Zhao Doushi frowned, gazing at Alex carefully. It had been his right-hand punches that Alex had been working on slipping past or blocking and redirecting even as he aimed and struck at the wooden plank his training partner had been holding in his other hand. “You actually broke it. You’ve been struggling with this technique for days. What was the source of your breakthrough?”
Alex grinned. He had suspected from the start that Zhao Doushi must be an ally or disciple of Panheu, filling his master in on Alex’s strengths so he could bet against Alex’s opponents and prosper. And it seemed his suspicions had been absolutely on point, though Alex suspected the only reason why this powerful young cultivator was wasting time with him now was perhaps his version of an apology of sorts. He had used Alex, the pair of them basically gambling with his life. But then again, Zhao Doushi had done his best to aid and advise Alex as best he could, for all that he had been permitted to do very little indeed. But it had been enough. More than enough. Because without Zhao’s insights and influence and Elder Panheu’s sponsorship, Alex would probably be long dead or fled, his friends relegated to bitter fates as well.
“It’s thanks to something Elder Panheu said. He advised me to visualize myself as if I were in the heart of a whirlwind. When I unleash my strikes, I’m allowing the Qi to flow through me, lashing my arm forward with the strength and fury of those winds. I already know hurricane winds can punch hay through wooden door slats, so why not my fist as well?”
Zhao Doushi smirked. “Then I recommend you visualize the wind on both sides, because you left yourself wide open with that last attack.”
Alex grimaced. “You’re right, Master Zhao. I’m just happy to finally feel the Qi flowing through me like it should. I know that it’s only the first step.”
Zhao nodded. “The circular winding parries aren’t just to deflect strikes. There are, admittedly, more efficient ways to do that, which you already know, if muscular power is your only consideration. But if you seek to use Qi as well as muscle to parry your foe’s attacks, then winding parries will serve you quite well. Now strike at me, Alex!”
Internally wincing, Alex didn’t hesitate, for all that he already knew what would happen, his opponent shifting his balance as his arm whipped around Alex before toppling him over, Alex hissing at the painful arm lock that could easily break his limb with a snap within the five second pin rule of any match. Of course he already got the point of Zhao Doushi’s lesson, that the man’s winding parry had been powered by the same whirlwind of Qi that Alex had tapped into when shattering the wooden plank.
“Do you understand?” was all Zhao Doushi asked as a smiling Panheu gazed at the pair of them while taking his ease and sipping a cup of tea.
Alex quickly flowed into a bow. “Yes, Master Zhao.”
“Good. Practice your form. Strive to always feel the flow of Qi around and through you.”
Sensing the dismissal, Alex quickly bowed to both men before making his way to the cultivation yard where he could practice his forms with plenty of space, visualizing sweeping his opponent’s feet or catching their arms with White Crane parries before cracking their jaws with hooking punches powered by the force and fury of the white storm of Qi at the heart of Alex’s core.
“Quite unexpected,” said Zhao Doushi. “I’m surprised he’s not still struggling just to feel the Light Qi flowing through him, like Lady Peng. And that’s not even the remarkable bit.”
Alex could hear his mentor’s quiet chuckle, both men’s voices echoing oddly in the back of his mind, even as he strove to capture the pristine feeling of Qi flowing effortlessly through his limbs as he rehearsed his forms once more.
“Lady Peng is fortunate indeed she’s abstaining from any more cultivation elixirs,” said Master Panheu. “Her clan is made up of fools, forcing her meridians clear when she was so young, necessitating her spending the last two years under Lady Jidihu’s care, just healing the damage sufficient for her to transcend to Bronze. And after all that careful work, her family foolishly pushes her into using Bronze cultivation pills, thinking her repaired foundation meant that they could force the forging of meridian channels years before she will be ready. Had Lady Jidihu not brought the child to my attention immediately, her cultivation would already be lost.
“Thus my concern is not to the degree that she can embrace White Crane in combat, but to the degree those techniques, along with my meridian rejuvenation techniques, will strengthen her foundation so that, one day, she can continue her journey and ascend as a Bronze. Silver, I’m afraid, is out of the question. But then again, only a tiny handful out of every million mortals ever achieves Silver in any case.”
“And a solid foundation in Bronze is a requirement to marrying into the Ruizhi clan,” said Zhao Doushi. “Clearly, her clan is hoping Administrator Ruizhi will accept her as a concubine at the very least.”
“And the man’s made it very clear he hopes to marry a Silver,” said Panheu with a sigh. “Which explains why her family was so adamant about the use of cultivation pills at such a young age, a rash decision no doubt being copied by dozens of noble families with heads eager for connections and clout. Actions that will no doubt ruin scores of what would otherwise be strong young cultivators, while less than scrupulous alchemists make a fortune.”
“Politics are a maze of confusion and destruction as always. The perfect representation of the Dark Qi of chaos and change, and none of that explains how our pet Ruidian is able to do what he does,” noted Zhao Doushi.
Alex stiffened, pulled out of his battle trance, ears perked at the voices he had almost tuned out.
“Really, Zhao. Considering your fascination with our city’s history, you haven’t pieced it to together, yet?”
“Master, you don’t really think...?”
“It doesn’t matter what I think. All that matters is what is. And what Alex is, is an aspirant who’s going to have to leave the nest that my cultivation spot has become, if he is to be seen as anything other than my servant or hanger-on.”
“Elder Panheu, you don’t truly expect him to join the school proper as a student cultivator, do you? He would never be accepted, and the Headmaster would not be lax even if he were! Any student not on the Noble’s Path has an hourly tithe he must pay every semester, or risk expulsion. Alex has already been here for two months, and despite Lai Leng’s oath, he’ll be expected to earn those credit-hours from masters who will give him the sharpest of all assignments for as few hours as they can get away with crediting him! Others are also hungry for your position and place, master, and would be happy to strike at you through him. Wouldn’t it be wiser just to have Alex remain as your talented servant?”
Elder Panheu chuckled softly. “I think that boy will surprise you. And if he does not, then he was never destined to succeed in the first place. He has spent the last two months training diligently under my tutelage, and despite his success today, his rate of growth has waned to a snail’s pace!”
Zhao snorted. “He has achieved in two short months what Lady Peng never will, what half your students never will. He knows how to strike, parry, and throw, and his balance is acceptable. He’s even able to touch the storm of Qi swirling around him, an accomplishment all aspire to, and few actually achieve.”
“As you do,” the elder cultivator noted. “As all my best students do, making use of their Qi flow to strike, counter, and master their opponents. They do not wait for inspiration to strike. Their mastery is such they can sense the flow of Qi at all times and strike at will.”
“Of course, master. But all of those students have already ascended to Bronze, are from renowned families, and most of them have trained under you since first attending Dragon Academy. The Ruidian has yet to ascend, might never ascend, and has been your disciple for a mere two months!”
“That he has, benefiting from my counsel and care, and he is paying the price for that intervention.”
“Master? I’m not sure I understand.”
Rueful laughte
r. “Don’t you? Do you truly not understand? Chaos and change are written across that boy’s soul as clearly as a manuscript’s centermost teachings. Now that he trains in relative tranquility, he calmly cultivates half the day away before growing just a half step in White Crane under my tutelage, making only as much headway as one might expect of a truly gifted Bronze, and no more. He mocks his potential!”
“Elder Panheu...”
“Do you not recall his triumphant struggles within the arena? The phenomenal flashes of awareness you could see in his eyes, feel radiating off his soul, as he flared to life, filled with deadly insights learned in the crucible of mortal peril, blazing through his enemies like a phoenix reborn! That is the genius I would see shine in this school, Zhao Doushi. A light so bright that no one can deny it! But more than anything else, I would keep my word to him. I will give him the opportunity to succeed as a student that he craves, and it is for you to guide him along these first, most crucial steps.”
“Elder Panheu, do you expect me to babysit him?”
Panheu’s voice turned hard and cold. “I expect you to guide him this day just as you would any new student.”
“Yes, master,” said a suddenly apologetic Zhao Doushi. “Please forgive my impertinence. You are, of course, correct. It is my honor to assist any new student, doubly so one that has garnered my beloved master’s favor.”
“Good. And don’t worry about sleeping arrangements. He will be permitted to sleep in the garden shed, as always, in return for weekly weeding. I have every intention of pushing him out of his comfort zone, but I’m not a fool, Zhao. I know of at least three individuals who would love nothing more than to arrange for his death, should he be forced to bunk with his fellow outer disciples. A safe place to rest, if nothing else, I will grant him.”
“A very wise decision, master,” said Zhao. “Of course, this will only serve to make any number of students jealous. That a Ruidian, of all people, has privileged sleeping arrangements when everyone else must claw and fight for every scrap of recognition or comfort.”
Panheu chuckled. “I have no doubt that you are absolutely right! Now why don’t you show Alex to the central cafeteria and the assignment board, while making the school’s expectations abundantly clear?”
Though his thoughts were racing at a whirlwind pace, Alex pretended he was utterly lost in his cultivating when Zhao Doushi quietly knocked on his garden shed door.
“Gather a single notebook and quill, we’re going,” was all he said, Alex quickly picking up the loose hemp sack that hung on one’s shoulder much as might a single strap backpack, then carefully placing inside one of the priceless tomes of leather-bound vellum that Elder Panheu had presented him with just days ago before waving away Alex’s profuse thanks, assuring him it was coming out of the bounty he had won.
Alex hadn’t let his smile falter, though he could only guess how much such prizes sold for in the market below, let alone here at the temple. When he had asked about pencils, the word hadn’t translated, though his mentor had handed him several quills that were clearly a step above the handful of writing utensils he had seen in use before. When Alex had mentioned his concerns about making mistakes while taking notes or transcribing the cultivation manuals he one day hoped to have access to, Panheu’s curt answer had simply been, “Don’t make mistakes, then.”
Alex chuckled softly to himself as he picked up one of his three writing instruments, unable to help but admire the clever sophistication behind the modified quill that allowed it to work almost as efficiently as a ballpoint pen would in his own world, capped with a stiff blob of wax, and only needing to be refilled after taking many pages of notes. He didn’t know if ancient China had a counterpart, but he wouldn’t be at all surprised if it had.
Heart hammering with an odd mix of excitement and dread, Alex solemnly bowed to Elder Panheu who his Alex with the tiniest of nods. “I’m expecting good things of you, supplicant,” was all his master said before waving Alex off as another well-to-do student embracing the Noble’s Path could be seen approaching the gate, sparing only a contemptuous sniff for a rapidly-departing Alex before greeting Elder Panheu with a supplicant’s bow.
Alex’s excitement remained unabated as he and his guide made their way down the scenic path that was home to a dozen or so powerful cultivators and master instructors who got to enjoy breathtaking views of the ocean by the cliff side as they savored perhaps the most potent cultivation spots in all of Yidushi, swirling with such potent Heaven and Earth spiritual energy that Alex almost thought he could see as a shimmering glow of silver and gold.
“Alex, focus,” was all Zhao Doushi said as they entered the more public area of the campus, Alex quickly catching sight of dozens upon dozens of students of both sexes wearing changshan shirts and pants of cotton or silk as often as cultivator’s robes, the girls’ silky dark hair either tied in buns or carefully done up with pins of silver, gold, or priceless jade, the sole concessions to beauty accenting their almost martial attire. The boys were either shaved completely bald, with a single topknot, or upon the heads of a few admittedly handsome young men, their hair was allowed to flow as freely as the lead in a favorite anime. Only then did Alex reflect that he must truly stand out with his head of shaggy blond hair in desperate need of a comb and a trim.
Though Alex reflexively smiled at anyone who caught his eye, just as he would have as a new student back home, all he received in return were glares and the occasional contemptuous sniff.
They soon entered a grand courtyard surrounded by pavilions, making a beeline for the leftmost one laid out with fine, lacquered tables and benches upon which dozens of students and others sat, most quickly devouring a repast of what looked to be curry with bowls of bread, fried tubers, and rice all available. Alex’s mouth couldn’t help watering at the sight of silver plates filled with choice ripe pears, apples, pomegranates, and a dozen other fruits he couldn’t name but looked delightful.
His guide flashed a quick smile. “This is the dining hall. Since intermittent fasting has been shown to have significant benefits that even mortals can make use of, the college supplies just one free meal midday to all students. If you want more sustenance than that, and most do, you’ll be spending some of the credit hours you earn on an evening repast in one of the smaller private cafeterias.”
Alex nodded, suddenly feeling the weight of a dozen cold stares sent his way.
Zhao either seemed oblivious or indifferent to the suddenly chill atmosphere as he all but dragged Alex before a cold-eyed proctor wearing a topknot and a thin black robe, armed with baton and dao, currently taking Alex’s measure.
“Elder Panheu actually expects this Ruidian to sit and eat with civilized people?” sneered the proctor.
“Yes. He does,” Zhao said, pinning the other man’s gaze until he flinched and looked away.
“Fine. But he better not make any trouble. Did you explain the rules?”
Zhao turned to Alex. “No student here is allowed to damage, steal, or claim anything in your satchel, no matter how much they despise you, as destroying your notes or cultivation tomes you are borrowing would hurt both your foundation and the library. And most importantly for you, no one is allowed to challenge, bully, or otherwise harass anyone else while in the dining hall. For all that conflict is an ugly reality that all must come to expect, and some cultivators actually find it to be a powerful stimulant for growth, being intimidated out of sustenance once doomed many poorly connected students in times long past.”
He gazed calmly at the students still glaring at them. “And don’t let their hostility shake your resolve for a moment. Eat your fill, and remain at your seat until you’ve digested your repast. Because once you’re a dozen yards beyond the dining pavilion...”
“You’re fair game,” said the proctor, smiling coldly at Alex.
Though he felt a cold chill with the proctor’s unmistakable threat and warning, Alex did naught but bow and say, “This lowly one thanks you for your wis
e counsel, honored proctor.”
The man snorted. “We’ll see how long you last, Ruidian,” he said, paying no further attention to them as Zhao led them quickly outside.
“Alright, you can come back and eat later. Now we have to stop by your first season introductory classes and the assignment hall.”
“Wait, I’m attending classes, like in high school?”
His guide frowned. “Is that a Ruidian word? And yes, you are attending classes, and don’t expect the masters to be happy with you, either. You are nearly two months into the season, after all.”
Alex’s eyes widened, unable to believe what he was hearing. “Wait. Elder Panheu is only now insisting that I attend these courses. For the past two months, I’ve studied and worked and cultivated exactly as I was instructed to, and no one ever mentioned a thing about any other arrangements before now. So why should I be the one blamed for jumping into the classes midway through the season?”
He paled under Zhao Doushi’s glare.
“Are you suggesting Elder Panheu is at fault?”
Alex swallowed, slowly shaking his head. “No. I’m not blaming him for anything.”
“Is it his fault that it took you two full months to learn the most basic tenets of our arts?”
Alex just shook his head, realizing how outrageous this was, especially considering that poor Peng Dan had already spent months if not longer in training and couldn’t even feel the flow of Light Qi through her meridians yet. So too, he recalled Zhao Doushi himself telling Elder Panheu that he found Alex’s ability to sense the storm of Light Qi after only two short months nothing short of remarkable. But Alex knew he couldn’t say that. Just as he already knew what Zhao expected him to say.
“It’s my fault, and no one else’s.”
Because it wasn’t about right or wrong. It was about power, status, and every unexpected shortcoming needing a scapegoat. And the one truth that was equally valid in both worlds Alex had lived in was that crap always rolled downhill.
Silver Fox & The Western Hero: Warrior Forsworn: A LitRPG/Wuxia Novel - Book 3 Page 5