My Wandering Swordsman

The next morning, the open space on the film set was already packed with people.

As dawn broke and the dew was still wet, the field staff cleared out a square area of ​​about ten feet, which was then surrounded by caution tape.

A large group of extras gathered in a circle, eager to try their hand at acting. The crew members also stopped working, including the assistant director, and huddled together in small groups, whispering among themselves.

I stood in the middle of the open space, hands on my hips, looked around, and nodded in satisfaction.

Seeing that almost everyone had arrived, Ruan Tang stepped forward and handed me an electric megaphone.

"Ahem!"

"Quiet down, everyone!" My voice carried far in the morning breeze.

The crowd gradually quieted down.

"As you all probably know, our filming has to be temporarily suspended. Why? Because that damned First Prince has been driven back to his lair by me."

"Hahaha~" The extras burst into a burst of hearty laughter.

"But this position can't remain vacant forever, so after careful consideration, I, Ji, have decided today to select from among you..."

I glanced around: "Pick one to be the male lead!"

Upon hearing my confirmation, the crowd erupted in uproar.

Holy crap!

"Our day has finally come."

"Damn, he went straight from an extra to the lead role! Who's the lucky guy...?"

With a smile playing on my lips, I reached out and tucked the crowd under my hand: "Originally, I was thinking of setting up a ring and having you all stand on it. Whoever lasts the longest will be the lead actor. But then I thought, we're all brothers, and fighting over something like this would only hurt our friendship."

"So... I've made my decision!"

"Anyone who wants to be the male lead, come up here and fight me one by one! Whoever beats me is the male lead."

As soon as the words were spoken, the crowd fell silent. Everyone stared at each other, bewildered.

Is the conversation going to freeze?

I was a little confused for a moment.

Ruan Tang, sitting next to me, gritted her teeth in hatred and whispered, "Ji Xiaosong, is this the terrible idea you've been thinking about all night? Are you stupid? Who would dare to fight you?"

Her reminder jolted me awake.

Yesterday, the five or six burly men that the First Prince brought were easily dealt with by me and the Flower Monk in just a few moves, and in front of everyone.

"Well--"

I was speechless for a moment.

My original intention was to test everyone's martial arts skills through a contest and find someone of similar ability. But now, no one dares to come up.

The open space was deathly silent; no one answered.

The extras pushed and shoved each other, none daring to be the first to step forward. I stood there, my clothes fluttering in the wind, and the scene became somewhat awkward.

Just then, a gruff voice shouted, "I'll do it!"

I looked in the direction of the sound and saw a bald man in a bathrobe parting the crowd and striding out.

"Brother Ji, this humble monk will fight you!"

I twitched my lips a few times, grabbed the Flower Monk, and said to everyone, "Well, he doesn't count. This guy worked as a martial monk at Baolin Temple for a few years. He's big and strong. I don't like fighting him."

Someone immediately responded, "Brother Ji chickened out!"

I awkwardly explained, "No, no, it's not that I'm a coward, it's just that I'm too lazy to fight, you know? If I were to fight him, we wouldn't finish even when it gets dark."

"Hahaha~ Brother Ji chickened out!"

"..."

Seeing that the situation was getting out of control, I grabbed the monk and said, "No, what are you doing here? Get down!"

The monk, unconvinced, glared and said, "What's wrong with me? I want to play the male lead."

I was about to go crazy, my eyes twitching: "Dude, do you look like the lead actor? What kind of prince shaves his head like that?"

The flower monk retreated dejectedly.

However, this incident had both advantages and disadvantages. After the monk's antics, the atmosphere on set eased considerably, and the tension among the extras dissipated.

Many of the bolder young people began to stir, their wrists and ankles cracking as they squeezed.

I nodded in satisfaction. Very good, very good...

Just as I was about to say a few more words of encouragement, a clear voice suddenly came from the back of the crowd:

"Xiao Ji!"

The extras all turned their heads.

The woman who arrived was dressed in a plain-colored long dress, with a slender figure; she was none other than my fairy-like aunt.

I hurried over to her, beaming with joy: "Auntie? What brings you here?"

My aunt ignored me, glanced at the scene on set, frowned slightly, and scolded, "Xiao Ji, what kind of trouble are you causing now? Making most of the crew play along with you?"

What?

I leaned close to my aunt's ear and told her the whole story, then looked at her with an arrogant expression, waiting for her praise.

How about it, Auntie? Your man is so smart, right? He solved the biggest problem the crew was facing right now... I'm already drooling over the scene where my aunt is praising me endlessly and then throws herself into my arms.

But then, in the next second...

"No!"

"Nonsense!"

My aunt shouted sternly.

What's wrong? I looked at her in surprise.

My aunt grabbed my ear and said, "Are you out of your mind, Ji Xiaosong? You think you can take on a whole group of people by yourself? Who do you think you are, Huo Yuanjia or Ultraman?"

I grimaced and said, "No, no, no, I'm not going to fight a whole group, I'm going to fight them one by one."

"That won't do either. What if he bumps into something or gets hurt? That's ridiculous."

My heart warmed.

My aunt really cares about me.

"It's alright, Auntie. We're all family here, we can't afford to get hurt. Besides, this is the only way we can manage. The production crew is out of money, so we have to find ways to make money from within."

My aunt paused for a moment, then figured out the reasoning behind it, and her tone softened: "Be careful, don't be reckless."

"I understand." I nodded, flattered.

Just then, I glanced at Ruan Tang out of the corner of my eye and noticed that the girl's lips were pouting very high.

Who has provoked her again?

Without thinking much of it, I turned around to face the extras again and said loudly, "Alright, enough chit-chat, have you all decided who's going to come up first?"

After such a long preparation period, everyone has also mentally prepared themselves.

The male lead is so alluring that anyone with even a little bit of ambition wouldn't let this opportunity slip by.

"I'll do it!" A young man raised his hands.

I waved to him: "Come on."

This kid was clearly a hothead. He didn't bother with any of the usual formalities like clasping his hands in greeting or announcing his name. He just pushed through the crowd and charged straight at me, throwing a punch straight at my face.

too slow.

I shook my head, and the instant the young man's fist touched me, I dodged to the side, grabbed his wrist, and with a burst of power from my waist and abdomen, executed a clean over-the-shoulder throw.

"Thump!"

The young man was steadily knocked to the ground.

"Beautiful!" A cheer erupted from the crowd.

I reached out and pulled him up: "Not bad, you've got some skills, and you've got guts. I'll remember you."

The young man grinned, cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, and withdrew.

He went down, but everyone's eyes lit up.

Everyone seems to notice that even when fighting me, I don't seem to lose an arm or a rib, right? And what did Brother Ji just say? Remember him?

Trading a wrestling match for a new face... doesn't seem like a bad deal, huh?