“Alex? Alex! Are you alright?”

Alex lurched up with a gasp, covered in cold sweat as he gazed into Ya Ling’s concerned features, instantly noting the quilted vest and mail shirt she wore. “Alex?”

He gulped for air, taking deep breaths, doing his best to steady his racing heart. He forced a nod. “Yes, I’m fine. What’s up?”

Ya Ling gave him a strange look. “Alex, you were screaming.”

Alex blinked. “I thought I was meditating.”

This earned a smirk. “Do you normally snore when you meditate?”

“I don’t snore.”

She rolled her kohl-lined eyes. “Of course you don’t. No man does, am I right?”

Alex forced a chuckle. “Exactly.”

She smirked and tousled his hair. “Well, I think you got a good night’s meditation. You up for a little sparring practice before the caravan gets going?”

Alex stretched and yawned, noting the gorgeous fiery red and gold sunrise. Just enough light to see by without risking serious injury. “You know what? I think it’s the perfect time. I know we took out those raiders, so I’m sure we have plenty of spare gear, but do we have any sparring equipment?”

“What, you’re afraid to test me with lives steel?” she said with a grin.

Alex solemnly nodded. “Damn right I am. Don’t get me wrong, it’s actually vital for serious warriors to spar, safely, with edged weapons. Sharpened steel bites and binds completely different from blunt steel or wooden feders. But the most important aspect for that sort of training is control, and you and I have never sparred before.”

Ya Ling smirked. “So what you’re saying is that you’re afraid to take me on.”

Alex rolled his eyes. “Hardly.”

“Prove it,” she said, unsheathing her jian. Her eyes were alight with mischief and something more, and Alex couldn’t deny the surge of adrenaline he felt as well, his own dao now held in a high hanging guard.

She gave an approving nod as she darted in with a quick teasing flick of her blade, her face furrowing in a surprisingly cute pout when Alex expertly tapped her blade off line, before stepping back.

“Now we just have to determine the stakes of our little bout,” she said, as Bronze tier Finesse and Quickness well above fifteen allowed her to twist her blade past his line with serpentine grace.

Rank 10 Golden Realms kung fu modified by 15 Quickness & 15 Finesse versus Rank 4 Mantis modified by 17 Quickness & 20 Finesse.

Your opponent bests you by one point!

You have lost a bone button from your changshan tunic!

“One point for me!” She crowed, catching his button with a smile.

Alex blinked and bowed his head as Ya Ling preened. “Nice one,” he commended. “Of course, you have to remember that life and death struggles are rarely a carefully organized duel where everyone embraces the same tempo you do. In those sorts of situations, it’s best to expect the unexpected.”

Even as he said the words, he was racing forward, Tier 2 Bronze Strength allowing him to use his war blade with the same grace as another might hold a feather-weight fencing saber, flicking the edge of his dao to bind with her own before jerking it off line with enough force that she almost lost her weapon, all her effort now on keeping a tight grip on the hilt as Alex’s free hand claimed her wrist, and even her Bronze tier Finesse couldn’t keep him from effortlessly disarming her. Her attempts to sweep him off his feet and twist around only earned her an unexpected toss onto the sands, Alex wearing too wide a grin, panting only slightly as he loomed over her.

“Live steel catches and hooks in ways that masters of blunt training feders will never understand. And in battle, strength, power, and the ability to crash through your enemy’s lines is far more important than sliding out of the way of a single opponent’s dueling blade. Especially when an entire line of opponents are crashing into your own troops.”

“Because the first rule in love and war is to expect the unexpected, right, Alex?” Ya Ling whispered in a husky voice a heartbeat before he could regain his feet and lift her back to her own.

Instead her hand snaked around his neck, striking him with a blow he didn’t expect and had no good counter for, as soft warm lips pressed fiercely against his own.

Alex froze as a warm tongue caressed his own, soft brown eyes imploring him as the scent of a woman in the pique of health, and desire, flooded his exquisitely acute senses.

His heart began to pound.

And the Dantian of his reborn form felt absolutely no pressure at all.

“I admit it, you bested me, hero,” Ya Ling whispered into his ear after breaking off a kiss that left Alex absolutely breathless. “I think it’s time you claimed your prize, don’t you?”

Alex sighed and closed his eyes, surprised by the hot stinging tear he gifted the desert sands with.

“Alex?”

He winced at the tone in her voice, an odd mixture of regret and concern.

She deserved to know the truth. At least a bit of it, he decided, though he was surprised at how his voice choked up when he finally got the words out.

“I… lost someone. Recently. Or at least… that’s how it feels to me.”

Ya Ling winced, lowering her head. “I’m such a fool."

Alex solemnly lowered his head. “Hardly that. Beautiful, talented, deadly with a blade, a fearsome opponent for any man’s heart, sure. But you’re hardly a fool.” He smirked. “Believe me, I have that role covered just fine.”

Ya Ling pressed her palms to her eyes. She sighed, leaning against him, and Alex wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders.

“It’s nice to see that you don’t think too badly of me, after saving my life. A champion after my own heart… only it’s destined not to be.”

“I’m sorry,” he offered.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Alex sighed, gazing off towards the horizon. “Actually, it’s amazing just how serendipitous us meeting when and where we did truly was. Just like another encounter that happened, well, I’m not sure how long ago.” He gave a sad shake of his head. “Really, there’s not much to tell. I fell in love over a period of weeks that felt like years. But it didn’t change the fact that me and my extended… clan, I guess you could say, we never saw eye to eye. They’ve been doing their best to get rid of me since I can remember. This last time they went too far, and I had to leave for good.”

“And you had to leave her behind,” Ya Ling whispered, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. “I’m sorry.”

“Me too,” he said, swallowing back the bittersweet melancholia coming so close to overwhelming him. He clenched his fist, the one not holding her far more slender hand. “But time is the one element which I have no hope of traversing. It forever compels us forward, and we’re forever forced to obey. Which means that moping here on the desert sands is the height of idiocy. I don’t learn, I don’t grow, I only mourn for a past I can never change.”

Ya Ling gave an approving nod. “True. So what will you do now?”

Alex smirked. “I’ll train. I’ll train my absolute ass off and learn as much as I can and enhance my abilities as best I can. Then, when I’m ready, I’ll ascend to Bronze and blaze through to Silver before taking the next step, and seeing just how flexible my exile really is.”

Her eyes widened. “Alex, you’re talking about a lifetime goal that most people don’t have a hope of achieving like it will take you just a summer! And you’re not Bronze already? I mean, you’re already as graceful and quick as most Bronze cultivators who don’t follow a path like mine, or like the wind, but your body is that of a Strength cultivator who’s already broken through!”

Alex chuckled softly. “Or maybe that’s just my draconic heritage coming through.”

“You’re joking.”

Alex winked, saying nothing.

“Alex, you are joking, right?”

He laughed at that. “Come on, Ya Ling. It looks like everyone is finally starting to wake up.”

Alex was surprised by the warm nods and friendly smiles he received from the caravanners readying their spirit mounts and covered wagons for another day in the desert as the pair of them made their way to Qing Wu’s wagon, Ya Ling somehow having forgotten to let go of his hand.

“Look at him, with a dao at his hip and a girl by his side. Ha, like the hero of a proper tale, for sure,” declared one middle-aged gentleman flashing the pair of them a warm smile and a proper loaf of freshly braked bread that smelled absolutely delightful in the warm desert breeze.

“Thank you, Luo. The Wu’s love your bread!”

“I know,” the man said with a chuckle. “They get the first loaves of every batch! A well-fed wujen is a happy wujen, and a happy wujen makes for an even happier caravan,” the man declared with a gap-toothed grin.

He gave Alex an unexpected bow. “And a separate loaf for you, hero. Something to share with your girl, perhaps,” he said with a teasing smile, somehow disappearing before Alex could even formulate a response as Ya Ling chuckled throatily.

“Come on, ‘hero.’ We’ll break bread with Qing and Reny. They have the olives and cheese to make this a real treat.”

Alex had no problems with that, soon enjoying a light, filling breakfast as the wujen couple shared looks and smiles that Alex just knew was at their expense. But all they did was talk of their many adventures riding the caravans connecting multiple cities together, and of course, their children and grandchildren in the city of Liushi, where they would take a break from the caravan life for at least a time.

“Will you be going back to teaching?” Ya Ling asked politely enough, for all that the comforting air of the caravan suddenly grew strained.

Alex realized there was a story there, from the way the couple exchanged glances. But their only response was, “We’ll see, child. Certainly the academy will be happy to take you both on,” Reny allowed.

“What academy is this?” Alex asked, earning a snort from Qing Wu.

“Silver Sands Academy. The oldest academy in Liushi. And whatever differences of opinion my wife and I have with the headmaster, the library is, without a doubt, the best you’ll find anywhere.”

Alex blinked at this, staring at the man for long moments, before coming to an abrupt conclusion. “Cool, sweet, thanks for letting me know. What’s the second best academy in Liushi? Or better yet, any academy where students are treated as family more than tools, and the headmaster’s actually a grandfatherly sort with a twinkle in his eye and a soft-spot for oddballs and new students?”

Qing and Reny shared a glance with Ya Ling before all three burst out in laughter.

“You set him up with that, didn’t you, Ling, dear?” Reny chortled, with tears in her eyes.

Ya Ling solemnly shook her head, flashing Alex a mirthful smile as she took another bite of her breakfast. “I think we know where he must have gotten that impression.”

Reny sighed and nodded, flashing Alex a sympathetic smile. “Sadly, Alex, life in the larger cities is quite a bit different from Ruidian communes. Cultivation academies in particular are highly competitive institutions, almost always. Not because we’re as ruthless as the raiders who had been so eager for our heads the other day, but simply because resources are limited and it’s the larger, more powerful institutions and associations that will claim the lions share of any resource, avenue of income, or tomes of knowledge that might be available.”

“Through legitimate means, of course,” her husband hastily assured. “Silver Sands will pay any merchant, private investor, or bookseller an absolutely princely sum for rare or highly sought cultivation techniques or training manuals they might come across. And independent gatherers specializing in desert herbs know just who to sell their prizes to for a comfortable living.”

Reny nodded. “And those herbalists, merchants, and booksellers wouldn’t even dream of not selling to their friends at Sliver Sands. No need for me to say more than that, is there, children? None of us here are fools, after all. No matter how much some of us might get swept up by passion’s tides.”

Alex paid very close attention to his soft-cheese covered bread then, deliberately not looking at a too perceptive Reny or a blushing Qing Wu.

“So, Silver Sands is one of those academies where students are basically left to fend for themselves like a pack of wild dogs, winner take all in terms of resources or teacher’s attention?”

“Of course not, Alex!” Qing Wu said, looking momentarily offended, before softening it with a smile. “I fear our cynicism might be coloring things a bit darker than you need worry about. Silver Sands will do its utmost to nurture its future champions. Why wouldn’t they? They are a reflection of the school, and their success during the yearly competitions will earn them renewed bounties and the prince’s interest at year’s end. It is that reputation as much as anything else that informs merchants and suppliers who they will give preference to.”

Alex nodded, suddenly getting it. “So this competition you mentioned is, in a sense, what determines the pecking order between cultivation academies.”

“Pricisely,” Qing Wu allowed. “And Silver Sands has every intention of claiming all the prizes this year, just as they did last, assuring they have a permanent lock on the city’s choicest resources. Which means they wish for the strongest, most capable students and disciples that they can forge. So they treat their most gifted with all the care and attention that any prince could want for his children, saving countless youths who have the potential but an absolute lack of resources from being chewed up and spat out as broken trash before the politics of a more corrupt school that doesn’t have to compete for a city-state’s choice prizes.”

Alex exchanged a thoughtful look with smiling Ya Ling, who nodded her agreement with her uncle’s declaration. “It assures that at least a good portion of the students have excellent opportunities based on merit alone. Much like in Qianshi.”

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Reny beamed. “Precisely. The princes have their pride, but none are fools. Even their own favored academies must field sufficient students to compete in all the trials if they wish to command the lion’s share of resources in the following year.”

“Which means they need a constant supply of talented new recruits to instruct and nurture every year,” Alex noted. “My only question is what happens to the bottom half of any student body? What about those who have the potential to cultivate, but lack such brilliant talent?”

The three desert people exchanged oddly pitying glances.

“Do you truly not understand, Alex?” Ya Ling asked softly.

Alex winced, suddenly getting it. “They’re the ones that are ground under the heels of those destined for greatness. The difference is that it’s more than just a few spoiled ‘young masters’ allowed to excel in this part of the world, but scores of talented youth. Even if scores more are lucky just to have a chance to learn the most basic techniques when not being worked to the bone for the sake of others.”

“Of course,” Qing Wu concurred. “The yearly trials are a searing desert light, where competition demands excellence, and burns away the rot of corruption. And even with minimal resources expended, all cultivators still have access to the first floor of the library at Silver Sands academy. One of the most extensive libraries you’ll find in all the oasises that dot our desert realm. Every student who attends is sure to enjoy vitality, health, and a future far better than that which their mortal relatives might enjoy.”

Alex exchanged a jaded look with Reny. “Tell me that there’s even one school within the city if Liushi that comes anywhere close to challenging Silver Sands in prestige, power, or enrollment.”

Reny smirked, shaking her head. “There is only one Academy truly worthy of being called such in Liushi, in Qianshi, and in pretty much every other major city.”

“Because those major schools are the favored of the elites,” Ya Ling explained. “The other sects are allowed to exist as a whetstone used to keep the favored academy’s graduates sharp and ready for the city’s benefit. They’re never expected to actually ascend to anything significant, merely force the truly favored to stay on their toes.”

Reny gave a sad nod. “Believe me, Alex, those small sects are everything you could hope to have in a small school willing to treat you like family, with all the one-on-one instruction from their limited teachers that they can give you. But that’s all they will ever be able to give you. No true mastery, and absolutely no access to an elite tomes or a wujen’s wondrous arts.” She sighed and gave a sad shake of her head. “Even if some small sect stumbles upon a protégé that nets them considerable resources for the following year, that’s still just a fraction of what any gifted student at Silver Sands will enjoy, and as like as not, Silver Sands will recruit the other school’s champion in very short order. Those proteges know this and, if anything, will fight for all they’re worth just to prove their worth to the true elite school of the region.”

Alex nodded. “All of which keeps the schools focused on forging gifted winners, even if countless others are ground under the machinations of academies both big and small.”

Qing Wu’s gaze hardened. Before he sighed and shook his head. “True,” he admitted with an odd hitch to his voice. “But everyone is shown the path to a solid foundation, and a significant fraction is additionally given the resources and encouragement they need to truly excel every year. It’s not perfect, but nothing ever is.” He gave a cynical chuckle. “You wouldn’t believe how many years my wife and I have searched for a better way.”

Alex blinked. “That’s why you’re working as guard and healer of this caravan. It’s not for the money, obviously, it’s to find and recruit the best for Silver Sands! And if you can find any hints of a better way of doing things… well, all the better, since you both clearly have hearts as well.”

Qing Wu gazed pointedly at a suddenly wincing Alex, wondering just how many taboos regarding propriety and etiquette he had broken, when the man exchanged a look with his wife.

“Quite a feat to be so perceptive, and yet so foolish as well,” Reny noted.

Qing smirked in agreement. “A wiser man would have smiled and nodded, understanding all without having to say a word.”

“So call me a fool,” Alex snarked, “but I like to know where I stand.”

“Fair enough,” Qing allowed. “I think you and Ya Ling will both make wonderful additions to Silver Sands. But only if we can cure the damage that damnable Kileetra caused to our foundations with that poison. Because the minute you enter the school, you’ll be given little time to recover from whatever ordeals got you there, let alone the months or seasons needed until our body has fully recovered from that foul poison and is truly strong enough to endure the rigors of cultivation once more.”

Ya Ling blanched, eyes widening in horror. “But Alex gave me the antidote. Gave it to all of us. And he seems fine! I felt so much better, just a bit sore and… I had hoped… no more than a week?”

Reny gave a sad shake of her head. “I’m sorry, child. The testing I did on all of us while your hero slept the day away confirmed my worst fears. All of us have suffered damage to our foundations, my husband most acutely, after being forced to strain himself to the utmost to ward us from attack, as our enemies had no doubt intended.”

Ya Ling glared and shook her head. “So what you’re saying is, we’re doomed. My enemies couldn’t have me, so they destroyed me from within. Thus I’m no prize to anyone, and no school will bother to claim me. I’m just cattle to be rounded up once more to make clear to the world what happens to anyone who dares to defy my would-be masters.”

Qing Wu snorted. “That’s certainly one option. The other is that we take a slight detour and dare a nearby rift only a week or so out of our way.”

Ya Ling froze, before slowly turning Qing Wu’s way. “Dare a rift… when all we have between us, forgive my saying so, is two brittle Bronze, a damaged Silver, and a Basic cultivator far stronger than he has any right to be?”

“Let’s not forget Captain Dui Zhong,” Qing Wu said, before sighing and slumping in his seat. “And yes, it’s as bad as you think.” He flashed a bitter smile. “Still, there are benefits to spending years on the road, learning what secrets and lore are to be found by furtive traders and gregarious caravanners as well. The rift I speak of is of a gentler sort, so long as you can step quietly enough to avoid the wildlife. Many a bold caravanner with a gift has escaped with their lives, some even doing so with a choice piece of fruit held in their trembling hands, which my wife and I brought for a pretty penny, I assure you.”

Ya Ling gave a breathless shudder. “These wouldn’t happen to be aspected fruit… would they, beloved and revered elders?”

Reny chuckled softly. “That’s exactly what they are, child. Aspected to Wisdom and pristine spiritual energy. Exactly what I need to generate a restorative elixir that will not only repair the damage done, but gift you, perhaps gift us all, with such insights that it makes a breakthrough all but certain!”

Alex’s own eyes widened at this. He couldn’t quite hold back a grin. “Cultivation boosting spirit fruit tinctures at the end of a perilous delve where we’re risking our necks every step of the way? Sounds exactly like my kind of adventure. I’m in!” He furrowed his brow, ignoring the looks the others were now giving him. “But I could really use more substantial gear than this dao and my threadbare changshan tunic. I don’t suppose anyone has any ko-naginata, guandao, or, I don’t know… a fangtian ji I could use?”

“Is this boy serious?” Reny huffed.

Qing Wu chuckled, eyes twinkling with approval. “I don’t know… that’s exactly the kind of fighting spirit we’ll need, if we dare that sanctuary which I suspect might be a bit more perilous than the tales would suggest.” His gaze hardened. “Which is why we will do nor more than dare the outskirts alone. We’re not there to hunt for trouble we can ill afford, but to discretely claim what prizes from the oasis we may, before slipping back into the desert once more.”

Alex bowed his head, features solemn and serious, though he couldn’t quite hide the excitement he felt. “Understood, Master Wu.”

“Good! Then best we get training! We have only a week before we arrive. And as we know that both Water and Earth are your affinities… no reason not to see if a half-step art might also be yours.”

Alex’s eyes widened when the man summoned a needle-tipped spike of bitter cold ice once more.

“Well, Alex? Would you be interested in learning a wujen’s arts, assuming you have the knack for it?”

Alex gave an enthusiastic nod. “You’re damn right I would!” He then frowned with concern. “But with the strain to your...”

Qing Wu gave a dismissive shake of his head. “Lest you forget, I’m Silver. This demonstration does little more than limber me up. No strain upon that which, if all goes well, we might actually have a chance of healing by the most miraculous of concoctions. But only if we’re prepared to face down jealous beasts that would claim the sanctuary’s prizes for themselves.”

Alex dipped his head. “Of course, Master Wu.” He turned to Ya Ling, who flashed a sad smile, slowly shaking her head.

“I’m afraid Ice is beyond me, Alex. Though not exactly anethema, the grains of my being can’t grasp it for the life of me.”

Alex’s eyebrows rose at this. “I’m sorry?”

Ya Ling flashed a playful smile. “I may not be able to embrace all my abilities, but the few I have access to will put you in your place quickly enough, boy.”

Alex smirked. “Sure it will.” His gaze turned serious. “Are you going to be practicing with your jian?”

“Of course. Captain Dui Zhong made it clear he’d be happy to embrace basic forms with me.”

“Fair enough. But let me ask you this. Is dueling with a man who knows better than to humiliate a girl risking her life under his guidance, a man who clearly defers to you, the same as daring to take on savage beasts who hunger only for your death?”

Ya Ling paled, opening her mouth… before slowly shaking her head. “No,” she said softly.

Alex dipped his head. “My experiences have been a bit on the ecclectic side, but what I can tell you is that, unless you’re using your sword as a tool to channel your Qi, polearms with excellent reach and the ability to shift your grip for maximum leverage trounce swordsmen eight times out of ten. Unless said swordsmen have a shield, of course, then it’s a lot closer. But not against spirit beasts. There, you need the added reach of a long wooden shaft and the ability to use both arms to leverage your weapon against a beast’s inhuman strength, not to mention the ability to generate enough power to actually cut through their tough hides. In that situation, where you never have to worry about arrows, quarrels, or sling stones, polearms truly reign supreme.”

He locked gazes with Ya Ling. “Tell me, when you practice your forms, do you ever do so using a buckler or round shield?”

She mutely shook her head. “Never. And had you met me three days ago, before we were poisoned… I’d prove just how wrong you are, underestimating my style so completely.”

Alex bowed his head. “I believe you. I’m guessing you have Qi abilities that compliment your form exceptionally.”

She gave a proud nod of her head. “I do.”

“Fair enough. But how about now? We’re about to dare spirit beasts that give even Qing Wu pause. Are you ready to face them as you are?”

Ya Ling clenched her fists, pinning Alex with a glare he hadn’t expected, but perhaps should have. “You’ve made your point. Are you done belittling me and my art now, Alex?”

Alex quickly raised his hands. “I’m not trying to belittle you or anyone! But maybe that didn’t come out right. My apologies. What I’m getting at, what I’m trying to say… is would you like me to teach you the art of the spear?”

Reny huffed. “A week’s time to learn an art worthy of beasts used to hunting cultivators? Preposterous!”

Qing Wu gave Alex a thoughtful nod. “Not a bad idea, disciple. I’ve sensed your skill firsthand. You certainly have the knowledge, assuming you can teach.”

Alex couldn’t help grinning at that. “Who knows, master Wu. I might just surprise you.”

He lifted his hand, apologizing with his smile as best he could. “So, what do you say? Up for learning from an unknown wildcard no older than yourself?”

Ya Ling smirked. “When you put it like that... absolutely! When can we start?”

Alex turned to Qing Wu. “What time do you want to do our lessons?”

Qing Wu crossed his arms, peering at Alex thoughtfully, before giving a slow nod. “We’re leaving in less than half a glass. How about when you two are done practice? We’ll have the entire day to teach you what I can in the time that we have.”

Alex grinned. “Perfect. I don’t suppose there are any objections to training wherever we are comfortable?”

“I don’t see why not.”

“Good. Because I noted that your wagon rooftops are reinforced both for fighting and, I’m guessing, carrying even more cargo between desert cities. Which makes them absolutely perfect for a certain style of training that served me and my disciples quite well, once upon a time.”

Ya Ling’s eyes bulged. “Wait, you mean spar on the rooftop for my very first lessons? In the heat of the day? While we’re moving?”

Alex chuckled. “I don’t see why not.”

To Alex’s surprise, she immediately warmed up to the challenge. “You’re on. Though I think you’ll find that the sun agrees with me a lot more than you.”

Alex gave her aunt and uncle a bemused smile. “I get the feeling that it would take a lot more than our footsteps to cause any harm to this wagon. And I already know from firsthand experience that the reinforced rooftop was built as bulwark of sorts. If it can take on raiders on all sides, it can take on a pair of sparring cultivators practicing common sense as well.”

“True,” Elder Ru conceded, exchanging a thoughtful look from his wife, who huffed but nodded after a long glare Alex’s way.

“Fine. They can practice. As long as they don’t do anything to make me regret it!”

She glared at them both like they were a pair of rabbits, and that certain things were absolutely inevitable. And the way that Ya Ling was also looking at him…

Alex cleared his throat. “Awesome! Now we just need the appropriate...”

His eyes widened when a pair of practice spears complete with leather-wrapped tips manifested, as well as a pair of quality razor sharp ones and, of all things, a fangtian ji.

“Careful, Alex. That thing’s meant to take on heavily armored frontliners and cavalry. Not...” Qing Wu frowned when a beaming Alex effortlessly claimed it, twirling it in his hands without the blade even knicking the semi-cramped wagon, despite the looks Ya Ling and Reny were both sending his way.

“I see I don’t need to warn you about the intricacies of that weapon, do I.”

“No you don’t,” Alex assured with a grin, forcing his hands to stillness, lest Reny’s glares and murmurs about her precious plants cause him actual harm. “With you’re permission, we’ll get to training.”

And a short while later, Alex, now kitted up in the padding and mail shirts captured from their would-be executioners that best fit him, was finding the best stances for the reinforced wagon top that really was like the carriage rooftop that he and Hao Chan had once spent a handful of weeks forging themselves into warriors worthy of the title, every day filled with fresh revelations, for all that a price had been paid. Years expended in a handful of weeks, and Eternal Fox had allowed him to forgo the cost entirely.

An art which he regrettably had no access to right now. And for all that he felt as if all of his cells were already supercharged, beyond even what his Tier 2 Bronze Vitality would suggest… he wouldn’t play the fool, or force the girl before him to pay a price to master an art that wasn’t tied to her interests, inclination, or soul.

Yet Alex found it amazing how quickly bemusement and flirting had turned to fierce determination, once Alex showed her just how thoroughly spear beat jian in terms of binding and reach, particularly when Alex had the advantage of a widely spaced grip and Tier 2 Bronze Strength, far beyond Ya Ling’s own.

“Alright, you made your point,” she said, glaring Alex’s way when her jian was sent cartwheeling through the air yet again, fortunately far away from any of the guards and caravanners, most having the sense to take shelter in the noonday sun. Yet somehow his partner didn’t seem any more bothered by the heat than he was. If anything, she seemed to thrive off it. Much like Alex, drawing sweet potency from the sun without the need of any cultivation technique at all.

Fortunately, the olive-skinned woman before him was a talented warrior in her own right, quickly picking up the basics of winding and binding the shaft of her spear against his own. “Not so different from the softer jian arts, Alex,” she said with a hungry smile, before swooping her weapon under his guard, and lunging for his groin. “Careful, or I might just...”

Rank 10 modified skill check successful!

She glared when Alex spun his weapon around her spear thrust, whipping his weapon about with sufficient force to crack stone, stopping the windmilling motion of his spear just inches from her frightened countenance.

Both of them froze like that, Alex’s fierce grin turned to wide-eyed dismay when he realized what he had almost done.

“The way you were whipping that shaft around, Alex. That thing could have...”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

She swallowed, shaking her head. “No need to apologize. You just reminded me that a six foot staff swung with force can kill as easily as any sword.”

Alex forced a nod. “So it’s important to control your opponent’s weapon in the bind. Always. So if he attempts to disengage and strike at odd angles...”

“You’ve already impaled him with a thrust to his center line. I know.”

Alex nodded. “Exactly.”

From that moment on, Ying Qi took to their training with a fierce zeal that impressed even Alex, making visible progress as morning turned to high noon, and an exasperated Reny made it clear it was time for lunch and she wouldn’t be treating fools who collapsed from heat exhaustion under the midday desert sun, no matter how invulnerable they thought they were.

His newest sparring partner flashed a sheepish smile. “I think we’re going to have to take a break, Alex.”

He frowned, gazing with concern at the way she rubbed her gloved hands. “Are you alright?”

She shrugged. “Maybe a blister or two. But I know it will be fine by tomorrow morning.” She then frowned, giving him a pointed look. “And I just recalled… weren’t you stabbed in the kidney the other day?” She paled. “Alex, I didn’t mean to insist… all those hours practicing, it’s a miracle it hasn’t opened up!”

“It’s fine,” Alex assured with a smile. “Honestly, I feel right as rain.”

She glared his way before stomping over and lifting up hauberk, padding, and tunic to gaze upon his back before cursing softly. “What the hell? There’s no way… and I know Reny’s so fragile that she doesn’t dare engage in healing arts directly. It’s why half of us are still wearing liniments and dressing!”

He grinned under her regard, but knew what she was getting at. After two days of rest, the stab that should have bled him out like a stuck pig was gone as if it had never been. “Can’t imagine what you’re getting at.” He mimed listening closely. “What’s that? I believe Reny’s threatening to throw our lunch onto the sands. I don’t know about you, but I’m all about not wasting my lunch. Come on, let’s eat!”