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

Chapter 25 Returning to the County Commandery

As soon as Jiang Ming entered the courtyard, he didn't even bother to eat a few bites of food before grabbing his younger brother's sleeve and scrambling into the house.

I just felt that my moves from yesterday were a little lacking, and my hands were itching to get the hang of it.

Jiang Liang was somewhat confused.

We can practice boxing right here in the courtyard, where the sun is out and the air is fresh. Why do we have to squeeze into that little hut?
However, he had been used to listening to his older brother since he was a child, and although he found it strange, he did not stop and quietly followed him inside.

Before long, the faint sounds of fists whistling and shouting could be heard from inside the house, rising and falling, sometimes fast and sometimes slow.

It's unclear whether the younger one teaches the older one, or the older one instructs the younger one.

There was no discernible pattern in the noise or movement; all that could be felt was the earnestness of the entire room.

Jiang Yi was still tending the stove in the kitchen.

He glanced into the room through the window, a half-smile playing on his lips, but said nothing, only slowly adding fuel to the fire.

They endured this until the sun set and dusk descended upon the mountains.

There was only enough medicine left in the earthenware pot for about two bowls.

The amber-colored liquid shimmered with a faint light, and its aroma was unlike that of ordinary medicinal dishes or ordinary soup bones.

It exudes a subtle, robust energy, mixed with a hint of herbal scent; its flavor is hard to describe.

But just smelling it warms my heart, and it feels like my very bones are stirring.

The sounds of fists pounding inside the house had long since ceased.

The two children sat by the gate of the courtyard, quietly discussing the boxing moves and gestures while patiently waiting.

When the fire was ready, Jiang Yi nodded slightly and reached out to extinguish the flames.

First, I took a large bowl and filled it to the brim, making sure it was neatly arranged.

Then, the remaining broth at the bottom of the pot was divided into three small bowls.

Only then did he raise his hand to call for someone.

"Come in, everyone, the soup is ready."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Liang immediately jumped up, followed closely by Jiang Ming. The two brothers entered the house with light and quick steps.

Jiang Yi handed the large bowl to his youngest son and the small bowl to Jiang Ming.

He shared the remaining two bowls with Xiulian.

This time, what's being cooked are the largest pieces of bone fragments from half a bag of tiger bones.

As Dr. Li clearly stated, this ingredient is fresh, and once boiled, it cannot be kept for long.

The eldest son will have more children in the future, so naturally the younger one should drink more of this first batch of soup.

Jiang Liang held the bowl and looked down. The soup was golden with a reddish tinge and thick like a paste.

When you bring your nose close, the aroma of the medicine has a hint of bone and meat, unlike ordinary medicinal soups.

Unable to resist asking, "Dad, what kind of soup is this?"

Jiang Yi was pleased with the question, immediately straightened his back, and his tone became more smug:
"Listen to me, this is made from fresh tiger bones, with the help of Dr. Li's family's secret recipe, and with the addition of a thousand-year-old Polygonum multiflorum..."

He paused here, as if deliberately leaving a lingering question, waiting for a response.

"millennium?"

Jiang Liang's eyes widened when he heard this.

"It will take at least several hundred years!"

Jiang Yi spoke with certainty, put his hands behind his back, and looked as resolute as if he had dug it out himself from the deep mountains and forests.

Jiang Liang was so amused he could hardly speak.

He had seen a bit of the world in the county commandant's office and knew about the market for body-strengthening medicine.

Such a medicinal soup is something that even those scions of prominent families might not be able to afford to drink even once.

Now, at home, it's served in a large bowl, steaming hot.

Before even taking a sip, my heart was already warm.

"What thousand-year-old Polygonum multiflorum... it's just some medicinal roots."

Jiang Ming, listening nearby, couldn't help but laugh, and with a smirk, he revealed his father's secret:

"Those tiger bones are just leftover bone fragments, so hard that even a dog would find them too hard; they're just scraps from the scraps."

After saying that, he picked up his small bowl, didn't even glance at it, and gulped it down in one go.

Thinking he could show off in front of his younger brother, he drank with a bit of gusto.

To everyone's surprise, as soon as it entered her stomach, a blush immediately rose on her face, as if she had been holding back a burst of anger that shot straight to the top of her head.

Without a word, he turned and rushed into the yard, and as soon as he stepped out, he started punching wildly.

His fists were like a whistling wind, and his steps were like thunder. Judging from his posture, he looked like a mad bull that had been given a drink.

Jiang Liang glanced back and gasped. He carefully took a sip from his bowl, and the moment it entered his mouth, he felt a surge of heat, his heart burning like charcoal.

Her face flushed red, and she dared not delay any longer, so she hurriedly followed him out the door.

Inside the courtyard, one brother was punching the front with great force, while the other followed closely behind, adopting a fighting stance and chasing after him in the same style of punching.

Jiang Yi stayed in the kitchen, looking out through half a door.

I could only see that the two boys were having a great time fighting, and at first glance, they seemed pretty much the same as yesterday.

But upon closer inspection, it reveals an indescribable ruthlessness.

But his eyesight was limited, and he couldn't see clearly what was going on. He only felt that the fist seemed to be three times heavier than yesterday when it landed.

While Jiang Liang was fighting, he glanced at his older brother out of the corner of his eye and saw that the blush on his face was still there.

Clearly, the effects of that herbal medicine hadn't worn off yet.

With a thought, he immediately took a step forward and charged into the fist's momentum.

Jiang Ming instinctively made a move, and the two exchanged blows, quickly becoming locked in a fierce battle.

Jiang Liang spent a few months working in the county commandant's office. Besides practicing boxing, sparring with others was a regular occurrence for him.

At this moment, his hands and feet flew, each move pressing closer, showing no sign of giving an inch.

The two exchanged blows, kicking and colliding, instantly creating gusts of wind in the small courtyard.

The effects of the medicine on Jiang Ming were forced out by this brutal beating; the redness on his face gradually faded, and his breathing became smoother.

Once this energy settled in, the strength within his body seemed to subtly increase.

As they continued fighting, the force of their punches grew heavier.

Jiang Liang was startled, knowing that his elder brother was already strong, and that this dose of medicine had indeed been effective. If he continued to fight, he was afraid he would suffer a loss.

With a gliding step, he withdrew.

He turned around and ran back to the kitchen, picked up his big bowl, and, imitating his brother, gulped it down in one go.

He wiped his mouth and charged back into the arena.

Back and forth they fought, the two brothers chasing and punching each other, their blows flying constantly, until they were evenly matched.

It's just like the medicinal soup in the stove, getting thicker and thicker the longer it boils, and more and more intense the battle becomes.

Jiang Yi, with his old arms and legs, had never practiced any proper martial arts.

He certainly didn't dare to act like the two boys, relying on the effects of the drug to force his way through.

I only took a pair of chopsticks, carefully dipped a little bit of the herbal medicine into my mouth, and sipped it very lightly, afraid that any bit of heat might burn my internal organs.

As soon as the medicine entered my stomach, I felt a surge of heat rising up.

He didn't panic. He quickly stood in a horse stance in the corner of the courtyard, practiced his stance training, and slowly massaged the medicinal effects into his limbs and bones.

Once the first refinement went smoothly and the strength was tolerable, he took a small sip, not daring to be greedy for more.

Ultimately, he didn't want to venture into the martial world and fight to the death.

At this age, all that matters is staying healthy and agile.

The family stayed cooped up in the courtyard for two days, working so hard.

Only then could the pot of tiger bone and he shou wu soup be refined to a great extent.

The shortest time in this world is precisely the time for family reunion.

Before the rooster crowed and before it was dark, the sound of an oxcart rumbled outside the courtyard, creaking as it turned to the gate.

It was still Grandpa Yu's old ox, pulling the fruit cart, taking a detour to come and pick up Jiang Liang.

Jiang Liang had a bundle slung over his shoulder, inside which were dried meat and dried fruit that his mother had dried.

He nimbly flipped over and boarded Grandpa Yu's oxcart.

He found a gap between the fruit baskets, nestled inside, and sat down with his knees drawn up to his chest.

He waved casually to his family at the gate and said no more.

The oxcart creaked and groaned as it turned a corner, swaying and rocking its way out of the village along the mountain road.

After a bumpy, slow journey of two hours, they finally arrived at Liangshanji, fifty li away from Liangjie Village, before the sun rose higher.

Grandpa Yu pulled the cart to the front of the bus station and watched as Jiang Liang boarded the horse-drawn carriage to the county town.

Then he turned the reins and drove the old ox to the market to set up a stall.

Horse-drawn carriages are faster than oxcarts, but only by a limited margin.

After a bumpy ride for several more days, the sun climbed from the eastern mountain to the western ridge, and Jiang Liang finally stepped into the city gate of Longshan County.

He paid the fare, dusted off the corner of his robe, and without stopping, followed the familiar route straight to the county magistrate's office.

(End of this chapter)