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

Chapter 41 Cold Body Tempering
Watching the two upright figures turn the corner at the village entrance, Jiang Yi lowered his head and weighed the burlap gloves and the small pair of scissors in his hands.

The gloves were sturdy, and the scissors were gleaming; none of them were of poor quality.

He went back into the yard, fetched two buckets of water, slung them on his shoulder, and headed towards the newly turned half-acre of land behind the yard.

The moment my foot touched the ground, a chill hit me.

It wasn't the kind of cold that cuts like a knife in the face and makes your neck stiff in winter, but rather a kind of damp chill.

It was slightly damp and stagnant, and even the air felt a bit compressed.

It is clearly early summer, but this piece of land is like a small, secluded valley with a cold pool, where even sunlight cannot penetrate.

The Liu family had instructed that the seeds were extremely precious and could not be poured in like watering vegetables; they had to be allowed to seep in slowly.

Jiang Yi had no choice but to squat down, cup water in his hands, and gently irrigate along the muddy ridges, little by little.

Before your hands even touched the mud, the chill had already crept up your fingertips, making your joints stiff.

He hurriedly put on the linen gloves; the light blue leather on his palms was quite sophisticated, keeping out most of the cold air.

But that eerie feeling still seeps in little by little along the seams of the sleeves and the pores of the skin, making you feel so cold that your heart tightens.

Fortunately, it's still just a seed at this point, and the "hallucination" that the Liu family mentioned hasn't manifested yet.

After watering the plants, Jiang Yi dusted off his legs and slowly turned back into the yard.

Strangely enough, not long after leaving that muddy area, only about ten steps, the bone-chilling cold was stopped behind, not even a trace of it could catch up.

The sun was still warm, chickens clucked in the corner, and the vegetable leaves drooped limply, as if nothing had happened.

The Liu family's method of drawing upon the cold energy of the earth's veins is nothing short of miraculous.

Jiang Yi found a sunny corner in the courtyard, calmed his mind, and slowly assumed a stance for his martial arts training.

The breaths he exhaled naturally carried a touch of resilience.

A surge of heat rose from the dantian, like a gurgling spring, slowly flowing along the meridians, causing a slight warmth in the tendons and veins, and the blood and qi also surged.

The chill that had seeped into his body was forced out inch by inch by inch by inch by this internal fire, like old snow meeting spring, silently disappearing and dissipating.

Before long, beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, followed by his palms, back, and his entire body, which were steaming.

Only when the feeling of stagnation in his body disappeared did Jiang Yi slowly finish his practice.

He opened his eyes and looked at every blade of grass and tree under the sun in the courtyard, exhaling a long breath of stale air like white mist.

He secretly thought to himself that if an ordinary person didn't know the danger, and stood on that edge of the ground for half an incense stick's time, their bones would probably melt from the cold air.

Not to mention turning the soil and sowing seeds.

This job may look like farming, but it's actually like a form of spiritual practice; you have to rely on your foundation and natural talent to even move your hands and feet.

After resting for a while, he picked up a few wooden stakes and half a bundle of bamboo strips, then picked up his hammer and went back to that field.

One stake after another was driven into the ground, and bamboo strips were strung together one by one. Before long, a small fence of moderate height was erected.

Although this place is usually deserted, having more rules is never a bad thing.

As the days went by, the sun grew harsher each day.

Even the old dog at the village entrance was panting heavily, its tongue lolling out, too lazy to even move its eyes, wishing it could bury itself under the woodpile and never come out again.

But ironically, the half-acre plot behind the Jiang family's courtyard was a cool and secluded world of its own.

It was surrounded by a fence, quiet and still, with no one in sight and no birds in the air.

Only a faint, lingering chill permeated the soil, like a deep, dark well.

The seeds of the Illusionary Shadow Grass remained stagnant, buried in the soil without showing any signs of sprouting, as if they had forgotten about growing at all.

But the Jiang family was living a more comfortable life than in previous years.

Ordinary people dare not approach that place, because it is so cold it chills to the bone.

The Jiang family members all had some connections, so they felt that this place was a blessing from heaven.

In this sweltering summer, just standing on the ground, a chill seeps up from the soles of your feet. It's even more refreshing than soaking your feet in well water, as if it removes seventy or eighty percent of the heat.

However, this chill is not to be underestimated.

It was too cold, and it penetrated too deeply.

After enduring it for a long time, even the bones in your body trembled, as if the chill could climb up your spine and into your heart and lungs.

At this point, it's necessary to move around, practice some basic exercises, and walk through some boxing routines to expel the cold that has seeped into the body before feeling truly at ease.

After a while, Jiang Yi figured out some tricks of the trade.

This method of practice is more effective than the usual empty breathing exercises.

The cold air acted like a medicinal ingredient, intensely cold yet forcing the blood and qi to circulate quickly, deepening the practice and making the stance more powerful.

As he practiced, he discovered that his understanding of the skill had deepened considerably.

So, the place where the Jiang family practiced their martial arts every morning was quietly moved from the courtyard to this chilly edge of the field.

The most interesting one is Jiang Xi. In the past, she would always slack off when practicing stance training, and would often complain of being tired or thirsty. She would even be off-center when practicing stance training.

Now that we're in this area, there's no way we can slack off.

The chill is everywhere; if you are even slightly careless, the cold air will pierce your bones like a thousand fine needles, making you shiver uncontrollably.

At this point, not driving piles is really not an option; if we don't move around, even our fingers will turn blue from the cold.

So Jiang Xi had no choice but to practice with all her might, making sure her punches were powerful and her stances were firm.

Even his usually relaxed gait has taken on a more serious air.

On this day, the weather was as it always was; the sun was scorching hot, almost melting the ground, and even the clouds on the horizon looked wrinkled from being baked.

Jiang Yi, however, remained calm and peaceful, squatting in the cold ground behind the courtyard to escape the heat.

Wearing those linen gloves, he idly turned over the soil, his movements slow and leisurely, as if trying to amuse himself.

A chill emanated from the ground, penetrating even through gloves; it was icy and refreshing, instantly putting one at ease.

Just as they were killing time, they suddenly heard a "whoosh" and a figure darted in like a wild rabbit.

It was the eldest son, Jiang Ming, carrying some belongings on his back, running and shouting:

"Father! Please keep an eye on the donations I collected today!"

The bamboo basket rattled on his back. Jiang Ming didn't elaborate, and when they arrived at the field, he simply threw the basket on the ground.

Before the words were even finished, the person had already started running out of the courtyard, without even taking a breath.

Jiang Yi shook his head as he watched his retreating figure, without saying a word, and simply bent down to pick up the bamboo basket and glance at it.

The basket contained several large watermelons, round and plump, with shiny rinds, looking like they were freshly picked.

With nothing else to do, Jiang Yi quickly dug a hole and buried the bamboo basket and melon together, leaving only the edge sticking out.

This place is chillingly cold, perfect for chilling melons; it's just as effective as an ice cellar.

In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, a thin layer of frost appeared on the melon rind, exuding an indescribable coolness.

A short while later, Jiang Ming returned with two skinny, monkey-like boys.

All three of them looked like they were about to melt from the heat, but their faces still held an undisguised excitement.

The two boys looked around as soon as they entered the yard, their eyes lingering on the fence, as if they had heard something unusual.

Jiang Ming said little, but squatted down by the cold ground, scooped out several frosty watermelons from the ditch, and quickly handed them to the two of them, instructing them:
"Take it and share it with everyone."

The two boys, carrying the melons, felt a chill run down their spines and ran off happily, their steps quick.

Once everyone had walked away, Jiang Ming handed the largest melon to Jiang Yi, beaming and with a hint of self-satisfaction in his voice.
"Dad, save this for tonight to share with Mom and my sister."

After saying that, he grabbed the last melon, turned around, and dashed off to the back of the mountain.

(End of this chapter)