PCJ – Chapter 589 Wild Game

“Zhang Jiaohua, how much farther is it?” Ji Jiaxin, who had grown up in the city and wasn’t used to hardship, began complaining bitterly after walking more than ten kilometers through the mountains.

“I told you not to come along. We’ve only just begun. How about this—let’s stop here, and I’ll take you back,” Zhang Jiaohua suggested.

“No way! I came with you specifically to enjoy the scenery. We haven’t even arrived yet, and you want to send me back? No chance!” Ji Jiaxin quickly shook her head.

“But at the pace you’re going, we won’t reach it in half a month,” Zhang Jiaohua said, frowning.

“Aren’t you skilled in magic? Just give me a spell that keeps me from getting tired while walking,” Ji Jiaxin suggested.

That idea wasn’t bad. Zhang Jiaohua secretly took out a bowl of water from his cultivation diagram and recited the Iron Ox Water Incantation: “I respectfully invite Tao Meng Sanlang, The High Hall locks the Shen Chamber, Locked for three years and six months, Peach Blossom Rod enters the Hall of Judgment… May the Iron Ox Patriarch personally descend. I invoke the Great Supreme Elder— By the mandate of the Dao, so let it be!”

“This water will stop me from feeling tired when I walk?” Ji Jiaxin looked skeptically at the bowl of water, worried it might taste bitter like traditional medicine. “It’s not bitter, is it?”

“You’ll know once you drink it,” Mute said with a grin.

“It’s not bitter at all,” Zhang Yuanbao quickly added.

Ji Jiaxin gave Zhang Yuanbao a doubtful look but still pinched her nose and gulped down the entire bowl in one go.

“Hey! It’s actually not bitter.” She smacked her lips. “It even tastes kind of nice. I don’t feel tired at all now. Let’s go—I’m full of energy! Zhang Jiaohua, honestly, why didn’t you give me this earlier? I nearly died from exhaustion.”

Zhang Yuanbao and Mute used machetes to clear the way ahead, but the deeper they ventured into the virgin forest, the harder the path became. Bushes, brambles, and vines tangled together, and some vines were so tough that even with forceful chopping, they barely cut through. Their progress slowed considerably.

“Hurry up, you two! Zhang Jiaohua, how much farther?” Now that she wasn’t tired anymore, Ji Jiaxin—who had a naturally impatient temperament—started complaining about the slow pace.

“Don’t rush, don’t rush. It’s still far. Enjoy the scenery along the way. Everyone’s hungry, so let’s stop and cook something.” Zhang Jiaohua led the group to a suitable spot for a wilderness meal.

The leopard brought over two wild chickens. At the stream, Zhang Jiaohua boiled water and cleaned the birds, then started a fire for roasting.

Ji Jiaxin was fascinated by the outdoor cooking experience and stopped complaining, eagerly joining in.

“This is so delicious! You countryside people have it so good. I’ve never eaten something this tasty before,” Ji Jiaxin said, full of admiration.

“Then eat more. If it’s not enough, I’ll have the leopard bring another one,” Zhang Jiaohua said, handing her a whole roasted wild chicken.

“I can’t finish it all by myself. Let’s share,” Ji Jiaxin replied, a little embarrassed.

Zhang Yuanbao chuckled, “Jiaohua, I want some too!”

“Do it yourself. The spices are over there,” Zhang Jiaohua replied without looking at him.

“You traitor! Abandoning your brother for a girl,” Zhang Yuanbao muttered, grabbing the other wild chicken to roast. “Mute, come help or you won’t get any.”

“Fine, better let me do it. You can’t cook worth a damn,” Mute replied quickly.

“Since when have I cooked bad food? You always gobble it up,” Zhang Yuanbao retorted.

“Your food is only edible because of Jiaohua’s spices. Otherwise, it’d be inedible.”

“They’re hilarious,” Ji Jiaxin giggled at the two bickering boys.

“Ignore those two clowns. Fat Cat, time to work. Go catch us a couple of fish,” Zhang Jiaohua called out.

Fat Cat reluctantly waddled off, annoyed it hadn’t gotten a bite of the delicious roast chicken and now had to play cat-fishing rod.

“If you’re quick, the leftover chicken is yours. But if you take too long and the leopard brings back more game, it’ll go to him,” Zhang Jiaohua warned.

Fat Cat suddenly shot off like lightning, reaching the stream and dropping its tail into the water.

“Jiaohua, can Fat Cat really fish? I thought cats hated water,” Ji Jiaxin asked curiously.

“This guy doesn’t fish—he catches fish,” Zhang Jiaohua said.

“No way! A cat that actually catches fish? How does he do it?” Ji Jiaxin ran toward the stream to watch.

Just as she got there, Fat Cat flicked its tail, and a large fish—two to three catties—flipped out of the water and smacked onto the bank. It flopped for a moment before Fat Cat pounced and knocked it unconscious with one swipe.

Then Fat Cat turned around and dipped its tail back into the water.

Ji Jiaxin gaped in amazement at the cat’s fishing technique.

Not even three minutes passed before Fat Cat flicked its tail again—and a dark shape shot from the water.

“Meoww!” Fat Cat yowled in pain. This time, instead of a fish, a snapping turtle had clamped down on its tail with all its might. Fat Cat cried out and bit toward the turtle’s neck, but the creature retracted its head into its shell just in time.

Enraged, Fat Cat tried to pull it out, but the turtle had tucked in all its limbs. With no weak points exposed, there was nothing Fat Cat could bite.

“Wow! That’s a big turtle!” Ji Jiaxin exclaimed, mistaking it for a regular turtle.

“Careful! That thing bites!” Zhang Jiaohua warned as Ji Jiaxin reached out.

Startled, she quickly pulled her hand back.

“That’s not a turtle—it’s a softshell snapping turtle. Around here we call them ‘tuanyu.’ I can’t eat that. It would mess up my spiritual abilities,” Zhang Jiaohua said as he tossed it back into the water.

“Meoww!” Fat Cat yowled in protest. That was its catch, and now it was just released—plus, it hadn’t even gotten revenge yet.

Zhang Jiaohua tossed a piece of roasted chicken toward Fat Cat’s head. As if it had eyes on the back of its head, Fat Cat leapt into the air and caught the chicken mid-pounce, then devoured it in a few bites.