Journey to the West: The Immortal Clan Begins by Feeding Monkeys at Five Elements Mountain

Chapter 113 Great Victory at the Border, Promotion in Sight

The next morning, just as the first rays of dawn were peeking over the mountainside, the routine lecture in the frigid region came to an end.

Jiang Ming put away his lecture book, shook his sleeves, and waved his hand, summoning Jiang Xi and Liu Zi'an to his side.

His expression remained perfectly cool and serious, but his speech was concise and direct:

"From today onwards, you will be in charge of the children at the other end of the school." He looked at the boy from the Liu family.

"As for the various miscellaneous affairs within the Ancient and Modern Gang, Xi'er, you will take over, with Zi'an assisting you."

Actually, when it comes to assigning tasks, whether it's the school or the gang, there's only one real job at the moment.

Make several copies of those two cartloads of scriptures from yesterday, so they can be archived and easily consulted in the future.

Jiang Ming explained everything in a very methodical and detailed manner, without any intention of staying to help.

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned around and went into the house, picked up a few books, and then picked a few spiritual fruits from the fruit trees in the back garden.

Too lazy to utter a single unnecessary instruction, he simply tossed the hem of his robe and headed straight for the back of the mountain.

His steps were so light they seemed to be on the wind, and his back view was so fast it looked like he was skipping class. It was clear he was fully prepared to be a completely hands-off boss.

Jiang Xi, however, beamed with joy.

She has always loved meddling in things, and now she has finally gained real power, along with a room full of books and a bunch of young men.

He immediately ran back to the house, grabbed some silk paper, writing brush and ink, rolled up his sleeves, and began to get to work.

The days slipped by uneventfully, like a quiet stream, winding past tender spring buds and leaves, and before you knew it, half a year had passed.

Jiang Yi was still the same as always, getting up at cockcrow. After listening to his eldest son's lecture, he would pick up his hoe and take a walk around the medicinal herb field and orchard.

After harvesting the old medicinal herbs neatly, he went into the two newly cleared acres of shady meadow to weed, trim leaves, drain water, and manage the ditches, taking care of everything meticulously.

In the afternoon, he changed into loose clothes, picked up a stick, and started waving it around in the yard.

He had already mastered that set of stick techniques, and now when he performed it again, his breathing was even more steady than before, his strength was deep and unhindered, and the wind howled and the roof tiles creaked as he rose and fell.

The grass lay flat on the ground, and even the chickens knew better than to approach.

As night fell and the stars gradually appeared, he burned incense, cleansed his face, sat quietly under the lamp, and focused his mind.

Without entering dreams or engaging in distracting thoughts, I simply guard a furnace of pure intent, observing two points of ethereal light deep within the divine sea.

The light spot was a bit brighter than before, seemingly real yet illusory, shapeless, as if seen through a layer of misty veil, appearing and disappearing, always leaving one unable to grasp it completely.

In this way, I work in the morning, practice physical exercises at noon, and concentrate my mind at night. The days pass like a stream flowing over stones, one after another, and I never feel monotonous.

Jiang Ming has now completely given up.

Whether it's the school or the ancient and modern gang, they've all been handed over to others to manage.

He only gave one lecture in the early morning, and after finishing, he took his books and spiritual fruits and disappeared into the back mountain without even bothering to say goodbye.

Jiang Yi listened as he listened to him expound on some Buddhist and Taoist doctrines, which were mixed with some unorthodox ideas. Unlike the old way of simply reciting from the book, it had a more subtle and restrained flavor.

It seems that those thousands of scriptures were not read in vain. The one behind the mountain is no ordinary person, and what he teaches is naturally beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.

In the past few months, Master Liu has returned twice.

Each time, he would bring the remains of demons he had just killed, handing them over to Liu Zi'an in boxes and chests, and then distribute them according to the roster.

The idea was to let the younger generation of the Ancient and Modern Gang absorb some of the evil energy, and also to help them nurture their families and cultivate their ambition.

As for the three demons who caused the trouble, it remains a complete mess, and no details can be found out.

The manor lord came and went in a hurry, his face growing increasingly gloomy with each visit, and he spoke less and less.

In the end, without even taking a long rest, they simply nodded to each other and turned back to the mountain.

It was as if they had made a fuss with those three demons and were determined to dig out their bones and cut off their lives.

As for the state government, Jiang Liang had been sending letters every month for the past few months.

The message was nothing more than reporting that everything was alright and chatting about everyday things; the tone was relaxed, and the handwriting was neat.

They said the wife's health was stable, and the baby was changing every day, even his cries had a strong quality.

It is also said that the captain's temper remains unchanged, and when he reprimands people, it is as loud as thunder and as heavy as rain.

It wasn't until two months ago that the letter took a slight turn.

At the end, it is mentioned that the Qiang tribes on the border were restless, and war broke out again, so he had to go on another expedition with the army.

After that, there was no response.

From that day on, Liu Xiulian often looked towards the village entrance.

Although she still said the same thing and smiled broadly, she always got distracted when doing needlework behind her back, and didn't even realize how many times the thread had gotten tangled.

I'm always half asleep at night, and I sigh softly at the drop of a hat.

Jiang Yi, on the other hand, seemed much more at ease. He knew that Liang was not one to like writing, and the constant stream of letters in the past few months were most likely due to Wenya urging him to write and keeping an eye on sending them.

With the sudden outbreak of war, the front and rear camps are in complete chaos, and the lack of communication seems quite normal.

It wasn't that he was carefree, but rather that there was indeed a new matter that was currently taking his mind to heart.

Ever since the water vein behind the house was opened, spiritual energy has been flowing outwards along the tree roots and medicinal tendrils, brushing the ground and bypassing the orchards and herb gardens, spreading outwards in circles.

Even those few ordinary plants seemed to benefit from the light, their leaves shining, their branches thick and sturdy, and they exuding vitality as they swayed.

This is naturally a good thing.

The Jiang family's herb garden and orchard were already well-established. If they could expand a few more acres to connect the land's energy, it would be enough to support the entire family's cultivation needs.

After all, these people have all reached the threshold of body refinement and breath absorption, and they are becoming increasingly picky about the quality of medicinal herbs they consume.

The Li family would occasionally send over some top-quality medicinal herbs, and the aroma of the medicine gradually faded.

Only those spiritual fruits and herbs grown in one's own land, one hoe at a time, one seedling at a time, are truly ripe, smooth to eat, and can nourish the body and replenish the bones.

Naturally, the more of these benefits the better.

However, as the spiritual energy overflowed and the plants and trees shone, trouble also began to emerge.

When Jiang Yi planted those spirit trees earlier, he made sure to leave an opening so that villagers could take a shortcut over the back mountain with their livestock.

Who would have thought that once the spiritual vein opened, the earth's energy rose upwards, and the path also absorbed some of that spiritual energy.

Spiritual energy is good, but for mortals who haven't refined their bones or opened their senses, rashly entering it might bring more trouble than fortune.

In mild cases, it causes dizziness and blurred vision; in more severe cases, it causes tossing and turning at night, having strange dreams, and waking up in a daze, as if half of one's soul has been taken away.

We need to be prepared for this kind of thing in advance.

After dinner, the family gathered around the table to eat fruit.

While peeling the fruit, Jiang Yi slowly brought up the matter of the spiritual energy intersection.

Unexpectedly, the first to speak was not the eldest son Jiang Ming, nor Liu Xiulian, but the girl Jiang Xi.

She was pouting and munching on a half-ripe spiritual fruit when she heard her father speak. Her eyes lit up, and she blurted out, "Isn't that easy?"

She sat up abruptly, as if answering a question in a lecture hall, and said crisply:

"Just add a rule to the gang. From now on, before the disciples of the Ancient and Modern Gang report for duty, they must first drive their own livestock to the back mountain. Anyone who dares to slack off will have half of their medicinal herbs deducted."

As soon as he finished speaking, the room fell silent for a moment. Then Jiang Ming chuckled softly, and Liu Xiulian put down the fruit plate, shook her head, and smiled.

The spiritual energy outside the mountain path is harmful to ordinary people.

But it won't harm those guys from the Ancient and Modern Gang; in fact, it might even be beneficial to them.

Since taking over the miscellaneous affairs of the Ancient and Modern Gang, this girl has really developed the demeanor of a director, being efficient, decisive, and clear-headed.

With his worries resolved, Jiang Yi naturally didn't delay any longer.

The next morning, he picked up his hoe again and began to turn over the old plots of land in front of the yard.

The ordinary fruit trees and medicinal herbs that were originally planted are now of little use, so he uprooted them and dug them up clean.

The fruit trees were given to Grandpa Yu, and the medicinal herbs were given to Doctor Li.

Then, he transplanted his own spiritual seedlings and plants one by one from beside the house, carefully planting them according to the terrain, sunlight, and water veins.

Once the branches and leaves unfurl and the fruit trees begin to glow faintly, that patch of land will have taken on a completely different appearance.

Standing behind the house at night, I felt that there was spiritual energy all around, so thick that it seemed to turn into mist, and every breath I took was filled with a warm and spiritual feeling.

This ordinary manor has now truly developed the air of a paradise on earth.

When the villagers saw it, they all praised it highly.

It is said that the Gujin Gang not only teaches martial arts, but also teaches children manners and filial piety. Nowadays, every boy is eager to do chores, such as herding cattle and carrying water, without needing to be told by adults.

With people's hearts at ease and their spirits upright, Jiang Yi listened and simply smiled faintly.

Another six months have passed, time flowing by like still water.

That evening, an urgent message suddenly arrived at the door.

Upon opening it, I found a letter from Jiang Liang, who hadn't sent any messages for a long time.

He didn't say much, only that he had won a great victory on the border, that he had led his troops to break through the enemy lines and behead dozens, and that he had already reported this to the military government, and that he was likely to be promoted.

The last stroke reads: "My child is well and safe, do not worry."

The handwriting is as strong and unyielding as ever, revealing a stubbornness.

(End of this chapter)