Silver Fox & The Western Hero: Warrior Reforged: A LitRPG/Wuxia Novel - Book 2

by M. H. Johnson

  Her cheeks were blazing at this point.

  Alex flashed a sympathetic smile. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize.”

  “Don’t be!” she said, flashing a relieved grin. “This is why I’m so grateful to Uncle, even if he’s always been so caustic towards me before! To be honest, I thought he’d be calling Father a fool again for being so stupid as to marry a woman like my mother, but it was like he turned over a new leaf. He wasn’t castigating us or anything. He seemed genuinely interested in Lin’s dreams of becoming a Royal Cavalry officer, silly as they are, and actually tried to console me when he heard about what happened with my last apprenticeship. Best of all, he offered to help. To help me and my brother both! I can’t tell you how relieved and grateful that made Father and Mother both.”

  Alex smiled, oddly relieved to hear that the man at least had a few redeeming qualities. “Honestly, I’m glad to hear it. How’s he going to help you?”

  “Well, this year Hao Chan, our cousin, is going to challenge for the right to enter Dragon Academy, and Uncle has assured us that they have special programs for people like me and my brother. He’s going to make sure we’re accepted into them, so we won’t even have to fight to get in!”

  Alex peered thoughtfully at the animated girl, glowing with a rarely-seen excitement, momentarily out of her shell. “So your uncle’s going to pull some strings and make sure you and your brother can get in, hassle free?”

  The girl nodded enthusiastically.

  Alex did his best to hide his frown, already having a sense of the man’s character. “That’s great to hear, Hao Yin! It sounds like you’ve had a rough time of it, and could really use a good turn. Still, it does seem kind of unexpected, doesn’t it?”

  Hao Yin’s graceful brows furrowed. “What’s that, friend Alex?”

  “Well, I don’t mean this as any insult to your cousin’s skill, but I’m surprised Hao Zei didn’t arrange for Hao Chan to get accepted without having to fight for the privilege of becoming a student. After all, what happens if she loses one of her matches? Will she be allowed to reapply next year? Ever again? What happens if she’s injured or worse?”

  Hao Yin’s expression grew grave. “I didn’t even think about that, Alex. Now I feel like a fool.”

  Alex held up his hands. “Please, I didn’t mean to alarm you. I was just pointing it out. Honestly, I know only what my former master taught me about gaining admittance to Dragon Academy,” he said. “But I have to admit, I’m curious to learn more.”

  Hao Yin flashed a gentle smile. The rays of sunlight spearing through the thick, rustling canopy arching over both sides of the road gave her amber eyes a mischievous glint, her high cheekbones and smooth skin making it clear she’d be a true beauty one day.

  But as she couldn’t be a day over sixteen, Alex firmly shook the thought away.

  “Why’s that, Alex? Do you have dreams of being a magnificent cultivator like my brother does?” Her smile turned almost apologetic. “I’m sorry, Alex, but no Ruidian’s ever been born with the true gift. Not that I’ve ever heard of. I believe they favor magical gems, or some such. At least, that’s what’s said in all the old tales I’ve ever heard.”

  Alex nodded. “Elementalist or Bloodmage classes seem to be what they favor. Not my thing, really.”

  Alex winced when Hao Yin frowned at his words, belatedly recalling that his memories of a thousand years ago were now ancient history, and his newest acquaintances wouldn’t have any idea what he was talking about, in any case. And the last thing he wanted to do now was stand out.

  “Elementalist and Bloodmage. Are those magical schools those ancient Ruidian pirates favored? Does your clan keep a record of ancient deeds committed by your ancestors?”

  Alex winced. “Actually, they aren’t my ancestors at all, and honestly, I could care less about their past deeds. All those raiders ever did was put millions of lives at risk, including endangering the lives of all the innocent citizens of Ruidian descent who had been peacefully living and working in Yidushi for years.”

  “That’s a good point,” said none other than Hao Chan, who was now walking between them, and much to Alex’s surprise, was garbed much as he and the other guards were.

  Her bronze helmet, leather boots, and greaves all appeared to be a good fit and fastened properly, but her lamellar armor was at least a size too big, despite her doubling up on the aketon undergarments which would be absolutely fantastic for catching any arrow that actually pierced the near rock-hard lamellae made of spirit beast hide, but would probably cause her to overheat within the hour, despite the absolutely perfect weather, with the woodland canopy protecting them from direct sunlight as well.

  “What’s a good point?” her cousin politely asked.

  “That after those first raids, we never looked at Alex’s people the same way again. Can’t be easy, having grown up like that.”

  But the younger girl hardly seemed to hear her older cousin’s words, beaming up at her cousin, fully kitted out with spear and armor. “Oh, you look wonderful, Hao Chan! As fierce as any Royal Soldier! I’ll bet you’ll get into Dragon Academy with your first match.”

  Hao Chan just flashed a cool smile. “I can only hope so, cousin. And to answer your question, Ruidian, my father’s taking a calculated gamble. He knows that with Hao Lin’s lack of training, her father not knowing the first thing about preparing her for the life of a cultivator, and her mother too ashamed even to acknowledge her heritage, that she doesn’t have a chance in hell of getting into the Academy, save by following the path of the Noble Heiress. I, on the other hand, have a more than fair chance of surviving the tournament and claiming a coveted spot as an Outer Initiate. That way, my father’s able to assure both of us successful admittance, while only having to front the coin for one of us.”

  Alex blinked. “Noble Heiress?”

  Hao Chan nodded. “The tournament that’s widely regaled to the masses is really just the Commoner’s Path. If someone comes from a family of rank or means, other paths are available to assure a smoother transition to Academy life.” She flashed a cynical smile. “Though once you’re in, you have to work as hard as anyone else to advance, but at least those who follow the Noble’s Path are assured comfortable quarters and freedom from onerous and extraneous duties, as well as fare especially rich in spiritual energies. Of course, actual servants are reserved for those who actually achieve the rank of Disciple, inner sect students, but the Noble’s Path at least assures that you can dedicate your days to training, cultivation, and study, with a minimum of distractions.”

  Her gaze toward her cousin, who was at that moment gazing fondly back at her brother, was almost pitying. “I have confidence in my own martial dance, and I’m more than prepared to eat the bitter if it helps me advance and improve myself. But my dear cousin is, I’m afraid, a more delicate rose than I, and if her kind were to enter the school as a normal supplicant dueling for rank...” She paled. “Those bastards would try to maim or kill her. You think being a Ruidian is bad? Trust me, some people have it just as rotten.”

  Hao Yin frowned, gazing back at her cousin, clearly having heard every word, despite her distraction. “But it’s still not fair to you, Hao Chan. Alex is right. It’s your father’s coin. You’re his flesh and blood.” She suddenly flushed. “Or, as good as, I mean.”

  Alex frowned. As good as? Had Hao Chan been adopted? He frowned, gazing as objectively as he could at the strikingly beautiful girl before him, trying to super-impose her flawless features, rosy cheeks, and alabaster skin with the rotund pock-marked avatar of avarice in the guise of a merchant who was too lazy even to walk, and had just slowed their weakened caravan to a crawl.

  He just couldn’t see it.

  Shaking the extraneous thoughts away, he turned his attention back to Hao Lin’s words, doing his best not to be so distracted by the girl now walking next to him.

  “…Ultimately, you should be the one who gets to take the Noble’s Path, not me,” declared Hao Li
n. “It’s wrong of me to steal that opportunity from you. Honestly, I should just be grateful that Uncle agreed to escort my brother and I to Dragon Academy. To then be assured a life of ease while you suffer for every step forward?” She gave a sad shake of her head. “I guess I’ve just been doing my best to avoid thinking about it, but that is what it amounts to, isn’t it?”

  Hao Chan just laughed, clapping her cousin on the shoulder. “I’ve trained you, haven’t I? I’m strong. I’ve already cleared two of my meridian channels, and I’m well on my way to clearing my third! And you, dear cousin, have only cleared your first. What’s more, since Hao Lin is your brother and can’t cultivate at all, he can enter as your manservant. Well, hopefully he can. And once they see how useful he is in the stables, sensing the needs of the horses so aptly? I wouldn’t be surprised if they employ him directly. And what more could any boy who can’t actually cultivate ask for than to actually be a valued member of the most powerful cultivating academy in the entire principality? So don’t worry about a thing, cousin. Everything will work itself out.”

  Their conversation turned to lighter topics then, Alex happy to pick up tidbits about what life was like for them, all of them originally from a fortified town near Erdushi, as well as gleaning what information he could about what the tournaments would be like.

  From what he was able to gather, every applicant who lacked the coin for exceptional considerations would be forced to fight for the privilege of attending, which would quickly weed out the weakest cultivators and those who couldn’t cultivate at all. The first-year matches were always unarmed, which seemed a practical consideration as much as anything else, as with hundreds of applicants, judges were limited and probably only had limited interest in watching desperate fights between poorly-skilled youth who would be lucky to amount to anything at all. At least fighting unarmed, the winners would quickly be obvious when one had collapsed or yielded, with a minimal risk of fatal injury, compared to armed fights.

  Strangely, to Alex’s mind, no special consideration was given to female cultivators. He would think a man’s naturally greater bulk would give them a significant advantage, particularly in the earliest stages of cultivation, which was where most initiates were. But it seemed that, save for a Noble Heiress’s path being all but expected from female cultivators of means, whereas a good number of wealthy male cultivators still wanted to prove themselves in the ring, no further consideration was given.

  And maybe Hao Chan sensed something of Alex’s misgivings as the day wore on, for when evening rolled around, she insisted that he practice his kung fu with her. Hao Zei protested vigorously, but when she pointed out that she would be fighting for rank and perhaps her life soon enough, and far better she find out how she fared now, her father’s protestations were instantly shot down. Really, what could he say?

  What chilled Alex wasn’t that the man accepted her words, but the way Hao Zei glared at him.

  “You’ll find some excuse not to spar with my daughter, if you know what’s good for you, Ruidian,” the man all but spat in his face, clenching his ham hock fists.

  Alex frowned, taking a measured breath, controlling his temper. “I’m confused, sir. If you’re willing to let your daughter join the competition to enter Dragon Academy, isn’t it prudent that she practice sparring, just to keep her skills sharp? I haven’t seen her do much more than walk beside us since I joined your caravan. And exercise aside, at least if she spars with me, she does so with a friend who will do everything he can not to hurt her.” His gaze hardened. “But if she’s truly in danger of me, a common guard, injuring her, don’t you think it would be the height of folly having her risk her life fighting for a spot at this Academy?”

  “It’s not for the likes of you to question one as exalted as I, Ruidian! Never forget that! I know what’s best for my daughter, and if you ever dare to question me again, I’ll have Sun Sun beat you silly!”

  The larger guard, always nearby, glowered.

  Alex sighed. “You know I can just walk off anytime I want to, right? And the minute Sun Sun thinks he can use me as his punching bag, I’m out.” He glared at the pair of men. “And whatever does or doesn’t happen to you during the rest of your trip? No longer my concern.”

  Hao Zei looked ready to explode.

  An alarmed Alex immediately stepped back, grip tightening on his fangtian ji.

  So fast it was almost chilling to see, Hao Zei’s towering fury froze to an icy stare. “Just see you don’t bruise her, Ruidian, or the cost is coming out of your hide.”

  Alex blinked, nonplussed, as the merchant stormed back to his carriage, Sun Sun turning around as well. For some reason, Alex was feeling more disturbed with those parting words as anything else the man had said, though he couldn’t really say why.

  Nonetheless, he didn’t hesitate to accept Hao Chan’s invitation to spar.

  Her pristine features lit up in a beatific grin. He couldn’t help smiling back.

  She quite literally took his breath away.

  “Alright,” she said, “first thing’s first. Let me stretch and perform my opening dance. Are spear, dao, and unarmed alright with you?”

  Alex gave her a curious smile, but nodded gamely. “Sure,” he said. “Whatever works for you.”

  She positively beamed before darting off for the carriage, returning shortly thereafter wearing the lightest of silk blouses, silk slippers, and a dress with a hem so high it would have raised brows even back on Earth, with an additional slit up the side that Hao Chan casually explained was necessary for full mobility. She payed no mind to her cousin’s anxious swallow, spending a few focused moments tying a colorful array of ribbons through her hair before smiling in satisfaction, declaring herself ready at last.

  Then she put on the most fascinating display of grace and coordination Alex had seen in quite some time, though he hesitated to call it a martial art.

  First she performed with a short, blunt training spear, then with what Alex was certain was an under-weighted dao, so flimsy it visibly wobbled.

  But one thing was certain, Alex thought, seeing her weave and dance around the clearing, her weapons flashing about in impressive moulinets as she leaped, spun, and struck at blinding speed; she was fast, coordinated, and in the right circumstances, deadly, as she alternated spear thrusts or saber slashes with graceful kicks, including spinning hook kicks, crane kicks, and reverse roundhouse heel strikes performed one after another in a deadly dance that would have shattered ankles, knees, and skulls as she shifted height and angle with almost supernatural grace, flowing from one deadly series of strikes to another that never stopped as she showed off her deadly repertoire.

  Then Alex got a too clear sense of just how long and graceful her deadly legs were when skull-cracking axe kicks were combined with cartwheels before showing off with high heel scissor kicks that left absolutely nothing to the imagination when a leaping strike transformed to the most graceful of tumbles before she sprung to her hands and performed a series of rather exotic spinning kicks that would have shattered the knees of any man hypnotized by the sight, then bouncing to her feet once more, bowing before Alex and her cousins and receiving enthusiastic claps.

  Alex took deep breaths, his heart racing as he gazed at the rapidly panting girl, covered in a thin sheen of sweat and beaming proudly at him. Alex noted that he wasn’t the only one affected. Li’s face was beet red, panting rapidly as he deliberately turned away and peered off into the distance, as if almost hoping some spirit beast would head their way and provide him with a desperately needed distraction.

  A grinning Hao Chan shone like the sun as she flounced over to Alex, as graceful on the balls of her feet as any ballerina. “So, what did you think?” she breathlessly asked.

  Alex swallowed, only then noting Hao Zei gazing at them from the carriage window, his expression of rapt intensity replaced by the ugliest of looks as he glared Alex’s way.

  Alex schooled his features to absolute neutrality, most definitel
y not paying attention to the way Hao Chan’s sweat-covered silks positively caressed her frame, her rapid breathing as she regained her reserves most certainly not drawing his gaze.

  “It was the most graceful, moving dance I ever saw,” he confided quite honestly. “And I have no doubt that to do what you just did requires a tremendous amount of grace, speed, and control. Honestly, I don’t think most ballerinas could do what you did.”

  Hao Chan arched a delicate brow. “A ballerina?”

  “A type of dancer where I’m from. Your heel kicks had you executing spinning pirouettes that would have done any performer proud, back home.” And Alex was impressed. Had some of those kicks landed, they would have shattered bone, so much force did he sense her generating with her powerfully built thighs and gluteal muscles. The way her rear clenched as she spun about, whipping her legs around to devastating effect, had absolutely taken his breath away.

  But it had most definitely been a performance. One that had taken considerable grace, power, and training to perform. One that showcased her exquisite physique the way only the most exotic and sensual of performances could. And the look of utter innocence on her features filled Alex with a desperate anger he instantly hid, knowing he dared not show it.

  But his suspicions had only grown, and he feared that the situation was far darker than he had allowed himself to consider.

  Hao Chan, however, saw something in his gaze. She seemed equal parts hurt and angry.

  “You didn’t like my form, did you?”

  Alex solemnly shook his head. “Your kata was beautiful. Honestly, I’ve never seen a martial artist half so graceful, save perhaps my former mentor,” he said, flashes of Liu Li’s triumphant, almost playful, smile whenever she bested him suddenly flashing across his mind’s eye.