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

by M. H. Johnson

  “I told you I had expenses, old man! Gong Lan knew. He’s had your entire trip to make up for the shortfall, and I told him he better manage things better, or I’d whip him myself!”

  Hao Zei’s face blotched with fury. “Expenses don’t include cultivation pills, you damned fool! I already bribed those damned monks for noble’s privilege on your behalf, so you get the best foods and cultivation spots the outer sect allows! It cost me gold to assure you’re not wasting time doing muck-work suitable only for lesser men, giving you all the time in the world to harness your Qi, train in battle arts, and ascend to Bronze! But that never included splurging on damned cultivation pills!” he roared.

  His son snorted, unimpressed by his father’s wrath. “The contest for inner circle status is now just days away! If I hadn’t taken that cultivation pill last month, I would have never broken through to my current rank! And my master said I have potential to go further. Much further! And I’d be a fool not to give myself every chance. I can’t tell you how many lesser fools I’ve broken, adjusting to my greater strength these last few weeks.”

  He flexed his powerful arms with pride. “Several fools are still recuperating under the care of spirit doctors even now. You can be thankful, Father. I have strong blood. Very few men even ascend this far, and this is the beginning. Just the beginning! With time I will make it to Bronze, and then Silver!”

  He smirked at the carriage entrance, Alex quickly pulling his head back. “Did you get your prize? And where the hell are the other wagons?”

  “Where the hell do you think they are, fool? Lost! All but my most valuable trades were lost! Even so, with the gold I expect to make trading in these blossoms, I had hoped to at least make a profit, but that hope is lost, thanks to your damned purchase!”

  Alex could just imagine the young cultivator’s smirk as he waved his father’s chastisement away. “So you lost most of your cargo, but you still have your damned magical box you won’t let me have the key to, so you obviously swindled enough idiots that you’ll at least break even. Never mind all that. Did you actually get them?”

  There was a certain hunger in the young man’s voice with those last words.

  “All is as it should be,” the merchant said. “All is as it should be. Now leave. I have a final pair of trades to make and I expect to see you training with Sun Sun when I get back, until blood is coming out of your pores! You cost me a cultivation pill, boy, and even if you’re still just a basic cultivator, I expect you to be worth the investment! You’d best achieve inner circle status and access to all the library’s secrets, or I will be most displeased.”

  Dark laughter. “You’re damned right I will, Father. No matter how many of those fools I have to crush. Come on, Sun Sun. You know you’re not going anywhere near Dragon Academy, and you’ve had to deal with Father for two damned months. You can’t tell me you don’t have some steam to blow off!”

  And it wasn’t until Hao Hai and Sun Sun had left the compound that Hao Zei rapped on the carriage door. “Come, daughter, is all ready? Your future cultivation master is waiting, and we want to put our best foot forward!” He then stepped back, until he was at an angle to look over the lip of the giant carriage. “Ah, you’re able to listen after all, Ruidian! Splendid. Should you continue to follow orders as I direct, you might just see yourself with a pouch of silver! And if my darling daughter actually does as well as you hope, you might just see yourself with two! Now hop right down. You as well, Hao Yin.”

  And Alex obediently did just that, face carefully blank as the merchant flashed his best oily smile. “We’ve had our differences lad, it’s true. But we’ve arrived here safely, and what more can I ask from a guard than that? Come, best foot forward for both of us, and let’s see this through to the end.”

  Alex flashed a cool smile. “Lets.”

  The merchant frowned at Hao Yin’s state. “Don’t you have anything nicer to wear, child?” He tsked, shaking his head. “No help for it, you can use the last of the bath water, once my daughter is finished. Hop to it, we have no time to waste!”

  And within moments Hao Chan and Hao Yin had traded places, and Alex couldn’t help but feel the blood rush to his cheeks when he caught sight of a fully refreshed Hao Chan in her dance uniform once more, seeming to hug her curves even tighter than before, thanks to the added muscle she had gained during their intense training sessions together. Her waist was slightly thicker, but Alex knew that if he were to dare place his hands on her soft tanned skin, he would feel powerful muscle just underneath, now perfectly proportioned to legs that had grown even more powerful in the month she had trained under him, easily those of an Olympic gymnast, if any had ever approached her height. The power she could generate with her waist, hips, and thighs was nothing short of devastating. Together with her hair done up in an elegant bun that showed off her sleek neck, her figure was nothing short of striking.

  Her father frowned. “I don’t recall your shoulders being quite that broad, but at least your chest filled out with all that boar’s meat you devoured. Fortunately, the added meat in your thighs and hips works well with your toned waist.” He gave a considering nod. “I think it will ultimately be to our benefit. Clearly a diet of nothing but spirit beast flesh and Qi-enhanced apples agrees with you!”

  Hao Chan’s cheeks burned, but she merely bowed. “I will do my best to make you proud, Father,” she said.

  “Good. Now head over to the carriage the men are preparing while I collect your cousins.”

  Alex carefully kept his gaze on the elegant-looking carriage they were approaching, careful not to let his gaze linger upon that which had been far more comfortably hidden with loose training outfits and the cotton wrap Hao Yin had always assisted her in securing.

  On the one hand, he had always known, instinctively shifting and softening blows even when they had sparred at full strength, each pushing each other to the limit that final week, and Hao Chan’s style of deadly spinning strikes had synergized quite well with his style of knees, elbows, and shin kicks, such that she was always moving, always pivoting, even in the smallest of arenas. Straight line punches which would do little against his friend’s weaving kicking style, now that she had learned to compensate for its original limitations, and with the tosses Alex had taught her almost before anything else, they could be all too easily caught and used to send him tumbling to the ground.

  Save for a single deadly exception Alex would never use against his friend.

  All of which meant his friend’s feminine features had never been a serious target, though he trained with her diligently enough she had no obvious flaws in her defenses, his punches to her chest being the easiest caught and turned aside, jerking him off-balance and setting him up for a toss of one sort or another.

  But there could be no doubt. Odd as it seemed to Alex, her body had continued to blossom in ways far beyond martial every time she ascended another rank as a basic cultivator, or as Alex still liked to think of it in the back of his mind, leveled up. And having ascended multiple ranks in that one seemingly endless month… the changes were now plain for the entire world to see.

  Which meant that which was painfully obvious now had hardly been an issue in their sparring. But now?

  Now Alex found himself swallowing, feeling suddenly awkward in his friend’s presence, even more so when she caught his gaze with a questioning look of her own.

  “Alex, what’s wrong?” she asked, and he was forced to note how beautiful she looked, her voluptuous figure straining against her dance uniform, lush lips dyed with crushed rose petals, eyes expertly lined with kohl.

  Alex shook his head, painting a smile in place. “Nothing! You look fantastic, that’s all. Let’s just hope you totally amaze them at the temple!”

  She grinned, having heard what Alex knew she needed to. “Thank you, Alex.” She frowned down at her skimpy uniform. “I know this is nothing like what you and I trained in, and honestly, it never felt odd before. What I’m wearing is a varian
t of what I performed in for the last four years! But after a month training with you, knowing firsthand how uniforms get grabbed, yanked, and just abused during a good sparring match, there’s no way in hell I’d actually want to duel in this thing.”

  She chuckled softly. “And yes, now I’m willing to call what I did previously a performance. I love the style I learned, how fast, fluid, and powerful my kicks were. But I never truly learned how to actually use it effectively in combat. Not until I met you.” She sighed. “I know Father and Master Pitiao assure me this is the attire I’m expected to wear today, but I’ve kept one of the uniforms you gave me, for when they actually ask me to spar. Because clearly Father, at least, has no idea what really goes on at the temple, and there’s no way in hell I’m going to risk them tearing off my dress, if I face a grappler!”

  Alex frowned as they took their places on the comfortable leather seating in what was still a luxurious, if different carriage, even if it was nowhere near the size of the reinforced structure they had ridden on for a solid month, and the city mounts Hao Lin was befriending even now were far more normal-sized horses. Of course, Alex knew Hao Chan’s assertion that her father didn’t truly understand what life at the academy entailed couldn’t possibly be correct. He had a son who was attending there even now, and was sophisticated enough to arrange a structured regimen for his son’s training and bemoan the poorly-timed use of a cultivation pill.

  How could he not know that his daughter would be expected to fight in attire far more durable than a skimpy performance dress? And for that matter, why hadn’t he introduced Chan to her own brother?

  Alex shook his head, already knowing the answer. For all that he had given the man every opportunity to change his path, his choice was all too clear.

  He caught Hao Chan’s increasingly anxious gaze, knowing what she needed most of all now was support and distraction. No matter what happened, a strong performance could only help her. The last thing she needed was to be completely thrown off her game with a confession that would tear apart her world.

  So he spoke of the first thing that came to mind, the question that had been niggling at him for weeks. “I can’t help but notice how different the sleek-looking beauties attached to this carriage are from the oxen-sized beasts that got us to Yidushi. Do you think those monstrous horses that got us here are related to spirit beasts?”

  Alex was almost surprised by the casual way she nodded. “Of course! They can interbreed, after all, and the ones that are most docile and radiate the least amount of, well, wild Qi, become fantastic work horses, though no one would ever dare to ride one.” She frowned thoughtfully. “It is strange, though. Why would they be perfectly willing to haul tons of trade goods between cities but fly into a killing rage if any person dares to mount one?”

  “It has to do with their sense of self,” explained Hao Lin, the young man just then entering the carriage and scooting to the far most window of the leather seat across from the wooden table separating them. “Deals can be forged between mixed ancestry horses and man, but you must always respect their fierce sense of pride. Any man who dares to ride one is saying he would break their spirits and claim their souls. Of course they would seek to trample him.”

  Hao Zei snorted, pushing Hao Yin before him as he entered the carriage last of all, slamming the door shut behind him. “Pure superstition, boy. The mounts are just bred for their task is all, and no man would ride them because they are massive lumbering beasts and there are far more comfortable options to ride! No, boy, it’s merchant caravans and plows that those beasts were bred for, unlike the elegant mares carrying our carriage even now.”

  His bulbous bloated features were rank with weeks’ worth of sweat from the road. It was all Alex could do not to crinkle his nose. Obviously the man hadn’t thought it important enough to scrub himself down, for all that he was wearing the most elegant set of robes Alex had seen since meeting him. And Alex couldn’t help but wonder why they hadn’t all just stopped at the merchant’s home so his family could at least properly clean themselves and get a bite to eat beyond the spirit beast fare they had been living on for the past four weeks. He would think the man would at least want to get a good night’s sleep, or have his daughter meet his family before carting her and her cousins off to the cultivation academy.

  Unless, of course, things were exactly as bad as Alex feared.

  The man flashed another oily smile as he thunked down his hexagonal metal box, securing it with a thick, short chain to the table itself, giving a satisfied smile. “There. Perfectly secure. Not that I don’t trust the monks, but only a fool leaves security to chance,” he declared.

  Alex flashed a cold smile. “I agree completely, sir.”

  The merchant blinked and frowned. “Why are you still carrying your backpack? I thought I instructed you all to leave your supplies behind. The children won’t need it, and neither will you.”

  Alex forced a nervous chuckle. “I’m sure you’ve already figured it out by now, but my bag’s something of a treasure. It can store several cubic feet worth of food or items without any risk of spoiling. It’s something of a family heirloom, and it’s how I was able to feed us those long days we didn’t stop for anything but a quick meal before bed. And as much as I’m sure you trust your men… you have to understand, it’s my most prized possession. Without it, I have nothing.”

  Alex chuckled softly, rapping the hexagonal iron box with his knuckle. “We both have prizes we’re loath to part with, and dare I say it, your steel chain is far more secure than my fragile shoulder.”

  The trader gazed intently at Alex for long moments before nodding in approval, flashing Alex a shark-like grin. “Very cautious of you, boy. Very cautious! And I most heartily approve. Those things are worth a pretty penny. I’m sure losing such a treasure would absolutely devastate you!”

  The merchant gave a satisfied grin, leaning back, hands behind his head, smiling as if all was right with the world, for all that his cold little eyes flickered over all of them. “We have had quite a trip, have we not? Soon our fortunes will change in all sorts of delightful ways. I’m absolutely sure of it!”

  Features a mask of calm belying the fierce jolt of excitement he had gotten with the internal message sitting quietly in his mind, Alex gazed out the carriage window as they passed by ever-wealthier districts, catching sight of grand manors, aloof-looking officials and administrators in luxurious robes, and clusters of nobles wearing exquisitely cut silk garments and haughty expressions with jewel-hilted jian or dao at their sashed waists, and ever more palanquins carried by sweating porters than carriages as they began a definite ascent up the hillside leading to Dragon Academy, passing by the wealthiest quarters within all of Yidushi, save for the nobles’ quarter just beyond the administrator’s palace, who, with ten million citizens living under his banner, was a king in all but name, so long as he paid his annual tithe in taxes and men to the Sovereign Prince of Cuijing Principality. Alex, remembering his former mentor’s lessons and Liu Jian’s hard-earned smile so vividly, hoped and prayed that somehow Liu Jian and Liu Li had survived the terrible ordeals that had nearly killed them all.

  Hao Chan picked up the reins of conversation when Alex grew oddly quiet, preparing himself for what was to come. She spoke raptly of the ancient school’s history and reputation, and the hunger so many had to live with in its shadow, knowing quite a bit, it seemed, for a girl who had never set foot in Yidushi before today.

  Alex suddenly blinked, feeling a strange sense of deja vu, having caught sight of a pristinely elegant jade-eyed woman smiling at him so frankly from a palanquin rushing by their carriage window.

  A measuring gaze he had last caught sight of a thousand years ago.

  Ware, little fox. Interesting games are afoot.

  -Lend me a distraction?- Alex dared to think.

  Strange laughter echoed through his mind. He was struck by a sudden flash of himself grinning beside a certain clever inspector and a beautiful kitsune
girl, the trio of them savoring yet another triumph over mysterious foes he couldn’t even begin to fathom as a boy riding in a carriage and about to take the biggest gamble of his life.

  A flash of poignant whimsy, gone like mist under the bright light of the morning sun.

  Just like old times.

  Alex shook away the odd thought, focusing his attention back upon a gushing Hao Chan.

  “We’re almost there, Alex! A place where a peasant from the humblest of origins can attain heights that would be the envy of any noble, fame and wealth all but assured if she’s truly a prodigy. You have to be excited to be here, Alex. I mean, just look at it!”

  Alex whistled, captivated despite himself by the sight of the magnificent pagodas and temples glowing softly in the afternoon light, the air now refreshed by the scents of the sea. The shouts of men and women could be heard in the distance. And as impressive a sight as it was, Alex caught just a glimpse of more magnificent buildings still, though they were clouded in mist, barely visible past a shimmering white wall of pristine stone. An island entirely separate from the mainland, accessible only from the academy, and no doubt where the inner initiates and master cultivators lived and worked.

  Alex shivered, finding himself filled with a giddy sense of excitement, careful to keep his features as bland as possible, hoping the hours he had spent during the long trip preparing for this day would pay off.

  In all sorts of interesting ways.

  27

  Hao Chan and her cousins exchanged excited grins but before anyone could say another word, the carriage abruptly rocked to the side with the alarmed whinnies of horses and angry shouts of men.

  All of them jerked a glance out the right-side window, catching sight of an ancient pagoda careening away to the laughter of an obviously drunk porter, an outraged passenger, and the guttural curses of Hao Zei’s carriage driver.