I remembered my mom telling me as a child not to cross my eyes or they would stay that way. I wonder if the same applied to eye motion. For the past hour, I watched Lu Shen stalk back and forth across the kitchen. I was surprised he hadn't worn a hole through the floor. The fox man radiated anger. I could understand his point of view a little. I killed all the Razorback men but spared the women and children. You'll never get me to kill women and children. But I get it his entire clan was slaughtered, and I didn't return the favor.

I'd watched enough wuxia and xianxia to understand revenge against those who wrong you was all-encompassing. But that wasn't me. The leader of the Razorbacks was called Chu and his first wife, Min was the leader of the clan for the moment.

That was an interesting bit I learned while in the village. A man could have multiple wives. Well, to be specific, a man usually had three Wives and countless concubines, basically legal mistresses. Chu had three wives and six concubines. Thankfully, his wives and concubines liked each other and were working together to organize the clan for me.

The only problem now was convincing Lu to work together with them. The Princess and the other three warriors from the Shen clan were on board. Lu was being stubborn.

"Lu, you're being unreasonable," I told him. "The Razorback men were the ones directly responsible for the death of your clan. Not the women and children. They were innocent. I killed their men, and the women are more than happy to help the Shen clan rebuild."

"Am I to just forget the injustice done to us? Am I to turn a blind eye to the fact our enemies still live?" He asked angrily.

I rolled my eyes. "Your enemies are dead. Those women and children aren't your enemies. They'd like to be your allies."

He scoffed and turned towards the Princess. "Do you agree with this?"

I turned to look at the Princess too. Her name was Jiao Shen. All nine of her tails hung limply behind her as she stared at Lu. "I'm sorry, Lu. I agree with Master Ivory. We need allies not enemies."

I watched Lu's three tails bristle with anger before he stormed off. Despite the seriousness of the situation, I found it hilarious how animal-like they were. You could tell their mood by just watching their tails and ears. I could tell that Lu's attitude upset Jiao. Her ears, which were usually perked up, were laying horizontal on either side of her head.

"He'll come around," I assured her.

She nodded her head meekly. I could tell she was still upset about it. Then an idea came to me.

"Come with me, please."

She looked up at me with wide eyes but followed me. I took her to the garden my folks planted outback. A cobblestone path ran around the perimeter of the garden with its hydrangeas, roses, and carnations. Next to the path was a pond with coy fish and a rock garden with a meditating stone in the center. Bamboo, cherry, and magnolia trees were planted around the pond. In front of the pond was a stone bench for two to sit on. Lining the path were ornate stone lanterns that would automatically turn on once it started getting dark. I enjoyed the look of wonder on Jiao's face. I held out an arm for her. She took it and we strolled along the Garden path.

"I know you are still upset about Lu. I understand how he feels, but peace should be a priority right now."

She nodded her head. "I agree. What happened to my clan was monstrous, but if what you said is true and the women and children of the Razorback clan were abused, then they suffered for much longer than my clan. I don't want to start a cycle of hate."

"I'm glad you feel that way because neither do I. The men of the Razorback clan couldn't be reasoned with. They attacked at just the mere sight of me. No warning, no attempt at communication. The women are more reasonable. With their help, we can bring lasting peace to the valley. Actually, I could use your help with that."

She gave me the side-eye and asked hesitantly. "How could I be of help to one as mighty as you?"

"I'm going to host a summit here in this garden. Tan has agreed to travel to the other clans and request their chiefs to come here. At this summit, I plan to suggest an alliance between the clans. With the five clans united, the valley will be strong and prosperous."

"That sounds marvelous. How am I supposed to help you with that? If you're asking for my permission to order Tan around? Then you have it. "

I shook my head. "No, that's not it. During this conference, I plan on proposing a political marriage between you and another clan chief or their son. I'm asking for your permission to do so."

She stopped and looked at me. "You're very odd Master Ivory."

"How so?"

She tilted her head, eyeing me intently. "I'm a woman under your care. By law, you could claim me as a wife, concubine, servant, or even a slave. Yet you talk to me with respect, even if informally. You have demanded nothing of me, and you ask for my cooperation in your grand designs instead of demanding it. I realize you are from another world, but what a wondrous place it must be if this is how you treat your women."

I shrugged. "Well, I can't say all women in my world are treated with respect, but I was raised to do so."

"Then it's a matter of parentage." She nodded her head. "I wish I could meet your parents. They must be remarkable individuals."

I smiled despite the pang of grief that bloomed in my chest. "They're dead. Car accident three years ago."

"Car accident?"

"Large metal wagons that were used for transport. The two collided, killing everyone involved."

She covered her mouth with her hands. Her eyes shone with sympathy. "I'm sorry for your loss."

I shrugged. "We're both orphans. We'll both survive our pain."

She nodded her head, and we walked along in silence before she broke it. "You have my permission. I shall marry whomever you choose." I bowed my head to her in thanks. We enjoyed the rest of the walk-in silence before I left her to check on the Razorback clan. I was thinking of changing the name. Maybe having a new name would help the other clans to give them a second chance.

On the way back to my house after I had dealt with the Razorbacks, the woman showed me the way to a path that wound up to the top of the hill. I followed the same path down the hill to the town at the bottom. The gates door that I had destroyed was now repaired. Turns out Razorback women were strong. Now that they were eating properly, I was sure that they would get even stronger.

I knocked on the gate. I barge in last time, but this time I wanted to use my manners. Best foot forward.

"Who's there?" A timid voice called.

"Alistair Ivory. May I come in?"

The door opened immediately, and a petite little pig-woman stood there a blush on her face. "Please come in Master Ivory. You didn't have to knock."

I smiled. "My mother raised me with manners. Is Min about?"

She nodded her head and closed the gate once I was inside. She led me to the nicest house in the town, which wasn't saying much. All the houses were made of bamboo with thatch roofs. Most of the roofs had gaping holes in them and parts of the walls were missing. Every house was in a state of disrepair except for the Chief's house.

Min was brushing dust outside her house just as we walked up. She beamed when she saw me. "Good afternoon, Master Ivory."

"You know you can just call me Alistair," I told her.

She blushed deeply. "Very well Alistair."

She invited me into her home, and we sat at a little table while I told her about my plans for the summit. "I want you to be there as your clan's new Chief."

She nodded her head. "Of course. Whatever you need Alistair. The mercy you showed us can never be repaid."

I waved that away. "Nonsense. You and the others were innocent. But I do want to suggest something. What do you think about changing your clan's name?"

Her eyes widened. I held up a hand for silence. "Hear me out. Chu and the other men of the clan committed so many crimes against everyone in the valley that they might never forgive the Razorbacks. But if you change the name of the clan and show them, you're different. It'll leave an impression."

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She was silent for a moment, considering my words. "What would we call ourselves? Our name comes from the spiked mane our men are born with."

That was a good question. I stared at the thatch ceiling for a moment, mulling over the question. I rubbed my chin. There are other names for pigs. After a minute, I abandoned that line of thought. Then I had it.

"How about Bamboo Haven?"

Min tilted her head at me. "Why Bamboo Haven?"

"Well, you are in the middle of a bamboo forest, for one. A haven is a safe place, somewhere people want to be. It symbolizes where you are and what your goal is."

She thought about it and then nodded her head. She looked excited. "We'll have to change our clan crest."

I raised my eyebrows at her. "You have a crest." She nodded. She disappeared into her bedroom, then came back with a plaque. On the plaque was a red boar's head with blades running down the back of its head on a black base.

Yeesh. It screamed aggression. The colors and images made me think of blood and death. That was probably the point. "Yeah, I'll leave that up to you."

She smirked and put the plaque away. "When will this summit be?"

"Two weeks from today. I was told it would take much time for some of the other clans to get here." I told her.

She nodded thoughtfully. "Alistair, are you planning on taking a wife?"

I gave her the side-eye. "Why?"

"I'm in need of a new husband. A strange man killed my last one."

I laughed for a good minute before I reigned it in to answer her. "Maybe. Let me think about it after the Summit. Deal?"

She beamed and blushed. "I can wait. But give me your word, you'll give it serious thought."

I placed a hand on my heart. "I swear on the eternal souls of my parents that I will give it serious thought after the summit."

I was sure her blush deepened, but she gave me a little smile. I smiled back. My last marriage had ended in disaster. Now that would leave some people bitter. Granted. My marriage didn't betray me. The woman I married did. It had been a few months since the divorce papers were signed. Technically, I was still married to Stella. But I was in another world, and I signed the papers, so as far as I was concerned, I was a free man.

Min seemed nice, and I'd like to get to know her better before agreeing to any nuptials. On that note, I stayed and had tea with her. I told her a bit about my world, and she told me what she knew about hers. I was enjoying myself so much in her presence I was reluctant to leave. But I needed to do so.

I still had preparations to make it back to the house. The first thing to do was to make a place for everyone to sit. Thankfully, my father inadvertently solved that for me. In the garage was a large wooden table. Around the edges of the table were ornate etchings of clouds. My father loved carpentry as a hobby. He made the table for a local restaurant, but after his death, they never came to collect it. With the help of the other two Shen men, named Seth and Kai, we carried the table to the garden and set it up near the pond. The chairs my father had made for the table were just as ornate, with celestial dragons winding their way up the legs of the back of the chair.

"Were you a nobleman in your world?" Kai asked me when we had finished moving the furniture.

I shook my head. "No, my father was just a skilled carpenter. He made all this."

Seth was examining the celestial dragons on the chairs. "He truly was. I've never seen such fine work before."

I chuckled. "He was great. But I've seen far better work. My world was full of wonders."

Both men nodded their agreement. I entered the house, heading for the kitchen. I looked through my stock to see what I had left. For the summit, I wanted to cook something good. Doing so would help make my point.

I had plenty of vegetables and other ingredients but meat. Guess it was time for me to go hunting. In the Dojo hung A Yumi, a compound bow, and a recurve bow. I was proficient with all three, but since I was hunting, I'd use the compound bow. Though now that I was in another world, I might have to think about where I was going to get the materials for maintenance.

I'd worry about it later though. Soon it will be dark, and I wanted to get at least one good deer or whatever equivalent they had in this world.

I didn't go very far from the house when I spotted a herd of them. They looked like water deer. I could see a few tusks jutting from their mouth but there was a herd of them. Water deer were supposed to be solitary, but I spotted at least three males and a dozen females. This was another world. They might resemble animals but behave differently.

It didn't matter to me. I knocked my arrow, drew back, aimed, and released. The arrow flew and hit the deer where I was assuming its heart was. I must have guessed right because the deer dropped like a sack of potatoes. The other instantly turned and fled into the woods, disappearing amongst the bamboo.

Now for the part I always hated. Field dressing. You should always do it where you killed the deer and as soon as possible. I'll skip the gory details since I don't want to think back on it myself. By the end of the smelly and very messy process, I carried the now gutless carcass back home where I immediately sliced and diced the meat. I stored the meat in the freezer and rubbed my hands gleefully. I was going to blow the mind of all those leaders.

Two weeks Later

The garden was alive with movement. My own included. The table near the pond was set with the nicest plates my parents own. I brought out my mother's favorite Oriental tea set since it was made of jade and would impress the Chiefs. Tan had returned a few days ago to tell us the Chiefs of the other clans had agreed to the summit and were on their way.

They would arrive soon and when they did, I was going to wow them with my food than with my plans.

Min was already here. She was inside with Princess Jiao. Min had nothing to wear. Her robes were made of hemp. They didn't look very nice. With the Razorbacks no more, Seth and Kai returned to their old home and brought the Princess her clothes that had been left behind. They also spent a day burring their dead.

Jiao was a very nice person. She was loaning Min one of her dresses for the summit. Everything was ready. All that was left were the guests.

The first of the guests to arrive were the Bitter Fang. The chief of the clan was a tall, dark-haired man. He wore his hair in a bun with an ornate bone pin holding it in place. He was lupine in appearance. A pair of ears were pointed and furry a long tail bushy tail swished lazily from side to side. His eyes were a brilliant blue with large irises. Two women accompanied him. They all wore robes in black and white.

Kai whispered his name and other pertinent information into my ear. I bowed my head in greeting. "Welcome Chief Xiao Lang. It's an honor to make your acquaintance."

He bowed his head in kind. "It is an honor to meet the slayer of the Razorbacks."

Kai led the Chief to the garden and returned to my side. Next was the Heavenly Bloom Chief. She was a radiant pink-haired beauty. Her ears were long and pointed, so I assumed she was this world's version of an elf. Her robes and the robes of her attendants were Gold and silver. The material shone in the light, making me wonder if the material was made of rare metals.

"Lady Chang'e Wha. It's a pleasure to meet you." I said with a bow.

She curtsied. "It's a pleasure to meet the savior of the valley."

Kai once again showed the Chief to the garden and returned just in time to greet the last of the chiefs to arrive. The Chief of the Zhou clan was human. His robes were blood red with gold highlights. His blonde hair flowed freely down his back. He wore white makeup with red eyeliner. His appearance was comical. But I kept a straight face.

"Chief Huan Zhou, it's an honor to make your acquaintance."

He snapped open his fan and plastered on a look of indifference while he fanned himself. "Yes, I'm sure it is. Let's not waste any more time and get this affair over with."

Kai quickly showed him to the garden. I took a deep, calming breath. The Zhou Chief was going to be trouble. That was fine. I'd deal with his shit if he tried to start something.

Everyone was seated at the round table by the pond. Their attendants held up standards with their clan crest. Seth held up the Shen Crest. Blue and white yin yang with two characters located in the opposing orbs. I didn't know what the characters meant, but I'd ask later. The Bamboo havens crest formerly the Razorbacks was now a bamboo stalk with paper lanterns for leaves. The Bitter Fang crest was the silhouette of a black wolf's head on a white background. Heavenly bloom was a Gold and Silver lotus blossom on a white background. The Zhou crest was of a red Celestial dragon devouring its own tail on a gold background. Uroboros, the self-devouring serpent. It was morbidly appropriate if I was remotely correct about the Chief of Zhou's character. I took my seat at the table and took a moment to look at Jiao and Min. Jiao wore robes in blue and white. Her hair was in a high bun with a blue crystal pin holding it in place. Min was wearing a stunning robe in green and pink. Her hair was tied in a loose braid down her back. I smiled at the two of them. I was about to speak when Huan Zhou interrupted me.

"Can we please get on with this?" He whined. "Some of us have more important things to do."

"More important than deciding the fate of your clan?" I asked him.

That shut him up. I resisted the urge to smirk at him. I had wanted to start off with the meal and then talk, but it looked like I was going to have to make some changes. I stood and gave a little bow to everyone at the table. "Sine Chief Zhou is so impatient, I'll get to the point. I'd like to propose an alliance between the five clans of the valley."

"And why do you want this?" Chief Lang asked me.

"I was brought here by Leandra. She tasked me with spreading agriculture, innovation, and commerce through these lands. She sent me to this valley, so this is where I wish to start. This valley is full of riches. I wish to form an alliance so that you may all benefit from these riches and spread your influence out beyond the valley."

"And how does any of this benefit us?" Chief Zhou asked next.

"It benefits you because right now, all of you live on the edge of a blade. You scrounge for food every day. When you weren't defending yourself from the Razorbacks, you were fending off raiders from outside the valley. With this alliance, you'll have the strength to fight your foes and I'll teach you agriculture. You'll never want food again."

"How would this alliance work?" Questioned Chief Chang'e.

"The five chiefs here will elect a leader. This leader will direct the alliance for a set number of years. We called a term in my world. After his term has ended, you can either vote to keep him as your leader or vote in a new one if you feel his leadership was lacking."

I sat back down and let them stew over what I had said. Chief Lang was the first to speak up. "I for one, am in favor of this alliance."

"As am I." Chief Chang'e said.

"Agreed." Jiao and Min said in unison.

Zhou had a sour look, but he nodded in agreement.

"Who do we elect as a leader?" Zhou asked. He was fanning himself again.

Chief Lang snorted in derision. "I vote for Master Ivory. He's the only one here I trust to lead us."

"I second that." Chief Chang'e gave me a sultry wink.

"I vote for Master Ivory." Jiao and Min said one right after the other.

Zhou was shooting daggers at me. If looks could kill, I'd have been disintegrated. But he assented as well.

I bowed to all of them. "Now let's eat." Kai and Tan brought out plates laden with venison burgers and potatoes wedges. "This is an example of what you will see in the coming years."

I sat back and watched as everyone at the table devoured their meals with gusto. The look of pleasure and wonder on their faces made me giddy. These people did not know what was in store for them. But I was fairly certain after today they'd be on board with my future designs.