PCJ – Chapter 588 Re-entering the Old Forest

“I’ll take you to a very magical place.” Zhang Jiaohua suddenly remembered a location.

“What place?” Ji Jiaxin asked.

“A good place, but it’s a bit far. We’ll have to travel a long way. We’ll have to camp outside tonight.” Zhang Jiaohua thought about it and felt something was off. “Maybe it’s better not to go.”

“Don’t be like that. I’ve never camped in a primitive forest before. It’s a good chance to experience it.” If it were Xu Xiaoting, Zhang Jiaohua’s suggestion might have made him reconsider. But Ji Jiaxin wouldn’t back down and was even more intrigued.

Zhang Jiaohua regretted mentioning the place to Ji Jiaxin. After all, camping outside with just the two of them could be a bit inconvenient. In the wild, safety couldn’t be guaranteed 100%. If something happened to Ji Jiaxin, it would be a big problem. For Zhang Jiaohua, Meishan still held many mysteries. The areas he had explored were only the outskirts of the mountain. Now, with his increased strength, he was curious to venture deeper into Meishan.

When they set out, it wasn’t just Zhang Jiaohua and Ji Jiaxin. Two more people had joined: Zhang Yuanbao and the mute. There were also three groups of spiritual beasts: the leopard, the fat cat, and the fat monkey.

This time, Zhang Jiaohua was following the same pattern as the Meishan Water Master’s hunting strategy. Before setting out, he set up an incense altar to worship his ancestors.

“Disciple goes out, left hand transforms into the East Road Harmony Immortal, right hand transforms into the South Road Harmony Immortal… to all ancestors, thousands of altars and a single elder, ten thousand altars and a single lord, do not argue over strength or weakness, ten thousand mountain peaks strike thousands of pounds of meat, return to offer sacrifices to the soldier! I, in the name of the Supreme Lord Laozi, hasten the order!”

Although Ji Jiaxin didn’t understand, she didn’t laugh. She stood seriously to the side, watching Zhang Jiaohua perform the various rituals.

After the ritual, Zhang Jiaohua set off with the group toward Meishan.

“Jiaohua is heading back into the mountains. If he were alone, it would be fine, but this time he took little Ji with him. You should have stopped them.” Liu Qiaoye complained.

Zhang Youping gave a wry smile. “Why didn’t you stop him then? If I could stop him, I would have already done so. Our kid—you’re not unaware of him—once he makes a decision, who can stop him? Let’s not talk about it. If we make him mad, the university plans might change.”

“But the mountain is so dangerous. What if something happens?” Liu Qiaoye, though aware that what her husband said was true, was still anxious.

“Don’t worry. It will be fine. This time, Jiaohua is taking it very seriously. Look, has Jiaohua ever gone into the mountains with this much formality before? And he even brought the leopard and the others with him. There shouldn’t be any problems.” Zhang Youping gazed at the distant figures of Zhang Jiaohua’s group and silently prayed, “You rascal, don’t cause any trouble, or your mother will stir up a storm.”

Before long, Zhang Jiaohua and his group arrived at the foot of the mountain. At this point, Zhang Jiaohua began chanting the mountain incantation: “Disciple sets off, the mountain’s guardian transforms into the five chaotic soldiers of earth-shattering power, blocking the road with the five chaotic soldiers of mountain-binding. Ancestor goes ahead with the five chaotic soldiers, disciple follows and shouts three times, calling upon one hundred thousand heavenly immortals, one hundred thousand earth immortals, one hundred thousand water immortals, heading toward ten thousand mountain peaks, I, in the name of the Supreme Lord Laozi, hasten the order!”

Once the chant was spoken, Zhang Jiaohua felt that everything around him subtly changed. It appeared to be the same as usual, but something about the surroundings felt different. Even Ji Jiaxin sensed the mysterious atmosphere.

The mountain leopard shot into the forest like a flash of lightning. Although it hadn’t run through Meishan in many years, upon re-entering the mountain, it became unusually excited. Every blade of grass, every tree, seemed to excite it.

“Jiaohua, where are we going today? Uncle Man said we shouldn’t go into the old forest,” Zhang Yuanbao looked at the direction Zhang Jiaohua was heading, which was clearly toward the old forest.

“I remember my father said not to go into the mountains. I’ve been there before, you remember that year we hunted a wild boar?” Zhang Jiaohua asked.

“Of course, I remember. It was a huge wild boar, and we got hundreds of pounds of meat. That boar meat was so delicious. Haven’t had anything that tasty in a long time.” Zhang Yuanbao sighed.

“Now you eat so much meat, of course it doesn’t seem as good. Back then, we rarely got meat,” the mute commented.

“If you don’t speak, no one will think you’re mute.” Zhang Yuanbao liked to banter with the mute.

“I can’t be bothered to argue with you.” The mute smiled.

Zhang Jiaohua ignored their conversation and continued walking toward the old forest.

“Yuanbao, are you still coming? Didn’t you just say we shouldn’t go to the old forest? How about you head back and let someone know?” the mute joked.

“Why don’t you go back and tell them?” Zhang Yuanbao retorted irritably.

Nowadays, Meizi’ao had become increasingly prosperous and wasn’t like it used to be. Few young people went into the mountains anymore to gather necessary resources. Now, just the tea plantations alone could provide enough for the people of Meizi’ao to live comfortably. With the tourist tea plantations, the villagers had plenty of money. Entering the mountains was a tough and dangerous task.

Fewer people were entering the mountains, which meant that human activity was having less of an impact on the trees. Many areas had become overgrown with shrubs, hiding the old paths. Thick moss had completely covered the ground.

At this time of year, snakes were very active, and there were many types of venomous snakes in Meishan capable of killing a person. Walking in such a place, the worst danger was encountering a snake. While snakes usually wouldn’t attack unless provoked, some aggressive snakes would take the initiative if they felt threatened by human presence.

Luckily, the leopard and a large group of mountain dogs cleared the path, ensuring there were no dangers.

“Woof woof! Woof woof!”

The barking of the mountain dogs stirred up Meishan, making it seem like a boiling pot. All the animals began to stir.

The black cat and its family had been hiding in the surrounding bushes, unseen by anyone except Zhang Jiaohua. The fat monkey was easy to spot, jumping among the trees with the group of macaques.

“Zhang Jiaohua, everything in this mountain looks the same. How do you tell directions?” Ji Jiaxin asked, puzzled.

“If you grew up here and often went into the mountains, recognizing directions wouldn’t be hard. The trees in the southern and northern slopes grow differently. If you look closely, even the color of the leaves is slightly different. But we don’t really pay attention to that. Meishan is like our home. Even if there are more tables and chairs, it’s still home. We won’t get lost here.” Zhang Jiaohua smiled.