PCJ – Chapter 601 Fleeing in a Panic

Zhang Jiaohua didn’t think twice—he bolted straight for the entrance.

“Roar!”

As he heard that creature’s roar, Zhang Jiaohua knew—it was coming!

He didn’t dare look back. Throwing all caution to the wind, he shot toward the exit like an arrow released from a bowstring.

Just as the space trembled, a powerful, irresistible force swept toward him.

Even though Zhang Jiaohua had already exited the secret realm, the overwhelming pressure was still unbearable.

“Splash!” Under such pressure, Zhang Jiaohua fell into a steaming hot pool of magma. Fortunately, the spiritual energy shield protected him—otherwise, even if he didn’t die, he would have been badly injured. This wasn’t like fishing something out of boiling oil. That’s just sleight of hand—not real fire and oil. Sometimes the oil only looks hot, but isn’t. Sometimes it’s all about speed—the hand is wet, and the steam absorbs the heat, protecting the skin. But this was different—Zhang Jiaohua had fallen into magma. The temperature here wasn’t anywhere near just 100 degrees Celsius. Staying in magma was nothing like reaching into hot oil to grab a stone.

Zhang Jiaohua didn’t linger. He burst out of the magma and rushed out of the valley without glancing back to see what was happening behind him.

After escaping the secret realm, it indeed seemed to be in chaos, but strangely, no one chased after him. Still, Zhang Jiaohua didn’t stop to look—he ran the dozens of miles to where Zhang Yuanbao and the others were waiting in just over ten minutes.

“Jiaohua’s back!” Zhang Yuanbao saw him from a distance and rushed forward to greet him.

Mute and Ji Jiaxin also prepared to run over.

“Don’t talk! Quick! We need to go—now!” Zhang Jiaohua shouted.

Zhang Yuanbao immediately realized—something was very wrong. He had never seen Zhang Jiaohua this panicked.

“What happened?” Mute asked urgently.

“Don’t ask! Just go! Leave everything behind!” Zhang Yuanbao was quick to respond.

Ji Jiaxin’s face also changed. But seeing that Zhang Jiaohua had returned, her heart eased—only to grow anxious again at his urgency.

“Quickly! Into the woods! Follow Leopard—don’t look back, just go straight home,” Zhang Jiaohua barked. He didn’t explain a thing.

He then turned to glance toward the valley—oddly, it was completely quiet.

“What about you?” Zhang Yuanbao asked worriedly.

“Don’t worry about me. I have to check something. You go back—follow Little Gold to the secret realm. I’ll find you there later,” Zhang Jiaohua said.

“Okay! We’ll wait for you in the secret realm!” Zhang Yuanbao knew they’d only slow him down. If Jiaohua needed to flee, they’d just be baggage.

Seeing them finally leave, Zhang Jiaohua felt relieved. What he had feared most was that the powerful spirit beast in the lake’s secret realm would chase them—it wouldn’t let them go if it saw them.

He had thought he was strong enough, but the secret realm had harbored such a terrifying spirit beast—it was truly a case of there’s always a higher mountain, a stronger man. Just from sensing its aura, Zhang Jiaohua knew he was no match.

He waited a long time, but no movement came from the valley. Mustering his courage, he returned—but this time, he didn’t approach directly. Instead, he observed the lake from the mountaintop in secret.

The boiling lake at the center was still bubbling and steaming—aside from that, there was nothing unusual. Zhang Jiaohua was puzzled. That mighty spirit beast had almost kept him trapped in the secret realm—why didn’t it come out?

Zhang Jiaohua wasn’t brave enough to explore the secret realm again. His original intent had only been curiosity. Even if it was larger than the Kunlun secret realm—so what? He had his own Cultivation Map Secret Realm, which would evolve as he improved. With that, he didn’t care for realms with no long-term value.

Zhang Jiaohua turned and left, transforming into a streak of light and disappearing into the distance.

Right after he left, the boiling lake in the valley suddenly surged. Several flood dragons burst out from the center of the lake, churning fiercely before sinking back again. But the dragon that had frightened Zhang Jiaohua never appeared.

When Zhang Jiaohua returned to the secret realm, he stayed for several days. At first, everyone was still on edge, but as time passed, they forgot all about it. Zhang Jiaohua didn’t bother worrying either. If those flood dragons were going to cause trouble, they would have already. They were clearly bound to the secret realm and adapted to its heat. As for that massive beast, Zhang Jiaohua suspected it couldn’t leave the secret realm at all—otherwise, it would’ve pursued him.

When he returned to Meizi’ao, Zhang Jiaohua was thoroughly scolded by Liu Qiaoye.

“You’ve grown up and don’t care about your mother anymore, huh? You’ve been gone for so many days—do you know how worried your father and I were? And you took Jiaxin too! If anything had happened to her, you’d be in big trouble!”

Ji Jiaxin hurried to defend him. “Auntie, Meishan is so beautiful. This trip really opened my eyes. The food was great too. Even though we camped outdoors, it was really comfortable. I’ll definitely come again. You wouldn’t mind, right?”

“Of course not! I’d be thrilled if you visited often, Jiaxin. But don’t follow these rascals into the mountains—it’s not safe. There may be fewer wild animals now, but Meishan still has tigers and big wolves. When Jiaohua was little, a pack of big wolves once surrounded the village because they were starving. It was terrifying. Luckily, those days are gone. There hasn’t been such heavy snow again, and the wolves haven’t returned.”

The more Liu Qiaoye looked at Ji Jiaxin, the more she liked her. It was clear this girl had feelings for her son.

The two women chatted away while Zhang Jiaohua couldn’t get a word in.

“Mute, let’s go practice boxing,” Zhang Jiaohua said, grabbing Zhang Yuanbao to escape before Liu Qiaoye dragged him back for another scolding.

“This brat—always like this.” Liu Qiaoye originally wanted to stop him, but after glancing at Ji Jiaxin, she changed her mind.

“Jiaxin, go have fun with them. I can’t keep up with you young folks anymore,” she laughed.

“Auntie, you look so young! You must’ve been really beautiful when you were younger,” Ji Jiaxin said sweetly, making Liu Qiaoye laugh non-stop.

“Jiaxin, what do you want to eat? I’ll cook something for you. Make sure Jiaohua comes home for dinner.” Liu Qiaoye went to pick vegetables from the field. Even though life was better now, she and Zhang Youping still grew their own vegetables and rice—because they always saw themselves as farmers at heart.

“Auntie, I’m not picky. The vegetables here are so fresh—I never get tired of them.” Ji Jiaxin then walked toward Zhang Jiaohua’s direction. She was slowly growing fond of Meizi’ao.

“Yellow ox is here, water buffalo is here, Mama scolds me, don’t serve outsiders. Come walking, come carrying, The flower sedan is here. New bride, open the sedan door, Welcome the bride with joy. Bow to heaven and earth, bow to the parents, The couple bows and completes the marriage, The bridal chamber glows with candlelight…”

A folk song echoed from the country path. Chen Dianzi soon appeared at the Meizi’ao courtyard.

Now with a buzz cut, clean clothes, and a neat appearance, he was no longer the unkempt man he used to be. Life under his wife’s care had changed him completely.

Ji Jiaxin curiously watched this singing “old boy.” Chen Dianzi also eyed the pretty city girl.

“Little miss, are you the one Jiaohua abducted from the city?” he joked.

Ji Jiaxin laughed. “He didn’t abduct me! Are you the Chen Dianzi Jiaohua told me about?”

“Oh? How’d you know? Do I still look crazy? Don’t tell my wife—she’ll scold me again.”

“Why are you scared of your wife? Jiaohua said men in the countryside often beat their wives. Do you hit yours?” Ji Jiaxin asked.

“Haha! If I dared hit my wife, I wouldn’t be Chen Dianzi anymore!” Zhang Jiwang passed by with his ox and laughed.

“Uncle Jiwang, you’re not young anymore. If you pass away one day, I’ll be the one singing at your funeral. If you talk nonsense, I’ll mess up the funeral songs on purpose,” Chen Dianzi retorted.

Zhang Jiwang stopped. “If you do, I’ll haunt your house every night and scare your wife. When she finds out it’s your fault, you’ll be sleeping on the floor again!”

Ji Jiaxin found their rural banter amusing. Though she didn’t understand everything, she could sense the joy and simplicity behind their words.

“Young lady, where’s Jiaohua? Why isn’t he with you?” Zhang Jiwang asked in his clumsy Mandarin.

“He went to spar with Yuanbao. I was just going to find them.”

“They’re at the old gardening station,” he pointed.

Ji Jiaxin waved goodbye and left to find Zhang Jiaohua.

After she left, Zhang Jiwang said, “Chen Dianzi, that city girl is even prettier than your daughter.”

“Nowhere close! My daughter’s way more beautiful—and my wife too! Jiaohua has no taste. My daughter’s got looks, a great figure, and she’s good at giving birth—way better than this girl.” Chen Dianzi laughed.

Zhang Jiwang laughed. “Jealous much?”

Everyone in Meizi’ao knew Chen Dianzi couldn’t stop bragging about his wife and daughters—as if they were the most perfect women in the world.

Chen Dianzi resumed singing as he strolled off: “Radish blossoms like silver clusters, Buckwheat flowers like golden stars, Silver flowers draw bees, Golden flowers lure butterflies—All of spring becomes the matchmaker.”

Zhang Jiaohua, Zhang Yuanbao, and Mute were indeed sparring at the old gardening station. Now that Meizi’ao’s tea tourism industry had expanded and modernized, the old garden remained untouched. Zhang Youping and Liu Qiaoye refused to change the place where their son’s dreams—and the village’s transformation—had started. It held too many memories.

“Jiaohua, why aren’t you with your girlfriend?” Zhang Yuanbao teased.

“Yuanbao, quit joking or I’ll beat you up,” Jiaohua warned.

“You don’t even call me your big brother anymore—and now you want to hit me?” Yuanbao protested.

“You’re shorter, weaker, and in the same grade as me. You think I should call you ‘brother’?” Zhang Jiaohua laughed.

Mute giggled, “He’s right.”

“Like hell! I’m older—he has to call me ‘big bro’! Age decides it, not height. Otherwise, should I make my dad call me ‘dad’ since I’m taller now?” Yuanbao grumbled.

“Who are you calling ‘dad’?” Zhang Youlian popped out from behind the tea trees.

Zhang Jiaohua and Mute doubled over with laughter.

“Dad, don’t misunderstand! I was just making a point,” Yuanbao scratched his head.

“Just wait till we get home!” Youlian scolded, though clearly amused. He was proud of his son—even if he wasn’t as outstanding as Zhang Jiaohua, he stayed on the right path and made it into university.

Ji Jiaxin walked over and asked, “Jiaohua, why hasn’t this part of the village changed like the rest? Everything else looks like villas now.”

Before Zhang Jiaohua could answer, Yuanbao jumped in, “This is where everything started. It will become our memorial hall—so all Meizi’ao people remember that our happiness didn’t come easy.”

Zhang Jiaohua laughed, “Yuanbao, stop pretending to be deep—it just makes you sound silly.”

Suddenly Yuanbao looked gloomy. “In a few years, you’ll be studying in Beijing, and I’ll be stuck in the provincial capital. If I had worked harder, I could’ve gone to Beijing too.”

“You can always visit. But once you’re in school, I bet you’ll be chasing pretty classmates and forget all about us,” Mute joked.

Thinking about going to Beijing, Zhang Jiaohua couldn’t help but feel a little wistful.