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

Chapter 69: Ape jumping branches
As Jiang Liang spoke, his barely concealed desire to show off finally surfaced.

Without saying a word, he suddenly gathered his breath, lightly touched the ground with his toes, and leaped up towards the eaves.

The posture was quite impressive; with a leap, like a fledgling bird learning to spread its wings, its fluttering motion truly possessed a touch of agility.

However, his footwork is still immature and his breathing is not yet steady.

With a soft "click," the roof tile clicked.

The birds perched on the eaves were startled and took flight with a "fluttering" sound, their wings scattering dust all over the roof tiles.

The commotion they had tried to hide was suddenly exposed.

Knowing he had made a mistake, Jiang Liang grinned, not ashamed at all. He simply flipped over and landed lightly, dusted off his clothes, and looked rather smug.

As soon as she looked up, she grabbed Jiang Ming's arm and insisted on practicing the grappling technique she had just learned.

Grabbing wrists, twisting arms, locking elbows, and pulling shoulders—he executed these movements with practiced ease, each move imbued with a touch of skill.

Jiang Ming was happy to cooperate, and as he was twisted and turned, he simply adopted the posture, feigning defeat, and even cheered:
"Wow, second brother, that's some serious strength! Tsk, that's quite a skill!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Liang's smile widened.

He stopped his attack, moved closer to his older brother who was getting up and brushing off the dust, and spoke in a low voice, but his eyes shone brightly:

"Brother... whether it's lightness skill or grappling techniques... do you have any experience with them?"

Having traveled from the county to the prefecture, I've seen a lot of things. Although it hasn't been a huge eye-opener, I'm no longer a naive boy who's just left the village.

He already knew what was going on.

My older brother, who's still in school, is quite capable.

They simply don't show off, speak, or reveal their talents on ordinary days.

As I've grown older, I've learned to be more discerning and am no longer as blunt as I was as a child, asking, "Brother, have you secretly practiced kung fu?"

This time, he seemed more cautious, his tone was three degrees softer, and his eyes held a more scrutinizing gaze.

Just as Jiang Ming was about to speak, Liu Xiulian's voice called for dinner came from inside the house:

"dinner time!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xi jumped around like a little monkey and quickly went to get the bowls and chopsticks.

Jiang Ming smiled, abruptly ending the conversation with just one sentence:
"eat first."

The family sat in a circle around a pot of steaming chicken stewed with the medicinal herbs that Jiang Liang had brought back.

The soup is golden in color, with a rich yet refreshing aroma and a subtle medicinal note that does not overpower the freshness.

Jiang Xi ate with grease dripping from her mouth, but she didn't stop talking, asking her second brother three questions with every bite of food.

One person asks, "Isn't the prefectural capital more bustling than the county?" Another asks, "Have you ever beaten up a thief?"

Getting excited about asking questions, he suddenly rolled his eyes, changed the subject, and threw out a sentence:
"Second brother, while you were in the prefecture...did you take a fancy to any pretty girls?"

Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Liang's chopsticks, which were shoveling rice into his mouth, wobbled and nearly poked himself in the nose.

His face flushed red, and his ears were practically glowing. He just kept his head down and ate his rice, not uttering a single word.

This made the whole family laugh, even Liu Xiulian smiled, gently patted her, and said reproachfully:

"Your second brother is easily embarrassed, don't make fun of him."

After the meal, the heat dissipated, the moon rose above the eaves, and its clear light, like water, filled the courtyard.

Tonight was a rare occasion; the two brothers didn't spar as usual, but instead, under the bright moonlight, one countered the moves, and the other pondered the strategy.

Jiang Liang broke down the light-body skills he had just learned in the prefectural capital and taught them to him step by step.

The techniques of grappling were also explained in detail, including how to flip the wrist and how to lock the shoulder, all explained clearly and logically.

Jiang Ming didn't reply, but just followed the movements.

He took a deep breath, stepped forward, and turned around; his movements, opening and closing, were remarkably agile.

Now that his energy is nearly full and his breath is deep, he learns the moves steadily and quickly.

After a few somersaults and shifts, a certain power was already subtly revealed in his movements.

Needless to say, his grappling techniques—wrist locks and arm controls—were executed with the skill of a seasoned veteran, showing no signs of inexperience.

Jiang Yi leaned against the courtyard wall, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, watching his two sons' movements with great interest.

His light-footed skills were quite impressive; he rose and fell, leaped and bounded, and moved steadily forward and backward.

If you learn it, you'll save yourself a lot of trouble when working in the fields.

But he didn't rush to speak.

Over the years, I've developed my own sense of judgment. Although I've diligently taught my younger son these clever tricks, they can never compare to the brilliance of my older son.

The next day, before dawn, the mountaintops were only tinged with the pale light of a fish's belly.

Frost beads clung to the tips of the grass in the woods; stepping on them caused them to fall in a soft rustling sound.

As was customary, Jiang Yi got up early and slowly drove the livestock to the hillside, letting them graze on tender grass shoots in the woods.

Jiang Ming also woke up, carrying a wooden bucket on his shoulder and holding two fruits in his hands, which he had found in Jiang Liang's pile of medicinal herbs the night before.

The fruit is small, round and translucent, cool to the touch, and when you bring it close to your nose, you can smell its sweet fragrance with a hint of chewiness.

Before anyone asked, he waved his hand and said cheerfully, "Take it up the mountain for breakfast."

Jiang Yi glanced at him sideways, said nothing, and simply nodded.

Going up the mountain to fetch water usually takes only the time it takes to burn an incense stick.

This time, the water was drawn, but the person was nowhere to be seen.

The fog at the foot of the mountain had lifted, and the roosters had crowed twice, but the wooden buckets still hadn't come back.

Jiang Yi remained calm, waved his hand, and led his family back into the cold ground behind the courtyard.

The patch of Illusion Grass at the edge of the field has grown even more wildly this year.

Especially the innermost few rows, which have remained untouched all year, with grass stalks as white as bones, already reaching knee-high, rustling in the wind.

Deep within the grass, a chilling aura emanated, as if there were an old well underground, from which a cool breeze occasionally rose, carrying a hint of coldness and menacing intent.

The whole family got used to it; some practiced their boxing, others drove stakes, and no one paid any attention to the chilling cold.

Jiang Liang, however, couldn't stand still as soon as he stepped in.

Before he passed away last year, he could still stand steadily.

Although his skills have improved and his strength has become more profound, he didn't expect that the earth's energy would also rise, making it even more difficult to deal with.

After standing for a while, I felt dizzy and lightheaded, my vision blurred, and my chest felt tight.

Jiang Yi stood to the side, picking at the grass stems in his hand, but glancing at him out of the corner of his eye.

Seeing the sweat beading on his forehead and his pale face, he said nothing, but simply took out a small bottle of pills from his sleeve, tossed it aside casually, and said in a nonchalant tone:

"Use it wisely."

It wasn't until nearly noon, when the stoves of the houses at the village entrance were all crackling with fire, that Jiang Ming was seen swaying back, carrying a wooden bucket.

Still feeling the morning air, I got home and, without thinking about anything else, devoured two large bowls of rice.

After resting against the wall for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, before the tea had even cooled down, he reached out and pulled Jiang Liang out.

The two brothers stood in the open space in the courtyard as usual, continuing the light-footed skills they hadn't finished the night before.

Jiang Yi didn't go to the foot of the mountain to fix the beams of the new house today. He just stood to the side, arms crossed, looking relaxed, but there was a light in his eyes.

Jiang Ming spoke first, asking Jiang Liang to demonstrate the "flying over walls" technique from the beginning.

Jiang Liang didn't hesitate either. He gathered his strength, kicked his feet, and leaped onto the roof.

The movement was quite nimble, but the roof tiles still made a "click" sound, startling the hunting dog under the eaves, which looked up at him before slowly lying back down.

Jiang Ming didn't rush to speak, but waited until he landed before slowly saying:
"Take lighter steps, shift your weight up... In your waist and abdomen, draw your breath in an inch, then another inch."

His voice was soft and his tone gentle, yet every sentence hit the nail on the head.

As he spoke, he casually drew a few lines of his own body.

Sometimes he would bend over in a gesture, and sometimes he would lightly lift his toes.

Every move he made was understated, yet it was as if he had a bow hidden within him, ready to burst forth at the sound of the bowstring.

Although he himself had only learned the basics, once he opened his mouth, he sounded like an expert who had studied for many years.

Jiang Liang listened very attentively, nodding as he followed instructions, sometimes frowning, sometimes whispering his agreement, practicing with great enthusiasm.

After a few tries, his body became much more agile, no longer jumping around wildly, but with more controlled movements.

A thought struck him, and following the instructions he had just heard, he tried to take a deep breath, focus it on his chest, lightly touch the ground with his toes, and leap into the air.

With a whoosh, as if monkeys had leaped from the depths of the forest, they were already on the roof in the blink of an eye.

It fell, but very quietly.

The tiles didn't move, the dust didn't rise, and even the spiderwebs hanging from the eaves didn't sway. It was as if a gust of wind had quietly swept by, coming without a trace and going without a sound.

(End of this chapter)