The carriage's interior was suffocating as the six cultivators refused to leave their seats to greet Henry.

The woman who had poked him in the chest didn’t even give him her name. She just looked at him dismissively before sitting down. What was with cultivators just not having any manners?

The carriage had plenty of empty seats, so Henry just sat down and flagged over a servant carrying a food tray. The poor fellow didn’t look at him positively, quaking in fear.

“What’s good to eat here,” he asked, trying to sound friendly.

“Anything you want, young lord, and if we can not find it here, we will send outriders to fetch it for you.”

The servant displayed the tray for Henry to inspect.

Big steaming chickens glistened with spices and butter. Steaks were seared in garlic and rosemary with rich dark gravy. Roasted root vegetables were mixed in with big hunks of bacon. Big honey-glazed hams were served with mountains of mashed pot. Bread and butter of every shape and variety were on display.

How the hell did that guy carry all this stuff? To work as a servant, he must be a cultivator, even a low-level one.

“There's no need for all that; just leave the tray, and I would appreciate it if you could bring me a pitcher of water.”

The servant put the food tray down and booked it to a door in the back.

Taking out the unicorn needle, Henry dipped it into all of the food on the table. Everything seemed kosher; he was hoping that someone would have tried something. He realized he was expecting one of the cultivators to try and poison his food. Maybe they just thought he wasn’t worth the effort.

Double-fisting two chicken drumsticks, he chose to eat away his indignations.

****

He was into his second entire ham when he felt the carriage come to a halt. The doors swung open, and the driver peeked his head into the carriage.

“We are here, young lords and ladies. Please watch your step. The master told me he would be waiting for you all in the keep.”

The cultivators in the carriage all got up and piled out of the carriage.

Henry just kept on eating, waiting for them to all fully disembark. He didn’t know if he would get another good meal like this and didn’t want to waste it.

Letting out a huge burp, Henry strutted like he owned the place.

Stepping out of the carriage, he could feel the sting of saltwater in the wind. Seagulls were cawing in the distance as people went about their lives.

This place was packed with people coming and going. The port had massive ships of every design moored in its harbor. Henry could see and hear the distinctive hum of commerce. It made his ki flare. It had been months since it had done that. Henry was overcome with the feeling of the gold madness. He circulated his ki, and the feeling slowly went away. His Ki control had gotten much better over. All because of the training he had with the maids.

Henry saw crowds of merchants and workers unloading the ships with their goods. Here and there, he heard different dialects and smelled exotic scents.

The mix of people that walked around the port dazzled Henry. There were elves just strutting around, just like in his stories. He had to fight the urge to follow what he assumed to be elvish rangers into a bar. Crucible City looked so podunk compared to this more metropolitan city. Beast people, orcs, and even some goblins haggled with the human cultivators.

Henry wondered why these other races were not seen in the South. Did they not travel, or was it something more insidious? Did Fei keep them here for some racial purity reasons? He would have to sit down and chat with his new fake father when he could. Something didn’t add up.

The other cultivators headed towards the big palace while Henry gazed like a tourist.

The structure was massive and imposing. It was also ugly as all hell. Fei’s home was just like him. Domineering and powerful but without an ounce of elegance. It was a solid block of gray stone that sat right in the mouth of the harbor. Any ship that wanted to sail in would have to pass by its gates. Every ship captain would disembark with a bag of goods, presenting it to one of Fei’s lackeys before being allowed to dock.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Henry understood now why people feared Fei so much. He could choke the distribution of goods from the rest of the continent.

He yearned to go exploring. To see new things and try new foods. Ever since he had come to this world, he felt like he had been running around trying not to die. For once, he was just in a place where people didn’t look at him like he was nobody. Here, they looked at him like a young master.

Henry could get used to this.

****

Entering the palace, Henry looked around and concluded that Fei had no interior decorator. Where Gram Gram’s place screamed luxury and wealth, Fei screamed eternal bachelor or deadbeat dad, depending on who you ask. The walls were littered with the mounted heads of various animals, some of which he could identify and some that looked like serial killers' nightmare fuel. Fei sat in the cavernous room on a big granite throne with his six children flanking him. What was with dragons and thrones, Henry mused to himself.

That muscular amazoness was still sending death glares at him. Henry learned that with bullies, if you back down, then they keep coming. It's best to put your foot down and stop it.

“Alright we are here now, you ready to get your ass kicked?” Henry said, pointing to the woman.

Fei rubs the bridge of his nose as if trying to head off an impending migraine.

“Hen Ri why are you challenging Liu, please tell me you didn’t start something on the ride over here.”

“Nah you know me pops my as harmless as a can be, this chick though she needs to take a chill pill,” Henry cocked his head motioning over to Liu.

She was fuming, literally frothing at the mouth as she moved towards Henry.

A male cultivator with spikey blond hair and two long vertical scars on both eyes put his hand out to stop her.

“ He is right father, Liu accosted him on the carriage, but to be fair had she not I would have.”

Fei cocked an eyebrow before saying, “ That is surprising. Er, you are usually so level-headed; what did he do to rouse your ire?”

“It is not what he did, father, but what he is.”

Well, that didn’t sound patronizing at all, Henry thought.

“Hey Er, was it? You don't know me, and I don’t know you, so maybe don’t jump to stupid conclusions about who I am.”

Henry was starting to get heated where the hell did this guy get off saying some shit like that.

Who he is. Stupid ass cultivator talk, for this peasant, doesn’t belong in the same room as us.

“If you want to go, I'll handle your ass after I’m done with her,” he said defiantly.

“Fine, I was going to introduce you to your siblings, Hen Ri, but I guess this is as good an icebreaker as any,” Fei said as he raised an earthen fighting ring in the middle of his court. The sycophants and counselors crowd around while Fei levitated his stone throne closer to the ring.

“This will be a spar between Hen Ri and Liu, the fight will be until I decide a winner.”

“Wait, that's it. No rules or anything? Not even warning about accidental deaths?” Henry said, shocked.

“You might be my children, but you are not kids; plus, I doubt you could kill Liu even if you tried your hardest,” Fei said, lighting up a cigar while lounging on his seat.

The two combatants squared up in the center of the ring.

Liu threw her heavy fur coat off. She was jacked and wore a fur tank top and long fur trousers. This looked like the style in the North, as Henry had seen many cultivators rocking it. The tank top showed off her ripped physique. There is nothing womanly about her, just slabs of hard muscle. Her skin was a patchwork of scars and newly healed cuts.

Henry took it all in this mountouse woman when she said, “Don’t look at me like that freak. You’re my stepbrother.”

He decided to practice the time-honored tradition of making your opponent angry.

“Get your mind out of the gutter, besides you are not my type, too, butch,” he said as he slowly circled her.

“I hope not all the girls in the North look like you; Southern girls are so much softer and more refined.”

“Shut your mouth, pervert. Northern women are strong and tough, unlike those wilting daisies from the South. You must be fathers son, you talk just like that philandering bastard.”

“Hey, I’m still here, you know; at least wait till I’m not paying attention to talk shit,” Fei said with fake anger.

“Pops here told me that he would show me what it means to be a Northerner. So far, it seems that means desolate landscapes, ugly buildings, and scary buff girls. At least the food is good.”

Henry brought out his knuckle dusters and put them on, finding comfort in the extra weight they provided his hands.

“Seriously though, just brotherly advice, if you ever plan on getting married, you need to change your attitude, face, skin care regimen. Better yet, you probably should just put those cleavers to use and make me some meat buns. Or can you not even cook?”

“YOU DARE,” Liu shouted, drawing her cleavers.

Yup, she was pissed. Henry just smiled and let his ki sense suffuse the arena.

He dove at her and struck.