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

Chapter 79 Three Years
Time flies, and three years have passed in the blink of an eye.

At the foot of the mountain, in the Jiang family's new courtyard, it was almost noon when the Liu family boy left, and the courtyard was quiet and peaceful.

Jiang Yi remained rooted to the ground, his body like an old tree, his roots like nails driven into the soil.

The pile design looks ordinary, but it has a certain charm of still rocks and flowing water.

Between the muscles, bones, and skin, it seems as if a subtle stream is flowing silently and steadily.

Before long, Liu Xiulian came up from the old house at the foot of the mountain carrying a food box.

Over the years, she has become more skilled in breathing exercises, using elixirs to regulate her breath, and her aura has long been as calm and still as spring water.

Her complexion has improved a lot, and her eyes and brows have gained a more composed and serene quality, adding a touch of gentle and peaceful charm.

Beside her, Jiang Xi was already a little girl who was almost ten years old.

She had grown a few inches taller, with a snow-white face, dark eyes, and a lively spirit in her eyes and brows, already showing signs of becoming a beautiful young woman.

Through years of rigorous training, he has mastered all the basic techniques of fist, stance, and staff fighting, and his breathing now exudes a smooth and harmonious quality.

After a few more days of perseverance, one can enter the state of "full essence," with abundant qi and blood, and begin to grasp the basics.

His temperament is also more stable than in previous years, unlike when he was a child who would run around all day like a little monkey that wasn't properly tethered.

But the innate talent within him could not be suppressed in the end.

Behind the school and in front of the courtyard, you could often see her wielding a stick, striking with all sorts of moves, making the wind howl and disturbing the peace.

Just as Jiang Xi was about to call her father for dinner, before she could even raise her hand, someone gently tugged at the corner of her clothes.

She turned her head and saw her mother make a shushing gesture at her, her eyes gentle but leaving no room for argument.

The little girl immediately understood, stopped walking, and the mother and daughter tiptoed around the pillars like they were dealing with a cat, quietly entering the house.

The sun was shining brightly in the courtyard, and the light and shadow gradually shortened, giving the ground a warm glow.

A short while later, the door creaked open and the eldest son, Jiang Ming, pushed it open from the outside and entered.

He was dressed in coarse cloth, his shoulders still bearing traces of the dust of paper and ink, and a hint of lingering scholarly air remained between his brows.

The sixteen-year-old boy had already grown into a very upright man, his bone structure becoming more defined, and most of his former childishness had faded away.

His gaze was calm, his aura restrained, and his demeanor unassuming, yet he possessed a hidden strength that made him more spirited than those pedantic scholars with stiff faces.

He took over the teaching position at the academy from Master Cen a year ago.

Although he was initially inexperienced, he remained steady and reliable thanks to the prestige of the former gang leader, and was able to make decisions with a single word.

Even the most unruly boys sat up straight and behaved themselves.

Now, most of his thoughts are locked on his desk.

I spent my days copying scriptures and reading texts, immersed in the world of paper and ink, as if the only world left was that small space of the school.

Even the trivial matters of the Ancient and Modern Gang are being managed less and less closely.

On weekdays, the training, stake-driving, and other hall duties were all left to the hall masters and protectors.

He only showed up once on the day he collected the gang fees to tally the accounts.

He wasn't particularly enthusiastic about spiritual practice.

He had already crossed the threshold of "full of energy" long ago, and his every breath carried a sense of composure and maturity.

However, if one were to go further and enter the realm of "divine prosperity," it would always seem as if one were separated by a veil of mist.

The divine will is fleeting, sometimes condensing into the moon on the water's surface, sometimes scattering into catkins in the wind. When gathered, it is unstable; when scattered, it is uncertain. It is so close at hand, yet so hard to grasp.

It's not that they're unwilling to put in the effort; on the contrary, they diligently practice every day and never miss a night of meditation. It's just that this path truly cannot be rushed.

The way of divine skill is to comprehend it in stillness and practice it in emptiness; it does not allow for any forced effort.

There are quite a few girls and wives in and around the village who have their eyes on him.

Over the past few years, I've received a considerable number of marriage proposals, requests through matchmakers, and even visits from people carrying lanterns.

But this young man was born with a stubborn temperament.

When asked, he only whispered, "I haven't settled down yet; my heart is in books."

His tone was gentle, but his words left no room for maneuver. Jiang Yi listened to this repeatedly, and his heart grew indifferent.

A life-long commitment like marriage cannot be rushed or hastily arranged.

A son is no longer under his father's control once he grows up; everything has a cause and effect, so it's best to go with the flow.

People came and went in the courtyard, but Jiang Yi remained rooted to the spot.

His feet were firmly planted in the mud and rocks, his body was like the gnarled roots of an old tree, and his breathing was as calm and unhurried as the opening and closing of his fist stance.

With each breath, the skin, flesh, muscles, and bones seem to pulsate and resonate softly.

The warm current rising from the dantian flowed slowly along the meridians, neither hurried nor astringent, like the first melting of spring water.

Fill the empty spaces, but not overflow.

This is the legendary state of "fullness".

Jiang Yi slowly exhaled a breath of stale air and opened his eyes to look up at the sky.

There was no joy or pride in his eyes, only a sense of understanding, yet he felt that this was how it should be.

Ten years of hard work and perseverance have finally brought about success.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead and stepped into the house.

The moment I stepped across the threshold, a shadow pounced at my side.

Jiang Xi, like a firecracker that had just exploded, pounced on him, looked up at him, her eyes crinkling with laughter, and called out:

"Congratulations, Father!"

His tone was filled with undisguised joy and a hint of pride.

This girl had a calm mind and often recited the "Treatise on Sitting in Oblivion" with Liu Xiulian under the lamp. Her mind was clear and she was particularly sensitive to the flow of Qi.

Jiang Yi's body was now completely unified with his vital energy.

While others might not notice anything amiss, the mother and daughter saw right through it.

Jiang Yiyuan didn't think there was anything to brag about in such achievements; they were simply the result of ten years of hard work and perseverance.

Seeing her daughter's expression, she still smiled, reached out and ruffled her hair, and said in a relaxed tone:

"You'll be there soon too, just keep working hard."

The daylight was just right after dinner, and the courtyard was peaceful and serene, with a gentle breeze making the branches and leaves under the eaves swirl around.

The grove of spirit fruits behind the house is no longer as tender as it once was.

With its lush foliage and intertwined shadows, the tree perfectly encloses the hillside behind the courtyard, creating a tranquil haven.

On the branches of some of the most vigorous trees, some green fruits had already quietly hung. They were not large, but their skins shimmered with a faint glow.

The wind rustled the branches, and the spiritual fruits trembled slightly, as if they knew they were of extraordinary origin, swaying with a hint of pride.

Along with the area in front of and behind the house, the wisps of spiritual energy are no longer a scene unique to the backyard.

The spiritual energy, like a night tide, seeped inch by inch over the woodpile, stone steps, chicken coop, and haystack, slowly seeping outwards from the base of the wall towards the foot of the mountain.

Now, we've almost reached the edge of that medicinal herb field.

The eyes cannot see it, and the nose cannot smell its fragrance.

When you stand in the field, as long as you calm down and close your eyes, you can always feel that the world has become a little heavier, your heartbeat has become a few beats steady, and your breathing has become much smoother.

It looks completely different from when the saplings were planted.

Jiang Yi, having found some free time, stopped working and went back inside to rest.

Sit cross-legged, gather your breath, calm your mind and focus your spirit; the surging vital energy within your body will gradually return to peace.

Like autumn water flowing into a pond, it remains still and undisturbed.

Jiang Yi then pondered deeply, slowly retrieving the scroll of "Taishang Laojun's Discourse on Constant Purity and Tranquility" from his memory, carefully savoring each sentence in his mind.

(End of this chapter)