This kid has some skills.
Elder Li and Vice Leader Zhao exchanged glances, both thinking the same thing.
Master Zhang panicked.
No longer maintaining his leisurely demeanor, he frantically pulled out oil-paper packages from his robe.
Tang Wen continuously soothed the Water Sprite, urging it not to rush out of the cage, while silently cheering on his opponent in his heart:
Hurry up!
Tame it faster!
Skip all those messy steps!
You're not some unknown beast tamer; you're a half-step master, after all…
After barely dragging things out for over ten minutes,
Suddenly, the female Water Sprite, pregnant with her young, woke from her sleep, her eyes filled with worry as she looked at her mate and child.
She let out a series of roars.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The female Water Sprite began kicking the cage.
Her temper flared.
Not good!
Tang Wen frowned: These guys clearly knew the female Water Sprite shouldn't be agitated, so why did they bring her here?
"Chirp, chirp."
The male Water Sprite turned its head and communicated with the female.
Damn it!
The male Water Sprite's taming couldn't be hidden anymore.
Sure enough,
In the next moment, the male Water Sprite turned to look at Tang Wen, gently shaking the cage bars with its hands, emitting low, gentle sounds.
It looked like a big dog, begging its owner of over a decade for food.
In fact, its meaning was similar.
It wanted its owner, Tang Wen, to open the cage and let it go see the female Water Sprite.
"This?"
Everyone present had been closely watching Tang Wen's every move.
They all saw the male Water Sprite's transformation.
Stalling was no longer possible.
Tang Wen sighed silently. On the other side, Master Zhang had just barely managed to get the young Water Sprite to eat.
It would take at least half a day to fully tame it.
Forget it.
Hopefully, they won't find it too exaggerated.
Tang Wen turned and said, "Vice Leader Zhao, Elder Li, I think, well, I mean, I've already completed the taming."
What?
The Boat Gang couldn't accept it.
"What kind of joke is this?"
"It's only been a few minutes!"
"Less than half an hour."
"Is it real? Let's see it released!"
"That's right, release it and let's see!"
They frowned and started shouting.
Seeing their potential earnings slip away, who could stand it?
The Blackwater Gang, naturally, was overjoyed.
The reversal came too quickly.
Most of them still didn't quite believe it, unsure whether Tang Wen had truly completed the taming.
For a moment, no one dared to say anything.
Release it? Fine, release it!
Tang Wen shook his head.
He took out a brass key, unlocked the cage, and with a creak, opened the door.
The male Water Sprite immediately ran out, just like a domesticated dog, showing no fear as it dashed straight toward the female Water Sprite.
The Martial Practitioners guarding the cages nearby quickly stepped back, widening their defensive perimeter.
They weren't afraid of the Water Sprites, but they worried they might escape.
Tang Wen walked over to the female Water Sprite's cage and cast two [Mental Soothing] spells, completely dispelling her hostility.
After lingering there for a while,
He turned and saw the young male Water Sprite in front of Master Zhang's cage, eating voraciously.
Master Zhang remained composed. No matter the surrounding commotion, as long as the elders and the Gang Lord hadn't declared Tang Wen the winner,
He ignored everything else, focusing solely on taming the Water Sprite before him.
"Eat, eat, eat quickly!"
"Finish this, and there's more from your old man here."
"…"
He muttered incessantly.
His hand holding the food tentatively reached into the cage.
Wanting to touch the fur of the half-grown Water Sprite.
His sneaky attempt to reach out was spotted by the female Water Sprite.
"Chirp chirp!"
The mother beast was fiercely protective of her young.
The male Water Sprite also turned its head and let out a fierce roar at the child.
"Chirp!"
The half-grown Water Sprite immediately sprang up, squeaking at its parents.
After some unknown exchange, it turned its head to look at Master Zhang, revealing a fierce expression.
Master Zhang, unwilling to give up, continued to try to get closer.
But the half-grown Water Sprite completely turned against him.
It roared and screeched at him.
Even the food he offered was knocked to the ground.
Seeing this, Tang Wen commanded, "Alright, go over there and tell your child not to be afraid. No one will bully it from now on. Your family is safe."
"Chirp."
The male Water Sprite let out an excited cry, stepping over to another cage, first baring its teeth at Master Zhang.
Only then did it extend its paw inside, gently stroking the head of the half-grown Water Sprite.
Everyone fell silent.
The situation was crystal clear.
Master Zhang's face turned pale, as if he had lost his parents.
He couldn't understand.
He hadn't seen Tang Wen use any extraordinary methods, so how had he tamed the creature so quickly?
Was the Blackwater Gang cheating?
But.
The three Water Sprites had been transported together by the Blackwater Gang and the Boat Gang in the early hours of the morning.
Even if the Blackwater Gang wanted to cheat, they had neither the time nor the opportunity to arrange it.
Cough!
Elder Li coughed, drawing everyone's attention:
"It seems the outcome is decided."
The deputy Gang Lord of the Boat Gang looked at Tang Wen: "The younger generation is formidable! Alright, there's a pond up ahead. Let's go and test it out!"
The male Water Sprite seemed obedient, but the necessary tests still had to be conducted.
Tang Wen led the male Water Sprite ahead, while the others followed with the remaining two Water Sprites.
Turning a corner, they arrived in front of a lotus pond.
The pond was half dry, the water level only reaching halfway up the walls. The lotus flowers had not yet fully withered, and some lotus seed pods had already grown.
Tang Wen pointed at the flowers and leaves in the pond: "Go down and pick the lotus seed pods, try not to damage the lotus flowers."
Without hesitation, the male Water Sprite slipped into the water along the bank, deftly avoiding the lotus flowers and leaves, and swiftly picked up dozens of lotus seed pods.
Elder Li, Gang Lord Zhao, and others all turned their gaze to the Boat Gang members.
At this point, the deputy Gang Lord of the Boat Gang had nothing more to say, only managing to utter two dry words: "Not bad."
The Boat Gang, being straightforward, didn't make a fuss.
Their elder snorted:
"Fine, you win. This salvage operation will be led by you. Brothers, let's retreat!"
The Boat Gang members left grumbling, with Master Zhang walking at the end, looking utterly dejected.
As he walked, he kept turning back, constantly looking at Tang Wen, muttering something under his breath.
"Good job, kid!"
"Hahaha, Brother Tang Wen, today's victory really brought us honor!"
"Not only honor, but also a good amount of silver."
"..."
The Blackwater Gang members, all beaming with joy, took turns slapping Tang Wen on the shoulders and back.
Their previous gloom was swept away, replaced by uncontainable joy.
An unexpected windfall!
They had thought they were sure to lose, but who would have guessed that Tang Wen, who didn't seem like much, would turn the tables and even defeat the renowned Master Zhang!
"One to two odds, hahaha, those guys from the Boat Gang will have to tighten their belts for a few days!"
"Not only will they have to tighten their belts, but they'll also have to keep their pants up."
"Hahahaha"
The laughter was filled with mischief.
From their smiles, it was clear how they would spend their money.
"Here's yours!"
Wu Hao walked over and handed the thickest stack of silver notes to Tang Wen.
Everyone happily divided the money.
The ill feelings they had towards Tang Wen were swept away by the gleaming silver notes.
"Let's go! We'll talk more back at the gang."
They all left together, chatting and laughing, thoroughly enjoying themselves.
However, Tang Wen's heart was not as light as it appeared.
The three Water Sprites were brought back to the Blackwater Gang headquarters.
"You did well, didn't disgrace our Blackwater Gang," Vice Leader Zhao approached Tang Wen as soon as they returned to the headquarters and said, "But one Water Sprite isn't enough. Tame the half-grown one as well. Is an hour enough?"
An hour?
Tang Wen's heart skipped a beat.
That's too short.
Indeed, the speed at which he had tamed the Water Sprite earlier was too fast, and now he was under suspicion.
Were they suspecting that he had hidden his Martial Arts level or beast-taming abilities?
--Support me in Patreon for more chapters 35+ chapters in there
patreon.com/TLGod
Thanks!