PCJ – Chapter 675 Encountering Danger

“Don’t worry. We’ve been to places far more dangerous than this. This place is nothing to us. Just take a look at our technical equipment. Besides, we already asked around—there are no dangerous large beasts in this part of Yingpan Mountain.”

The group of hikers didn’t take him seriously. They didn’t want to interact with someone who sounded like an official. When they found out that Zhang Jiaohua was the deputy county head of Daihua County, they were a little surprised at first, but then they couldn’t wait to get away.

Zhang Jiaohua didn’t bother with them either. Yingpan Mountain was now fully open—anyone could enter. Of course, if something happened, it would be their own responsibility. Although this laissez-faire approach might bring problems later, he didn’t stop them.

After the road-opening ceremony, Zhang Jiaohua went to check the farmhouse renovation. Except for a few old houses, the rest had been completely transformed. The houses weren’t all identical, but their styles were unified, blending harmoniously with the surrounding mountains. The village layout had also been optimized, which required demolishing and relocating some homes. In the city, this might be easy, but in the countryside, where traditional beliefs are deeply rooted—especially in matters like feng shui—it was a real challenge.

Eventually, they managed to overcome those hurdles. Gu Guangyi played a crucial role. As he put it, “If the feng shui in Yingpan Village were really good, it wouldn’t have become a notorious beggar village. Now people get beautiful new houses for free and can live wealthier lives—bad feng shui or not, their fortunes will turn.”

Still, there were always a few stubborn folks who absolutely refused to cooperate, so they were simply left alone. When they saw others enjoying their new homes, they’d eventually come begging to the investors. Meanwhile, the planners grouped new houses together to avoid being affected by the old holdouts.

Looking at the few jarring houses left, Zhang Jiaohua frowned. “Just leave it for now.”

“What else can we do? Our workgroup has visited them multiple times with town and village officials, but there’s no way to persuade them. Thankfully, most villagers have been reasonable.”

Because Zhang Jiaohua planned to build a Spirit-Gathering Array in Yingpan Mountain, he arranged all his current work around conducting field research there.

That day, he and Wei Chenguang also entered the mountain.

“Master, are you really planning to build the array here?” Wei asked.

“We’ll have to take this step sooner or later—better sooner than later. We cultivators aren’t harmless folks. You’ve seen how powerful the Three Great Holy Lands are. If Meishan Sect doesn’t grow quickly, once they notice us, we’ll be in grave danger. I don’t know how strong their Grand Elders are, but during my last visit to Kunlun, I saw quite a few hidden experts. If we fight them with our current strength, it’ll be like an egg hitting a rock,” Zhang said worriedly.

Wei nodded. “Even though we’ve vetted our sect members, there are still too many outsiders. We won’t be able to keep secrets for long. I’ve always worried that someone will leak news about the spiritual energy in the Xiyun Secret Realm. But there’s no secret realm in Yingpan Mountain—if we build the array here, it’ll be even harder to keep it hidden. Don’t forget, Yingpan Mountain is slated to become a tourist destination.”

“Ordinary people won’t be able to access the Spirit-Gathering Array. Even regular cultivators wouldn’t expect a large array to be in such a place. And once we activate the Mountain Protection Array, we won’t need to fear anyone,” Zhang said confidently.

Previously, when Zhang looked for a water source in Yingpan Mountain, he had wandered through the nearby hills but hadn’t ventured deep into the village. This time, however, he planned to go deeper to lay a stronger foundation for Meishan Sect’s future. Ideally, that foundation would be in Mount Meishan, but there was a powerful being there that Zhang couldn’t yet handle. Activating the array might provoke it, which would be disastrous. The small secret realm in Meishan was also too limited. A lesser-known mountain range like Yingpan was a better option.

Since everyone in Zhang’s group were core members of Meishan Sect, it was unlikely they’d run into danger in the mountain.

“Let’s go to the tallest peak in Yingpan Mountain. It looks promising—far enough from the village, and the terrain is steep, so ordinary people can’t climb it. If we build the Spirit-Gathering and Mountain Protection Arrays there, we can avoid a lot of interference,” Zhang said, pointing to a prominent peak.

What Zhang didn’t know was that the group of hikers was also heading toward that same peak—Giant Sword Peak.

“Old Liu, that deputy county head was strange—looked just like a high schooler. Probably only in his twenties. To already be a deputy county head at that age, he must have serious connections,” said Guo Cheng, a chatty member of the hiking group and CEO of a trading company in Donghai City.

Liu Jiahuai, just turned 40 and CEO of a restaurant chain, nodded. “Impressive, no doubt. But he may well be capable too. Just listening to him speak, you can tell. And look at Yingpan Village—such a remote place transformed like that? He’s got vision. You’ll see—now that people have money, they’ll want more than just food and clothes. They’ll want spiritual enjoyment. Tourism will boom. If he can turn this into a famous scenic spot, it’s got real potential. Anyway, let’s stop talking about that. Our goal today is that mountain. I asked around—it’s called Giant Sword Peak. What a name! The peak really does look like a giant sword. I wonder if we can climb it.”

“I doubt it. It’s too dangerous. Getting injured out here could be fatal,” said another hiker, Xiong Zizhao, a young associate professor and PhD from a top university in Donghai.

“Professor Xiong, don’t be such a killjoy! Seeing you makes me afraid to buy stocks,” Guo Cheng joked.

Xiong replied seriously, “Buy stocks or not, that’s your call. But there’s one principle we must follow. We’re here to hike, not to take risks. We should avoid all dangers. The terrain around Giant Sword Peak is treacherous—I say we avoid it. If we go, we should retreat at the first sign of danger.”

“You’re no fun, Professor. Hikers like us live to go where others haven’t. To pass up such a majestic sight would be a huge regret,” Guo replied, annoyed.

“I still oppose risky behavior,” Xiong said flatly.

Liu Jiahuai and others quickly stepped in to ease the tension.

“You’re both right,” Liu said. “One wants to see the scenery, one wants safety. But these aren’t mutually exclusive. Our motto is to explore while staying safe. Otherwise, why come to a wild place like this? But yes, we should be cautious.”

Xiong nodded. “I just worry about safety—one small injury in a place like this can be disastrous.”

“I’m not saying safety isn’t important,” Guo replied. “But we shouldn’t give up easily. I’ve studied Giant Sword Peak with binoculars—steep, yes, but good for climbing. If you’re worried, I’ll go first and secure ropes. Then you can follow.”

Liu nodded, “Alright, we stick together and think things through. Even a minor injury here can be serious.”

By dusk, the group still hadn’t reached Giant Sword Peak and the path was getting harder.

“I can’t go any further. This is too steep. I need a break,” said Jiang He, another team member, plopping to the ground.

Liu checked the time and frowned. It was unlikely they’d reach the base of the peak before dark, and they might not find a better spot to camp. “Let’s stop here. We’ll head to the peak tomorrow morning.”

While Liu’s group rested, Zhang’s group also stopped. They could travel day or night, but it was hard to enjoy the scenery in the dark.

Tents were quickly pitched and dinner preparations began. Though Zhang’s outing was casual, his team had brought all necessary gear.

While the hikers were eating bland instant food, Zhang’s group was enjoying freshly hunted game.

“This compressed biscuit is awful. I wish I’d brought my crossbow. In this wilderness, I wouldn’t need to eat this junk,” Guo complained.

Jiang He shook his fishing rod. “I brought this, but where am I supposed to fish? There’s only tiny streams around here—no fish at all.”

“There’s a river near Giant Sword Peak. We’ll fish there,” Guo said.

That night, howls of wolves echoed through the forest—truly eerie—and terrified the hikers.

“Wolves?! You’ve got to be kidding! I thought there weren’t any big predators here?” Xiong said anxiously.

“Good thing we didn’t camp on the other side. But even this spot might not be safe,” Liu said nervously.

Wolves don’t stay put. Their keen sense of smell could easily track them.

Thankfully, Liu had collected firewood earlier. He now built a fire, the flames lighting up the night.

Zhang’s group also heard the howls.

“Huh, so there are wolves in Yingpan Mountain,” Zhang said. He suddenly recalled the winter when a massive blue wolf attacked Meizi’ao in a snowstorm—a terrifying experience.

“Could the wolves attack those hikers?” Wei wondered.

“It’s possible. The howling sounds coordinated—they might be targeting them,” Zhang replied.

“If people die, it’ll be bad for Yingpan Village’s future. You all go save them—make sure they’re safe!” Wei quickly ordered their team.

These were cultivators, and dealing with ordinary wolves was no problem.

“Let the leopard and others guide you,” Zhang said, waving his hand. The leopard, fat cat, and chubby monkey appeared.

The accompanying cultivators were overjoyed. At this late hour, trying to find a few people in the vast expanse of Yingpan Mountain was like searching for a needle in a haystack. By the time they found them, it might already be too late—only enough time to take care of the aftermath. But with the help of the leopard and the others, things would be much easier.

Led by the leopard and its companions, the cultivators swiftly darted through the forest, heading with remarkable accuracy straight toward the campsite of the group of hikers.