PCJ – Chapter 677 The Decision

Giant Sword Peak truly looked like a massive sword standing upright among the mountains, with its tip pointing skyward. The mountain body was steep and nearly unclimbable. Ordinary people would have no way to ascend it. That group of hikers, if they had come here, wouldn’t be able to climb up at all.

But for Zhang Jiaohua and Wei Chenguang, reaching the summit of Giant Sword Peak was no difficulty at all.

The summit wasn’t very large, roughly the size of a few hundred square meters, and the terrain was rugged. As soon as the two arrived, they felt as if they were on an isolated island in a vast ocean—wind gusted fiercely from all directions like stormy waves crashing against this lone outcrop. The wind was so strong that opening one’s mouth felt like it would be instantly filled. Though they stood only a step apart, they had to shout loudly just to hear each other.

“We can build a Spirit Gathering Formation here, but there’s no way we can build a sect hall or dwellings,” Wei Chenguang said worriedly.

“This Giant Sword Peak itself is the perfect cultivation abode,” Zhang Jiaohua said with a smile.

It would indeed be nearly impossible for ordinary people to build dwellings here, but for cultivators, this was trivial. Zhang Jiaohua didn’t intend to construct buildings on top of the peak. Instead, he planned to carve out a number of cave abodes directly into the mountain to serve as cultivation dwellings for Meishan Sect disciples. For cultivators, this was not difficult. Though Giant Sword Peak was made of extremely hard granite, under a cultivator’s magical tools, even diamond could be carved like tofu.

“Since the Sect Master has made his decision, let’s establish the Meishan Sect’s base here. I’ll head back to Xiyun Secret Realm right away and gather personnel for construction,” Wei Chenguang said, though he still wasn’t sure what the final results would look like. But if Meishan Sect wanted to grow, it needed a solid foundation. At this stage, with such shallow roots, they couldn’t afford to attract the attention of the Three Great Sacred Grounds. Choosing an obscure place like Yingpan Mountain was quite fitting.

The more Zhang Jiaohua surveyed the surroundings of Giant Sword Peak, the more he liked it. The environment seemed naturally suited to being the core location of a sect. The surrounding mountain formations were just right for laying a large protective formation. Once the formation was completed, even if the Three Great Sacred Grounds came looking for trouble, Zhang Jiaohua wouldn’t necessarily be afraid. Moreover, by layering Spirit Gathering Formations, this place could be transformed into a spiritual vein.

Zhang Jiaohua used his magic to fly around Giant Sword Peak, examining it thoroughly from the sky before descending and saying to Wei Chenguang, “It’s settled.”

Wei Chenguang watched with envy as Zhang Jiaohua flew so effortlessly. While his own cultivation allowed short-term flight, he couldn’t soar through the sky as freely as Zhang Jiaohua, like a bird gliding through the air.

Meanwhile, Liu Jiahui and his group finally exited Yingpan Mountain and arrived in Yingpan Village. The group subconsciously distanced themselves from Jiang He, and Jiang He also felt too awkward to talk to them. He knew he couldn’t blame anyone. But if he were to go through such a situation again, what choice could he make? He came from a poor background and had worked hard to establish himself in a big city like Donghai. He was his family’s pride and pillar. If something were to happen to him, the whole family might collapse. He couldn’t afford to act recklessly like Guo Cheng and the others.

“I won’t stay in Yingpan Village with you. I’m heading back to Donghai today. There are things I don’t want to say. I’m sorry,” Jiang He said as he boarded the minibus to Tianbaqiao Town.

Xiong Zizhao patted Jiang He on the shoulder and said, “Don’t think too much about the past. If I were in your shoes, maybe I would’ve done the same.”

Jiang He got on the bus and didn’t look back. The lush scenery of Yingpan Village sped past the windows as the bus drove off.

“What a coward!” Guo Cheng spat in the direction the bus went. Guo Cheng had a strong sense of justice and despised people like Jiang He. No matter the situation, you shouldn’t abandon your companions. Jiang He’s actions had made him very angry.

Liu Jiahui patted Guo Cheng on the shoulder and said, “Let it go. I know Jiang He. He’s not a bad person. But he’s under a lot of pressure and can’t act as freely as we can. If you were in his shoes, maybe you wouldn’t have done any better.”

“Honestly, if it weren’t for County Head Zhang sending people to rescue us, I really would’ve dragged you all down,” said Lao Xiao with emotion.

“Brother, don’t say that kind of stuff,” Guo Cheng said with annoyance.

“Fine, fine. When we get back, I’ll treat you all to drinks. I won’t say anything more—everything’s in my heart,” Lao Xiao said with a grin.

“Didn’t notice it before, but this village is really something. It looks like a painting,” Xiong Zizhao said, taking a few photos with his digital camera to show the others.

“Yeah, it’s beautiful. Must’ve been professionally designed. The layout of this village blends perfectly with the surrounding landscape. It’s just a bit small—if it were bigger, it could definitely be a tourist attraction,” Liu Jiahui nodded.

“Daihua County is actually planning to develop the whole region into a big tourism zone. If all of it could reach this standard, it would be amazing,” Xiong Zizhao added. He was a university professor and had friends in that field. That’s how he’d even heard of Yingpan Mountain.

“Such a huge investment? Who’s behind it?” Guo Cheng asked, surprised. Even though he wasn’t in that business, he knew a project of this scale would require a massive amount of money. Yet he’d heard nothing in the news. If it was a big corporate investment, there should have been some buzz.

“No idea. I heard the investor is very mysterious and has significant backing. It’s said County Head Zhang has connections with some big shots,” Xiong Zizhao explained vaguely.

Since they’d left Yingpan Mountain several days earlier than planned due to the incident, Xiong Zizhao and the others decided to rest for a few days in Yingpan Village before heading back.

Not long after they arrived in the village, Zhang Jiaohua and Wei Chenguang also came down from Yingpan Mountain.

Zhang Jiaohua didn’t longer in Yingpan Village and went straight to Daihua County. At present, renovation projects in the various townships were being implemented, though not progressing very smoothly. The biggest problem was the outdated mindsets of the locals. Under the constraints of clan traditions and old customs, much work was difficult to carry out. Another major issue was the passivity of the local cadres. They were used to slacking off, and now that they were being asked to actually work, there was widespread grumbling. These officials rarely interacted with the common people—when villagers approached them for help, they acted like lords. Now that the roles were reversed, it was easy to imagine how things were going.