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

by M. H. Johnson

  Alex winced, lowering his head. The arrogance in his gaze, along with the golden halo and ebony wings in the portrait of him cutting down a certain serpent god, was a bit much.

  “It’s not like I painted those murals,” he muttered.

  WiFu smirked. “Eat your dinner before it grows cold, Alex.”

  And much to his surprise, Alex found himself suddenly ravenous, devouring the scrumptious feast before him until not only his plate, but the entire spread was reduced to a handful of bones. All of them cracked open, even the succulent marrow consumed in full.

  Only then did a replete Alex at last give a contented sigh. If he had had a belt, he would have loosened it several notches. “Wonderful!”

  “Isn’t it, though? And it’s fare you can eat every day for the rest of your eternal existence.”

  Alex blinked. “I’m sorry?”

  WiFu frowned. “Isn’t it obvious? No mortal could have killed a god or created a realm out of nothing. Ergo, you are no mortal.”

  “Alright, what am I then?”

  His mentor gave a sad smile. “I think it should be obvious. You’re one of us.”

  “One of what?”

  “Don’t be deliberately obtuse, Alex. It doesn’t suit you.”

  Alex gazed at his mentor for long moments, just trying to come to terms with the madness of the very idea that he might be... he shook his head, still recalling how close he had come to fatal peril so many times in the last week alone. Hell, since he had last popped back to life in his patron’s tomb, less than two years ago. Which itself said something he couldn’t totally ignore, as much as he sometimes wanted to. “Alright. I’ll bite. Let’s say I am, well, what you say I am.”

  “Let’s.”

  “I’m still a Rank 4 Bronze.”

  “On the verge of Rank 5, should you actually dare to waste a week of your existence forging your divine triple-state cord of degenerate matter that I don’t mind telling you leaves even my family green with envy. Though it does cost you a fortune in power to generate each one. But that’s neither here nor there. The point is, yes. You are woefully underpowered for anyone who dares to claim his own personal realm, so I think the solution should be obvious.”

  Alex frowned. “And what solution is that?”

  WiFu smirked. “Get stronger, Alex. Hone the steel of your soul in the crucible of conflict, and forge yourself into a being actually worthy of the realm you now call your own.”

  Alex sighed. “The meal was wonderful, but you’re right. I need to get going. Because a certain fox god had no problem bargaining with my piece, making it clear that if I can’t make it to Royal Phoenix Academy by the end of the month...”

  “Which is just a few days away…”

  Alex glared. “My life is forfeit!”

  WiFu nodded. “But if you manage to slide past the obstacles still before you, if you can set one single toehold upon those academy grounds, the doom is nullified and a boon granted.”

  Alex swallowed. “Long Wang’s own Divine Hammer techniques are hidden somewhere within the stacks.”

  WiFu winked. “And the best part is, my brother only pretends he’s an idiot. His manual is actually quite comprehensive, and is equally applicable for any type of polearm.”

  “Such as a fangtian ji.”

  WiFu nodded. “Best of all, costly as the techniques might be for you to use, you shouldn’t burst into ash channeling his most basic of elemental attacks through your fangtian ji. His son did bring it with him when he fell to the mortal realm and took a Ruidian wife, after all, the pair founding Royal Phoenix Academy and forging a bloodline so strong their descendants forged their own kingdom in the wilds adjoining the nation of Zhengtu before the Golden Empire was even fully formed, and is one of the reasons why Baidushi city has been on such good terms with Yantu Nation for so many centuries. It is also why Zhengtu’s own ruler grants Baidushi, and by extension Cuijing Principality, so many considerations, and why the very idea that Baidushi might be the flash point of a conflict that will tear through both Gold and Jade Empires is the farthest thing from anyone’s mind.”

  Alex froze, gazing at his mentor in awe. “Wait, you mean… So the Red Prince and Princess Xian Hong are actually descendants of a living god?”

  WiFu shrugged. “So they’d love for the world to believe, while carefully keeping the Ruidian elements of their heritage swept under the rug. And since so many, but not all, tragically, of Yantu’s royal family have the potential for Gold, no one dares disparage their descendants, or even mention that tidbit at all. As far as the kingdom is concerned, the frequent appearance of auburn-haired offspring with eyes a shade of amber so light it’s almost green is just seen as a sign of divine favor. The many Ruidian clans living in Yantu are careful to say absolutely nothing, and no True Blood dares persecute them the way they still sometimes do here in Zhengtu, particularly near Yidushi, which never forgave Baidushi for stealing the spotlight. One of the reasons why animosity for Ruidians and kitsune is so high, there.”

  WiFu flashed a quick smile. “But we’re getting off track, I fear. I’m sure you can imagine why I have avoided saying certain names aloud, as you may be protected by a Fog of War card, but I certainly am not, and my brother has enough suspicions about you and my plans for you as it stands.”

  Alex winced and nodded. “I understand.”

  “Good. The tome was left for the founder’s descendants, after all. No matter that the last Jade offspring to make use of it was five hundred years ago, as those with the strongest foundations became the rulers of Yantu in the centuries since its founding.”

  Alex blinked. “Really.”

  WiFu grinned. “The point, Alex, is that a certain sacred cultivation manual is hidden within Royal Phoenix Academy’s book stacks, waiting for any descendants of Long Wang’s blood to make use of its secrets. And, should you survive the journey, waiting for you as well.”

  Alex smirked. “And if I don’t survive the journey, if I can’t enter the academy before...”

  “Three days pass.”

  “Then I’m as good as dead.”

  The ancient inspector’s gaze held Alex’s own. In those ancient eyes was the concerned look of a father. The hopeful gaze of a friend. “You can always stay here, Alex. This is your realm, now, and the dooms of my realm have absolutely no bearing upon your own.”

  Alex’s eyes widened as the full ramifications of that incredible statement finally sunk in. “You mean karma...”

  WiFu grinned. “Can you truly not sense the golden cords you have forged with every spirit brought wholecloth out of nothing into the bodies of servants that are almost, but not quite, alive?” Here, your karma blazes fiery gold, like the sun. This entire pocket dimension owes its existence to you.”

  Chills of wonder raced down Alex’s spine. Then he frowned. “You said almost alive.”

  WiFu nodded. “Right now, both your Garden and three elements of your Palace have transcended to Silver. Should you dare invest a Gold or, dare I say it, your Divine Soul Stone in your Eternal Palace, it will be enough.”

  “Enough?”

  “Enough to bring your people to true life. Souls capable of reproduction and rebirth.” He flashed a wicked smile. “Even the serving girls you subconsciously dressed in visions of anime outfits will quicken with your caress, should you dare ring the purple bell by your bedside and invoke my brother’s Midnight Mistress perk, and you can fill your palace with countless little cultivating rugrats before you know it.”

  Alex winced. “And it would break my foundation and I’d never break through to Silver. Or at least, not for centuries, and only because of my Eternal Fox path.”

  WiFu grinned. “Precisely. On the plus side, it’s free, and all other advancements in your Eternal Palace no longer have increasing costs for increasing numbers of guests. So, every point further invested in your home will result in luxuries wondrous and grand for each of your future hundred guests, or wives and offspring. And a single additional
point invested in capacity will increase the amount of people your manor can accommodate by a full ten-fold, in all respects.”

  Alex shook his head in awe. “Wonderful and tempting, in so many ways.” He then glared at the bed. “But I’m hiding that purple bell. Nothing but trouble, at this point. Any other free ‘gifts’ I should know about?”

  WiFu’s grin widened. “Indeed. The Boon of Eternal Dreams shall be yours as well.”

  Alex nodded. “My interface did mention that. And the thought of being able to dream up whatever adventure I like, even dream up exploring and leveling up in a digital world... worlds within worlds...” Alex chuckled. “Talk about meta.” Then his gaze hardened. “But we both know that’s just another distraction to keep me out of their hair, right? If I’m spending all my nights ravishing girls who worship me as their god even as it crushes my foundation, and all my days transporting my psyche to worlds even more fantastic than this one... they’ve effectively and utterly neutralized me without a single drop of blood being spilled, and they can even wrap a bowtie around it and call it a gift.”

  WiFu smirked. “Indeed. But still.”

  “I know. Two free Divine Palace ranks are still two free Divine Palace ranks. My inner gamer unquestionably approves, so long as I never fail my Willpower check. And considering how expensive those get, knowing that additional ranks will cost a Gold core, or even Jade.”

  WiFu nodded. “Depending on how palatial and grand you want your manor to be. And it’s already quite grand. Especially the library, and kudos on that! But you do know that—”

  “I know. I dare not touch it. At least not until I get to Baidushi, lest Jidihu’s own texts are declared by your asshole general of a brother to be somehow cheating, and so he’ll happily trigger a Fate card assuring that your kind is wiped out by vindictive inquisitors.”

  WiFu winced, looking suddenly uncomfortable. “You’re twisting it just a bit, Alex, but considering my brothers... probably best to err on the side of caution. And Alex?”

  “Yes?”

  “Thank you.”

  Alex flashed a sad smile. “Considering that I almost fell for one kitsune in this life, and married your daughter in a life long forgotten, how could I not err on the side of caution?”

  Alex frowned at the bed, carefully ignoring WiFu’s momentary look of naked regret, a sudden idea coming to his mind.

  He then flashed the dark grin of a gamer who loved finessing whatever system he could. “I’m no fool, WiFu. You can tell your brothers that there’s no way I’m going to risk taking advantage of their stupid bed enhancement. In fact, I might even call it a deliberate... assault.”

  WiFu flashed a cynical smile. “That’s a stretch even for me, Alex.”

  Alex smirked. “That is, unless they throw in something extra.”

  WiFu tilted his head. “And what would possibly entice you to do something as stupid as risk losing yourself in eternal dream?”

  “If my ability to dream endless wonders included the ability to actually reach out to, say, the girls I love in the realm I just left, so I can share delicious fantasies with them, among other things, then that would be an enticement even I couldn’t resist.”

  WiFu actually glowered. “That’s a dangerous request, Alex. Spirit Qi will have to be used. That means that a dream you control, if you and your chosen were to embrace certain forbidden acts... your chosen will quicken just as if you had made love to her in the flesh, and your cultivation base will shatter.”

  Alex frowned. “How is that even...?”

  “For cultivators, it’s a communion of the soul as much as the flesh, and your DNA matrix is imprinted perfectly within your spiritual core. Why do you think making love is so risky for you and Hao Chan? Cultivator cores actually fuse, at least momentarily, when you make love to a fellow cultivator. That’s what makes falling for female cultivators who have surrendered to the Purple Path so dangerous for other disciples. Even their desperate cravings can become your own, just as your strength might help them break free. And with you and Hao Chan’s Lower Dantians both forced ever so slightly out of safe alignment...”

  Alex lowered his head. “That’s a risk I’m willing to take.”

  WiFu snorted. “Well that’s one bit of foolishness I doubt my brothers will accept without a hell of a lot of convincing. Just for kicks, however, let me throw the idea their way. I might catch them in a moment of fraternal whimsy while they’re having a blast laughing in my face when next we convene. Perhaps it might even be worth…” He closed his eyes, a look of intense concentration upon his features.

  Then he suddenly paled.

  “WiFu?”

  His mentor sighed. “I had expected sneers and goading. But the moment I made contact with my brothers’ minds, never a pleasant experience, I might add, they immediately gave their consent.”

  Alex blinked, gazing for long moments at his mentor, before daring to say what needed to be said. “You know what that means, right?”

  WiFu’s eyes widened. He lowered his head as if in shame, clasping Alex’s shoulder as if in solemn apology. And suddenly WiFu’s thoughts flooded his mind, both of them making use of their shared Spirit Qi affinity. “It means that none of our conversations are private, and never have been.”

  Alex nodded. “There is no way they would have agreed so quickly, if they hadn’t overheard every word you had said, berating me with all the perils of that silly request. And now we know the limitations of Fog of War. It might cloak the thoughts and knowledge of mortals, but it does nothing to ward the words of a god who can shape reality with his whispers.

  “It also lets us know that our opponents are so eager to capitalize on a perceived weakness that they actually risked revealing their hand, no matter how small a slip it might seem to them...”

  WiFu flashed a pleased smile. “It’s a slip few could spot better than you and I. Well done. Just like the days when we purged Yidushi free of corruption with guile, shadow, and flame. Was that the point of this, my clever little disciple? To test them?”

  Alex winked, speaking aloud once more. “It means that I can now savor dreams with my Hao Chan, and even if I surrender to love’s passion, I can still have a family with her, safe within my realm, as she stays safely hidden with Jidihu.”

  WiFu’s eyes twinkled. “I understand, Little Fox. And should you decide you’ve had enough of the games my brothers and our enemies have been playing for far too many millennia, far be it from me to gainsay you the right to happiness within your own little pocket dimension.”

  Alex dipped his head, surprised by how tempted he was to do just that.

  WiFu’s sudden frown made it clear he sensed it as well, but all he said was, “Get some sleep, Alex. Because if you’re going to choose the foolish path and actually risk your mortal life once more, you have very little time to waste. But a single night’s sleep? That, at least, you have time for.”

  Alex nodded. “Any hints you can give me if I do take the foolish path?”

  WiFu smirked. “Not a one. Which should tell you all you need to know.”

  Alex nodded, understanding at once.

  His foes already had traps lined up for him. Traps he had to be ready for, which was all he needed to know.

  Alex then flashed a cold smile. “I seem to recall our earliest card basically stating that so long as I accepted no help from anyone in getting to Baidushi, no one would lay a hand on kitsune, Ruidian, or Golden Realms citizens, particularly not for purposes of spiting me. And that the kitsune and Ruidians calling Baidushi their home would be safe, no matter what games were being played. I’m guessing the penalties would be quite severe, in whatever game you’re all playing, should your brothers and grandfather forget that tiny detail.”

  WiFu nodded. “Quite true. But since you haven’t actually reached Baidushi... Long Wang and the others are free to inspire homicidal rage against anyone daring to approach the city who happens to be a Ruidian. Of course, it was their own foolish overextension
that allowed me to play Fog of War in the first place. And now they have no idea what you look like, and are completely unable to move specifically against you.”

  Alex scowled. “But in the meantime, they can still lash out at Ruidians in general.”

  “In this particular way, under the pretexts of stopping you, I’m afraid it’s well within the rules.”

  “Rules within a game that allows gods to kill thousands of people out of spite.”

  WiFu’s smile faded. “Rules within a game that keeps everyone’s excesses in check. Rules that keep this realm from erupting in chaos and flame, destroying all life as you know it, perhaps for all time.”

  Alex bowed his head. “Then I am grateful to know that at least one god cares about the pieces on the board. Because once I manage a single step within Baidushi’s city walls...”

  WiFu grinned, carefully speaking aloud. “The moment you step foot within the boundaries of Baidushi, the doom is ended, and my family’s oath comes into effect. At that moment, orders to indiscriminately kill Ruidians or anyone else as a means to strike at you must be summarily halted, no matter how fanatic or clueless their pawns happen to be.”

  Alex smirked, imagining a far-off rumble. No doubt his opponents were less than pleased to be reminded of the limitations of their own gambit. Then a troubling thought struck him. “But Royal Phoenix Academy is within the boundaries of Baidushi, right?”

  Here WiFu frowned, hooded gaze troubled.

  Alex smirked. He was suddenly certain his mentor was forbidden to say a word at that. But he didn’t have to. Alex had already gotten the message.

  “Well, I’m through worrying about the lives of people who will feel absolutely no karmic connection to me, no matter what favors I do for them. I’m going to call it a night, WiFu. Thank you for stopping by.”

  Alex stepped away from the table, bowing formally and low before his divine patron who, with beaming eyes and a clap on Alex’s shoulder, winked before heading out the door.