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

Chapter 163 Life and Death, Crossing to Aolai

Seeing Jiang Ming standing in mid-air, completely devoid of any worldly air.

The heart that had been pounding in Jiang Yi's throat finally calmed down.

The bronze cudgel, which had felt as heavy as a thousand pounds just moments before, now seemed to lighten considerably in my hand.

The three old demons, who had previously been extremely ferocious, were now all frozen in place.

The bull demon forgot to scratch its hooves, and the tiger demon forgot to roar.

As for the black bear demon that had just arrived, a muffled roar surged from its mountain-like body. It rolled halfway up, getting stuck in its chest, making its bear face turn purple.

These are not the unspiritual, barbaric creatures of the mountains and fields.

Those who have cultivated to such a level, and are not afraid of the exorcising copper band, have all received some authentic teachings. They all know the depths of this world.

That air of soaring through the sky and strolling leisurely is beyond what can be described by mere profound Taoist cultivation.

That's another realm, a place where even demon cultivators who wallow in the mortal world feel their necks ache just looking up at it.

The training ground, which had just been filled with the clang of metal and the flying of flesh, was now so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Only the bloody mud beneath the tiger demon's feet remained, tirelessly bubbling and churning at the gap in the field ridge.

This deathly silence was finally shattered by the howl of a wolf demon not far away.

Jiang Ming then moved.

Without even lifting his eyelids, he casually flicked his sleeve in that direction, gently and slowly, as if shooing away a noisy mosquito on a summer night.

The roar abruptly stopped dozens of feet away.

No more sound.

Immediately afterwards, three muffled thuds, "thump, thump, thump," were heard in unison.

The bull demon, tiger demon, and black bear spirit all withdrew their supernatural powers, prostrated themselves on the ground, and lay prostrate in the mud and water.

The tiger demon, which had been so arrogant just moments before, buried its enormous head deep into the stinking ridge of the field, not daring to let out a single breath.

They offered no resistance, not even daring to entertain the thought of escaping.

In the face of such a being, to run away is nothing but a joke.

"follow me."

Jiang Ming spoke calmly, his tone neither warm nor cold, revealing no emotion.

After saying this, he stopped looking at the three-headed demon cultivator, turned around, and walked unhurriedly toward the edge of the village.

Upon hearing this, the three-headed monster felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He hurriedly scrambled out of the mud, not bothering to brush off the filth covering his body, and obediently followed behind him.

They looked like three livestock, being led back to their pen by their owner.

One man and three demons left the training ground just like that.

On the way, whenever Jiang Ming encountered a demon still fighting with humans, he didn't even glance at it.

But as soon as he took a step, the wolf demon and fox spirit beside him suddenly stiffened and silently broke in two, splattering blood and entrails all over the ground.

Throughout the entire process, he didn't even move his fingertips.

On the village road, the members of the Ancient and Modern Gang, who were fighting a bloody battle, and the villagers, huddled among the broken walls and trembling, all saw it.

The sounds of fighting gradually subsided.

They forgot to swing the knife, forgot to dodge, and even forgot their fear.

They just stared blankly at the figure.

Leading three infamous old demons, he walked slowly through the village as if inspecting his own fields.

The moonlight and the shimmering water fell together on his blue robe, as if draping it in a layer of gentle radiance.

If not everyone recognizes him, then he is their own gang leader, the usually gentle and refined eldest son of the Jiang family.

I'm afraid that all the living people in the village would have knelt down long ago and cried out, "A celestial being has descended to earth!"

Jiang Xi was initially excited to see her elder brother's imposing presence.

But in the blink of an eye, he led the three-headed monster away, showing no intention of slaying the demon.

The light that had just been ignited in her eyes had barely begun to burn brightly before this scene extinguished it halfway.

His expression froze on his face, first stunned, then confused, and finally only a surge of anger raged in his chest.

The stench of blood lingered in the village. Even without hearing cries, the sight of several corpses lying dead was enough to tell of the dead and wounded that night.

Especially the brothers of the Gujin Gang, who fought desperately to protect their neighbors, fell to the ground one after another.

Although the Ancient and Modern Gang was founded by Jiang Ming, he abandoned it more than a decade ago.

Nowadays, the people who hold up the family are mostly the men and women she, as the deputy leader, have raised from humble beginnings.

Which name couldn't she call out? Which family's relatives and children hadn't she met?

Jiang Xi gritted her teeth, her heart burning with rage. She was about to leap up and go find her increasingly profound and unfamiliar elder brother to get some answers.

He had barely moved an inch when a warm, gentle hand suddenly pressed down on his wrist.

"father?"

Jiang Xi turned her head away, her eyes almost blazing with anger.

Jiang Yi didn't look at her. His weathered eyes simply followed his eldest son's receding figure in a blue robe, showing no sign of sorrow or joy.

He had no idea what his eldest son was up to, nor did he know if he had heard any rumors.

Just like before, the three demons had the upper hand, but they did not take the life of the Liu family lord. This restraint already revealed a certain meaning.

The world of cultivating immortality and seeking the Dao is not just about fighting and killing.

He looked away, meeting his daughter's almost burning eyes, and simply shook his head slowly.

There were no words, but the determination in them was heavier than a thousand words.

Jiang Xi's chest heaved violently, and she finally swallowed the question "Why?"

Having revered her father since childhood, she knew that with such an expression, she wouldn't get any information out of him.

She had no choice but to turn her face away, no longer looking at that back, but instead focusing her gaze on the figure lying in a pool of blood on the ground.

Some groaned, while others could no longer groan.

"What are you all standing there for!" she shouted hoarsely at the stunned gang members. "Save them! Properly bury our dead brothers!"

As soon as she finished speaking, she bent down to help a man with a large gash in his chest.

But when he bent down, a hint of stiffness was visible in his shoulders and back.

Jiang Ming walked along at a leisurely pace, as if he were simply taking a stroll.

But behind him, there were a few scattered corpses.

Those mountain spirits and wild monsters who had miraculously survived fell down silently, swiftly and cleanly, without even a scream.

Occasionally, he would pause for a moment beside a seriously injured member of the gang, flick his fingertips, and send a wisp of energy into the chest, thus reviving the fading yang energy.

He stopped short of saying much.

So he walked more like a cleaner, gradually sweeping away the last vestiges of filth in the village.

The man in the green robe led the way, followed by the three-headed old demon with his head bowed, trembling with fear, like a dog or sheep walking in the night.

Before long, the figures disappeared at the end of the village road and into the mountains, which were even darker than the night.

Only when the figure disappeared from sight did some sounds emerge in Liangjie Village.

The groans and cries gradually amplified, like breaths that had been suppressed for a long time finally letting out.

The noise subsided, and deathly silence returned, leaving only this bloody mess.

Jiang Yi put away the Yin-Yang Copper Cudgel, turned around and looked back, only to see that the Phantom Yin Grassland had been trampled beyond recognition.

Kim Soo-ah, who had been missing for some time, suddenly appeared.

She was dressed in a neat and tidy outfit, now covered in mud and dew, with a few wisps of grass still clinging to her trouser legs, making her look as if she had rolled out of the mountains.

At this moment, she was half-supporting, half-carrying Jiang Qin, who was about to collapse.

That pretty face, which rarely showed any expression, now had its brows slightly furrowed.

Jiang Qin had taken a direct hit from the tiger demon's claw. Although his silk robe had absorbed most of the force, the aftershocks were still too much for his level of cultivation to handle.

His face was as white as paper, his lips were completely bloodless, and his body swayed like straw in the wind, yet he still forced himself to stand, pointing at the muddy ground and mumbling incoherently.

Jiang Yi understood immediately.

This silly boy, even in his current state, is still thinking about the arrows in the field.

His heart softened involuntarily, and he sighed softly. With a circulation of his true energy, the black-scaled ironwood arrows scattered on the ground, some stuck in the corners of the wall, others half-buried in the soil, all burst forth from the earth, swirling back into his palm.

He stepped forward and placed the small handful of arrows, still smelling of mud, into his grandson's cold hand.

"Take them, not one less."

Jiang Qin finally breathed a sigh of relief, his eyelids twitched, and he almost fell over.

Fortunately, Kim Soo-ah quickly reached out and supported him.

Jiang Yi stepped forward, took his grandson's pulse, and carried him back into the house in a half-carry, half-support manner.

After briefly treating the external injuries, I laid him flat on the bed, while I sat cross-legged and gently pressed my palms against his chest.

A stream of Yin and Yang energies slowly flowed in, like a gentle spring stream, spreading through the damaged meridians.

It wasn't until dawn broke and the morning light illuminated the mess in the village in every detail that Jiang Ming turned around and went home.

His blue robe was still spotless, as if he had just taken a walk at the village entrance, with no trace of the fighting visible.

Upon entering the courtyard, he went straight to Jiang Yi.

As Jiang Yicai helped his grandson calm his last vestiges of disordered energy, he sat alone on a stone bench, slowly and meticulously wiping the copper-hooped staff in the morning light.

"father."

Jiang Ming sat down and poured himself a cup of cold, coarse tea.

"came back?"

Jiang Yi didn't even lift his eyelids, and the motion of wiping the stick in his hand remained unhurried.

"Ah."

Jiang Ming took a sip of cold tea to moisten his throat and said calmly:
“Those three beasts will not cause trouble again. You can tell your neighbors so they don’t have to worry about it anymore.”

His words were flat, and he didn't mention a word about the fate of the three-headed monster.

Jiang Yi paused for a moment before raising his head and staring intently at his eldest son.

Those eyes remained clear and gentle, like an ancient well.

But the well water was too deep. Although it looked clear, he always felt that there was something inexplicable hidden at the bottom.

In the end, he didn't ask anything.

He simply responded with a soft "hmm," then lowered his head again, carefully wiping the stick in his hand, as if the texture of the copper band was more worthy of contemplation than anything else.

Father and son have lived together for decades, and there's no need to spell things out.

Jiang Yixin was fortunate to have this son.

If he doesn't speak, he has his reasons.

The courtyard was utterly silent for a moment, with only the soft rustling of the brush being wiped.

After a long while, Jiang Yicai changed the subject, as if making casual conversation:

"Your current cultivation level... what kind of technique is this? I can't see through you at all right now."

This is not an exaggeration.

Since last night, my eldest son's energy has been fluctuating wildly, sometimes like an abyss, sometimes like a stubborn rock, unpredictable and beyond my comprehension.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ming put down his teacup, his expression unusually composed.

He paused for a moment, as if carefully choosing his words, before saying:

“Now, I am considered to have a clear understanding of divine will and have been fortunate enough to cross the threshold of life and death.”

Although Jiang Yi had some suspicions, a glint of light still flashed in his eyes when he heard him speak.

Both life and death are preserved.

Having spent most of his life cultivating himself, he naturally understands the weight of those four words.

This realm is no ordinary place; it is worthy of being called a "celestial master."

Seeing his father's expression, Jiang Ming knew he understood, so he continued to explain:
"At this stage, one is no longer limited to the internal energy and can use one's mind to draw upon the power of heaven and earth."

"Therefore, killing enemies with a wave of the hand and flying through the air are just ordinary tricks, nothing more than a thought."

He paused, then added:
"I can gradually begin to cultivate the supernatural powers and spells recorded in some ancient books."

Jiang Yi's gaze lingered for a long time on the bronze cudgel lying across his knee.

The cool touch of the stick traveled through the cloth to my palm, just like always.

But he knew in his heart that some things had changed.

He raised his head, and his weathered face showed little emotion, but his eyes were much calmer than before.

"Then... what about the next stage of your cultivation? Is there any progress?"

Jiang Ming seemed completely unsurprised by this, as if he had expected his father to ask such a question.

Without hesitation, he answered fluently and smoothly.

"After both life and health are restored, the next step is to refine essence into qi."

“Draw in the primordial Qi into the body to cleanse and refine this impure essence. Once all the acquired impurities are eliminated, leaving only that little bit of primordial pure Yang, the body will be clean and free from all hindrances.”

This reasoning is stated with certainty and explained thoroughly.

As Jiang Yi listened, his heart was stirred.

These few words, spoken so casually, are probably something even the Liu family patriarch, who led his family into the path of cultivation, might not be able to articulate clearly.

But her own son spoke of it as if it were every blade of grass and tree in her own backyard, so familiar, so natural.

Jiang Yi didn't ask any more questions.

He neither understands nor cares to understand his eldest son's affairs anymore.

Children and grandchildren have their own blessings; he only needs to take care of his own little plot of land, and that will be enough.

Jiang Ming didn't say much, got up and went back to his room.

Inside the house, Jin Xiuer was playing with her baby, who had just learned to crawl, using a rattle drum.

When she saw him come in, she just looked up and smiled. In that smile, there was heartache, but also relief.

Around noon, Jiang Ming took the spatula from his mother, Liu Xiulian, half seriously and half jokingly.

They said everyone had worked hard last night, so it was his turn, the idle one, to take care of the family's hunger today.

After the disaster, the whole family was finally able to sit around a table together and have a peaceful meal.

The atmosphere at the table was fairly harmonious, except for Jiang Xi, who still had a stern face and just kept eating the rice in her bowl without saying a word.

She doesn't refuse food that others put in her bowl, but occasionally the clinking of the bowls and chopsticks reveals a hint of resentment in her heart.

After lunch, Jiang Ming unusually refrained from going to the back mountain.

Instead, she followed Jiang Yi to the field to help tidy up the thriving medicinal herbs.

The father and son, one at one end of the ridge and the other at the other, were slowly pulling weeds while chatting casually.

They talked about the properties and flavors of herbs, the flow of vital energy, and occasionally, they would even bring up a story from an ancient book.

Jin Xiuer would occasionally come over with a kettle and bring the two of them a bowl of cooled tea.

Its appearance truly resembled the ordinary countryside, a scene of farmers working in the fields.

This continued for the next three days.

After Jiang Ming entered that state of perfect health and longevity, he seemed to have completely given up on cultivation.

He devoted himself entirely to his family, doing laundry, cooking, and working in the fields, even more so than the most honest farmer in the village.

It wasn't until three days later, at the dinner table...

The family was eating when Jiang Ming finished the last bite of rice in his bowl, put down his chopsticks, and, as if suddenly remembering something, said:

"I'm planning to take a long trip soon."

The atmosphere at the table instantly froze.

Even Jiang Xi, who was still sulking, put down her chopsticks and looked up.

Jiang Yi was incredibly perceptive. Although he didn't say anything, he had already noticed something amiss with his eldest son's unusual behavior these past few days.

Hearing this, she wasn't particularly surprised. She simply swallowed the food in her mouth slowly, then looked up at him and asked:
Where are you planning to go? What are you planning to do?

Jiang Ming pondered for a moment, as if weighing what he should say and what he shouldn't say.

After a long pause, he finally picked out a few unimportant words from his mind and smiled:
"In the Eastern Continent of Divine Victory, in the Kingdom of Aolai, I'm dealing with some trivial matters."

(End of this chapter)