PCJ – Chapter 782 Return (Part 1)

After subduing the sword spirit, Zhang Jiaohua once again flew to the hilt of the Black Ice Sword. He reached out and grabbed it—this time without any resistance. The moment his hand held the hilt, it felt as if the sword had always been a part of his own body. The towering Black Ice Sword that had once pierced the clouds instantly shrank into an utterly ordinary-looking sword resting in his palm.

Zhang Jiaohua tossed the sword lightly into the air, and it immediately expanded. A single thought from him, and the Black Ice Sword flew under his feet, transforming into a streak of lightning. In an instant, he had returned to the Battle Hall encampment in the Immortal Beast Mountain Range.

“How has the Battle Hall been these past few months?” Zhang Jiaohua asked as he appeared before Wen Xiaoqun.

Wen Xiaoqun nodded, “After the battle last time, the Battle Hall has been recuperating here. The squads have already replenished their members and have been training diligently. Their combat strength has risen quickly. However, our stores of spirit beast meat are being consumed too fast. We’re considering whether we should resume hunting operations to ensure supply.”

“The Battle Hall has stayed here long enough. The Immortal Beast Mountain Range needs time to recover as well. If you have to hunt, do it elsewhere. Lead the Battle Hall to move to another region and establish a new encampment there,” Zhang Jiaohua instructed.

“Gate Master, we’re giving up this Battle Hall base?” Wen Xiaoqun asked, confused.

“We’re not giving it up. Just setting it aside for now. The Battle Hall does not need a fixed headquarters. The core is combat strength. Without strength, even iron walls can’t be defended.” Zhang Jiaohua knew that Wen Xiaoqun was reluctant to leave behind such a well-established base.

Wen Xiaoqun nodded. “I’ll send the orders. After a few days of preparation, we’ll depart.”

“I will be entering seclusion for some time. During that period, the sect will be in your hands and the elders’. Discuss things among yourselves. There are many powerful immortal beasts in these mountains—do not push forward recklessly,” Zhang Jiaohua said.

“Rest assured, Gate Master. Even if we must give our lives, we will destroy anyone who dares betray the sect,” Wen Xiaoqun replied.

Zhang Jiaohua gathered the Meishan Sect members, explained the situation, and then departed. He had no worries about the sect falling apart without him. As long as he returned, no one could take anything from Meishan Sect. And if he did not return, those things no longer mattered.

Zhang Jiaohua flew away on his sword, leaving Hu Tengda and the others watching in awe. Any remaining ambitions in their hearts were completely extinguished. Before Zhang Jiaohua, they were like ants.

Zhang Jiaohua returned to Mount Descending Immortal. Holding the Black Ice Sword, he shot into the sky and slashed upward. The sky, which had seemed perfectly ordinary, split open with a crack. On the other side of the rupture was an entirely different world. Without hesitation, Zhang Jiaohua rushed into the crack.

Boom!

Thunder roared out of a clear sky above the Taklamakan Desert. Though the sky had been cloudless, a bolt of lightning appeared from nowhere. A sudden crack tore open, and a streak of lightning shot out, disappearing in an instant. The crack sealed again just as abruptly.

On Black Rock Ridge, the highest peak of Meishan, Zhang Jiaohua stood against the wind and shouted:

“I’m back!”

At that moment, Chen Dianzi was warming a pot of rice wine and eating peanuts, enjoying himself. His wife sat beside him, smiling.

“What are you looking at me for? Don’t tell me you want me to give you another kid?” Chen Dianzi laughed loudly.

“You old rascal,” Chen Dianzi’s wife Chen Fang rolled her eyes.

“What, you don’t believe in my ability?” Chen Dianzi got up and walked toward her.

Chen Fang panicked. This old guy was bold—there was nothing he wouldn’t dare do in broad daylight. “Chen Dianzi, I’m warning you, if you try anything nonsense, I’ll go live in town with Chen Cheng and ignore you!”

“You’ll be reluctant to leave,” Chen Dianzi wasn’t bothered at all.

Just then, a loud shout echoed from Black Rock Ridge. Chen Dianzi froze for a moment.

“He’s back! That brat! He’s finally back!” His voice trembled, eyes welling with tears.

“What’s wrong with you?” Chen Fang couldn’t hear the distant shout clearly.

“Ha! Good news! It’s great news!” Chen Dianzi swept his wife up, spinning her around.

“Put me down! Someone will see us!” she cried in embarrassment.

“Hahaha! Woman, no time to plow your fertile fields today! Jiaohua’s back! I’m going to beat that rascal good!” He planted a bearded kiss on her cheek, rubbed his head against her chest, then set her down and ran off like the wind.

“Old rascal…” Chen Fang’s cheeks were flushed like she’d had wine.

In just moments, Chen Dianzi appeared on Black Rock Ridge, shouting:

“Jiaohua! You bastard! You just disappeared without a word! I stayed back to guard your house like a mule! And you! Today I’m beating you!”

“Uncle Dianzi, you call that guarding the house? I saw you just now being awfully affectionate with Auntie,” Zhang Jiaohua teased him.

“She’s my wife—I’ll do as I please! And you still don’t know the taste of man and woman yet, do you? Tsk. So grown and still clueless. Even if you became a god, what’s the point if you don’t know real life?” Chen Dianzi shot back.

Zhang Jiaohua felt his face warm with embarrassment.

“You brat, no sense of romance. And those pretty girls who wasted their youth thinking about you! Lucky I can’t beat you, or I’d teach you a lesson,” Chen Dianzi snorted.

“Uncle Dianzi… how have things been at home?” Zhang Jiaohua finally asked seriously.

“There are always fools making trouble. But so what? With me here, who dares act up in Meizi’ao? As for your Meishan Sect, you’ve got some capable people. Even when problems came up, they were handled quickly. Go home. Your parents haven’t had it easy these years,” Chen Dianzi said.

The house in Meizi’ao was exactly as Zhang Jiaohua had left it. The plants in the yard, even the trees, were unchanged.

Zhang Youping and Liu Qiaoye were in the courtyard tending vegetables. Though Meizi’ao was now a wealthy village, they still lived by old rural habits—growing crops, raising livestock, living simply and self-sufficiently.

The two of them didn’t speak about Zhang Jiaohua, but both knew what the other was thinking.