Chapter 302

Even though Bai Lang levied light taxes and corvée, even though he hardly ever disturbed the populace, even though Bai Lang's brave reputation spread throughout the world, the wealthy and powerful in the city still would not feel safe—the Wagang Army's main force was not far away; even if Bai Lang several times broke the enemy's battle formations, they still voluntarily surrendered the city. This news was shouted by the Wagang people to Bai Lang, who was defending Luokou.

"You want to make me lose my fighting spirit?" Bai Lang laughed. It seemed Wagang Village either wanted to make him lose his fighting spirit so as to kill him, or to force him to flee from here. "I, Bai Lang, the Right Supervisor, how could I be such a weakling?" Indeed, Bai Lang had now been promoted to the rank of Junior Third‑Pin Right Supervisor Gate General, so by tradition he could already be called Bai Right Supervisor. Bai Lang also felt a bit relieved, but he was also quite angry.

"Such people……deserve their fate later……well, there are still over two hundred years left." Bai Lang originally wanted to say something, but then he let it go. This matter of surrendering the city, I fear the aristocratic Zheng clan had a hand in it. After all, Li Mi actually counts as a gentry family, only his foundation is shallower. Bai Lang, however, is completely a commoner. Since Yingyang has been occupied by the Wagang Army, Bai Lang is also a bachelor.

He gathered the commandery troops that followed him. "Gentlemen," Bai Lang said, then kicked over a chest with his foot, and the money and silver inside spilled onto the ground. "Yingyang has been seized by the rebels; retaking it is not impossible, but your fellow villagers and elders may suffer misfortune. I, Bai, have served as an official for a term, and now I am also doing some good for the region. Take these gold and silver if you wish to return home."

On the contrary, some people shouted that they were willing to follow Bai Lang; seeing this, Bai Lang also laughed loudly, "Those who are willing to follow my household, later do not regret not leaving now." Bai Lang also did not demand that those commandery troops take off their armor and lay down their weapons; indeed, after they took the money, he let them form ranks and depart—even if they later joined the Wagang Army, Bai Lang would have no objection. He had originally come just to hone his martial skills, and the futures of these people's comings and goings were of no consequence to him.

Out of the five hundred commandery troops, four hundred ran away; aside from those who died in battle, Bai Lang had only seventy-plus men left beside him. "Just right—if there were more, I'd have to worry about how to handle them. It's best that they're willing to take the money and go home to live their lives." These people couldn't just run away outright, because the Wagang Army was still encamped outside. "Gentlemen, follow me and break the formation; I will send you back to Yingyang City!" Bai Lang shouted loudly.

But there's a problem—what about Wei Zhenzhen? This woman doesn't focus on her martial training; in battle she can't be expected to kill enemies. "I'm asking how your Lightness Skill training is—if you can keep up with me, it's fine." Bai Lang scratched his head, and in the end that's all he could do. In Bai Lang's view, Wei Zhenzhen's practice of the Longevity Scripture belongs to the wood element; it is best at nourishing the body and regulating breath, the breath being continuous, dense, and extremely long-lasting, just not good for combat, but using it to drive Lightness Skill is no problem.

Lightness Skill also picks its practitioners; Bai Lang's Lightness Skill of the Long Wind Ten Thousand Miles, Mighty Tiger Following the Wind is absolutely unsuitable for Wei Zhenzhen, but she herself had actually picked up a bit of martial art from Shang Xiuzhu. Bai Lang did not ride a horse but went on foot; the warhorse was given to Wei Zhenzhen to ride. Anyway, he held the Zao Yang Spear—now Bai Lang recalled that the weapon in his hand had a name, the Zao Yang Spear; wielding such a fierce weapon, breaking through the Wagang Village's camp posed no problem.

Saying it and doing it, Bai Lang at Luokou Warehouse also did not prepare to burn it down—leaving this granary intact could at least save many starving people; after he left, if Li Mi were to occupy it, it could be certain he would open the warehouse and distribute grain. On the contrary, Bai Lang, holding the rank of a Great Sui general, would find it improper to do so—and besides, with few men at his disposal he was too lazy to bother. Bai Lang also did not don armor; that appearance would have been ruined already. He simply put on a robe, lifted the Zao Yang Spear, and stuck an iron club at his waist—then he considered himself ready.

The external forces had also finished their preparations, and Wei Zhenzhen, dressed in neat attire, sat on Bai Lang's warhorse. "Let's go, to Yingyang City!" Having spoken, Bai Lang was the first to exit the Luokou Warehouse camp. The Wagang Village encircling Bai Lang was not particularly close; they had set up three large camps, the nearest being one li from Bai Lang. Yet Bai Lang, leading the commandery troops, did not attack those camps; he simply strode boldly onto the official road, preparing to pass directly through the road between the camps and return to Yingyang City.

The Wagang Army blew the horn, and troops poured out of the camps to try to intercept Bai Lang's forces, but this action was somewhat delayed. They dared not block Bai Lang head‑on; instead they prepared to tail him from behind and attack. Signal arrows and scout horses kept appearing, apparently to contact the front‑line troops for a front block and rear pursuit. But it was useless—when Bai Lang, the warrior, shouted, they dared not come too close, and moreover Bai Lang's charge speed was extremely fast.

Right before their eyes, the Wagang Army was hurriedly forming ranks to cut off the official road, but when Bai Lang gave a loud shout and charged straight through, the Wagang soldiers let out a cry and scattered in all directions—they were also terrified. Bai Lang's several breakthroughs had already become legend among the Wagang troops; his bravery they absolutely dared not confront head‑on. The soldiers were arrayed outside Yingyang City, and several masters also appeared.

Bai Lang brandished the Zao Yang Spear and killed his way forward; after he wielded the heavy weapon, his attack was such that even those masters dared not face him directly, allowing Bai Lang to smash open the gate of Yingyang City and let the commandery troops rush in. Afterwards Bai Lang simply took hold of his own warhorse, turned and headed in another direction—this direction was the way back to Luokou Warehouse, Bai Lang preparing to go from there to Luoyang. Seventy-odd commandery troops followed behind him, and when Bai Lang turned and walked away those masters also did not pursue him.

It's a matter of sensing qi; they could perceive that Bai Lang did not wish to expend energy here, so they also had no intention of fighting to the death with this monster before them. After that battle they realized that the person before them possessed a hard‑external cultivation technique that could be called unparalleled under heaven; to kill him would be extremely difficult—if mishandled they might all perish in the attempt. Even if they didn't die, suffering heavy wounds would be hard to accept.

Bai Lang's recoil directly crushed the pursuing Wagang troops behind him, leaving a bloody trail. The Zao Yang Spear in his hand, after being reforged, had not lost its power, but if used again it might well break—the joint merely holds, yet using it to smash skulls and pick out people poses no problem.

Bai Lang had only killed a dozen or so men, yet the Wagang Army already scattered in an uproar. Allowing Bai Lang to pass Luokou Warehouse and stride leisurely toward Luoyang, he said, "Submit to Wang Shichong? Why would I do that? Luoyang's mere garrison is far beneath my rank as Commander‑in‑Chief of the Henan Circuit." Bai Lang intended to cause trouble in Luoyang, at least smashing the signboard of the so‑called Cijng Jing Zhai, which is just a nunnery; the nuns do not seriously cultivate in the convent to seek transcendence, so what's the point of seeking a sage ruler for the world?