Chapter 259: The Seizure (Part 2)

The punch he threw was pure physical force, with Internal Force coursing inside his body to drive it. The punch split the opponent's two palms, the power causing the palms to slam back onto his own chest, and his elbow was simply dislocated. Bai Lang's fist merely brushed Shi Long's chest, then he retracted his fist and stood there. The shockwave from the earlier palm blast had already sent those disciples flying.

Shi Long was just a small trick at the start of the story, and he was already marked in the first volume, so his performance was like a bit‑part; Bai Lang easily subdued him. "If you only consider Internal Force, it's actually not bad, but it's coarser than mine, just a mountain‑pressing force lacking a certain something." So this top master of Yangzhou turned out to be all hype later. Shi Long also seemed decisive; after pulling his arms back he said nothing, reached into his chest and tossed a booklet to Bai Lang.

Bai Lang flipped it open with a rustle; the booklet was thin, its pages were neither leather nor paper but seemed made of some kind of metal wire—Bai Lang couldn't tell what material it was. It contained twelve circulation diagrams, with side notes written in tadpole script. Bai Lang was not an expert in ancient characters; he might not even recognize all the large‑seal and small‑seal scripts, and could probably manage clerical script, but this script, apparently older than large‑seal, was beyond his grasp.

Bai Lang examined the circulation‑path method and gave it a try: "Indeed, it's a chaotic mess. The opportunity isn't with me." After flipping through, he casually tossed the booklet back. "I advise you not to practice it. This martial art depends on fate." As he left, Bai Lang kindly warned Shi Long. The other's face twitched, likely still fuming; whether he could take the advice was doubtful. It wasn't Bai Lang's concern; the guy swaggered away, "I wonder if Shi Long will make a name for me; after all I've already earned a title."

A family scandal doesn't always go public; the next day nothing happened, and Bai Lang's reputation didn't spread at all. Bai Lang felt the money in his pocket, preparing to locate his lost storage jade pendant—"This thing is hard to find; the key is to be close enough to sense any anomaly." When attached to someone like Bai Lang, a strong aura would mask the pendant's fluctuations, but there are no strong cultivators in this world yet, so Bai Lang believed he could sense the pendant's spatial ripple within three zhang.

At this moment the item was no less than a treasure, yet Bai Lang thought it was probably still unusable; perhaps the laws of heaven and earth wouldn't allow it to activate. Then again, recalling the War God Atlas's Jingyan Palace, maybe the rules do permit it, but no one in this world has yet managed to awaken such a jade pendant. "Thinking carefully, what do I have inside the pendant? Besides a few healing herbs, only some gold and silver? Oh right, a few handwritten copies of secret manuals are in there too."

Where could the pendant be? Bai Lang thought that, instead of wandering the vast Yangzhou City like a headless fly, he should check a pawnshop. A gambling den also allows betting, but Bai Lang felt a pawnshop was more appropriate first. He roamed the city, clasping his two hands together like a northerner, swaying as he walked. That's the swagger of a drifting son of the world, like Lord Lei, but unfortunately he couldn't find a judge for me.

Life in Yangzhou City isn't easy; everything costs money. Bai Lang was handsome and his clothes were decent; his gentlemanly bearing attracted the eyes of young ladies and wives alike. After three days of mixing in Yangzhou City, the streets were filled with soldiers of the Xiaoguo Army and aristocratic youths from Guanzhong; the city seemed to be bustling with perhaps a million people? Something like that… Anyway, that day Bai Lang drifted to a baozi stall.

Lately Bai Lang's pocket money was running thin, dropping from daily tea‑house delicacies to street‑food fare—if he didn't want to sleep on the road, he had to figure out a way to earn cash. Bai Lang has always been straightforward; he didn't mind, thinking he could simply rob the rich to aid the poor. With his martial skill, the money should be within reach, but one must maintain face, and theft is a lowly trade.

The ultimate face, of course, is to be world‑renowned like the future Li Taibai, with friends everywhere treating you and sending money. Bai Lang thought everyone shares the character "Bai," so he could achieve that too. He swaggered onto a bench, "Ten meat baozi first, please! Do you have soy milk? Sweet soy milk?" Even at a street stall, he ate as if at a feast. "If I have no money I'll enlist; with my family's martial art I could command an army— I recall Yang Guang is near death, and rebel forces are rising everywhere; when Li Fa rebels, Yang Guang will soon lose his head."

The baozi were delivered by a beautiful woman, but Bai Lang noticed bruises on her arm and instantly recalled the "baozi Xishi" from the beginning of the Double Dragon story. "Are you called Wei Zhenzhen?" Bai Lang grabbed a baozi and took a bite. "Mmm, the filling is well seasoned." He ate while watching the stall owner, but before he could focus, two flashes of inspiration stirred within him.

Then he saw two bright‑eyed, handsome youths; one looked rough and slick, the other more like a cultured scholar than a street thug. "These must be the protagonists Double Dragon, truly favored by aura. I don't practice divination, but just by their faces and temperament I can tell they're no pond‑dwelling creatures—who knows how many people they'll swindle in the future."

When the two arrived, Wei Zhenzhen furtively slipped a few baozi to them, and seeing the bruises on her arm, they grew angry. "Got mad, so you act? Still, at least these two thugs have some sense now; they know that messing with this could end up hurting Wei Zhenzhen, and they can't bear the responsibility." Bai Lang chuckled, devouring the baozi one by one, then drained the soy milk.

"Saving people from fire and water, why worry about so many details? When the cart reaches the mountain, a road appears!" Bai Lang laughed heartily and stood. "Miss, your baozi are superb, yet you bear bruises—has anyone beaten you?" At six foot five and imposing, his every movement exuded authority—not the aura of a wandering master, but the commanding presence of a battle‑formation general, ten‑strike ten‑decisive, champion of the army.

The greasy middle‑aged fat man and the ugly plump woman were instantly petrified, while the two youths' eyes flashed with strange light, as if a tiger's body trembled. Bai Lang produced ten gold coins and slapped them on the table. "In that case, I'm taking this lady." His eyes narrowed. "Otherwise I'll kill your whole family!" The middle‑aged greasy man kicked his foot, a gurgling sound came from his throat, his complexion turned pale, and he collapsed.

"Huh? The weak can't stand a tiger's might and die of fright? Hahaha, everyone watch closely—I didn't lay a single finger on him." Bai Lang roared with laughter; the middle‑aged ugly woman sobbed, "It's pitiful, a lone weak woman…."