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

Chapter 124 A Treehouse

As dawn broke and the chill of the morning lingered, Jiang Liang returned from Longshan, stepping into the village bathed in the morning light.

Her arms were bulging with two portions of candied yam for her eldest son and candied hawthorn for her youngest son.

As for the sugar figurine made with osmanthus honey, with eyes drawn on and a hat pressed on, it was made so lifelike that it was naturally reserved for the younger sister, Jiang Xi.

Upon entering the old courtyard, one sees the younger sister hunched over, sitting on the cold ground listening to her elder brother Jiang Ming lecture, her ear tips red from the cold.

The young Jiang Rui jumped around in the yard, using his hands and feet to mimic punches. His moves were chaotic, but he was more spirited than anyone else.

However, the eldest son, Jiang Feng, who always gets up early, was nowhere to be seen. Instead, a medicinal smell wafted from the room, three times stronger than usual.

Jiang Liang moved closer, shook the sugar figurine in his hand, and called out to his little sister.

Although Jiang Xi is getting older, she is already a young woman.

Seeing the sugar figurine in his second brother's hand, his eyes lit up; his expression clearly showed that he was still quite childish.

After receiving the sugar figurine, first bring it close to your nose and take a light sniff; the aroma is sweet and warm.

While licking, he recounted the events that had happened at home and outside over the past few days.

At the end, Jiang Xi lowered her voice and softened her tone:

"The little girl's injuries have improved a bit in the past few days, and she can now walk on her own."

He paused slightly, then continued:
“Father said that the spiritual energy at the foot of the mountain is strong, which might be helpful for her recovery. So your eldest son... took the Qi-boosting pill and led people to wander around the foot of the mountain.”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Liang became intrigued.

He always enjoyed watching a good show, and now that it was his own son causing trouble, he found it even more interesting.

His heart skipped a beat, and he was about to run over to see what was going on when Jiang Xi, quick as a flash, grabbed his sleeve.

"Second brother, don't scare her." She looked up, her eyes serious, but her voice was so low that only the two of them could hear her.

"Although that girl has been a bit more well-behaved these past few days, she is still quite wary. She's always a little afraid of adults, especially since she hasn't seen your face before."

She paused, frowned, and added:
"The murderous aura you exude... others may not notice it, but she'll be running away as fast as she can."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Liang chuckled, his eyes crinkling slightly.

He raised his hand and gently flicked his younger sister's forehead, then lowered his head to sniff his own cuffs, and smiled:

"My clothes are cleaner than your face, where did this bloodthirstiness and murderous aura come from? You're probably just making this up to scare me."

Jiang Xi rolled her eyes, covering her forehead, but a smile played on her lips.

The cold wind in the courtyard grew stronger, and Jiang Ming's lecture came to an end.

Everyone got up, rubbing their hands and stamping their feet, laughing and joking as they dispersed into the house. For a moment, the house was bustling with noise and the air was thick with heat.

Jiang Yi looked up towards the foot of the mountain, but the fog had not yet dissipated and there was no one in sight.

Jiang Feng led his men away; they probably haven't returned yet.

The whole family looked at each other, a hint of interest hidden in their eyes.

Without uttering a sound, he gathered his energy and moved his body, his figure flashing slightly as he silently darted away like a leaf, without even disturbing the frost on the ground.

Li Wenya hesitated for a moment, then lowered her head, took the child's hand, and said softly, "Don't make a sound, stay close."

Having said that, he quietly followed.

The group walked through the thin frost, past the herb garden and around the orchard, until they reached the front of the new house, but they still couldn't see anyone.

The courtyard was quiet, with only a few withered vines swaying gently in the wind.

Jiang Yi already had a rough idea of ​​what was going on.

Without saying much, he pushed open the door and went inside, walked around to the window, and leaned down to look at the woods behind the house.

As expected, mist swirled in the Spirit Fruit Forest, and two slender figures, one in front of the other, were slowly moving deeper into the forest.

That place is no longer a place that just anyone dares to set foot in.

As the place where the spiritual spring water converges in the back mountain, the earth's energy rises and the spiritual breath is like mist. Upon closer inspection, light smoke floats in the forest, and the branches and leaves glow.

The spiritual energy here has become increasingly profound over the years. Those with insufficient cultivation will feel as if their lungs and internal organs have been filled with water if they step into it. At best, they will feel dizzy; at worst, their qi will stagnate as if pressed down by a mountain.

Even those who have practiced for a long time must hold their breath and concentrate, and dare not be careless.

Even after taking the Qi-boosting pill, Jiang Feng's complexion still had an abnormal red tinge, like a ripe apple.

Yet he still forced himself to keep going, refusing to back down an inch.

On the contrary, the little girl's face showed little emotion, and her expression was calm.

However, her injuries had not yet healed, and her steps were somewhat unsteady. She steadily allowed Jiang Feng to support her without the slightest refusal.

Dressed in pure white, she seemed to blend into the light amidst the mist.

Jiang Feng, dressed in a blue robe, had a stiff posture, but his eyes held an indescribable seriousness.

The two of them slowly walked deeper into the forest, and amidst the floating mist, a strange, unspoken understanding arose between them.

Unbeknownst to them, the two had quietly approached the towering fence.

Beyond the fence lies that spring of living water.

The spring murmurs, the water glistens like jade, and the surrounding air is filled with a spiritual atmosphere and rising mist, as if woven from clouds and mist, making the whole forest seem otherworldly, like a painting.

The little girl stood in the mist, her figure slender, yet her face revealed a serene expression I had never seen before.

A breath of spiritual energy brushed against his face, and the warning between his brows seemed to fade. His expression was serene, like an orchid in the first frost, which, when touched by the wind, seemed to gain even more spirituality.

Jiang Yi watched from afar, and his understanding became even clearer.

This woman is indeed extraordinary. Looking at Jiang Feng over there, the boy's face was as red as a boiled shrimp, and he was trembling as if he couldn't catch his breath, but he still refused to back down.

He didn't move an inch, his brows were furrowed, and his eyes showed seriousness.

While shooing away the third-generation spirit chickens that were squatting in the grass picking insects in the forest, the fat chickens, who were full and sleepy, were suddenly startled and flapped their wings and flew far away, disappearing without a trace.

Meanwhile, he looked around the forest, carefully searching each spirit tree, and asked in a low voice:

"Would you like to eat this? That one... isn't cooked yet."

The little girl nodded very slightly when he pointed to a tree with green and white fruits hanging on it.

The movement was small, but a glint of light appeared in his eyes, like a flower gently swaying in the wind.

Jiang Feng's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly picked two ripe spiritual fruits.

He carefully carried it, as if holding some precious treasure, and gently handed it over, his solemn demeanor almost comical.

Jiang Yi, who was crouching behind the window, watched with his eyes twitching and felt an indescribable pang of heartache.

That's no ordinary fruit.

Even in this place where the spiritual energy is so rich that you could wring water out of it, this Water Spirit Fruit takes five years to ripen.

If it were in those dead lands outside, it would probably take twenty years to see even a single flower bud bloom.

I had to beg and plead to get three of these precious stones from my eldest son and daughter, thinking I'd save them for a critical moment.

Who would have thought that this kid would send out two of them today?

As he handed over the fruit, Jiang Feng was clearly at his limit, his face as red as a sunset, even his ears were flushed pink.

He seemed to mumble a few more words, but his speech was unclear, and he didn't care whether the little girl understood them or not.

With a swift movement of his feet, he turned and ran like a whirlwind, his clothes fluttering as he swept out of the forest and disappeared in no time.

They ran down the mountain, avoiding the place where the spiritual energy was most abundant.

Jiang Feng then leaned against an old rock, panting as he did so.

Sweat rolled down his forehead, his clothes were slightly damp, and although his face was still red, he gradually regained some of his composure and looked somewhat like a human again.

Before long, Jiang Yi strolled down unhurriedly, his steps steady and firm, as if he were taking a morning walk, and the wind did not stir even a wisp of his clothes.

When he got to the boy, he bent down and took a look.

The blush on her face hadn't faded completely, sweat beaded on her forehead, and although her breathing was rapid, her eyes revealed a stubborn determination to grit her teeth and swallow her anger.

"Kid, can you hold on?"

Jiang Yi's voice wasn't loud, but his tone carried a hint of amusement, as if he were enjoying the spectacle.

It was like asking a casual question, or like watching a new show.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Feng nodded hurriedly, his eyes shining brightly.

Before she could catch her breath, she managed to stammer out, "Grandpa...this is my first patient, I must take good care of him."

Although his voice was low, it was enunciated very clearly, each word like a nail being hammered in, without the slightest hint of pretense.

After hearing this, Jiang Yi didn't say much, but simply raised his hand and patted him on the shoulder.

Beneath his palm lay bones yet to fully develop, a thin layer of skin wrapped around a fiery heat, carrying a youthful restlessness.

Immediately afterwards, he took out a porcelain bottle from his sleeve. It was bluish-white, small and warm, but heavy in the hand.

He handed it over without a word, leaving only a faint remark:
"Use this bottle of Qi-boosting pills as you see fit."

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned around, his back as steady as a mountain, without the slightest hesitation, and without looking back.

Jiang Feng paused for a moment, looked down at the bottle, and then uncorked it, pouring out a round and plump pill.

Without thinking, he tilted his head back and swallowed it.

He wiped the sweat from his brow, exhaled a long breath, and looked once again into the depths of the misty forest.

Without much delay, he only took a few breaths to adjust his breathing before rising up.

With a flash, he plunged headfirst into the dense spiritual energy that was almost condensed into water.

Inside the woods, no one in the Jiang family could clearly see how the two children communicated.

All that is known is that the little girl went into the woods and seemed to be enveloped by the mist, and never came out again.

Jiang Feng, on the other hand, returned to his house shortly afterward.

Without even taking a sip of hot water, he rushed straight to the storage room.

There was a constant clattering and clanging noise inside the house, not a moment of peace.

In no time, they turned over all the old things that Grandpa had collected when he built the house.

Axes, saws, planes, rusty blue iron parts, and creaking wooden frames.

Everything was piled up at his feet, seemingly chaotic yet orderly, as if he were starting a business again.

Jiang Liang stood by the door, his brows slightly furrowed, watching the pile of old goods grow higher and higher. Finally, he asked:

What are you trying to do?

Jiang Feng was holding an old saw, his fingers rubbing back and forth between the teeth, his head down, but his voice was extremely serious:
"She'll be more comfortable in the woods, which will also help her recover from her injuries."

As he spoke, he pulled out a thick rope and shook it, as if measuring something: "I want to build her a treehouse in the forest."

(End of this chapter)