Silver Fox & The Western Hero: Warrior’s Path

by Johnson, M. H.

  He hesitated no longer, allowing his mind to flood with the sense of the cells which he was at that moment coaxing into hyper-fast healing. He was able to repair the cut in seconds, but purposefully slowed it down so his friends could hopefully get a sense of what he was doing.

  Rank 6 Spiritual Teacher successfully synergizes with Party Link!

  Your party members fail to save versus stunning blow!

  Alex sighed after his demonstration. Far from seeming to grasp his actions, his friends just gazed at him with awed disbelief. A trembling Zhu Bi kowtowed before him, her soft, downy fox ears pressed low to her scalp, snow-white tail trembling with what Alex feared was either awe or terror.

  “Grandfather! Please forgive this unworthy descendant for the shame she has brought to her family!” She glared at the stunned-looking Yingpei “The boy before you has claimed my heart, and I swear to you, I will claim his. We will be wed before the year is out, or I will kill myself for shame; I…”

  Quickness check made!

  Before she could say another word, Alex’s hand muffled her declarations, then he immediately stepped back. “That’s really not necessary, Zhu Bi. The worst thing you can do is pressure someone into a relationship. It’s like plucking the wings from a butterfly; it will lose all its beauty and joy, and never fly free again.” He took a deep breath. “Look, I… I wasn’t really expecting that any more than you were.”

  He forced a chuckle. “I think my interface was having a laugh at my expense. Let’s just let it go at that and get back to the lesson, alright?”

  Perhaps there were advantages to his pair of friends gazing at him in speechless awe, Alex thought, soon waxing long and animated about the virtues of Eternal Fox and exactly what cells, mitochondria, and telomeres were. Even so, his friends’ pallor only grew when he explained that far from being useless waste, even the Dark Qi associated with entropy and decay could be harnessed for their benefit, and that so-called “waste Qi” was actually just the catalyst for the flow of energy from one state to another and was inextricably tied to the element of Time. He’d had to pause then, assuring his flummoxed friends that time itself was indeed one of the twelve elements of Qi, a placeholder left for that very flow within each of his Bronze cords. Cords that now resonated with so much potency as to allow him to ascend past even the Jade steps along the Path of Perseverance, that mystical trail ascending right up to the very Hall of the Gods, countless thousands of steps and a handful of worlds away.

  Alex blinked then, scrutinizing his wide-eyed, still terrified friends, as he realized that just thinking those truths aloud had allowed their meaning to imprint upon the pair’s minds just as thoroughly as all his lessons into the nature of Eternal Fox had that evening.

  “But best if we never say that last bit aloud, alright? No one above is going to pay much attention to anything I say, but any whispers from you two might well hit the ears of who knows how many wujen, dark sages—or yes, gods not exactly on the best of terms with WiFu or his, well…

  “Chosen disciple and my clan’s most ancient and revered ancestor, risen from the River of Souls and given life by our ultimate sire and most sacred guardian, the god of Chaos and Change, to walk amongst us once more?” declared a breathless Zhu Bi with her brilliant, sparkling thoughts, her lips still pressed tightly closed.

  “I was going to say cultivator who obviously looks a lot like one of the god’s ancient side-kicks, but never mind that.”

  Undeterred, Alex continued to share his insights, both by word, flashes of memory, and patient demonstration, until the first golden rays of sunlight brightened his pagoda with the sound of sparring cultivators and the serenades of countless birds in the trees beyond. Both of his friends were looking up at him with bloodshot eyes and awed expressions, before gazing down at their own pricked fingers. The tiniest trickles of blood they might be, but when they stopped bleeding, cotton cloths gently wiping away crimson stains to reveal absolutely no injury at all, it had been thanks to no act of Qi or will, save the pair’s own.

  Alex couldn’t help smiling at the message now blazing across his mind’s eye.

  Congratulations! You have taught your two newest disciples the foundational principles of Eternal Fox Rejuvenation Technique at Rank 1! Sufficient insights have been imparted to facilitate training to Rank 3 over the next two months via independent study, before further instruction (or access to your Divine Tome) is necessary!

  “Alex! This gift… to feel the sacred lessons of a healer now coursing through my blood!” Yingpei choked up, unable to find the words, before grabbing Alex’s hand in his own. “These are talents my clan’s personal healer regretfully assured me I would never have access to! Only a fraction of those aligned to Water turn out to be natural healers. But now, thanks to you…”

  Alex grinned. “I regret to say that you’ll only be able to heal yourself, but if you continue to train diligently, walk the path, and keep my secrets… you might be surprised at just how far this journey will take you.”

  “I won’t tell a soul about the secrets you have shared with us; I swear it!” enthused an animated Yingpei, with Zhu Bi immediately nodding her head in solemn agreement.

  Alex’s eyes widened in alarm. Far from revealing his confidences, he now had to fear his friend’s taking it too far. “Of course you can share it, with anyone I give you permission to share it with… and that most definitely includes your future children,” he said to their sudden mutual blushes. He shot them an arch smile. “And I reserve the right to retroactively forgive any transgression I expect neither of you to make, so your cultivation bases aren’t threatened thanks to a momentary lapse, or another cultivator’s brutality. But that being said, I expect you to make a good-faith effort to say nothing to anyone without consulting with me first. Agreed?”

  Their intent nodding was all the reassurance he needed. “Good. And just to clear up any possible misunderstandings…” he sighed. “I don’t claim to be any reborn patron of any family. I’m just myself. And if it should happen to be that we are related by blood, Zhu Bi, I hope you’ll consider me a doting cousin and friend, even if many times removed. As for how far I ascended or whatever, well… odd metaphors I might have used…”

  “Of course we understand, friend Alex,” assured a breathless Yingpei. “We’ll keep your secrets to the grave.” Yet his bow held the deference of a young suitor eager for a clan elder’s approval, or at least, that’s what Alex’s interface almost gleefully informed him, as they were all still grouped together.

  The kitsune was little better. “Cousin Alex?”

  “Yes, Zhu Bi?”

  “Do you… um…” She clasped Yingpei’s hand tightly in her own, holding it to her chest, the young merchant not hesitating to wrap her in his arms. “Do you approve of our match?”

  Alex grinned. “That’s a silly question. You make a great couple! If you two actually married, I’ll bet your children would be buying up half of Baidushi before the century was out!”

  Zhu Bi positively squealed with the compliment. “Did you hear that, love? Elder Alex approves of our match! Mother and Father can’t say anything now! Not that they would,” she whispered, the rest of her words cut off by the passionate kiss that the boy who had clearly captured her heart delivered.

  Alex coughed awkwardly. “Cousins. Remember? Anyway, this cousin hopes you both get a good day’s rest to make up for training all night with me, and… well, I guess I’ll see you both at dinner, maybe?”

  He gave a rueful shake of his head when his friends disappeared so fast, he almost thought it a Shadow Qi technique, though he could feel Zhu Bi’s impish giggle in the back of his mind, his cheeks immediately flushing. For all that he had put on an instructor’s front, no one had been more shocked by the messages ringing across his skull than him.

  Zhu Bi, the winsome kitsune whom he had felt a brotherly affection for since the moment he had met her… truly was of his blood.

  Or at least, the blood of a version of h
imself that had come who knew how many centuries before.

  And in this universe of constant reincarnation and rebirth, should he really be so surprised or shocked to come across a long-lost descendant? He had no doubt that it happened all the time.

  But then again, what other soul was reincarnated with the exact same body as he had started with, eternally popping back into existence as a young man with no childhood or parents, save ancient memories echoing inside his skull?

  Which meant, among other things, that any descendants of a previous incarnation he might come across truly were of his blood.

  He groaned and shook his head.

  It helped to think of Zhu Bi as a distant cousin. Genetically, there was probably a lot less between them than even what second cousins shared. But there was definitely something there.

  Of course, he had suspected something between them since the first time they had spoken mind to mind. Something which had never occurred before, save with his patron god, yet it had felt as natural as breathing.

  And kitsune and Terran bio-markers, he could understand. But what had his interface meant by Jordian blood? Wasn’t Jordia a territory somewhere in the Asian continent?

  He shrugged, not really having any idea.

  Abruptly, he found himself on his knees, heart racing, recalling all too well his mother’s horror-filled countenance when all the monitors in the house had been taken over by a black-hat prank that had the entire city in an uproar.

  And then everything had been back to normal within a handful of days, and he hadn’t thought of it for a second longer than that, too preoccupied with the constant battle with pain and weakness that his life had become before the final deep freeze just a few days away, to worry about that oversized hacker and his cronies dressed up like actual diplomats who had taken over the airwaves… and how grateful he was to have been given this incredible wondrous chance at a second life, with arms as muscular and powerful as any Olympian gymnast could dream of, possessing a strength and grace that would have left all his friends back home green with envy. Able to glory in physical prowess that now absolutely transcended Earthbound limits.

  The farthest thing from the boy wheezing with fluid in his lungs every night, death just a single bad turn away.

  So why the hell was he on his knees now, shaking like a child, trembling in a pool of his own tears?

  He took a deep, shuddering breath. As incredible as his metabolic mastery was, sometimes his body still got the better of him. And although he knew one instructor or another would make him pay for it later, he couldn’t deny the siren call of the down-stuffed mattress reaching out to him, suddenly struck by an exhaustion so great that he counted it a miracle to make it to his bed before blackness claimed him utterly and completely once more.

  42

  “You managed to sleep the whole day away and missed the trip to the job hall for those of our rank, Ruidian. Don’t think the instructors are going to take it easy on you after that,” said none other than Dineng as Alex made his way in the dark to the dining hall, knowing the hour was late, but it had been well over a full day since he had eaten.

  He frowned thoughtfully at Dineng, the young man’s gaze an odd mixture of dark amusement and perhaps a tinge of pity, as the pair found themselves in an odd place between fierce competitiveness, contempt, and friendship. And after the boon Alex had granted the youth, Dineng could no longer deny the debt owed or the honor of his erstwhile opponent, all of which was instantly apparent to Alex with a simple twist of the oversized youth’s smile.

  Alex chuckled softly, realizing that before him was the perfect chance to come to a mutually beneficial arrangement that had nothing to do with food. “You’re probably right, Dineng, even though Zha Shi himself told me to retire…”

  “And you didn’t go to the Blue Pagoda, or even ask me to escort you. And I would have, and called us even.” He smirked. “So now, the masters think you’re either arrogant or a stubborn wounded fool, and they will punish you just to force you to accept the extent of your own injuries and get treated before it’s too late and the scars are imprinted so deeply in your sense of self that it becomes a part of your Qi Flow and is then almost impossible to remove.”

  Qi Perception check made!

  Alex furrowed his brow. “Somehow, that sounds like the result of injuries left to fester for months or years, not days.”

  Dineng nodded. “But our masters don’t have months to waste waiting for you to serve as a proper lesson in the cost of foolish pride. Not when they could instill the same lesson by pushing you unmercifully on the morrow to educate the class, and perhaps save your own foolish behind, while making you eat the bitter all the while.” His grin widened. “Three worthy goals at the cost of nothing less than pushing you past your breaking point.”

  Alex chuckled softly. “And maybe there would be a point to it, if I really was as stiff as a board and choking down the pain, too proud to accept my own weakness and beg for aid.”

  Dineng furrowed his brow. “You certainly hide it damn well, I’ll give you that much, Ruidian. And damn if you don't look like you've grown a size or two in the last couple of weeks. The food here definitely agrees with you, whether or not you're having us on with your supposed breakthrough."

  Alex laughed at that. “So let's test those claims and see just how much muscle a couple of academy meals have put on both our frames. What better time to test my mettle than now, am I right?"

  Dineng chuckled softly, though his eyes lit up with a certain fire. “Careful, Alex. I almost think I like you. But goading me right now, when you did take everything…” He licked his lips before giving a firm shake of his head, chuckling softly. “No. It isn’t quite that simple, is it? I did play a bit of the fool, and had anyone other than Bibi actually said it…” he smirked. “Besides, I know you’re a tricky one, Ruidian, hiding strength in weakness. You’re a wildcard that I’d be a fool to bet against. And it’s not like I actually believe in the gods or anything, but even I can see WiFu’s mischief in your smile.”

  He folded his massive arms. “I think I’ll pass, Alex. But once I master all the body enhancement techniques within Granite Mountain? I’ll gladly challenge you, every morning and night.”

  Alex responded with a smile equally feral. “That’s the spirit, Dineng. Fight for your dreams, and let nothing hold you back!”

  Dineng’s own mad grin widened, and the way he began to chuckle and crack his neck, Alex had no doubt they were about to goad themselves into a fiercely savage contest they would both revel in.

  But that wasn’t the point.

  “What’s say two credits a match, Ruidian? We could pound each other all night long, and neither feel the fool.”

  Alex fought to quench the sudden savage heat bubbling in his veins. “How about a full five credits an hour, guaranteed?”

  Dineng’s gleeful fervor immediately cooled, his gaze suddenly that of a sharp trader, Alex was happy to see. “Why the hell would you pay me five credits when you could compete for two, knowing I’d push you as hard as I can?”

  “Because my goal isn’t to perfect skills which I’m already competent with, but to better understand entirely new ones I’m only just now grasping.”

  Dineng frowned, considering him. “You know I’ll do my best to learn whatever I sense you doing, right?”

  Alex nodded. “Of course! Though I hope you’ll keep it to yourself.” He grinned. “And the girl I think you’re falling for.”

  Dineng’s cheeks reddened. “Where do you get off…” he chuckled, slowly shaking his head. “I’m surprised you haven’t already invited Jing Le into your pagoda, now that you’re no longer trying to hide that you actually claimed it. I know she’s given you calf-eyes at least a couple of times…”

  Alex shrugged. “What can I say? Life’s complicated.” He took a deep breath, savoring the scents of jasmine, cherry blossoms, and a dozen different wildflowers perfuming the nighttime breeze. “Except when it’s simple. And toni
ght, you have the chance to make five credits an hour for helping me grasp the sense of a technique I’m still trying to understand, with plenty of opportunity to cover me with bruises and judge for yourself the worth. What could be simpler or better than that?”

  Dineng gave a curious tilt of his head. “Really? You want me to beat you black and blue?”

  “More like throw punches infused with as much Earth Qi as you possibly can.” Alex raised a cautionary finger. “Fists filled with Earth Qi… and if you can project it, all the better. But the punches should be slow. At least at first.”

  The young cultivator frowned. “Is this a shielding technique?”

  Alex shrugged. “Something like that. What do you say?”

  Dineng wasted no time in grinning his agreement. “You’re on.”

  And in very short order, Alex and Dineng were facing each other near the training dummies, with no one else nearby save for Bibi, the girl Dineng had risked his neck saving, who was now glaring at Alex while whispering words into her beau’s ear before sitting some paces off with a container filled with steaming herbal tea, which she had insisted Dineng sip before starting.

  And start they did.

  You have failed to counter Stone Fist! Your left forearm is bruised.

  You have failed to counter Shrapnel Strike! Right forearm suffers three lacerations!

  Alex quickly stepped back, signaling for his smirking opponent to stop while doing all he could to ignore his own flushing cheeks. He was certainly feeling the fool as they exchanged strikes and parries, and all he got for his efforts countering those slow punches were bloody forearms as the Earth Qi tore into his flesh, despite the fact that the slow motion punches were easy enough to deflect.

  “You sure you want to keep this up, Alex?” Dineng said, flipping the five-credit coin Alex has given him before they had started their practice. “I hate to say it, but seeing you covered in blood isn’t nearly as satisfying as I thought it would be.”