He chuckled even more heartily at Alex’s flummoxed expression, though Caojin merely rolled his eyes. “There you go, always looking to one-up me, cousin. Fine. A yearly stipend of ten Spirit Pearls, five thousand gold crowns, noble titles for you and your family, regardless of your mixed heritage, and access to my family’s inner library.”
The Flame cultivator frowned, peering curiously at the scorched stone behind the still-pristine bookshelves of what had been an absolutely exquisite library, just hours ago. No doubt he concluded that his deadly spell had utterly obliterated the contents which had been resting upon those strangely resilient library shelves.
“And our collection was almost the equal of this unfortunate tragedy. Save for the Gold tomes within the innermost sanctum, whose secrets I have finally cracked!” Caojin flashed a fierce smile. “Though we are forbidden from removing the tomes within, I have gleaned every secret regarding the element of Fire that this school has to offer in during the two years I have sequestered myself in here, and how dare that damned headmaster think to threaten me with his petty intrigues!”
Alex blinked in astonishment. “Two years? Seriously? But what about…well… And wait, what do you mean you’re not allowed to remove the tomes inside?”
Caojin’s expression hardened. “The Gold tomes are bound by the most devastating of curses, placed by the Emperor himself, to make sure no one dares to leave the inner sanctum with those books in hand.”
Alex cocked his head, his curiosity growing. “Really.”
The man solemnly nodded. “You’ll feel absolutely no discomfort to distract your studies, of course. Not until you get within 5 feet of the door. Then a buzz up and down your spine turns to a sharp throb of pain… a warning for those too lost in their research or breakthroughs. And of course, the last foot to the doorway is as hard to step across as molasses, so no absent-minded descendant of the Emperor need worry about blowing himself up, so long as he has the common sense just to let go of the book he’s holding.” He gave Alex a hard smile. “Of course, for those thieves that would dare steal the Emperor’s treasures, there can be only death.”
Alex stared at the Fire cultivator for long seconds. “Are you seriously saying that there is absolutely no way to neutralize the emperor’s curse on these tomes?”
“None whatsoever. To leave with these tomes in hand is to die,” Caojin assured. “At that moment, the manuals will radiate a pulse of destructive Qi fit to obliterate an entire band of thieves, let alone one man. Of course, our imperial clan is made up of men far wiser than us. No rebound wave will strike this innermost sanctum, or the dutiful allies of the Emperor studying within. Rather, the wave of force will ricochet off the hundreds of bookshelves specifically designed to reflect the force frequencies involved. And not a single book, tablet, or scroll on the bookshelves within the outer sanctum will suffer any damage.” He then flushed, stealing a glance at the countless rows of empty shelves. “Of course, flame is a different matter entirely. But the bookshelves, enchanted artifacts that they are, are still perfectly intact! Regardless, any thieves trying to make off with Golden treasures from within the innermost sanctum will die long before they reach the gate back to the library proper. Quite spectacularly, if the oldest legends are to be believed.”
“That sounds like a remarkably effective deterrent,” Alex said, his mind racing with the implications of Caojin’s revelation.
The man nodded. “This is the primary reason why the outer chamber of our library’s sanctum was kept almost entirely free of anyone, save for guardians or instructors. Because, of course, the possibility of explosive death serves as a wonderful pretext to keep the riffraff out entirely. Yet, sadly, all of those precautions necessitated my study area being a bit more confined than I prefer. I would have far rather spent the last two years in one of the Golden Pavilions which the school always makes available to visiting royalty.”
Caojin shrugged dismissively. “Of course, I took advantage of the training facilities and dining halls made available to all those who follow the Path of Rulers here at Royal Phoenix Academy. And, I admit, there were a fair number of sweeter adventures to while away the long nights besides.”
He flashed a fond, reminiscing smile, before his features soured. “It was only this last season that this school fell to absolute madness! But being so close to a breakthrough, I refused to heed my seneschal’s pleadings to leave, even after my spies’ reports. There are adequate quarters below, and I have months' worth of perfectly preserved rations and a flask of everfull wine my too-many-times-removed cousin has made liberal use of, after all.”
Cheng Lei shrugged cheerfully but didn’t deny it.
“So, when that damned bastard of a headmaster actually dared to threaten me if I refused to swear my soul to Dongfang Hong, of all the world’s fools… The sheer outrageousness of his demand, the towering fury this inspired within me, was just what I needed to catalyze my breakthrough to Gold! And that spell, ha!” He surveyed with a perverse sort of pride the devastation he had caused. “My fire is now the pristine glory of perfect destruction, and my foundation would make even my father proud. I would thank Dongfang Hong and Sudong both, had I not already sworn to see them both dead!”
Alex met the Gold’s proud gaze with a kindred smile. “Forging yourself in the fires of conflict, and hungry to see your foes burn. I think we’ll get along just fine, Your Grace.”
Caojin’s expression turned flinty hard. “Did common rabble dare to address me as you have…”
“Which he’s anything but,” warned Cheng Lei, finally earning a thoughtful nod from the fiery prince.
“My cousin and friend has made it clear, over the last month, that there is only one person you could possibly be. The only one who actually dared Jade, by his side. Thus, I will allow you to speak freely before me.” He flashed a fierce smile. “So call me Caojin, Disciple of the Fox. For who else could you possibly be?”
“He’s got you there,” Xun Hu noted under her breath.
Alex chuckled self-consciously. “Please, call me Alex.”
Caojin smiled in earnest at that. “The same name as well, and you really do look just like the sketches in all the stories. Remarkable.”
Cheng Lei nodded. “Isn’t it, though?”
Alex felt a cold chill with those words. “Wait… you’ve seen sketches of me?”
Both princes confirmed the bizarre claim with nods, which left him speechless. Of all the people he had spoken to, and all the libraries torn from his grasp, he had only seen one such work—save, of course, for murals within his own odd palace.
“Of course,” said Caojin. “Like I said, my family’s library is nearly as grand as this one, and our nation was spared the constant purges to rid the realm of all traces of WiFu and his chosen disciples, unlike your own. Which begs the question: why do you always rise from the grave here, where your kind is most persecuted, and you and your god are hated and despised above all others?”
Alex felt his cheeks blaze with the intent stares all three of them were giving him.
“You say that like I have a choice,” he said at last. “Or that I wake up as anything other than a clueless 18-year-old making the same choice before the same smiling god as I have only once before…” he frowned thoughtfully. “Or perhaps countless times before. But each time is the first time. The only time. If that makes sense.”
“Not really, but then again, religion isn’t my strong suit,” Caojin admitted, sharing an unreadable look with Cheng Lei. “You’d better tell him.”
Cheng Lei sighed. “I was going to, but you never gave me the chance.”
Alex gazed pointedly at his friend. “Cheng Lei?”
Pained eyes met his own. “I want you to know that when first we met, I had thought your appearance a bit of harmless serendipity, the similarities depicting one perhaps blessed with a handsome physique as well as a certain strength of character that shows in the intensity of your gaze. It was only later that my suspicions and a
we grew, before I was finally forced to accept just how remarkable a companion I had made.”
He met Alex’s confused eyes with a rueful smile. “And I took your advice, Alex, though Cui Li was more than a bit surprised to find I was actually interested in learning Golden Realms kung fu, and I’m happy to say we enjoyed a blissful week of morning sparring and afternoon walks, exploring her arborium and herb garden, as well as the mazes of our hearts.”
Alex swallowed the tiny sliver of jealousy that a part of him wanted to feel, instead choosing to be happy for his friend. Both of his friends. The thought of Liu Li smiling happily by the side of a man with a genuinely good heart in a world filled with the most bitter and ruthless of men was a weight off his chest.
“That’s wonderful!” he declared, perhaps a bit too loudly, earning a smirk from Caojin, though Cheng Lei just beamed and nodded.
“It truly was. And I have a confession, Alex.” He had the grace to flush. “As well-versed as I liked to think I am in the gentler verbal arts, our Cui Li can tie me in knots. I fear she had suspicions, and after coaxing out the truth of my ascension…” he flushed, pausing briefly before formally bowing so low, it was almost a kowtow, earning a shocked look from Caojin. “Cousin!”
Unperturbed, Cheng Lei held it for long moments, before passing over a letter which Alex took with trembling hands, quickly placing it against his ring and sensing it instantly disappear within his palace. Alex instinctively knew now was definitely not the time or place to be reading it, with so many knowing eyes locked upon him.
His friend smiled and nodded, as if what Alex had done was to be expected. “I would have given it to you weeks ago, when you proved yourself a hero yet again, gifting me with your perfect map that was just what Caojin and I needed. But your position was precarious enough that, had you lost focus, had our enemies understood just how significant a player you were…” He broke off, shaking his head. “But no need for us to dwell on that. Just know that Cui Li’s eyes light up when she speaks of you, and how awed she is to hear of the continuing adventures of her childhood champion, the hero of her mother’s storybooks, who once stumbled upon her humble apothecary, newly risen, in desperate need of aid… before returning the favor a hundredfold. Pulling her back from death and giving her a priceless treasure that will earn her kind imperial clemency that might serve as a bastion against malice for what one can only hope will be countless centuries.”
Alex swallowed and lowered his head, cheeks blazing, before his friend’s choice of words truly clicked. “Wait… childhood champion?”
Even Caojin’s eyes bulged. “Wait. It was him? He discovered the divine tome? He’s the missing link?”
Cheng Lei smiled. “I think you already know the answer to that, cousin.” His gaze grew solemn. “There’s a reason why I came back, Alex. A reason why I was so intent on exploring the endless tunnels beneath this school.”
Alex clenched his jaw, certain he already knew what that reason was, but he waited for his friend to confirm it.
Cheng Lei sighed. “We took but one path leading to ascension within this school. You understand that, right?”
Alex nodded. “The Path of Perseverance, as opposed to the Path of Rulers.”
“Correct. Most nobility of administrative rank or higher, and their kin, are permitted the latter path, which consists merely of crossing a golden gate and being swept into a life of indulgence and prestige, enjoying access to the best teachers and tomes, with no demands placed on those students at all for the length of their tenure.”
Caojin nodded his unruffled agreement while Xun Hu shook her head with awe, and perhaps a bit of envy as well.
“Sounds glorious. But in the end it’s just a distraction from the true prize of this school,” Alex said with a cynical smile.
This earned a surprised glance from the kitsune and a scowl from the Yellow Prince, but Cheng Lei grinned his approval.
“Exactly. For we both know the hidden boon of the waters washing all resistance away upon the Gold and Jade steps, and those who grow too used to ease and indulgence are the least likely to embrace the bitter in their pursuit of excellence.”
“Which assures that one only has to contend with easily distracted and sated pawns upon the board of kings and thrones,” Alex concurred solemnly. “For an emperor is safest when his nobles are far more interested in sybaritic delights and maintaining their own comforts than in the endless excruciating pursuit of power and perhaps, one day, the imperial throne as well.”
Caojin’s eyes bulged at such bold words. “That you would dare even imply such!”
“And he’s absolutely right,” Cheng Lei countered, his voice filled with a quiet authority that inspired an odd deference within Caojin, for all that the latter had already broken through to Gold.
Caojin just shrugged and shook his head. “Perhaps he is, at that. Damn it, cousin, if things weren’t so precarious, I’d take those same damned steps myself! I’m already Gold at an age where most of our clan members are still striving for Silver, and lesser men can only hope for Bronze. So whatever talisman I earn is irrelevant. And if there’s any chance it might actually strengthen my foundation, who knows how deep a core it might allow me to obtain? Still, wouldn’t we then be bound to oaths?”
“Not when you ascend as high as we did,” Cheng Lei assured, favoring Alex with a curious smile. “I don’t suppose you’d be willing to tell me sometime just how far you ascended?”
Alex laughed at his friend’s inquisitive tone. “Mayhap I will.” Then his gaze hardened. “Quit delaying, Cheng Lei. Out with it. Why did our meeting, where we all but swore eternal brotherhood and friendship, fade in my mind like a distant dream? What are you not telling me?”
Caojin furrowed his brow. “My cousin’s cloak drastically cut down the number of fools we had to kill that night. And hero or no, you would be best served learning to curb your tongue around your betters. Not everyone is as patient and understanding as we are.”
Cheng Lei squeezed his cousin’s arm, giving him the slightest of headshakes, before his intent gaze locked with Alex’s own. “On the very eve we ascended, back when Dongfang Hong was keeping his claws well-sheathed, Cui Zhe’s eldest, the future sovereign princess of CuiJing Principality, enrolled at Phoenix Academy, taking the Path of Rulers, as have countless generations before her. And save for occasional notes artificial and stilted, all of which Cui Li swore were false, she hadn’t been heard from since.”
Alex’s heart raced, his mind seeing so clearly the heart-shaped features of a desperate princess he had pulled from the literal grip of hell before sacrificing himself in an act of sublime grace for the sake of that desperate soul.
Before waking up once more in the clutches of slavers, and the mad pace of his life had only increased from there.
Her desperate screams, the nightmares he had thought long pushed away, still blazed within his mind.
He gave a bitter shake of his head, the blood roaring in his ears as a brilliant red heat flowed through him, only peripherally noting Caojin hissing and stepping back, though Cheng Lei’s own gentle gaze was unfazed.
“I knew I had failed her.”
“Hardly, Alex. Your aid is what facilitated our complete success,” Cheng Lei said. “My fiancée asked me to locate her if I could, and to rescue her if, in my judgement, she was in jeopardy.”
The ruthless smile suddenly gracing his features filled Alex with fierce satisfaction and horror both.
“And I did just that.”
Alex swallowed, heart pounding in his chest. “When you met up with me just days later in the Aspirant’s Quarter, just outside my pagoda, even then you were hunting for her.”
His friend dipped his head. “Correct.”
Alex blinked away the hot sting in his eyes. “The servant’s corridors.”
His friend nodded. “Your insights were everything we could have hoped for. Your map, the hidden corridor you sensed… all of it was exactly what we needed. Thank you for
that, Alex.”
Alex squeezed his fists, trembling with sudden fury. At himself, as much as anyone else.
“If I had just gone with you…”
Caojin snorted. “What could you have done? You’re the only Ruidian at this academy right now, and you have no royal rank or school-sanctioned guardsmen to deter any but the most vicious of reprisals. Servant’s robes or no, you would have been an absolute fool not to take my cousin’s advice. Especially since even I know those Spirit Wolves are hot for the blood of the Ruidian who crossed them, when they wouldn’t dare think twice about bothering either of us. Cheng Lei’s dream cloak can only do so much. Had you imposed, it would have been to all our detriment. Especially as discretion was our goal.”
Alex swallowed back the retort in his throat, merely dipping his head, knowing Caojin meant well, and he’d be a fool to throw a royal’s kind words back in his face. “This one is grateful for your counsel.”
The Gold smirked loftily. “You should be. For it’s a gift I rarely give. But since your insights regarding the servant’s tunnels were actually of use to us, and I seriously doubt even my gifted cousin would have achieved a Jade talisman were it not for your help…” the man shrugged. “I consider you one of the few outside my clan who is actually worthy of my opinion.”
Alex swallowed the lump in his throat. “I take it the princess is inside?”
Silver Fox & The Western Hero: Warrior’s Path Page 79
