Silver Fox & The Western Hero: Warrior Forsworn: A LitRPG/Wuxia Novel - Book 3

by M. H. Johnson

Bio Contaminants mastered: Tetanus, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

  You have 60% Immunity to the effects of all caustic compounds or inhaled irritants.

  You have full immunity to the caustic and toxic effects of all poisons mastered and all alchemical reagents used.

  You have 30% Immunity to Ethanol intoxication.

  You have full Immunity to Opioid intoxication.

  You have full Immunity to Tainted Spirit Beast Blood.

  You have full Immunity to Poison Toadwort.

  You have full Immunity to Painfire poison.

  You have 20% Immunity to Infernal Taint.

  You have full Immunity to Black Poppy Poison Technique. You are now immune to all secondary effects from all Qi attacks used by Purple Path cultivators.

  You have 50% Immunity to Dragon Viper Venom Qi attacks.

  Biochemical Mastery & Qi Absorption synergism! You now enjoy an additional automatic 5-point reduction from all Poison-aspected Qi attacks, including Purple Path or Alchemical Venom Cultivation techniques.

  Arcane Formulae witnessed:

  - Enhanced Cycling Pill. 95% comprehension achieved.

  Arcane Formulae mastered:

  - Meridian Rejuvenation Elixirs for all known combinations of Fire, Metal, Water, Wood, & Earth Affinities.

  - Unorthodox Shadow Meridian Rejuvenation Elixir (Fire/Earth/Metal/Shadow)

  - Meridian Purification Elixir (Will cleanse 1 clogged meridian channel. Use no more than 1 per month.)

  Note: divine artifact is needed to facilitate all alchemical elixirs. Silverbells are needed for all known Cultivation Elixirs. Shadow blossoms are needed for all Shadow Meridian Rejuvenation Elixirs. All elixirs must be diluted to 1/12 potency for safety. Only elixirs that restore meridian channels or heal the body can benefit the creator.

  Full Regenerative Capacity (Heal rate based on Vitality. Injuries will be free of scarring. Missing limbs will require one week per pound of biomaterial lost to regenerate fully.)

  _____________________________________________________________

  Despite the pain and hardship he had endured, Alex couldn’t help smiling with satisfaction at all the ways he had grown, beyond grateful just to be here. For no matter how low a regard his fellow students held him in, it didn’t matter. What mattered was that he had actually managed to enter Dragon Academy and survive his first trial. Even as the lowest of servants, he could still serve his master while taking his ease every night in the humblest of garden shacks that happened to overlook one of the choicest areas in all of Yidushi for cultivating.

  And by some freak coincidence, it also happened to be directly over the spot where a piece of his soul had stretched between Heaven and Hell, bliss and torment, creation and destruction, for a thousand eternal breaths, back when his soul, caught between life and death, had striven to understand and replicate the cultivation matrices of the gods themselves.

  And after a thousand years, he, or some ancient remnant of himself, had succeeded.

  Within his blood nested the potential to catalyze eight distinct elements, and the Qi of destruction and transformation as well.

  Now he needed to take that first step on his cultivation journey and somehow discover a cultivation path that would embrace all of his strengths.

  A journey that could take years, decades, perhaps centuries.

  And that was the best of all possible scenarios, with an entire library of cultivation manuals and eager instructors before him.

  He chuckled ruefully at the thought, wondering if he’d even be allowed to access the academy library at all.

  2

  “Hey look, it’s the Ruidian you bet against. I can’t believe they actually let that dog on Academy grounds!”

  The air suddenly filled with harsh, cold laughter that chilled Alex to the bone to hear.

  Having last heard that twisted chuckle while taking his ease near a cluster of outdoor stands just a handful of months ago, savoring all the sights, sounds, and culinary treats the city had to offer.

  Before being abruptly dragged into a narrow alleyway by the very group of burly cultivators now before him. Dragged, humiliated, beaten, then scalped by the very same dao hanging at the hip of the scowling youth glaring down at him even now.

  Alex felt an icy chill racing down his spine.

  There was no possible way he could know that the sheathed dao at the young lord’s hip was the same one that had torn off his forehead, even cracking the bone underneath, nearly killing him.

  But it was.

  And the hate-filled scowl, as a hot-eyed Lai Wei abruptly yanked a kowtowing Alex by his shaggy mane of hair, was from a face Alex knew all too well.

  “You! I recognize you. You’re Liu Jian’s worthless little lackey!” said Lai Wei, his eyes flashing with pure hate. “There is no way a worm like you could be here. No way you could have beaten one of Uncle’s chosen!” His lips curled in a snarl before he smashed Alex in the gut.

  Alex gasped, wide-eyed, feeling as if he was suddenly burning from the inside out.

  You have taken 10 Damage from Fire-palm! Qi Absorption reduces damage by 3 points to 7!

  Alex blazed with sudden pain and fury both. But he refused to take any action, not even to defend himself. He was perilously certain that if he were to lash out or fight back at this point, he would fail his penance, effectively exiling himself from the academy he had sacrificed so much to enter. And after all he had endured at this monster’s hands once before, there was no way in hell he was going to give the bastard the satisfaction of getting him exiled now.

  Alex groaned, as if he were a still critically injured student who had just barely survived the trials, and that’s exactly what he would be if it were not for his restoration technique.

  “Lai Wei, I don’t think we’re supposed to beat the penitents. Merely mock them, try to get them to flee the college in shame, but not actually hurt them!” hissed one of his companions.

  Lai Wei snorted his contempt, his too-handsome features almost effeminate as his lips curled in a snarl, glaring daggers at Alex as he grabbed a fistful of Alex’s hemp robe and jerked him upright.

  Alex was amazed despite himself, his Qi Perception sensing the hot flickering flows of Fire Qi through Lai’s meridian channels, filling him with strength, quickness, and an unquestionably hot temper. For all that his build lacked significant bulk, it was chillingly clear that Lai Wei was already stronger than Alex, for all that he had only recently touched Bronze.

  “If you want to run off like a frightened coward, Gao Ai, feel free! But I know for a fact that this Ruidian worm must have cheated!” He mashed his face against Alex’s own. “You smuggled poisons in, didn’t you, worm? Admit it! You and I both know your old master Liu Jian worked for the Jianghu sect as the most corrupt of fallen alchemists. A poisoner! Didn’t he, worm?” Lai Wei smacked Alex so hard his face jerked back with the cracking blow of palm against cheek.

  “Admit it, Ruidian! He was a poisoner, and you smuggled his toxic concoctions to throw the fight!” Dark, angry eyes lit up with unholy happiness. “Oh yes, I understand what happened now, and soon Uncle will too!” He shook Alex like a rag doll. “You’re coming with me, supplicant! Any objections?” He smirked. “That’s right, you’re not even allowed to speak, are you? Good, it’s settled!”

  And with that, Alex found himself dragged away from his master’s sanctuary and along the trail to the Academy proper by the same crew of hot-eyed arrogant youth that had nearly killed him once before.

  He bowed his head, hating how awkward and helpless he felt, wanting to shake his head in disbelief at the situation he now found himself in as dozens of students blinked at Alex in surprise, bemusement, or scorn, Lai Wei loudly declaring that Alex had cheated during the tournament, and would now be forced to face the consequences.

  But as far as Alex was concerned, this was just one more facet of his trial. No matter how much he despised the arrogant Lai Wei, he had caused him no physical harm
yet, and Alex was forbidden to speak until the day ended or his master said otherwise, no matter that not even his mentor could have foreseen Alex having to deal with the alchemist’s psychotic nephew.

  Though it chilled Alex to think that maybe Elder Panheu could actually sense the flow of events well enough to predict even this outcome.

  In which case it was more important than ever that he keep his mouth shut. If nothing else, he would be afforded the opportunity to see the den of his enemy when he was so clearly in the right.

  Before long, Alex found himself before a large pagoda with a fine reinforced door glowing with the aura of countless enchantments he could just barely sense flickering across its surface. Upon closer inspection, he sensed potent warding magics all around the pagoda, but it didn’t hinder Lai Wei from knocking, or from barging right past the surprised-looking student who opened the door for him.

  “What’s the meaning of this?” demanded one alchemist hotly as Lai Wei strode through the front foyer and past numerous alchemical labs where Alex caught glimpses of cultivators carefully compounding numerous tinctures radiating various levels of spiritual energy and raw compressed Qi, even recognizing the distinct smell of Silverbells somewhere within the laboratory, one of an alchemist’s most priceless treasures.

  Lai Wei glared at the cool-eyed man in burgundy cultivator’s robes, a marked contrast from Lai Wei’s silver-white ones. The cultivator’s nostrils widened at the disrespect he was shown. “I asked you a question, student, and I expect an answer!”

  Lai Wei smirked. “I’m going to see my uncle regarding a matter that directly effects the honor of my clan, Ba Po, as if it’s any business of yours!” He flashed a cold smile. “Unless you care to interfere? Then you can be the one who explains to my uncle, the man who runs the alchemical operations of this entire academy, who you swore personal allegiance to, why he didn’t get crucial information in a timely manner.”

  Ba Po swallowed, lowering his head almost deferentially. “My apologies, young master. I didn’t think…”

  Lai Wei snorted. “You didn’t think what, that because I embrace the path of pristine flame, I wouldn’t know one side of an alembic from another?”

  The increasingly nervous-looking man swallowed, raising his hands placatingly. “Never that, young sir, I assure you! Please, allow me to take you directly to Lai Leng.”

  And within moments, Alex found himself before a thick oak door that radiated powerful wardings, which again, Lai Wei knocked against without a care in the world, as if he had not just risked death in doing so.

  “Uncle, I have the Ruidian! Let me in, we can fix everything!”

  Dead silence for an endless moment. “You what?” roared a powerful voice on the other side.

  Lai Wei furrowed his brow, as if surprised by the strange intensity in his uncle’s voice. “I captured that bastard, Uncle Leng! Open up, and I’ll explain everything!”

  The door was immediately flung open, Lai Leng’s wide-eyed gaze one of horrified disbelief.

  “What are you doing, Lai Wei?” his uncle asked, voice deathly cold.

  Lai Wei flashed a self-satisfied smile, shaking Alex, who was hanging limply in his grip. “I knew I recognized this bastard,” he said. “He’s Liu Jian’s assistant! Or was, before the poor fool’s shop blew up!” Lai Wei chuckled cruelly at that, smirking at Alex’s expression. “Oh, didn’t you know? Your old master’s shop exploded in fire, months ago! I’m guessing your master realized what a worthless burden you were and sold you into slavery long before that happened, but it doesn’t matter now. Both Liu Jian and his brat of a daughter are missing and presumed dead—”

  And suddenly Lai Wei’s eyes bulged out, powerful hand no longer gripping Alex by his robe but now desperately struggling to breathe, as if his airway had just collapsed.

  The alchemist glared at his nephew’s suddenly pale-faced coterie. “Leave,” he said, and Lai Wei’s band of cohorts did just that with panicked genuflections, not a single one daring even to look back at Lai Wei’s gurgling, choking form as he kicked against the ground.

  The alchemist’s stare promised torments unending as he glared at Alex before shaking his head at a suddenly gasping and heaving Lai Wei, struggling to stand upright before collapsing once more, his gaze one of terrified betrayal. “Uncle! Why?”

  “Because you are a fool,” the man said coldly, but Alex didn’t think that was all there was to it. “Because I have given my word, my clan’s word, and you risk my honor by breaking it!” the man roared, before turning to Alex, coldly examining him.

  “Has my nephew caused you undue injury?”

  Alex slowly shook his head.

  “Good.” Lai Leng nodded, clenching his jaw, glaring at Alex. “I… regret my nephew’s... over-enthusiastic apprehension. You are free to leave, supplicant. I will make it clear to your master that your absence was… unintended.” Deadly eyes glared into his own. “I trust we have reached an understanding?”

  Alex bowed low and nodded, still refusing to say a word.

  He noted how the alchemist clenched his jaw, as if outraged at Alex refusing even to speak, but he did nothing as Alex turned around to leave.

  And the moment he left that chamber so filled with killing aura he breathed a great big sigh of relief, having sensed the man’s terrible pressure, dreadfully certain the man could have snuffed his life out, if he had been willing to pay the price such an act would entail. Still, Alex didn’t let his guard down for a moment while in the heart of his enemy’s power, though he did take careful mental notes of the layout, keeping his senses hyper alert as he quickly left the building the way he came, feeling the outraged stares of half a dozen compounders burning into his back the whole time.

  And somehow, Lai Leng and his nephew’s words were still echoing inside Alex’s skull long after he had left.

  “You damned fool! I gave my word to Panheu that my clan would seek no retribution! And here you are, dragging his half-dead body right into my lab! Do you know what’s at stake if you make me an oathbreaker?”

  “But Uncle, I recognized him! That’s the Ruidian that used to work for Liu Jian before we destroyed his home! He must have been trained in compounding poisons or have access to Liu Jian’s secrets. How else could he have possibly beaten so many cultivators? He cheated! If we can force a confession, it’s Panheu who will owe you a fortune, not the other way around!”

  “Fool! It’s done! I already gave my oath!” Somehow, Alex could even hear Lai Leng sighing, for all that he was now some distance away. “Besides. The only poison we could find was Painfire Poison and traces of my disciple’s art. No other traces of any toxin could be detected.”

  Lai Wei hissed. “But that means...”

  “Yes. I know. As for that damned Liu Jian… we’ve found no trace of him. He and Liu Li have no doubt safely fled to another city far from here, and good riddance to the both of them. And I will never hear you say another disparaging comment about his daughter. Am I clear, nephew? The crimes of the father are not those of the child.”

  “But… yes, of course, Uncle. It will be as you say.”

  Alex took a deep, shuddering breath of relief as the voices finally faded from his mind, not knowing how he had been able to hear them, though the experience had been reminiscent of the quiet conversations between the alchemist and his own master he had overheard, somehow, despite the roaring crowd while fighting for his life the day before.

  And as horrific as the news was that Liu Jian’s enemies had destroyed his apothecary at the end, even Lai Leng thought they had safely fled. A theory Alex clung to, suddenly crushed by worry, in the back of his mind having planned to drop in on them and surprise them with good news when he finally got established here at the temple. But that was before things had taken such a dark turn and he had been forced into multiple death matches. And now it seemed that their apothecary had been utterly destroyed and his friends were now missing, presumed fled, and Alex forced himself simply to be grateful, kno
wing that they were alive somewhere out there in the greater realm.

  They could be anywhere. Perhaps at their sanctuary in the middle of deepest wilderness that Alex barely recalled, a memory of forests and mountains about a day’s march by High Road, which meant that they were hundreds of miles away at the very least. Even if Alex were to throw everything away in a desperate search to find them, how likely was it that any soldier would let him take a single step along the High Road without his old mentor there to vouch for him?

  And after what he and Liu Jian had uncovered, it was perhaps even more likely that they had fled for a safe city impossibly far away.

  They could be anywhere, in any of hundreds of the massive walled cities that dotted this impossibly large world, or they might have retreated to any number of hideouts only they knew of in deepest wilderness.

  Alex sank to the ground in a melancholic stupor. His ears were filled with the sounds of crashing waves and seagulls crying, and remembered laughter and conversations shared with the first friends he had ever made in this world, at least during this lifetime.

  He paid no mind to the occasional scorning student passing his way, as he was finally forced to accept the fact that he might never see his gruff but good-hearted mentor, or the beautiful kitsune girl he had risked so much to save, ever again.

  3

  By the time Alex had shaken himself free of the melancholy that had bitten him so deeply, Liu Li’s sparkling silver-green eyes and mischievous smile blazing in his mind’s eye before gently fading away with the last crimson rays of the setting sun, he realized it was getting dark, and he was not where he was expected to be.

  “Don’t be a fool, Alex. We can take care of ourselves, just like we have for years. And if you don’t want to find yourself on the streets with your tail between your legs, you’d best start handling your business right quick!”

  Alex shivered, surprised by how very much his inner voice had sounded like Liu Li, but determined to take her advice nonetheless. Shaking free the last bit of maudlin melancholy, he raced back to his master’s pavilion, not that far from where he had crashed in a despairing stupor almost an hour ago.