PCJ – Chapter 624 The Mantra to Relieve Pain, Reduce Swelling, and Cool Inflammation

After finishing everything, the sky had gradually darkened. Zhang Jiaohua returned to his place while there was still some daylight left.

“Comrade Zhang,” an old man was standing on the playground of the old school building.

“Uncle, this is my grandfather,” Gu Chuangui suddenly appeared from a corner.

“Hello, sir,” Zhang Jiaohua greeted.

“Comrade Zhang, I apologize for Chuangui bothering you these past few days. I’m his grandfather—my name is Gu Yongyi.” Gu Yongyi appeared to be in his sixties. His back was slightly hunched, and he walked with difficulty, limping a bit. He was holding some items in his hands, but he seemed to lack strength; though the items didn’t look heavy, he had already switched hands several times while talking.

“Is there something I can help you with, sir?” Zhang Jiaohua asked.

“No, not really. I just feel bad that Chuangui has been coming over to trouble you every day. Today I caught a wild pheasant in the mountains and stir-fried it. I brought it here for you. I heard people from the city enjoy wild game from the mountains. Sadly, our Camp Village is getting more and more barren—even the wildlife is disappearing,” Gu Yongyi explained.

“Oh no, please take the pheasant back and eat it with Chuangui,” Zhang Jiaohua said, understanding the hardship in the village and how difficult it was for a family to get any meat.

“Uncle Zhang, please accept it. Grandpa worked really hard to catch that pheasant,” Gu Chuangui pleaded sincerely.

Zhang Jiaohua looked at both of them and nodded, “Alright, I’ll accept it—but only if you agree to one condition.”

“What condition?” Gu Yongyi asked.

“You have to stay and eat with me,” Zhang Jiaohua replied.

“Comrade Zhang, don’t worry. I only brought you a portion of the pheasant. We kept a lot at home,” Gu Yongyi quickly waved his hand.

Zhang Jiaohua chuckled. He knew how much meat one pheasant could provide. “Well, if you don’t stay and eat with me, I won’t accept it.”

“Grandpa, why don’t we stay?” Gu Chuangui was afraid Zhang wouldn’t accept the pheasant his grandfather had cooked.

Seeing that Zhang Jiaohua was serious, Gu Yongyi had no choice but to nod. “Comrade Zhang, why go through all this trouble? We’ll just be a burden.”

“Don’t worry. I’m not afraid of a little trouble. It’s just a meal—how much trouble could it be? Chuangui, come help me wash the rice,” Zhang Jiaohua said.

Gu Chuangui obediently ran over.

Zhang Jiaohua didn’t really need Chuangui to help. He just wanted to help both grandson and grandfather relax a little more.

Sure enough, not only did Gu Chuangui join in the cooking, but even Gu Yongyi got involved. The three of them worked together like a family. By the time dinner was ready, all feelings of unfamiliarity had disappeared.

Gu Chuangui probably had the most delicious meal of his life. He devoured his food, finishing a big bowl of rice and vegetables, and was still not full. Zhang hadn’t expected the boy to have such an appetite, and the food ended up being a little short.

“You little rascal! Slow down. Eat that much and you’ll burst!” Gu Yongyi scolded, then sighed. From his expression, it was clear that their family situation was far from simple—perhaps even worse than Zhang had imagined.

After dinner, Zhang Jiaohua asked Gu Yongyi, “Sir, Chuangui said your foot is in pain—is it your left foot?”

Gu Yongyi nodded. “Comrade Zhang, don’t worry. It’s nothing serious. We country folks aren’t that delicate.”

Zhang Jiaohua said, “Don’t worry. I learned some basic medical skills from a master. Let me see if I can help your foot.”

Gu Yongyi laughed. “It’s alright even if it doesn’t work. I’ve lived with it for years—I’m used to it.”

“Come on, let me take a look. It won’t take long,” Zhang Jiaohua smiled.

Gu Yongyi figured it didn’t matter—after all, the pain had been there for years.

Zhang examined his leg. The joints were swollen. This kind of illness is hard to cure, whether you have money or not. Rheumatism is often called the “non-lethal cancer.”

He went inside and returned with a bowl of water, muttering: “Golden knife on the parasol tree, silver knife on the parasol tree; Left pierces left, right pierces right; Upper pierces upper, lower pierces lower; Passed through by the ancestral master, passed through by my own master; No bleeding, no harm; Disciple is here to relieve pain, reduce swelling, and cool inflammation. By the decree of the Supreme Lord Laozi, so let it be—Commanded!”

Then he came out holding the bowl, which contained a medicinal pill that had been carefully prepared. It emitted a strong herbal aroma.

“This is a secret formula from my master. Drink it and see how it works. If it helps, come again for two more doses. Internal and external treatment together will be even more effective,” Zhang Jiaohua said.

Gu Yongyi took the bowl and, upon smelling the strong herbal scent, realized that Zhang wasn’t joking—this was real traditional medicine. He smiled, “I really didn’t expect Comrade Zhang to actually know medicine.”

“Drink up,” Zhang urged.

Gu Yongyi quickly drank it. The medicine was different from regular herbal decoctions—it had a strong herbal taste but wasn’t very bitter. After one gulp, a warm sensation spread through his stomach.

“This medicine…” Gu Yongyi looked at Zhang in surprise.

“It’s different from ordinary medicine, isn’t it? My master passed down this unique formula. It’s not bitter,” Zhang explained, wondering if he should’ve made it taste more medicinal.

“No wonder—it’s not bitter at all. It actually feels very soothing. Hey… my foot doesn’t hurt as much anymore. It really works!” Gu Yongyi said.

“Maybe it’s just the placebo effect. Let’s see how it feels after a few days. If it gets better, come back for another dose. If it still hurts, we’ll try an external application too. Double treatment will work best.” Zhang walked them out to the main road. As they left, both grandfather and grandson kept looking back and thanking him profusely.

The medicine Gu Yongyi drank was the “Pain Relief, Anti-Swelling, Cooling Water.” Zhang Jiaohua didn’t know exactly how effective it would be for rheumatism, but the water he used wasn’t ordinary—it came straight from the spiritual spring in his Daoist cultivation diagram. Its effects far surpassed ordinary water. Even without the herbs, just drinking the spiritual spring water would’ve cured most of his illness.

Sure enough, the next morning, Gu Chuangui ran over excitedly:

“Uncle! Uncle! My grandpa’s foot is healed—he’s not limping at all!”

Gu Yongyi followed behind, looking apologetically at Zhang Jiaohua. “I told this kid not to come bother you so early, but he wouldn’t listen.”

Seeing Gu Yongyi walking briskly, Zhang Jiaohua knew his foot was truly healed. The combination of the spiritual spring and the healing mantra had worked even better than expected.