The merchant was red in the face, jerking open the carriage door and roaring invectives. Lin, Yin, and Chan all aghast, staring at the merchant and the careening pagoda in shocked unison.
Except, of course, for Alex, desperate fingertips caressing his prize, about to revel in the most daring of gambles before glaring at the linked chain binding hexagonal box to the table itself.
For all that he had claimed this box once before, now it was securely fastened. He couldn’t pull it directly inside his ring. Not without pulling in the entire carriage, which would be impossible since he had never claimed it by right or cleverness, and he certainly didn’t have the strength to actually lift it.
And even if he could perform such a feat of madness and survive the trip, he somehow doubted that his companions would survive the trip within the ring, except, perhaps, for the kitsune girl who alone had one of her ears cocked Alex’s way.
As if she somehow knew what a clever rascal he could be, for all that she played the naive girl so well.
Artificer skill check made!
Eyes widening as he realized what should have been obvious to him from the start!
How many foes had he claimed? Spirit beasts with a touch, and the cores they contained. As if in that instant the spirit beast was itself an extension of him, no matter how massive, with the natural right of all hunters to claim their kills.
He never had to claim the corpses whole.
He could have claimed the beast cores lodged within with a single act of will.
His eyes widened as he gazed at his bare hand, touching the immovable box.
It was a barrier between him and the bags of coins, beast cores, and scrolls he had already pilfered once before.
Having staked a claim of skulduggery, if nothing else.
Even the metal box his fingers touched, with its deadly lock, he had already successfully conquered once before.
It was the box he had claimed just as thoroughly as every armored gauntlet or glove he had ever donned. And never had he touched and taken his kills without at least a glove between himself and his prize.
He flashed a madcap smile, heart racing as fast as his mind, his carriage companions oh so slowly turning away from the window, a blustering Hao Zei last of all.
Alex realized in that delicious moment that the definition of gloves was completely arbitrary. Merely a barrier between him and his prizes that he had unthinkingly surpassed dozens of times before.
A barrier he surpassed once more, fingers subtly lifting the hexagonal box a hairsbreadth above the table, lifting what he now mentally declared his own gauntlet above the table, before immediately putting it down once more, the chain not even rattling.
Only Hao Yin’s ears twitched, favoring Alex with the strangest expression, before crying out when her uncle’s fist smashed her ear.
“Cover your shame, woman. Don’t you dare cause a scene here!” Her uncle roared at the quailing girl, Hao Zei’s veneer of geniality stripped away to reveal his cold ugliness for all to see.
“Father!” Hao Chan gasped.
Her father glared. “All I’ve done for the git, and she risks throwing it all away before they can accept her! You know as well as I that once she formally enters Dragon Academy grounds, she will be their responsibility, however… unexpected her nature might be.”
His daughter swallowed. “Father, even I’ve heard the rumors! Even in the one city where kitsune are most welcomed, this school, more than any other, despises her kind! They hate the Fox deity here! If she were to enter by deception...”
“Nonsense,” her father smirked, now gazing indulgently at the whimpering kitsune who had tied her ears back before donning her hat once more. “No matter historic exigencies and spurious accusations made once upon a time, kitsune of noble birth are treated with the same courtesy as the great lady who whelped them all. Whatever her name was.”
“Lady Jin Yu,” Alex said coldly, glaring at the man. “Daughter of Qing Bai, great granddaughter of Zhen Yi.”
“Patron gods of Yidushi!” Hao Yin whispered.
Alex nodded. “Your blood is divine and noble, no matter what disparaging fools say.”
Hao Zei snorted. “A fox defended by a Ruidian. Well, good luck finding that here, girl. If your kind is frowned upon here, Ruidians are absolutely despised! No Ruidian has ever dared enter academy grounds!”
“Because no Ruidian can cultivate. Not because they are forbidden,” his daughter carefully noted.
Her father gave an angry shake of his head as their carriage finally pulled to a spot in a wide clearing just before the front gates leading to the magnificent academy grounds and all the secrets it held.
“It hardly matters, daughter. Your cousin will slink her way in via noble’s privilege, the Ruidian boy who is good with a spear, if nothing else, will earn his pay and take his leave, and you, my dear, will display a performance fit to astound and awe any number of men!”
Hao Chan swallowed at that, suddenly looking nervous. “You mean I’m putting on a performance in front of an audience? Of just men?”
Her father chuckled, cold eyes crinkling in a semblance of warmth. “Of course, my child! Eventually. But fear not. The chief one you must impress today isn’t a man at all, but a powerful woman adored by almost all the nobles in the city. It is she that you will be performing for, and you won’t even have to enter the academy grounds at all!” He flashed a conspiratorial wink. “It just so happens that I pulled some strings, my child. She was so impressed when I told her of your skills, your wonderful potential, that she agreed to a performance just outside the academy gate!
“You’ll also be observed by whatever cultivator handles supplicant admissions who will take care of your cousin’s entrance, and any peasant supplicants currently begging to be admitted for the trials in the upcoming days.”
He pulled out a silk-lined bag containing four rolled-up scrolls, whose blood red and black ribbons sent shivers through Alex’s soul.
Not for the three he recognized, as his heart pounded with darkest vindication, but for the one he didn’t.
His spine tingled with fear. He was struck with that sudden awful suspicion that he knew exactly who that one was for.
And the cold glint in the merchant’s eyes as he smiled Alex’s way left no doubt.
“Scrolls for each of you,” he said, slipping them into his pouch once more. “Once my daughter is found suitable by her future master, you will each be handed a scroll to present to those who will command your fate.”
He flashed Alex a toothy smile. “I have thought long and hard on this, boy, and for all that you are a Ruidian, the fact remains that you fought honorably and well. Even cultivators need porters and guards to assist and protect them on wild hunts for herbs or spirit beasts. None of their vaunted number expected to waste precious cultivation time keeping watch through long night hours in the wilderness. And since you already seem to have a knack for killing spirit beasts, much like the cunning bestial knack that allows my nephew to care for half-wild mounts so well, I do believe this college will be the first step on a path to a rewarding future for both of you! As rewarding as any secondborn or Ruidian could hope for, in any case. And more than worth the pay any single man can expect for an easy stint as a guard!”
He chuckled softly, his eyes all but daring Alex to disagree.
Yet Alex just smiled and nodded, all too happy to play along.
For now.
Hao Chan frowned. “But wait. I don’t understand. Aren’t I performing for whoever’s in charge of student admissions to show that I’m worthy of joining the trials?”
Her father chuckled softly. “No need for that, daughter. For I, your wonderful father, have pulled strings only a man as skilled as myself could finesse. And if all goes well? You will be accepted immediately under the loving tutelage of a mistress who will delight in personally initiating you along a path few ever master, but countless thousands hunger for, every day of their lives.”
Hao Chan blinked. “But wait… really? I… wow.” She flashed her father a surprised, grateful grin. “That sounds fantastic, actually!” She let loose a nervous chuckle. “As excited as I was, I know how tough struggling under indifferent masters can be.” She swallowed guiltily. “I saw all the students struggling to learn the basics of the craft Master Pitiao went to such great lengths to personally instruct me in. How they could have benefited from just a few hours under his personal tutelage.”
Her father nodded indulgently. “Precisely, my child. Why should you be forced to endure so much bitter? For the path your future mistress will indoctrinate you in can be very sweet indeed.”
Hao Chan frowned at that. “A sweet path? I’ve never heard of that. Fiercest satisfaction at overcoming insurmountable odds, oh gods yes. But… pleasurable?”
“And why not pleasurable? Do you not deserve happiness, my daughter?” Smile firmly in place, he stepped out of the carriage, giving Hao Chan’s hand a reassuring squeeze, and did not hesitate to jerk her out with an indulgent chuckle.
Which chilled Alex to see. Though her legs were far more powerful, he knew all too well just how strong Hao Chan’s grip was, having worked so hard to achieve a grappler’s strength, successfully flipping him any number of times during their endless sparring sessions.
There was no way he should have been able to tug her along like a father coaxing a spoiled young girl.
Hao Chan’s surprised expression was replaced by awe and wonder as she gazed upon what lay beyond the gate they approached and the spacious field beyond, grand pagodas and magnificent buildings of sculpted marble that quite took her breath away. Alex’s as well, stepping off just after Hao Chan’s cousins, all of them awed by the sight before them.
Alex turned his head under the weight of countless measuring stares, only then noting the makeshift field of tents in yet another adjoining field just outside the gate, cleverly hidden by willow trees. And just one look into the cold hungry eyes of numerous young men wearing robes or changshan shirts, loose slacks, and either leather shoes or sandals, and Alex knew they were supplicants, all of them awaiting the trials just days away.
Alex frowned. For all that it looked like their needs were being tended to by Dragon Academy staff, the smell of boiled porridge and rice thick in the air, it looked like they were being supplied with nothing but the barest essentials, and certainly weren’t allowed past the gates.
No doubt that was a privilege reserved only for Academy employees and those supplicants who had earned the right to call themselves students.
Not hesitating for a moment, the merchant strode toward the grand gate ahead, cordially bowing his head before a clean-shaven man wearing a changshan cut more like a robe than the jackets worn in other parts of the city, bringing to mind Alex’s preconceptions of ‘cultivator’s robes’ that he had once enjoyed reading about, a lifetime ago. He noticed the slit along the sides and the dark leggings worn underneath, which would obviously allow for kicking, as Alex would expect, though he couldn’t help thinking the shorter jacket, like the changshan he himself was wearing, would be a slightly more practical choice.
But who was he to argue with what must have been a thousand years of tradition?
Interestingly enough, the cultivator seemed to recognize the merchant, giving an infinitesimal bow of his head.
Hao Zei flashed an oily smile. “Dear Zhao Doushi. How very good it is to see you once more!”
The cultivator frowned. “You are late, Hao Zei. The school does not favor merchants who fail to fulfill their orders in the allotted time.”
The merchant gave a deprecating chuckle, bowing to his waist. “This lowly one deeply regrets any offense he might have given, but certain matters were completely beyond my control.”
The cultivator gazed coolly at the simpering merchant. “Really. And what is the nature of your excuse?”
“Spirit beasts!” Hao Zei said in an animated whisper. “We were attacked between Yidushi and Erdushi not once, but thrice! It is a miracle we survived at all, and I lost not one but both my wagons, the last attack within just a day’s ride of the city!”
Zhao Doushi’s gaze hardened. “Close to the city, you say? That is hardly likely, merchant. That route in particular is patrolled regularly, and cultivators are eager to claim the bounties offered by city lords who will let nothing hinder the lifeblood of trade, particularly with the farming communities within two days distance. Very few armed caravans need worry about fatal trouble until at least a hundred miles beyond Yidushi’s borders. Not unless you were carrying so many artifacts or spirit-infused treasures that wild beasts could scent it from miles away.” The man paused, peering carefully at the man. “Or you have taken a darker path than you let on, merchant.”
Hao Zei chuckled nervously. “Did I say a day? I meant several. But we did suffer three attacks by greater spirit beasts and swarms of lessers, and that I will swear to!”
The man snorted. “The school hardly cares either way. You have a debt to clear with us, merchant.”
Hao Chan paled. “Father? What’s wrong?”
The cultivator frowned, tilting his head. “I sense potency from this one. This is good. I take it she will be attending the trials once you have cleared your debt with us?”
The merchant flashed another oily smile. “It is her cousins and a Ruidian boy who proved surprisingly useful that will be clearing all misunderstandings between us today. As for my daughter? Today, she dances for another.”
The cultivator’s eyes widened with something close to outrage, clenching his teeth when he caught sight of an exquisitely beautiful woman and what appeared to be her hulking bodyguard approaching even now.
Alex shivered as he caught the hypnotic violet gaze of the voluptuous woman striding forward with a sensual strut, luxurious tresses cascading down a smooth, creamy shoulder, her qipao hugging her curves in a way that tantalized and teased beyond anything Alex had ever seen before.
Ruby red rips curved in a bemused smile that showed off perfect white teeth.
A smile just for him, as if she could sense Alex’s thoughts, his racing heart, and would dare him to do far more than just look.
Her features were flawless. She smelled of opium and hashish; decadence, decay, and desire, and never had Alex felt so overwhelmed with a young man’s hungers as he did at that moment.
“You would dare this, in front of the academy?” the cultivator hissed.
Sultry laughter met the man’s glare. “You are looking well, Zhao Doushi,” said the woman, a teasing twinkle in her jewel-like eyes. “We miss you, of course, but understand the trials of a young Silver tied to a master who so loves the bitter.” Her smile hardened. “And you know better than to question the edicts of our beloved magistrate. The proper location for all duels and martial performances not privately held is within Academy grounds… or just beyond the gates, as needs must dictate.”
She didn’t bother to respond any further to the flushing cultivator’s critical gaze, instead tilting her head, peering thoughtfully at a flustered Hao Chan. “And since her father negotiated on behalf of her flexibility and grace as much as he did her youth and beauty, a demonstration of her prowess seems well in order.”
She flashed a brilliant smile, gaze suddenly filled with a mother’s warmth. “Well, child? Perform for me! I’d dearly love to see what you’re capable of.”
A flustered Hao Chan turned to gaze once more at her father, gaining an approving nod, and proceeded to do just that.
Despite having seen it a dozen times before, despite knowing what was to come, Alex couldn’t help but be captivated anew by her exquisite dance. The way she immediately leaped and spun about, moving with a ballerina’s grace as she twirled and spun like a top before springing forward and lashing out with graceful, sweeping kicks that would have shattered bone, showing off her powerful legs to breathtaking effect. The way her outfit caressed her form in ways evocative and profound. Yet the innocent intensity of her gaze r
aised her above simple carnal desire, somehow maintaining her innocence, her purity, even as she lashed out with sweeping high kicks, butterfly strikes, and crane kicks, both legs spinning through the air in techniques that looked far more acrobatic than practical, but generated unquestionable killing force.
Alex could sense the increasing buildup of Water Qi laced with Metal the flavor of steel racing through her meridian channels, for all that she was still a basic cultivator, even as his eyes got their fill of the most sensual pair of legs he had ever seen.
And near the end of her performance, lost to the rapture of art and motion, totally immersed in her dance, she spun about like a ballerina top, such that only her legs were whipping out in alternating tandem, never slowing down, never quite adopting the almost sensual strut that should have signified the end of her performance.
It was then that she suddenly changed tempo and form.
Gone was the strikingly hypnotic fusion of capoeira, kickboxing, and gymnastics, replaced by the fierce practical fusion of Silver Swan techniques and Golden Realm knee and shin strikes, still twirling, still keeping true to the flow and rhythm of a dance, even as she tumbled and sprung, somehow miming hip tosses, side drops, and back throws, interspersed with sweeping kicks and arms that weaved and flowed not as soft, gentle reeds, but as if they were a pair of steel rods that flowed like water, parrying and redirecting the force and fury of a dozen blows.
She showed off the skills of an adept synergizing the best of both her and Alex’s systems, for all that it was her dance, and her dance alone.
When she ended her routine, chest heaving with exhilaration and sheerest joy, brilliant red lips pursing into a glorious smile, her eyes locked upon his and his alone.
Alex couldn’t help clapping his heart out, her cousins eyeing Alex oddly for just a moment before cheerfully doing the same.
Yet the merchant, mistress, and gatekeeper were all dead silent.
Alex clenched his jaw in the sudden tension, the way Hao Chan’s enthusiastic hopeful gaze faded to worried disappointment. “Father, is something wrong?”
Silver Fox & The Western Hero: Warrior Reforged: A LitRPG/Wuxia Novel - Book 2 Page 35