Chapter 266: The First Profitable Move

Wei Zhenzhen hasn't returned a single tael to Bai Lang yet, because those two dragons simply defaulted—they didn't give Wei Zhenzhen a single copper coin, so Wei Zhenzhen naturally has no money to settle Bai Lang's debt. "In the end, those two are just thugs. Remember, next time you see them you must make them pay a thousand strings! If they don't, don't let them leave!" Bai Lang turned, saw Wei Zhenzhen, and joked.

Bai Lang bought a complete set of tack, then brought Wei Zhenzhen back to the inn. The blacksmith needs at least two days to forge weapons, and the tack takes at least a day, so Bai Lang will have to stay here three days. He hasn't slept with Wei Zhenzhen yet, which is simply because Bai Lang is still a gentleman—he signed a living contract with Wei Zhenzhen, paying to hire her as a maid, which does not include bed‑warming services.

After a night passed, the next day the inn's town gate was sealed, and many merchants gathered into groups and left, while the Flying Horse Ranch was refunding money one by one. "The Four Great Bandits have arrived." Bai Lang asked the waiter while eating in the inn, and the waiter replied. It turned out that Cao Mao Fang has been at odds with the Flying Horse Ranch for years, relying on his horse bandits to run rampant in Jiangnan; that day they again raided the ranch, and a battle seemed imminent.

Thus the merchants left, and the major powers also did not wish to get tangled in the fight between the Flying Horse Ranch and the Four Great Bandits—the ranch itself does not want outsiders to intervene; the saying that inviting a deity is easy but sending one away is hard is well known to the ranch's stewards, administrators, and the owner. The inn's circle at the ranch also prepared for battle; the youths from the ranch seized the shop's weapons and armor and took all the grain and supplies.

Bai Lang did manage to get his belongings first, but the horsefolk would rather refund the money than let him take them away. Bai Lang wasn't angry; he just chuckled, "You stay in the inn and keep the swords ready; I, the master, will go out for a while and earn some reward money to get by." Having said that, he donned armor; his two iron truncheons were already forged—such weapons don't need the master himself, a disciple can handle them, and Bai Lang's Bu halberd was also completed. Bai Lang went to the shop, took it, and left.

Upon stepping out, he encountered a one‑eyed man who was directing the townsfolk to set up defenses and assign duties—clearly organized. Bai Lang watched for a moment, and a few men had already formed a circle around him; he said little, merely keeping a wary distance, isolating himself on the outer edge. Bai Lang was not angry; after the man finished his business, he shouted, "Do the Four Great Bandits have any reward?"

Steward Liu had already taken notice of Bai Lang, and it was no wonder—a man so dashing, with such heroic looks, even if he said nothing and just stood aside, remained the focus of everyone's gaze. Hearing Bai Lang's loud shout, he smiled, "Of course there is; I'm afraid you haven't killed enough! You can't take all the reward!" Bai Lang laughed heartily, "That's perfect!"

Having said that, Bai Lang set off, swaggering—where to find the horse bandits? No need to look; just follow the ranch's youths. Bai Lang now wore leather armor, wielded a Bu halberd a yard long, and had two iron truncheons at his waist—clearly a battle‑formation warrior, albeit a bit rustic; the weapon isn't suited for infantry combat. The ranch's youths were all cavalry; though fewer in number than the horse bandits, they were still bold enough for a fight...

Bai Lang activated Lightness Skill, glanced at the others' movements, and vanished like a flash to the front. The onlookers finally realized he was formidable—armored and armed yet able to use Lightness Skill; his martial skill must be comparable to the senior stewards'.

Bai Lang didn't see any familiar faces—of course the beautiful ranch owner Shang Xiuxun was absent, and he completely forgot about the other unsavory characters of the Flying Horse Ranch. He charged forward alone; the ranch behind seemed unwilling to launch an offensive, instead using its buildings for defense. After all, the horses and grain had already been stored inside the fort, and the horse bandits are no siege experts—if they can't breach the fort in three to five days, they simply can't capture it.

So even with the ranch's youths, they are only a few roaming cavalry, whose skills are considered strong and daring within the ranch but are out gathering intel elsewhere. From afar, Bai Lang saw rising dust, "The might of ten thousand riders... the author should see this." Moreover, the horse bandits also need supplies; without fodder they'd exhaust their horses in less than two days. Their march is on foot, not constant horseback riding— they haven't reached that scale yet.

Bai Lang saw a mob that could be called a ragtag crowd, "They look like… but not that simple. Better think of them as a wolf pack." Though they seemed chaotic, these horse bandits have naturally learned the ebb and flow of cavalry formations; Bai Lang, having seen modern cavalry marches and wall‑style charges in movies, thought them chaotic—and clearly not as visually striking as the elite cavalry of the Proud Horse Nation.

These cavalry truly carried no extra provisions, "Are they coming to die? Ten thousand riders would have to loot every village within dozens of miles just to feed men and horses—given current production, that only sustains one to two days of supplies. If they linger, the collection radius expands, consumption rises, and eventually everything collapses..." As a "military strategist" in the narrative, Bai Lang made this assessment.

"So the normal tactic is to hold the line and wait for these horse bandits to collapse on their own?" Bai Lang muttered a few words, then laughed, "Or just have someone kick them apart!"

Bai Lang casually twirled a flower and, using Lightness Skill, charged toward the horse bandits' formation. He saw four banners, "Cao Mao's direction, let's see who these four thieves are." "Ghost‑Weeping Divine Cry" Cao Yinglong, "Scorched‑Earth for a Thousand Li" Mao Zao, "No Chicken or Dog Left" Fang Jianding, "Not a Blade of Grass Grows" Xiang Baitian. Bai Lang had already learned their monikers; only Cao Yinglong's title was tolerable, while the other three sounded like vicious, crude, uncultured trash.

Yet Bai Lang's own nickname "Sky‑Supporting White Jade Pillar" seemed rather ordinary, unremarkable. In this world, Bai Lang hasn't yet carved a name of any size—Stone Dragon kept his secrets buried in a tomb, and his disciples, though alive and scattered across the jianghu, do nothing to promote Bai Lang's reputation—moreover, what pleasant nickname could such people utter?

Bai Lang pondered what nickname he should have while closing in on the horse bandits...

As someone stepped forward to meet the horse bandits, such a person was either joining the bandits or a foolish martial‑artist courting death—though the horse bandits are ferocious, even those who turn up to join them decide whether to kill based on mood. Right now they're in a good mood, so they split off a few riders, shouting loudly as they went to slay.