed to be moving cautiously, as if worried about dislodging their human cargo.

“This won’t do! I must save that child before it’s too late!” Liu Zhaodong’s heart pounded with urgency.

Though frightened, he trailed them, keeping his distance. All he had were a hatchet and a small steel hoe—not enough to scare off one tiger, let alone five. Hoping the tigers might abandon the child, he followed quietly, careful not to make a sound.

Suddenly, one tiger stopped and glared in his direction, growling angrily. Liu Zhaodong’s heart nearly stopped; he thought his end had come. But surprisingly, the tiger only issued a warning before turning back to rejoin its companions.

Liu Zhaodong was stunned. It was as if the tiger had only paused to caution him. Should he continue? He hesitated, knowing it was perilous. Angering the tigers might spell his doom. Yet something drove him forward—his concern for the unknown child.

The same tiger halted again, making Liu Zhaodong pale with fear. He thought his pursuit had provoked the tiger. But then the stray dog barked at the tiger, which glanced back at Liu Zhaodong before resuming its trek.

The dog, too, turned to look at Liu Zhaodong before moving on.

“These tigers are strange, almost like they’re taking orders from that dog,” Liu Zhaodong muttered to himself.

The child was Zhang Jiaohua, the dog was Zuan Shanbao, and the tigers were escapees from the zoo. That night, the tigers found Zhang Jiaohua. With their protection, he was much safer. But tigers, no matter how intelligent, weren’t human and couldn’t care for an unconscious child properly.

As Liu Zhaodong followed the tigers, he failed to notice a monkey watching him curiously from a tree. This was the chubby monkey, Panghou. It leaped onto Liu Zhaodong’s back basket, nearly toppling him.

“Screech, screech!” Panghou chattered noisily, throwing out the herbs Liu Zhaodong had painstakingly gathered.

“Hey!” Liu Zhaodong shouted, panicked. He had spent half a day collecting those herbs, and in Meishan, medicinal plants were only found deep in the forest. He frantically retrieved what he could. But by the time he looked up again, the tigers had disappeared.

“That monkey tricked me!” Realizing this, Liu Zhaodong was stunned. He searched the area, hoping the tigers had left some trace, but there was none. With nightfall approaching, he reluctantly turned back toward home.

Unbeknownst to Liu Zhaodong, as he left, the five tigers emerged from the underbrush in the very spot he had searched. One tiger still carried Zhang Jiaohua, who lay limply on its back, breathing steadily as though in a deep sleep.

Zhang Jiaohua was in a peculiar state, suspended between dream and reality. It was as though he had merged with the very essence of the mountains and forests, existing yet unperceivable, a mysterious and indescribable experience.