Alex took a relieved breath, grateful to be out of there before he risked being put on the spot any further, though all that changed when he walked past the assignment center, hoping to have a quick word with Qing Chang, assuming the clerk was in.
Before abruptly turning away, deliberately wearing a surly defeated expression just in case anyone was watching, as if that had always been his intention.
For all that he still couldn’t get a lock on his enemy’s Qi flow, he must have progressed in some measure, because the crackling, hostile sense of fiery malice he felt emanating from the assignment center could only be Lai Wei.
Alex didn’t know what was going on, but he knew it couldn’t be good. And on the minuscule off-chance that it didn’t involve him, or that his enemy actually believed that Alex wasn’t onto his dark manipulations, it was best to leave the scene as discreetly as possible, which he did.
He would do his best to get the lowdown later, when it was safe for the clerk to talk to him.
“Alex! You’re back! Thank the gods. I felt so damned guilty leaving you to your own devices last night, but I guess all you really did need was a good night’s sleep,” said none other than a concerned-looking Qie Qie upon arriving at his final class, over half the students pausing in their sparring to peer Alex’s way.
He felt the weight of their considering gazes.
“Yup! Good thing Lai Wei’s more bark than bite, else I’d probably be in the infirmary right now.” Alex confided with a chuckle. “He’s obviously a Bronze, just a bit too quick for me, and great at tripping me on my own clumsy two feet, but other than that? Well, flame burns hot, but water like yours is more powerful, I think,” confided Alex to a bemused looking Qie Qie, who was happy to nod at his flattery, but her gaze made it clear she wasn’t buying it. Nor should she. Her strengths were finesse and quickness, and Alex was fortunate in that he already had a sense of her Qi flow. His enemy’s Qi had been impossible to fully decipher during their first handful of matches compressed into in one brutal hour, and his strength had been near inhuman. If Alex wasn’t a practitioner of his own divine body cultivation technique, he might already be dead.
“Sure, Alex,” Qie Qie said. “Now kit up and let’s get some dao practice in. I couldn’t help noticing some flaws in your technique yesterday, and I think it’s high time we corrected them.”
Alex blinked but quickly complied, humbled to find he had such obvious flaws. Of course, the dao had never been his favorite weapon, yet necessity dictated he master it nonetheless, and nothing would get him closer to perfection than a training partner who had already mastered the weapon and was willing to push him.
“Thank you,” Alex said with no small amount of sincerity. “It’s just that...”
“Don’t I prefer fighting with bladed staff? Of course. But today it isn’t about me. It’s about helping my kung fu brother face off against an enemy who clearly wants to destroy him. And if I can give you that extra push...”
Something in her eyes. Alex bowed his head, sincerely grateful.
Qie Qie’s laughter held just a trace of sultry bemusement. “Besides, it will feel good to crush you again. Your victory over me before was a fluke that of course you can’t replicate. This allows you to save face while accepting your inevitable defeat.”
Alex couldn’t help but chuckle at that. “Teach me what you can, kung fu sister. For I can think of no better commendation for your skill as a mentor than if you can actually forge this unworthy Ruidian into someone capable of taking on a Bronze.”
And over the next couple hours his friend did her best to do just that, all lighthearted banter instantly fading as she carefully adjusted his hips and grip, the minutest shifts Alex only appreciated once he began practicing his forms under her critical eye, swallowing his frustration at the lashing of her tongue as she castigated him, pointing out numerous flaws in his form. He would bow his head every time she barked out his failings and go over it again and again, doing his utmost to incorporate all her feedback, no matter that he felt like he was going over the same exact motions a hundred times or more.
Then suddenly it all clicked, and he couldn’t help the wide grin flashing across his face.
“Are you finally getting it?” asked a smiling Qie Qie, her suddenly gentle voice that of the harsh taskmistress no longer.
An awed Alex gave a solemn nod. “I’m just… wow, I felt that! During that final kata, the dao was flowing from form to form so perfectly, it was as if it was just an extension of my hand! It didn’t seem that big a thing at first, but now, having felt that, it’s so damned obvious that I was doing everything wrong before!”
His friend gave a solemn nod. “Your instincts are spot on, Alex. You can feel out your opponent in the bind fairly well, and your rebuttals are excellent. What you lacked was a sense of truly being one with your blade. Now, enough talking. Rehearse the forms I showed you right now, while it is all still fresh. Capture that feeling of perfection you just experienced! Go over it now, carefully, as many times as you can before class ends, so you can truly incorporate the movements and become one with your blade.”
And Alex did just that until the moment class ended, then longer still, Master Pan giving Qie Qie quiet permission to train with Alex as long as she liked.
A couple student’s eyes widened at that, gazing at the pair in a new light.
“You don’t think she’s actually interested in him, do you?”
“He can fight, but he’s a Ruidian! She has to know better than to fall for someone like him.”
Qie Qie’s cheeks blazed, momentarily too flustered even to respond.
Now half the class was smiling.
“Sorry, you’re wildly off,” said Alex, not even bothering to look their way as he focused on his forms. “Qie Qie has a crush on my master’s former protege. He’s a Silver without a trace of Ruidian in his blood, so no worries there. And what could be a better move for showing her worth as the future mother of his children than for her to care for me like the family pet while the master’s away? And if she can actually make me a better cultivator, imagine what she could do for his own heirs.”
He turned to give his blushing friend a teasing bow. “As you can see, Qie Qie is the savviest of all cultivators, using me to reach her ultimate dream. And I, for one, couldn’t be happier for my kung fu sister.”
And though he winced under Qie Qie’s killing glare, Master Pan’s quiet chuckle and the strangely approving nods of half the class made it clear that Alex’s half-jesting declaration had just been taken at face value, and their esteem for the upperclassman had just gone up a notch.
“Smart move,” said one girl with a bit of an impish grin. “Zhao Doushi’s a handsome one, and he and his master did take pity on the Ruidian.”
“Didn’t he reach Silver faster than any other cultivator in years? Even though he’s just a single element, he’s still considered a prodigy,” said another.
“Anyone who actually reaches Silver is a prodigy, and most of you fools are destined to be single element cultivators. Half of you don’t even know what element you are attuned to yet!” said Master Pan. “Less than one in a hundred thousand actually advance that far, and that’s according to surveys centuries out of date. My guess is that no more than one in a million citizens makes it to Silver these days. The only reason why our school boasts as many as it does is because Silvers live for centuries. The strongest are at the peak of health for upwards of a thousand years! And if any of you hope to make it, you’d best start pushing yourself just like this pair!”
Shortly thereafter, the class emptied save for Alex, Qie Qie, and those cultivators using the sparring chambers for informal practice and bouts that wouldn’t affect their standings.
“Alex...” Qie Qie glared at Alex, who couldn’t help smiling back.
“Relax. Far better they know you have your sights on Zhao Doushi than for your reputation to be blackened just by associating with me excessively. The same people that would g
ive you the cold shoulder if they thought you were sullying yourself might actually admire you if enduring my presence seemed to just be a part of your own long-term strategy.”
Qie Qie gave a frustrated shake of her head. “I still can’t believe you said that.”
Alex smirked. “It’s totally obvious. You’re fooling no one, and the last thing you want is Zhao thinking you actually have the hots for me and not him!”
Her flush deepened but she didn’t say a word, merely making him pay for his outrageous comments with any number of bruises as they put his newly-mastered forms to the test.
Qie Qie, however, was looking more than slightly awed, as were any number of students.
“He’s just a basic cultivator, right?” asked one unfamiliar face, his partner nodding.
“He’s Ruidian, how could he be anything else?”
“But he countered almost all her cuts! His blade was always just where it needed to be.”
Qie Qie smirked. “They’re right. Your form was impressive, Alex. And now it’s even better.”
Alex grinned. “And I was entirely on the defensive. I didn’t strike you once.”
“That’s because you’re still not quite one with your blade. But damn if you’re not getting close.”
Alex nodded. In interface terms, he was a few tenths shy of rank five, and it wouldn’t be until he hit it that he could use White Crane techniques with it.
In visceral terms, he felt like he was just on the cusp of somehow blending his sword style with the swirling storm of Light Qi he now perpetually sensed just out of reach, but channelable with fist and spear. But dao? Not yet. Not until it flowed as naturally in his hand as if it were just an extension of himself.
“If I’m getting close, Qie Qie, it’s only because I have a good friend willing to teach me.” That, and pushing himself to the limit, facing off against a madman who wished to hurt him in every way possible. Then he winced, realizing the time.
“Crap. I’ve got to dash, Qie Qie. I have another match in the arena today.”
Qie Qie’s eyes widened. “Are you serious? After nearly getting killed yesterday? You know Lai Wei and his cronies just want to break you, and they’re Bronze!” She gave a sympathetic shake of her head. “I know it’s not fair, Alex, them ambushing you if you dare take assignments away from the hub of the academy, and doing all they can to break you if you even dare step inside the ring, but getting yourself killed won’t make your credit problem go away.”
She crossed her arms. “I know it’s a matter of pride for you, but it should be nothing for your master to spring for the credits, considering how far he’s already gone to help you. It’s one thing to make your way as best you can, of course, but you’ve got the scion of the most powerful sect within the college out for your blood! In light of those circumstances...”
“My master would expect me to find a way,” Alex said coldly, warm smile finally dropping. “Make no mistake, Qie Qie. Elder Panheu showed me incredible grace, opening the door for a shot at life here when my enemies expected me to die as a slave in that damn ring. But he’s made it clear that he now expects me to make it on my own two feet, demands I make it on my own two feet, and is certain that the only way I can truly grow is being thrust against ridiculously crazy odds!”
He gave a frustrated shake of his head. “I know the match today will probably be just as bad as yesterday. But as long as I can shame Lai Wei into giving me just a few minutes break here and there, I should survive it, at least.”
Qie Qie’s glower intensified. “Master Pan isn’t there, Alex. If anything, Lai Wei will be even more of a ruthless bastard than he was before!”
Alex frowned. “In that case, I’ll have to play hardball too.” He flashed Qie an icy smile, quiet voice going no further than the pair of them. “His master owes mine a lot of money. If it could be judged that he was fighting me not as a just competitor, but with personal malice...”
Qie Qie winced. “Be careful, Alex. I sense that’s one card it might hurt as much as help you to play.”
Alex winced but nodded. Playing off their masters against each other might earn Elder Panheu’s extreme displeasure. At that point, Alex really would be as good as dead. He’d have to be very careful, whatever path he took.
“Alright,” Alex said with a sigh after Qie Qie kitted him in fresh armaments, pointedly noting how none of the lamellar tiles had shattered like they had yesterday, and how the hell he was upright and able to move without pain… “I’m as ready as I’m going to be. Time for me to get going.”
Qie Qie nodded. “Damn right, let’s go.”
Alex raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure? I know you guys have a bit of friction, and I’d really feel awful if his malicious hatred meant you couldn’t ever trust his clan’s cultivation pills ever again.”
She smirked at that. “I’m a pure Water, just like...”
“The love of your life? Ouch! Don’t hit me so hard!”
“Don’t ask stupid questions,” she snapped. “But yes. Just like Zhao, I’m a basic single element and, dare I say it, one of the more common ones, Water being as tied to life as it is. So I don’t need any carefully-specialized pills, and I can buy them from another’s stock, if worse came to worst. Besides,” she said with a glare, “someone has to be there to watch your back!”
Alex felt a cold chill once they entered the arena sands, noting both the hostile gaze of Hao Hai, and the gleeful smirk of Lai Wei.
“Well, look at that, Lai, he actually did show up.”
“Amazing. I’m surprised he’s not screaming about his seared meridians to some spirit healer who couldn’t care less if he lives or dies. Ah, being little better than a beast, he probably doesn’t even realize how crippled he really is.”
Qie Qie hissed at those words. “Don’t tell me he actually...”
But Alex’s cold gaze was reserved for the referee alone, a different one from yesterday, but favoring Alex with the same disdainful glare, caring not a fig that Lai Wei spoke so offhandedly about using techniques Alex was almost sure were utterly forbidden and would see Lai severely penalized, did he dare attack the meridians of anyone save the Ruidian that so many at this academy loved to hate.
All but tasting the violence in the air as the pair of young Bronzes glared their smirking hate for Alex, considering the callous indifference of the referee who would clearly do absolutely nothing unless Alex actually started to win, it was all Alex could do not to turn around and walk away, consequences to his credit total and standing be damned.
Instead, he turned to address Lai Wei directly, refusing to mince words. “Your cultivator’s oath that I will not face multiple opponents at once. Your cultivator’s oath that you will allow me the right to request five minutes to catch my breath every time I cry yield or have fallen.” Alex frowned, noting the gleeful smile crawling up Hao Hai’s features, remembering all too well his father’s hideous strength. “And the five-second grappling rule is in play, whoever I’m sparring against. If you won’t concede to that much, then I’m gone.”
His heart hammered with relief as he saw Hao Hai’s smirk freeze into a snarl of hate, wondering if their hope was to be permitted full grappling and be in a position to asphyxiate him before an indifferent judge.
Lai Wei’s furious glare matched his friends. “And who are to demand anything of me, Ruidian worm? You will fight the fights you signed up for, and the referee alone will determine when any rules are broken. And I assure you, none will be broken.”
His twisted smile and the judge’s cold gaze were all the proof Alex needed.
He slowly shook his head. “Nope. Sorry, Lai Wei. I know how much you despise me, and I know that no referee would dare offend your uncle for fear of tainted cultivation pills being their only reward.”
He saw the look of outraged fury upon Lai Wei’s features, and the way the judge blanched made it clear Alex had boldly stated that which no one ever dared say aloud. So he was glad he had, disgusted as he was
by the malice and rank cowardice that seemed to surround Lai Wei’s coterie like a miasmic stink.
“And it would be grossly unfair for me to ask the noble referee to risk his cultivation foundation on an unworthy Ruidian like myself,” he said, bowing before the now confused-looking judge, hoping to stave off the risk of yet one more formerly indifferent person hating him for life, thanks to Lai Wei pitting everyone against him as adroitly as he could.
“For that reason, knowing that you are a person of honor despite your disdain for Ruidians, I am asking for your word that I won’t be ganged up upon, pinned for longer than a count of five, or beaten even when I’m on the ground or have cried yield.”
“If you forgo the fights you signed up for, no one will accept you for any job ever again!” Lai Wei flashed a chilling smile. “And don’t think for a moment I’ll let you get off with gentle sparring. The only cultivators you’ll be allowed to fight are your future masters, preparation for the day you break and kneel before us!”
“That’s right,” gloated Hao Hai, cracking his massive knuckles. “I know who you are, worm. And the minute you leave these grounds, you’re mine!” He chuckled cruelly. “It will be good to see you with a collar back on, back where it belongs, slave. There’s someone who’s very eager to continue a conversation cut off far too quickly.”
Lai Wei mocked Alex with his laughter. “We’ll destroy you here in the ring, or just wait you out. Because by semester’s end, with no credits to pay for your keep and a master who loves seeing his students forged in fire—my element, worm!—you'll be out in the cold in just a month’s time.”
“And we’ll be waiting,” promised Hao Hai. “Count on it!”
Alex met their taunting with an indifferent smile. “I think you’ll find me far harder to catch than you think. Believe you me, when I leave this school, I’ll be living large in a city far, far away from here, with a fortune in gold to my name before you’ve heard the first whisper that I’m gone. And when I think back on you fools, I’ll be laughing my head off, at how I got the goats of both your masters. So thank you, Lai Wei, for your uncle’s rash bets, and thank you Hao Hai, for your father’s generous payout.”
Silver Fox & The Western Hero: Warrior Forsworn: A LitRPG/Wuxia Novel - Book 3 Page 28
