PCJ – Chapter 630 The Pangolin

The pangolin’s thick scales protected it well — that earlier attack hadn’t harmed it at all. It quickly rolled over and stood alert, warily watching its surroundings. So many eyes were locked onto it, leaving it feeling helpless. Though it hadn’t yet become a spirit beast, its senses were far sharper than those of ordinary animals. It could clearly sense that the auras of the surrounding enemies were all stronger than its own.

The pangolin felt confused — it was just quietly digging a hole in the mountains, so why had it provoked so many powerful beings? Was it really fun for a whole group of spirit beasts to bully a single, weak pangolin?

Zhang Jiaohua walked over and called out to the spirit beasts who were preparing to advance: “Spare its life.”

All the spirit beasts immediately stopped, making way for Zhang Jiaohua to step forward.

The pangolin saw a human approaching. Though it couldn’t detect any threat from this man’s body, it instinctively feared humans. All its life, its primary concern had been avoiding ending up on a human’s dinner plate. A human who could command an entire horde of spirit beasts had to be at least as dangerous as them — if not more.

The pangolin desperately started digging into the ground with its two sharp front claws. The soil gave way like tofu, and it quickly carved out a shallow hole. But then Zhang Jiaohua casually cast a spell, and a beam of spiritual light shot into the earth. Instantly, the soft ground hardened into something like solid iron. The pangolin’s razor-sharp claws couldn’t budge it at all.

Even so, the pangolin refused to give up. It buried its head in the shallow hole, as if believing that if it couldn’t see the danger, then nothing bad could happen. Much like some birds, when driven into a corner, its first instinct was to hide its head.

Zhang Jiaohua stepped forward and picked up the pangolin. It was heavy — at least ten pounds. Its scales were cold to the touch, like armor made of metal.

The pangolin trembled in Zhang Jiaohua’s hands but didn’t dare to struggle or resist. It felt as if its life were being held in the palm of this man’s hand. And more than that — the man carried an aura of spiritual energy that the pangolin found deeply alluring. If it wanted to ascend and become a true spirit beast, it desperately needed that kind of energy.

Zhang Jiaohua placed the pangolin into his Cultivation Map. Judging from its capabilities, this pangolin might indeed be the one responsible for digging the problematic underground tunnels. Still, Zhang Jiaohua didn’t let down his guard. He needed to confirm whether there were even stronger or more numerous pangolins hidden out there.

After all, for a poor county like Daihua to allocate a large sum to fix its saline-alkali soil problem, the money had to be used wisely — and the issue had to be resolved once and for all.

Zhang Jiaohua could, of course, take funds from the Biyu Xianyin Group to pay for the restoration. But he didn’t think it should be handled that way. He was a village official, not some money-throwing philanthropist. If the company wanted to do charity, it should do so under its own name — not just to buy political performance points for him in Yingpan Village.

Achievements didn’t mean much to Zhang Jiaohua anyway. He had no ambitions for promotion or wealth. He simply wanted a place to cleanse his soul.

Over the next several days, the traps Zhang Jiaohua set did lure in quite a few wild beasts. But none posed any real threat — aside from that one pangolin. The harmless animals were either released back into the wild or, if they looked tasty, became something to snack on with wine.

Zhang Jiaohua didn’t think much about environmental protection — he simply followed his instincts. Still, he didn’t kill without reason.

After several days, Zhang Jiaohua received a notice from the town. It was delivered in person by Gu Baishui.

“The town said we have a meeting tomorrow,” Gu Baishui announced. He didn’t know what the meeting was about. In his experience, most town meetings didn’t have much to do with Yingpan Village. But he was still enthusiastic about attending — second-half-of-the-year meetings often involved poverty relief. Yingpan Village was one of the key impoverished villages under the town’s support plan, and those subsidies were vital.

Zhang Jiaohua guessed the meeting probably concerned solving the salt-alkali lake problem in Yingpan.

“Cadre Zhang, you know the situation in our village. Every time I try to get more aid from the town, they never give it. You have to speak up more for us this time. You’re from the higher-ups — your words carry more weight than mine,” Gu Baishui nagged nonstop.

He rode on the back of Zhang Jiaohua’s motorcycle. Zhang drove fast, and the wind kept rushing into Gu’s mouth, making his words choppy and broken. But Gu was undeterred — he talked non-stop.

Zhang Jiaohua focused on the road, responding absently, “Secretary Gu, I’m driving. If I get distracted and we end up flying off the side of a mountain, don’t blame me.”

Gu Baishui paled. “Then be careful! No need to rush. Anyway, the meeting probably doesn’t matter much to our village — just make sure we get the aid money.”

When they arrived at the town office, Gu Baishui was surprised that few people were there. No one else from the surrounding villages had shown up yet. He thought they might be early. “Cadre Zhang, motorbikes really are faster. Look — we’re here before anyone else.”

“Secretary Gu, Mayor Zhu is waiting for you in his office. You should head in,” said Li Lin, the town office director, who recognized Gu Baishui.

“I thought this was a regular meeting?” Gu asked in confusion.

“It is. It’s about your Yingpan Village. Not many people are attending, so it’s being held directly in Mayor Zhu’s office.” Li Lin gave Zhang Jiaohua a friendly smile.

Zhang Jiaohua nodded and smiled back, unsure how to greet him since they didn’t know each other.

“You must be the college graduate village official from Yingpan Village, right? Mayor Zhu often talks about you. I’m Li Lin, director of the town office. If you ever need anything, just come to me,” Li Lin said warmly.

Zhang Jiaohua quickly replied, “Director Li, I’ll be relying on your support in the future.”

Gu Baishui stood awkwardly to the side, but he didn’t feel resentful. Although Zhang Jiaohua was only a village official, he was a college graduate and clearly had a bright future. Still, Gu was puzzled — why was Mayor Zhu taking this young man so seriously?

With that question lingering in his heart, Gu Baishui followed Zhang Jiaohua and Li Lin into Zhu Qingdong’s office.

“You’ve arrived, Xiao Zhang. The road’s a bit bumpy, huh? I hear you even bought a motorcycle — really an ambitious young man. Secretary Gu, have a seat. I’ll tell you — your Yingpan Village is truly lucky to have landed the best village official. Ever since he arrived, he’s thrown himself into the work. Just last time, Xiao Zhang came to the town to propose a solution to your village’s water shortage — and it’s a much better deal than any poverty relief fund.”

Zhu Qingdong’s praise left Gu Baishui feeling completely lost. Zhang Jiaohua hadn’t mentioned any of this to him, which made him feel embarrassed — and perhaps a little resentful. That college kid clearly didn’t think much of a dirt farmer like him!