Alex’s blood ran cold as he heard what sounded like a final dying rattle, before his panicked hands found the small hidden leather belt pouch secured at the small of Mou Xi’s back. Not one but three silver vials within radiated a certain spiritual energy that filled him with both hope and horror.
One quick whiff was all Alex needed before immediately dropping down to kneel beside Mou Xi’s victim, the young man’s panicked eyes wide with desperation before rolling up as he collapsed with an awful wheeze, claw-like hands slipping free of his own throat.
“No. Hell no. He doesn’t get to die right in front of me!” Alex hissed, all his coldly calculated plans about to be thrown out for the panicked need to save this one fragile life. Then he mentally shook away all distractions as his desperate hands carefully poured half the contents of one of those three vials down the dying boy’s throat, before rubbing the other half into the young cultivator’s ruined neck.
He waited for ten long, anxious seconds, ignoring the wide-eyed looks of both Liqin and the pair of jaded spectators now forced to accept that this boy had nearly died at their feet, as he girded himself for what his next move had to be.
The boy’s eyes sprung open as he began to cough and wheezed, gasping for life, then howling with pain.
As the awful swelling of his neck faded before their eyes, the sobbing boy stared at Qirin and Alex in wonder.
“I couldn’t breathe!” the young cultivator rasped. “You saved my life. I couldn’t breathe!”
Even through his choking sobs, he glared over at the writhing Mou Xi. “That monster nearly killed me!”
Liqin graced him with a tear-filled smile. “I’m glad you made it. But come on. Let’s get you to the healers, just in case that potion wasn’t enough. I understand sometimes certain types of injuries, like swelling, can rebound if you’re not careful.”
The young man grinned weakly. “Don’t worry. I might have just broken through to Bronze less than a month ago, but I’m training as a healer. Now that I’m not overwhelmed with the panic and agony of death, and I can breathe again… soothing hot flesh with the cooling flow of healing Wood Qi will be nothing for me.” He flushed shyly. “My name is Qiu,” he offered, performing dogeza before them both. “This one thanks you for his life.”
He scowled at the still-sobbing Mou Xi and his associates. “That was no fair fight, and you know it! And you idiots also know better than to extort students gathering supplies for the healers’ pagodas! Even your master conceded that much.” He spat at their feet. “The Blue Pagoda will be closed to the Spirit Wolves. See if it isn’t!”
With a final solemn bow to Alex and Qirin, Qiu immediately spun around and dashed for what Alex could only assume was the crystalline blue pagoda in the distance, the magnificent multitiered structure as glorious as any palace, glittering like a jewel in the afternoon sun.
Liqin didn’t say a word, just gazed intently at the back of Alex’s head as they made their way back to the central path bisecting the school grounds.
“I just… I can’t… how?”
Alex grinned. “How did I know to head over there as fast as I could? How is it that a casual extortion, which I’m guessing is far more common than you wanted to admit to me, could have turned so fatal, so fast? Or how did I actually manage to take out Mou Xi?"
His companion favored him with a rueful smile. “Well, yes. All of it.”
Alex’s grin widened. “The first and second are sort of tied together. I tend to have a knack for finding trouble.” His expression hardened. “Either that, or it tends to find me, whether or not I’d have it otherwise.”
Intent brown eyes met his own as her playful smile immediately turned solemn. “You’re not kidding, are you?”
He slowly shook his head.
She swallowed, eyeing him with wonder. “I mean, really, I shouldn’t be surprised. You managed to crash down so hard and fast, you disrupted the entire revel, specifically on the floor where I suspect you’re least welcome. You’re wearing a strange, translucent talisman that just begs to be challenged, and, well… you did have both Father and I pointing blades at you in less than a day.”
Alex winced. “Sounds pretty terrible, doesn’t it?”
She chuckled at his expression. “Indeed, it does.” Her brows furrowed. “That still doesn’t explain how you bested Mou Xi. He’s talented. I believe he’s already had his second breakthrough as a Bronze, and embraces both Speed and Strength. Worse, he’s already at the point where he can manipulate Metal Qi. He can cut you just as if he wielded daggers that no one but he can see! Unless you’re very strong or can ward against metal…”
Alex smirked. “The answer to that one is simplest of all. How did I manage to surprise both you and your father?”
She frowned before her eyes widened in sudden understanding. “Oh. It’s just your Ruidian Strength, and Mou Xi underestimating you! He was stupid enough to try to intimidate you by shaking you down, literally. But once you gripped his wrist and hyper-extended his arm… it was already over.”
She paused, eyes suspicious. “Though I thought I detected a trace of Water Qi in your palm strike. That’s my element, though I’m not a healer like Mother, and she shames me for my lack of talent almost every day… but still, it was hardly more than a flash. Mostly it was just your jewel-strength that broke his arm and stunned him silly, right?”
Alex spread his arms wide, smiling mischievously. “Feel free to tell everyone your suspicions. A Ruidian jewel master whose forte is strength, as opposed to the elements, and who actually managed to slip inside this school. That would be an enigma, wouldn’t it?”
“That it would,” she agreed, as they passed an ever-increasing number of intent-looking students. Most of the men were dressed in similar cultivator’s uniforms comprised of tightly-sashed short robes and leggings of cotton or silk, along with either strapped sandals, supple-looking leather boots, or, in some cases, no footwear at all. Their hair was either cut short, shaved save for a single topknot, or left freely flowing, as if to imply that the cultivators in question were so deadly that they had no need to fear anyone using their hair against them in battle.
The handful of passing female cultivators either wore uniforms almost identical to those of their male counterparts, or elegant qipaos of silk or finest linen, their hair almost always pinned or knotted up in serviceable buns. More than half wore a touch of crimson upon their lips, with kohl highlighting their eyes, but other than that, their glowing health was a more striking indication of their beauty than any amount of face paint or blush could ever be. And even the most elegant attire looked as functional as it was flattering and unlikely to hinder its wearer in combat, or so Alex thought. Which made perfect sense, given the nature of this school.
Most walked at a hurried clip, never so lost in thought that they failed to pay attention to their surroundings. None ever quite dared to touch another, even if the occasional pair engaged in animated conversation. It seemed less that this distance was out of fear than that it was a long-ingrained reflex, perhaps to avoid the stress of unintended challenges. Almost all of them wore leather satchels secured by straps on one or both shoulders.
“So long as it contains nothing more than wax tablets or journals of leather and vellum and writing utensils, the satchel alone is considered inviolate, and so is safe from being challenged for,” Liqin quickly explained. “The school believes in pushing you, but not in depriving you of your ability to grow by letting opponents spitefully destroy your notes.”
Alex nodded. It was one of the few restrictions which Rising Phoenix and Dragon Academy had in common. And he couldn’t deny that this jewel of a school truly was magnificent in terms of scope, student population, and architectural grandeur. And the fact that the entire campus rested upon what amounted to a broad, flattened mountain top meant that they had an absolutely spectacular view of the lands all around.
He smiled as Liqin gave a lively account of the sheer wonder she felt whenever she gazed
from the top floors of the pagodas. “And there are numerous cultivating rooms specifically designed to give you a magnificent view of the natural world for countless miles in all directions. At least, if you’re one of the favored few granted access to those chambers, in order to bask in the potent flow of Qi emanating from the land as a whole.”
“It really is an incredibly beautiful school,” Alex conceded, wholeheartedly believing that, despite the early ugly confrontation that had almost taken a young healer’s life.
Even knowing that there was a dark side, he already felt more welcome by the benign indifference of countless students here, as opposed to the poorly hidden hostility he had received from nearly everyone at Dragon Academy. Though, for all its faults, he couldn’t deny that his former master’s residence did have a beautiful view of the sea.
Liqin beamed, as if he had complimented her personally. And perhaps in a sense, he had. This was her birthplace, after all. “It truly is!” she enthused. “The most beautiful and wonderful place in all the Golden Realms!”
Whatever else she was going to say was cut off by the distant cry they both heard.
Alex immediately spun around to catch sight of a pair of cultivators trading blows at a fearsome pace. Nothing like the brutal bullying of before, this was clearly a match between equals, and all Alex felt was exhilaration as they punched, kicked, and countered at speeds that would have left any gold medalist slack-jawed with awe and envy, back in the life he had once lived.
For all that he had been a wasted-away youth, dying of cancer just two years before, according to his own internal clock, he could now take fierce joy in being counted among these super-human martial artists’ number.
Despite the fact that, more often than not, they seemed to be self-centered and ruthless beyond belief, doing whatever it took to get and stay ahead.
“Of course, our academy has bitter equal to the sweet,” Liquin explained as they joined the other spectators in watching the fight. “But balancing flavors is like the flow of Yin and Yang. Challenge must coincide with opportunity, the fear of hardship, and the ever-present knowledge that if you dare to slack off, you could lose absolutely everything. This must always be in the back of every student’s mind, to truly compel them to be all they could ever hope to be.”
“Tell that to the kid that just got thrown to the ground,” he said, wincing when he saw the way the cold-eyed victor continued to hold onto his opponent’s hyper-extended limb after executing a masterful floating hip throw. But Alex was pleased to note that there didn’t seem to be any five count limit to joint locks or pins at this school.
Unlike the fight before, this match was in the middle of a vast, open-air pagoda which sported scores of seats along the southern half of the building. The northern half contained no rising seats at all, but allowed an easy view for any of the dozens of casual passersby who paused to catch a glimpse of the fight, much like Alex and Liqin had. A good number of those spectators were openly discussing the martial techniques and the Qi attacks that the pair had been using.
“I yield!” The desperate cry was as much a shriek as a concession. The bulkier cultivator immediately eased the pressure of his arm bar before stepping back and offering his opponent the tiniest bow.
Alex noted polite clapping from both seated spectators and passersby, while the loser handed over a handful of silver tokens, which Alex already knew to be school credits, with a good-natured curse.
“Wasn’t expecting you to finish with Tsuri Goshi,” the student admitted while being helped to his feet by the victor.
The larger man flashed a triumphant smile. “Everyone knows how good you are with Iron Fist, Wu. But stone is not inimical to metal. Iron springs from rock, after all.”
The leaner student frowned quizzically. “But Earth enhances metal. Your hits should have been making me stronger!”
The larger student chuckled, patting him on the back. “Is that what you think? Your tensile strength is remarkable, but metal also tends to bend and flow where stone is rigid and immovable. Assuming you can’t crack my grip, you will eventually bend to my will.”
The analysis actually earned some thoughtful nods and polite applause.
“Metal Versus Stone. Equal Rank. Stone is victorious,” announced an officious-looking man in ivory white cultivator’s robes, projecting his voice to resonate through the pagoda by some strange fusion of Earth and Wood Qi, though Alex felt as much as heard the words. “Next match will be Fire Versus Water. Two rank ascension.”
“Quite a different fight than the one before,” Alex noted as they passed by the pagoda, eyes widening in surprise as he saw each contestant being awarded several silver tokens beyond what they had initially wagered.
Liqin beamed. “Yes, of course, Alex. This is how challenges should be fought! Here in the battle pagoda, for all to see and learn from. In return for allowing spectators to witness and study the matches, both parties are also awarded three credits or more.”
“Too bad not all academies that approach,” said Alex. “Win or lose, that sounds like a decent way to earn credits and improve your skills.”
Her pride in her school fairly glowed. “Our former headmaster felt much the same way you do. Because of his precedent, the fights in the pagoda tend to be less ruthless, less vicious, with the stakes much more reasonable than ‘everything of worth that you have on you.’ Additionally, we are relatively near the Blue Pagoda, so healers are only a shout away.”
Alex nodded thoughtfully, his curiosity growing. “It sounds like nothing’s stopping students from keeping their wagers to a single credit or something, so they both end up ahead. I highly approve as a student myself, but how does that help the school? Students earning credits sparring are not out gathering herbs or engaging in other assignments on the school’s behalf.”
Qirin chuckled, her eyes twinkling merrily. “We’re not a tiny sect depending upon our initiates to keep us afloat, Alex. Royal Phoenix is the most distinguished cultivation academy in all of CuiJing Province, and has enjoyed the patronage of powerful rulers for centuries. Coin and clout are not things we lack. As for the credits themselves, they are a form of legal tender within the school for access to specialized teachers, tomes, quarters, and other resources. These are things we actually have in abundant supply, and the school suffers no long-term hardship in forging better students.”
She squeezed his hand, gently picking up their pace while continuing her lecture. “Our former headmaster very much wanted cultivators to think with their heads as well as their fists, and devised ways to make the system integrated into our school’s bedrock less ruthless than it had once been, but rather more focused on fostering students’ battle skills and teamwork. If a handful of friends compete only against each other, using their skills to the best of their ability, they Qi-saturate their tokens to such a degree that they are both too opaque to prevent students with less noble intentions from challenging them, and too saturated to give challenge to other students less interested in that aspect of our school. Perhaps best of all, this method gives everyone the opportunity to watch genuine fights waged with absolutely serious intent. Even if both parties might earn some credits, we all come out for the ones where the stakes are high, and we know the fighting will be in earnest.”
Alex smiled, admiring the clever method. “That doesn’t sound like a bad system at all. So how come bad apples like Mou Xi are still a problem, intimidating and extorting other students?”
Liqin frowned, her cheery mood dampened at the reminder. “Because the former headmaster was the exception, not the rule. Our present headmaster embraces our school’s oldest traditions, and gangs like the Spirit Wolves are as much an element of this school as the Fighting Pagoda is. According to my father, learning how to deal with bullies, graft, and corruption, including how best to avoid it, face it, overcome it, or come to a compromise with it, or yes… ultimately be destroyed by it… is just one of the many lessons that the founders of this academy expected stud
ents to learn.”
She gave an angry shake of her head. “For all that Mou Xi is a blight upon this school, he and his friends, just like Dark Qi itself, are very much a part of this place and must be faced accordingly.”
“Would you believe Dark Qi isn’t nearly as awful as people make it out to be?” he teased, surprised to see Liqin’s brow furrow with worry.
“As heroic and noble an act as you performed, Alex, you might end up paying a price for it. In real life, righteous cultivators are almost never awarded like in they are in so many plays and songs. Or at the very least, those stories are cut short, just before the true ending of the tale.”
“Is that so,” he quipped with a smile.
“It is. If you want to act the hero in this life, you must be strong enough not only to come to the aid of those in jeopardy, but to take on everyone who will eventually come for you as well.”
Alex nodded grimly, all too aware of just how true this was. “But if I hadn’t intervened…”
“A young noble Water cultivator, with the natural inclinations of a healer and a boon upon this school, would have perished.” Her smile grew darkly satisfied. “And the healer’s pagodas, all three of them, have their own accords with the darker elements within this school. The Spirit Wolves were stupid today. They’ll pay a serious price for nearly killing one of the Blue Pagoda’s favored students, the next time a Wolf comes to them for aid.”
Alex winced. “Ruthless. Not so different from my old school, after all.”
The beautiful young cultivator by his side favored him with a sympathetic laugh. “Of course not. What did you expect? We live in a cold, cruel world, where other cultivators are always competing for limited resources and opportunities. Save for friends and family, your lights in the dark seas of existence, you have to look through the world with ruthless eyes, always having to wonder what every cultivator, mortal, and merchant’s intentions truly are, daring to trust only those who you know have your back.”
Silver Fox & the Western Hero: Warrior's Path: A LitRPG/Cultivation Novel - Book 6 Page 26
