Chapter 764: Spear and Staff Instructor

Shi Dalang's given name is just the single character Yi; Bai Lang originally thought he was the Nine Dragons Shi Jin, but it turned out he was Shi Yi, the eldest son of the Shi family manor in Shandong, with a younger brother and sister and both parents still alive. He indeed has three dragon tattoos on his body, but also two white‑foreheaded tigers, and the middle of his back is blank; hearing this kid say he plans to tattoo a Heavenly King or a Ming King there.

Two dragons on the arms are shoulder‑crossing dragons; the two white‑foreheaded tigers are draped across the waist and hips as descending‑mountain tigers. This Great Song tattoo master's skill is truly genuine; to Bai Lang he looks like a national‑level expert. This Shi Dalang, like the Nine Dragons, enjoys spear and staff martial arts, but Bai Lang can see at a glance that Shi Yi's physique is only ordinary, not one of those innately gifted strong‑bodied warriors—the 108 Stars of Water Margin are heavenly demon stars, not the same.

"The only way is to cultivate the path of internal‑external unity, and on this path he'll probably have to learn that skillful method of striking." Bai Lang thought, since the idea is to give Shi Dalang some pointers and Shi Taigong is also very respectful, Bai Lang feels he should put in a bit of effort—for example, using his own true qi to temper Shi Dalang's flesh and meridians, and also urging Dalang to do some reading, at least enough to understand the visualization diagram.

This visualization diagram is naturally the Heavenly King image Dalang intends to tattoo on his body: "Digging out the strength within my own heart—what could be better than this? I am my own god!" But contemplating this requires some reading; at least one should read the Heavenly King Classic, right? After reading the Heavenly King Classic and becoming a disciple, one ought to glance at the Four Books and Five Classics on the path to officialdom as well—maybe one could even pass an exam for an office. Of course this is Old Taigong's idea; seeing Dalang study brings tears to his eyes, and he grows ever more respectful of this instructor who looks about Dalang's age.

The Shi family manor isn't just farming; it also trades in grain, beans, and oils. Doing this business in these times isn't peaceful—if you aren't a local strongman you can't get by. And the instructor hired at the manor, aside from teaching the youngsters martial arts, is chiefly employed in the so‑called "disputes" to brandish blades and spears—including, but not limited to, being waylaid by mountain bandits and being extorted for protection money by gangsters.

Even they have to collect protection money; the Shi family manor does have a dock, and the merchants coming and going to unload cargo have to pay them a sum, while the river‑transport workers' gang has never given up on extending Jiang's influence to the dock. Thus the instructor's work stays busy—given today's Great Song public order, killing mountain bandits is no problem, but if they come to blows with the transport workers over the dock, as long as the incident occurs within the dock area, Elder Tiger Shi Taigong can always settle it, merely by paying a fee to the commandant.

The manor also keeps thirty‑odd idle fellows, and there are over two hundred households. Normally, once the commandant has been paid, he won't stir up trouble—if one is sane.... The Shi family manor is therefore still fairly well‑off, "Otherwise how could I feed my old self white steamed buns and fatty meat every day?" Bai Lang thought this, and his hands didn't stop—he took a wooden stick and, while Dalang practiced his forms, kept prodding Dalang's joints and the spots where he couldn't exert force.

Each prod naturally injects a strand of true qi; after about half a year of this Shi Dalang should reach the basics, and if the visualization succeeds, how far the internal‑external unified cultivation can go will be up to him. Bai Lang's guidance in spear, staff, sword and blade technique is superb—this is the kind of skill that wins every engagement on the battlefield.

Moreover, this spear technique even has a name: the Hundred Birds Facing Phoenix Spear. A shake of the spear tip is like a hundred birds taking flight, and a single thrust kills like a flock of birds turning into a phoenix. It truly is the finesse school of spearplay—first in ingenuity, capable of myriad transformations. Bai Lang has seen this set of martial arts himself; personally he's just average, and he doesn't rely on this kind of spear technique to roam the world—his own cultivation is the fierce, aggressive, valiant, peerless horse‑lance supreme technique.

His horse‑lance is being forged; the hundred‑refined lance tip has just been finished, and the craftsman is now polishing its surface. The surface of this hundred‑forged fine steel already shows beautiful patterns; Bai Lang could see that this is the wrought iron Shi Taigong bought at great expense from merchants of Tianfang, later known as Damascus steel.

Then one day a idle runner came saying there was trouble at the dock; it was time for this instructor to go out. Shi Dalang was also excited, quickly grabbing a pole and rushing out, while Bai Lang casually took a knife and led a dozen or so idle fellows after him. On the dock were about twenty sturdy men, also bare‑chested, showing tattoos that looked like floral clusters on their bodies.

These men all held poles, and some wielded iron rudders; they were all first‑rate toughs. "What's the excuse?" Bai Lang asked offhand. "It's the wages for loading and unloading ships," said an idle runner. At this moment Shi Dalang was already arguing and cursing with those dockworkers and ruffians, looking ready to fight.

Instructor Bai Lang didn't move, saying, "Let Dalang see some blood." They traded insults—no good words—and after a few exchanges Shi Dalang couldn't hold back and swung his pole down. Bai Lang shook his head and sighed, "Alas, though there are a thousand techniques on the drill ground, here there's not even half a point's worth." Sure enough, the pole was dodged, the attacker slipped free, and then several men rained down blows with sticks and clubs.

Shi Dalang immediately flailed, unable to block; he took a stick to the thigh, a blow to the shoulder, and fell over, looking like he was being taken down. At this point Bai Lang strode out calmly, didn't draw his knife, just reached out and seized a pole, gripping it firmly so the ruffian couldn't hold on; his palm split outright with an "ay!" and he dropped the pole.

Bai Lang held the stick with one hand, pressed down and lifted, instantly sending those five or six sticks flying. Then he said, "Watch closely—this is the phoenix's three nods of the Hundred Birds Facing Phoenix Spear." His staff became like a phantom, conjuring five or six heads that almost simultaneously struck the chests of those ruffians; instantly those men lost consciousness, their weapons clattered to the ground, they clutched their chests and staggered back, then coughed and gasped for air, truly lacking the strength to rise and fight again.

Shi Dalang had just risen from the ground, mouth agape, staring blankly as Bai Lang displayed his moves—this Bai Lang wasn't just playing around, but his stimulus to Shi Yi was considerable. Bai Lang himself had been thrown over with a single move, yet the instructor easily tossed those few men aside; looking at Bai Lang's staff, it seemed to turn into a bright silver spear—Heroic Dragon's Gall—and in an instant the tip of the staff sprouted more than ten spearheads, covering those dockworkers' thugs like a heavy rain.

"What gall!" shouts like that arose and were instantly silenced; no matter what weapons they used to block or parry, they could simply not withstand the point of Bai Lang's staff—this style of skill doesn't really match Bai Lang's temperament, yet when he employs it it remains peerless. Bai Lang retracted his staff, and before him a group of dockworkers collapsed; "Throw them back onto the ship!" Bai Lang said, and the ruffians behind him hurried over to get to work.

No one died; they were merely having their breath disrupted by Bai Lang, temporarily unable to move.