PCJ – Chapter 499 Tasting the New Rice

Early in the morning, Zhang Manyin led his family in paying respects to the gods, and then they went to the fields.

“May the gods bless us with good weather, abundant crops, and thriving families…” Zhang Manyin first burned some paper money at the edge of the field, then lit three incense sticks. Only after this did he and his family begin to harvest the rice.

They used a winnowing basket to collect golden rice ears, and when they returned home, they used a stone mill to remove the husks. The new rice, after the husks were removed, had a green outer layer, which looked crystal clear and as beautiful as jade.

Tasting the new rice, when Zhang Jiaohua was a child, meant having a good meal. But now, tasting the new rice had truly become an ancient ritual.

On this day, every household in Meizi’ao Village tasted the new rice, and the sound of firecrackers could be heard from the fields from time to time. This was the Meizi’ao people’s way of thanking the heavens for their grain.

Only older folks like Zhang Manyin took this ritual seriously, while the younger generation treated it more like a game.

Zhang Jiaohua, having been away for the past few years, had not participated in this ritual for two or three years, and it felt very warm to him.

The Leopard, Fat Cat, and Chubby Monkey also followed Zhang Jiaohua. In recent days, the three had not entered Meishan but had been staying close to Zhang Jiaohua’s side.

Meizi’ao Village had already made the “New Rice Tasting Festival” a traditional event for the sightseeing tea gardens, attracting many tourists. In the evening, Meizi’ao Village held a fireworks celebration at Meizi’ao Square. Fireworks were specially set off to celebrate the harvest festival.

Though Zhang Jiaohua had seen much in his life, he still went with his friends to the square to watch the festivities.

The fireworks soared into the sky, lighting up the night in this mountain village. Zhang Jiaohua also visualized a firework in his cultivation diagram. In that instant, the fireworks exploded in his spiritual consciousness, filling the sky with brilliant bursts like summer flowers.

Suddenly, Zhang Jiaohua ran off with the mountain leopard.

“Jiaohua, where are you going?” Zhang Yuanbao tried to chase, but Zhang Jiaohua was too fast, and in a moment, he was already dozens of meters ahead.

“Don’t follow me, I have something to do,” Zhang Jiaohua’s voice echoed back.

Zhang Jiaohua was heading to Black Rock Ridge. He hadn’t been there in a long time.

Unexpectedly, when Zhang Jiaohua arrived, Chen Dianzi was already on the mountain.

“Chen Dianzi, why are you here instead of staying at home with your wife?” Zhang Jiaohua asked in surprise.

“Heh heh, Jiaohua, I heard you’ve been making jokes about my precious daughter. Let me tell you, when I get angry, I go crazy!” Chen Dianzi said with a strange laugh, staring at Zhang Jiaohua.

“Chen Dianzi, what exactly do you want?” Zhang Jiaohua said impatiently.

“Jiaohua, I want you to make me a promise,” Chen Dianzi said mysteriously.

“What promise?” Zhang Jiaohua asked, confused.

“If you ever meet my little daughter, make sure no one bullies her,” Chen Dianzi said.

“And what’s in it for me?” Zhang Jiaohua didn’t immediately agree.

“I’ll marry my little daughter to you. What do you think?” Chen Dianzi laughed.

Zhang Jiaohua quickly shook his head. “No way. Your daughter is much older than me. By the time I grow up, she’ll be a grandma.”

“You don’t understand, marrying a bigger woman means you’ll have a better life,” Chen Dianzi said, glaring with frustration at his precious daughter being rejected.

“I’m not marrying your daughter,” Zhang Jiaohua said firmly.

“Then what do you want?” Chen Dianzi asked.

“I’ve been visualizing the diagram of the Inner Scriptures, but I can’t seem to picture the two children on the Yin-Yang Xuanpin cart in the lower Dantian. Do you know what’s wrong?” Zhang Jiaohua asked.

Chen Dianzi stared at Zhang Jiaohua for a long time without saying a word. He nearly jumped off the mountain in frustration. Although Chen Dianzi was the water master of Meishan, if he invoked any gods, it was more likely to backfire than help. If it weren’t for his still-beautiful wife, Chen Dianzi might have chosen to die.

“Damn it, at least give me an answer!” Zhang Jiaohua yelled at Chen Dianzi.

Chen Dianzi’s voice echoed back up the mountain, “I don’t want to tell you!”

“Fine, if you don’t know, just admit it, stop pretending,” Zhang Jiaohua muttered. By now, he understood what was going on.

After a while, Chen Dianzi came back, “Can I have a copy of that diagram?”

“You can buy it in Panjiayuan in Beijing for a few dozen yuan. Go get it yourself. Isn’t your daughter in Beijing? Let her buy it for you!” Zhang Jiaohua replied grumpily.

“She’s my real daughter,” Chen Dianzi said, raising his fist. He probably didn’t think he could beat Zhang Jiaohua, so he just glared at him and walked off angrily.

Zhang Jiaohua smiled as he watched Chen Dianzi leave, but then he turned his attention back to his cultivation diagram.

The Leopard nudged Zhang Jiaohua’s leg with its head, and Zhang Jiaohua gently stroked its head. He murmured, “If only I could bring the Leopard into my cultivation diagram as one of those children.”

Whether the Leopard understood his words, it was happily jumping around by his side, full of joy.

But how could he bring the Leopard into the diagram? Zhang Jiaohua scratched his head. Matter is energy, and various types of energy can transform into each other. In theory, it was not impossible to transform the Leopard into another form.

Zhang Jiaohua pressed his hand on the Leopard’s head, and spiritual energy flowed from his hand, while his spiritual consciousness locked firmly onto the Leopard’s form.

The Leopard trusted Zhang Jiaohua completely, with no defense against his actions. Slowly, the Leopard began to transform into a spot of light, then suddenly disappeared. In Zhang Jiaohua’s spiritual diagram, a new life began to bloom, completely different from before.

Zhang Jiaohua was startled when his hand was empty— the Leopard had vanished into thin air!

Fat Cat and Chubby Monkey stood in shock, having just seen Zhang Jiaohua make the Leopard disappear before their eyes. This was truly terrifying! They exchanged confused glances. Where did that silly dog go?

Zhang Jiaohua quickly checked his cultivation diagram and laughed out loud.

He had expected to see a mountain dog in the diagram, but instead, there was a little child in a red bellyband. The child was chubby and adorable, with a small, cute yellow tail trailing behind them. It was just like the Leopard’s tail when it was a cub. The child didn’t mind being naked and was now curiously exploring the strange world inside the diagram. Upon seeing the Yin-Yang Xuanpin cart, the child eagerly jumped onto it and began spinning the wheel, causing the water from the small stream to be drawn up. The entire world seemed to come alive, with a gentle breeze and rippling water.

“Are you the Leopard?” Zhang Jiaohua communicated with the child using his spiritual consciousness.

“Jiaohua, where is this place? It’s so fun!” The little child didn’t directly answer, but his words confirmed his identity.

“It’s really you, Leopard. Why have you turned into a little child?” Zhang Jiaohua laughed.

“I don’t know either. I just turned into this when I came in. Standing on two legs is much more tiring than four! It’s not cool at all!” The little child was not happy with his current form. The change in body structure made him unstable at first, but after a while, he adjusted.

“This Yin-Yang Xuanpin cart is used like this? And these children in the diagram— are they all transformed spirit beasts? Or souls? If I had known I could visualize such a diagram, I might have placed Jinhu and the others here. But where are they now?” Zhang Jiaohua’s heart ached. Jinhu and the others were a deep pain in his heart.

Zhang Jiaohua withdrew his spiritual consciousness from the diagram and opened his eyes to look at Fat Cat. Fat Cat quickly shook its head. He then looked at Chubby Monkey, and it also shook its head vigorously.

These two were no fools, and they had been thinking Zhang Jiaohua had done something to the Leopard.

Zhang Jiaohua had no way to explain it, but this issue had to be solved by the Leopard. He locked onto the little child in the diagram with his spiritual consciousness. “Leopard, go out for a while. Those two don’t dare to come in.”

“Okay, I’ll show them what’s up!” The little child jumped off the Yin-Yang Xuanpin cart, clapped his hands, and made a fist.

Zhang Jiaohua’s thought flicked, and the Leopard was back outside. However, once outside, the Leopard transformed back into its original form. This cultivation diagram was truly strange, and Zhang Jiaohua still hadn’t fully understood its mysteries.

Fat Cat and Chubby Monkey stared at the Leopard, no longer daring to approach it as they usually did. They instinctively assumed a defensive posture, ready to run at any moment.

But the Leopard’s speed was enough to easily overpower them. With a leap, the Leopard pinned both of them to the ground.

“Woof! Woof!” The Leopard was really angry now. When it was angry, the two relaxed a little, realizing it was still the same old Leopard. They cursed in their hearts, “Damn, that hurt!”

The Leopard bit Fat Cat by the neck and threw it toward Zhang Jiaohua’s feet.

Zhang Jiaohua laughed. “Don’t worry, I’ll take you to a place the Leopard just visited.”

Fat Cat knew it couldn’t escape, so it obediently lay down on the ground, resigning itself. Its expression was quite rich, almost human-like.

With his previous experience, Zhang Jiaohua easily sent Fat Cat into the cultivation diagram.

Afterward, the Leopard tossed Chubby Monkey over. Chubby Monkey still didn’t dare to enter, pleading for mercy. But the Leopard charged again, slapping Chubby Monkey with its paws. Chubby Monkey cried, lying obediently before Zhang Jiaohua. It let Zhang Jiaohua send it into the diagram as well.

Earlier, when the Leopard entered the diagram, it became a little child in a bellyband, its hair matching its fur color, and a little tail behind it.

What would happen when Fat Cat and Chubby Monkey entered the diagram?