Chapter 2
“What’s he doing here? I thought the Ruidian was forbidden from attending this class!” declared a silken-robed aspirant glaring daggers at Alex, a boy he instantly recognized as one of Tan Yi’s cronies.
The now very former Tan Yi, Alex thought, which put a grim smile on his face as he met the young aristocrat’s sneer, earning a blanch and step back in turn, which was strange, since he hadn’t said anything at all.
“Our Ruidian aspirant certainly has his share of flaws, but a reluctance to do his part for the sake of our precious oasis in the desert isn’t one of them,” Elder Win said with a pointed look towards the suddenly flushing youth, a declaration that earned a pair of smiles from Quing and Lilly, presently holding hands, their features filled with warmth and gratitude as they gazed Alex’s way.
Luo and Xiao, the former guards turned budding cultivators thanks to a fortuitous encounter, also nodded respectfully as their mentor spoke on.
“For these two young Ruidians are among the very few who refused to give up their hunt for cores during our city’s most perilous hour, even when countless other individuals—individuals content to let the tides of vicious change sweep over us all—took shelter against a storm they had thought inevitable.
” Their instructor’s pointed look caused more than a few students to flinch before his gaze, not that Alex blamed them for even a second for keeping their heads low while the Duo Li clan had effectively staged an attempted coup.
To stick out the other night was to invite death to anyone below Deep Silver, especially if they lacked a strong crew.
Still, their instructor’s gentle reproof put all those who would protest Alex’s presence on the defensive.
Elder Win’s hard gaze lightened, his smile suddenly filled with warmth and understanding.
“Not that anyone blames a young cultivator for taking shelter when winds of change blow through their lives. It is the smart move. The prudent move! Which makes the noble actions of our Ruidian friends here all the more remarkable. Even if the pair of them only managed a couple Earth cores.” He said the last with a gentle chuckle.
“Yet their dedication was still sufficient for them to shine in the headmaster’s eyes brightly enough that she has decreed that from this day forward, all Ruidians are to be permitted to audit any class they like! ”
“But that doesn’t make them cultivators, does it?
” asked one girl, giving Alex and Linnea a curious look free of any animosity.
“I mean, that’s how they came to our rescue in the Western Rift, right?
Their Ruidian magic just happens to be very good for handling delves, on account of their own spirit beast-like natures, yes? ”
Alex gently squeezed Linnea’s hand when he sensed the flame whip forming.
“Spirit beast, indeed, the little bitch. And damn her for being right!” Linnea scowled, self-consciously rubbing the jewel on her brow and glaring the suddenly flustered girl’s way.
Elder Win shrugged. “Who can say? Whether mana or spiritual energy, should observing our disciplines inspire breakthroughs of their own, it can only be of benefit to the institution that sponsors them. Now, assuming there are no further questions? Excellent. Let us make our way to the cultivation pagoda. I expect you all to continue to master the purification and cycling lessons Elder Shi and myself have been assisting you with.”
Alex soon found himself walking along with several dozen other energetic students, either whispering, gossiping, or just taking in their environment, all of them without a care in the world, as if having no idea just how close their fragile little oasis had come to collapsing all around them.
The life-giving caldera floor below, several miles wide and filled with fields of sun-ripened wheat and glistening groves of fruit trees, might have been a dry, parched wasteland in just a few weeks’ time, had it not been for Alex and his companions.
So he took a deep breath of air smelling of both the desert and lush farmland and allowed himself to savor a relaxing halcyon morning practicing both Desert Fox and Prismatic Fox cultivation and restoration techniques, searching his own mind for the harmonious balance between drawing in fresh spiritual energy and using it to revitalize and strengthen his body.
Of course his gains outside the heat of combat felt infinitesimal, even if he sensed that he was close to another breakthrough.
The important thing was just how good he now felt.
Relaxed, serene, with an exquisitely coordinated body and a Strength that very few could match, at least not in this time and place.
The martial training before lunch was a bit harder to deal with, mostly because of the noticeable absence of Instructor Rah.
A weight came over all of them when Ya Ling and Dui Zhong made it clear that Rah wouldn’t be joining them, after he had sacrificed so much for the city he loved.
Both of Alex’s friends gave him warm smiles, yet Alex could sense the strain underneath, especially in Ya Ling’s countenance.
They had gone through an incredible ordeal together, had earned both the prince’s and headmaster’s respect and gratitude, and all parties agreed it would be best to keep their roles as quiet as possible.
For their own sake, and the city’s as a whole.
Not that they hadn’t been awarded handsomely in silver, royal favor, and school credits, but all of them certainly appreciated the need for discretion.
And, as much as it broke Alex’s heart when they had been so close, Alex could tell that at least one of his friends needed time alone to process all that had occurred last night. Most especially, time away from him.
“Alex?”
Alex blinked, slowly turning around and putting on his gentlest face to deal with the source of that voice after receiving a bemused nod from Dui Zhong, who had actually managed to best Alex in the bind twice, which showed just how distracted Alex was.
“Hey.”
“Hey yourself,” Ya Ling said with a sad smile that soon became strained as she opened her mouth, yet no words came out. Even Linnea gave her a sympathetic look.
Alex could tell she was trying to gather up the courage to say something and could all too easily guess what it was.
“We certainly had quite a night, didn’t we?” he said with a grin, before bowing solemnly and low. “Even if we agreed that discretion’s the better part of valor, thank you, Ya Ling.”
Ya Ling blinked, suddenly looking flustered before shaking her head. “No, Alex. I didn’t do anything. It was you who—”
“You mean it was you who actually managed to disrupt that formation in the Southern Rift using gifts that no one has, besides you. It was you who became one with the sands and pulled free those stones. Without your timely intervention, a massive Gold or, hell, maybe even a Jade-tier wyrm might have already made a nest of our caldera and city, filling it with toxic fumes. Which would have forced hundreds of thousands of souls to flee and die in the desert sands.”
Her cheeks flushed, even though Alex had been speaking soft and low.
If Elder Win’s exquisite hearing had picked up on anything, the look the man had given him before already made it clear that he knew, or at least suspected, that Alex had a hand in last night’s proceedings, even if the prince and headmaster were the ones currently being celebrated as heroes, with a citywide festival now being held in their honor.
As they were the faces of their institutions, their acquired fame would only add to the stability of the city as a whole.
“Alex, about…” She rubbed her temples and shook her head. “By the bitter sands, I don’t even know how to say it!”
“You need time,” Alex said with the softest of smiles.
Ya Ling flinched, lowering her gaze, making it clear that Alex had hit the mark.
“After what happened last night… the things some of us were forced to do, no matter how much we regret it—”
“Don’t regret saving my life,” she whispered.
“Never! The point is, I understand. You need time to figure things out. To see how you feel. To see if continuing our… friendship is something you feel comfortable continuing. Because what’s most important is that it’s something you choose.”
Ya Ling slowly tilted her head up, and how it broke Alex’s heart to see the unshed tears in her eyes. “Alex…”
It was all he could do not to step in and hug her, but he knew it would break his heart to feel her flinch. “It’s okay. I’m always here if you want to talk, or… whatever.”
She swallowed, flashing a bittersweet smile. “Yes, thank you, Alex. Thank you for understanding.”
Alex swallowed the painful lump in his throat when he returned her smile. “Still want me to fix the garden?”
She gazed at him for long moments before finally nodding. “That would be lovely. My grandparents would be extremely grateful. It’s just… if I’m not there at the time, I hope you won’t hold it against me?”
“Of course not. You’re a busy girl, both student and instructor, and you have your own concerns. I’m just happy to put that garden back to rights! Make it a place you can retreat to. Cool shade, lush fruit, beautiful flowers. Peace and serenity.”
Ya Ling bit her lip, gazing at him before she bowed one final time. “Goodbye, Alex.”
“Goodbye, Ya Ling.”
And then she was gone.
“Are you all right?”
Alex ignored the mocking smirks sent his way by a pair of cronies who were now missing their leader, his focus instead on the concerned gaze of the girl before him.
“Yeah, it’s okay.”
For some reason, Linnea didn’t look convinced. “You saved us, Alex. All of us.”
Alex forced a laugh. “Come on. We’ll be late for Sulia’s class if we don’t get going, and considering she’s only just coming around to seeing me as anything other than an arrogant, clueless pain in the ass, let’s not compound our failures with lateness, shall we? I’m sure lessons will be hard enough.”