Chapter 284: Against the Whole World

After taking office as commandant, Bai Lang also, under the pretext of improving martial skills in the army, asked the officials in charge of internal affairs of the commandery to help him collect various martial arts secret manuals; the result was not bad—he collected a large pile of so‑called secret manuals. Bai Lang flipped through them and saw they were nothing but rudimentary illustrations of fists, feet, swords, and spears......

Think about it, it's true—profound martial arts secret manuals are hardly ever written on paper—these arts are such that a tiny error leads to a thousand‑li mistake; they certainly require a master's oral instruction and hands‑on guidance, carefully supervised. Bai Lang thought back to when he had Wei Zhenzhen cultivate the Longevity Technique; wasn't he also standing by, carefully monitoring and protecting her with his own Internal Force?

As for the Double Dragon, they are exceptionally talented and also possess the fortune of being the protagonists of this world; furthermore, even if Bai Lang gave them secret manuals, much of their skill likely came from their own comprehension of those manuals—in the original work, weren't their swordsmanship and fist/palm techniques self‑cultivated by those two?

That's what a genius is like.

And among today's martial arts masters, who doesn't have his own unique martial art? These arts are likewise self‑comprehended; genuine master‑to‑disciple transmission hardly counts as top‑tier mastery...... even some of the highest‑level arts might simply be impossible to pass down......

Bai Lang feels this is probably also true in his original world, but because the upper limit there is far higher than in this world, many secret manuals can bear Divine Sense for mind‑to‑mind transmission. The manual of the Southern Dipper Holy Fist is quite marvelous in that regard, and even the earliest manual of the Thirteen Tai Bao Golden Bell Shield, upon reflection, is the same.

What else could enable one to learn a semblance of skill just from pictures and text, aside from this level of martial art?...... Bai Lang observed the training of the Great Sui commandery troops—although there is a training manual that can be followed by illustration, it is basically old teaching new, and an experienced drilling officer is stronger than anything.

These martial arts are merely for strengthening the body and making the limbs agile; they are basically external martial arts—of course there are sword, spear, and shield methods—otherwise how could Li Jing have comprehended the Blood‑Battle Sword Art? However, the methods for cultivating Qi are rather crude, probably only able to prolong one's stamina.

These martial arts secret manuals seem of little use, and there aren't many experts in Xingyang Commandery—perhaps the Zheng family of Xingyang has some, but since they don't show it, Bai Lang doesn't know which one; you can't just barge in and grab someone and ask, "Are you an expert?" Moreover, the Zheng family passes down poetry and books, not martial arts like the Guanzhong aristocracy.

Bai Lang flipped through these martial arts secret manuals, and in the end could only sigh and stow them all away in a side room of his manor. They were useless to him; after some thought he realized he might have to go find those experts and spar with them, sensing their breath‑control methods and the subtleties of their martial arts in the process.

In that case, does he really need to stay in the post of Xingyang commandant? But think about it—this is the chaotic late Sui‑Tang era; holding this position naturally guarantees plenty of fights. On the other hand, discarding this identity to roam the world seeking a worthy opponent might not yield a match—let alone anything else, if he were a die‑hard Great Sui loyalist, at least both the black and white paths would surely come looking for him to fight.

Now there aren't many experts on the Great Sui side; everyone has their own agenda—once Yang Guang dies...... his solitary loyalty to the Great Sui will be strikingly evident, able to make everyone under heaven feel a bone stuck in their throat. Thinking of this, Bai Lang couldn't help but hehe‑laugh, saying, "I'll just be an odd‑misfit, out of step with you 'people under heaven'! I refuse to be a fine bird that chooses its tree to roost in!"

"You think I'm some scum like Wei Zheng? Today I'll wear you 'people under heaven' out!" Bai Lang's decision made, he immediately felt his whole body relax—being an enemy of the world made him immensely pleased. At that moment he felt the fierce tiger in his chest become livelier, and that savage, staunch temperament increased by three points.

Since it's decided, he must firmly grasp Xingyang Commandery in his hand, and then extend that control to the whole Henan Circuit. The first step is to let Wagang Village die—coincidentally, Pei Renji had agreed with Bai Lang to jointly attack Wagang, so Bai Lang led three hundred commandery troops out, marching straight toward the Wagang forces at Luokou.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Pei Renji also launched frequent attacks, killing many of Wagang Village's soldiers; his son Pei Xingyan, nicknamed 'Wan Ren Di', is also a brave general of the age, and furthermore Luo Shixin and Qin Qiong, among others, taken in by Pei Renji, all fight under his command, so his forces momentarily became extremely strong.

Pei Renji's forces outnumber Bai Lang's by far; now seeing Bai Lang arrive with only three hundred troops, Pei Renji and the former commanders under Zhang Xutuo thought nothing of it, but Pei Xingyan looked down on Bai Lang a little. Bai Lang, the commandant, was no different—he simply sat on the right‑hand side of Pei Renji with a horse and golden sword, his aura unreserved, releasing it together with the White Tiger's killing intent.

Instantly the sky changed color; the once azure heavens and white clouds seemed in the blink of an eye to turn into a grim, pallid white, the wind began to whimper, and a solemn killing intent filled heaven and earth—"What a splendid day for slaughter, what fine weather!" Bai Lang burst out laughing; inside the tent it was as if a fierce tiger were exhaling with a hooting sound.

Pei Xingyan's face certainly changed; he too is highly skilled in martial arts, and this instinct naturally sensed the surging massive killing intent and power from Bai Lang—though not directed at him, it felt like a sharp blade pressed to his neck. Others likewise changed color; Luo Shixin, Qin Qiong, and the others knew of Bai Lang's killing intent, but they hadn't imagined it would reach such magnitude.

Just this aura of killing intent makes ordinary soldiers dare not face Bai Lang—it's like confronting a man‑eating tiger naked; they either close their eyes and await death, or only the brave can flee. If Bai Lang added a general's shout, the enemy forces ahead would likely collapse at once—this is the benefit of cultivating the killing intent of the White Tiger Army Formation.

The more slaughter, the quicker the formation breaks; the more formations broken, the stronger this killing intent grows; the stronger the killing intent, the more fierce this momentum becomes...... a virtuous cycle. Bai Lang said nothing, merely laughing as he seized the cup before him and drained it in one gulp. As his black beard and hair fluttered, they instead revealed an unrestrained, outstanding air—Bai Lang is also a cultured leader of the Worship Moon Sect.

Bai Lang donned armor, dressed like a Heavenly King—his helmet's twin flaps rose like phoenix wings, two bright plates on his chest; tall and broad‑shouldered, he was the very model of a first‑rate general. Seeing this man exude killing intent, Pei Xingyan finally sighed in admiration: "Commander Bai's courage—I am convinced."

Bai Lang then said, "Tomorrow's decisive battle—I will take the vanguard! I swear to smash Wagang Village before your eyes; gentlemen, follow me into the formation!"

The next day, Bai Lang led his three hundred commandery troops to the front; he rode on horseback, both man and beast clad in armor. Bai Lang held a pair of halberds on his horse, exhaling slowly. Among the three hundred troops, twenty were cavalry, also wearing fine armor and their horses draped in felt; the rest were infantry armed with spears and sword‑shields. Behind Bai Lang came Pei Renji's great army, the fierce generals standing before their own troops, waiting for Bai Lang to lead the charge.