Silver Fox & The Western Hero: Warrior Redeemed: A LitRPG/Wuxian Novel - Book 5

by M. H. Johnson

  Fangsu snorted. “Then he’s an all too human fool, purchasing a weapon he won’t be able to properly use. Look, Shen’s actually showing him the spirit wood! He won’t even be able to lift it, with that as the shaft!”

  Yan nodded. “No doubt Chen will buy it back for a fraction of what he paid for it, and the boy will have nothing but a hard lesson for his silver. Just goes to show a merchant always wins his coin in the end.”

  “But, master, at least we didn’t spend our fortune purchasing weapons we can’t even use!” Tung insisted.

  “There is that,” Yan allowed. “Come, disciples. Sun’s caravan is waiting, and we certainly don’t want to rub salt in this poor boy’s wounds. Unless he has the common sense to turn around and walk away before exchanging coin, I fear this will be a day he’ll do anything to forget.”

  Alex caught the cultivator’s gaze and gave the tiniest nod. He understood and appreciated the message. The powerful cultivator’s returning smirk made it clear he knew Alex was going to play the fool anyway.

  Alex’s quick wink made the man laugh out loud.

  “What’s so funny, master?” asked the girl as the door closed behind them.

  “Never you mind...”

  Chen’s eyes widened with outrage. “To so insult me in my own house! I’ll never serve that man again...” He positively beamed when he turned back to Alex, however, paying no more attention to the memory of that man as he showcased the spirit wood shimmering even to Alex’s Qi Perception, assuring Alex it was every bit as strong as an inch and a half thick rod of steel. Alex didn’t doubt him for a minute.

  He did blanch a bit at the price, though. “Twelve silver for the ji head and staff?”

  “For an absolutely indestructible staff made out of the best quality spirit-infused wood in the forests, and a ji head with crescent blades forged by a master smith who knows the importance of a weapon sturdy enough to cut through not only bronze, but the steel-covered warriors that make up any regiment’s front line!”

  Alex smirked. “And the weapon is so heavy, I’d be a fool to even try using it as anything but a very expensive piece of training equipment. Now tell me to my face you actually think I can fight with this thing.”

  Chen didn’t hesitate to shrug. “How in the world would I know what a Ruidian is capable of doing?”

  Alex took a good look at the container filled with such valuable and expensive shafts of spirit wood.

  Then he smiled, the obvious clicking into place as he paid attention.

  “I can’t help but notice that your bin filled with extremely expensive spirit wood is near full, whereas all the other steel containers are more than half empty. Especially your skywood, of which you hardly seem to have any left.”

  Chen scowled. “I can go as low as nine...”

  Alex’s smile grew. “And these oversized ji heads...”

  The merchant’s eyes bulged. “These are masterwork weapon heads!”

  “For which the pile underneath is stacked quite high, meaning they weren’t so ridiculous in price that you couldn’t buy them in bulk, and clearly no one is buying these heavier heads, whatever their durability. If I had to guess, light and quick are the absolute orders of the day.”

  Chen looked affronted. “It was you who told me what you wanted, and I, much to my foolishness, actually tried to steer you in a more reasonable direction!”

  “That was a kind gesture, though I note you steered me to an even more expensive weapon.”

  “That is light and quick as a feather, and perfect for a Ruidian like yourself!” the man practically roared, losing his cool.

  Alex nodded. “Because even you recognize the mistake you made, purchasing so many hard-to-move products, maybe dreaming of massively powerful cultivators that never came.”

  Chen glared. “If all you seek to do is insult me...”

  “Three silver. The real worth of either one of those naginatas you just sold, and we both know their weapons are many times lighter than my own.”

  “But you would be getting your hands on precious spirit wood, and one of Master Zing’s own forged ji heads!”

  Alex nodded. “True. I suppose I could sell the thing down the road if I’m unable to realistically use it. I doubt I’ll get more than four silver for it.”

  “Six, paid up front!” snapped the merchant.

  “Done and done.” Alex said, slapping six silver on the counter, and in very short order he was beaming at his new fangtian ji that the smith in back had diligently put together via heating the metal socket enough for it to expand and hug the now resin-covered shaft, the metal then cooling enough to form a near-unbreakable seal.

  Alex grinned as the merchant glared, seemed on the verge of saying something, then just shook his head.

  The minute Alex touched the weapon the now-nodding smith held out to him, the merchant flashed a cold smile. “Please, lad, test it against the pels. See how you fare against the dummy. Feel comfortable with your purchase. Of course, what the cultivator said minutes before was both outrageous and offensive. But, as that head is now forever attached to that pole, the weapon is now all but worthless for resale. Should you find it is not exactly what you—”

  The merchant’s words abruptly broke off, eyes bulging at the way Alex effortlessly put the weapon through its paces, shifting from strike to counter to hanging guard, flowing through Golden Realm forms, White Crane winding parries, and Silver Swan sweeping cuts before whipping his weapon back around in a devastating chop that cleaved right through the bronze helm and lamellar armor-covered wooden dummy in the middle of the courtyard so violently that the mannequin was cleaved in twain under the force of the blow as the helmet’s twin halves fell to the ground along with a shower of small, rectangular bronze plates.

  Alex gave a satisfied nod, having thoroughly enjoyed the feel of the weapon in his hands, feeling almost as heavy and even better balanced than the fangtian ji gifted to him by Liu Jian himself, back when Alex strength had been just a fraction of what it now was. And the fact that he felt its heft, despite his Rank 2 Bronze Strength, meant that it was the perfect training weapon for him, forcing him to execute his forms properly, and forcing his body to get ever stronger and faster with each grueling training session he now looked forward to putting himself through.

  And when it connected with its target, the results would be absolutely devastating.

  Chen was flabbergasted. Even the smith had paled, though he seemed to take comfort in Alex’s approving nod when he examined the edge. A couple streaks? Sure. But the Bronze armor hadn’t notched the fine blade that Alex surmised really was close to masterwork quality, even if far heavier than any idealized sword blade for a 12 or 13 Strength mortal would be.

  “How? A Ruidian... how?”

  Alex winked. “Believe it or not, a poleaxe properly swung by a well-trained knight back in the day could cleave right into thinner steel helmets. And that was a weapon being swung by a mortal human, not a cultivator with an effective 25 Strength, 20 Finesse, and 20 Quickness. To say nothing about all the ranks I have in my arts. But I’m only counting my Golden Realms total, since I wasn’t channeling the whirlwind of Qi around me or the power of a river flooding its banks and washing all opposition away.”

  His grin widened at the flummoxed expressions he received.

  “And you guys have absolutely no idea what I’m talking about, which is totally fine by me.”

  He chuckled softly, taking a moment to appreciate just how far he’d come. He could laugh, now, looking back at his initial clumsy training sessions with the first true friends he had ever made in this world. Yet even then, he had managed to cave in bronze chest plates when he successfully managed to channel his internal Qi into a devastating Adderstrike.

  He gazed down at his calloused fist, awed by how far he had come. Were he to channel no more than the swirling Qi all around him with his strikes, just the Qi normally used with properly executed White Crane and Silver Swan attacks, without tapping in
to any bursts from his Qi reserves, he could shatter skulls or ribcages, and lamellar armor would crumple under his blows.

  And if he were to actually channel his Qi into Adderstrike using just his fists, even spirit beasts would crumple with his first punch. Yet as much as he reveled in that deadly power, it also humbled him, reminding him of just how careful he would need to be when sparring against others in the future. And against stronger cultivators? He still recalled all too well the desperate struggles for his very survival he had endured when squarely in the crosshairs of the gods above.

  He was still haunted by the memories of how long and hard he had fought just to bring down fellow Bronze cultivators who had forged so many cords of potency within their foundation that they were almost ready to ascend. Fierce, powerful men who had nearly killed him time and time again, and it was only desperate tactics, luck, and pulling out all the stops, using forbidden Silver techniques that risked burning out, at least temporarily, his peripheral meridians, that had even allowed him to survive this long.

  And, of course, being able to spit up caustic venom on command.

  And the Silvers he had fought and defeated had been thanks to surprise and mad luck as much as skill, only achieving quick kills engaging in kamikaze attacks that could have just as easily killed him as well. Of course, when he had first broken through to Bronze, his transcendent state and his foes’ overconfidence had given him an unexpected edge. But every other time, it had been a desperate fight he could just as easily have lost.

  And when it came to a certain high-grade Silver who found his cords of karmic obligation to Alex suddenly broken... it had been the most desperate of struggles just to escape the man before Alex was utterly obliterated.

  Other than that, it had been his wondrous, terrible ring that had proven the final trump card that had seen him through.

  A priceless artifact that was now so badly damaged, he might never be able to use it again.

  For long silent moments, Alex gazed at the shattered mannequin, reflecting on just how precarious and dangerous his existence was, and the underlying truth that shaped the lives of all cultivators, he supposed.

  There was always someone better. Someone who could effortlessly tear away all the imagined triumphs of his life and pound his broken and bleeding body into the ground.

  As strong as he was compared to a mortal, against a competent Silver ready for him, he could be snuffed out like a candle.

  At all costs, he needed to get stronger.

  So that when the enemies he knew were out there eventually came for him, divine Fog of War card or no, he would be ready.

  And if he ever encountered Hao Kong again, it would be he twirling that bastard by the leg and flinging him through the heavens before pounding him straight to hell, where that monster belonged.

  Alex blinked, nostrils catching the rank scent of fear, turning from his contemplation of the shattered test dummy to the trembling merchant, peripherally noting the tiny bell in his hand, sensing the sudden appearance of two armed men behind him.

  Neither approached, though both men were fully kitted in the finest steel armaments, eyeing him like the professionals they were.

  Alex frowned, wondering why the merchant had yelped and fallen on his ass.

  Must have been something in his gaze. Or the way he had reflexively snarled, thinking of that monstrous demonic bastard of a merchant Hao Kong.

  There. He did it again.

  “I think it’s time for you to leave, customer,” said one of the heavily-armed guards, radiating a basic cultivator’s strength.

  Alex shrugged. “Sure. No problem,” he said. “I guess I’ll have to go somewhere else to purchase a pair of dao.”

  And almost like he had used a secret dao technique himself, the merchant was on his feet, smiling like a madman. “You’re looking for a pair of dao, perhaps a bit heavier than the common trifles so many weak-armed so-called fencers have the gall to claim are superior? Say no more, friend. I have a pair of battle dao I think would be perfectly suited for one of your, um... temperament!” And with a quick officious wave calling off the help and an apologetic grimace, as if having no idea how a pair of overzealous guards had gotten so close to a valued customer, the pair were off to the section of dao and dueling jian, the latter weapon being one Alex never had gotten around to learning.

  Chen ignored the exquisite masterworks secured in their cases, or the less ornate but still quite serviceable ones hanging just underneath the most valued pieces, instead squatting down to peer at the dustier bottom racks, frowning in mild consternation before finally turning to a wooden barrel full of second tier cast-offs, it seemed, grumbling before he finally emerged with a grimace of a smile, holding a pair of wide-bladed dao with well-worn leather hilts, secured in exotic sheaths of pebbled hide looking very much like alligator skin. The shopkeeper carefully unsheathed one of the blades after untying the laced back, revealing the oddest dao Alex had ever seen.

  It was wider than any other saber-like blade he had ever held, and considerably thicker at the spine before tapering a bit. The blade itself wasn’t steel at all, but comprised of a brilliant silver-bronze alloy. Yet what was most striking about the blade were the teeth embedded all along the edge.

  Alex blinked, glaring at the merchant as if the man thought Alex’s eccentricity meant he was a fool.

  “Are you serious?” was all he said, before noting the blinking in the corner of his vision, alerting him to a truth he simultaneously realized with an exhilarating tingle down the back of his spine.

  Alex kept his scowl firmly in place, even as the merchant paled, refusing to give away what he had just discovered.

  “Well, I... it’s just that I thought this might be perfect for you! You’re looking for a pair of dao worthy of a man of your... strength. Is it another one of those odd Ruidian powers? Some of you are good with flame, yes? So why not a far more reasonable boost to strength? Body cultivators far outnumber wujen, after all, so it’s not surprising that at least some of your kind might have an edge with weapons...”

  Alex shrugged, playing along. “Maybe there is some truth to that. But just because I don’t want an over-light dao more suitable for fencing against jian than the brutality of war doesn’t mean I want a pair of oddly-balanced toothy bronze clubs!”

  The merchant huffed. “I’ll have you know that these are perfectly balanced. My smith made sure of that! Even if they are a tad bit... heavy. And that metal is hardly common bronze. Ash and iron were both mixed into that brew! This blade represents lost alchemical secrets our best armorsmiths are trying to rediscover even now! If we could upgrade all our legionnaire’s lamellar armor to the strength of mid-grade steel with just the addition of properly blended ash and iron... just think of the advantage this would give us!”

  Alex nodded, already knowing that, much different from Earth’s own history, thousands of years of smithing on this world had resulted in a massive surplus of bronze lamellar armor, thanks to plentiful supplies of tin and copper, with almost none of the corrosion concerns that came with steel. As a result, each major city connected by the High Roads had a good quarter of a million sets of armor or stored bronze tiles that could quickly be assembled into complete suits of lamellar as needed. All this his former mentor Liu Jian had explained during one of their training sessions back when Alex had just been taking his first steps along the cultivator’s path. The alchemist who had turned out to be far more than a simple apothecary shop owner had made it abundantly clear just how overwhelming were the forces even a single one of the empire’s gate-linked cities could bring to bear.

  If there were techniques that would allow smiths to make those quarter million sets of armor in each major city just as strong, or nearly as strong, as the more recently forged suits of steel that only front-line soldiers from well-to-do families could afford, that would be an incredible boon for the empire. Even if it took countless armorsmiths dedicating their professional lives just to reforging the lamella
r plates with whatever proportion of cast iron was optimal, using whatever techniques were necessary to give the mixture the strength of even mid-grade steel, that would be an undeniable military game changer. For all Alex knew, it might be key to protecting the imperial cities that a certain handful of gods were so eager to see descend into catastrophic war.

  “If cities could strengthen their reserve armaments, that would be a boon to the whole empire,” Alex conceded. “So, you’re saying this dao is constructed of this iron bronze alloy?”

  The merchant quickly nodded. “And those aren’t just any teeth lining the blade. They were claimed from the jaws of a great white spirit shark, responsible for sinking multiple sailing vessels and killing dozens of men, cultivators among them!”

  Alex frowned, picking up the blade and examining its edge with a critical eye. “It still looks and feels to me like an overweight dao with bone teeth instead of a proper edge. And you’re saying this has a hope against a well-balanced blade of spring steel?” He flashed a cynical smile. “And that’s why it’s been collecting dust in the second-hand bin here for how many years?”

  Chen winced, shoulders deflating. “It’s a shame that so few bother to consider the weapon’s fantastic strengths. Its near indestructibility, its unique construction!”

  “Or the fact that your average mortal would strain his wrist, just using it?”

  “Ha ha. But in hands such as yours? They would be priceless! They’re a matched set!”

  Alex smirked. “First off, I already have a wonderful weapon at my disposal. This beautiful fangtian ji, and my thanks again for the sale.”

  The merchant’s expression soured at that, reminded that he, for once, hadn’t gotten the better end of that deal. “And I’m out major armor repairs...” Alex heard him muttering.

  “So, all I need are a pair of discreet dao I can strap to my hips as sidearms, or train with for fun, not heavy monster blades no one would even dream of using without a shield, being far too unwieldly for any normal person to attack and defend in the same beat with, like a fencer’s jian. And you have two you want to unload on me?”