Despite this awareness, it was all he could do to lower his foot without slamming his heel into the writhing man’s skull.
Fists clenched, he forced himself to say the words. “I accept my foe’s surrender and the reward for victory.”
It was all he could do to step out of the ring without roaring challenge to any and all the wide-eyed cultivators present, having become so used to fighting against all odds in the most vicious of conflicts without surcease, such that only by laughing in the faces of his foes as he pounded one challenger after another to bloody paste could he hope to intimidate them enough to get them to finally back off.
But this was a place of exile. The farthest thing from Dragon Academy. And here, at least, not everyone hated him on sight. Unless he acted the bloodthirsty monster he had had to become in another place and time.
So he kept his mouth clamped shut.
It was one thing when fate kept dealing you bitter hands. Quite another to bring folly upon yourself. Then there really was no one to blame but the fool looking back at you in the mirror.
All the same, a dark part of him hungered for blood he would feel no shame in spilling.
His hot gaze froze Xiao Shen where he hunched over a moaning Fan Fan. “Show me where the entrance to these rifts are.”
The gatekeeper blinked. “Alex, it’s late, and Fan Fan needs to see the healer right away.”
Alex turned to the cultivators still favoring him with the strangest looks. “Then have someone bring him to the healer. We just gave a dozen of your colleagues a free show. It’s the least they can do. Then let’s get going. Because you’ve all but said the caverns here are swarming with darkbeasts, and I’d love to see if they fight any better than the fool still spitting out his teeth.”
More than one monk paled and glared at Alex, but none challenged his words.
Maybe it was his clenched fists, or the look in his eyes.
Alex didn’t really care.
More than likely he’d regret his words on the morrow.
He didn’t care about that either.
He had been pushed and goaded and forced to fight for his life against unfair odds since his very first days in this world. The dark coals of discontent in his belly that all the serene cultivation in the world couldn’t dampen had finally kindled with hot flame.
And every time he was forced to fight yet another cultivator eager to kill him, his fury only grew.
It had been all he could do to step out of that ring without crushing Fan Fan’s skull.
“Alex… there are things we need to attend to here first.”
Alex glared at Xiao Shen, before flashing a cold smile.
“You’re right. There are.”
He turned to the quintet of adventurers gazing at him with cynical smiles or looks of awe, narrowing first on the friendlier monk who nodded once more with a disarming smile.
“You fight damn well for a Ruidian, Alex. If I didn’t know better, I’d mark you a body cultivator, no question.” The man actually had the gall to wink.
Alex said nothing, merely held up a lesser beast core. “What cost for you and your companion to swear a cultivator’s oath never to attempt to rob, ambush, assault, or murder me, waking, delving, or asleep? What cost to know you’ll never come for the prizes I hold?”
The man shrugged and smiled, mask of geniality finally ripping free. “You came right out with it. Good, Alex. I like that. You might not believe it, but in another place or time, we could have been friends. But for that prize you dared to show off to the world?” He gave a slow nod. “That could see me and my kung fu brother all the way to Silver in record time, with all the cultivation pills, tinctures, and tutelage we would need, or a palatial manor for my entire clan, with a dozen fine shops in the heart of Baidushi generating us a steady income for life.”
He cracked his neck, pointing to the ring. “It’s better this way, don’t you think? An honest duel? No negative karma. No ambushing a bunch of foolish kids who got in our way.”
Alex flashed a cold smile, exhilarating in the iron tang of death in the air. “I agree completely. Same rules as Fan Fan fought by, including all the dirty tricks of the ring?”
“Of course,” the man said. “My name’s Chon Lin, by the way. The winner has rights to all the loser’s worldly possessions. Agreed?”
Alex nodded. “I agree to the terms, so long as you’re carrying your own treasures and beast cores gathered from the deep, and not your friends.”
Chon Lin chuckled softly, turning to the second cultivator, who was glaring at Alex with a killing aura as he tossed his companion a shimmering bag Alex just knew was a storage treasure. “Should you actually manage to take me out, you know you’re fighting my brother Chon Fan next, right?”
Alex flashed a toothy grin. “So long as I am permitted an hour’s rest, I would be more than happy to kill him too. Same rules as before of course.”
“Of course! Cultivator’s oath upon it. Right, brother?” said Chon Lin with too cheerful a smile.
Chon Fan gave a surly nod of agreement.
Chon Lin then gestured toward the arena a dozen paces away. “Shall we begin?”
Soul Sight skill check failed. You can’t quite sense Chon Lin’s flow of Qi. So close!
Qi Perception check made. Critical success! Your heightened sense of the flow of Qi all around lets you sense the players on the board like never before!
Alex kissed his ring and nodded, turning toward the training arena.
As death flashed to his right.
“Fool! The fight starts now— Aaagh!”
Alex had braced himself for the blow he had been expecting, but it had been far worse than even he had planned for, his side exploding in sudden agony as a wave of biting Steel Qi tore through his flesh like a spear.
But not before Alex had spat pure 100 proof distilled rice wine in the man’s eyes before blasting out with his fist using internal Qi alone, angled to deliver his Adderstrike so fast he doubted anyone had quite caught it, before his left leg whipped around to slam into the skull of the now hunched over cultivator in too much agony to even shriek with an audible crack. Chon Lin went flying, slamming into the ground head first, hands clawing up as his legs spasmed against the ground, already frothing at the mouth.
“Chon Lin!” shrieked a sudden panicked, furious Chon Fan, charging at Alex. “You cheated! You goddamned monster. You cheated!”
Before Alex could say a word, the man, still armored, with saber unsheathed, was charging with a killing intent.
Alex had no time to analyze the best mode of attacking or the ideal strategy of dissuasion.
He had half a second to live, and acted purely on instinct.
Bullrush and Adderstrike used in tandem! Temporary Invulnerability gained!
When it came to a foe charging with blade held high, sometimes the smartest thing to do was to charge into them, forcing an imperfect, sloppy attack you just might be able to halt if you could control the hilt, as opposed to a devastating slice that would cut you in twain.
In the blink of an eye, Alex was before his target, striking not his foe’s body, but rather the leading hand holding the saber glowing with Flame Qi.
Chon Fan’s hand was pulverized, his sword sent arcing through the air, spinning lazy pirouettes before landing somewhere far beyond the monastery.
Chon Fan stumbled to the ground, screaming as he held his mangled limb, multiple fingers broken, one ripped off entirely.
Alex clenched his jaw so hard his tooth cracked, using the pain to jolt him out of his killing fury.
“Let’s clear some things up, asswipe! Your brother’s the one who tried to stab me in the back, thinking I was stupid enough to walk into the ring like a clueless idiot when the match was on! Rice wine spat in his eye is nothing compared to what I could have done, and well within my rights! Lest you forget, your brother was attempting to stab me from behind with his Metal Qi Knife Hand strike, and he succeeded!” He flashed a bitter smil
e. “Then, after agreeing to the terms of the match, you dared to charge right into me, in violation of our agreement, with weapons in hand. You do realize your entire cultivation base is in my hands now, right?”
He glared and spat, flecks of blood and broken teeth littering the ground.
Chon Fan paled and lurched away.
“Do you have any idea how easy it would be for me to kill both you fools right now?” Alex gave a bitter shake of his head. “Two more lives lost. Just because I wanted to use a fucking library! How fucking stupid can you assholes get?”
“I yield. I yield!” For all that he was in agony, his right hand a shattered mess, Chon Fan’s eyes were filled with terror for his spasming brother. “Our goods are yours. I declare my brother fallen as well before you! Please… master. Please. Don’t let him die.” He shook his head, horror at how quickly his fortunes had changed when he and his sibling had been savoring life just minutes ago, so clearly written on his face. All that was left was terror for his dying brother.
“I accept,” Alex said, turning to a shocked-looking Xiao Shen. “I think I ruptured a number of Chon Lin’s organs. You’ve only got a few minutes to save him.”
He furrowed his brow, humbled by just how deadly Adderstrike was, especially with Bronze ranked strength. “I wasn’t expecting him to hurt me that bad with a strike I couldn’t easily counter, so I didn’t pull the blow.” He winced, gazing at the blood spurting from his side he only now took time to note, realizing he was starting to feel just the tiniest bit dizzy.
You have defeated two Bronze ranked cultivators! Their lives and endless potential yours to claim! Experience earned!
You have embraced Power Healing! You have deferred using beast cores! You find feasting upon your foe’s succulent potential effortless. Almost as if you were made for this!
His flesh sealed itself up in just a handful of seconds.
He wasted no time, staring down the three pale-faced Ruidians. Of course, they were always pale, so that was to be expected. “Do any of you wish to challenge me for rights to my possessions?”
And before even one could say a word, An Li’s voice rang through the courtyard.
“Please don’t, sister and brothers! He can strike you down in the blink of an eye, before flame wards even singe his skin! And if he judges you unworthy of mercy, his touch is death! The greater beast core in his possession is not something he came upon by chance. It was a righteous hunt! He tore it free from a massive spirit wolf that soared as high as the treetops! An awful ghost made of darkest spirit and shadow. And yet somehow, somehow… he killed it. And it was not five spirit wolves we fought but a full dozen! And Alex… Alex killed them all.” She swallowed. “By himself.”
She flushed and lowered her head when Alex gave her a look.
“Please forgive me, Master. I couldn’t… they’re innocent. They don’t know your power. Please don’t kill them. They are my kin!”
And the terror she suddenly felt for him froze him solid.
“It’s alright,” he said, his hot blood cooling at last. He even flashed a genuine smile. “You’re just letting your peeps know who not to mess with, and painting me up as a shiny badass. Heck, I should be thanking you.”
But no one said a word in response. Not even An Li. He realized he had slipped into English once again, those words now feeling strange upon his tongue.
He smiled bitterly at the awed looks sent his way by all of the monks, the three Ruidian adventurers actually going so far as to kowtow before him.
Now everyone knew he could flash across the battlefield and strike in an eyeblink, and heal a gushing wound—which was more about pressing together flaps of sliced-open flesh and effectively gluing it together with a small secretion of new cells than having to regenerate massive amounts of new tissue out of nothing—within seconds. The blood loss, of course, would take longer, but with the massive boost he got to his already insane rate of regeneration, thanks to Power Healing, he was well enough to assist Xiao Shen in carrying Chon Lin to the infirmary in the time it took the dozen stunned monks just to shout at each other about what the hell had just happened.
Had a lone Ruidian actually defeated three Bronze ranked cultivators back to back?
Alex’s ears burned, but he firmly tuned out the gossip as he and Xiao Shen, who it seemed was far more than just the temple gatekeeper, raced down a massive arched hall carved right into the bedrock for the infirmary.
If there was a single bright side, it was that at least he now knew it was as easy to power heal with experience earned than actually tapping in to his beast cores. A definite consolation, but he would have loved learning it in circumstances that weren’t quite so revealing.
“Alex, I have to ask. How did you...”
“Shut up. I’m not answering any questions. Let’s get this idiot to the infirmary, and then you can show me the quickest route to the dungeon, and, of course, the library.”
The gatekeeper’s eyes widened, gazing intently at Alex over the writhing, groaning body in their arms. “Alex, you just survived three death matches, much as it pains me to admit it.”
Alex nodded. “I know. I was there. And both those fools’ storage pouches are now mine. Already I sense I’m up a dozen beast cores shimmering with an unusual concentration of Dark Qi. And I believe we are at your healers,” he said as they stopped before what was obviously an infirmary, carefully placing the dying cultivator on a soft feather-stuffed mattress identical to half a dozen nearby, the only other patient being a sleeping man whose bloody arms were covered in bandages.
“Xiao Shen, what happened? And put on a pair of gloves. I boiled them just yesterday, and you know protocol!” declared a powerful looking older man dressed in a plain undyed cultivator’s robe, immediately rushing to the wounded man’s side.
Soul Sight skill check failed!
The spirit doctor, Alex had gleaned enough from the man’s aura to decipher that much, possessed pristine meridians free of waste or damage. Beyond that, he was an enigma, his defenses at least as strong as any Silver Alex had encountered back at the temple. He alone was free of damage, and the healing Water Qi he soon flooded into the spasming Chon Lin, handsome features now contorted into a twisted rictus, made his profession and the reason for his well-being abundantly clear.
“He’s suffering from a toxin sprayed in his eyes, a cracked skull, and ruptured internal organs,” Xiao Shen said, donning a pair of thin cotton gloves, and handing Alex a pair as well.
“The only toxin in his eyes is rice wine,” Alex murmured.
The healer’s eyes widened. He immediately increased the flow of Qi flooding into the shuddering cultivator, whispering a few ritual phrases which piqued Alex’s curiosity, wondering if it was necessary for his healing.
“Chon Lin was enticed by a prize sufficient to tempt any man without fully comprehending the risks involved,” Xiao Shen said, pointedly glancing Alex’s way.
For long, tense moments, they did nothing but watch the healer work. At first, Chon Lin didn’t respond well at all, spasming and shaking as the pair of men did their best to brace the dying cultivator.
For the briefest of moments, Alex almost thought he recognized the misty damp smell his soul knew so well, the River of Souls just a tiny hitched breath away from manifesting. Alex felt both exhilarated and terrified, for nothing signified his incredible resiliency or how fragile and perilous this final life was than the gently lapping waters of that river that could so easily carry him away.
Then the sensation of just being one deadly step from plunging right into the river he just knew was behind him, including the dreadful feeling of shifting sands sinking beneath his feet, slowly faded, the room crisp and dry and smelling faintly of limestone as Chon Lin’s ragged breathing stabilized. His spasms faded away, and the healer gave a shuddering breath of relief, looking pale and wan and utterly spent.
He turned, flashing Xiao Shen a relieved smile. “That was a close call, my friend.” His gaze har
dened. “And that better be worth four stones in your book at the very least.”
Xiao Shen nodded. “Good. Because I have two more men in dire need of your treatment, though thankfully not so dire as this poor fool’s fate.”
The healer gazed at the gatekeeper in open-mouthed shock, earning a humorless smile in return. “I’ll have them both brought here shortly. They might be writhing and screaming a bit, but they’re stable. You can take your time healing them without overly depleting yourself.”
“There better be a bonus in this...” warned the suddenly grim-looking healer.
Xiao chuckled. “And I’ll pay you all the bonuses you’re owed, just as soon as we finish tying up loose ends over here. Ends surprisingly resilient, which will hopefully make our own bonuses all the sweeter.”
The healer chuckled, giving a rueful shake of his head. “And the fool has no idea. But considering what we’re forced to deal with here, the promise of salvation is worth a little taint to our cultivation bases. So finish cleaning up your damned mess, and earn us that pardon we should have had years ago.”
With that, Alex and the cultivator he now thought far more than just a simple gatekeeper took their leave.
Alex frowned thoughtfully at the man before him. “What mess is this you’re supposed to finish cleaning up?”
Xiao Shen smiled. “You, friend Alex.”
Alex’s eyebrows raised at that. “Me?”
The gatekeeper nodded. “You did cripple one of my guests and seriously injure two others, after all. Not that I’m blaming you, either, lad. You did nothing but fight for the privileges every cultivator has a right to pursue, and defend your honor after the fact. But that doesn’t change the fact that we are now down three cultivators, and the three Ruidians in that group are a cautious sort. I highly doubt they will dare the depths alone.”
Xiao Shen shrugged. “But that’s not your dilemma, is it, Alex? A promise was made, and it should be kept. Come. Let’s head to the library and finish this.”
Silver Fox & The Western Hero: Warrior's Oath: A LitRPG/Wuxia Novel - Book 4 Page 26