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

Chapter 118: The Child is Too Young to Be Kept

After taking office, Jiang Liang kept his word and made sure to return to the village every ten days or so.

Not only did he come back frequently, but he was also too lazy to take a carriage, preferring to run on his own two legs.

With his current aura and skill, once he unleashes his movement technique, even the wind can't catch up with him.

It only takes half a day's walk to get to one's own gatehouse, which is much faster than taking a horse-drawn carriage.

The travel time is saved a lot, so I can spend more half a day at home.

This half-day was more precious to him than the county seat.

Parents are alive and well, siblings are harmonious, wife is pregnant, and there's another one wandering around the yard.

The roosters crow noisily in the early morning, and the fire in the stove smokes in the evening. The whole family moves around in front of me, and I feel an indescribable sense of peace.

If one were to find fault with this otherwise good situation, it would probably be with his eldest son.

As Jiang Feng grew older, his temperament became increasingly mild and indifferent.

Unlike his father when he was a child, who could overturn a chicken coop with a stick, scale three walls in one go, and crawl through dog holes without getting muddy, leaving no trace of him even after the wind howled through the village.

Now this kid is all over the place, snuggling up next to his mother early in the morning listening to his uncle tell stories, looking as serious as a teacher.

After listening to the story, he went back to his room, neither practicing with the staff nor running in the mountains.

He only held the few medical books his mother read, and although he didn't know many words, he could stare at the pictures for a long time.

As Jiang Liang watched, he couldn't help but feel uneasy.

The reason we named this kid "Feng" was that he would one day be able to break through enemy lines with his sharp edge and lead the charge.

Who would have thought that the child would grow up to be strong and quick, but he's spending more and more time in his study.

The character "锋" (feng) here was probably chosen incorrectly.

But he dared not show this resentment in front of his father.

The old man always believed in the "following the will of Heaven and accepting one's fate" approach, and his first words were always, "Life and death are predetermined, why force it?"

Jiang Liang had so much to say, but he swallowed it all back down and could only secretly come up with a solution on his own.

Today, I'll coax him with a saying: "Son, you can grow taller by practicing your powers, and you'll grow taller than your dad."
Tomorrow, he'll make up another sentence: "If you practice your boxing skills well, you can punch candy out of the candy."

He talked until his throat was dry, squatted down to demonstrate, and stood up to show his work, even getting his trouser legs dirty, but his son only said "Oh".

He turned around and picked up the thick, brick-like "Illustrated Materia Medica" again, happily flipping through the herb illustrations, and swayed as he went to the front of the hall.

Before even entering the door, he started muttering:
“Mother, I saw something called ‘Tufuling’ yesterday, it looks a lot like a radish…”

Jiang Liang, watching from behind, felt a headache coming on and sighed inwardly.

This isn't a "sharp" character at all; it's clearly a root character with "earth" in it. It's probably destined to grow crookedly in a medicinal herb field.

The days flowed by like a gentle stream, silent and uneventful, yet progressing day by day.

As Li Wenya's belly grew larger day by day, she naturally lost some of her strength in practicing her exercises and cultivating her mind.

Only his breathing exercises remained unchanged, from dawn till dusk.

If you can regulate your breathing and build a solid foundation, you'll naturally have more confidence and assurance when it comes to childbirth.

The Li family was quite considerate. Although it was still some time before the first month of the lunar calendar, they had already sent two steady old women and two quick-witted maids to serve them.

The old woman was capable and the maid was clever; they took care of everything perfectly from the moment they arrived.

Medicines to help with pregnancy and nourishing foods were delivered in truckloads, with even the medicinal ingredients clearly categorized.

Fortunately, the Jiang family's old house was spacious and had many empty rooms, so it didn't feel crowded; instead, it added a sense of liveliness.

Jiang Yi was a man who was used to having nothing to do, and he spent his days watching his eldest grandson run and jump around in the yard.

She was still thinking about the little one in her belly who hadn't yet shown his face, hoping for another one, one on the left and one on the right, frolicking all over the yard. It was a time of contentment and enjoyment, with the aroma of tea and rice filling the air, but before the joy of the new addition could settle, a gust of wind blew in.

The manor lord, Liu, finally returned to his manor.

The wind was brought back by Jiang Xi.

It is said that Liu Zian brought back the bones, flesh, and blood of several demonic beasts today and sent them to the Jin Gu Gang to be distributed, so that the disciples could use them to make soup to replenish their energy.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yi's fingers paused slightly, and his heart sank as well.

There's no escaping this eventually.

It was bound to happen sooner or later, so it's better to come sooner rather than later; there has to be a resolution eventually.

His son was still in Longshan and had not yet returned, so he took his daughter ahead of him, carrying a basket of spiritual melons and fruits, and went to Liu Family Village.

The plants in the front yard of the manor were very well maintained, the hedges were neatly trimmed, and even the barking of the dogs sounded leisurely.

Although Master Liu had been walking in the mountains for a long time, and the morning dew still clung to his feet, he remained calm and composed, with a gentle expression. He showed no signs of fatigue, and his eyes and brows exuded a subtle sense of determination.

The two little ones, carrying melons and fruits, ran off to the backyard, laughing and joking.

Jiang Yi followed the manor owner into the hall, where they sat down and drank tea.

The two exchanged pleasantries, starting with light conversation, and then talked about what they had seen in the mountains recently.

They said that the three demons were hard to find, and after searching the forest several times, they still couldn't find out their exact number. They could only kill more small demons to try to suppress their momentum.

After circling back and forth a few times, Jiang Yicai, seemingly casually, smiled and picked up his teacup, saying:
“The village children have been learning sitting meditation recently, and it’s become much quieter. That ‘Treatise on Sitting in Oblivion’ is truly a good method. When the mind is calm and the breath is still, even reading becomes easier.”

This sentence was spoken in a gentle, unhurried manner, almost like casual conversation, but there was a slight pause at the end, followed by a seemingly unintentional addition:
"However, I've also heard that the methods passed down from ancestors often have strict rules. If you accidentally pass them on to outsiders, you'll be punished at best, and at worst... it'll be a fight to the death. I wonder what kind of rules your manor has always followed, Brother Liu?"

The question was asked in a soft and gentle tone, but the tone was tight, and there was a hint of tact in the eyes.

If Master Liu were to actually say, "The rules of our sect are as solid as mountains; any leak of our techniques will result in the extermination of our sect,"...

Then this matter can only remain buried in one's heart, sealed outside the door, and not even a whisper can escape its grasp.

Upon hearing this, Master Liu showed no surprise whatsoever. Instead, he smiled gently, a smile that contained three parts affability and seven parts maturity.

“Brother Jiang, you are joking. Although my Liu family is not a major sect of cultivation, our ancestors had a motto: ‘Help people according to their fate, and accumulate good deeds as the foundation.’”

"It's not worth ruining one's own virtue for a few magic manuals."

Hearing this, Jiang Yi finally breathed a sigh of relief, but his expression remained unchanged.

After a moment's hesitation, he called Jiang Xi over.

Without beating around the bush, she recounted in detail how she learned the "Intentional Method" from Liu Zi'an and then passed it on to Jiang Liang without authorization.

I thought that after this explanation, even if Master Liu was magnanimous, his expression should be somewhat turbulent, at least he should frown and purse his lips.

To everyone's surprise, the person listened with perfect composure, their face remaining completely expressionless, as if they had already anticipated this would happen to them.

She merely turned her head slightly, beckoned her son over, her voice low but extremely close:
"I have told you countless times that the 'method of preordained will' must not be passed on to outsiders."

His tone was calm, and there was no anger in his words, but it carried a sense of upright family values, and he handled the situation with great tact.

Liu Zian, however, was not intimidated. He stood straight, his eyes clear, and replied frankly:

"Father said it shouldn't be told to outsiders... Sister Kexi isn't an outsider."

He spoke slowly and deliberately, and when he finished speaking, he turned his head and glanced at Jiang Xi, his expression one of natural composure.

After listening, Master Liu remained silent for a moment, then suddenly chuckled softly.

The laugh wasn't loud, but it spread from his nose, like a soft sigh under an old tree after a night of drinking on a spring night, carrying a hint of helplessness.

He then turned to look at Jiang Yi, spread his hands, and said:
"Look, Brother Jiang, this is what happens when a son grows up and can't stay at home anymore."

(End of this chapter)