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

by M. H. Johnson

  “Point taken,” Alex said. “You played the hand you were dealt as well as you could. Now it’s time to pull off our masks and show our foes just how fiercely the wolf will bite the hunter seeking his hide.”

  Xian Hong smirked at that. “Indeed, Alex. With my uncle’s forces still needing days, if not weeks, to consolidate his hidden bases of power here, this is our best chance to take the fight to our enemies and make our presence known. I say we delay not a moment longer. Let’s announce ourselves this very night, before our foes have the slightest chance to regroup from the blow you struck.”

  To this Alex frowned, shaking his head. “I think it’s best we stick with our original plan. Our odds of actually surviving this will be highest if we rest now, and surprise them just before noon.”

  Xian Hong frowned. “It’s wise not to underestimate the value of decisive action, Alex, and of giving your foes no time to regroup.”

  “But if our enemy has already managed to heal himself, just as Alex has, we’d be fools to take him on now,” Yan cautioned. “I think there’s merit to Alex’s plan, if you’ll forgive my saying so, Princess.” He then frowned thoughtfully at the princess. “And when was the last time either of us benefited from a truly restful night’s sleep?”

  Alex smiled at the sudden look of longing on Xian Hong’s graceful features. Even he could sense the fatigue radiating from her sleek cultivator’s frame. “I’ll bet you’re just dying to sink into one of those plush, four poster beds.” He chuckled at her alarmed gaze. “No, don’t worry. You don’t have to sleep in my quarters. I have a hundred bedrooms just as luxurious. Each and every one of them has saunas and hot showers, just like mine does, with servants more than happy to prepare you a feast beyond your wildest dreams, with the simple pull of the bell. Best of all, any clothes you stick inside the wardrobe will be perfectly pressed and cleaned by the time your bath is done!”

  Yan and Xian Hong were both looking at Alex with awe-filled eyes. “Alex, you speak of magics worthy of an emperor’s palace!”

  To this, Alex solemnly shook his head. “Nope. Silver is a lot closer to what a sovereign prince or perhaps a king might expect, and I didn’t even mention the library. Most of the books are in a language you won’t be able to make heads or tails of, but I can ring you up a couple of cultivation tomes that will knock your socks off, if you want a little late-night reading.

  “But even with all that being said, an emperor’s palace would be grander by far, containing spectacular wonders without end, including training rooms full of enchanted gear and entertainment halls filled with exotic puzzles and clockwork automatons able to play a fair game of chess or Go all by themselves, along with numerous other entertainments and wonders fit to satisfy even the most jaded nobleman’s fancy. So too, such a palace would be capable of feeding thousands of loyal soldiers and sycophants food that would be nectar even to practitioners of Gold and Jade. To say nothing of the scores of artists and instructors, playwrights and performers, musicians and master craftsmen, that would be eager to entertain and educate us endlessly, wanting nothing more than to satisfy our every whim as we embrace a life of unspeakable indulgence from here to eternity, every day a festival of pomp and splendor.”

  Alex chuckled and shrugged. “But such mad excess would cost me a late stage Gold Soul Stone if not an actual Jade, to bring a wonder that incredible into being, and I’d far rather spend that on myself.”

  He winced at the looks this declaration earned him. “Let’s forget that last part,” he urged. “Come on. There’s still plenty of food if you’re still hungry, and we can order up more in a jiff! Don’t forget to use the toothbrushes, and I can show you how the toothpaste works if you can’t figure it out yourselves.”

  He wasted no time retreating back into his palace, his bemused friends soon following, and in short order they were even more well fed than before, Xian Hong making it very clear she wanted to take some of the wonderfully refreshing mint toothpaste with her, to which Alex could only shrug, pretty sure it wouldn’t survive the journey between worlds. But hey, she was a princess. So after instructing his devoted seneschal to wake them up no later than an hour before noon, he bid them each a goodnight.

  Or such was his plan, Yan Song bedding beside an already-sleeping Tung who truly did treat Yan as a father figure, now that Alex was looking for it, and if he didn’t know better...

  “Good night, Alex,” said the massive cultivator, his hard smile displaying gratitude and warning in equal measure. “I’m glad to know that my trust in you was not misplaced.”

  Alex smirked. “Don’t worry, Yan. I’m not an idiot. I have no intention of seducing Xian Hong. Not when my enemies would absolutely love to see me commit such an act of idiocy and, I don’t know, risk the entire city. Especially not when we’re this close to getting you all safely to the palace.”

  Yan chuckled softly, though his hard gaze didn’t waver. “I’m glad you’re on our side, hero. And for all that you’ve refused so many treasures...”

  Alex smirked at that. “And there’s one bit of good news. From the moment I set foot within Baidushi, one foul curse was broken. I can now accept all the boons and aid from anyone who wishes to help me.” He gave a rueful shake of his head. “Too bad I had to burn so many bridges getting to this point, but the curse was neutralized, and that’s the important thing.” His eyes widened at the golden ring Yan flung through the air.

  “Then let me give you the first of what I suspect will be many gifts. Take a look inside the ring, Alex. I think you’ll be pleased by the secrets it holds.”

  Alex instinctively caught the ring, and what he sensed inside brought a pleased smile to his lips. “Yan! You actually retrieved my fangtian ji! Thank you!”

  “That, and a dozen spirit pearls besides. You have more than earned it, champion.”

  Alex grinned. “And I’m bloody grateful. Thank you. Too bad you don’t have any beast cores; I could really use...” His eyes widened when the giant flung a pouch his way without batting an eye. “Yan, I didn’t actually mean…”

  “Shut up and take them. I’m wise enough to know that a wild cultivator can make far better use of them than your average artificer.”

  Alex swallowed, bowing his head. “Very well. Then at least let me pay you their spirit stone equivalent...”

  “Don’t insult me, Alex. Just take them and get yourself some rest.” He flashed a bemused smile. “Consider it payment for your services tomorrow. We’re still counting on you, you know.”

  Alex nodded. “Understood. A good night’s sleep will serve us all well.”

  With those words he softly shut the door with a satisfied grin, surprised by how happy it made him, being able to protect and take care of his friends.

  He fancied he could sense the goings on of most of the spirits that were almost but not entirely living servitors going about their silent duties, so that when soft fingertips caressed his cheek, he froze, caught off guard, realizing he had been taking his ease perhaps a bit too much, not even bothering with the constant radar-like ping of Qi Perception.

  Unforgivably sloppy, he chided himself, even as Xian Hong’s husky breath caressed his ear, arms wrapping about him from behind. “I owe you my life, hero. No matter what happens tomorrow, know that I’ll be forever grateful to the champion who rescued me.”

  Alex flashed a smile, though he didn’t dare turn around, his racing heart and his sense of Xian Hong’s rapid pulse, the knowledge that her soft, warm lips would be only inches from his own, was all the warning he needed that it would be a very bad idea to face her right now.

  “You’re welcome, Princess Xian. Truly, I’m just grateful that I can actually play the hero for once, with so many assholes out there doing all they can to force me into the role of friendless, soulless monster.”

  Soft lips kissed his neck. “I’m traveling thousands of miles to meet a man I’ve never even seen before, for political purposes alone, and can only hope for the tiny chance that there mi
ght be a spark between us. Do you think I’m being a fool, Alex? Chasing dreams of securing my family’s fortune, perhaps even my family throne, in a mad gamble that could see us all dead, or my capital in flames. All because I’m deluded enough to think I’d be a better ruler than my uncle, should the emperor even consent to recognize my claim.”

  Powerful arms gently squeezed him from behind as she sighed, leaning against him. “I can’t help but wonder if I’m being an idiot, chasing a fool’s dream when the hero I’ve yearned for since I was a little girl has been right here beside me, from the moment I saw a certain special Ruidian purchasing weapons I thought were far too unwieldy for his sleek, handsome frame.”

  Her throaty chuckle sent shivers racing down his spine. “A hero with a hidden palace of his own, safe from the mad world below. A handsome young cultivator who seems more legendary than real.”

  Her voice turned husky. “A man who saved my life when I had been filled with mindless terror, too frightened even to tear free the damn binding that would have meant my end. A hero who has earned my heart, should he choose to claim it as his own.”

  Lacquered fingertips brushed his cheek, soft yet powerful hands gently tilting his head, forcing his gaze to meet her own.

  “Is my heart something you would claim, hero?” asked the strikingly beautiful woman gazing at Alex with soft amber eyes filled with adoration, awe, and a desperate hunger that struck Alex like a blow to the gut.

  It was all he could do not to catalyze her sweet, smoky embers into a roaring inferno that would consume them both. He flashed an apologetic smile, struggling to keep his breathing under control, his arms firmly at his side. “Xian Hong?”

  “Yes, Alex?”

  “Had I not already met a girl I adore, was I not putting my very cultivation at risk, daring to love a woman before I hit Silver, did I not fear setting off numerous red flags of doom that would send my enemies howling with laughter, should I be so foolish as to give in to my own desperate hungers, the answer would be a resounding yes. Absolutely. You’re fierce, intelligent, resourceful, determined, and so breathtakingly beautiful, I don’t even have the words to describe you.”

  “You just did, hero.”

  He grinned at that. “It would be so, so easy to fall in love with you,” he said before lowering his head, now refusing to meet her gaze. “But I dared a forbidden art, and one consequence of the path I took is the need to reach Silver before I dare to love anyone at all. To do otherwise risks permanently damaging my Lower Dantian and destroying my cultivation base forever. And you, Xian, need to see if Princess Cui Zhe’s son is just as wonderful, handsome, charming, and thoughtful as you so clearly hope he is. If he’s not? Leave. You already know where I’m going to be, if we actually survive this bit of madness we’re planning. A single note is all I need. Meet at our backup rendezvous point, and my palace will be at your disposal for as long as you want or need it.”

  Xian Hong’s delicate fingertips, filled with all the power of a Silver Giant, tilted a surprised Alex’s head up effortlessly, her warm, tear-filled smile a bittersweet ache in his heart. “Thank you, hero. And I will take you up on that offer,” she said, soft warm lips caressing his own for a single heartbeat, before she abruptly turned away, retreating to her room in a single graceful turn that happened faster than Alex could blink.

  She turned back once, poignant gaze meeting his own. “No matter what happens, I expect you to show up at our rendezvous point in one month’s time. If I’m not there, you will see a token of my eternal gratitude. If I am there? You take me away and we’ll start our life anew, together, here in your magical palace.” She chuckled throatily and winked before shutting her bedroom door behind her.

  Alex swallowed, not quite sure what to say, afraid there might have been a misunderstanding... but no. As skillfully as she had played the naive girl, hiding her power so well for so long, she was, in the end, the princess of a nation as large as the world he had once called home, no doubt used to getting whatever she wanted in life, and Alex was beyond flattered that she might actually want him, as impossible as that would make his life.

  Shaking his head at the impossible twists and turns his life had taken so far, pausing only to set a mental alarm in his head that would blare like the trumpets of heaven, no matter how glorious the dreams he found himself in, he sunk into the cool satiny covers of his bed and enjoyed the second best night’s sleep of his life.

  27

  You have successfully produced 5 cubic feet of Amoebic Slime.

  You have successfully generated 2 gallons of Caustic Brew

  You have successfully generated 2 liters of Cure All.

  You have successfully generated 2 liters of Universal Solvent.

  You have successfully generated 2 liters of Alchemical Glue.

  You have successfully made 20 Basic Healing Compresses.

  You are currently barefoot.

  “Are you ready, Alex?”

  Alex swallowed his suddenly parched throat, forcing himself to meet Xian Hong’s deadly serious gaze.

  “All you need to do is open the door, Alex, we’ll take care of the rest,” assured the powerful baritone voice of the now giant Yan, standing just behind his ward, his deadly stone staff held in a sure two-handed grip.

  From the moment he had woken up at the crack of dawn, Alex had been preparing supplies he thought they might need, more grateful than ever for the golden storage ring Yan Song had gifted him with, just barely able to fit all he had produced inside, knowing the ring itself must be worth a fantastic fortune all on its own.

  After a quick breakfast they spent half the morning rehearsing their plan and all possible variants Alex could think of, given the information he had.

  One deadly master of Shadow Qi who might, or might not, be operational. The advantage of their timing and Alex’s own strange gifts. The added advantage the Chamber of Doors gave him, for all that, should he make use of his secret defensive move, he wouldn’t be able to blink around the battlefield at all.

  But still, even so, Alex had felt such a visceral rush when he had been practicing with his friends, truly slipping into the zone; Golden Realms, White Crane, and Silver Swan kung fu synergizing so perfectly together even with mock weapons, the three of them using all-too willing guards as intelligent practice dummies before truly refining their techniques on themselves.

  And as much as Alex was absolutely blown away by Yan’s monstrous strength and the princess’s inhuman grace and speed, his own ability to blink about the battlefield had been surprising enough to score at least a few telling blows on his friends before the pair of them accounted for it, and Alex found to his chagrin just how underpowered he, a mere Bronze, was against skilled Silvers who knew his tricks.

  At least, some of them.

  For that reason as much as any other, knowing that they needed to be able to work seamlessly together, to move and act as one, he dared that which he had hoped he would never have to again, praying it had been so many generations that neither would understand the true significance of what Alex was about to suggest. And he could only hope they wouldn’t have the weakness he feared they might, or his friends would never forgive him.

  Nonetheless, he made the offer, getting two cautious nods of acceptance that he immediately wished he could take back.

  “You know a Spirit Qi trick that might help us fight more efficiently together? Then I’m all for us… what did you call it? Partying up as a group,” said Xian Hong. And much to Alex’s profound relief, she did nothing but flash a brilliant smile when Alex felt her tiny node flare to life in his mind, a scowling Yan’s coming to life seconds later.

  “I can sense you, Alex!” she enthused, closing her eyes and pointing right at him even as she wove and darted around him. “I can feel where you and Yan both are!”

  Yan frowned, but closed his eyes, immediately popping them open again with a look of wonder Alex’s way. “By heaven’s grace, a wujen Spirit Qi trick even a body cultivator can us
e!”

  Alex grinned. “Pretty neat, isn’t it? And not only do we now know where we each are in relation to the other… We can also communicate at the speed of thought, and no one need hear a word we say!”

  And the looks of awe this received made the awful anxiety he had felt even daring this almost worth it, the three of them quickly incorporating their newfound edge into their training, responding to each other faster than ever, moving and acting and striking out at target dummies almost as one.

  And not once did Alex dare touch the pair of nodes now shining so brightly in his mind directly, terrified it would doom the friendships he had tried so hard to forge if he ever did.

  And he was happy enough to put such thoughts completely out of mind when Yan almost casually smacked him to the ground. “You’re not paying attention, Alex!” And he had only chuckled and nodded, agreeing with the man, for all that he had sensed Yan’s intent before the gentlest shove could be given.

  Without another moment wasted, they spent the rest of the morning in training. All of them knew what they had to do if they were to have a chance of making this work, having planned as best they could for any eventuality.

  Even if Alex couldn’t pierce the palace ward at all.

  “Alex?”

  Alex shook his head, getting his racing thoughts in order. “I know the drill. We jump through. I’ll form a second gate behind me that only you guys will be able to see. As soon as I get a lock on a target just beside the palace entrance, I’ll open the gate, and you two can just step right on through.

  The princess nodded. “And if, for whatever reason, you can’t pierce the palatial ward?”