Chapter 278: Assassination 3

The killing aura of the white tiger is also growing ever stronger, and now whenever Bai Lang walks, sits, or lies down, an uncontrollable blood‑killing aura spreads over his body—this aura is invisible and inaudible, yet it gives people a sense of oppression and intimidation; anyone with a weak stomach who sees Bai Lang should be knocked unconscious on the spot.

A similar killing aura also clings to the butcher; pigs, dogs, and goats feel the same when they see the old butcher. Bai Lang feels a bit nostalgic about this aura, recalling that when he first went to the Ming Dynasty it was the same, and he even earned the title of Prince's Junior Guard.

"Originally, a certain sect's martial art had entered the innate stage, allowing it to gather all this killing aura into the body to nurture the white tiger's murderous intent, but in this world the sect's techniques are restricted, so the aura has to dissipate into heaven and earth," Bai Lang sighed. The killing aura used to cultivate the true meaning of the tiger is thus lost, which is truly a pity.

Fortunately, such killing aura now generates spontaneously without the need to slaughter countless people—he led his troops to sweep through Xingyang County, killing tens of thousands and pacifying the region. About a dozen capital temples in Xingyang County now continuously emit threads of killing aura, which flow spontaneously toward Bai Lang.

His subordinates' Junying and that white‑inked army flag also continuously generate killing aura that attaches to him, and Bai Lang constantly converts this aura and gradually releases it into heaven and earth. One side effect is that the troops he leads seem to be permeated by this diffusing aura, and their martial skills have improved considerably.

The left and right sides also practice the martial arts taught within the Great Sui army; when these men train daily, their movements are fierce and their killing aura is ferocious, which Bai Lang observes, being at least twice as strong as when he first led them. Yet Bai Lang has never overseen their training; all these daily drills are carried out voluntarily by the county soldiers.

At first these county soldiers were old slackers who only did a perfunctory drill within the time limits set by the Great Sui army's regulations, and Bai Lang saw that they were only half‑hearted in their cultivation. After Bai Lang led them into a few battles, the fellows began to train voluntarily every three days, and they became much more serious.

The increase in martial skill came suddenly; in Bai Lang's view, the white tiger's killing aura had diffused to a certain degree, enveloping the Junying training grounds for a time before changing. "In this world, martial arts value momentum and ingenuity; it seems the killing aura of the white tiger formation is the same," Bai Lang thought, noting that this resembles his primary world, and that this world has great potential to become a second "primary world."

Only that the myriad gods and Buddhas remain merely a legend...

Bai Lang's residence in Xingyang City is also completely ordinary; the three‑room house has only a few veterans serving the county Commandant. In any case, his daily life is extremely simple; the veterans only need to purchase some food each day, feed the warhorses, wash Bai Lang's clothes, heat water in a wooden bucket for his bath, and that's it. Even the bedding and blankets are made by Bai Lang himself, a rarity among officers of his rank.

Who would allow any woman to dare enter as a maid… even ordinary men won't stay near Bai Lang; only battle‑hardened veterans can endure the killing aura he emits. This situation is familiar to Bai Lang—when he was in the Ming Dynasty it was the same… the women in those camps were even knocked unconscious.

"It's all my own fault, hahahaha," he laughed. In truth, given Bai Lang's current rank, he could have brought Wei Zhenzhen back from the Pegasus Ranch and had her serve him in his Commandant's residence, but he never considered it. He practiced punches in the courtyard, guiding the killing aura throughout his body, and his innate true Qi continuously absorbed this aura, converting it into the power of his Southern Dipper White Tiger Fist.

Training is such a joyful pleasure; Bai Lang feels the subtle, thread‑by‑thread growth of his power—within this constrained world, he can also perceive the tiny flaws and mistakes in his martial art, allowing him to repair and improve them—after all, the Southern Dipper White Tiger Fist is his own development based on the Southern Dipper Sacred Fist, and cannot be perfect from the start.

So why would he think of a woman?

The Southern Dipper Sacred Fist is so profound that after Bai Lang developed the Southern Dipper White Tiger Fist and later revisited it, he still found many aspects to explore; indeed it is a secret manual given by a supreme master, whereas the Arhat Benevolent King Fist lacks such boundless intricacy.

Delving into martial arts and then leading troops to kill is far more interesting than women, so Bai Lang temporarily forgot about Wei Zhenzhen… he forgot, though someone can remember her well.

One day outside Xingyang City a mule‑cart arrived, with a woman driving the mule to the city gate. These days a woman traveling alone with a mule is extremely rare, so the gate soldiers were especially vigilant—perhaps she was the martial‑arts master. Upon hearing that the woman was looking for Commandant Bai, they immediately showed extra respect and quickly sent someone to the Commandant's residence to find him.

Bai Lang was training when a veteran serving him shouted, "Sir, a young lady is looking for you! She's said to be named Wei Zhenzhen at the city gate." Bai Lang finished his practice and slapped his forehead, "Ah, right—how much money does she still owe me?" He then went out to meet her—after all, he had spent ten coins to 'buy' her, and she still owed him a sum.

At the city gate, Bai Lang saw a crowd of onlookers—mainly Luo Shixin and his companions—who came to watch the spectacle, eager to see what kind of woman was looking for Commandant Bai. Wei Zhenzhen hid behind the cart canopy, and when Bai Lang arrived he burst out laughing, "What are you idle folks doing? Too full from a feast? Just you wait, I'll go challenge you to a three‑hundred‑round duel today."

Luo Shixin and the others laughed and dispersed. They now drink and spar with Bai Lang every few days, getting along well—and naturally they hold great respect for his martial arts. The White Tiger Breaking Army's technique is a top‑tier outer‑sect divine skill, capable of subduing armies and slaying generals with a single hand.

Bai Lang leapt onto the mule‑cart and rode back to the Commandant's residence. "Isn't that the old man from Ambassador Zhang's family? What are you doing here? Does Ambassador Zhang have any business for me?" Bai Lang saw a middle‑aged man standing at his door, with a carriage beside him. "The ambassador learned that Commandant Bai's maid has returned, so he asked me to bring all the necessary supplies…"

Bai Lang's place is a monk's hall, completely devoid of any women's items, so Su Tuo's delivery of such goods actually helped Bai Lang—a fact he would never have imagined. When Bai Lang looked at Wei Zhenzhen, the first thing he examined was how her martial arts were progressing, and only then would he ask how she had arrived.

"Your martial arts… progress is a bit slow," Bai Lang sighed inwardly. It seemed that Wei Zhenzhen truly wasn't a budding martial artist—not because her body was lacking, but because she simply lacked the will to become stronger…