Fortunately, Tang Wen had anticipated this on his way back to the gang.
He had already prepared an excuse in his mind: "I dare not hide it from the Gang Lord, it is possible."
"Oh?" Vice Leader Zhao's eyes gleamed with interest.
Elder Li also narrowed his eyes, his gaze flickering uncertainly.
Being able to quickly tame two Mid-level Exotic Beasts—such strength couldn't possibly belong to an ordinary Mid-level Beast Tamer, could it?
What exactly is this kid's background?
Tang Wen didn't look at their expressions and continued:
"But it's only temporary."
"Temporary?"
"What do you mean? Explain clearly," Elder Li's tone was heavy.
Tang Wen clasped his fists: "Just now, I used some special methods to quickly calm down the male Water Sprite, making it temporarily obey my commands as if it had been tamed. In reality, it's still far from being fully tamed."
Hearing this, Vice Leader Zhao and Elder Li's expressions grew even more unpleasant.
Quickly taming.
Such a method was even more unbelievable than hiding one's strength.
Naturally, they didn't believe it.
Vice Leader Zhao's gaze turned sharp: "Are you saying you can use a method to quickly tame a Mid-level Exotic Beast?"
"Not tame, but soothe. Quickly soothe it, then use a pill made from Transcendent Beast Blood Marrow to coerce and bribe it, making the beast obedient for a short time."
The two didn't speak, frowning and exchanging glances.
Tang Wen continued: "This male beast, I need to train it for a few more days before it can be considered truly tamed. Otherwise, I might be able to get it to pick some lotus pods, but if I try to make it do heavy or exhausting work, it would likely take the opportunity to escape."
Vice Leader Zhao looked deeply at Tang Wen: "Taming the beast isn't urgent; there's plenty of time. First, let's see your soothing skills."
With that, he didn't give Tang Wen a chance to speak.
He immediately ordered someone to bring a Mid-level Exotic Beast horse.
Clearly, Vice Leader Zhao was suspicious.
Soon, someone brought a black stallion.
This stallion had an impressive appearance, as it was used for breeding and as a stud horse in the gang.
And stud horses are notoriously fierce.
Whack! Whack! Whack!
After the handler gave it a few lashes, he quickly slipped away.
The stallion immediately became enraged.
It broke free from its reins and galloped after the handler, trying to bite him.
Vice Leader Zhao looked at Tang Wen.
The latter took a deep breath.
In full view of everyone, he stepped forward.
He walked slowly, step by step, but after a few steps, he was directly in the path of the charging stallion.
The stallion snorted loudly, its front hooves raised high, looking as if it wanted to trample Tang Wen to death!
[Mental Soothing]
Tang Wen stared into its large, dark eyes and, with a practiced motion, extended his hand.
He gestured slightly.
"Neigh!"
The stallion controlled its hooves, landing them to the side, and tilted its head to look at Tang Wen, its eyes filled with confusion. But it had already calmed down.
"Whew!"
Tang Wen let out a long sigh of relief, clutching his temples and taking several steps back.
As if he was dizzy and unsteady on his feet.
Wu Hao and the others, unsure of what had happened, looked at him with confusion.
But Vice Leader Zhao was greatly intrigued: "This move of yours, does it consume mental energy?"
Elder Li also asked: "This technique is quite interesting. Can it be taught to others?"
Tang Wen, now looking at their expressions, saw that both had softened considerably.
Clearly, their suspicions had lessened significantly.
Tang Wen didn't dare to let his guard down and continued the act.
After half a minute, he spoke: "The person who taught me the Beast Taming Art was a mad old man whose entire family was killed by the Black Mountain Battalion."
Tang Wen, who had wandered into our village, claimed that I had a talent for beast taming and taught me for several years.
Others probably wouldn't be able to learn it, and I wouldn't teach them either.
It's strange to say, but I had tried this technique before, and not only did it give me a headache, but it also worked inconsistently.
I don't know what happened today, but it actually succeeded three times in a row."
After saying this, he frowned, looking as if he didn't understand it himself.
On the other hand, Elder Li seemed to ponder something and asked, "Little Tang, are you a Martial Practitioner?"
"That's right. A peak Martial Practitioner," Tang Wen slightly puffed out his chest.
Vice Leader Zhao also seemed to realize something and said, "So that's it! You're probably about to break through!"
Today, Tang Wen deliberately displayed speed that surpassed that of a Martial Practitioner.
Originally, he had planned to wait until he won the competition and made a contribution. When it came time to reward him, he could use the excuse of being on the verge of a breakthrough to apply to learn the Dark Night Divine Fist.
Unexpectedly, the effect of [Mental Soothing] was too good.
Instead, it raised suspicions about his true strength.
Fortunately, just when things seemed bleak, another opportunity arose. The speed he had deliberately displayed earlier now became the best reason to dispel doubts.
Before participating in the competition, Tang Wen had never mentioned that he had such a talent.
This was the starting point of the suspicion.
You've just joined the gang, and it's the perfect time to showcase your talents and make a name for yourself.
Why would you hide such an ability?
Tang Wen secretly gave the explanation:
This ability of mine was inconsistent before, so I didn't mention it.
But this raised a new question.
It was inconsistent before?
Why has it been consistent today?
This question.
Tang Wen didn't need to answer it himself.
Elder Li, who had been paying close attention to him, had already noticed that his speed was unusual and naturally brought it up.
This was ten, even a hundred times more effective than if Tang Wen had tried to explain it himself.
Vice Leader Zhao, following Elder Li's train of thought, speculated whether Tang Wen was about to break through.
"Oh! So that's it!"
Tang Wen, the person in question, finally had an epiphany.
"Thank you, Gang Lord and Elder, for the reminder. So that's how it is."
Elder Li stroked his beard and looked at Vice Leader Zhao, suggesting, "Let's have Little Tang tame the Water Sprite as soon as possible. After that, we'll arrange for him to attempt a breakthrough to become a Martial Master. Once he becomes a Martial Master, his talent ability should stabilize."
"Mm, good. Let's do that. But we can't go without rewarding him.
I mentioned before that if you win against the Boat Gang, I'd reward you with the position of Deputy Commander.
Now that you've won, how about you assist Wu Hao and be his deputy?"
Tang Wen was "overjoyed": "Thank you, Gang Lord, thank you, Elder."
Wu Hao was also delighted. Having a Beast Tamer who was about to become a Martial Master as his deputy was a stroke of luck he couldn't have hoped for!
As for the other team members, except for a few who might have some reservations, everyone was smiling.
Beast Tamers and pharmacists are famously quick to make money.
Having such a strong person as their direct superior in the team.
Wouldn't they also benefit from it?
From Tang Wen's performance today when he placed a bet with silver, it was clear that this man was definitely not stingy.
Isn't the good life just around the corner?
The courtyard was filled with laughter and joy.
Knowing that Tang Wen didn't have a place to stay yet.
Elder Li had someone bring over several property deeds of the Blackwater Gang's residences for Tang Wen to choose from.
Of course, choosing a house was something that needed to be done on-site.
Wu Hao volunteered to take Tang Wen there.
There was no time to waste. In the next few days, they would need to tame the Water Sprite. Only today, Tang Wen's mental energy was overused, giving him some free time.
After Vice Leader Zhao and Elder Li left, Wu Hao immediately took Tang Wen out on horseback to choose a residence.
"Brother, the locations of these houses are all too remote. Take a look, do you fancy any? If not, we can privately ask Elder Li to make a swap," Wu Hao said, giving a meaningful look.
He and Tang Wen were undoubtedly under Elder Li's wing.
Swapping a house wouldn't be difficult, right?
Tang Wen's heart stirred: Remote?
Remote is good!
That's exactly what I want, otherwise how can I practice my boxing?
How can I secretly slip out to investigate the Exploration Team of the Bai family?
He thought for a moment, then looked at the team members behind Wu Hao and spoke in a voice loud enough for them to hear:
"Our gang shouldn't stop us brothers from earning some extra money, right?"
Wu Hao slapped his thigh: "Exactly! Brother! No, of course not. Do you have an idea?"
Tang Wen immediately sold his Mutated Beast: "As a Beast Tamer, I can tame male beasts. Privately, I can do some breeding business. For example, my male wolf is a top-grade Sand Wolf with the potential to become a Superior Exotic Beast. It can breed with all wolf and dog-type Mutated Beasts."
Upon hearing this, everyone's faces lit up with joy.
Breeding with a male Superior Exotic Beast would cost at least five hundred taels per session.
Seeing their interest, Tang Wen immediately smiled and said, "In that case, we need to find a quiet, remote place to live."
"Find it! Let's find it! Let's do as Brother Tang, no, as Commander Tang says! Let's all look together."
"Commanders, I do know a place. It's also a gang property, but someone is living there. It might take some effort."
"Where? What's the situation? Tell us."
After the man finished speaking, Tang Wen felt a strange sense of familiarity with the family's situation.
(End of Chapter)