Tang Yan looked at Lu Ding's back and smiled, knowing fully well that he was being suspected of having a sudden change in soul and thinking. He was also suspicious of Lu Ding due to his manner of composure and the amount of faith power flowing within him.
Just as he walked out of the school nonchalantly, he was intercepted by a group of hoodlums, amongst whom was one of Yan Fan's men, who arrogantly stepped forward. "The boss said to meet him in the back alley of the school."
"Is that a request or a command from him?" Tang Yan asked, giving off an aura of bloodlust.
The hoodlums trembled in fear, worried about what might happen if they said anything more. "It seems to be a request..." The lackey of Yan Fan stuttered, not daring to look Tang Yan in the eye, his entire body and soul shaking nonstop.
"Fine, lead the way," Tang Yan said majestically, his tone friendly, but his eyes gleaming with a fierce light.
The group didn't waste any time and led the way in fear. Arriving at the designated place, they found a multitude of thugs. Yan Fan stood behind a fat, muscular man whose chest was exposed, with a tattoo of a boar on it. The fat man held a thick stick with a vicious look on his face.
Before any of them could speak, Tang Yan smiled and said, "Let me take a guess...my younger brother here said you disrespected him and even dared to look at him arrogantly, not giving face. Now, I'm going to teach you manners, or should I say, let you know your place. Was that what you were going to say? So cliché, same as thousands of years ago."
The fat man was startled, then furious, his face reddening. "You dare to run your mouth in front of Brother Ma here? Do you want to die?"
"He's a fool for not knowing which words to say in front of Brother Ma," one of the thugs sneered. "He's so fucked right now."
The thugs began discussing and cursing Tang Yan's attitude. Tang Yan laughed uncontrollably, pointing at Brother Ma's face.
"Seriously, you look more like a cow than a boar. If you're going to teach me a lesson, get on with it and stop wasting time. I've got many things to do after leaving here."
Yan Fan smiled, thinking he could see Tang Yan being trashed on the ground, howling in pain. But reality disappointed him. Even though Tang Yan hadn't started cultivating, the boy he was in was fit, and he could still remember some basic martial arts. When the thugs attacked, he was able to beat them down with minimal stress and considerable speed.
"Even with just this little exercise, I'm way too exhausted. I'll need to train my body for a month before I start cultivating again," he thought, rubbing his chin as if being mysterious.
Yan Fan, on the other hand, ran deep into the alley and hid behind a bush, witnessing the strength of Tang Yan once again. Almost forty thugs, no average men, had been defeated.
Back in the alley, Tang Yan sat on the back of Brother Ma, well-balanced and comfortable.
"Now, tell me, who needs to know their place?" he asked, his tone unquestionable.
The thugs remained silent, fearful.
"It's okay if you don't want to answer, but I want you to know that all your operations and movements, along with your territories, will belong and be under my command. Any objections?" he asked, his voice firm.
After some instructions and the setting of rules, Tang Yan walked out of the alley, dragging the brutally battered lackey of Yan Fan. The surrounding people felt horrified seeing the dragged person and the smiling Tang Yan swaggering off the road to where he worked part-time.
When they arrived at the construction site, Tang Yan threw the lackey near a wooden box and walked to meet the group of friendly old men whom the previous self usually spoke to.
"Hehe...boy Tang, you've arrived. How were the school lessons?" an old man with decayed yellow teeth asked.
"It was smooth and comfortable than usual. Today was quite refreshing; I should say...also, I brought along a volunteered friend of mine to help with the boxes."
The old men kept silent for a second before finally bursting into laughter.
"You sure had a good day; seems you've finally got a hang of those kids."
"I've been looking forward to seeing this. You know, once the tail of a cat is stepped on, it swings its claws."
"Old Second, since when was there a saying like that?" a chubby, neat, and plump woman asked, her eyes sparkling with amusement.
"Madam Shu, you still look as beautiful as the morning sun," Tang Yan said sincerely.
The woman in front of him could be said to have been beautiful during her youthful days, just by looking at her. Unfortunately, she lost her husband on the day of their marriage, and ever since then, she had stayed a widow. She had been protected by the three old men, whom she knew from her hometown.
"Since when did you know how to flatter, old Tang?" the man called Old Second scoffed.
"Enough...don't mind them. Since you said I'm beautiful, then I'll give you a reward later," Madam Shu said with a bright smile.
Old First and Old Third just kept their eyes on the Tang Yan in front of them, who seemed extremely different from before.
The lackey who was brought to the construction site felt strange and fearful of the place. There were the three old men Tang Yan related with, a beautiful elderly woman, and a few muscular men doing their job efficiently.
"Move on to the right and start packing the iron pillars. All must be done before evening," Tang Yan ordered the lackey without batting an eye in his direction.