Chapter 780: Chapter Nineteen: Qingzhou

The Great Song border forts were full of ponds; to prevent northern cavalry from moving south, the Song dynasty forced a series of pools and mud flats onto the plains, and the controls were relatively strict. For Bai Lang it made no difference—he easily entered the Liao Empire's Nanjing Road, and even saw Liao troops trampling grass valleys along the way. When the lone Bai Lang rode alone, those Liao soldiers attacked his grass valley, but were counter‑attacked, each taking a slash and being killed, and their belongings and horses went to Bai Lang.

The Liao Empire was not much different from the Great Song, aside from the Khitan nobles' clothing; otherwise they were much the same. When Bai Lang led his horse into the city, he attracted a lot of attention—his handsome looks made him look like a peerless war hero wherever he went. Soon he was singled out, "Brave man! Would you join the army and seek fame?" someone offered directly, apparently a servant of some Khitan noble.

The recruitment was surely for a guard role; becoming a Great Liao officer was completely impossible, and no one tried to seize Bai Lang—he looked the type not to be provoked, so officials preferred to leave him alone, preferring fewer troubles. Though he seemed like a notorious pirate, Bai Lang actually had no sea‑capture documents, especially none from the Great Liao. He rode north, passed Hebei, went through Guan Kou, and entered Liao Dong.

The Great Liao also had many so‑called heroes, mostly Khitan bandits who robbed households, no better than those of the Great Song—at least the Great Song had no officials leading raids, while many of these Khitans held official military ranks. That day Bai Lang arrived in Liao Dong and immediately saw a group chasing a herd of deer; they were a band of fur‑clad savages, and the little braids on their heads gave them away as Jurchen.

These people had thick bones and joints; though not very tall, they were very bulky, wielding large bows with heavy arrows, broad war knives at their waists, and some carried iron spears. Many arrowheads were bone‑carved, as their iron weapons were relatively scarce. When they saw Bai Lang leaning on his horse watching their hunt, the Jurchen also nocked arrows and aimed at him—these people didn't mind ambushing travelers.

Bai Lang also drew his sword, which only made them greener with envy—his blade was a fine sword, forged from hundreds of cash worth of refined iron, then hundred‑times hammered by a master, a blade that could cut hair in a single stroke. Its surface bore water‑polished marks, the blade was long and double‑edged, and it had taken the lives of three demon stars. After the Jurchen released their arrows, they drew knives and spears and charged, while Bai Lang casually deflected the arrows and, with a single slash, claimed a life.

The burly man before him was cleaved from head to navel as Bai Lang drew his sword; the whole body split open in the middle, blood and entrails gushing wildly. The man fell silent and collapsed, and before the others could react with fear, Bai Lang's blade swept across. Under Bai Lang's force, a human body was like tofu; the second man tried to block with his weapon, but Bai Lang's blade sliced through both his weapon and his body, still as smooth as silk.

That man was cut horizontally, and the remaining Jurchen men instantly turned and fled, their crippled legs surprisingly fast. "Just that, but probably not that simple," Bai Lang thought, and after seeing the Jurchen he mounted his horse and turned back. Bai Lang had circled the Liao Empire and Western Xia, and when he re‑entered Great Song territory he heard that Liangshan's power was now great. Upon reaching Qingzhou, Bai Lang happened to see hundreds to thousands of people surrounding Qingzhou, attacking it.

He halted his horse to the side and watched the assault on Qingzhou, seeing that the commander was a man with a blue scar on his face, while a plump monk repeatedly tried to storm the city walls, and a monk‑clad Wu Song, whom he recognized, was also present. Qingzhou Prefecture also had a hero opposing them—a fierce general wielding double whips, riding a horse and repeatedly repelling the monk and the ascetic. Bai Lang's actions, of course, caught the attention of the forces besieging Qingzhou.

Wu Song recognized that this was the Shi Yi family instructor Bai Lang, a strong man whose martial skill surpassed his own and a current member of the Liangshan heroes. It so happened that among Kong Ming and Kong Liang someone had already gone to Liangshan to fetch reinforcements, perhaps Bai Lang was the first hero to arrive. When Wu Song mentioned it, Lu Zhishen immediately showed interest, "Great skill?" and challenged Bai Lang directly. Lu Zhishen was a top‑tier figure among the Water Margin's Liangshan, so Bai Lang was fairly cordial to this monk—he only knocked him down three times.

But the others were not so lucky. "Is that female general Sun Erniang? And this is Zhang Qing?" Bai Lang saw a man and a woman in the troops and said, "Exactly, that couple." He sneered, "Running a black shop selling human‑meat buns, Lu Da Wu Er, you also call yourselves heroes, how can you let such villains roam free? And you call each other brothers?" After speaking, Bai Lang drew his sword and slashed Zhang Qing down, and when Sun Erniang screamed and drew her knife, Bai Lang seized her skull with one grip and twisted it.

That person's head was twisted off at the neck, and Bai Lang tossed the body aside, "Selling human‑meat buns, dying like this is a cheap deal for the two of them." Lu Da Wu Er immediately tried to act up, but Bai Lang's tiger‑like eyes glared, "You're completely without good or evil, truly a demon star, cannot be changed!" Wu Song drew his sword and slashed, while Bai Lang, empty‑handed, simply grabbed the sword, twisted it into a lump of scrap iron. "Paths that differ do not conspire," he said, then mounted his horse and left.

Lu Da did not block him, and Yang Zhi certainly would not, but Bai Lang had not gone far before he ran into Shi Yi. "Da Lang, what brings you here?" Bai Lang asked. "Attacking Qingzhou," Shi Yi replied. "Following Song Gongming to attack Qingzhou; his disciple came seeking rescue." Bai Lang heard this and said, "Da Lang, act wisely, do not let them slaughter the innocent. I'll leave first." Shi Yi didn't understand why Bai Lang was leaving, "Oh, our paths differ, so we won't conspire."

Shi Dalang insisted that Bai Lang explain what was happening; Bai Lang gave a few casual remarks, and Shi Yi immediately raged, "Hide filth! Hide filth! People like this deserve death!" Shi Yi then tried to abandon his vanguard cavalry and head straight back to Liangshan. Bai Lang said to him, "No need to be impatient, no need to exert force; just wait—if they capture Qingzhou, act according to your own heart." After saying this, Bai Lang left, intending to go to Bianjing to rest.

"Has Qingzhou fallen?" Bai Lang heard the news seven days later, "Prefect Mu Rong was killed, all thanks to the Liangshan bandits." That's what the tavern was saying, and Bai Lang rode his horse straight toward Liangshan. Upon arriving at Liangshan he saw Shi Yi in a tavern outside the mountain… "Da Lang, why are you here?" Bai Lang asked.