PCJ – Chapter 80 Wake up

*Burp!*

Zhang Jiaohua, with a round belly and a satisfied burp, walked out of the main hall, leaving behind a pile of chicken bones. Not a single bite of food was touched, and there was only a phoenix head, a chicken wing, and a few bits of meat left… everything else was gone.

Ma Sibao rushed into the house and looked at the leftovers on the table, feeling extremely disheartened.

Ma Changzhi shook his head helplessly at the scene on the table and quickly instructed his wife, “Boil a few more eggs and get some salted peanuts.”

Ma Changzhi didn’t dare to say much. The water division of Meishan was notorious for being stingy. If you spoke ill of them behind their backs and they found out, who knew what methods they would use to deal with you. Playing a prank on them was one thing, but if you encountered a particularly stingy member of the water division, they could easily turn the tables and revert a patient’s condition back to its original state. That would be serious. Reversion water was specifically used to punish ungrateful patients by returning their previously healed injuries and illnesses to their original state, teaching them a lesson. But some members of the water division also used it to discipline those they didn’t like.

Ma Sibao, tears in his eyes, held the bowl with only a phoenix head and a chicken wing left and filled it with rice directly. Unable to eat the chicken meat, he could only drink the leftover soup. Even the chicken wing that he usually wouldn’t touch remained untouched.

Ma An finally woke up, seemingly unharmed, just a little weak. This surprised the villagers of Paoma Village.

“He’s really alive! This kid is amazing.”

“Yes, he’s so young but has already encountered Meishan. His future is promising.”

“Yeah. I heard that the founder of Meishan became immortal. Could this kid also become an immortal in the future?”

“Immortal? Where are the immortals now?”

…

“Husband, are you awake?” Liu Yuehong looked at her husband with joy as he opened his eyes.

But Ma An seemed a bit off, looking around blankly without saying anything.

The room suddenly fell silent, everyone waiting for Ma An’s response, but Ma An, after looking around, lowered his head and seemed to be lost in thought.

“Husband, are you okay?” Liu Yuehong had an ominous feeling.

Ma An continued to stare blankly at the ground, seemingly not hearing Liu Yuehong’s words at all.

“Quick! Go call the young master over to take a look.” Suddenly, someone in the crowd shouted loudly.

Everyone seemed to be awakened as if from a dream.

“Hurry, go call the young master over. Anzi’s condition doesn’t seem right!”

“Did he become dumb?” Someone speculated.

“It’s hard to say. He looks like he doesn’t remember anything.”

“Anyway, he’s finally alive.”

…

Zhang Jiaohua walked outside to aid digestion after eating too much. He had eaten a lot today.

“Young Master, Young Master, Ma An woke up. Come and take a look quickly. He seems a bit off.” Someone grabbed Zhang Jiaohua’s hand, preparing to pull him to Ma An’s house.

“Is Ma An still breathing?” Zhang Jiaohua shook off the person’s hand.

“He’s awake, so why wouldn’t he be breathing?” the person laughed.

“If he’s awake, why do you need me?” Zhang Jiaohua asked.

“He’s awake, but something’s not right. No matter who calls him, it’s like he doesn’t hear us. And when he looks at our villagers, it’s like he doesn’t recognize them.” The person quickly explained Ma An’s current situation.

“Interesting. I’ll go take a look.” Even when accompanying the old Taoist, Zhang Jiaohua had never encountered such a situation.

As Zhang Jiaohua walked into the house, Ma An seemed to be searching for something on the ground.

“Looking for his soul?” With a glance, Zhang Jiaohua saw that Ma An seemed to have lost his soul and confirmed it with a spell. Indeed, Ma An had lost his soul. There was no other way; Zhang Jiaohua had to retrieve Ma An’s soul.

Not long after, Ma An regained consciousness. He talked about the strange things he encountered after he passed out. Ma An said that after he passed out, he found himself tied up in a strange place with a group of strange people. They had human bodies but no legs, resembling monsters from TV. However, they could all speak human language. These strange creatures tied Ma An up, saying they were going to kill him for revenge. Ma An thought he was doomed, but at that moment, he heard someone calling out, and he suddenly woke up.

The villagers were all amazed and praised Zhang Jiaohua’s spell.

“Not bad at all! To have such skills at such a young age.”

“I’ve seen others retrieve souls before, and the water division usually sets up a big formation. But this little Meishan didn’t even set up an altar and just called the master to retrieve the lost soul, and it actually worked. It’s really amazing.”

…

Zhang Jiaohua, seeing that the person had awakened, thought about going home. He had been out for so long without telling his parents. He was afraid of being scolded when he went back.

“Uncle Shenggao, can you take me home now?” Zhang Jiaohua looked at Ma Shenggao’s bulging bag.

“Sure, I’ll let my uncle know.” Ma Shenggao, seeing that Ma An was fine, naturally prepared to take Zhang Jiaohua home.

The Ma family expressed their thousand thanks and said many good things to Zhang Jiaohua. Liu Yuehong, on the other hand, looked at the money in Ma Shenggao’s bag with some reluctance. It’s over, everything’s over. All the money in the house was taken by this little water master. Ma An was very shrewd, making a living from what he was good at, and he did quite well in the village. There were only a few bicycles in the entire Meizi Village, and Ma An’s family had one. Not counting the money earned from selling snakes this time, Ma An had earned quite a bit before. Ma An had attended high school and had some education. He had done farming, brewing, and everything else. There were some savings at home. But now, everything was gone.

On the way, Ma Shenggao asked Zhang Jiaohua, “Jiaohua, do you really need to take so much money from my cousin? Their entire savings are here.”

“Is his life not worth that much? I saved his life, so I have to bear the consequences. In the future, this karma will fall on me. If it weren’t for the fact that we have some distant relatives, I wouldn’t take such a big risk for just a little money.” Zhang Jiaohua was small, but he was very familiar with the rules of the water division. The water division wouldn’t refuse to treat someone just because they were poor. But they also wouldn’t help for free.

With Zhang Jiaohua’s words, Ma Shenggao had nothing more to say. No matter what, a life was worth more than money.

Several thousand yuan surprised Zhang Youping and Liu Qiaoye very much. Their first reaction was to return the money. Zhang Jiaohua naturally strongly opposed. After Zhang Youping and Liu Qiaoye learned that their son had saved someone and taken on karma, adding uncertainty to his future, they completely dispelled the idea of returning the money.

Strangely enough, three days later, not a single snake could be seen in the village. They seemed to have disappeared.

Meizi Village Elementary School also resumed classes, but under each podium was a protective talisman. Since this incident, Meizi Village Elementary School has acquired a new tradition.