Chapter 51

Bai Lang does not possess the skill of transmitting his voice into the mind; "Young hero, no need to worry, the old man will disturb you later," the voice sounded again at his ear, and Bai Lang nodded—this was the first martial‑world person with Internal Force he had seen in this world. Governor Sun also wanted such a fierce general under his command, but uttering that would strip Governor Deng of face, so he had to discuss the battle plan politely with Governor Deng, hoping to assign this fierce general to the main attack axis.

The generals slapped their chests, swearing they would definitely charge alongside Bai Lang, "We must take those bandits to the Capital for lingchi execution!" Yet before that, an urgent matter had to be handled—Zhang Xianzhong was currently besieging Xiangyang, and the emergency dispatch from Xiangyang had already arrived. Bai Lang wasn't sure whether, in this era, Zhang Xianzhong should already have captured Xiangyang; after all, the eight great princes he knew were supposed to have fled to Si Chuan.

By virtue of his jurisdiction, Governor Deng was supposed to go rescue Xiangyang—yet Zhang Xianzhong commanded several hundred thousand troops, and Governor Deng could only muster about ten thousand at best. That's the drawback of lacking a solid base, but Bai Lang didn't mind; wherever he went was just close combat, and amid the chaotic forces there was probably no one who could kill him. Now that he possessed the Azure Dragon Blade, and with the Goose Feather Blade added, even a hooked fishing net seemed harmless.

Governor Sun also presented Bai Lang with something, "This is… a self‑igniting firearm? In other words, a flintlock pistol." It wasn't cheap, but given the gunpowder the Ming troops commonly used, it was acceptable. The pistol made a fine collectible, and Bai Lang thought he could take it back, yet using it in combat? Its power might not even pierce his Golden Bell Shield. Of course, if the shot were stopped it could break, but at a distance of twenty paces… it was unlikely to work.

The gifts the generals sent gave Bai Lang a headache. "They clearly said it was the Thirteen Tai Bao Golden Bell Shield… Do they even know what 'horizontal training' means? And what's the point of sending women?" The people they sent were pretty young maidens, which they regarded as pretty women's daughters. Bai Lang gave a wry smile; he still hadn't lost his virginity, and at least until after the fourth stage the juvenile cultivation technique was unnecessary—though he didn't quite grasp what that juvenile cultivation technique entailed. He knew that besides women, many other methods were slippery; does it mean only if you don't insert does it not count as breaking the juvenile cultivation?

It was probably just a psychological factor, but Bai Lang wasn't going to tackle it; he estimated he could break the fourth stage before he was twenty, and such matters truly weren't suitable for someone so young. The biggest issue was that none of these women matched his taste… "They're thin, the faces are okay, but they have tiny chests and hips, like girls who haven't fully developed… I'm not a loli‑fan."

More than three thousand Ming troops, amid muttering complaints, followed Governor Deng south to Xiangyang— they had received no reward money, even though they had beheaded many bandits; after their deeds were recorded they got no pay, which unsettled morale. Governor Deng was also out of options— he truly had no funds, and Bai Lang was the kind of genuine good general the governor prized because he cared for fame, not money. That was ideal; the court favored such war heroes, and a few titles could smooth things over.

Yet the other Ming troops craved money even more, so Governor Deng could only give a discounted reward to his own designated camp first; the rest could only be promised that once the Ministry of War verified the merits and the Ministry of Revenue issued the reward silver, they would be compensated at once. Everyone knew this was just a ruse—if the Ming Dynasty truly had silver, would it look like this pitiful state? Consequently, apart from the designated camp of a hundred men, the rest of the army could be said to have lost all morale.

In truth, if it weren't for fearing Bai Lang's martial prowess, these men might have mutinied—Governor Deng had little authority, far less than Governor Sun Chuanting and the late Lu Xiangsheng, the former commander Lu. They could raise a unit of their own; Governor Deng having a designated camp of over a hundred men was already decent. Yet Governor Deng didn't see himself as lacking; he felt he had won over a peerless fierce general—Bai Lang. After all, even Commander Sun was politely discussing troop deployments with him, wasn't he? Governor Deng, a jinshi graduate, could not have imagined that this was also Governor Sun's scheme to borrow the martial power of Bai Lang under his command.

That scholar had also come to see Bai Lang that night, and it turned out he was likewise representing Governor Sun to win Bai Lang over. This Mr. Qin Wujou, a Shaanxi native and a juren graduate, now served as Master under Governor Sun, though he also held an official post. In his speech he expressed extreme hatred for the bandits, saying the matter that brought him here was caused by those bandits; he had nothing kind to say about the current emperor, wistfully reminiscing about the former sovereign and even the Wanli Emperor.

"Mr. Qin's Internal Force martial arts…" Bai Lang mentioned, and Mr. Qin laughed, "Mount Hua Qin Wujou." That was all he said. "Mount Hua? Is there a Mount Hua Sect?" Bai Lang asked curiously, and Mr. Qin nodded, "The old man's entire martial skill set was transmitted by Mount Hua, yet the Mount Hua Sect today is full of treacherous rebels."

Bai Lang grew even more interested, and, taking advantage of his youth, asked another question, "May I hear the details?" Qin Wujou glanced at Bai Lang and smiled, "The old man was weak as a child, so my family sent me to Mount Hua to cultivate. I had heard Mount Hua possessed a health‑nurturing Internal Force, so once I arrived I practiced this Mixed‑Primordial skill, balancing cultivation and study, and by luck I passed the xiucai exam at eighteen. After becoming a xiucai I descended the mountain to inherit the family business, and at twenty‑six I passed the juren exam… I never expected that in that very year the bandits rose up."

Qin Wujou let out a sigh, omitting the later events, but he recounted that when he went back up Mount Hua he ran into senior brothers and masters declaring they would join the "righteous army." By the time he returned, it was already three years later, and since then he had defected from the Mount Hua Sect. "The old man's martial skills are indeed direct transmission from Mount Hua; I wonder about your skill, Young Hero Bai?"

Bai Lang had nothing he couldn't disclose: "Thirteen Tai Bao Golden Bell Shield, practiced since childhood, cultivating a true Qi from the outside inward; as for the fist‑and‑kick techniques, Mr. Qin has likely already discerned them."

Qin Wujou tapped his finger on the table, "Young Hero, you practice the Tiger Form?" Though phrased as a question, the tone was affirmative. Of course, a massive humanoid tiger sitting there—how could one not notice? Later they exchanged some martial insights, but both tacitly refrained from discussing Internal Force, even though Bai Lang, being well‑versed in wuxia novels, knew such Internal Force exchanges seldom occur.

Then let's discuss martial‑world anecdotes, the history of the Mount Hua Sect, and the current martial‑world powers…