8 Gathering the Talented

"Ji Tianshan and Ji Haogui are just fine, Mother Guan. I've only just put them to bed." Xun Gu did not dare to stand up, but she did not want to raise her head either. Instead, she kept it only slightly lower than before.

Mother Guan looked down at her and giggled, the golden glow on her skin fading away.

"Xun Gu, those children are eligible to receive untold blessings and great fortune."

As Mother Guan was informing Xun Gu of her nephew and niece's fate, Old Man Sun was doing the same thing elsewhere. At the top of a place called Taigao Hill, an odd figure had just arrived. This figure was covered in fur, slender and tall, and wore loose red robes.

Living atop this hill was a small family of people, all of them outside celebrating in the starlight. When they noticed the furred humanoid standing not too far from them, they reeled in shock as that figure reached for its ear and withdrew a long, glowing staff.

"Listen up! It has been decided by me, Sun Wukong, that your children are among the most talented in all the region! Thus, they have been chosen to showcase that talent for the great Son of Destiny!"

Before the people could properly process his words, Sun Wukong tapped the ground with his staff, sending out a powerful quake that made them cry out in shock. Quivering in fear, a young mountain of a man came over. Though he was hulking, standing many heads taller than Sun Wukong, he fell to his knees.

"Great Sage, we thank you for this honor. We of the Taigao Tribe readily present our descendants."

He raised his head and made a signal for the others to send the children over to him. Sun Wukong stuck out his chin, folding his arms as his staff simply stood on its own. Ignorantly and carefreely approaching him were three children. A girl, dressed in torn up clothing and barefooted, hurriedly tied up her brown hair and smiled sheepishly with a bow. She seemed to be no older than fifteen. As she stood there waiting for the others to stand next to her, here eyes darted from Sun Wukong's expressionless face to his glowing staff.

At her side were two boys, one of them wearing nothing but open crotch pants and seeming to be either seven or eight years old. A dull red blush on his face as he hiccupped over and over. As that blushing boy came over, he burped and the stench of powerful alcohol was blown over to Wukong's nose.

When Sun Wukong smelled that alcohol, his eyes widened ever-so slightly and he smiled, 'So, the kid can even drink immortal liquors without exploding? Looks like my champions will win this time, you two.'

The other boy looked over at his drunken companion and frowned, shaking his head. He spoke, his voice high-pitched yet still somehow mature sounding.

"You ill-mannered dullard, you. What an impudent ignoramus you are to act this way before the esteemed, mighty Sage Whom Is Equal To Heaven." That boy then bowed deeply before Sun Wukong and said, "I do apologize for my friend here. Though I do not usually defend him, there is good reason this time around."

Sun Wukong did not say anything, instead he raised a brow. It only just occurred to him that it should not be possible for this boy to acquire immortal liquor normally. Someone must have been up to something. Thinking this, he began to frown.

"Well, Great Sage, a travelling old man passed by saying he had the best wine in all the realm. Being a zealous glutton, my friend here was easily coerced into a drinking game. He is normally highly resistant to alcohol but, as you can see, the old man's wine lived up to its outrageous reputation."

Sun Wukong was even more convinced now that someone had tried to sabotage him. "Did that 'travelling old man' tell you his name?"

"Indeed he did, Great Sage. He said his name was Bai Zihou- a horrible name by the way." [1]

Sun Wukong's face darkened as he heard that name. Not only was it a clear taunt, it was also a name he had heard many times before in similar situations when he was plotted against. Without thinking about it, he turned his face toward the sky and flashed a fiery glare.

After doing that, he grabbed his staff and pressed it against the drunk child's head, cleansing him of the drunken qi.

"Children, tell me your names?"

The girl, who was silently staring at Wukong's staff all this time, suddenly straightened up like a soldier and reported her name, "Great Sage, sir, this one's name is Zhiyuan! Ye Zhiyuan!" Wukong smiled and nodded, motioning for her to stand at his side instead of before him.

Recovered from his wobbly state, the boy in open crotch pants bowed while saying, "Hiya, Great Monkey Sage! I'm Ye Zuliao, but everyone calls me Iron Stomach!"

Sun Wukong repeated his previous action. Now Ye Zhiyuan and Ye Zuliao were standing to his left, looking at the third child with excitement.

"That child smiled and rubbed his nose, seeming proud and confident. "I am called by many names, Great Sage."

After saying this, he swept his foot along the ground and paused for effect, then continued with saying, "Some call me the reincarnation of Solomon. Others say I am a descendant of Shouxing or some other wise deity. The truth is, I am none of those things. I am merely me, Ye Wanshi."

Sun Wukong shook his head, then signaled for Ye Wanshi to join the others at his side. Once they were all standing together, Sun Wukong looked toward the mountainous man and nodded.

"I will be taking them to the village of Mount Logean. If you wish to be there when they showcase their talents before the Son of Destiny, you should hurry. You have less than three days before it begins."

With that, Sun Wukong summoned a cloud and carried the children away with him.

When he arrived at the village, he saw Mother Guan who had also just arrived. She dropped off Ji Tianshan, Ji Haogui and Xun Gu at an inn, then was about to head out when she saw Wukong land just outside of that same place.

"So, Old Man Sun, those are your champions?"

After Sun Wukong, or Old Man Sun, had also dropped the children off in their room, Mother Guan smiled tauntingly at him. He sneered back at her, but said nothing.

"All that remains now is to alert Father Tang's champion." Mother Guan kept her eyes closed, her golden skin already returning to a more normal snowy white. Sun Wukong also went back to looking like a hairy old man, walking alongside her.

"Have you heard? Some people have been spreading the news of His return. A lot of people are going to be visiting in the next few days." Old Man Sun frowned. Seeing his frown, Mother Guan shook her head and clicked her tongue.

"Wukong, do you not realize that the Young Master already saw this coming?" Old Man Sun's bushy eyes widened and he turned to her saying, "What do you mean?"

Again, Mother Guan shook her head and said, "What did the Young Master say? Did he not say that he would descend from the mountain again in three days, and that he wanted us to stop using his home as a tourist attraction?"

"I know what he said, Guan! What does that have to do with anything!?" Old Man Sun scoffed, impatiently flying off the handle just a tad. It was still nighttime, after all, and he did not want to cause a ruckus in the quiet village.

"Your wisdom is lacking, old friend. If the people come, naturally they would want to go up the mountain to see the Young Master."

Old Man Sun nodded, "Right."

"So, by saying this he was informing us of how to handle the influx of visitors. We are to stop them from going up his mountain, and also inform them of the talent show which he will be descending the mountain to observe."

"Ah! Right, right!"

Before long, the two of them were somewhere just outside the village, a bit further west. If one continued in this direction long enough, they would be able to see the ocean. In the wilderness here, there was a sizable hut with a single lantern hanging at the door. Old Man Sun and Mother Guan approached that door, then she knocked on it in a strange way.

"Mother Guan and Old Man Sun, here at the request of Father Tang."

After hearing that, the door was opened by a young woman with snowy hair and icy blue eyes wearing a nightgown. If you looked closely enough, you would be able to see certain strands that were still stained by black dye.

With a smooth and soft, yet indifferent tone, she said, "Bi Xue welcomes you, benefactors. Would you like to come in?"

The girl bowed respectfully as she offered for them to come in, but Mother Guan politely declined and said, "We won't be staying long. Go call your father. There's something you both need to know."

Bi Xue suddenly stiffened, her hands involuntarily grabbing the hem of her nightgown. She went off into the hut.

Mother Guan and Old Man Sun could then hear her say, "Father? Can you stand? The benefactors are here to tell us something important, okay? I'll help you up."

Before long, she returned with a weak-looking old man. He was pale, his lips were dry and cracked and his eyes were foggy and lifeless. He coughed weakly, slowly making his way with Bi Xue's help.

"Where are they, Xue'er?"

"Right in front of us, Father."

Once he was told where Mother Guan and Old Man Sun were, he bowed his head and said, "Thank you for allowing us to stay here as long as you have. We understand that this village is not able to withstand the pressure that a powerhouse like the Yama Clan will surely bring, so we also understand your reason for wanting us to leave."

Almost like it was rehearsed, both father and daughter expressed their thanks and prepared to say their goodbyes, trying their best not to appear sad and broken.

Mother Guan and Old Man Sun exchanged an awkward glance and then stopped them.

"You misunderstand, sir. You and your daughter are free to live here as long as you wish. What we came here to deliver is good news- in fact- it is the greatest news anyone in this realm can possibly hope to hear."

Now it was Bi Xue and her father's turn to look awkwardly at each other. Her father, Yan Longxi, straightened up as best he could and asked, "What is this good news?"

Mother Guan smiled and reached out to touch his shoulder, smiling though he couldn't see her. Bi Xue had no clear expression, but she did seem to appreciate their kindness. It was quite clear that the two were more than used to being turned away from anywhere before they could even settle down.

The untold hardships they suffered had already ingrained in them a feeling that, no matter where they were, they would eventually always be turned away because of who they offended. The Yama Clan was, after all, a major power of the realm.

"Sir, we elders have actually been monitoring you and your daughter for quite some time. Now that the Son of Destiny has returned to Mount Logean, we have decided that her talent is great enough to impress him. In a few days, there will be a talent show of sorts in the village plaza. If she can impress him there, she will have a chance to soar beyond the heavens in a single leap."

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[1] - Bai Zihou is derived from the words that mean something like 'Beats Monkey'