Planning for the Grand Event

Ling Jian'er, who was still flat on her back and staring blankly at the sky, could not yet figure out how she was beaten. In a space of time much too small for her to comprehend, she was brought down to the ground.

"Come now, monkey. Is that all the fight you have in you?"

Hearing Logean Wuji say this, her fighting spirit was rekindled and her anger boiled at an even greater intensity than before. However, she was not a fool.

"Why gloat? Is surprising little girls like me by hiding your cultivation base really that amazing?" Ling Jian'er sat up, trying her best to suppress the rage in her heart. Logean Wuji knew exactly what was happening, but he said nothing and continued to push.

"Ah, do forgive me. I was under the impression that I was up against a genius, not a helpless little girl." It was one thing to be taunted, but another thing to be taunted by someone who was smiling warmly, seeming kind when their words were, indeed, dripping with poison.

"Any random idiot knows that, in this world, talent is subjective. I may be a genius here, but to you I am just a frog in a well."

As she was saying this, an imperceptible glint of approval flashed in Logean Wuji's eyes.

"So, where are you from? The Proud Heaven Empire?"

Before Logean Wuji could respond, Ye Hong and Ling Ji'er flew out from behind his back, fuming in so much anger that they were red in the face. They looked like, at any moment, steam could burst out of their ears.

"Stupid girl! You have eyes yet you can't recognize Mt. Tai!"

Pow! Pow! Pow!

In quick succession, Ling Ji'er had slapped her sister three times in the face, evoking unprecedented surprise as well as heavy killing intent from Ling Jian'er. Before the fiery girl could say anything though, Ye Hong pushed Ling Ji'er aside in order to give Ling Jian'er a piece of his mind as well.

"Didn't we just say that this is Sir Wuji of the Logean Clan, that legendary existence that once graced this realm many years ago? Is your brain still working!?"

Bam!

Ye Hong had taken the opportunity to pound Ling Jian'er on the head furiously. Ling Jian'er glared at him as well, but soon her glare faded away.

"Did you say... Logean Clan... ?"

For the first time, fear could be seen on her face. She finally seemed to understand the severity of her crime. Had she truly been stupid enough to ignore their words earlier and then proceed to attack Logean Wuji?

Shockingly, her teeth began to chatter and mucus began to run from her nostrils.

"No, no, no, no! Please, O Great and Powerful Wuji Immortal! I beg of you, forgive this stupid, lowly, idiotic, brainless frog!"

Ye Hong and Ling Ji'er were speechless. When had Ling Jian'er ever groveled like this? Though she had only been in the village for less than two weeks, it was a known fact that no one had ever brought her to such a state. She would often challenge the authority of even the chieftain and the village elders.

Logean Wuji seemed to suddenly understand something, so he shook his head slowly and said, "Ye Hong, Ling Ji'er, I know what I wish to order now: some soup."

Ye Hong and Ling Ji'er immediately perked up, turning around and both saying, "Right away, Sir Wuji."

Seeing them turning to leave, Logean Wuji did the same. He was about to follow behind them when Ling Jian'er's sobbing came to an abrupt halt.

"Don't look down on me!" She vanished from the floor, appearing to have teleported over to Logean Wuji. Her body spun and her leg was now mere inches away from the side of Logean Wuji's head.

"It's not that I want to look down on you; I truly can't help but look down on you."

Wham!

Ling Jian'er had tried a surprise attack, but Logean Wuji was already expecting it. Once again, Ling Jian'er found herself on the floor. The only difference this time was that, no matter how hard she tried, she could not move an inch. Her body had dug a hole almost three feet deep and she was rooted in place.

"Damnit! Damnit, damnit, damnit! How are you defeating me!"

It was evident, now, that this fiery little psycho didn't care about who Logean Wuji was. She simply wanted to beat him up!

Ye Hong and Ling Ji'er turned around, their expressions strange. With twitching brows, they slid over to Ling Jian'er and crouched down, one on either side of her. They chuckled softly, slowly and ominously, like agents of death come to torment her in her last moments.

"Jian'er..."

"Jian'er... You fool..."

Logean Wuji continued to smile and did not move. Instead, he reached into his robe and, instantly, the aura of time and space flowed out from his clothes in torrents. When he withdrew his hand, an old script was in it.

"It should take a few hours for you to be able to move again. If you're truly a genius, you could be free in less than one hour. Anyway, once you can move you should take this script. It's the introductory level of the technique I used to defeat you just now."

Ye Hong and Ling Ji'er's expressions underwent tremendous changes. Now, they both revered Ling Jian'er like she was the luckiest person alive. With envious gazes, they stared at the script and then at her sorry self.

"If you can use this technique in time for the talent showcase event, you will count as having truly surprised me. Farewell for now, monkey."

After that, Logean Wuji reentered the restaurant. Ye Hong and Ling Ji'er reluctantly, and carefully, placed the script on Ling Jian'er's chest then hurried to catch up to Logean Wuji. The people were in high spirits, but once Logean Wuji went back to his table and sat down, they slowly became silent. Eventually, the people were either whispering or saying nothing at all.

Suddenly, Old Man Sun stood up from the table, wiping his mouth with his long sleeve. "While we are in the presence of Sir Wuji, allow me to be the first to say that we, the village elders, will personally be putting together the talent showcase."

The people's expressions brightened. They had more or less forgotten that Logean Wuji had spoke of this earlier.

"We plan to use the plaza for this event, so tell your friends and family. All are welcome to come before Sir Wuji and showcase their talents." Old Man Sun bowed to Logean Wuji then sat down again. Logean Wuji nodded in response, but then felt the need to add something.

"Just to be clear, I am not looking for more useless people. I need true talent, things that can be used to build this village into a true state- the grand state of Akna-Logea. If I am not impressed by your potential, you will be turned down."

After that, he turned to the village elders who were seated at the special table. "I will descend from my mountain again three days from today. Also, be advised that participation is not limited to the villagers here. Anyone that claims to be a part of my region is welcome."

After that he continued to wait for his soup and, when it arrived, everyone watched and waited for his appraisal of it. Seeing him pick the bowl up and sip it slowly, appearing to savor the taste, they thought he quite enjoyed it. However, once he drank all of it, he put the bowl down, cleaned his mouth and said, "Needs more flavor and less oil."

A bit later, when they were finally finished scrutinizing the Divine Flat Peach and the complete script 'Essence of the Culinary Dao,' Zhou Mantiao walked out of the outdoor kitchen. There was a girl who had been sitting at the back of the restaurant for quite a while, remaining inconspicuous. She waved at him and he went over, smiling and hugging her before sitting to chat a bit.

Logean Wuji couldn't help but notice, even though he wasn't particularly interested. In fact, he was actually privy to every conversation within the restaurant, even though he really didn't want to eavesdrop. Ye Hong noticed his odd expression and asked, "Is everything alright, Sir Wuji? Want us to clear this place out?"

Logean Wuji smiled bitterly and shook his head, "No, it's fine. I'm just used to silence, that's all. I need to readjust to ...this."

As they were having a light chat, the elders' conversation was much more serious. They were trying to come up with ways to ensure the talent show was as perfect as possible.

"Old Man Sun, you can still use your alteration magic, right?"

"Naturally. What does Father Tang have in mind?"

"We need a suitable stage, but building one doesn't seem like an option right now. Take a flat brick and alter its size so that it's big enough to be a stage."

"Right."

"Mother Guan."

"Yes, Father Tang."

"I will have to rely on you to 'convince' those people to attend."

"Are you referring to those two people that came from the south?"

"Not just them, Mother Guan. We've kept tabs on everyone with above average potential within this region. Surely you don't think we'll prevent them from the opportunity laid out before them."

Father Tang smiled at his fellow elders, but Old Man Sun suddenly scoffed and said, "And what will you be doing, old one."

Father Tang did not take offense. Instead, he made a motion with his head, directing them to look in a certain direction. When they did, they saw Logean Wuji smiling with closed eyes, speaking about something with Ye Hong and Ling Ji'er.

"I'm going to be with Young Master Wuji. Using our spirit-link, I will be able to send messages to you the minute I learn anything from him. We cannot afford to not meet his expectations. I'm afraid we'll have to break open our coffers. Anything suitable you have from the other realm, bring it out. Do not hesitate."

Though they were speaking all of this in a public place, no one could hear a thing. Father Tang had used a strange warding magic to prevent their conversation from traveling further than the table. The only person who could hear anything was Logean Wuji, but he acted like he didn't.

Once the elders were finished, they got up and left the restaurant.

On their way out, they happened to pass by the hole where Ling Jian'er was. Though they did not really like this girl, they had to admit that her talent was, at the very least, a bit above average. They had tried to nurture her, but who would have thought that this little girl would scorn their teaching and instead try to challenge them. Eventually, they all gave up.

"Heh heh! Little girly, how are you feeling down there?" Like a mischievous scamp, Old Man Sun crouched near the hole and mockingly smiled at Ling Jian'er, prodding and poking her face with his finger. Seeing that smile on his face, the girl was even more enraged.

"Huh? What's that?" Old Man Sun noticed a strange script resting on her torso and was about to reach for it when Father Tang shouted, "Old Man, stop at once!"

From where Father Tang was, he could just barely see that the minute Old Man Sun had reached for the script, the air around him had begun to tighten. If he had grabbed that paper, he would have been constricted by the air and, quite possibly, suffocated.

"Impossible! Is there an enchantment on it?" Old Man Sun shot up to his feet, eying the paper strangely while feeling himself up to make sure he was unhurt.

Mother Guan sighed, clasped her hands and said, "Amitabha. Little one, please tell us where this script came from. It is quite strange."

Ling Jian'er, who was still struggling to move anything below her neck, looked at Mother Guan and said, "That Longan Wuji person, or whatever his name is- He gave it to me!"

Hearing this, they were all pleasantly surprised, but also not. After all, the enchantment had been about to cause Old Man Sun to die. The three of them knew that that was no easy feat, so they remained quiet for a while.

"Child, did he also ...put you in this hole?"

Groaning, Ling Jian'er said, "Yes! Now can you leave me alone so I can concentrate on getting out!?"

Hearing that, they shared a look and then walked away. There was quite a bit to do, but the first step was telling Lin Fei and his men. Despite how capable the elders were, Lin Fei was still the village's chieftain. They had to instruct him first, then they could proceed with the rest.

There was no doubt about it; the talent show was going to be the most lively thing to ever happen in the village for years.

Surprisingly, Logean Wuji stayed in the restaurant all the way until closing time. He, Ye Hong and Ling Ji'er drank tea, ate food and laughed. Logean Wuji was amazed that they could get along as well as they did, but he was also elated. If that was the case, then it would be much easier to have them work directly under him. He also felt much better about bestowing them with the power and authority he was preparing to.