Journey to the West: Cultivation Begins at Jindou Mountain

Chapter 433 Suzhou City

"Is Young Master Niu about to embark on a long journey?"

On the banks of the Yunyan River, Niu Yi smiled and nodded at the man opposite him.

"Indeed, I have already said goodbye to my family and am heading to Suzhou. I have come to pay my respects to you, Brother Li."

The man named Li nodded, clearly understanding Niu Yi's purpose in coming, and then solemnly said:
"Please rest assured, Young Master Niu. Before my master left, he instructed the brothers who remained in Linjiang City to take care of the Niu family. Young Master Niu, please go ahead. We will take care of Linjiang City."

"Alright, then I'll trouble you, Brother Li."

Niu Yi nodded with a smile, but did not leave immediately. Instead, he looked at the several fishing boats on the shimmering Yunyan River, where they were dredging something.

"Brother Zhong, the thing you mentioned earlier still hasn't been retrieved. The Yunyan River appears calm on the surface, but there are undercurrents beneath. Brother Li, you should still remind the brothers to be careful."

Upon hearing this, Li didn't feel slighted at all; instead, he nodded with a wry smile.

“Young Master Niu is right. These brothers on the river are all excellent swimmers, but they almost got caught in the undercurrents.”

Li did not underestimate the person in front of him at all. In Zhong Wen's words, this person might be the only one who could help him find the treasure in the river.

Now that Zhong Wen has returned to the Duke's mansion, finding the treasure in the river has become the task he left them. However, half a year has passed, and they have almost lived on the river, but they still haven't found the legendary treasure.

Although this person in front of them hasn't offered any help, the fact that their master values ​​him so highly suggests that he might actually help them find this treasure in the river someday.

Besides, after spending so much time together, they no longer hide things from each other as they did before, and they both know the truth about many things.

Niu Yi gazed at the river for a moment, then slowly said:

"I came across a record about Yunyan River a few days ago while browsing through ancient books."

“In the Yunyan River, several dynasties ago, there were rumors that an evil dragon existed on both banks of the river.”

Upon hearing this, Li's eyes lit up, and he looked at Niu Yi with some anticipation.

Niu Yi looked at the river and continued:
"According to the book, an evil dragon wreaked havoc on the Yunyan River, causing immense suffering to the residents on both banks. Later, a sorcerer passed by and used his great magic to slay the evil dragon. He then used his magic sword to suppress the dragon's corpse at the bottom of the Yunyan River, thus quelling the dragon's resentment."

"However, if what is recorded in this book is true, it has probably been more than a thousand years. Not to mention whether the dragon corpse and the sword still exist, the Yunyan River is no longer the Yunyan River of a thousand years ago."

As Niu Yi spoke, he shook his head, patted Li on the shoulder, and left, leaving Li standing there in a daze.

A moment later, Li realized what was happening and quickly turned around to look. He saw Niu Yi, dressed in blue, already walking away. He hurriedly called out:

"Thank you so much, Young Master Niu!! Thank you so much, Young Master Niu!"

Li Jian waved to Niu Yi without turning his head, his joy completely undisguised.

This young master Niu Guangyi has practically made it clear that the treasure isn't in the river! With the capabilities of their Duke's Mansion, finding out the distribution of the Yunyan River a thousand years ago would still be somewhat difficult, but it's no longer like searching for a needle in a haystack!
"The dragon bones have now turned into a mountain peak, leaving only a sword with a slight spiritual aura in the mountain. If Zhong Wen finds it, it won't cause any problems."

“The person who left behind that treasure map is far more interesting than this Dragon Bone Sword.” A smile crossed Niu Yi’s face. Not far in front of him, under the shade of a large tree, a figure in a bright red official robe was bowing to him.

"Please feel free to leave, fellow Daoist. I will take care of the Niu family. When you return, I will prepare a feast to welcome you back."

Lu Hong's expression was solemn and his tone sincere, clearly indicating that these were not mere polite words.

Niu Yi returned the greeting with a cupped hand and smiled:
"In that case, I'll have to trouble you, fellow Daoist."

Lu Hong, the City God of Linjiang City, and Lu Hong had become quite close over the past six months, which finally led Lu Hong to open his heart to the man before him, and the man was willing to treat him with sincerity.

As Niu Yi finished speaking, his figure transformed into a gentle breeze and flew towards Suzhou City.

On the other side, at the Niu family's home.

Bai Fangfang and Niu Sanjin stared speechlessly at the stone mill in front of them, which already bore several handprints. Niu Sanjin reached out and compared his handprints with theirs, then sighed and said:
"Sigh, let's replace the stone mill too. It's better to destroy this one as soon as possible. If someone sees it, who knows what trouble it might cause."

"Even Uncle Bai was terrified when he saw the brat pressing his handprint on the millstone last night, let alone the others."

Upon hearing this, Bai Fangfang shook her head with a wry smile, unsure of what to say.

The couple knew that Niu Guangyi had revealed this skill to put their minds at ease so they could go to Suzhou, but this was still too astonishing.
About half a year ago, their eldest son started studying that ancient book, and it seems he gained something quite remarkable.
Bai Fangfang looked at the stone mill in front of her for a moment, then turned to Niu Sanjin and suddenly said:

"My dear husband, a few days ago quite a few people came to our house to propose marriage for our eldest son. I was still observing, but now I think we should probably turn them all down."

"I don't think the eldest brother has any intention of getting married and having children. It's up to him to decide."

Niu's pharmacy has been thriving lately, and Niu Yi's appearance and temperament have attracted countless young women. Moreover, since they are all neighbors and know each other well, it naturally attracted many matchmakers to come and arrange marriages for Niu Yi.

Upon hearing this, Niu Sanjin pondered for a moment, then nodded and said:
“That’s fine. Our eldest son is destined for greatness. You and I can’t help him much, so it’s better to let him handle everything himself. That way, at least he can walk more lightly.”

Others might not know, but he did: his eldest son still had a five-thousand-tael silver note, and that was his source of confidence.

He slowly stood up from the stone bench, patted his aching back, and looked somewhat sentimental.

"In the blink of an eye, so many years have passed. The children have all grown up, and we are now an old couple. We can see wrinkles on our faces."

"We can't be with those two brothers for that long; there's always a part of their journey they have to walk on their own."

Meanwhile, as half a cup of tea's time passed, a gentle breeze blew into the bustling city of Suzhou from outside the city gates, swirling in a rather secluded alley, revealing Niu Yi's figure.

"Suzhou City is much larger than Linjiang City."

Niu Yi's spiritual sense enveloped the entire city of Suzhou in an instant, and then disappeared in the blink of an eye. However, even in that brief moment, a certain being in the city sensed something was amiss.

(End of this chapter)