“Reason for coming to Liushi?”
“To attend Silver Sands Academy,” Alex said, dipping his head politely at the pair of guards wearing sheer white tabards over half-shirts of bronze mail with white linen underlining, both wearing conical straw hats much like most of the people waiting sedately in line, both those that were even now entering the open gate into the city where the sounds of an open air market were clearly audible even from the other side of the gate.
The shorter guard frowned at Alex, tilting his head as he scratched a whiskery cheek. “You’re a ruby, am I right?”
Alex blinked at the pronouncement. “Why do you say that?” he cautiously asked, having thought his forehead well protected with both thick long bangs and a straw hat that helped him blend with everyone else, as several of the Ruidians whose group was just now preparing to enter turned to gaze his way with surprised stares.
Alex suppressed a wince, having deliberately maneuvered himself to walk right behind them, hoping to use them for cover to slip inside without them being any wiser that he wasn’t a part of their group.
A hope quickly dispelled by the intently furrowed pair of brows from a pair of redheaded youths who looked no older than he was, both clearly jewel bound, the pair twinkling brightly to Alex’s perception.
The guards smirked. “Because you’re wearing a full lamellar hauberk without a trace of sweat or discomfort, which mean the heat isn’t bothering you. And if you can actually use that dao on your hip, then you’re better than most who claim a jewel.”
Alex forced a rueful chuckle, bowing his head as he allowed the tiniest spark of Fire from Flame Fist to manifest as a brief flash in his hands. “Useful for evening dung fires. Burns clean enough that there isn’t even a stink. Most caravan masters will happily give extra rations for clean smelling fires.”
The guard grinned his approval. “Always pays to have an in with your master. And with your build, you’re a cut above most, even true-bloods like myself!” he said with a good-natured chuckle. “But don’t worry, the city welcomes all of your kind, no matter how scrawny you lot are.”
“Thank you,” Alex said, forcing a smile and nod as he kept his head down and proceeded through the gate, doing his best to ignore the glare this earned from the closest Ruidian staring back at them, her dusky features the farthest thing from pale skin and freckles, but her green eyes sparkled with unmistakable heat.
“You’re a cut above the rest of us. Is that what you believe?” The girl asked in challenge, though her haughty glare turned curious when Alex winked as if sharing an inside joke with her, lowering his voice as if sharing a confidence.
“Let him think what he likes. No need to cause trouble. And it always pays to be underestimated, wouldn’t you agree?”
She frowned at this, but her closest companion nodded, his almond eyes were the same green hue as hers, though his frame was just as slender as that of most Ruidians Alex had encountered in his travels. His hair, like the girl’s, was a curly brown with fiery highlights, both of them wearing cleverly secured robes that seemed to catch every breeze and didn’t seem to hinder their movements in the slightest.
“He’s right, Linnea. Who cares what the natives think? Life’s always easier when you smile and nod and let people assume what they will. Especially if it means they don’t fear you nearly as much as they should. At least that’s what grandmother always says, and that goes double for elementalists like us.”
The girl, Linnea, just shook her head as they entered what was apparently the front gate market, crowded with people and stands, for all that everyone was sticking to the shade provided by clusters of date trees while the massive caravan wagons effortlessly trundled between the well-separated crowds down the main arterial thoroughfares of the city.
“It doesn’t change the fact that city-folk still look down on us, Hanz, no matter the services our clan performed for this city over how many decades?”
Hanz laughed. “That was one idiot of a guard whose insult was almost a backhanded compliment. Besides, most people here in Liushi are friendlier than grandmother would ever believe! And who cares if they are a bit condescending, as long as they’re not actively persecuting us? What matters is that we’re welcomed inside with open arms, specifically because our clan earned so much honor in the city’s defense, which also opened the academy doors to us, and the delves that they safeguard, and we’ve never given them cause to regret it!”
He turned to peer thoughtfully at Alex. “So, you’ll be daring the rifts by Silver Sands as well, then?”
Alex blinked, nonplussed for only a second before going along with the flow of the conversation. “That’s the plan,” he said, which was at least partly true, deliberately not paying attention to the wagon train even now entering the city, for all that he felt Qing Wu’s soft brown eyes trying to catch his own.
He knew better than to glance her way, hard as it was.
Not when any one of the dozens of hawkers, food sellers, even flute and lyre playing street musicians could be serving as eyes and ears for the JiangHu Sect which might or might not have a bounty out on all their heads. Until Elder Wu carefully ascertained the consequences of a certain demonic cultivator’s death… and whether or not the local JiangHu sect held a grudge or couldn’t care less, considering that it was the head of a competing city that had been eliminated, and an extremely corrupt head at that… best they do absolutely nothing to draw attention to themselves. Better for everyone that the killers be seen as ghosts, with ties to no known group or faction. And for all their precautions, for all that certain folk might avoid notice altogether or at least be protected by reputation and status, Alex stuck out like a sore thumb and enjoyed no such protection at all.
They had judged it best if Alex could slip in completely apart from their own wagon train, and it had seemed downright serendipitous when they spied the clan of Ruidians along the highroad leading to the massive crater rim upon which the ancient city had been founded, Alex having been informed in breathless whispers that the within the steeply sloped caldera was a lush fecund valley so rich in life that it would put any old world forest to shame. Though he had his doubts and could catch no sight of greenery besides the frequent palm trees providing much appreciated shade from the sun and the occasional desert plant carefully cultivated outside various shops to provide a bit of greenery and perhaps fresh-clipped herbs, Alex had to admit that even surrounded by buildings he felt a cool moisture in the air that he hadn’t before entering the city, and the faint whiffs of wildflowers and peach blossoms were absolutely unmistakable.
Fortunately, the city was shaped like a crescent around the thickest part of the massive caldera rim, the elevation also decreasing the temperature a few precious degrees, and from what Ya Ling had whispered before he slipped free of the wagon, it should be no problem at all for him to locate Silver Sands.
Of course, their priority on splitting up and maximizing autonomy also meant that he had to approach and apply to Liushi’s premier academy with no references, contact, or inside pull at all.
And Alex was more than okay with that. Even if worst came to worst, there were other cities, and many other academies and paths forward, he had no doubt. What mattered most to Alex was that he was now free to find his own path, and take as long as he needed to to achieve his goals.
There was no longer the awful sense that his doom was slowly hunting him down… and that nothing less than an insane series of breakthroughs at a breakneck pace would spare him from a violent end. The constant awful sense even at his sweetest moments he was rapidly running out of time.
It was only now that he was free of that crucible that he could finally admit to himself just how god-awful, literally, it had been.
He blinked back the unexpected sting of tears, even as he saw an absurd grin upon his features reflected for a heartbeat from a well polished copper pot a merchant was animatedly trying to sell a woman holding a sleeping infant, who was clearly enjoying the haggling a smuch as the merchant. Alex wasn’t quite sure if he wanted to laugh or cry, still stunned by the sensation overcoming him, stronger than it ever had even during the caravan voyage.
He truly felt at peace.
He could finally live life at his own pace.
All he needed to do was stay out of trouble, and everything should be fine.
Even if he would miss bright and bubbly Ya Ling and her grandfather Qing Wu who had already started treating him like kin, a grace which truly humbled him. Somehow he knew they’d be there to help him find his bearings in this fresh new life, even should he fail to enter the academy entirely.
His pleasant thoughts were interrupted by Hanz’s chuckle. “The guard was right! Not a lick of sweat on you, and your steps don’t tire, even if your eyes are watering a bit. So, I take it you really are heading to Silver Sands?”
Alex smiled and nodded. “I am indeed.”
This earned a snort from the older Ruidian walking in step behind the younger pair. “Even though you’re no jewel master at all.”
Hanz and Linnea’s eyes widened with unexpected alarm.
Their jewels began flashing crimson and icy blue, and a dismayed Alex could sense the sudden manifestation of elemental shields, though far more subtle than those he had once encountered by a pair of Ruidians he had once walked with a lifetime before.
Alex flashed an unapologetic smile, not letting his dismay that they might suspect what he truly was show on his face. “I never said I was.”
Linnea’s look of alarm immediately faded into an exasperated frown. “Wait, you didn’t. But that means… was it just an apothecary’s trick?”
Alex blinked. “You can tell I’m an apothecary? Now I’m the one who’s impressed.” He chuckled warmly, oddly grateful for the misunderstanding, just relieved that they weren’t going to suddenly start acting like he was their culture’s boogy man.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Hanz smirked. “Of course not. But it’s the only explanation, unless you really can channel heaven and earth spiritual energy beyond that needed to clear at least a few of our meridians and earn a sweet stat boost to our character sheets.”
Alex’s eyes widened, delighted by those wrods. “Wait, that’s right! You guys really do get it. Or at least the jewel masters among you do, able to see your stats, gain experience, level up, even use potency for healing after battle!”
Alex quickly lowered his voice at the passing looks their animated conversation earned him, but the elder was glaring all the more intently.
“You act like you weren’t raised among us at all. And you’re accent… you have no accent at all. You sounded just like the guard when you spoke to him, rolling your r’s the same way they do, and now? Now, you sound just like us.” The man’s glare intensified, despite the concerned looks of the pair before him. “And there’s no way you’re a pure-breed cultivator. Your clan clearly didn’t mix with the natives at all!”
“But Uncle, that can’t be true!” An alarmed Linnea hissed, gazing at the elder now radiating bitter cold waves of potency. “Look at his frame! He looks as healthy as a spirit camel. And the breadth of his shoulders… you just know he’s not a part of any inbred clan. He must be a mix, just like us, or maybe he’s from a far off tribe? I’ve never seen blond hair outside of old pictures before.”
Alex smirked at that. “A far off tribe, you say? Sure, let’s go with that. And as far as cultivation goes, you and your cousin already made it clear that your tribe can do that just like my own can.”
“Well yes, but we all know that using potency to clear meridian blockages is just a means of boosting our our physical stats without wasting precious level-up points on it. We’re hybrids!” Hanz said with an exasperated glare. “We can’t actually form cords of spiritual energy. Merely infuse our physical frames with the benefits of cleared meridian channels, at least for the very few among us who can actually diversify in that direction anyway.”
Linnea nodded. “And it’s not like most pure-bloods are that much better. Only a tiny fraction even have all seven of their meridian channels that you need to clear to even form a Bronze cord. And the fact that we can use spirit beast cores and potency to burn away the blockages and infuse our entire bodies means those of us who can cultivate even a little bit are far more efficient at it than the so-called true-bloods!”
“Silence, child!” Her uncle snapped, “lest our words reach ears never meant to hear them. We’ve already told this outsider more than enough!”
Alex paid no heed to the older man, his eyes locked upon a suddenly blushing Linnea, deciding to ask the question that had been gnawing at him, even if it revealed just how ignorant he was. The two youths his age seemed kindly disposed to him, and the older man’s disdain for him was unlikely to get any worse.
“So, you said you were heading to Silver Sands for the rifts. What exactly does that entail? And I don’t suppose you know if Ruidians are actively welcomed at the school proper? Are they actually open to you practicing your arts alongside their own students?”
This earned an animated nod from Linnea. “Of course we’re welcome within the school! You’d be surprised with just how accommodating they are when trying to fill their parties for the beast core quotas they hope for. As far as attending lessons, my understanding is that it’s not completely unheard of. Techniques using spiritual energy are already proven to work, and are far easier to reverse-engineer into crystalline variants that do the same thing.” She flashed an oddly smug smile. “And since we have access to our arts right from Level One, we can benefit from academy lessons without having to spend years cleaning our meridian channels or studying bizarre breathing techniques, only hoping that we will one day actually be strong enough to channel any significant degree of spiritual energy.”
Hanz’s eyes lit up with alarm. “Not that my cousin means to disparage whatever breathing techniques you might use...”
“Alex,” Alex said with a smile. “And no offense taken. It’s just refreshing as hell to find myself any place where a Ruidian’s arts might actually be appreciated for more than caravan duty, let alone share academy classes with actual cultivating Wujen. Color me impressed.”
Alex took a deep breath, genuinely admiring both the exotic scents of desert, market, and distant oasis as they past by the widely spaced sandstone buildings to either side of the boulevard, the leafy fronds from the double row of majestic fig and palm trees helping to moderate the desert heat and provide shade to the numerous whitewashed structures further cooled by rows of elongated air vents Alex saw crowning the tops of all the buildings they passed. And if they were anything like Terran historical norms, those vents, not to mention the spacious windows free of any glass or covering, would be excellent for catching cool breezes and chilling the entire house. But what impressed Alex the most was how spacious and wide apart all the buildings were. No doubt the city was designed to allow for maximum air flow, hygiene, and comfort, and, aside from the crowded yet spacious entrance market, it was nothing at all like the cramped collection of buildings he would have expected from a desert city.
Of course his belly started grumbling the moment he caught sight of one beaming merchant displaying a wide selection of figs, dates, and currants that the man was more than happy to trade him significant quantities of for just one of the silver coins a solemnly grateful Dui Zhong had paid him with, with plenty of copper change to spare.
Of course he immediately sensed the intent gazes of his newfound companions when he began munching his full. “These are delicious. Please, have some.” Alex gestured to the fig leaf holding so many delectable treats, earning an eager smile from Linnea as she and her cousin Hanz both accepted several handfuls, even their uncle grabbing some with a snort.
Linnea’s green eyes met his own as she munched thoughtfully. “Alex?”
“What’s up?”
“These are really good...”
“I know, right? Absolutely delicious!” Alex grinned.
The girl gave an exasperated shake of her head. “No that’s not what… anyway, when you showed off that flame… that’s not something that we can do with Spiritual Energy. Infusing our bodies with the essence of this world to boost our physical stats and live longer, healthier lives is what Ruidian cultivators are capable of. Pretty much all that they’re capable of. Fusing a cultivator’s physique with an elementalist’s gifts is the dream of all mixed-bloods, and is the main reason why our own tribes have been open to mixed marriages for centuries, as long as our prospective partners can cultivate.”
“In addition to the added boon of avoiding extinction by inbreeding,” a smirking Hanz pointed out.
“In addition to that,” Linnea confirmed. “But it still takes several generations before jewels can be worn again.” She blushed at her own words, especially with the look that Alex was giving her. “But of course, you already know all that. Forgive me. The point is… you do have a jewel, right? Because there’s no other way you could...”
Her words cut off, mouth hanging open in surprise when a smirking Alex lifted his hat and the hair covering his brow.
She then squinted hard. “Your tribe actually has access to diamonds?”
Alex rolled his eyes. “No, Linnea. That’s not my point.”
Her frown turned to wide-eyed disbelief as Hanz softly cursed under his breath.
“It means that his clan actually did it, Linnea!” her cousin declared with odd reverence in his voice as they effortlessly threaded their way through another open-air market. Alex was happy to let his travel companions take the lead, as they, supposedly, knew where the hell they were going.
He frowned at this latest declaration, however. “Did what?”
“Bred in cultivation traits so strong that your tribe can actually whelp offspring capable of ascending to Bronze as cultivators!”
Alex slowed down, turning to peer closely at a suddenly embarrassed-looking Hanz for long moments. Before snorting and shrugging his shoulders. “Interesting theory, but if we’re here to apply to Silver Sands today, shouldn’t we get going before the hour gets too late?”
Hanz looked strangely at Alex for a second before abruptly bursting out in warmhearted laughter while his uncle grumbled about dreamers and fools.
Alex held his smile, but it was a close thing.
“Oh cousin, he actually thinks we’re here to apply!” Linnea said, with a certain bemused twinkle in her eyes.
Hanz gave Alex the look one usually reserved for clueless friends and cousins. “No, Alex. Our little group isn’t here to apply to anything.”
“Which should have been obvious, all things considered,” scowled the uncle.
Linnea sighed. “Not that some of us wouldn’t mind a chance at seeing if we have enough blood to catalyze spiritual currents with the right exposure and...”
“The answer’s still no, Linnea,” snapped her uncle, voice more curt than it had been just moments before. “You know your bloodline as well as anyone, and we don’t have a season for you to enjoy the city on the clan’s coffers. Or whelp a child with a cultivator that has no interest in marrying you before returning to our clan and learning our ways, no matter how much you might wish things were otherwise!”
The girl’s cheeks blazed, and for just a second, Alex feared the fiery tension he sensed building up between uncle and niece would erupt as more than simple metaphor. So he kept his features frozen in a mask of politeness, chomping on more dates like it was the most natural thing in the world once his ear truly picked up the guttural emphasis in their tones and realized that they were speaking a dialect quite distinct from the background murmurs of everyone else.
Words that they clearly didn’t expect him to understand at all.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t quite catch that?” Alex politely said.
Hanz gave a nervous chuckle as his father and cousin glared fiery daggers at one another. “Nothing for you to worry about, my blond-haired friend. Just a clan matter. Now, since we have other things in the city to attend to before we negotiate with the academies, let me show you the rest of the way to Silver Sands.” He frowned thoughtfully. “I know it’s unlikely, but I don’t suppose you know mapsign, by any chance?”
For some reason this question had Alex beaming from ear to ear. As awkward and strained as the moment was, just finding this link to what he feared was a truly ancient past, a common thread between his first friends and these unexpected acquaintances, left him suddenly feeling connected to a past he had feared forever lost.
He choked back an unexpected lump in his throat as he gave a brusque nod, Hanz thinking nothing of gently clasping his wrist with a surprisingly delicate hand, fingers flickering in a handful of strokes that immediately conveyed to him exactly where he needed to go. And Alex gladly pretended that very little of it was an interface melding of any sort, for all that he had immediately clamped down on his own, visualizing a blinking ‘autonomy granted’ light so intently that even his silly interface knew not to seize anyone or anything at all.
“Yes, I understand,” Alex said, gently breaking contact almost before a surprised Hanz had finished, because Alex already knew where he had to be. He then deliberately honored them all with a solemn bow, which meant something, even in this time and place. “This novice of the elements cries pardon for earlier misunderstandings, and gratitude for wisdom granted.”
He then spun on his heels and immediately took off in the direction indicated, already knowing that the three were here to sell beast cores and hides like they did every season, Hanz both excited to have finally broken through to Level 6 as an Ice Elementalist, and praying that no one would ask them too many questions as to how exactly they had managed to secure so many prizes from desert spirit beasts thanks to a hidden rift their clan feared a powerful cultivation academy might try to claim for themselves, spiritual energy-rich meat kept perfectly preserved, thanks to a storage device they had claimed from a handful of Bronze that had tried to do just that to their clan, over a decade ago. And how captivating this handsome Ruidian’s eyes were, sparkling like sapphires. And how absurd was it for Hanz to think that the boy would be interested in someone like him? Almost as unlikely as it was for his cousin to actually think she could slip free of her uncle and start life over at Silver Sands… and why was the boy, Alex, giving him such a haunted look? Hanz was about to ask him to join them for lunch, his father’s paranoia not withstanding… Wait, did that boy just pay his respects to them in their clan tongue? Then that means he understood…
Spirit Qi Perception check made!
Alex gave an angry shake of his head, dispelling lingering thoughts he had no interest in glimpsing too deeply, eager to lose himself in the once more considerable crowd.