Wu Shan then arrived at Meng Jia, AKA Meng Yaojia's seating. The girls around the lad were surprised to see him approaching Meng Jia's seat.
"Hey, look! It's that genius Wu Shan!" One of them exclaimed.
"Wow, he does look handsome when you look up close!" another said.
"Is he here to meet one of us? Kyaa-, that girl is so lucky!" another one also said.
He then sat in front of Meng Jia's table. The girls around him were pretty much excited over him coming there.
"Wow, genius. You really know how to make an entrance, huh?" Meng Jia said with a laugh.
"I try not to make this a habit, you know? Anyways, what's your name?" Wu Shan asked, chuckling at Meng Jia's words.
"The name's Meng Jia. Nice meetin' ya, Mr. Genius!" Meng Jia introduced himself, with a smile.
"Wu Shan. Same here, big guy!" Wu Shan replied with a hearty laugh.
The girls around them went wild by this point. Both Wu Shan and Meng Jia didn't know whether they should laugh or be afraid, because the girls really seemed to be able to rip them apart if they didn't finish their little chat. Not so much out of spite, but simply, they were just thirsty by this point.
"Welp, we should meet some other time. Maybe over a tea?" Meng Jia asked.
"Yeah, that'd be great. If you want, you can meet me after class is over. Well then." Wu Shan answered as he rose from the seat and left.
He then went off to the next "target" in his list: Ding Xiao, AKA Ding Yuxiao. The big, quiet lad was sitting a little farther than his current location, so it took him a minute or two to get there. When he finally saw the big lad up close, he was surprised. Those surrounding him weren't really bothering the lad, and they even talked to the boy on some occasion.
In the previous timeline, these people were (or would be, depending on how you'd view this) his closest friends, and they all fell in defense of Glory City, helping the boy to defend a crumbling city. Though they perished, alongside the boy, they were all remembered as one of the stalwart defenders who tried to keep Glory City from falling.
Wu Shan respected them, but he must get Ding Xiao under his wing, and nurture the boy. According to the records from the LoE, the lad simply lacked enough strength to keep the demon beasts busy with him. Some managed to get through, and as a result, his backup dwindled, and he finally perished, after getting overwhelmed by waves of demon beasts.
He then sat down at an empty seat, next to the boy. The lad then looked at him, confused. The people around him murmured with each other, evidently curious as to why someone like Wu Shan would come to meet him.
"What? I'm simply here to get acquainted with him. Is it really that strange?" Wu Shan said, chuckling at the others around them. He then turned back to Ding Xiao, who wore an awkward and confused face.
"Don't worry, I'm not here to mess with you. In fact, I really only want to get acquainted with you. Friends, you know? Nothing fishy and no ulterior motive." He said with a straight face.
"I'm... Ding Yuxiao..." The lad said.
"Then I'll just call you Ding Xiao to keep it short. Pleased to make your acquaintance." Wu Shan replied, slightly nodding at the lad. The boy simply nodded back.
"I won't be bothering you any further. If you want, you can meet me after the class is over. Enjoy your day with your friends." He continued as he stood from his seating and went to the next and final "target", Yan Yao.
The lass seat was only a little walk from Ding Xiao's, so it only took him a little while until he arrived. As he approached her seating, those around her were slightly nervous of her, mostly because of her "ice-queen vibe" that she seemingly had. Little did they know, however, that she would be known as one of the most talented captains in defense of Glory City in the previous timeline. Those around her would be her subordinates, and they would be of those that were stationed at the doomed East Gate of Glory City.
Despite their valiant efforts, their lack of both manpower and firepower simply couldn't stem the tide of the invading demon beast hordes. Without the proper backup from the Sacred Family, that at the time left only a few experts to "defend" the gates, most of the guards stationed there were crushed under the stampede of the hordes.
To that end, Wu Shan decided that he'll train her not just in cultivation, but also in being a better leader, charismatic and tactical, so that she'll be able to recruit more followers under her, and would be able to hold their own against the future demon horde.
As he sat down, the lass took a look at him. With her deathly cold stare, she tried to gauge the boy who just suddenly sat near her.
"...!" was her expression when she saw him.
The boy before him simply wasn't that easy to be seen through, or could be gauged by such simple means. She'd have to peek into his soul and his memories for such a thing to be possible.
"I know you're being wary, but such a thing is unwarranted, I assure you." Wu Shan said to her.
The girl sighed, and calmed down. She was on guard against him, since putting aside him being considered as the top three in the class, she doesn't know anything about him, and his personality.
"I'm simply here to make you acquaintance. Friends. Though I think I don't have to introduce myself by this point, I'll just do it for decorum's sake." he said, reassuring her of his intentions.
"My name is Wu Shan. Pleased to be of your acquaintance. And you are..." he said to her, as he nodded.
"Yan Yao. Nice to meet you." she replied, keeping her words short.
"If you want, you can come meet me after the class is over. I can help you with some stuff if you want." He then said to her.
"... We'll see." she replied.
"Well. I won't be bothering you further. Until then." he said as he nodded and left the seat, returning back to his own seat.
By the time he had finished meeting and extending his invite to all of his "targets", it was only 10 minutes until break time was over. He then ate his meal and finished it within 7 minutes. As the class resume, and the lecture on basic stuff continued, he began to plan on what to do next, given he had completed his earlier objective.
At the evening, the class was over. He then waited at the classroom's door, to see if those people would accept his invite. Aside from Mo Cai and Meng Jia, who'd show up without a doubt, he was more concerned on Yan Yao and Ding Xiao. Those two were less predictable for him, and hence he could only hope that his politeness and decent decorum would at least be a factor to get them to meet him. This was a gamble.
The subsequent result, however, proved it was a success. The four people from his target list had came to him and agreed to talk over some meal. He then took them to a middle-stage restaurant. It wasn't fancy, but the food there wasn't something that the average people could get without shelling a little more demon spirit coins.
"Wow, you sure know your stuff, Wu Shan." Meng Jia commented as they sat on their chairs.
"Wow, I'd never be able to eat here unless it's on occasions!" Mo Cai exclaimed.
"Now, now. My dad used to take me here whenever he brought me to town. The meal here is great, and it's worth the price." Wu Shan replied, chuckling.
Yan Yao and Ding Xiao remained silent, but it was evident from their eyes that they consider this to be an uncommon thing. Wu Shan knew simply from looking at their expressions, but also he knew from the records of the LoE. Their families would brought them here to eat from time to time, but not as often when compared to him and his father.
He then gestured the waiter and quickly ordered some meal from the menu. About 10 or so minutes later, as they chat, the waiter came back with their meal: soup dumplings (Xiao Long Bao), shumai, and har gow. The waiter would put it down on their table, and fill their cups with some chrysanthemum tea.
"Okay, guys. Let's eat." he said to them as he pick one soup dumpling with his chopsticks.
All of them would enjoy their meal, and it took about 20 minutes or so until they finished their simple meal. Wu Shan then put down his chopsticks after drinking from his cup.
"If I were able to make you guys stronger, what would you say?" he asked them as he folded his arms.