PCJ – Chapter 465 Walking on the Waves

“I’m exhausted, I can’t go any further. I need to rest here for a while,” said one of the young people from Beijing who had come on an outdoor adventure, named Liu Jiaying.

“Jiaying, if you keep refusing to move, we’re really going to leave you here,” said the leader of the group, a man named Zhao Jue, who called himself “Lord Jue.”

“Zhao Jue, how could you say that? If Hao Yue were like this, would you still say such things?” Liu Jiaying replied unhappily.

“Can you compare yourself to Hao Yue? Hao Yue wouldn’t act like this! You’ve been holding everyone back all the way here. How many times have we been delayed because of your laziness? We’ve already lost one or two days on our schedule. If we keep going like this, we’ll use up our entire vacation and won’t even get out of the mountain!” Zhao Jue said, very displeased.

A woman standing to the side quickly spoke up, “Let’s just rest here for a while. I can tell Jiaying is really tired.”

This woman was Hao Yue, whose full name was Fu Cha Hao Yue. She was an intern teacher. As her internship was nearing its end, she came out for a trip with some friends. They had been lost in Meishan for several days, and due to Liu Jiaying’s delicate nature, they had lost quite a bit of time on the trip. Now, they were getting anxious.

“Hao Yue, you can’t keep spoiling her. If this goes on, we definitely won’t make it out of the mountain on time. If we miss our schedule, we’ll all get scolded when we get back. You guys might not care, but if I’m late, I’ll probably get fired from my job!” Zhao Jue said with urgency.

A young man named He Dongsheng, standing beside Zhao Jue, hurriedly added, “Jiaying, just hold on for a bit. We’ve all taken on your load, and you’re walking without anything in your hands, so how can you say you’re tired? Fu Cha Hao Yue and Wang Xiaobin are still carrying their own things.”

“Dongsheng, shut up! Don’t worry about my business. If you hadn’t pushed me, I wouldn’t be out here suffering!” Liu Jiaying snapped at He Dongsheng.

He Dongsheng, reprimanded by Liu Jiaying, dared not retort and could only look apologetically at the others.

“Lord Jue, let’s just take a short rest,” another young man named Wei Jun laughed.

“Fine, we’ll rest for an hour. Let’s eat something. We have to get out of here today,” Zhao Jue reluctantly agreed.

“There’s a river over there. Let’s rest by the river and maybe catch some fish to improve our meal,” Wei Jun suggested, pointing to a river not far away. The river was about seven or eight meters wide, with clear green water that was impossible to see how deep it was.

“It would be great if there was a bridge. If we could cross there, it would save at least ten miles,” Zhao Jue remarked.

“I’m so tired. If only I could take a bath here,” Liu Jiaying said, feeling better after everyone agreed to rest for an hour.

“Don’t take any risks! This is an unfamiliar place, and the river looks calm, but who knows how deep the water is or how fast the current is? If something happens, none of us will be able to take responsibility,” warned Wang Dao.

“You’re so scared. You know I was almost a professional swimmer, right? Don’t talk like that. This little river’s nothing. I could conquer it even if it were the sea!” Liu Jiaying found a secluded spot, quickly changed into her swimsuit, and sneaked into the river while the others were preparing to fish. They didn’t notice.

“It feels so good! Hao Yue, Xiao Bin, come join me! This is a bay where the water’s calm. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you’re safe,” Liu Jiaying called out from the water, performing some graceful poses.

“Forget it, we won’t swim,” Fu Cha Hao Yue shook her head.

Wang Xiaobin seemed tempted, but said, “I don’t swim very well.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve trained professionally. The water here is so cool and comfortable, you’ll regret not joining me,” Liu Jiaying beckoned them while grinning.

Zhao Jue, hearing the laughter from Liu Jiaying and the others, frowned and asked, “What’s that woman doing over there? Didn’t she just look like a dead fish?”

“It seems like she’s swimming. This woman’s so fake,” Wei Jun commented, not having a good opinion of Liu Jiaying.

He Dongsheng, on the other hand, didn’t dare say much. “Maybe she’s really just tired.”

“Can she even swim? Hope nothing happens to her. Dongsheng, go over there and be the knight in shining armor,” Zhao Jue said, joking.

He Dongsheng felt awkward. “I don’t swim, but I know Jiaying’s been in a professional swimming team. Her swimming skills should be better than most.”

“Ha, you…” Zhao Jue was about to tease him when he suddenly caught a fish on his line. A carp, weighing about two to three kilograms. He was so happy he forgot about the others for a moment.

Eventually, Wang Xiaobin hesitantly entered the water, and Liu Jiaying pulled her towards the middle of the river.

“You see, I wasn’t lying. The water is so pure and cool. This is the best place to swim,” Liu Jiaying teased as she patted Wang Xiaobin, making her laugh loudly.

Wang Xiaobin quickly swam away from Liu Jiaying but didn’t notice a whirlpool forming nearby.

“Where are you running to?” Liu Jiaying chased after her.

Wang Xiaobin, in a panic, swam straight into the whirlpool. As she got closer, a strong suction pulled her in.

“No, this is a whirlpool!” Wang Xiaobin shouted in panic, trying to swim away, but her swimming skills weren’t good enough to escape the pull.

At first, Liu Jiaying thought Wang Xiaobin was just playing, but seeing the panic on her face, she rushed toward her. “Don’t panic, I’ll save you!”

However, when Liu Jiaying reached her, she realized she too had been caught in the whirlpool. The more she struggled, the deeper she sank. Both of them were being tossed in the whirlpool, their lives in danger.

“Help!” Fu Cha Hao Yue, seeing the danger in the water, shouted loudly.

Zhao Jue and the others immediately threw down their fishing rods and rushed to help.

“Damn it! I knew this stupid woman would cause trouble!” Wei Jun cursed loudly.

But they were too far away, and by the time they reached the scene, it might already be too late.

Just as Fu Cha Hao Yue was at her wit’s end, a figure appeared from the forest and dashed straight into the river. It seemed as if he was walking on water, running across it.

Fu Cha Hao Yue didn’t have time to be amazed as she continued to call for help.

The figure had crossed the river but suddenly turned back, grabbed Liu Jiaying and Wang Xiaobin, one in each hand, and pulled them from the water. He walked back to the shore as if walking on solid ground.

“Your friends are fine. They just held their breath for too long. They’ll recover soon,” the man said.

“Who… who are you?” Fu Cha Hao Yue asked.

“My name is Zhang Jiaohua,” the man replied. It was Zhang Jiaohua, who had run all the way here and, just as he was preparing to cross the river, stumbled upon Liu Jiaying and Wang Xiaobin falling into the water.

This unexpected encounter would turn out to be the opportunity Zhang Jiaohua needed for his journey into the world.