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

Chapter 213 A single monkey hair, concealing its power to become a sharp edge.
First, I heard a sound in my ear.

Buzzing.

It's like listening to the noisiest cicada on a summer afternoon through a courtyard wall, its calls sticking to your eardrums and making you feel annoyed.

It was like countless flies circling around a vat of soy sauce, a chaotic mess that was impossible to hear or chase away.

Jiang Yi tried to raise his hand to wave, but found that his hands and feet felt heavy and didn't belong to him.

It's as if I suddenly got a new body.

Where is this?

The thought stirred within him, but he immediately felt it falter, as if he were being held underwater.

With great difficulty, he managed to move his breath and slowly pry open his waterlogged eyelids a crack.

Light rushed in.

It was shiny and shimmering, all mixed together, like looking through greasy window paper—bright, yet blurry.

He blinked twice unconsciously.

The paper had begun to loosen, and the blurry patches of color were beginning to take shape.

A face, extremely close.

It looks familiar.

It's Ryu Soo-ryun.

That face, which was always smiling, was now deathly pale, as if it would shatter at the slightest breeze.

Jiang Yi's eyes moved with difficulty.

My gaze passed over her thin shoulders and fell upon half the people in the room.

The elders and the younger ones, the men and the women, were all his juniors, and they all surrounded the bed.

In the silence, only the buzzing sound remained; it grew closer, and it became real.

His mind sank.

That sinking was like a stone falling into a deep pool.

At the depths of his soul, a wisp of black and white energy floated leisurely, like an old fish that had been hibernating at the bottom of a stream all winter, lazily swishing its tail.

With this simple gesture, a cool sensation arose from the depths of my heart, spreading inch by inch along the invisible veins.

The yin and yang energies slowly intertwined, like thawing stream water flowing from the depths of the soul.

That energy flowed gently, slowly and steadily, clearing away the strands of stagnant thoughts that had been building up in him.

The water is gradually becoming clearer.

Thoughts flowed one by one.

The chaotic thoughts returned to their original place.

The light and shadow before my eyes, along with that clarity, became more and more real, inch by inch.

"How...am I at home?"

Jiang Yi's throat felt like it was filled with sand; his words came out so softly they seemed to float.

With red-rimmed eyes, Liu Xiulian wiped away the tears that she couldn't stop with her sleeve, and said intermittently:

“It’s Jun’er… This child was about to go into the mountains when he saw you lying there so stiffly at the entrance of the path, so he carried you back.”

She spoke urgently, her voice trembling slightly with lingering fear.

Jiang Yi listened quietly without saying a word.

Those eyes, which had just regained some spirit, moved away from Liu Xiulian's tear-streaked face and slowly landed on Jiang Jun, who was not far away.

The boy was hanging his head, looking like he had done something wrong.

Jiang Yi frowned, as if there was still a loose thread in his mind that he hadn't sorted out.

After thinking for a long time, he finally spoke again, his voice as dry as sandpaper rubbing against sandpaper:

"I remember... picking a whole basket of peaches?"

He paused, then added:
"...Where's my peach?"

The room fell silent for a moment.

The gloom that filled the room was somehow dispelled by this seemingly random question.

Jiang Jun was taken aback for a moment, then, as if he had just remembered something, he sniffed and answered in a muffled voice with a slightly nasal tone:

"At the time... I was so focused on getting you back, Grandpa, that I didn't think about anything else. When I went to check later, there was only an empty basket left on the ground."

He thought for a moment, then muttered to himself:
"It seems that it's just a case of those greedy monkeys and wild birds in the mountains getting a good deal."

“Monkeys and wild birds…”

Jiang Yi murmured, the light that had just gathered in his eyes slowly dissipating again.

wrong.

He remembers it clearly.

Before that darkness completely engulfed him.

I took a solid hit to my lower back.

That pain wasn't the dull ache of falling, nor the sharp pain of a stitch.

It was more like... being kicked, not too hard, not too soft.

Jiang Yi's cloudy eyes slowly turned back.

The lamplight flickered in his eyes, as if trying to scoop something out from the thin mist.

He looked at Jiang Jun's face, which still retained some youthful innocence, and spoke in a low, unreadable voice:
When you found me, did you see... anyone else nearby?

Jiang Jun replied almost without hesitation:

“I didn’t see anyone else. The mountain pass is such a small place; if there were any strangers, how could my grandson not see them?”

As soon as he finished speaking, his eyes subtly shifted away, landing on the blurred wood grain carved along the edge of the bed.

It seemed unintentional, yet also deliberate.

"But yesterday, I noticed that your breathing was a little unsteady, Grandpa."

He suddenly changed the subject, his tone quite natural: "Has something gone wrong in your cultivation?"

The room was extremely quiet.

The lingering doubt in Jiang Yi's mind had not yet dissipated.

But when he looked up, he saw that Liu Xiulian's eyes were red again, and he saw the tension and fear on the faces of his children and grandchildren. In the end, he swallowed back the doubt in his heart.

Perhaps I was too hasty.

His tone calmed down, as if he were reassuring everyone, or as if he were saying to himself, "I almost went astray and damaged my heart."

After saying that, he forced a smile, but the curve of his lips was more like a helpless expression than a smile.

"I guess she hasn't recovered yet, and her mind is still muddled."

He raised his hand and waved it, the movement slow and weak:

"Everyone, please leave. Let me lie down for a while longer, just rest a bit."

Everyone looked at each other.

Beside the sickbed, only the sound of breathing could be heard for a time.

Finally, Jiang Jin stepped forward.

She was not old, but her fingers were long and slender and fair. She sat down on a small stool by the couch, gently placed three fingers on her pulse point, and remained still for a while.

"Grandpa's health is fine."

She finally spoke, her voice as soft as the breeze rustling through peach leaves outside the courtyard:
"It's just that my blood and qi are rushing and my thoughts are a little disordered. I'll go and get some calming and nourishing herbal medicine later. After drinking it for a few days, I'll be fine."

The atmosphere in the room finally eased a bit.

The flickering light on Jiang Yi's face revealed a faint hint of doubt in his expression.

Liu Xiulian let out a long breath, as if exhaling all the fear she had felt that afternoon.

She turned her head, her gaze falling on Jiang Jun. The slight panic in her expression disappeared, replaced by the decisiveness of a matriarch.

“Jun’er,” she waved her hand, her tone gentle but firm, “didn’t you say you still had to go up the mountain to cultivate? We’ll take care of your grandfather here, nothing will go wrong. You can go by yourself, don’t delay your important business.”

Jiang Jun's gaze shifted, passing through the crowd and landing on the bed.

The old eyes on the couch glanced at him almost imperceptibly, then slowly nodded.

Having received this instruction, he said no more.

He simply bowed deeply towards the bed.

With a flick of her sleeve, she turned and left.

As the figure stepped out the door, the setting sun cast its slanting rays.

The light crept up his back inch by inch, only to be swallowed up by the door, leaving behind a faint shadow.

Liu Xiulian watched him leave, then looked back at the person on the bed and saw that Jiang Yi still looked tired.

Then he quickly turned around and waved lightly to the room full of his children and grandchildren:

"Everyone, please go out first and let him get some rest."

No one dared to speak, and all bowed their hands in agreement.

Their footsteps were so light they barely touched the ground as they retreated one after another.

Liu Xiulian stayed behind, bent down, and tucked the loose corner of the quilt around Jiang Yi.

"Just rest easy for now," her voice was so soft it almost seemed to melt into the air. "Don't think about anything. I'll watch the fire and simmer Jin'er's medicine. I'll call you when it's ready."

Before she could finish speaking, she had already straightened up, without waiting for a response.

As I was leaving, I gently closed the creaking wooden door behind me.

The slight rustling sound of the door hinges rubbing together was like a thread being cut.

The light, the atmosphere, and the sounds inside the room all fell silent.

Extreme stillness.

Only Jiang Yi remained, half-leaning and half-lying, his head bobbing in a drowsy state.

But my mind was far from at peace.

He slowly exhaled, gently pressing his fingertips against his lower back, a slight wrinkle appearing between his brows.

The pain in my lower back was not like a fall or a sudden, chaotic flow of energy.

It was as if someone had kicked him.

Jiang Yi closed his eyes, his expression calm, as if he had fallen asleep.

But that wisp of yin and yang energy had already been quietly circulating deep within his soul.

Cool as water, it seeps in gently, inch by inch brushing away the lingering drowsiness in my mind.

Those chaotic thoughts were gently smoothed out, like ripples spreading across an autumn pond in the wind. As his mind gradually calmed, he separated a wisp of extremely subtle divine will, as fine as silk or smoke, and let it travel from the inside out.

From the skin to the flesh, from the flesh to the bone, and then to the internal organs.

Wherever the breath travels, everything is ordinary.

Aside from the stagnation of qi and blood after the qi deviation, there were no unusual symptoms.

Even the lower back area was as smooth as ever, with the same texture as before, without any trace of external injury.

He had a slight doubt in his heart.

Could it be that I really misjudged the situation and it was all a false alarm?
As I was pondering this, I suddenly felt a tickling sensation in the back of my neck.

It felt like a tiny, fine hair had slipped into my collar, softly entwining and tickling my heart.

Jiang Yi frowned slightly, raised his left hand, and reached behind his neck.

With a haphazard scoop, he caught the troublesome thing.

Bring your hands to your eyes and open them.

On his fingertips, he was holding a hair about an inch long.

Its fur was entirely golden, and in the dim light filtering through the window, it shimmered with a faint, almost metallic sheen.

The hair is supple, yet the base has a subtle, natural curve.

Look...

It looks more like a monkey hair.

With just one glance, Jiang Yi felt as if something in his heart had been suddenly tugged.

Those half-closed eyes suddenly sharpened.

His pupils, which had just been sickly, suddenly shrank to pinpoints, a cold glint flashing from the depths of his eyes.

A thought flashed through my mind.

Jiang Yi took a deep breath, and the chill in his heart gradually subsided.

With a circulation of energy within his body and a slight tremor of his fingertips, the golden hair remained lying horizontally in his palm.

He concentrated slightly and transferred a wisp of magical power to her.

The magical power was as fine as a thread, flowing slowly from root to tip, going back and forth several times.

Everything was completely still.

There was no flash of inspiration, nor the slightest fluctuation.

The hair remained lying there, still warm and supple, soft yet resilient.

If you only rely on your eyes and touch to distinguish, you really can't find anything unusual; it's as ordinary as can be.

Jiang Yi frowned slightly, but the tension in his heart remained.

I didn't try again, I just glanced at it.

On the low table by the bed, there was Liu Xiulian's small purse for storing jewelry.

He reached in and poured out all the loose silver and hairpins inside.

Then, with extreme gentleness and steadyness, I placed the golden hair inside.

Then, it was wrapped tightly with layers of the embroidered mandarin duck fabric, as if to isolate it from all the breath of the world.

The fingers remained firm.

He bent down and pulled an old sandalwood box from under the bed.

The box has been sealed for years, with a faint woody scent and fine, water-like grain.

Place the purse inside and close the lid.

The slight "click" sound when the wooden lid fell was surprisingly clear.

Jiang Yi remained silent for a moment, a thought stirring in his mind.

The sandalwood box then disappeared, being stored in that square pot-shaped mustard seed.

Within that confined space in his sleeve, he found the deepest, safest corner and settled it there.

After doing all this, he leaned back against the pillow.

The candlelight flickered slightly in the draft, casting long and short shadows inside the room.

He closed his eyes.

The room remained quiet.

It was so quiet that it was as if nothing had happened.

In the following days, Jiang Yi truly became an idle person.

Two meals a day, three bowls of medicine, and one bed.

Aside from lying down, they are either sitting or lying down.

The medicine was prepared by Jiang Jin; it had a strong herbal smell and was so bitter that it made the back of my tongue numb.

Yet it carries an indescribable fragrance, like freshly broken bamboo leaves from the mountains, coolly sliding down your throat.

Every time she took her medicine, Liu Xiulian would stand by her side, watching closely, making sure not a single drop was left.

Jiang Yi had said it several times, that he knew his own body and was no longer in any serious condition.

If I keep lying like this, my muscles and bones will go numb.

But as soon as he said it, Liu Xiulian cut him off:
"When you collapsed that day, your face was as white as paper, and you still said you were fine? Just lie there! When your face turns red again, then we can talk about getting out of bed."

She spoke in a formal tone, yet her voice carried a gentle quality.

Jiang Yi couldn't persuade her otherwise, so he had no choice but to let her have her way.

I noticed that the wind inside the house had been gentler than usual these past few days, and even the sunlight that shone in carried the scent of medicine.

He lay there for a long time, and inevitably began to feel a bit bored.

You can't achieve success through external skills, but you can always achieve success through mental skills.

He then calmed his mind and entered a meditative state.

With a shift in thought, his consciousness sank into that small space, looking inward at himself.

The method of breathing exercises was so familiar that it was ingrained in his bones; without conscious thought, his breath would flow naturally.

Each breath, subtle and long, flows like spring water, quietly harmonizing with the energy of heaven and earth.

The mind follows the trajectory of the breath, slowly sinking into the five internal organs.

Go and see those five wisps of turbid air that resembled stones but were not; they remained in the same place, stubborn and unyielding.

He had long since given up hope of any change, and simply treated it like wiping Chen Jian every day, persistently washing and polishing it.

But this time...

He suddenly sensed something was amiss.

That aura that arose from within seemed to have gained a touch of charm.

It also seems to be invisibly in harmony with a rhythm that does not belong to oneself.

Light, faint, almost imperceptible, yet distinct, unlike the breathing of before.

Jiang Yi's mind focused.

He held his breath and immersed himself in the flow of his inner energy, savoring every moment.

...Indeed, it's different.

In the past, when practicing this breathing technique, each inhale and exhale was simply a matter of going with the flow.

When Qi enters the Dantian, it is like a spring breeze and rain, spreading into the limbs and bones, nourishing things silently, yet also dissipating as it goes.

Although he could guide its momentum, he could only follow the flow, but could not turn the flow into a channel.

But at this moment.

Jiang Yi's thoughts stirred slightly, as light as a feather.

He actually managed to gather that swirling energy, condensing it into a single mass that floated quietly in his dantian, neither dissipating nor becoming chaotic.

Jiang Yi was secretly startled and tried to stretch it again.

That aura was like warm jade being threaded through silk, as fine as a spider's thread, yet it remained condensed and did not dissipate, unfolding wherever his will led.

With another invocation, the wisp of energy dispersed into a cloud of mist, gently swirling back into the dantian, flowing endlessly.

When gathered together, they form a needle; when scattered, they become a cloud.

It allows for complete control, as if an "invisible hand" has been added.

He tried a few more times, and his breath followed him everywhere.

This familiar yet unfamiliar sense of control filled him with an indescribable sense of exhilaration.

In the quiet room, the candlelight flickered without any wind.

Jiang Yi's expression remained calm, but a glint of light flickered in his eyes, barely perceptible.

His chest rose and fell slightly, as if he had been startled by the sudden change.

Jiang Yi could no longer contain himself.

With a thought, the gentle and pleasant energy in his dantian instantly became lively.

It doesn't follow the meridians or take the usual path; instead, it transforms into a thin thread of energy, silently drifting towards the nearest internal organ.

The kidneys belong to the water element.

The one entrenched there was the coldest of the five turbid wisps.

In the past, the breath gained from breathing exercises would be swallowed up by the coldness and disappear without a trace, not even causing a ripple.

But now it’s different.

The wisp of energy remained condensed and did not dissipate, its sharpness subtly concealed.

Jiang Yi gritted his teeth, and with a sudden thought, he made it pierce the depths of that turbid air with a hint of ruthlessness!
boom.

In an instant, the chilling aura surged upwards like an icy tide.

The chill was so intense that it almost froze one's very soul.

But Jiang Yi did not retreat; instead, he trembled slightly, and a hint of wild joy burst forth from his tightly closed eyes.

Become!

He clearly felt that the stagnant energy that had been lingering for many years had stirred slightly under this attack.

Although it's only a thin line, like the first crack in an iceberg, it's already loosened like never before.

Immediately afterwards, a wisp of extremely fine and pure energy quietly seeped out from the gap.

The aura, clear and refreshing like a spring, carried a faint, chilling light as it flowed through the body.

Inch by inch, it nourishes the blood and cleanses the mind.

(End of this chapter)