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

Chapter 125 The Wind and Rain Knock on the Forest
After Jiang Feng said this, the room fell silent for a few moments.

Li Wenya stood to the side, her expression hesitant, her voice extremely soft: "She...said something?"

From the moment the young girl entered the house, no one in the Jiang family, young or old, heard her utter a single word.

Jiang Feng didn't look up, still rubbing the old plane in his hands, his voice so low it was almost inaudible, yet resounding:

"She didn't say anything... but I just knew."

The room was so quiet after the words were spoken that even the sound of the wind passing through the crack in the door could be clearly heard.

He seemed oblivious to everything, got up, slung an axe over his shoulder, shook his wrist, and walked towards the front of the mountain.

His steps were steady, his back straight, completely ignoring the strange looks he received from the people in the room.

The way he looked didn't seem like he was joking; it was more like he had made up his mind to really go find timber to build a house.

Jiang Liang stood under the eaves, watching his retreating figure. He neither stopped him nor tried to persuade him, but just shook his head and smiled.

Seeing the child rolling around on the kang (a heated brick bed) in the room, jumping for a long time, he was starting to lose his breath.

He then hoisted the person onto his shoulder and carried him back to the old house.

The daylight was just right, and the courtyard was slightly cool, so I set up my boxing stance on the open ground and began to teach stance training hand in hand.

Jiang Feng on the other end seemed genuinely excited this time.

He ran back and forth countless times, swinging the axe with great force and stepping with vigor, filling the yard with the fresh scent of newly cut bamboo and wood.

Bundles of bamboo were transported back and roughly tied into boards in the courtyard at the foot of the mountain.

Then, taking advantage of the Qi-boosting pill, he raised his Qi and sent it to the orchard in one breath.

They chose two old fruit trees with intertwined branches and twigs, and using the terrain, they built a circle around them, peg by peg, to make a makeshift shed.

The craftsmanship wasn't exactly exquisite, but the hands and feet were steady.

Although the seams between the boards were slanted, not a single piece was loosely attached.

They worked until they were drenched in sweat, with beads of sweat hanging between their brows, and their whole bodies were sunburned, but they didn't utter a single complaint.

The girl sitting next to him, though unable to move easily, didn't sit idle. She picked up a file and carefully trimmed the edges and scraped away the splinters.

By the time Jiang Feng tossed down the last piece of meat with his shoulder askew, his face was as red as a ripe persimmon.

Only then did he leave the forest, throw down his axe, put his hands on his knees, and hunch over to catch his breath.

Despite being out of breath, there was still a lingering excitement in his eyes.

After resting for a while and catching his breath, he went back home.

I brought back several rolls of straw mats and laid them out one by one on the floor of the wooden shed, pressing down the edges and corners neatly.

He even flattened the warped edges of the bamboo planks one by one with a stone.

With the felt laid out, the shed was starting to take shape.

Although it doesn't follow any rules, it looks pleasing to the eye. It shelters from the wind and rain, and with its south-facing entrance, it lets in some sunlight, so the interior isn't too cramped.

He kept running down the mountain until it was completely dark and fog rolled in, before finally returning to his old house with an empty bamboo basket.

Covered in grass clippings, with the dampness of the forest still lingering on his nose.

When his family asked him, he only replied, "Let her make do with it for now, and I'll slowly finish building the treehouse."

He spoke casually, yet his tone carried a hint of youthful stubbornness; he was quiet, yet impossible to stop or persuade.

Sure enough, the next day, as soon as it was light, he was the first to get up.

He had only taken two sips of the hot porridge when he picked up the axe and went out the door.

Bamboo baskets, saws, and ropes were all readily available, and their steps were brisk and energetic.

Even the two broods of pheasants in the yard that always ventured into the woods were startled by him and hid outside the fence, only daring to pace in place and not daring to cross the line.

The Qi-boosting pills were consumed very quickly, and within just a few days, the bottom of the bottle was almost empty.

Although Jiang Yi remained silent, his eyes were always fixed on that other side.

He immediately remembered this and asked Liu Zian to bring back two more bottles.

Liu Xiulian stood under the eaves and looked on, feeling a pang of tenderness in her heart.

Her grandson, with each swing of the saw, sent sawdust flying far away, sweat pouring down his neck, his clothes already soaked through.

Especially after entering that orchard, every time she came out, her face was as red as a ripe persimmon, as if she had been rolled in a steamer, and even her hair was wet.

She was, after all, an elder, and couldn't bear to see the child being so troubled.

Just as he was about to take a step forward, his sleeve was gently tugged.

Looking back, Jiang Yi raised his hand and said in a low voice, "Let him do his own thing, it won't do any harm."

He paused, then added, "Just keep a close eye on things."

As he spoke, his eyes held a scrutinizing and confident look, as if he had already seen through some clues.

This eldest grandson is quite talented and has a calm temperament.

He's just too bookish in his daily life, spending most of his time immersed in medical books and alchemy manuals, but he doesn't pay much attention to stances and boxing techniques.

Although the bones and muscles are straight, the blood and qi are weak; although the breath is even, the foundation is ultimately soft.

It's better now.

He would make several trips a day to the forest with the most abundant spiritual energy, taking Qi-boosting pills one after another, and soaking in the mist again and again.

When I came out, my feet were steady, my breathing was deep, and even my joints felt stronger and more solid.

Through this process of gradual refinement, without making a sound, one's vital energy, blood, muscles, and bones have actually developed some resilience.

This is a perfect time to take advantage of this momentum and hone your basic skills.

Building a bamboo shed is a simple matter.

But you have to build a treehouse somewhere safe and secure in the forest, among the branches and in the mist.

That's not something that can be done with a few saws and a few axe strokes.

Jiang Yi stopped his family members from interfering early on.

Jiang Feng didn't ask anyone a single question from beginning to end, keeping his head down and doing things on his own.

The sun had barely risen when the sound of sawing echoed through the woods.

Even after the sun had set, the sound of axes and chisels still echoed among the branches.

In the orchard, the mist lingers year-round, filled with spiritual energy. Besides this natural stillness, there is his constant clanging and banging, day and night.

Sometimes, before the morning mist has even dissipated, his figure has already disappeared into the depths of the forest;
Sometimes, he would only return late at night, carrying his tools, covered in sweat and sawdust, his steps heavy yet steady. He did this back and forth for almost a month.

From the beginning, we had to go down the mountain to rest every half hour.

Later, even after working in the woods for an hour or two straight, there was nothing seriously wrong, except that his face was slightly flushed.

The strength and vitality of the body are steadily increasing amidst the busyness.

Until a treehouse was built between those old fruit trees with their intertwined branches.

The house was small, but the gaps between the boards were sealed very tightly, and the pillars were embedded in the main structure, so that even the wind could not shake it at all.

It doesn't have any fancy craftsmanship, but it exudes a down-to-earth feel.

Jiang Feng looked a bit thinner and darker.

But his physique seemed to have grown taller.

His breathing became calmer, and his gaze became steady, as if he had been solidified by the sound of the axe over the past month.

The house was built, but the journey never stopped.

After a daily meal and soup, and after changing his dressings and applying ointments every three to five days, Jiang Feng would still swallow a Qi-boosting pill before heading into the forest.

The young girl wasn't lying.

Immersed in that misty, ethereal atmosphere every day, he appeared thinner, but the knots of worry between his brows and eyes dissipated, and his injuries improved day by day.

Based on Jiang Feng's casual description when he returned, Li Wenya made a rough assessment in her mind.

If this continues, it will take at most two or three months for him to fully recover.

Over the course of that month, the two children's relationship quietly grew closer, though it's unclear when exactly.

Jiang Yi would occasionally go to the back of the woods and often see the girl standing deep in the mist, her clothes damp, but her face serene.

Sometimes when Jiang Feng said something, she would smile gently, her eyes curving slightly, like a ray of morning light after the rain.

It's not dazzling, but warm, making people unconsciously feel a bit fond of it.

That day at lunchtime, Jiang Yi was eating with his head down, his chopsticks holding half a piece of braised tofu, when he slowly uttered a sentence:

"When you have time, ask that girl where she came from. Now that her injuries are healing, she'll have to find a place to go sooner or later."

His tone was casual, as if he were just making small talk, but out of the corner of his eye, his gaze was still fixed on Jiang Feng.

After all, from the moment the girl entered, no one could get a single word out of her, whether she was unable to speak or simply refused to.

The only person I could communicate with was Jiang Feng.

After hearing Jiang Yi's words, Jiang Feng simply nodded and didn't say anything more, just buried his head in his rice.

A few days later, it was still mealtime.

He took a couple of bites, then, as if suddenly remembering something, he tapped his chopsticks lightly on the rim of the bowl and slowly said:

"Xiaobai... doesn't know where her home is either."

Xiaobai was a name he chose himself, saying it would be easier to call him that.

Several pairs of eyes looked over at him, but he ignored them and continued speaking:

"She said that her third brother had a fight with their father and they got into a big argument... Later, in a fit of anger, he set the house on fire."

"After that, Third Brother disappeared without a trace."

"She was closest to her third brother... so she thought of going out to look for him. But she ran into a bear demon on the way and fled in panic until she reached the outskirts of the village, where she managed to save her life."

After he finished speaking, the room immediately fell silent.

Jiang Yi's chopsticks, which were about to pick up food, stopped in mid-air, and his expression froze for a moment.

These words sound ordinary at first glance.

But if I were to recall that day, when my fingertips inadvertently touched those two warm, tiny bumps on the center of her forehead...

Within that "ordinary" quality, there was a hint of the unusual, and it also seemed somewhat familiar.

At that moment, he understood.

It's not just about where this girl came from.

She even guessed pretty much everything about her third brother's whereabouts.

Most likely, they'll be hung in some dark, shadowy place, waiting to be questioned and tortured.

However, even if you know this, you shouldn't do it at this time.

Liangjie Village is located in a remote area, far from the end of the sea, and my family doesn't have the ability to send her back right now.

We have no choice but to let her recover for now, and she can leave whenever she wants once she's healed.

If a relative comes looking for us, that would be wonderful.

He didn't say much, but casually picked up a piece of meat, put it in Jiang Feng's bowl, and said slowly:

"When taking care of her, be more considerate and courteous."

The days passed by silently.

The little girl's injuries gradually healed, and Jiang Feng's aura grew stronger day by day.

She remained in the treehouse in the woods, like a white bird perched on a branch, undisturbed and silent, hiding herself deep within the mist.

But that innate vigilance gradually wore away.

Although she still didn't speak, she would occasionally see Jiang Yi chasing chickens behind the house, or see Jiang Xi carrying a basket to the orchard, and she would smile from afar and nod slightly.

That gesture was both a greeting and a silent response.

Over time, it even acquired a touch of everyday life.

She was very familiar with Jiang Feng, and the two could occasionally be seen chasing and playing in the woods, their laughter ringing out.

Another month has passed in this tranquil and serene atmosphere.

Until this day, the weather changed in an instant.

Suddenly, a gust of wind swept in from the mountain pass, and dark, leaden clouds pressed down overhead.

Thunder rumbled through the clouds a few times, and then large raindrops began to pelt down.

The wind, carrying rain, swept ruthlessly into the forest, weighing down the branches and leaves so they couldn't lift their heads, and even the ever-present mist was stirred up into a turbulent upheaval.

(End of this chapter)