Journey to the West: Cultivation Begins at Jindou Mountain

Chapter 422 Jinshan Temple

Zhong Wen stared in shock at the white jade pendant in his arms, which was now completely shattered but whose Buddhist inscriptions were still clearly visible.

"This is the jade pendant that the monk Fahai from Jinshan Temple gave me when he met my father."

"This thing actually has such a use?! No wonder Father always made me carry it with me."

Zhong Wen pondered for a moment, then slowly stood up, put the broken jade pendant back into his pocket, and looked at the man beside him.

"Send two men to check if the old man is truly dead. No one is to be told about what happened today. Anyone who disobeys will be punished."

As soon as Zhong Wen finished speaking, the man opposite him bowed and agreed.

"Don't worry! No one else will know what happened tonight except these people!"

He had just clearly seen the cold glint in Zhong Wen's eyes. Although the man in front of him was usually kind and gentle, he was never lacking in ruthless methods!

That's why he was willing to work under Zhong Wen and address him as "Sir" instead of "Young Master".
On the turbulent surface of the lower Yangtze River, an island stands in the middle of the river, appearing and disappearing from a distance.

Although it was late at night, the island was still illuminated by firelight, especially the temple on the mountaintop, where the magnificent halls were still brightly lit.

At this moment, in the main hall, a monk dressed in a kasaya was facing the golden Buddha statue in front of him, chanting sutras with his eyes closed, and striking the wooden fish in his hand one by one, so that the sound of the wooden fish echoed in the empty hall.

Suddenly, the sound of the wooden fish in the main hall stopped, and the monk slowly opened his eyes, turned his head, and looked in the direction of Linjiang City.

"Huh? My jade pendant is broken."

The monk frowned slightly, turned around, and slowly walked out of the main hall, as if trying to see everything he wanted to see through the endless darkness.

The jade pendants he gave away over the years, apart from those destined to receive them, were mostly given to high-ranking officials in the imperial court.

However, although all the jade pendants were made by him, he couldn't be sure which person's pendant had shattered.
"Although I don't know who has encountered this trouble, it seems that this humble monk should also make a trip."

A few days later, in the Niu family's pharmacy, Niu Yi was fiddling with an abacus in one hand and writing on an account book with a brush in the other.

Beside Niu Yi, Niu Sanjin lay on a rocking chair, his eyes vacant, staring blankly at the roof beam, as if he had lost all his strength.

Niu Yi just chuckled to himself and didn't say anything.

Once Niu Sanjin received the five thousand taels of silver, he was restless and couldn't sleep soundly.

After all, they were just ordinary people. Over the years, even the small fortune of the Niu family's pharmacy was earned by the couple working diligently from dawn till dusk, penny by penny.

The sudden appearance of five thousand taels of silver was like a pie falling from the sky to him! Right now, he was still dizzy from being hit by this pie.

In the past few days, Niu Sanjin had told Niu Yi several times that they should return the item, as it was not safe to keep something that had been given away for free. However, Niu Yi refused outright, saying that this was not something that had been given away for free.

Niu Yi knew that Zhong Wen would definitely come to Niu's pharmacy again, given his personality. The reason he hadn't appeared recently was simply because he had many things to take care of.

and
In Niu Yi's eyes, streaks of red silk suddenly flashed by, and he seemed to hear the sound of copper coins falling to the ground.

Soon, a figure shrouded in black robes, traveling in a fishing boat on the river outside Linjiang City, came into Niu Yi's view. Then, the ancient books that Niu Sanjin had brought back also flashed before his eyes.

"They arrived quickly, and the rotten and ominous aura emanating from them was quite obvious. Leaving behind that Heavenly Treasure Technique, this person is truly up to no good."

"Perfect timing. The place where he landed isn't far from Guangze's private school. I can go and take a look."

Niu Yi pondered to himself, his gaze drifting to Niu Sanjin not far away.

"Father, I'm going to Guangze's place at noon. I want to go find that book I saw in the private school earlier."

Upon hearing the voice beside him, Niu Sanjin quickly snapped out of his daze and nodded to Niu Yi.

"You're all grown up now, you can decide these things yourself. Oh, by the way..."

Niu Sanjin stood up, walked up to Niu Yi, quickly took out the silver note from his pocket, and stuffed it into Niu Yi's arms.

"Keep it safe, don't let outsiders see it."

As Niu Sanjin spoke, he patted Niu Yi's chest and remarked with emotion:
“Your mother and I have discussed this for several days. Since you earned this, it’s better to keep it with you. Your mother and I are not short of money, and we are doing quite well at home.”

"Furthermore, I have already discussed the prescription you gave me a few days ago with Uncle Bai of your Yulin Hall. We will partner up to sell the Tranquilizing Pill and the Black Jade Ointment. With the reputation of Yulin Hall, this business is sure to be booming."

"Our only hope is that you and your brother are safe and sound."

Niu Yi's expression softened, and he smiled:

"Alright, then I'll take it. If Mom and Dad need anything, just let me know."

His parents in this life didn't seem to have much interest in a life of wealth and luxury; they genuinely hoped that their family could live peacefully and safely.

Perhaps the five thousand taels of silver in his hand could greatly improve his family's situation, but for Niu Sanjin, who was used to a stable life, this sudden windfall made him feel uneasy.

After putting the silver note away, Niu Yi left the Niu family pharmacy and headed towards the private school by the river outside Linjiang City.

This private school was founded by an old scholar surnamed Hu. Niu Yi studied reading and writing here back then. Mr. Hu thought highly of him, believing that he was very intelligent and could learn everything very quickly, so he treated him very well.

However, although Niu Yi had not yet awakened his true spirit and regained his memories at that time, he was still not very interested in studying and becoming an official. So, a few years later, he left the private school and returned to help out at the pharmacy.

Mr. Hu was very sorry about this. He had said to Niu Sanjin several times that Niu Guangyi was destined for studying and taking the imperial examinations. However, Niu Guangyi had made up his mind. Niu Sanjin knew that his son had been very opinionated since childhood, so he did not interfere much with Niu Guangyi's choice. In the end, the matter could only be left unresolved.

Before long, Niu Yi left Linjiang City and arrived at the private school by the river, where he could hear the sounds of children reading aloud.

Looking out, Niu Yi saw rows of wooden houses standing on the bank, and the sound of reading was coming from them. If one sat in one of them, one could see the beautiful scenery on the river.

The wooden house was unremarkable, but upon approaching it, it inexplicably gave people a sense of peace and tranquility.

(End of this chapter)