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

Chapter 176 Harmonizing Yin and Yang, the Method of Taming Birds

With the matter of cultivating separately settled, dinner was leisurely enjoyed.

As the noise in the hall gradually subsided, Jiang Xi followed Liu Xiulian into the kitchen, where bowls and chopsticks clattered together.

The two women were talking about something intimate, occasionally letting out soft, shattered laughs.

Jiang Yi then added a cup of boiling water for his son-in-law Liu Zi'an, and jokingly shooed away the children who were reluctant to leave because they were still craving snacks, to run wild in the yard.

The main room fell silent instantly, save for the few tea leaves in the rough earthenware cup, which slowly unfurled and floated in the water with a soft, almost inaudible rustling sound.

Jiang Yi picked up his teacup, slowly blew away the layer of steam on the surface of the water, his eyelids half-closed, and then spoke as if casually:

"You've been married for some time now, has anything... happened?"

He knew in his heart that once a cultivator's divine will became clear, he could freely regulate the essence and energy throughout his body.

If it's just about having a child, it shouldn't be such a difficult thing.

However, since his daughter and son-in-law got married, there has been no news at all, and as their father-in-law, he couldn't help but ask about it.

Upon hearing this, Liu Zian put down his teacup, his expression becoming more respectful, and said in a low voice:
“Father-in-law is absolutely right. If the goal is simply to conceive, it is naturally not difficult. However…”

He paused, as if pondering how to explain that profound and mysterious principle in simpler terms, before continuing:

“After all, Ah Xi and I are cultivators, and we cannot be careless with this first pregnancy. We must achieve harmony of Yin and Yang and a perfect union of spirit and soul so that the child born can have a complete balance of the three energies and will not have its foundation damaged by the clash of the parents’ energies.”

Jiang Yi was somewhat confused by what he heard, but having read many books, he vaguely grasped some of the clues.

After a moment's hesitation, he glanced up and suddenly smiled:
"It sounds somewhat like the Taoist concepts of 'yin and yang in harmony' or 'dragon and tiger mating'?"

A hint of surprise flashed in Liu Zi'an's eyes, which quickly turned into a wry smile as he nodded.
“Father-in-law is wise. If we could find a proper method of combined cultivation as a guide, we would achieve twice the result with half the effort. Unfortunately, we do not have such a convenience at the moment, so we can only take it one step at a time.”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yi understood.

Seeing the son-in-law's calm yet somewhat helpless expression, one could tell that the two of them had already made up their minds and were not indifferent.

Since that was the case, he didn't ask any more questions.

He raised his cup, took a small sip, and said softly:
"Children and grandchildren have their own blessings; it's good to know that in your heart."

As soon as he finished speaking, the hall remained quiet, with only the rising steam from the hot tea slowly dissipating.

The next morning, the sky was bright and clear.

After the sutra study session in the ancestral hall ended, Jiang Yi strolled back to the backyard, found a bamboo chair under the old pomegranate tree, and sat down leisurely.

He pulled out a yellowed old piece of paper from his sleeve. The paper contained the method of "training birds".

With his eyelids slightly closed, he gazed at the scene slowly and deliberately, his mind gradually sinking into the gaze.

I only glanced at it yesterday, but upon closer inspection today, I find it to be a completely different world.

The opening does not directly address how to control birds; instead, it begins by discussing the selection of different species, observation of bone structure, and differentiation of qi and blood, writing in a lengthy and detailed manner.

Further down are the secret methods of feeding birds, guiding their breathing, and improving their bloodline.

Finally, it was explained how to refine divine will, imprint it on the soul in the darkness, and use intention to replace bird language, making it as easy to control as an arm.

When you cultivate to a high level, you will find wonderful applications.

For minor purposes, it can serve as eyes and ears, or as a messenger, scouting the enemy and relaying messages from a hundred miles away, appearing and disappearing without a trace.

Its greatest use is to drive them into formations that blot out the sky and the sun, their claws and teeth as sharp as weapons, no less powerful than magical artifacts.

Jiang Yi pondered each word carefully.

The loud crowing of roosters in the backyard sounded even more pleasant than usual.

With a slight stirring in his heart, he tucked the old paper into his sleeve and slowly strolled into the courtyard.

Several spirited roosters were pawing at the ground when they saw him approaching. They all stretched their necks and crowed, their feathers gleaming faintly in the sunlight, truly showing their extraordinary nature.

Jiang Yi focused his mind and drew a wisp of true meaning, as recorded in the Dharma, into his eyes.

In an instant, the scene before my eyes changed.

No longer in the shape of an ordinary chicken, but clearly visible within them the vigorous, furnace-like energy and the unique bone structure.

Its feathers shimmered and its aura rose, faintly carrying the image of a crimson glow, perfectly matching the image of the spirit bird described on the paper.

"Okay, okay..."

He couldn't help but chuckle and clap his hands, and the slight hesitation in his heart caused by the profoundness of the method dissipated like the wind.

How could one not try such an unexpected delight?

Following the secret recipe in the paper, he personally went to the herb garden and picked a few black nightshade fruits and ground sap grass.

Select the fattest and strongest rice, crush it finely, and then mix it with some fine rice.

When the medicine was taken to the courtyard, the spirit chickens seemed to smell the unique fragrance of the medicine and came over, stretching their necks and pecking happily, even spreading their wings and feathers with a hint of pride.

This is not some ordinary grass vine or medicinal residue, but a genuine elixir.

Jiang Yi watched with great interest.

After the spirit chickens had finished eating, he followed the incantation and separated a wisp of his divine will to probe the soul of one of the chickens.

But as soon as that divine will approached, it melted away silently, like spring snow falling into a raging fire.

The rooster tilted its head and glanced over with its bright, dark eyes, a hint of human-like confusion in its gaze.

Jiang Yi smiled to himself, thinking to himself, "Goodness!"

With his current level of skill, it's indeed a bit too hasty for him to try to brand these birds that have already developed sentience.

This method of training birds must ultimately be approached gradually, starting with ordinary birds, which is the right approach.

He immediately lightly touched the muddy ground with his toes, and his figure, like a wisp of smoke, drifted out of the courtyard wall and headed straight for the front mountain.

He returned shortly afterward, carrying a tightly sealed cloth bag.

There was a rustling sound inside the bag, a fluttering sound that was urgent.

Upon closer inspection, they found seven or eight common birds: sparrows, thrushes, and magpies, each startled.

These were the first group of children under his tutelage.

With his current spiritual cultivation, dealing with these unintelligent mortal birds is as easy as a mountain pressing down on dust.

There's no real struggle involved; the difficulty lies in striking the right balance.

If the divine will is too coarse, birds cannot bear it and will die of fright immediately.

The divine will is subtle, as light as a breeze brushing water, leaving no trace in an instant.

This matter turned out to be an extremely meticulous task.

So for days on end, Jiang Yi sat upright on a bamboo chair in the backyard.

Dividing his mind into seven or eight fine threads, he probed into the consciousness of those birds.

At first, he didn't know how to do it, and countless birds were startled and flew away. Two unlucky sparrows were even brought to the brink of death by his antics.

It wasn't until the afternoon of the fourth day that one of the divine insights finally found some clues in the mind of the most clever magpie.

Slowly connect, gently hold together.

In that instant, there was no thunderous roar, but I felt a slight tremor in my mind, as if a pair of bright eyes and a pair of wings that could flap their wings had appeared out of thin air in my heart.

Jiang Yi had a sudden thought.

The magpie on the branch hesitated for a moment, tilting its head, but finally could not resist the mysterious pull, flapped its wings and flew straight out of the yard.

The taste is indescribable.

Jiang Yi closed his eyes, but what he saw was not a blank.

Although they were far from being in perfect harmony, the light and shadow of the sky in the magpie's eyes and the whistling wind in his ears all transformed into fragmented messages that seeped into his mind.

It's like looking at flowers through a layer of water, or at the moon through a fogged mirror—a bizarre and unpredictable silent drama, floating before your eyes, blurring the lines between reality and illusion.

The magpie flew eastward, not very high, skimming over the eaves of a few houses, before finally landing on the window frame of the village school. Jiang Yi's "view" also settled there.

Inside the hall, both Liu Xiulian and Jin Xiuer were present.

The school is now divided into two classes, one for beginners and one for advanced students. The children are in one class, while the more advanced students are in another.

Liu Xiulian was giving a sermon to her elite disciples, her voice gentle and soothing.

On the other side, Jin Xiuer followed her example, holding a scroll and explaining the words to the children with a focused expression, her brows still retaining some of her former heroic spirit.

Granddaughter-in-law Zhao Qiqi, holding Xiao Han'er, sat at the end of the class, listening attentively with the others.

Jiang Yi found it interesting, but his attention was drawn to his great-granddaughter.

The little girl listened intently at first, nodding her head repeatedly.

After a while, he got bored and his eyes started darting around. Just then, he spotted a magpie peering out the window.

Her eyes lit up immediately, as if she had seen something incredibly interesting. She tiptoed, quietly opened her two little hands, and stealthily pounced over.

As a result, they came up empty-handed.

Having received Jiang Yi's message, the magpie lightly touched the window frame, fluttered its wings, and flew straight back to the Jiang family's backyard.

As his mind retreated back into his body like a tide, Jiang Yi slowly opened his eyes, only to feel a throbbing sound in his forehead and his head feeling heavy and suffocating, as if it were stuffed with a wad of wet cotton.

He rubbed his temples and smiled gently: "Such intricate work on the soul is indeed not easy."

The dizziness and bloating lasted for quite a while before it dissipated.

Jiang Yi leaned back in the bamboo chair, closed his eyes to regulate his breathing, but his mind was still on that thin piece of paper.

Ordinary birds would naturally find it difficult to form the "formation to defend against the enemy" described in the text.

With such methods, even the few spirit chickens in my own backyard would probably need three to five years of proper training before they could barely get close to mastering them.

He only glanced at these profound methods, just to broaden his horizons.

Until the very end of the page, the pen suddenly shifts its focus, revealing a crude yet powerful art of manipulation.

No need for exotic birds or rare species; any ordinary bird will do.

Jiang Yi was startled, and a glint of shrewdness flashed in his eyes.

Having rested enough, he raised his finger.

The magpie that was preening its feathers under the eaves received the order, flapped its wings, and landed lightly in his palm.

The yin and yang energies circulated at the fingertips, transforming into a wisp of true energy that quietly entered the sparrow's body.

With just this one thread, the magpie was completely transformed.

A chilling light suddenly flashed in his originally dark eyes.

Its feathers bristled, its wings flapped, and the sound of it flapping its wings was much faster than before.

Jiang Yi's thoughts shifted slightly.

The magpie took flight, skimming over the paths and streams, and swiftly flew along the woods in front of the mountain.

The mountain breeze brushed against my face, and the sensation of wings slicing through the wind felt even more real than before.

Suddenly, a yellow shadow darted out from the bushes ahead, dripping with saliva and baring sharp teeth—it was a slender fox.

Ordinary birds had long since been terrified.

At this moment, Jiang Yi's mind was clear and serene, without the slightest ripple.

The magpie showed no fear whatsoever. Instead, it folded its wings and transformed into an arrow, swooping down!

A fierce glint appeared in the fox's eyes; it seemed to have already spotted its prey.

Just then, a thought crossed Jiang Yi's mind.

The formula is complete.

The wisp of true energy lurking within the sparrow's body was like a spark thrown into a cauldron of oil, causing it to explode with a bang!
"Oh!"

A muffled thud, not loud, but extremely heavy.

The fox, which was dozens of times larger than the others, suddenly froze in mid-air before being torn to pieces.

Blood and charred feathers splattered everywhere, staining the lush green bushes with glaring crimson spots.

In the backyard, Jiang Yi slowly opened his eyes and regained his composure.

My palms were empty, yet they seemed to still retain the warmth of a bird.

The lingering smell of blood seemed to still be present in his nostrils, yet his brow remained completely unmoved.

He was secretly astonished by the sheer power of this technique.

Even a mere ordinary sparrow, with only a trace of true energy, was able to kill a jackal and fox.

If it were the few spirit chickens in my backyard that had excellent foundations, they could hold more than a hundred times the amount of true energy.

If this method is used to ignite the explosion, its power could truly split mountains and shatter rocks.

Thinking of this, Jiang Yi felt even more serious about the method of taming birds.

In the world of martial arts, the more tricks you have, the better. Who would complain about having too many trump cards?

Jiang Yi immediately cleared his throat and called out loudly.

A moment later, three figures with flowing, colorful lights appeared at the other end of the chicken coop, stroding over with square steps.

These were the three spirit rooster ancestors: Golden Feather, Red Feather, and Green Feather.

These ancestors had developed their intelligence at a young age and spent many years in the Jiang family's backyard, a treasure land filled with spiritual spring water. Each of them lived a life more insightful than the most shrewd person.

Seeing Jiang Yi greet him, he even carried a certain air of decorum in his steps.

Upon approaching, they all bowed their heads and performed a greeting in unison, behaving even more politely than their neighbors and gentry.

Jiang Yi has now just begun to grasp the basics of taming birds. With a thought and a mental connection, his instructions flow much more smoothly than usual.

Without wasting any words, he directly transmitted a thought.

The gist is that he possesses a breathing technique specifically for birds, which can help them cultivate themselves.

And from this day forward, they will also receive a share of the spiritual fruits and herbs in the herb garden.

Upon hearing this, the three ancestors were immediately filled with joy and excitement, their wings trembling as they flapped their wings.

Jiang Yi, however, stopped there and changed the subject, laying out the rules.

Spiritual herbs and fruits cannot be obtained by just anyone; they must be categorized and managed according to their own methods.

The Golden Feather Clan eats Golden Edge Grass and Thunder Light Fruit, and is known for its claws and beaks that are as fast as lightning.
The Crimson Feather Clan, pecking at Crimson Flame Potatoes and Flame Heart Fruits, are on the path of controlling fire and flames.

As for the Azure Feather Clan, they naturally consume things that are cold and aquatic, and they are particular about methods of controlling water and freezing it.

After this division was explained, the three ancestors not only had no complaints, but their respect for each other deepened even further.

Although they are only just beginning to develop intelligence, they understand what is important and know that these rules are truly for the long-term benefit of the tribe.

So they circled around Jiang Yi several times, each one bowing their heads to the ground, proceeding with utmost solemnity.

Jiang Yi saw this and nodded slightly in his heart, secretly making a plan.

Immediately, he extracted the most basic breathing technique from the "Training Birds" method, divided it into three strands of divine imprint, and directly imprinted them into the consciousness of the three ancestors.

The ancestors were already quite accomplished, and now that they had obtained this method, their minds and souls digested it, and they immediately felt like gourmets who had obtained a secret recipe.

Within a few days, they had already grasped the meaning of each other's words.

Having given their orders, the three ancestors each accepted their command and returned to their respective clans to spread the breathing techniques.

(End of this chapter)