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

Chapter 40 Drawing Cold Veins to Plant Cold Herbs

The next morning, just as the sky began to brighten, the sound of footsteps echoed from the Jiang family's courtyard.

Jiang Yizheng walked around the stake, taking each step with a pause, focusing his energy in his dantian, his steps as steady as a rock.

Before the stance training had even finished, people were already waiting outside the courtyard.

The Liu family servant who came yesterday was dressed in blue and had his shoulders and back straight.

He stood silently by the door, carrying a bundle in each hand, both bulging.

One on the left and one on the right, with their eyes slightly lowered, they stood upright, resembling two newly sculpted door gods.

After Jiang Yi finished practicing the stance exercise, he slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, raised his handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his palms, and then shook his hand to open the courtyard gate.

The door creaked open, and the two men bowed simultaneously.
"By order of the Master of the Manor, I have come to manage the medicinal herb fields for Patriarch Jiang."

His voice was flat, neither loud nor soft, revealing no emotion whatsoever.

Jiang Yi didn't say much, just nodded, and led them around the chicken coop and vegetable patch, heading straight towards the foot of the mountain behind the courtyard.

The plot of land was about half an acre in size, and they usually only grew fruits and vegetables for their own consumption.

It was agreed yesterday that we would first use it to try planting the Illusionary Shadow Grass.

This herb is yin and evil in nature, its coldness penetrates to the bone, and it is difficult for ordinary people to approach.

This place is far from the village road, secluded and quiet, which is quite suitable.

When the two arrived at the field, they were not in a hurry to turn over the soil and plant seedlings. Instead, they squatted down, untied the bundle in their hands, and took out a strange object.

It looks like two copper rods connected by a snap fastener. They are no more than a foot long and make a soft copper sound when you shake them in your hand.

The slightly taller servant took it in his hand, his expression solemn, and walked slowly to the ground, each step steady and deliberate.

The copper rod swayed gently in his palm, moving left and right as if it were alive, searching for some kind of aura underground.

Jiang Yi stood aside and watched. Although he didn't know their origins, he could still figure out some of the details.

That's not the feng shui technique of finding dragon veins and locating auspicious sites; it's more like the methods of family-based sorcerers who use tools to measure the land and identify the flow of earth veins.

Sure enough, after only a moment, the bronze vessel suddenly sank in the air, emitting a soft "hum" sound, and hung in mid-air, no longer swaying.

The tall servant flicked his wrist, inserting the bronze object into the mud, the slipknot gripping the ground an inch deep.

With the earth's veins settled, the two remained silent, only taking out a few ancient bronze coins from another bundle. They were dark and thin.

Then they took out small wooden mallets, each holding one, and slowly began to circle around the bronze vessel.

The pace was slow and the rhythm was not very regular, as if they were not following a formation diagram, but rather moving around to some unseen beat.

The wooden mallet struck the ground with a thud, the sound not loud, but with a faint echo.

Jiang Yi stood to the side, his brows slightly furrowed.

He couldn't understand the nuances behind the rhythm, but he felt the air grow colder.

The chill seemed to rise from the feet, creeping upwards around the ankles in wisps.

It's as if something is slowly awakening beneath this ordinary vegetable garden.

The surroundings had fallen silent at some point; even the birds on the branches had stopped chirping.

Only the thumping sound of the drum echoed in the silence.

The two men's expressions hardened, and a hint of solemnity appeared in their eyes. They exchanged a glance, nodded slightly, and then simultaneously withdrew their hands.

As soon as the knocking stopped, the footsteps also fell silent.

However, the bone-chilling cold did not dissipate, still enveloping the small patch of mud like a light veil.

With the terrain secured and the battle line firmly established, the tall servant stepped forward, bowed respectfully, and whispered:
"The land is ready. The cold veins have been drawn in, and from here on out will be a bone-chilling cold place, which is just what the grass is best suited for."

Before he finished speaking, he had already picked out an ordinary hoe from the side, rusty and with a wooden handle that was worn shiny.

But the moment he gripped the handle, his body sank slightly, and he shifted his stance slightly, his entire demeanor changed.

The hoe fell silently, without any apparent force or sound, yet it seemed to slice diagonally into the soil along its veins.

With a single stroke of the hoe, only a soft "sizzle" was heard, and the soil was loosely broken up by the subtle force, turning into a loose clump. The movements were unhurried and seemingly gentle, but in reality, the efficiency was astonishing.

In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, this half-acre of land had been turned over neatly and looked brand new, with the soil as loose as cotton wool.

The underground gravel and grass roots were cleverly avoided, revealing a layer of moist black soil.

Jiang Yi stood aside, his expression unchanged, but his heart couldn't help but tighten slightly.

Over the years, he has honed his strength through rigorous training, making him adept at farming. He considers himself the fastest and most efficient landscaping expert in the village.

But this man, with just a casual flick of his hoe, instilled in him a strange sense of defeat.

It is true that there is always someone better than you.

I knew Liu Family Manor was no ordinary place, but I never expected that even the servants sent to farm would be so cunning.

The other person was not idle either; he had already taken out a small cloth bag from his bundle.

Turn the bag inside out to reveal a handful of tiny seeds.

It was pitch black, yet faintly glowed. At first glance, it looked like scattered stars in the night sky, but upon closer inspection, it resembled perfectly round iron beads.

He was calm and composed, exuding an air of extraordinary composure.

The man casually grabbed something, his fingertips paused slightly, and his brows furrowed, revealing a chill that penetrated to the bone.

But he didn't say a word, just rolled up his sleeves, bent down, and quietly began to scatter.

The grains were scattered very neatly, each one distinct, as if arranged according to a ruler.

After the star-like seeds had all safely fallen into the soil, the two whispered some important instructions.

Phrases such as "This herb prefers shade and dislikes the sun, becomes cold when exposed to water, is intolerant of strong sunlight, and cannot withstand wind and frost" are clearly stated one by one.

Jiang Yi listened attentively, nodding frequently. Although it was the first time he had heard of such strange properties of herbs, he dared not be careless.

After saying this, the two men took out a few small items from their bags, saying they were specially reserved for him.

A pair of linen gloves, with coarse knots, and a layer of light blue leather on the palm, which felt hard and brittle to the touch.

It is said that it can ward off the cold and dampness of the grass seeds, making it the most suitable material for weeding and gathering branches.

Another pair of small scissors, with a blade as bright as water, said to be specially designed for pruning, without damaging the roots, cutting only once and stopping without disturbing the grass.

Having explained all these things clearly, Jiang Yi felt that the task was quite weighty.

Following local custom, they insisted on having the two of them stay for a meal and offered them an old hen as a token of their gratitude.

To everyone's surprise, the two men simply bowed and said, "The master has instructed us not to linger."

After saying that, he turned and left, his steps steady, without even looking back.

Jiang Yi stood there, watching the two figures turn the corner at the village entrance. His body hadn't moved yet, but his mind was slightly jolted.

The task of having someone plant grass in Liu Family Village should have been a routine job, but it turned out to be quite a spectacle.

They carefully prepared everything from digging out veins and surveying the land to turning over the soil and planting seeds, even providing gloves to keep warm and small pruning shears.

This attentiveness just feels awkward no matter how you look at it.

He slowly steadied the hoe, his gaze falling on the patch of freshly turned, soft mud at his feet.

He silently went over the few things in the house that might make him want to keep an eye on them from head to toe.

A rickety eight-immortal table, two faded coarse cloth clothes, a few broken urns, and a few old hens that grew up scavenging medicine dregs...

After listing them one by one, he couldn't see anything that would warrant such a grand fuss from Master Liu.

As the thought crossed my mind, my heart suddenly skipped a beat.
If there really is some treasure... then wouldn't that be...

Jiang Yi's expression slightly changed, and his gaze unconsciously drifted towards the back of the house.

Could it be that the manor lord has taken a fancy to my own girl?

(End of this chapter)