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

by M. H. Johnson

  Her third heaping plate of food completely forgotten, she strode over to the nearest mural, trembling fingertips tracing figures only a master artist could have portrayed so vividly, those final desperate moments caught between life and death as men and monsters fought for their lives.

  Of course her fingertips brushed the one figure with blond hair, blue eyes, and features somehow identical to Alex’s own.

  Before tracing the fox god fighting by his side, the pair of them battling with jet black sabers and golden fangtian ji against what seemed to be all the forces of hell.

  Her features now pale as a ghost, a trembling Xian Hong turned around, taking in the palatial suite fit for a king, the pair of servants still holding rice wine, the massive feast of exotic fare never before seen in the world she called her own, before her gaze fixated once more on the hero who had saved her life.

  A man she had seen judging the souls of the dead.

  She swallowed, eyes flooding with tears, and fell to her knees, kowtowing repeatedly before a nonplussed Alex, drumstick still in hand.

  “Princess, what are you doing?” demanded an alarmed Yan Song, powerful body immediately lifting Xian Hong up.

  She smacked his hands away. “Do not shame me, Yan Song. Bow!”

  Yan scowled at the princess for only a heartbeat before his eyes caught sight of the massive murals that had so captivated her, only then turning Alex’s way.

  “Is it true?”

  Alex shrugged. “It was like that when I got here.”

  “Alex... is that you?”

  For endless seconds Alex just stared at his friends, now gazing so intently at him. The silence built to intolerable levels before he finally spoke. “Believe it or not, your guess is as good as mine. Now do you want to obsess over an interior decorator’s taste in art, or do you want to prepare for enemies willing to do whatever it takes to stop you from reaching the palace alive?”

  Yan Song and Xian Hong both froze at those words. Even Tung paused in his munching, wide, frightened eyes locking with Alex’s own.

  “Remember the Red Prince’s company, patrolling the woods? Well it seems the explosive sniping Silver I thought I had finally shaken free of is still very much alive. Worse, he’s a kitsune master of Shadow Qi who has a hate grudge against me like you wouldn’t believe. And right now, he and five of his closest cronies are guarding the silver bridge leading right to palace.”

  Princess and guardian exchanged glances. “Are you sure about this, Alex?” asked Yan Song. “I received no briefing on any sort of bridge, and why would the sovereign princess accede authority of her perimeter defenses to one of Dongfang Hong’s men?” His eyes widened. “Unless he’s already claimed Cui Li as his bride, and is now the de facto ruler of this principality?”

  Alex shrugged. “Truth is, I have no idea. All I can say is that I saw one of the Red Prince’s henchmen grab a young noble affiliated with the Azure Kingdom with his own shadow, before throwing him right over the silver railing into the river below.”

  Princess Xian Hong blinked. “So… this scion of the Blue Prince’s court got nothing worse than a good dunking?”

  Alex slowly shook his head. “No, Xian. He got thrown right into the River of Souls.”

  She paled at those words. “But how? How would you even know... how is that even possible?”

  Alex smirked. “Let’s just say I recognized those waters. And what mad bit of a wujen’s twisted arts allowed even the dimmest shadow of its potency to overlay reality and effectively bisect the Royal Quarter from the rest of the city? Your guess is as good as mine. I can only tell you that a single silver bridge allows admittance to the palace directly, a bridge that is now guarded by the Red Prince’s agents, or compromised soldiers who are as good as his agents, and that they thought absolutely nothing of murdering a scion of another realm in cold blood.”

  Alex found it strange even saying those words, and he’d think it a wondrous fairy tale, his dearest friend being elevated to princess, if it weren’t for the perilous world she had been thrust into where members of the wrong faction risked being disposed of as casually as a chess piece removed from a board, trapped in a deadly game with rules most players probably couldn’t even fathom. Alex could only hope Liu Li fully understood whatever movements she had to make to stay in the good graces of all the terrible powers involved, to survive as long as she could.

  Yan frowned. “Which means that if Xian Hong and I dare to announce ourselves...”

  “Those bastards will throw you into the river before you get a single word out, is my guess,” Alex said. “No doubt counting on your bodies being shunted straight to the underworld to effectively cover all traces of their vile deeds. And since most people can’t actually read negative karma, they’ll probably be able to get away with it countless times, at least for the duration of the festivities, celebrations, or courtship… whatever you want to call it when men are jockeying for a favored prize.”

  Xian Hong nodded. “And the chilly discomfort anyone might feel when near them will be attributed to their deadly Silver rank and status as royal guards. These are men who are paid to be intimidating as all hell, and the farthest thing from charming.”

  Alex flashed a cold smile. “Of course, a certain bloodthirsty assassin was forced to run blind for a bit, so maybe a few scions, far luckier than they realize, made it back to the palace safer than they otherwise would have after a night of carousing, though I wouldn’t be surprised if certain injuries were healed already. Still, at the very least, I made that bastard scream at least once.”

  Alex then gave an abbreviated version of his close call with a certain bloodthirsty assassin, not afraid to admit how close he had come to kicking the bucket himself, and that his life had been saved as much by skillfully aimed spirits sprayed at his enemy’s one remaining eye as by any other feat of skill or daring.

  This account of course earned him a bemused smile by a certain princess. “Really, Alex? You slipped out of a Silver assassin’s grip by use of… spittle? Were it anyone but the hero who had saved my life making that declaration, I’d think they were pulling my leg.”

  To that bemused declaration, Alex couldn’t help meeting her grin with one of his own. “Is that so, princess?”

  Xian Hong chuckled throatily, her soft brown eyes now definitely twinkling with mirth, her attire now showing a surprising amount of creamy skin with her hair pinned up by elegantly carved sticks of ebony and jade. “That is indeed so, Alex.”

  Alex smiled but said nothing, because sometimes actions spoke louder than words.

  You have successfully found your opponent’s weakness! You have critically struck your target with lavender water. Jade sticks have been knocked out of alignment! Hair has fallen free of all bindings! Xian Hong’s shoulders are now covered! You are uncertain if this is a win or loss!

  For long moments the princess just blinked and stared at Alex, mouth caught open in sheer surprise as lavender water dribbled down her scalp, multiple hair pins having been struck by the stream of water with such force that they had been sent clattering to the ground.

  Yan had lurched to a battle crouch in an eyeblink, hand on the hilt of his weapon, before his killing aura faded to confusion, also looking caught between outrage and laughter.

  And that tableau held for a timeless moment before Tung chortled with mirth. “Oh, he got you there, cousin! Bluffing? Nope, he wasn’t. Spat your hairpins right off your head, when you went to such trouble pinning them up for you-know-who!” He snorted at his cousin’s sudden blush. “You’re funny, cousin. Thinking you could outfox WiFu’s own disciple!”

  And now it was Alex flushing, realizing Tung had taken certain tales he had almost playfully shared over more than one evening campfire in the weeks gone past to heart, princess and guardian both giving slow, thoughtful nods. And really, what could Alex say? They had just supped upon a feast that would have done any Michelin star restaurant of a thousand years ago proud, after being gated straight int
o a palace more fitting of a fairytale than the bittersweet reality they called their own.

  “Alright, we know the situation is bad,” said Xian Hong, graceful enough to move the conversation forward after Alex handed her one of the plush towels from what he now thought of as the jacuzzi room. “But I’m guessing you’re telling us all this and showing off your absurd skills because you have a solution? Maybe?” She smiled down at the towel. “And I’m definitely claiming this as a prize of our contest.”

  Alex nodded thoughtfully. “I just might. The plan has risks, though, and the most important thing we can do now is wait.”

  Xian Hong’s eyes widened. “But if you damaged that Shadow master’s eyes...”

  “Probably healed already. Regardless, trying to enter the castle now would be playing to our enemy’s strengths. Far better we play to his weaknesses instead. And princess? I apologize in advance, but that towel will disappear the moment we jump back through the gate.”

  The princess gazed at him for long moments before finally nodding, and no one mentioned towels or the like again, instead pouring all their focus into rehearsing the use and mastery of Alex’s latest enhancement, until all of them were satisfied they might just have a chance of surviving what was to come.

  Xian Hong gazed at Alex with an odd mixture of hope and worry in her soft brown eyes. “I know you’re taking a massive risk, doing this for us, Alex, and I just wanted to say... thank you.”

  Alex smiled. “You’re welcome.”

  She grinned back. “If we actually manage to get through this, don’t think I’m going to forget what you have done for me and mine. I might not seem like much now, but one day...”

  “You’re the third in line to rule a nation of a size I can barely conceive. You seem like quite a lot to me, no matter the disguise you wear.”

  The princess nodded at that, before catching her protector’s gaze. “I think it’s time we took care of that, don’t you, Yan? The time for subtlety had passed.”

  Yan flashed a hard smile. “That depends. Just how safe are we, Alex, from the divinations of our enemy’s most vaunted wujen cultivators? If this hidden palace is anywhere near Baidushi...”

  Alex laughed at that. “This isn’t just a separate territory, it’s an entirely separate realm, Yan. Unless our foes can dance between worlds, there’s no way in hell they’re entering this realm without my permission.”

  Alex blinked and swallowed, realizing by the dumbstruck expressions of his friends that perhaps he had said too much.

  Again.

  Xian Hong forced a chuckle. “Well then, I think it’s time we embraced our true selves once more.” And in a flash of golden light, the whimsical, playful, and sometimes awkward-seeming Fangsu was replaced by a woman radiating exquisite poise, unearthly beauty, and a fierce intelligence no longer hidden by a young girl’s guileless eyes. Her hair was now a deep burgundy hue, amber eyes more crimson than gold.

  Whereas Fangsu had looked around sixteen, Xian Hong’s flawless beauty and porcelain features were ageless, ephemeral; a pristine ideal given shape and form. But something in the weight of her deadly gaze painted her as early twenties to Alex’s mind. And just as remarkably gifted, it seemed, as Elder Panheu and Jidihu’s own son, Zhao Doushi, having clearly broken through to Silver Rank 1 at the very least.

  Familiarity bonuses in effect! Soul Sight skill check successful! Artificer skill check successful!

  Xian Hong wore armor of shimmering silver scales backed by chain mesh so exquisitely fine it flowed like silk, perfectly hugging her sleek frame, with a jian at her hip that was obviously a magical treasure, just like her scale armor, radiating deadly Steel Qi. Her very aura pulsed with Earth and Metal Qi of such potency that Alex thought it only a matter of time before she broke through to Gold. Even if the journey took years, Alex could taste that potential within her already.

  Now it was Alex who bowed before obvious royalty.

  Before being jerked to a halt at a half bow, as the surprisingly powerful yet extremely deferential Dong Xiao, dressed in pristine silken robes of silver hue, gently halted his decent. “Forgive your lowly, devoted servant, master. But it is unseemly for a Child of the Heavens to bow any lower before any guest not of imperial lineage, or at least Jade rank.”

  Alex winced in embarrassment, though his friends looked shocked to see his seneschal manifest out of thin air, or so it seemed to them.

  Even Xian Hong, now radiating such exquisite grace that professional ballerinas would have seemed like clumsy oafs in comparison, couldn’t help quirking one perfectly sculpted eyebrow, flashing Alex a teasing smile. “Child of the Heavens?”

  Alex shrugged. “Yeah, they’ve been calling me that since I got here. I tell them Alex is fine, but, well... anyway, that is one impressive jian you have there, Princess! Radiating so much Metal Qi, I’ll bet it blasts through any armor, cultivator, or, hell, any wall effortlessly. And it’s a good fit for your Earth and Metal Qi affinities. Am I right?”

  Xian and Yan grew utterly still, intent gazes pinning an increasingly anxious Alex where he stood, realizing his nervous patter had only made thing worse.

  “Guys?”

  “Alex!”

  “Yes, Yan?”

  “How the hell were you able to sense Princess Xian’s affinities, or her magical treasure?”

  Alex grimaced. “I sort of have a knack for these things?”

  Xian’s throaty chuckle sent shivers racing down his spine.

  “I have no doubt of that, hero,” she said, a gentle finger upon her guardian’s brow instantly transforming Yan’s scowl to a bemused shrug.

  “You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you, friend Alex?” Yan rolled his shoulders. “Probably time for me to release my own bindings as well.” He frowned, gazing up at the ceiling. “I don’t suppose you have a courtyard?”

  Alex quirked an eyebrow. “Really?”

  Yan chuckled. “If you’d rather I do it right here...”

  “No, no, the courtyard is fine. Come on.”

  “I’m staying here, cousin, if it’s all the same to you,” said Tung, presently devouring a chocolate eclair with a look of exquisite rapture upon his youthful features.

  Xian grinned. “Suit yourself, Tung. We’ll see you later.”

  Alex stole a glance Xian’s way. “So Tung is...”

  “Exactly who and what he appears to be. My very hungry younger cousin by marriage, my siblings his cousins by blood as well.”

  Alex’s eyes widened as Xian’s gaze hardened. “And now you have one of my secrets, never to be shared. All of my younger siblings are innocent, and fortunately look nothing like me, save for their Qi affinities. My mother actually found a man she could love, quite by accident, after fleeing for her life. It was a hard, bitter road we walked for years, but now she truly embraces the very bucolic domesticity Yan is so hoping I’ll surrender to.”

  Yan bowed his head. “Your mother has centuries to embrace a period of peace and tranquility, and your second father has the potential for Silver, for all that his is the strength of the wild cultivator, so like Alex, his talents only discovered when we crossed paths with the strange farmer managing an entire steading on his own. And I would never ask you to surrender, my lady. Merely embrace tranquility’s sweetness, if your heart is open to such.”

  Quickly enough they made their way down the hallway to the front courtyard, Alex doing his best not to pay attention to the way Xian’s wide-eyed gaze darted over the dozens of murals lining the wall, before freezing to sudden stillness. “Alex!”

  Alex winced, already knowing what had caught her eye. “Yes?”

  Her perfectly manicured finger jabbed right at the center of one particular painting. “This, right here! This is where that damned Silver had every intention of...” Her cheeks flushed with remembered shame. “And right there, those awful waters look just like they did when you stopped that monster, surrounded by mist. That’s you, wading in them. And that’s me. Looking like a terr
ified child. Depicted perfectly in your mural.”

  Hypnotic eyes of fire and gold peered into his own. “Each of these pictures has you in them. And this latest picture... there’s no way even a master artist, unless he was a Gold cultivator, could have possibly done it in such a short time. How is this possible, Alex?” She gazed at the entire grand corridor in awe and wonder. “How is any of this possible?”

  Alex shrugged. “Great questions for another time. Let’s get to the courtyard. Once Yan’s changed, we’ll go with the next part of our plan.”

  And for all that he had thought himself ready for anything, he still found himself taking a step back, gazing at the seven-foot sentinel radiating the Earth Qi of a Silver Giant just a half step away from Gold Titan with genuine awe.

  And the way Yan whipped around his massive stone rod sent chills down Alex’s spine, somehow radiating all the crushing weight of a mountain with each swing. The terrible weapon lacked any edge, but Alex could already tell it needed no such crutch. Anything struck full-on by that deadly instrument would explode with the same force as someone hit by a meteor.

  Alex quirked a smile at the massive giant that was Yan’s true self.

  “Somehow, I doubt you and Princess Xian Hong would have had that much to fear from the soldiers that had been hounding us for so long.”

  Yan’s smile didn’t reach his eyes, powerful baritone voice echoing through the courtyard. “Probability is not certainty, friend Alex. Your own words have cautioned us on just how deadly a master of Shadow Qi can truly be. And this way, our enemy has no sense of how we’ve grown, what we are truly capable of, my mistress and I, until we are literally at his doorstep, ready to stake our claim.”

  Xian Hong nodded. “Besides, Alex, that was just one company of elite soldiers. You’re forgetting the other dozen my uncle no doubt has scouring other areas in this province alone. The minute we reveal ourselves, every regiment smuggled into Zhengtu will race to intercept us.” She flashed a cold smile. “That is, unless we’ve already made it to Cuijing’s capital city and have been formally welcomed in the palace proper as guests of Sovereign Princess Cui Zhe herself. Only then will Yan Song and I truly be safe.”