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

by M. H. Johnson

  Alex grimaced, ignoring the odd lurch in his chest, almost certain that he’d see a teaching success message if he paid attention to the notification in the corner of his eye.

  It seemed Spiritual Teacher went beyond writing a transcendent body cultivation manual or instilling lessons in a girl he adored. Not that he hadn’t known that already, on some level, but the odd look Yan gave him before it transformed into an approving nod reminded Alex that, at least with some things, he really needed to be careful.

  There could be unforeseen consequences to him showing too much of his hand, and sometimes he gave his trust too easily. All he had to do was think of his experiences with the fallen Headmaster Bingwen to know how close his wanting to believe the best of people had come to getting him killed, and that was even after preparing himself for the chance that things weren’t as they seemed.

  But teaching a few good-natured students, just as bright-eyed and idealistic as he had been only a year ago, a few choice tips his own mentor had happily taught him? Alex wouldn’t begrudge them that in the least.

  “Thank you, Alex,” said Yan with odd formality, actually honoring him with a half bow before presenting them all with a tray filled with bowls giving off the wonderful aroma of slow cooked chicken stew.

  The first bite of plump meat and perfectly cooked rice soaking up the tangy chicken broth was an explosion of flavor in Alex’s mouth. His previously absent appetite immediately came to life, and he found himself ravenously finishing his first helping before offering to take the group’s bowls and the wooden tray back for a refill, happily accepted by all three of his traveling companions.

  By the time Alex’s hunger was finally sated, happily stuffed with more than his fair share of chicken and rice stew, the youngsters were already snoring away in their blankets under the wagon, Yan sipping thoughtfully from a wine flask nearby.

  He caught Alex’s eye and gave him a friendly nod. “How fares the evening with you, Alex?”

  Alex grinned, taking in the beauty of the star-filled night sky and the pristine majesty of the forest just beyond their little clearing, so like the one the night before, scents of rich loam and exotic blossoms perfuming the air just as much as the scent of woodsmoke from the fire.

  “Well enough, for all that a few things have been puzzling me of late.”

  Yan affected polite curiosity. “And what would those be? Maybe I can help you tease free truths from life’s myriad puzzles.”

  Alex couldn’t help but be taken aback by how the powerfully-built man, as rugged as they came, could, with a single smile and shift of expression, look like the most open person in the world. Someone you’d happily share all your troubles with.

  He was the picture of fatherly interest and gentle, nonjudgmental concern.

  “Alright, why is it that you seemed to be so accepting of what would normally be any academy cultivator’s worst nightmare, especially an instructor’s? To lose face and be shown up by a Ruidian. I’ve known men whose pride was so brittle they’d rather transform it into a death match in the hopes of erasing their shame with my death than accept the loss and hell, I don’t know, laugh it off like the contest it was? Yet you take it all in stride, with no more concern than one would have when sparring with a kung fu brother. And this is in front of dozens of strangers and your own disciples!

  “And why is it that not a single cultivator or guard looks down on you for the loss? Instead, they’re all eager to spar with you as often as you like, and as much as I’ve gotten a few claps and offers of wine, absolutely no one else will spar with me, save for your students, who are perfectly happy learning all they can from me.”

  Yan’s odd half smile gave nothing away as he lay back like Alex had, gazing at the heavens. “You’re a smart boy, Alex. I think you’ve already figured it out.”

  Alex just stared at the man’s bemused smile as his niggling suspicion grew into sudden cold certainty. He had wondered before, but now? It made so much sense. Why should one feel badly, after all, if everything was going according to plan?

  “You weren’t fighting me at full strength. You were, in effect, throwing the match.” This Alex said softly, assuring no one else could overhear.

  Yan’s eyes positively twinkled. “You’d be amazed at how good the odds were on me tonight, Alex. I made a positive fortune, betting on myself!”

  Alex gave a rueful chuckle, feeling only slightly bitter that he had been played for a fool, if in the gentlest of ways. He did win a purse of his own, after all. “So how much coin did you win?”

  “A good twelve silver, friend Alex.” Yan winked. “More than making up for how badly that thief of a merchant overcharged me for my disciple’s naginatas.” He tossed Alex his flask of rice wine. Alex took a polite sip with a nod. Yan flashed an approving smile, Alex having made it clear he held no grudges by doing so.

  “At least I’m up some copper,” Alex noted. “Still, it is a bit galling that no one will spar with me any longer.”

  “I will, any time you like, Alex,” Yan assured. “And my disciples are happy to. I am their instructor, after all, and there is no loss of face if they lose to the same man who so soundly defeated their teacher.”

  Alex grinned, saluting the man with his flask. “So, you secure yourself a training dummy for your students and good odds for yourself, and all it costs you is a little bit of the prickly pride that doom so many would-be cultivators that you’re thankfully free of. After all, who cares what these people think? You know exactly how skilled you are, and the value your academy places on you.”

  Yan, perhaps wisely, didn’t bother responding to that directly. Instead he gave Alex a nod of respect. “I have to hand it to you, Alex. You did surprise me. You’re a damn good fighter, easily the equivalent of a body cultivator on the cusp of mid Bronze, save for your lack of the specialized techniques that make all the difference.” He then frowned, gazing curiously at Alex, or more precisely, his elbow.

  “Or perhaps you have some hidden talents of your own. Either way, your victory wasn’t unearned. I didn’t hold back as much as you might think.”

  Alex smirked. “That makes me feel a hell of a lot better. Not. Tell you what, how about the next time we spar, you don’t hold back?”

  “But that would make it so much harder to get good odds on the later matches!” He flashed a teasing grin before his gaze grew serious once more. “Tell you what, we’ll go at it twice tomorrow, if you like, giving you two chances at a purse. People will always make wagers, even if the odds stretch, and you’ll get your cut. And I know I’m pushing you close to your limit, so you can’t say the training isn’t exactly what you’re looking for. Fighting an opponent just a little bit better than you is the sweet spot for growth, in most circumstances, and I’ll still make you earn it, still forge you in the arena of battle.”

  He turned to gaze up at the sky once more. “I’ll even give you some pointers. Just like a proper mentor should.”

  Alex’s eyes widened, flashing a sharp smile, suddenly understanding the deeper game. “So, what, your plan is to slowly show both your mastery and your kindness in equal measure, charming the Ruidian and inspiring in him a hunger to learn at the feet of a master, effectively giving you three talented proteges to turn in to your school?”

  Yan shrugged, denying nothing. “Why not? I can tell you’re a good kid with a hell of a lot of potential, and you definitely have some odd talents my masters would love to see firsthand. I might have been purposely telegraphing my moves during our last bout, just a bit, and perhaps that eyebrow clip hadn’t stunned me quite as much as I let on. But still, you read me perfectly. Few cultivators under Silver could do that, Alex, and I’ve never before even met a Ruidian, mixed heritage or otherwise, who could cultivate or tap into any odd sort of gem giving them access to physical powers.”

  Alex smirked. “And that would definitely be worth a pretty penny to your school.”

  “Of course!” And now Yan finally flashed the mercenary smile Al
ex felt strangely comfortable with. The sort of enlightened self-interest Panheu had so favored, happily using Alex, while still giving Alex sufficient value in return that it felt more like an arrangement between partners than outright exploitation. It was the mercenary smile one could trust, knowing one’s well-being was of direct benefit to the other party, and one’s downfall was counter to their own interests.

  “You’re no fool, Alex, and I think you understand this game better than most. Your strength is at least that of a low-ranked Bronze. The school would reward me handsomely for a curiosity like you, perhaps gold as well as silver, especially if you can give them some added value in terms of your own odd cultivation insights. And who knows? You might find the masters there are willing to give you plenty of hours of library access in return.”

  Alex flashed a smile equally jaded. “That depends. Maybe I will let you lead me to your academy like a docile guinea pig, and perhaps I will teach them a thing or two that I’ve picked up since I started walking this path. But I’m looking for more than a few hours’ access to your academy’s dusty cultivation manuals.”

  Yan’s smile hardened. “So, what exactly are you looking for, Alex?”

  Alex chuckled. “You expect me to say gold, don’t you? Exactly what you led our chat with. The lure to tease out my interest. But do you know what I think, Yan?”

  “I’m dying to know, Alex.”

  “I don’t think you’re being paid in gold.”

  “No?”

  “I think you’re being paid in something far more precious than base metal. Perhaps spirit pearls… maybe something else entirely. One thing I’m absolutely certain of is that coin isn’t nearly as dear to you as you try to lead me, or most of this caravan, to believe.”

  And the sudden blink and stiffness was all the tell Alex needed to know he was right. But there was more. So much more to it than that. He could sense that as well. And he had absolutely no idea how he knew, or even exactly what he knew. Only that he had just scratched the bare surface of whatever secrets Yan and his disciples were keeping close to their hearts.

  Yan gave a rueful chuckle. “I’m impressed. You have indeed played this game before.”

  Alex smirked. “So, let’s keep it real. What am I really worth to your school, and what percentage of that are you willing to pay me in return for docilely accompanying you to your academy?”

  Yan peered at Alex for long moments. “If you’re also willing to continue sparring with my students nightly, imparting what knowledge you can,” he lowered his voice to a confidential whisper. “And help me coax these youngsters to head straight to Thunderbird Academy without being enticed away by those damned recruiters dressed as monks trying to pull every disciple with talent for Royal Phoenix Academy, I’ll give you a full third of whatever bounty the masters pay me to bring you in.”

  Yan flashed a confidential smile. “That’s assuming you disciple yourself there in good faith, of course. We might not be the darling academy of the royal family, but we do have several strong Silvers on our staff, a solid library with one of the best Earth element collections you’ll find anywhere in the entire principality, and we’re dedicated to only selecting the best students, those that can transcend basic cultivation and ascend to Bronze. And perhaps one day, for at least a gifted few, Silver as well.”

  Alex frowned at that. “So, you’re not trying to recruit everyone you can to increase your power base?”

  Yan shook his head. “Not at all. We want only those with true potential. Like the potential I sense from you, Alex. Because quality, not quantity, is our motto, and in a few short handfuls of years, we plan on sporting the strongest team out of all the Academies to absolutely clean out the yearly competitions and then, my young friend, Thunderbird Academy will stand tall and proud as the best in all of Baidushi, the capital city of our entire principality, and eager young students will be applying from far and wide! And because we accept only the best, our student foundation will only grow stronger, our professors focused on forging steel from finest iron, not exhausting themselves and our resources trying to make something out of dross who will never be able to open more than a small handful of channels.”

  Alex gazed at the man for long moments, feeling a sudden chill of understanding, realizing he had been underestimating this man even more than he had thought. And that Yan had read him far better than he had given him credit for.

  “You knew!”

  “Knew what, Alex?”

  “Tung and Fangsu. They both have seven perfectly formed meridian gates! You know how rare that is. You’d only have a one in ten thousand chance of stumbling across that by luck, if I give you the ability to sense basic cultivation as a given. But I don’t think its luck at all. I think you’re actually able to sense not just how many gates a cultivator already has open, but how many gates they will ever be able open! And that gift is why your school is probably paying you a fortune to act as a full-time recruiter. Why, I bet your whole job is to check out endless trade towns and farming clans, spot the diamonds in the rough, and immediately make them an offer they or their family can’t refuse! The joy of informing a struggling family that their child has cultivation potential, and as opposed to having to endure a long grueling trip to a strange city in the hopes of finding a school or any master willing to train them, you’ll happily take up that burden, and even better, you’ll pay the family a handful of silver on the spot and personally escort them back to Thunderbird Academy!

  “It would seem ridiculously generous compared to Yidushi’s one academy, which just assumes an endless flood of desperate prospective students will show up, only accepts those able to fight and crush the others in grueling competitions, unless one has the coin or contacts to avoid that crucible and ensure a modicum of care and instruction, while tossing aside like garbage everyone who was beaten to a pulp. But in Baidushi, it’s different, isn’t it? There, your small school is competing against many others for dominance and you, Yan, are the key to your school’s success!”

  Alex’s grin widened with fierce vindication at the dumbfounded look Yan gave him, completely caught off guard by Alex’s insight. “You can actually spot how many meridian channels people have from a distance! That’s the only way you could discretely scan thousands upon thousands of people, since I have never seen you brush against anyone!” Alex chuckled ruefully. “Which means you must have sensed my potential right off! No wonder you were so friendly with me so quickly, and how you seemed fascinated by me, not mystified or disbelieving, like half the guards I sparred with yesterday!”

  For long moments Yan just stared at Alex before giving a slow nod. “Well done, disciple.”

  Alex blinked, thrown off by the declaration.

  Yan grinned. “If I had any doubt before, I have absolutely none now. Clever and tough, you would make any master a fine student, and though no one, save perhaps a healer, can sense the actual state of anyone’s meridian gates, I get the sense that yours are as strong as anyone could hope for. Who knows? Maybe even Silver is in your future. But that still begs the question, Alex.”

  “What question is that?”

  “How were you able to tell that each of my students had seven strong meridian gates?”

  Alex winced, realizing he had no answer for that. His insight might have been high, but if there had been a wisdom check, he had certainly failed it, revealing far more of himself with his deduction than he had intended.

  Now it was Yan giving a satisfied grin at Alex’s flustered expression. “It’s always a pleasure to find hidden gems with so many brilliant facets. As a natural instructor able to spot a student’s potential, you will always be valued at our school, Alex. Now get some rest. I’m eager to see you teaching your kung fu brother and sister all you can tomorrow, and when we eventually get to your new school, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by all that we have to offer.”

  Alex’s eyebrows widened at this. Yan smiled, knowing he had caught Alex’s interest. “You’ll earn
the privilege of studying under some of the best instructors in the city, along with daily access to all the cultivation manuals you could possibly want in the library, in return for disciplined focus as we forge you into the best cultivator you can possibly be. All that we ask is that you one day fight for the honor of our school, and perhaps join your fellow disciples on the occasional hunt for beast cores or Qi-infused herbs. Of course, that’s all in addition to the wonderfully potent cultivation pills you’ll earn immediately upon your oath to Thunderbird Academy, as we agreed.”

  Alex blinked, more than a bit bemused to find Yan steering the conversation so easily, now acting as if Alex was already one of his disciples, about to docilely follow where he led. When all was said and done, Alex just might check it out, for all he feared its status as an up and coming school meant that it would have precious few of the multi-element Gold and Silver tomes he hoped to access before daring to ascend to Silver, assuming they had any at all.

  He shook his head in bitter recollection of the prizes he had come so close to claiming, forever torn free of his grasp by the vindictive spite of deities that wanted him gone. Only now was he permitted to live his life with a certain measure of peace from meddling powers above. He cherished the memory of the brief time he had held a pair of Golden tomes in his hands. And his frenetic research and insights while trapped in an Eden below an actual realm of purgatory had filled him with brilliant revelations he recalled almost perfectly to this day. Yet despite having had those tomes in his hands for however brief a time, his focus had been solely on how to forge the strongest multi-element cords imaginable. He had only peripherally absorbed a sense of how each cord comprising each meridian channel would then be further twisted to form his first true Silver cable. And from there, seven supremely strong cables would be woven into a basket of sorts that would finally contain his future Gold core. A core that would grow with each advancement in rank, until he became ascendant and was finally ready to break through to Jade.