PCJ – Chapter 593 A Group of Golden Leopards

Zhang Yuanbao’s eyes lit up immediately. “Could there be fairies here?”

“Do you two have paste for brains? If this were the Immortal Realm, then those golden leopards would be immortal beasts. Would one have been chased here by me if that were the case?” Zhang Jiaohua said irritably.

Although the golden leopard had become a spirit beast, it had had almost no contact with humans, so it naturally couldn’t understand Zhang Jiaohua’s words. Standing behind him, it stood up and wagged its tail when it saw Zhang Jiaohua glance at it.

“You injured it?” Ji Jiaxin noticed traces of blood on the leopard and felt a bit sorry for it.

“Don’t be fooled by how tame it looks now. It wasn’t so easy to deal with in the beginning. Even Fat Monkey and the others couldn’t subdue it together. It’s already quite lucky that it only got a small injury,” Zhang Jiaohua replied.

The golden leopard seemed to understand that Zhang Jiaohua and Ji Jiaxin were talking about it. It lay pitifully on the ground, licking its wound.

“Is this place still on Earth?” Ji Jiaxin asked.

“I’m not sure. Maybe it is. There are many hidden realms like this on Earth. You just need to know about it — don’t tell anyone else. It could cause trouble,” Zhang Jiaohua warned again.

“We understand. Don’t worry, Jiaohua. We won’t tell anyone,” said Mute.

Ji Jiaxin also said, “I won’t either. This place is just so amazing. And so beautiful. By the way, wasn’t the hidden land described in The Peach Blossom Spring also a secret realm?”

Zhang Jiaohua nodded. “It’s possible.”

“Why hasn’t anyone discovered that realm?” Ji Jiaxin asked curiously.

“Secret realms are hard for ordinary people to come across. Just like this one — even if you stand right at its entrance, you wouldn’t be able to get in. Only under certain circumstances does the entrance open due to specific conditions. That’s the only chance an ordinary person has to enter. But once you leave, it’s almost impossible to find the entrance again, since it changes appearance constantly with the formations. Even if you mark the spot, you won’t be able to locate it again,” Zhang Jiaohua explained.

“I see. Then the people in the Peach Blossom Spring — were they not ordinary people either?” Ji Jiaxin asked.

“I don’t know. Maybe they were descendants of cultivators who’ve lived there all along,” Zhang Jiaohua replied, surprised by how many questions Ji Jiaxin had.

Just then, the golden leopard walked up to Zhang Jiaohua, rubbed against his leg, and made a few whining sounds toward the entrance.

Zhang Jiaohua could tell it wanted something. “What is it?”

The leopard whimpered again, then started walking toward the entrance.

Zhang Jiaohua followed, not knowing what it was trying to do.

Once outside the hidden realm, the golden leopard raised its head and let out several calls.

Zhang Jiaohua could tell it was summoning its kind. He grew suspicious — were there more golden leopards in or around this secret realm?

Not long after, the surrounding bushes began to rustle. It wasn’t just one beast approaching.

The leopard called out again, and from the bushes emerged a head identical to the spirit leopard — only smaller. The original one had grown much larger due to becoming a spirit beast, while normal golden leopards typically weighed just over 100 pounds.

The new leopard hesitated at the sight of Zhang Jiaohua beside the spirit leopard, clearly afraid and reluctant to come out.

The spirit leopard called out again, urging it forward. Finally, the smaller leopard reluctantly emerged.

The bushes continued rustling, and soon more golden leopards came out. In a short time, the spirit leopard had summoned six others. Whether they were family members or mates, it was hard to say.

All six seemed wary of Zhang Jiaohua and didn’t dare approach him, staying instead on the opposite side of the spirit leopard.

The spirit leopard gave Zhang Jiaohua a pleading look, nodding repeatedly toward the entrance of the hidden realm.

“You want me to let them in?” Zhang Jiaohua asked.

The spirit leopard rubbed against him again — clearly affirming his guess.

Zhang Jiaohua quickly understood. While the spirit leopard could enter the hidden realm on its own, it couldn’t bring its companions in. After all, it was still just a spirit beast and didn’t know how to open the entrance for others. Luckily, it couldn’t — if it had brought in more helpers earlier, it wouldn’t have been subdued so easily.

Zhang Jiaohua opened the entrance to the hidden realm, allowing the spirit leopard to bring its kind inside.

“Wow! So many golden leopards!” Ji Jiaxin wasn’t scared at all. She even found them as docile as pets — though in any other situation, meeting so many of them alone would’ve been terrifying.

These creatures were still wild beasts — and very fierce ones at that.

“Zhang Jiaohua, give them names. Otherwise, how will we tell them apart?” Ji Jiaxin suggested.

Zhang Jiaohua only named the spirit leopard. To keep it simple, he called it Xiao Jin (Little Gold).

“That’s such a lazy name! It doesn’t reflect its characteristics at all,” Ji Jiaxin commented, a little speechless.

“A name’s just to help tell them apart,” Zhang Jiaohua shrugged.

“Then why only name that one?” Ji Jiaxin asked, puzzled.

“It’s different from the others. They’re just ordinary beasts. It’s already separated itself from them.” Zhang Jiaohua didn’t plan to name the wild ones — he wasn’t going to keep them around anyway, so names didn’t matter.

He used the Meishan Hunting Technique to tame the other golden leopards and grant them access to the hidden realm. Whether they could one day become spirit beasts like Xiao Jin would depend on their own fate.

While they were inside the realm, the weather outside had already cleared up. But Zhang Jiaohua wasn’t planning to continue traveling. He decided to rest in the hidden realm for the night. Nighttime travel through the Meishan forest was dangerous — even with his improved strength, he didn’t want to risk it with Ji Jiaxin and the others in tow. Who knew if there were spirit beasts more powerful than Xiao Jin out there?

The Meishan forest was mostly untouched by humans. Some areas had likely never been visited. What dangers lay hidden there, no one could predict.

Zhang Jiaohua’s destination this time was the hot spring he had visited once before. He had a feeling there were still many things there he hadn’t uncovered — and he didn’t want any complications.

Zhang Yuanbao and Mute each carried large packs with tents and other camping gear. They had already set up the tents.

As for food, they hadn’t brought any — only some seasonings Zhang Jiaohua had prepared. They would rely on hunting or foraging for wild food.