Alex smiled at the thought of Sheng Jie. The arrogant young cultivator had glared daggers Alex’s way, muttering about foul Ruidian cheaters when he had returned to class that day, still wincing with the thrashing Alex had given him.
Apparently Alex had injured him far more severely than even he had realized, lost in his epiphany. He had been wearing a bandage over his left eye and relegated to practicing forms only, and not for the first time, Alex realized how profoundly fortunate he was to have discovered a body cultivation technique that, in terms of recuperative powers at least, was head and shoulders above and beyond what any basic ranked cultivator should have access to.
Surprisingly, Qie Qie pulled out a clay pot giving off the delicious aroma of chicken and rice, still piping hot, from a small pouch at her waist. She smirked at his raised eyebrows.
“Yes, I have a storage space, and even though it’s quite modest at only a cubic foot, it lets me carry what I need at my hip without hindering me in the least, and any food I put in stays fresh and hot, indefinitely.” She frowned at Alex in concern. “I’ve glanced your way at the eating hall, though you’re too clueless to look back. You’re clearly not eating enough. You hardly take a bite before leaving.” She gave a pitying shake of her head. “How can you ever expect to face down a Bronze like me if you can’t handle dark glares from lesser cultivators?”
Alex smiled, gratefully accepting the hot pot. “Thank you, Qie Qie, that is very thoughtful of you.”
He wasn’t about to tell her that he had a fortune in spirit meat and other foods, some quite exotic, that he had pilfered from slavers, vile merchants, and spirit beasts he had hunted. And all of it indefinitely preserved in his divine artifact, save that which he let sink into the soil of his ring’s garden. He was glad he had thought ahead, and that the corrupt merchant Hao Zei really had been forced to leave a fortune in exotic foodstuffs and other goods behind during their transcendent journey through endless forest.
For all that he had darted into the food hall no more than once a day since he had first started attending classes, it was more about appearances than anything else. Quick, hurried meals people might believe sustained him even as they were happily sure he was waning in strength. But if he never showed up to eat at all and still thrived… then his enemies would grow even more suspicious.
Qie Qie nodded. “You’re welcome.” She furrowed her dainty brows. “But don’t be a pig. There’s plenty of garlic-chicken.” She swallowed, looking away. “You should be sure to let Elder Panheu and, you know, anyone else staying here give it a try.”
Alex blinked as it all clicked into place. Of course. He had a hard time trusting unexpected kindness, after all he had endured. But Qie Qie, despite her dark pleasure in the ring, was very honorable in her own way and wasn’t malicious. And the hopeful look in her eyes, the real reason why she dolled herself up, was suddenly painfully apparent, even to him.
“I am sorry, Qie Qie,” Alex softly said. “But Elder Panheu and Zhao Doushi are both on, well, a leave of absence, I guess. I’m not sure when they’ll be back.”
Qie Qie flushed, suddenly glaring daggers at Alex.
Perception check failed! You have suffered 15 Damage and 1 Light Wound due to a surprise attack!
Alex groaned, reeling from the unexpected punch to his midriff.
“And why are you mentioning Zhao Doushi, Alex? When did I ever mention that Silver? Never! Not once! So why would you bring up his name? He’s a foolish idiot who won’t even look my way. Why would I care where the hell he is?”
Strong hands forced the hot pot into his own. “Here’s your damned chicken. Return it when you’re done.” She glared daggers at Alex who was still wincing in surprise. “And you owe me six credits so far, and I should charge you extra for the bloody escorts!”
Alex sighed, pulling out his credit purse. “I only have two credits so far, but here, they’re both yours.”
“I wasn’t trying to tap your last coin, Alex, I’m just saying that...” She furrowed her brow. “Are you an idiot, or just messing with me?”
Alex blinked. “I’m sorry?”
She rolled her expressive brown eyes. “These are ten-credit chips, Alex. Twenty credits in all.” She plucked one free of his grip with a fresh smile. “And now you’re two days ahead.”
Alex carefully hid his surprise, realizing that Lady Ning Jing had been far more generous than he had realized. A reward, perhaps, to match the peril he had constantly felt under her and her daughter’s twin gazes. His relieved smile matched Qie Qie’s mischievous one. He was glad she was leaving in high spirits. He hated being at the receiving end of her mercurial temper.
“I think you should be okay walking on your own, Alex, and don’t worry… I’ll keep your confidence.”
Alex winced and bowed his head, realizing it might have been foolish to reveal that he was alone and, some might think, vulnerable.
“Alex?”
“Yes?”
“Let me know when, um...”
Alex smiled. “I will.”
Her cheeks flushed quite prettily, Alex thought. Zhao Doushi would be a fool to ignore her. “Good,” she said at last, quickly turning on her heels and striding away.
Alex grinned fondly at her back before heading inside, making sure the gate warding was back in place before making his way to his favorite spot by the cliff edge overlooking the sea, thinking over all his matches with Qie Qie as he ate what was extremely delicious garlic chicken and rice, spiced perfectly.
He couldn’t help flashing a smile, thinking Zhao Doushi’s life might soon get very interesting, even as his inner eye went over Qie Qie’s techniques again and again, spending the rest of the waning afternoon mirroring their battles with one of the many bladed staffs he had in storage, to the accompaniment of the distant cries of seagulls and crashing waves far below.
9
Soul Sight skill check successful! +4 modifier for well-studied opponent!
The next day Alex felt a curious sense of exhilaration while crossing bladed staves with Qie Qie once more, sensing her shifts in stance like never before. She frowned, gazing at him consideringly before nodding. “Good. You’re no longer flinching like a coward before me. Let’s do this!”
And her short spear lashed out, seeking a quick strike against his head that he effortlessly countered, hands instinctively flowing where they needed to be to maximize his leverage when he sensed to coiled surge of sea-blue Qi flashing through her limbs.
She chuckled softly. “Good.” She then unleashed a flurry of attacks without batting an eye, icy gaze trying to lock with Alex’s own.
But Alex’s eyes slid away from her gaze, focusing only on the flow of Qi he could now both see as well as feel like an odd pressure, his growing perception all that allowed him to protect himself from her furious barrage, at constant risk of being overwhelmed by her fantastic speed, until… there!
He sensed the particularly intense surge of blue Qi, and somehow knew exactly what it meant; his wide, defensive grip allowed him to lever aside her powerful thrust, striking with the speed of a serpent as she lunged forward, smacking her temple with the shaft of his spear just like one would use a quarterstaff for the heartbeat she had over-extended and he was inside her guard.
“Point goes to Alex! First point of the day! You know what that means, Qie Qie,” declared a bemused Master Pan.
Qie Qie rubbed her head, glaring daggers at Alex. “Thanks, now I have to start wearing a helmet and taking you seriously,” she snarked, doing just that, and Alex couldn’t help but shiver as all playful banter evaporated and she readied herself once more, her sudden killing aura making it clear that she was fooling with him no longer.
Now they were sparring for real.
Opponent’s short spear has slipped past your own. Light Wound suffered.
Opponent’s short spear has levered aside your own. Light Wound suffered.
But Alex only smiled even as Qie Qie regained the initiative, pummeling him
like never before.
For Alex’s short spear was now also moving faster than it ever had before, Alex feeling a sudden surge of exultation as it all clicked into place, everything suddenly making sense, his weapon now feeling like an extension of himself as he weaved past yet another deadly thrust, his polearm snapping around Qie Qie’s own to smack against her shoulder, earning a hiss and a glare.
Alex couldn’t help flashing a triumphant grin, darting back with his short spear raised in high guard as her surprised gaze locked with his own. He didn’t even need to see the message flashing across his mind’s eye to know that he’d had another breakthrough.
Rank 5 achieved in Short Spear! Adept status achieved! You may now combine Short Spear rank with all synergistic skills!
Alex’s grin widened as Qie Qie glowered, Master Pan’s chuckle washing over them both. For all that half the students were busy sparring, paired up with each other, any number of eyes would randomly look their way, enjoying the spectacle of the Bronze hanger-on trouncing the Ruidian. Only today, they weren’t quite following the script.
Qie Qie’s glower turned to a rueful grin. “Alex, are you having another breakthrough?”
Alex smirked. “No life-changing epiphany. My short spear skill was just close to ranking up, and now it’s finally hit rank five, which means I’m at adept status! With a little practice, I should be able to combine it with my White Crane kung fu!”
The class went silent. Alex winced, realizing what he said probably made no sense to them, but Qie Qie grinned at the important part.
“So now you’re one with your spear? Excellent! Show me what you got!”
She charged in with an ebullient shout, and Alex did his best to do just that, now holding his weapon as if it had been made just for him, sensing the storm of Qi flowing through his friend like never before.
Their fellow students had gone silent, sparring slowly grinding to a halt as Alex and Qie Qie danced around the arena at ever-increasing speed, Qie Qie always faster, but Alex somehow always knowing just how to parry, continually slipping his spear free of her bind, her speed alone allowing her to dodge attacks that should have knocked her out cold.
Had Alex not progressed and elevated all his physical stats to fifteen or better, he knew he wouldn’t have stood a chance. But mostly it was thanks to sensing the flow of Qi through his sparring partner using Soul Sight that allowed him to stay just a half step ahead of her ridiculous pace, not even daring to go on the offensive, save when she had overextended herself and was momentarily vulnerable.
And that was when he sensed it, a growing awareness of a flaw in her defenses. A flaw in her flow of Qi.
He felt a sudden rush of heady anticipation as he countered her series of strikes once more, noting that she had fallen into a pattern, a trap of predictability.
And before she could launch her snapping strike, whipping her spear staff about like a longsword for his temple, before she could even summon forth another surge of Water Qi, Alex was there, mastering the bind, leveraging his weapon past her own and striking the gap between helmet and shoulder, sending his Bronze-ranked opponent crashing to the ground.
You have mastered the bind! Opponent is caught off balance. You sense the blind-spot in your opponent’s Qi flow! You have critically struck your opponent! Find Weakness is now Rank 3!
“Qie Qie!” Master Pan’s eyes widened in alarm, the sudden killing glare flashed Alex’s way freezing him where he stood. “What did you do, Ruidian?”
Alex’s heart lurched with dread as he gazed down at Qie Qie, mind racing as he frantically wondered if he had it within himself to heal her. If his stored Qi could possibly be considered potency he could share, if he could declare her part of his group.
Ali! he cried in the back of his mind, but he feared it would do no good. Ever since he had dived headfirst into that awful gate, an act he was now certain had killed him before he woke up shaken, weak, and collared on some nameless riverbank, his AI had seemed all but entirely inert. All that remained was his odd interface and a voice occasionally noting his feats and accomplishments.
Ali! he cried again, but there was no answer. No helpful AI sentience popping up to assist him. Just him gazing down at a girl he was terrified of having crippled or killed, realizing only now how deadly his blow had been against even an armored neck.
And a heartbeat before he dove past furious looking students glaring his way, willing to risk whatever it took, even revealing his divine technique if there was a chance he could somehow compel her cells with his own knowledge of Eternal Fox body cultivation, he heard a lurching gasp, felt the pulse of beneficent Qi Master Pan forced inside her.
And just a second later, a stunned but otherwise intact Qie Qie lurched back to her feet, gazing at Alex with something surprisingly close to awe.
“How the hell did you do that?”
The entire class was gazing at him in rapt awe or shaking their heads in disbelief.
Alex swallowed and shrugged. “Lucky, I guess.”
This earned him a chuckle or two, and a few nods of cautious respect, though Sheng Jie and his cronies only glared.
“Cheated, more like it,” he snapped.
Alex glared at the sneering noble. “Ready for a rematch, then?”
Sheng Jie curled his lip. “As if I’d lower myself to fighting gutter trash like you.”
“Didn’t stop you the other two times.” Alex smirked as the flustered noble abruptly spun about, he and his lackeys stalking off to the opposite end of the training area before resuming their sparring.
Alex shook his head before finding himself expertly tossed and slammed to the ground, Qie Qie’s gaze locking with his own. “How did you do it, Alex? Tell me how the hell a basic cultivator like you caught me off guard like that!”
Master Pan, in sharp contrast to his killing glare of moments before, was actually looking at them both with an unexpected measure of genuine pride. “Let his lesson humble you, Qie. Far better you gain insights from your humiliation now, than learn only with death’s final blow when you’re fighting for your life.”
He turned to the class at large. “Never forget that any blow you let slide past your defenses is the blow that could send all your hopes and dreams to ashes as your soul flies back down to the River of Souls. You must always fight as if your life depends upon it, because one day it will!”
Qie Qie, however, was still glowering down at Alex, pinning him with arm bar and knee, making it damn clear who really had the power between them. “You and I are going to have a rematch, and you’re going to show me everything you know.”
Alex flashed an impish grin. “Of course! I’m always happy to help out a kung fu sister.” This earned yet another pause in the group of students, gazing at Alex with smirks and in some cases, cold laughter.
“As if anyone would claim that stupid Ruidian,” smirked one student.
“Who the hell does he think he is?” whispered another.
Alex clenched his jaw, and pretended the words didn’t bother him at all. Why should he care? He was long over their contempt and rejection of him.
Qie Qie glared at Sheng Jie and his friends. “So what if I let him call me that, or anything else he likes? Do you have a problem with it, Sheng? You going to challenge me, Sheng?”
Sheng Jie paled, clenching his jaw, staring daggers of hate for Alex alone. “My problem is not with you, Qie Qie, but with the Ruidian. The pale-face who dared strike you with what could have been a fatal blow!”
Qie Qie snorted. “Against an armored Bronze? Hardly likely. Like he said, he got lucky.” She flashed Alex a hungry smile. “But I think there’s more to it than that, and my sparring partner’s going to help me figure out what his secrets are. Isn’t that right, Alex?”
Alex grinned back. “Gladly.”
Qie Qie nodded, catching her instructor’s gaze.
Master Pan smirked. “Do what you like. You want to have a secret session where he points out all the flaws in your t
echnique? The same damned flaws I’ve lectured you about already? Enjoy yourselves. Class is over anyway.”
Their walk back the Elder Panheu’s residence was unusually quiet, Qie Qie looking unusually thoughtful, the brash demeanor of an eager Bronze at odds with the gentle expression upon her dolled up features, gazing at the compound with a curious longing before shaking her head with a sigh, turning to face Alex, both of them still fully armored, blunt weapons in hand. “I guess Zhao Doushi and your master are still gone? Best if I don’t try the gate, then.” She chuckled ruefully. “Oh well, if nothing else, you’re getting some homemade chicken soup out of this. Good food for soothing bruised muscles and ego, no?”
She winked and Alex couldn’t help smirking, his short spear already in hanging guard as he leapt away, sensing the flash of Water Qi racing through her meridians despite her easy-going smile.
Her eyes widened as he dodged her blow, knowing just how fast she was, before giving a rueful chuckle. “You’re not faster. You just sense when I’m coming, now!” she said while lashing out with her weapon in a flurry of hooking strikes, attempting to jerk Alex’s weapon off-line before plunging in for the kill.
Familiarity bonuses in effect! Having sparred with this opponent upon multiple occasions, you recognize her flow of Qi nearly as well as your own! You have achieved a deeper understanding of your foe, sensing her physical foundation! Soul Sight familiarity bonus of +3 results in +6 total modifier to Soul Sight and Find Weakness! 4 Ranks of Bronze-ranked skill (+20 bonus) countered! 1 Rank of Bronze-ranked Finesse (+5 bonus) successfully countered! 1 Rank of Bronze-ranked Speed (+5 bonus) successfully countered! Underlying stats of 15 now equivalent to your own. +5 bonus for 15 Finesse, +5 bonus for 15 Quickness, +5 bonus for Rank 5 in basic skill remain. +45 bonus modified down to +15, mirroring your own.
You sense opponent’s surface weaknesses! Flaws in technique and cognition result in upper left quadrant between meridian and clavicle being most vulnerable point for all physical strikes. Deeper weaknesses in Qi foundation not yet sensed.
Silver Fox & The Western Hero: Warrior Forsworn: A LitRPG/Wuxia Novel - Book 3 Page 15
