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

Chapter 240 Black Bear Body Tempering, Jiang Hong Returns Home

After exchanging a few pleasantries with Ao Lie and expressing his sincere gratitude, Jiang Yi returned to the Water God Temple with his grandson.

Just then, some merchants needed to cross the river. Jiang Qin knew the way well, so he poled the small boat, calling out a work song. The water reflected their figures, and as they went back and forth, he had a rather leisurely and elegant demeanor.

Only after all the passengers had left and the water had returned to its tranquil state did he return with his bamboo pole.

Under the eaves of the temple, Jiang Yi had already prepared some tea and called him over.

These past few days have been a rare period of leisure, so he took the opportunity to pass on several of his most treasured magical techniques to his grandson.

In terms of cultivation and spiritual practice, Jiang Yi was certainly no match for the Third Prince of the West Sea Dragon at the bottom of Eagle Sorrow Gorge.

However, these few methods passed down from the back mountain have their own unique methods.

The techniques of "Pot Heaven," "Earth Path," "Bird Taming," and "Cloud Summoning" are all practical skills, not empty titles.

Jiang Qin knew that if he truly mastered these methods, he would be able to travel to and from Liangjie Village on his own in just one or two days, without having to trouble his grandparents to see him off.

Naturally, I was delighted and studied with extra care.

As evening approached, he rowed his boat to the other side to fetch the two little ones who had been playing wildly all day.

Laughter filled the air along the way, and the sunset reflected in the water.

After walking halfway up the mountain, the two kids huddled together, whispering to each other with serious expressions, as if they were discussing something important.

It was mostly Liu Chengming gesturing, with Jiang Chao imitating him.

After listening to a few words, a smile crept onto Jiang Yi's lips.

That breathing, that gait, really did resemble a proper method of physical training.

He immediately asked with a smile:
"Chao'er, you two, where did you learn this new skill?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Chao immediately pouted, his face full of dissatisfaction.

"Today we went to find those three monsters, the bear, the wolf, and the snake, to play with. The big black bear, upon seeing my little cousin, praised him for his good physique and even taught him a set of body-strengthening methods."

"Hmph! I've known that big bear for seven years, and he's never once offered to teach me a single word!"

Before he could finish speaking, Liu Chengming rushed to protest his innocence.

"Nonsense! We were taught together, but I learned faster than you!"

The two children were chatting and laughing happily.

Jiang Yi listened, but he had already discerned some of the underlying meaning.

Liu Chengming was born with abundant energy and strong bones, and even his bones exuded a kind of spirituality.

The black bear spirit probably saw this and wanted to make a good connection, so he casually taught him a rough and powerful body-tempering technique.

As for Jiang Chao, although his bone structure is not bad, he lacks a bit of ruthlessness.

These kinds of demonic cultivation methods emphasize "the bones should correspond to the qi, and the form should follow the strength." If it doesn't fit one's constitution, it's all for naught.

Jiang Yi thought about it and couldn't help but chuckle.

That black bear spirit usually kept his head down and seemed dull-witted, but in reality, he was quite cunning.

If one could truly receive his complete instruction, it would be a rare and fortunate opportunity.

He raised his hand and patted Jiang Chao's small shoulder, smiling as he said:
"These next few days, take your little cousin to visit that black bear often. Learn as many moves as you can. If you learn them well, your great-grandfather can also learn from you."

At this point, a smile curved his eyes, and his tone became somewhat teasing:
"Once you've truly mastered your studies and returned to the village, you can even collect some tuition fees..."

"How about I teach you a trick?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Chao's eyes lit up and his lips curled into a grin, as if he was already calculating how many candied hawthorns he could exchange for them.

His eyes darted around, and a smile crept onto his face. He leaned in, put his arm around Liu Chengming's shoulder, and spoke in a sweet, honey-like tone:

"Little cousin, you learn so quickly, you must teach your nephew, okay?"

That clever look of hers made her seem like a little fox determined to get something for nothing.

Upon seeing this, the group couldn't help but laugh and shake their heads.

Back at the Lishe Ancestral Hall, just after dinner, Lao Gui started preparing again.

The family sat around the battle formation as they had the night before, peaceful and calm.

The light of the Bright God Array flowed slowly in the night, gentle as water, making Jiang Chao's small figure even more luminous.

Seven days passed by in this unhurried manner.

This round of "enlightenment" has finally come to a successful conclusion.

Looking at Jiang Chao again, his spirit was much stronger than it had been seven days ago.

To an ordinary person, he appears to be nothing more than a child sleeping soundly, but a cultivator could detect the faint aura of yang fire emanating from his body.

It is gentle, yet possesses the potential to pierce through gold and split rocks.

When one's spirit is bright and vigorous, one's comprehension also greatly improves.

These past few days, as he listened to the black bear preach, he often understood things immediately, and his eyes began to sparkle with a newfound intelligence.

It was even more lively on Liu Chengming's side.

That child was truly a natural talent for body tempering. In just seven days, he mastered the entire body tempering method passed down by the black bear spirit, becoming incredibly powerful.

At dawn and dusk, one could often hear his heavy breathing and thunderous footsteps in the courtyard, and from a distance, he looked quite like a young general.

With the business accomplished, Jiang Yi did not linger any longer.

After bidding farewell to his in-laws and granddaughter-in-law, and accepting several return gifts prepared by Lao Gui, he and Liu Xiulian embarked on a journey on auspicious clouds.

Auspicious clouds rolled and shimmered, their light and shadow weaving together, gradually disappearing into the horizon.

Back in the village, the two little ones were like wild horses as soon as they hit the ground.

He ran like the wind, heading straight for the other end of the training ground, clearly eager to show off his newly learned skills.

Their laughter echoed in the courtyard; they were still quite young, but already possessed a certain air of chivalry.

Jiang Yi and Liu Xiulian returned to their own courtyard and looked around.

The chicken coop hasn't collapsed, the sacred tree is still green, and the clear spring behind the house is still flowing peacefully.

After settling in, Jiang Yi went alone to the fire-making room behind the ancestral hall.

As soon as the door was pushed open, a strong wave of heat rushed out.

That was the internal elixir fire that had been neglected for several days, and it had grown even stronger.

He sat cross-legged, and as his mind calmed, the world became silent.

Half an hour later, all the muscles and bones in his body felt relaxed, and his breath was like a spring.

When he opened his eyes again, his brows were slightly furrowed, and his expression was clear. All the dust and worldly cares he had accumulated along the way had been burned away.

Spiritual practice is just like that.

Like rowing against the current, once you let go of the oars, you feel sluggish and your blood and energy flow is sluggish.

If that upward momentum is cut off, even the soul will feel uneasy.

Back in Liangjie Village, life returned to its usual tranquility.

Jiang Yi preached the scriptures as usual in the early morning.

In the morning, he led his great-grandson to practice cultivation by borrowing fire in the fire-making room.

In the afternoon, he also began to learn the body-tempering method of the black bear spirit.

However, the results were mediocre; although one would sweat profusely, it was far less comfortable than practicing breathing exercises.

It seems that only those with naturally strong and robust physiques can truly master this technique.

Many people in the village practiced it, but only Liu Chengming could master it so skillfully that he made rapid progress every day.

The world outside, however, is not as peaceful as the village.

As soon as the order to "suppress the Yellow Turbans" was issued, heroes rose up from all directions, and the prefectures and cities were thrown into chaos.

Some people raised an army, while others took advantage of the situation.

Amidst the rising smoke and fire, the world descended into utter chaos.

Matters of the mortal world are, in the end, just matters of the mortal world.

Even if the winds of change rise again, they will hardly stir up the slightest ripple in the cultivation world.

Once the Way of Peace disbanded, the power of various sects was secretly redefined.

Among them, the most prominent was the Celestial Masters sect.

Firstly, it had the prestige of "eliminating locust plagues and saving the people," and secondly, the Jiang family had planned ahead and seized the opportunity to rise up.

Heming Mountain reopened its gates, and its incense offerings flourished, attracting countless disciples.

The Celestial Masters sect has once again become the orthodox sect in the world.

Under the banner of the Dao, imperial edicts and decrees arrived in droves, and in just a few months, the territory expanded by more than double.

And at the mountain gate, the most sought-after person was naturally Jiang Feng.

The merits he has accumulated are almost universal throughout the Three Realms.

Elixir formulas, talismans, forbidden techniques, and secret methods—many of the sect's old rules and regulations have now been swept aside.

He buried himself in it every day, studying talismans and refining elixirs, a youthful pride in his heart. Half a year passed quietly in the moonlight and incense smoke.

On this day, inside the fire-refining room.

Jiang Yi finished his breathing exercises, and the fiery energy around his body dissipated, leaving only a wisp of warm light circulating within him.

With the power of the inner elixir's essence, half of the turbid fire in his heart and internal organs had been removed.

The fire of the heart is driven by hatred; when the turbidity of the fire is purified, the heart will be free from obstruction.

At this moment, he felt his mind was clear and his thoughts were like still water. The gloom in his chest melted away along with his anger.

He stepped out of the formation slowly, composed and at ease, only to see wisps of blue smoke rising outside.

The spirit of the young Jiang Liang was already waiting under the eaves.

He now looks serene and is no longer as hurried and restless as he used to be.

It seems that the situation in the underworld of Chang'an has stabilized, which is why he has this moment of peace and can go home to rest.

Upon seeing his father, Jiang Liang was initially taken aback, but then a smile spread across his eyes as he cupped his hands and stepped forward.

"Father, the dispute over the water palaces in Chang'an has finally come to some conclusion."

His voice carried a hint of lightness, “The Wei River Dragon King’s power has waned, and the one from the Jing River, with the support of the Western Sea, has seized the opportunity to rise to prominence and has now firmly established himself as the ‘head of the eight rivers of Chang’an’.”

"Although it is not as majestic as the Dragon King of the Wei River in the past, it can be considered as a step forward."

At this point, a smile played on his lips as he changed the subject:
"Hong'er now works in the Jinghe Water Palace. With the Dragon King's power rising, he has naturally followed suit. His life is much happier than before."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yi's brows relaxed, and he felt comforted.

Seeing that he was happy, Jiang Liang felt a little relieved and continued:

"Now that the turmoil over there has subsided, Hong'er can finally relax a bit. A few days ago, he told me at the City God Temple that he was thinking of coming back to visit you two on behalf of his parents."

He spoke lightly, but his words carried a hint of apology.

Since Jiang Feng and Ao Yucheng got married, he first returned to Heming Mountain and then went to the West Sea. They have been separated by distance and have not been able to return home to visit his family in recent years.

As for Jiang Hong, he hasn't even smelled the slightest bit of the rustic atmosphere of Liangjie Village since he landed there.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yi's smile deepened, and a sense of peace emanated from his face.

He feigned nonchalance, pursing his lips as he said:
“If this child goes back to the village, your mother will probably make a huge fuss again.”

Although it was meant as a joke, the tone was very gentle.

Before he finished speaking, he had already turned around, slowly returned to the house, and told Liu Xiulian the news word for word.

As expected, joy welled up in Liu Xiulian's clear eyes.

Before he could even finish listening, his hands were already busy, rummaging through cabinets for cloths, dusting and wiping the table, all the while muttering to himself:

"This time we must prepare a proper feast. After all, he is our great-grandson, and it's his first time visiting. We can't skimp on the meal."

And so the family endured half a month with hope.

Until that afternoon, the old locust tree at the village entrance cast dappled shadows, and a gust of wind carried the sound of people.

Following the sound, they saw a young man coming from the widened village road, his clothes flowing like waves, exuding an extraordinary air.

He wore a light blue brocade robe, had a face as handsome as jade, clear and sharp features, and an air of natural nobility about him.

It was Jiang Hong, the great-grandson of the Jiang family and a descendant of half-dragon blood.

Although he was over nineteen years old, his long-standing dragon bloodline made him look somewhat childish.

Jiang Xi went to the school to give a lecture early in the morning. When she arrived at the village entrance, she saw the boy in the mist.

He immediately smiled and called out, "Is that Hong'er?"

Her voice was gentle, yet carried a hint of familiar joy.

Although it was the first time the aunt and niece had met, they had heard of each other before, so there was no awkwardness between them.

After exchanging only a few pleasantries, Jiang Xi led the boy into the village, casually saying as she did so:
"The rainfall was good this year, and the rice seedlings in the field are growing well. Look at the color, they're so oily they could reflect light."

Pointing to several plump ducks under the fence, he laughed and said:
"These strange creatures always choose places with abundant spiritual energy to sleep."

Jiang Hong listened intently, his expression respectful.

He nodded in agreement with each word his aunt said, his eyes gentle, as if afraid of missing a single word.

There was a hint of politeness and a touch of awkwardness in that restraint.

Halfway there, he looked at the houses and trees in the village and nodded to himself.

The village of Liangjie was indeed blessed with extraordinary spiritual energy, its earth veins were warm and thick, and even the air was faintly moist.

No wonder they produced such outstanding figures as fathers and grandfathers.

However, the thought ended there.

This village may be nice, but it is still in the mortal world.

Compared to the vastness and radiant light of the Dragon Palace of the Western Sea, it is but a shallow well and a still pond.

He knew in his heart that his grandfather had become a spirit through merit and incense offerings.
My father named his house Crane Cry Mountain, having received the true teachings of Taoism.

As for these two villages, they are merely a starting point, a reason.

Thinking of this, he lowered his stance even further.

His handsome face wore a humble smile, and his eyes were clear and bright.

He was, after all, half dragon blood, and was born with arrogance.

But in front of elders and cousins, they would rather conceal their sharpness, for fear of accidentally severing the warmth of kinship.

After passing through several fields and houses, and around two or three households, the road ahead suddenly widened, and we arrived at the training ground of the Ancient and Modern Gang.

Dust billowed across the field as a dozen or so teenagers followed Master Liu, shouting in unison and feeling the force of his punches.

That youthful sharpness also revealed a certain shrewdness.

Jiang Xi raised her hand and pointed, then smiled:

“Look, your cousin Chao and your cousin Ming are inside.”

Jiang Hong looked in the direction of the sound and saw that the children were practicing ordinary punches and kicks in a very serious manner. Although they were trying their best, there was nothing special about them.

He was pondering how to phrase his compliments in a way that was both polite and unconventional.

His gaze suddenly sharpened.

Among the crowd was a child who was no more than ten years old.

Although small in stature, its bones and muscles are perfectly aligned.

Every move and stance was steady yet contained a hidden strength; the rise and fall of his punches were measured and controlled.

Jiang Hong raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise rising in his heart.

Upon closer inspection, he realized that the child's fighting style was not that of a street urchin.

With each breath, he subtly drew upon the energy of heaven and earth, his body radiating spiritual light.

At first, he thought it was just his imagination.

The more you look at it, the more extraordinary it seems. When the intent of the fist arises, it faintly touches the path of "nourishing qi and returning it to the bones".

That harmonious and natural aura was something that even his perspective, honed by his background in the Dragon Palace, couldn't quite grasp.

"Brilliant!" he thought to himself.

The boxing style that child practices is no longer of this world.

In terms of subtlety, it is in no way inferior to the body-forging methods of the Western Sea Dragon Clan.

A breeze swept across the training ground, stirring up dust and sand, while the shouts of children rose and fell.

Jiang Hongli stood there, his brows now showing a more serious expression.

As he was taking a closer look, the shouts of the children on the training field were in disarray. Suddenly, a seemingly inconspicuous child seemed to sense someone watching him, paused in his movements, and looked up.

Four eyes meet.

At that moment, Jiang Hong's heart skipped a beat.

It felt as if a needle had pricked his soul, and even the deep-seated watery feeling rippled.

He was born in the Dragon Palace and possessed half the blood of a true dragon. His spirit was as clear and pure as the sea, and he was never disturbed by external things.

But at this moment, the calm, mirror-like water seemed to be struck by a scorching hot iron, instantly boiling and churning, with waves of heat rising uncontrollably.

Jiang Hong's pupils narrowed slightly, his mind racing.

This feeling was all too familiar to him.

That is fire, which is inherently in conflict with water due to their mutual generation and restraint.

However, this fire was not extremely intense.

It was a pure, fierce, almost soul-scorching yang energy.

He could sense that the aura was not only vigorous, but also stable and perfectly natural.

Even more powerful than him, a descendant of the dragon race.

(End of this chapter)