Alex could hear his companions in the background, but he had eyes only for the Silver tier monster who had been frozen into a perfect crystalline block of ice.
Yet the demonic cultivator’s frozen gaze was filled not with contempt, but absolute horrified dismay. Because he knew what was coming.
As did Alex.
The eyes were a plea, Alex realized with a cold shiver. Both understanding and pitying the man.
But there was nothing Alex could do, even if he had the wit to see and understand, as the ice cracked with a bitter pressure that had even Qing Wu lurching back with a shout, just a heartbeat before that statue of bitter ice shattered to oblivion.
“By heaven’s mercy, it actually worked!” An awed Reny declared, gazing a the sight of so many frozen bodies.
The captain gracefully extricated himself from the ruins of the wagon, before bowing waist deep before them all. “This is a story none of us ever dare repeat to another living soul, lest shadowy ears hear what we’d hide from them for all time. But please know that you will forever be held in high regard by the Zhong clan. Our doors will always be open to you.”
Qing Wu bowed his head. “Likewise, captain.” He frowned, gazing off in the distance. “Though I fear we still have a few more loose ends to tie up.”
The captain’s smile didn’t reach his stony gaze. “Rest assured, they will be soon.”
With a final dip of his head, the man was off, a few curt commands bringing forth the pair of newly forged cultivators by his side, Luo and Xiao turning around to honor Alex and his companions with their bows before loping right behind the captain.
Qing Wu turned to Alex, solemn gaze locking with his own before squeezing Alex’s shoulder with a surprisingly strong grip. “Thank you, Alex. Your insane shield that should be absolutely impossible for even a Silver to cobble together, no matter how talented they truly are, is everything I could have hoped for.”
He smirked at Alex’s wince. “And I sense you imperiled yourself something fierce, disciple. Fortunately, I can think of half a dozen steps you can take towards refining your technique. Of course, your unorthodox path is the only reason why we’re having this conversation. So thank you, Alex. The Wu clan will always welcome you under our roofs.”
Alex swallowed the sudden lump in his throat and bowed his head.
Qing Wu gave his shoulder a final squeeze of gratitude before gazing back at his wife and wrapping her in his arms. “Thank the gods you’re alive.”
“And it was a close thing,” Reny sobbed, feeling no shame at letting free her tears. “If only it didn’t have to come to this!”
Qing Wu sighed and kissed her brow, he alone utterly unaffected by the cold, it seemed. “You know as well as I how deadly that monster was. Trading spells would have ended with him smiling and unleashing his trump card. So I had to bet it all on a single greater working. One that I’ve spent years doing my utmost to perfect. All I could do was pray that the man would be satisfied with taunting and mocking us, testing the periphery of my arts with teasing strikes intended to wound, not kill. That, and that Alex’s unique spirit ward was truly as strong as our niece swears it is.”
Reny gave a frustrated shake of her head. “Yet all it took was the captain’s good intentions and bad timing to turn mocking words into an infernally enhanced strike intended to send us all hurtling to oblivion, no matter the ultimate cost to that poor fool’s soul.” Soft brown eyes then turned to Alex, and something in her gaze made it clear that she understood exactly the price a now furiously blushing Alex had paid.
“And to think, Ya Ling absolutely had her heart set on running off into the desert, and claiming this boy as her own. Well, that’s not possible now, is it, Alex?”
Alex blinked, gazing at Reny for long moments. “First of all, there’s no way you could know that. Not unless your Soul Sight and Qi Perception is almost as good as mine. Secondly, it’s only a problem for as long as it takes me to break through to Bronze… or whatever comes next for me. It was just a small shift. Nothing like… well, never mind.”
This earned a snort. “I don’t know what you mean by glimpsing souls, but as a skilled healer with a century’s experience treating foolish cultivators daring unorthodox techniques… yes. I recognize the signs. I’m just surprised that your own foundation isn’t teetering on glass.”
Alex’s wince transformed to a confident smile. “Believe it or not, I’ve never been stronger. With a foundation that would have even my greatest enemies howling with envy and bloodlust.” He chuckled bitterly. “Let’s hope they never find out.”
“Agreed,” said Reny, now turning her glower to her husband. “And you! Gambling so much on this poor boys’ shield! I don’t care how much Ya Ling crowed about surrendering her heart to a man destined for Gold. A rank no one’s achieved in centuries! You bet our futures on a boy’s newly forged art, gambling everything on a skill you’ve never used in battle before!”
“That’s because no one’s ever pushed me enough to force me to use it before,” Qing Wu somewhat weakly protested. “And I’ve had years to perfect it! Even our granddaughter knows how to best compliment my usage, just as I’ve trained her!”
Reny snorted and glared at her husband. “Careful your words, love. And perfected or no, Winter’s Kiss is a ritual that hardly counts as a spell. It still took almost a full minute to cast! That’s why you’ve never used it, before. There was never sufficient time!” Reny snapped, before her eyes softened with gratitude, and love. “And you’re right. Had you followed standard protocol, had you responded taunt for taunt, low tier spell for spell, you would have fallen like all the others that monster ever faced, with his foul infernal arts.”
Qing Wu gently helped his wife up. “And there’s more to it as well. Look all around you.”
Reny’s lips pressed into a tight line when she noted all the bodies. So many frozen bodies surrounding them, their serpentine daggers and swords glittering just as brightly as the feral glint of predators eager to ambush and kill, eternally painted on over a dozen crystalline statues. All of them perfectly visible from the ruins of the wagon. Reny shivered, eyes widening in understanding. “All of them were cloaked, by that man’s own twisted arts. They were to strike from behind, while Alex and the captain were distracted, taking on our perfectly visible opponents. Because who would even think to look for such, especially when fighting the perfectly visible living? Tan Guan might have been a psychopathic hothead, but there was no way he’d be the head of an entire sect, if he were any sort of fool.”
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
“Correct.”
“This was why he was allowed to rule Qianshi like a shadow prince. Uncontested in the underworld. Because his steel pierced any ward...”
“And his Shadows could never be found.”
“So you just froze them all,” Reny said breathlessly.
“Correct.”
She paled and crumpled in his arms. “How many lives did it cost, husband? How many innocent souls did we freeze to an early oblivion, because there was no other way?”
“None at all, aunty,” said a smiling Ya Ling, whose lips were so blue it filled Alex with instant alarm as her impressive entrance in a whirl of sand was marred somewhat, as she collapsed in Alex’s arms, shivering uncontrollably. “I got talismans on all of the wagons. But I had to back up Alex. He couldn’t take them all on from the wagon rooftop.”
“But you got caught in the blast!” Reny sobbed, before her anxious gaze hardened into professional calm. “Be still, child. This is going to sting a bit.”
At which point she radiated a nurturing energy that reminded Alex of a lush forest just after a gentle, midday rain as Ya Ling gasped and cried out, shivering in Alex’s arms, though when the light surrounding them faded, at least her lips were back to their normal dusky shade, her cheeks actually rosy as she flashed Alex an approving smile.
“Thanks for serving as the vanguard, Alex.”
Alex forced a chuckle, even as half his focus was just on regenerating his toes and multiple cuts and bruises he hadn’t even noticed until now. “It sounds like we were betting everything on a single gambit. The farthest thing from a discrete exchange of spell volleys and our enemy cutting his losses and running that we all hoped for, I’m guessing.”
“Correct,” Qing Wu said with a smile that didn’t reach his ice-cold eyes, now sparkling like sapphires. “It was the farthest thing from a gentlemen’s duel. Our foe was a psychopath, and our fight was to the death. He was a monster who held furious grudges at the slightest insult, and enjoyed striking his enemies where they were weakest. He would happily butcher a dozen innocents if there was a chance that just one of those deaths will make you suffer. He was a monster that used fear of retribution to keep his foes in check, and yes, infernal arts to assure his victory against those who would not be cowed. They would be executed in the most horrific manners imaginable, and their families forced to watch.” Qing Wu’s eyes blazed with icy hate. “A man like that, you’d best put down for good, if you would spare your family a psychopath’s retribution.”
Reny nodded. “The moment he appeared in person, we all knew that there was only one way this could end. And to think that Wonang actually dared involve that man in our family affairs...” Her eyes flashed with sudden heat. “I’m ashamed to think that any descendant of mine married into his clan of fools.”
Qing Wu sighed, patting her arm. “For all his faults, I doubt he had any idea that it would come to this, or that any blood would be shed in retrieving his half-sister at all.”
“And now our traveling home is ruined,” Reny declared with a bitter glare.
“True,” Qing Wu said. “Fortunately, it appears that our caravan is now up an extra wagon, with the disappearance of a certain baker who now has far more pressing problems to worry about than the appropriation of his wagon.”
Reny folded her arms and glowered, before giving a thoughtful nod. “I suppose it will have to do. Now if only I had a few strong men to help me transport everything between wagons...”
Alex froze under her glare, having only managed to slink away a few dozen feet before being pinned by her gaze. “And just where do you think you’re going, Alex?”
Alex flashed a cheeky grin. “In the right direction.”
This earned a curious look. “Explain.”
“Well, the captain and his newly forged lieutenants are eagerly heading towards the trade road, positive that’s the direction that Ye Pan and his escort took to head back to Qianshi.”
“We know,” Reny said. “With limited supplies, it’s the only logical move to make, the only chance you’ll meet any other caravan or traveler if you find yourself out of food, water, or otherwise in desperate peril. Otherwise, you’ll die in the desert long before you reach the city. No doubt Tan Guan has at least one stash of supplies for the return journey hidden by a marker near the road.”
Alex nodded. “Except our mole was a baker. A skilled baker. Who somehow had all the supplies he needed to make some of the tastiest damned food I’ve ever been fed by a man intending to stab us all in the metaphoric back. Fresh baked bread, and chutney, without a hint of spoilage, despite being in the summer heat.”
Reny frowned, then her eyes widened. “You think he had a storage device!”
“Maybe he didn’t need it for the bread. Maybe he’s that good at his craft,” Alex conceded. “But for the olive oil and most especially the blended spreads? Most definitely.”
Qing Wu cursed softly. “Then that bastard could have fled anywhere.”
“Certainly the captain’s going the wrong way. I suspect he’ll cotton on to it and return in time to lead the caravan back in the morning,” Alex allowed.
Reny smirked, shaking her head. “No one’s waiting til morning, Alex. The ground here is frozen, and will give half the caravanner’s the chills if we stick around. We’ll head to the road by starlight. A good portion of caravans are night caravans for a reason, even if most prefer to travel during the day. If Dui Zhong weren’t so hot for blood, he’d have already had everyone moving out. As it stands...”
Alex turned, surprised to see Qing Wu addressing the caravans with the sharp voice of one used to command. In very short order, Alex noticed spirit beat mounts rousing from slumber, just as soon as a clearly warmed up Ya Ling removed the talismans she had placed protecting their wagons from Qing Wu’s ritual, as a half dozen particularly burly wagoners came by, bowing before Reny.
“The honored cultivator has need of our assistance?” One asked, straw hat in hand.
Alex grinned. “I’ll take my leave, then.”
Reny, now supervising the surprisingly quick dismantling and transferring of her apothecary and miniature greenhouse, which was surprisingly intact, and the rest of her personal belongings, which had by and large been shredded, flashed Alex a curious smile. “Can you really sense where our enemy headed?”
Alex just smiled. “Qing Wu was right. Best we eliminate any chance of retribution or fallout. And that most definitely means tying up lose ends.”
Reny’s gaze was oddly sympathetic, and far too knowing. “Experienced, I take it?”
Alex sighed. “More than I’d like to admit.”
“Are Ruidian politics truly that ruthless?”
Alex forced a chuckle, not bothering to answer as he headed off about 70 degrees from the direction the captain was now returning from. The desert whispered its secrets in terms of footsteps barely leaving an imprint on the sands. But mostly, Biochemical Mastery gifting him with a nose as potent as an 18 Perception bloodhound’s this incarnation made it surprisingly easy to follow the yeasty trail that the man had left behind.