Yingpei gazed Alex’s way. A single gentle squeeze of a graceful kitsune hand held in his own, and the rest of the dining hall’s animated chatter faded to quiet murmurs. “I suspect our instructors think someone managed to excel far higher than a single plateau of Silver up the Golden stairs.”
Alex smirked. “I think you might be right.”
“Lightning was flashing long after the storm had stopped… and only a handful of clans can actually channel lightning,” Zhu Bi whispered.
Yingpei nodded. “And all of them have ties either to the present imperial clan in power…”
“Or the one that came before,” declared a hushed Zhu Bi.
Yingpei’s gaze hardened. “If members of a long-thought annihilated clan were to resurface…”
“I’m guessing that the powers-that-be would either want to destroy them utterly, or marry them into a loyal House as soon as possible,” said Alex. “Considering the stance they’re taking at present with a certain princess, one can only hope they’re more interested in marrying into unexpected powers, not just purging them outright.”
“I doubt whoever was casting lightning is stupid, though,” said Zhu Bi. “If he cloaked his potential, or had found or secured a weaker talisman than the one he earned in the trial, do they really think he’d so easily surrender that cloak of discretion for access to all of the library’s resources and luxurious quarters alone?”
Yingpei shrugged. “Not if he fears treachery or harm to his person. But if it really was just a matter of curiosity, testing for themselves whether Aspirants had access to anything that a Destined wouldn’t… he might be tired of slumming it with his lessers. If so, this gives them a perfect face-saving out. He or she can disappear from our party and never have to look our way again, as if this was all part of their plan from the beginning. Honored for slipping through the cracks, weeks before the others arrive.”
Alex frowned. “I keep hearing this ‘Destined’ term being thrown about. What exactly does it mean?”
Yingpei smirked. “It means that, while there is no scholars or noble’s path for us lesser mortals, save the Path of Perseverance, for those coming from families that actually rule a city, province, or an outright nation, there is another way.”
Zhu Bi nodded. “It has to do with inheriting gold family talismans. It’s a way for children and grandchildren to be assured the most prestigious of educations, protected by a gold talisman holder’s privilege, even if the descendants have nowhere near the power of their ancestors.” She smirked. “Of course, any clan possessing such a talisman is eligible, but almost everyone with a Gold tier cultivator in their family belongs to a clan with at least one family member ruling a city as its administrator, or a province as a crown prince or princess. I know this because my family has catered to several administerial clans possessing either deepest silver or, in one case, gold talismans.”
Alex blinked. “Deepest silver?”
The kitsune leaned forward conspiratorially. “In recent decades, it’s become permissible for the offspring of clans possessing silver talismans with at least two golden sigils to also enter the academy as Destined, along with a suitable family donation, of course. They can also expect to enjoy superb education and opportunities, if not quite so grand as those possessing actual Gold talismans.”
Alex grinned. “So basically, our instructors are flustered because a gold talisman-holding Destined might have snuck in with everyone else, and they don’t want to look bad or be seen as mistreating a member of royalty.”
“Exactly!” Yingpei beamed. “And it’s not to say that those that inherit talismans don’t ever walk the Path of Perseverance. I think we all know there are additional… benefits to daring it. Benefits you won’t find anywhere else.”
All of them smiled at this, even Alex having felt his meridians strengthen under the fearsome pounding that had felt like the spiritual energy of an entire world rippling through him when he had dared ascend the full length of those steps.
“But that being said, no one shoots lightning who doesn’t have imperial blood somewhere along their family lines, and for a lesser mortal to be seen as abusing them in any way, shape, or form…”
Alex nodded. “Would be a death sentence. Or, for a cultivator, maybe just a massive loss of face. Or just a huge throbbing headache they’d rather avoid.”
Zhu Bi brightened visibly. “Which means we get a free day at the library!” She chuckled softly. “Too bad we aren’t really princes and princesses in disguise. We could sneak to the top floor and rent study rooms so glorious, they’re like palaces, with servants just a bellpull away, willing to get us whatever tome or tool we desire, able to feast and cultivate and live like kings!”
“Until our credits run out,” her lover smirked. “It costs a hundred credits a day and a gold talisman to rent the most luxurious of rooms, if rumor holds. Not that I would mind room service.” He flashed a wicked smile, causing the kitsune by his side to blush. “I hear those cultivation chambers have down-stuffed bedding, and the hidden library has tantric cultivation tomes forbidden for a hundred years…”
His words were broken off by a passionate kiss hidden in shadow, just long enough to make him gasp.
“Behave, lover, or you and I won’t be going to the library at all,” Zhu Bi warned with a teasing smile, her eyes filled with lust and adoration potent enough to leave the young merchant more than a bit breathless.
“You’re right,” he whispered, and Alex couldn’t help grinning, not certain which Yingpei was agreeing to, or whether the merchant knew himself.
And between one blink of an eye and the next, his two friends were gone.
Alex chuckled softly to himself, not bothering to use his gifts to pierce Shadow’s veil.
Hopefully, his friends would refresh themselves before they left for the library, but with their silver talismans, he supposed it mattered less for them than others, seeing as the Spirit Wolves tended to avoid Silvers. And for all Alex knew, that was at the school’s behest as well. Forging the Bronze in fire, while swaddling Silver in privileged enlightenment and treating Gold like the royalty they were, seemed to be how this school functioned.
Still, Alex couldn’t help grinning at the unexpected turn of events. It wasn’t often that things worked so unexpectedly in his favor, especially when he had been fearing that chasing that breakthrough might have spelled disaster. It was clear that any number of important personages, and not just his potential enemies, had been alarmed by the lightning flashing down from the sky. It seemed that royalty, as well as reviled Ruidians, might dare lightning, and a true cynic might think that the powers-that-be were acting out of self-preservation, being very careful that no one who mattered would be ground down by whatever plans they might have for the newest batch of Aspirants. That thought alone sent chills down Alex’s spine, but he’d be a fool not to take advantage of the opportunity suddenly before him, and he intended to do just that.
35
“Alex Hammer?” The exquisitely beautiful librarian guardian regarded him for long moments, glancing down at something in her hands, then back at him. “You are Alex Hammer, correct?”
Alex nodded, despite the sudden cold twist in his gut. After all, there wasn’t much he could say to refute it, with Master Bang Jiao gazing at him so intently after leading the entire class into the library. Their mentor even now chatting amicably with the other guardians before the great bronze door securing the inner sanctum that was the library proper.
Alex could sense Zhu Bi’s sudden sharp, anxiety. “Alex, what’s wrong?”
He gave a minute shake of his head before smiling at the guardian studying him so intently, all too well aware of the mail armor she wore under her silken uniform, to say nothing the enchanted dao at her hip, radiating the very essence of sharpness.
“Yes, I am,” he confirmed, doing his best to ignore the stares of half his class, practically sensing Qiang’s dark glee along with his friend’s worry.
Al
ex smirked to himself despite his growing anxiety. It seemed like the masters truly were taking no chances. Qiang’s sentence to servitude was commuted as if it had never been, with a single admonition that he and Alex were never to duel again, and the matter was settled between them.
“Please follow me,” the lithe young woman said, opening a smaller bronze door to her left that radiated potent spiritual energies and waving him through.
“I hope she cuts your fucking head off, Ruidian,” Qiang whispered, full of venom, oath to leave off challenging Alex notwithstanding.
Alex flashed the obnoxious youth a mocking grin. “You sure there aren’t some dishes calling your name, Qiang? I’d hate for our day at the library to interfere with your true calling.”
The way the young nobleman’s eyes widened, face blotching with fury, just made Alex smile all the wider. Then the furious young cultivator was gone, with Bang Jiao’s firm hand on his shoulder, directed along with the rest of the class through the central doorway into the library proper.
“Alex Hammer, please come this way.”
Alex winced at the steel beneath the words but hesitated no longer, obediently darting through the door. And while his neck tingled with apprehension, no killing blade came whistling through the air. A practical side of him took advantage of the narrow corridor, quickly walking at a fast pace, so that only a thrust would take him from behind, and if that were the case… but nothing.
He did his best to rein in panicked racing thoughts, covering them with a veneer of calmness and a quick stride as a handful of seconds passed and nothing happened, save for the Silver-ranked sentinel radiating such deadly calm being right behind him. A single curt gesture signaled him to keep a smart pace and turn right, and there waited another door, this one of well-polished hardwood that opened at his slightest touch, and Alex found himself entering a small room with a smiling guardian sitting on the other side of an intricately filigreed table. The walls displayed several ink paintings on bamboo canvases and, most striking of all, a watercolor masterwork showcasing majestic snowcapped mountains shimmering with the reflected light of a pristine winter sun, wisps of snow evaporating like fog as they were whipped into clouds by the wind, with a pristine blue sky so vast it left him breathless.
So captivating was that mountain taking up the center of the painting that he barely noticed the brave cultivator, fighting off flying serpents, relegated to the rightmost corner of the portrait. The entirety was so expertly painted that Alex almost thought it a window to another realm entirely.
He shivered and tore his eyes away from the captivating picture, surprised and a bit chilled by how it had almost seemed to draw him in, having momentarily forgotten where he was and the peril he faced.
He immediately flowed into a deep bow.
“This lowly student apologizes for his distraction,” he said.
Surprisingly, the young woman just smiled and shook her head. “It’s quite alright. In fact, it’s to be expected.”
Alex blinked, confused. But the beautiful young woman with high cheekbones and silky, dark hair fastened with silver pins into a bun just gave a polite smile, gesturing with one gloved hand to the chair opposite her own.
Heart racing and still sensing the girl behind him, he debated for a split second on summoning his Golden door, knowing it would take a perilous seconds to manifest. But once it did…
He dispelled his jolt of fear and did as he was asked, sensing no hostility from the girl before him, just an oddly intent curiosity.
“Welcome. Alex Hammer, is it?”
Alex nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
She grinned at his formality. “Lady Cai is fine.” Steepling her fingers, she peered thoughtfully at him. “It appears you’ve managed to make quite an impression on one of the elders. A feat I find more than a bit surprising, particularly for a Ruidian.”
Alex risked a smile. “I can only hope the impression wasn’t a bad one, Lady Cai.”
She slowly shook her head. “Alex, you wouldn’t happen to be from a distinguished lineage, would you? Perhaps an… unexpected offshoot from a family of significance? I do hope you don’t find it too impertinent a question, but any information you might be able to give us would help in facilitating an ideal training regimen that would, in turn, help to maximize your strengths and secure your foundation.”
Alex blinked, surprised by the question. But before he could frame his reply, the guardian behind him spoke.
“She’s asking if you’re a royal bastard. Specifically, a cultivating Ruidian with royal blood in his veins.”
Alex winced, recalling the odd mix of exquisite politeness and striking bluntness that seemed to be the norm in this realm. “To the best of my knowledge, no,” he said. Which was the absolute truth. His mother had used to joke that she expected better table-manners from a family with the blood of rulers flowing through their veins, but so far as he knew, that was just her simple rejoinder to Alex’s dad always calling her his queen.
Alex closed his eyes and swallowed, for a heartbeat struck by such bittersweet poignancy that he had to choke back a sob, heart aching for the loss of the family he had loved so dearly. The flashing smiles of his twin sisters’ faces, his father beaming with pride when Alex made the baseball team, the smell of his mother’s freshly baked chocolate chip cookies.
He wiped the hot sting from his eyes and forced himself to meet kohl-lined eyes filled with strange, unexpected sympathy.
“My condolences.”
Alex forced a bitter grin. “So far as I know, I’m the only member of my family still among the living. And though my clan had achieved a certain degree of wealth and prestige as merchants, no noble blood runs through our veins. But if there were any buried family secrets… I doubt I’ll ever know what they were.”
The girl before him nodded. “I believe you.”
Alex smiled, oddly relieved to hear that, though he hadn’t said it to convince her, merely feeling oddly obligated to tell the truth. And though his Dual Path gave him unique flexibility in the definition of truth for a cultivator, he felt that candor was his best option here.
“I’m glad to hear that. Does that mean the girl burning holes into my neck won’t be needing to cleave my head off?”
This earned a surprised huff from behind him and strangely melodic laughter from the girl now smiling openly at him. “Had you in fact declared royal blood, we would have treated you as an honored guest, while assuring your proper place in the scheme of things,” she carefully explained. “We have no intention of striking royalty. Nor any hardworking student who means no harm to our school, Crown Princess Cui Zhe, any member of the royal family of CuiJing Principality, or the Emperor himself.” Gentle eyes promising swift death smiled into his own. “Can you swear to this, Ruidian cultivator?”
Alex nodded. “I am beyond grateful to have earned the right to attend this wonderful Academy, I revere the Imperial clan able to keep this vast, wonderful realm stable and at peace, and I would protect the princess with my life,” he said, heart resonating with the fierceness of his resolve, regardless of the fact that he had carefully measured his words.
It was more than enough to earn Lady Cai’s playful chuckle. “Then I think you are exactly the type of student we welcome within this library, Alex Hammer,” she said, masking the sound of a certain guardian’s razor-sharp dao being resheathed as the woman behind Alex quietly took up her position once more. She had moved without a whisper, Alex’s Qi Perception alone making him keenly aware of just how close he had come to death.
It was only then that the deadly cultivator seated before him placed a jade green tile upon the table between them. “Do you know what this is, Alex?”
Alex slowly shook his head. “I’m afraid not.”
“It’s a jade credit slip. Elder Ru left it for you.”
Alex blinked, mind flashing back to the humble favor he had asked the elder, almost surprised to find that the man had actually followed through, and so quickly. A pa
rt of him was just hoping the healing herbs would get to where they belonged and perhaps the additional wealth might have secured him at least a few credits that no competitor could force or steal from him. But the temerity of even thinking for a second that he could coax a deep Silver to playing gofer boy for him… he shuddered, only now truly appreciating just how outrageous a request it had been.
“I had thought, maybe…” Alex shook his head. “I guess I’m just surprised.”
“Not as much as we are,” huffed the woman behind him.
Lady Cai simply gestured to the jade slip. “Do you know how to access it?”
Alex smiled. “Not a clue.”
“Summon forth your talisman, Alex, and place it against the slip.”
Alex blinked, frowned, then carefully summoned his talisman while keeping a careful eye on the guardian he faced.
She was good, Alex gave her that. Didn’t flinch or lose the gentle smile on her features.
But the sharp hiss from behind him made it clear that his talisman was anything but standard.
Hesitating no longer, he touched it against the Jade Green Talisman.
7500 Credits are available to you. Do you wish to claim these credits?
Alex blinked, heart racing with something that just might be wonder as he gave the tiniest of nods and felt his talisman vibrate ever so slightly in his hand.
Transfer successful. You now have Phoenix Academy Library Access. Full access granted. 7500 Credits available. These credits are Soul Linked and may not be challenged.
“Well? Did his bizarre talisman actually claim the credits?” the girl behind Alex snorted. “Is it even a real talisman or a Ruidian prank?”
Lady Cai furrowed her brow, gently placing the jade slip against her brow, gazing back at Alex with something close to surprise. “Normally a talisman shouldn’t…” she slowly shook her head, gazing up at her colleague. “The slip is completely drained.”
Hard eyes gazed into Alex’s own. “Did you know?”
Silver Fox & The Western Hero: Warrior’s Path Page 49