Chapter 772: Chapter Eleven: Demon Star

In the conversation they saw the short‑legged tiger Wang Ying reveal a hopeful look, probably thinking that if the golden‑haired tiger Yan Shun and the white‑faced gentleman Zheng Tianshou said a few kind words, his own life would be saved; as for having an arm cut off and losing most of his martial skill, that bitterness was hidden in his heart and would surely be repaid when the chance arose.

"Greedy, lustful, ungrateful, unprincipled—what reason does such human scum have to stay alive?" Bai Lang's face suddenly broke into a snarling grin; with a flick of his wrist and a powerful thrust, the reverse blade sliced straight through Wang Ying's pallid face, which had turned ashen from severe blood loss, the blade piercing the heavenly spirit crown. Such injuries were beyond cure, yet he did not die at once; Wang Ying staggered in the dust, each breath a struggle for life.

"The golden‑haired tiger Yan Shun is nothing but a man‑eating beast; you three bandits of Qingfeng Mountain should all die today." Bai Lang urged his horse to wheel around, his waist‑blade slashing diagonally; even though Yan Shun was several feet beyond the blade's tip, Bai Lang still unleashed a blade flash, cleaving the man from shoulder to waist, skin tearing, flesh bursting, bone shattering, and the five viscera spilling outward. The cut was exquisitely precise—while it ripped skin and broke bone, it also sliced the organ ligaments, yet the viscera themselves bore no wound.

That was to make Yan Shun endure terror and pain before death. As for the white‑faced gentleman? Such a creature that drinks human hearts as sobering broth could not evade it either; the moment he raised his weapon, a lightning‑fast blade flash sliced through him, gutting him just like Yan Shun, only the wound was on the opposite side, forming an X with Yan Shun's. Afterwards Bai Lang rode his horse, cutting down the entire stronghold cleanly, and his horse shed not a single drop of blood.

He dismounted, ransacked the gold and silver thin valuables, then set the stronghold ablaze... "Look at the design of these thin valuables; these people have harmed many passing travelers. This situation in the Great Song truly is a pill." This was in Qingzhou Prefecture, not in the rebellious lands of Sichuan, Guizhou, or Xiangxi; yet such bandits existed, and not far away lay the official Qingfeng Stronghold, guarded by Xiao Li Guang and Hua Rong.

Bai Lang knew the three were all Demon Stars, the sort who would instantly bow to the black third brother Song Jiang; now all have fallen, and the 108 Stars can never be complete. As he sorted the thin valuables, among the three Wang Ying was already dead, the other two were desperately trying to push their viscera back in, still fighting for life. Bai Lang gave two casual kicks, and a gentle force carried those two men along with their organs straight into the ignited flames.

The third kick sent the dead ghost Wang Ying in as well; from then on the three Qingfeng Mountain bandits became three lumps of charcoal, and the Jiangzhou Execution Ground fell silent. Whether they had sworn brotherhood with Song Jiang remains unknown. Bai Lang hoisted the gold and silver, mounted his horse, and set off straight for Shi Dalang's location. This slaying of the three bandits will probably go unnoticed; the three had a modest reputation, but that was all.

The entire stronghold was wiped out by Bai Lang, so naturally no news spread; at most the merchants he rescued might mention Bai Lang storming the stronghold—yet at this moment Bai Lang was a "nameless fellow", "actually that's not true; he had already shown up at Chai Jin Village, and if Wu Erlang's tiger‑slaying fame spreads throughout Shandong, perhaps my name will also surface in Chief Chai's speech."

So on Shandong Road he should have a slight reputation, perhaps being a follower like Lu Junyi and Yan Qing to the little Ming King Shi Yi. Thinking this, Bai Lang chuckled and decided to train more with Shi Yi after returning. "Dalang, what's the matter?" He hadn't expected that as soon as he got back to the village, Shi Yi approached him with an urgent matter to discuss.

"Head Instructor, please take these thin valuables to Jiangnan for Er Lang and the little sister; with your martial skill, they will surely arrive unharmed." Shi Dalang still intended to send the stronghold's gold and silver to Jiangnan for Shi Xiao and Shi Xiaomei; that was considerate of the elder brother. Bai Lang had no intention to refuse; he himself wanted to go to Jiangnan, "this transport will go straight by canal, the canal to Jiangnan is only a few weeks away." This time Bai Lang took a few idle men and hired a cargo boat.

He secretly stowed the gold, silver, and jewels into the ship's lower cargo hold, while the upper passenger cabin became the resting place for Bai Lang and the idle sailors. This journey to Jiangnan should pose little risk—many hardy men live off the canal, but few would covet a clearly lightly‑laden, sparsely crewed boat. Moreover, Bai Lang had no intention of stopping at any dock; at most he would let a few idle men go ashore to purchase food and drink.

The men who hijack riverways with small boats have always existed; they appear in great numbers in the reed‑filled branches of natural waterways and small lakes that branch off the canal. Most strike under dark, windy nights, though a few bold strongmen do raid in broad daylight. Bai Lang sat at the bow, looking like a River God. "I heard Yang Su once had such bearing; now I, the old master, am just the same." Bai Lang's tiger‑like beard and hanging eyebrows indeed gave him a first‑rate immortal visage.

Among those idle men, many were dishonest, dreaming of going ashore to drink and visit brothels, but Bai Lang kept them in check. Some muttered grievances in private, and Bai Lang thought of another point: "Shi Yi is careless; many of his men are quite sharp. Though we never explicitly said this shipment was gold and silver, those few must have seen through it."

So the problem arises: after delivering to Shi Xiao and Shi Xiaomei, is it harming them or bestowing wealth? If any of these idle men have ulterior motives, mutter a few words, or even sneak away to consort with jianghu scoundrels and then rob the small manor that Shi Xiao and his companions established outside Hangzhou Prefecture… Bai Lang, being a jianghu figure, had to think a little more.

A simple solution is murder, silencing all these people; thinking that way, perhaps Shi Yi's fate truly hinges on luck? These dozen idle men aren't even Shi Yi's close followers—indeed, Bai Lang had observed that Shi Yi seems to have no close confidants; beyond practicing martial arts, he only has a drinking‑and‑feasting gang of slackers, probably the battle against the imperial army made him see that.

The only one he could entrust his life to was Head Instructor Bai Lang; the others could at most be idle helpers, no need to speak of confidants. This time, delivering the gold, silver, and jewels, if Bai Lang were to silence all these people in the end, Shi Dalang probably wouldn't care; the jianghu world likely wouldn't notice either—because it was already highly secret.

"Let's watch first, see how many of them can survive and how many have lost their conscience," Bai Lang thought, unconcerned by the small boat closing in under the night sky. Two fire pits at the bow cast flames onto the deck; a waist‑blade lay across his knee, and the idle men were strictly ordered by Bai Lang to keep the hatch closed and not come out.

A grappling hook was thrown onto the deck, snagging the rail, and someone climbed up. "With a raw body holding a board‑knife, can't you wear a piece of clothing?" Bai Lang glanced at those ugly fellows, saying with a hint of disgust.