Chapter 63: Chapter Sixty-Four

Before the assassin could react, Bai Lang shook his hand, sending a surge of internal force up from the assassin's ankle, directly dislocating the person's joint. "This hand technique is quite accomplished." Bai Lang was quite satisfied with that shake; the opponent's joints popped apart one after another. If his external martial arts weren't strong enough, and his internal force insufficient to snap the muscles and force the joint back, he probably wouldn't be able to move.

Bai Lang casually shoved the person to the ground, "Come mop the floor!" The cavalry rushed over and started cleaning the ground, "This female assassin isn't dead yet!" a cavalryman shouted, "Take him away; we'll interrogate him at our lodging!" Bai Lang said, "These rebels ruined the carriage; now we can only ride horses. What a disappointment!"

Bai Lang moved his limbs a bit, touched his shoulder and found the bleeding had stopped—the internal force of the Golden Bell Shield stirred his muscles to seal the wound. "Damn, this is a brand-new official robe! It's bad enough that it's torn, but it's also stained with blood..." Bai Lang stroked his beard, feeling somewhat annoyed; at this moment he radiated killing intent, and the cavalry nervously brought the prisoners aboard. Bai Lang suppressed his slight dissatisfaction, "Just now my string of combat performance should have been pretty good; it seems the third level of the Thirteen Tai Bao Golden Bell Shield truly lets one walk sideways in this world."

At this point, Bai Lang really resembled a famous actor named a certain Xu, as if they were long-lost twin brothers separated by decades. Bai Lang, dressed in official robes, mounted his horse and led a large contingent of cavalry toward where Governor Sun was located.

The female assassin ultimately didn't survive; upon arrival they found she had already breathed her last—Bai Lang's kick, though he had indeed intended to keep her alive, turned out to be a bit too strong. There was nothing to be done; she was a martial artist with internal force, and Bai Lang knew he couldn't treat her like an ordinary soldier, so he put a little extra weight into the kick... Her internal organs must have ruptured, and she basically died shortly after.

Well, now the only living captive left is a eunuch, but interrogating this fellow will have to wait until Bai Lang meets Grand Secretary Sun, Governor Sun.

Governor Sun naturally placed great value on the freshly minted Ming Dynasty Right Deputy Commander, third rank, Pacifying West General Bai Lang, such an extraordinary warrior, while the civil and military officials under his command bore no grudge against Bai Lang—after all, everyone is perceptive; at a glance they see that this third-rank Pacifying West General is actually a figurehead. Although the Ministry of War has allocated him a headquarters, to date not a single penny of military provisions has been disbursed, and yet this general seems oblivious, as long as the court grants his salary and benefits, he acts as if he has forgotten he even has troops under his command...

That being the case, it's fine—he won't compete with others for anything—and following behind such a mighty general into battle may earn no merit, but at least there's little danger. The court actually quite likes this sort of general; they'll never become a military leader... Governor Sun learned that Bai Lang had been ambushed on the road, and immediately launched a tirade against the shameless bandits, though fortunately Bai General's peerless martial courage kept him unharmed, which is also luck for the court.

After comforting Bai Lang, Qin Wuji, Mr. Qin, also voluntarily followed Bai Lang back to his location and took part in interrogating the surviving captive.

This Mr. Qin counts as a half‑jianghu person; he never reveals his own jianghu nickname, but he is very familiar with jianghu lore. Bai Lang feels that his standing in the Huashan Sect back then must have been considerable. The first thing he saw was the female assassin's corpse; Qin Wuji blurted out, "Isn't this the Soaring Cloud Sword's Ding Rou, the female hero? Then her husband, the Heavenly Master Sword Guest Qian Baiyu..." Qin Wuji gave a self‑deprecating laugh, "I forgot Ding Rou's corpse is here; Qian Baiyu is probably also dead. I never expected this husband‑and‑wife pair to have joined the bandits."

"Oh, are they that strong?" Bai Lang asked casually, "This couple has a combined sword‑and‑blade technique that's fairly famous in the jianghu. But..." Qin Wuji glanced at Bai Lang, "I didn't expect they'd still be no match for Deputy Commander Bai; Bai Lang's martial arts are truly peerless."

Meanwhile the eunuch's joints had never been reset; when Bai Lang entered, the guy had already lost bladder control. Bai Lang wrinkled his nose, seized the man's neck, and shook him again. The joints snapped back into place under the surge of internal force, but the same action caused excruciating pain. Beads of sweat the size of beans appeared visibly on the eunuch's face, and Qin Wuji, seeing this, nodded and said, "So you're the Shadowless Sword Chen Shiyi Lang—you really have gone over to the bandits. Tell me, which bandit gang paid you how much to do this?"

Bai Lang tugged at Qin Wuji and said, "Is this a hired killer who kills to dispel disaster? Though the name is rather suave—damn it, Chen Shiyi Lang—why is he a eunuch? Could he have escaped from the palace?"

"It's not like he's from some palace; he's basically a nobody. As a penniless youth he castrated himself but lacked the funds to buy his way into the palace; later he somehow learned a set of sword techniques and then made a living in the jianghu as a penniless hustler who takes money to ward off disaster. People like him will do anything for money." Qin Wuji gave Chen Shiyi no face, laying out his origins in full—given such a background, it's naturally a taboo; if anyone spoke of him, he'd surely kill their whole family in secret. Chen Shiyi's martial arts are not weak, his lightness skill is excellent, and he is truly a top‑notch expert; few in the jianghu dare to speak his name.

Now there's nothing to hold back—this person has been captured by Bai Lang. Although Bai Lang helped him reset his joints without sealing his martial arts, the swordless Chen Shiyi's courage has shattered; he dare not even flee, the only thing he dares to do is kneel on the ground and kowtow for mercy. As for who sent him to assassinate, naturally he would tell everything—yet for both Bai Lang and Qin Wuji, his testimony is useless—whether he says which bandit gang hired him and how much they paid, it doesn't matter; in the end they'll just be enemies on the opposite side.

As for whether any other assassins might come, this nameless white doesn't know either, so he's actually useless. "Deputy Commander Bai, could you hand this person over to me?" Qin Wuji said rather embarrassedly. Bai Lang chuckled, "Mr. Qin wants this piece of junk? Take him, count yourself lucky—one less soul on the Yellow Spring Road." Bai Lang slapped the eunuch with his palm; internal force burst out, tearing the man's clothes to shreds. "Give him a water rinse! So he doesn't stink!" This humiliation, Chen Shiyi dared not resist; instead he showed a genuine smile of relief at having escaped danger.

Bai Lang laughed heartily and strode off, no longer caring how Qin Wuji would deal with Chen Shiyi—probably just subjugate him, he thought. "I just don't know whether it's the Leopard Fetus Muscle‑Changing Pill or the Three Corpses Brain Divine Elixir."