I was pacing. My Qi was all over the place and I knew my emotions were high. I should meditate, channel my QI, and work on my Golden Core. But my mind kept coming back to Stella. She was here! That bastard Azura was messing with me.

I was so mad, I just wanted to kill something. No, I wanted to kill her. Her betrayal and the words she said to me cut deep. No one had ever hurt me so bad. She ripped my heart out and shredded it. My father raised me not to be a bitter man. I didn't blame the institution of marriage or women. Stella didn't represent either. She was a singular individual who betrayed me. It was Stella I hated. Her very presence here was sending me into a tailspin.

"Enough Alistair. Sit down before I break your legs." Jiutian Xuan threatened. She was sitting at the table in the large dining area of our mansion in the Emperor's palace.

Reluctantly, I did as she said. Not only was she my superior, but she very well might actually break my legs. She was a graceful beauty desired by all. Her temper was a rare thing, but when she got mad, she didn't hold back. Since I still needed my limbs in their proper place, I sat across from her.

Her face held nothing but sympathy and compassion. "I understand Alastair. From what you told me, she hurt you deeply. It was an ultimate betrayal. But you need to focus now. If she's the Azura's hero, then she's here to antagonize the Emperor, the court, and even the delegation from the Baren continent."

I nodded. "He picked the right person." Love truly was blind. I had been blind to the woman she was. It wasn't until after she betrayed me I finally saw her for what she was. She was a master manipulator and a narcissist. During the divorce proceedings, I had a lot of time to think about our life. That's when I noticed all the times she belittled me. The subtle way she scorned my love of cooking. My mother never liked her and I should have realized it was for a good reason. My mother wasn't a monster-in-law. She wasn't controlling or possessive. I should have realized she saw her for what she was and trusted her.

But I was in love. It blinded me to all the warnings. Not anymore. I was a wiser man now. I guess I have her to thank for that. But Jiutian Xuan was right. I needed to focus. There was so much more at stake now. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, poured myself a cup of water, and drank deeply. Calmer than before. I focused on Jiutian Xuan.

"Tell me what you can about the Baren continent."

She absently fanned herself before talking. "The Baren continent is a war-torn land. For thousands of years, they fought war after war. The Continent has known only one year of peace. The consent conflict ravaged the land and left most of it bereft of life. There are small pocket oases that are noncombative zones since they are the only places you can get water and food."

"I'm assuming that they aren't a unified nation?" I asked her.

She nodded. "No, but the delegation was sent by The Great Aigas Khan. Khan is what they call their rulers. Aigas Khan is a military genius that has been conquering the other great tribes. While they are not united, an alliance with us could be beneficial, as we could supply them with a steady supply chain."

I rubbed my chin. "If we went to war, how bad would it be for us?"

She thought about it for several minutes. "Potentially disastrous. Since they spent their entire lives at war, they have perfected their body cultivation. Even their weakest soldier would be stronger than our strongest soldier."

I drummed my fingers on the table. "And if the sect fought in defense of the nation?"

She snorted. "Our sect would fight. Kunlun Mountain sect would fight, but the others would hold up in their compounds."

"Why just us and Kunlun?"

"As I know, you're aware. The emperor is my descendant. I won't abandon family. And the Sect leader of Kunlun is my youngest daughter. Technically, she's the great dowager empress. That's if she wasn't a cultivator. Both of us are loyal to family. We would fight for our descendants. The other sects are vain and selfish. They only care about attaining immortality or other such pursuits."

I rolled my eyes. "Not much difference from my world, then."

"To be clear, there is nothing wrong with pursuing power or wealth. After all, would you like to live in a hovel freezing and hungry or would you rather live in a pleasant home with a warm hearth and hot food?"

"The latter, obviously. I was a restaurateur. I worked hard to build my business. But I never forgot who I was and why I built the business. From what you said, the other sects have forgotten everything and everyone in vain pursuits."

She looked at me contemplatively. "Then tell me Alastair why did you become a what was the word you used? A restaurateur?"

I smiled and thought back. "When I was a boy, my mother would have me help her in the kitchen. She would tell her stories of how her mother taught her to cook, and so she taught me to cook. As I grew older, I loved experimenting with food. My parents worked hard so I could go to culinary school..."

"Wait, your world had schools that thought people how to cook?" She asked.

I smirked. "Yes. There are many ways to cook food and different ingredients pair well together or taste horrible. Working in a restaurant isn't the same as cooking at home. Culinary schools give you the knowledge and experience to work or run restaurants. The good ones do anyway. But I digress. I became a restructure is because I wanted to give something back to my parents and I wanted to be financially secure for the family I wanted to have. Before they died, my parents retired early since I took care of all their needs and before Stella betrayed me, I had enough money to have a dozen kids with her and put them through college."

"Filial loyalty and responsibility. You keep impressing me, Alastair. It truly was a heinous crime this Stella woman committed against you."

I shrugged. "To get back on topic. You said that an alliance with us would be beneficial because we could supply them. Could you elaborate on that?"

She took a sip of tea to wet her throat before answering me. "Baren continent is the largest continent in our world. There are several large oases where the great tribes make their home and hundreds of smaller oases that the smaller tribes constantly fight to control. Food is scarce. The oases have an abundance of water, though."

That had my mind turning. Ideas were forming. Stella had already been poking and prodding every time the delegation sat for dinner with the Emperor. Picking at old wounds and bruised egos. I couldn't stand to be in the same room with her, but I watched the delegation. Apparently, this wasn't the first time a khan from the Baren continent came to the Dragon continent to form alliances. Each time had ended in disaster and war.

But if what she said about the people of the Baren continent was true, I had just the plan. The best part would be the look on her face when plans fall apart,

 

I stood in the dining hall where a long table had been set up. The food the delegation had been eating was the standard meal royalty ate. Tender meats served with cooked vegetables with a bowl of white rice. The food was plain. The rice was plain and the meats, while juicy and tender, lacked any kind of spice aside from the meat that had been salted to keep them fresh.

I made a few changes to the menu today. This would be the last chance to make an alliance with the Baren continent. We didn't need to be allied with them, but war was not an option and if the delegation left offended, that's what would happen. But I would not let that happen.

Jiutian Xuan and I were the first in the hall. The Emperor, his wives, and his courtiers arrived one after another, the announcers belting out their names and titles as they entered the hall. I dreaded what was going to happen next.

"The Lady Stella Myer hero of Azura!" the announcer shouted.

I gritted my teeth and forced myself to look at her. She wore a tight formfitting red dress. it had high slits up the sides showing on her legs, thighs, and the fact she was wearing no panties. The bodice of the dress was too small for her large breasts, giving her a Jessica Rabbit look. I used to love it when she dressed like that. Except back then, I thought she was dressing like that for me. To drive me crazy. To tease and tempt me. But no, she dressed like that for everyone else but me.

Jiutian Xuan moved to stand close to me as if having an intimate conversation with me. She took my hand in hers and rubbed my knuckles with her thumb. The calming energy washed over me, centering me. I looked down at her. She held my gaze, empathy in her eyes. I squeezed her hand gently, letting her know I appreciated her help.

Smiled and a mischievous twinkle lit her eyes. "Don't worry. Everything will be better in a moment."

I raised an eyebrow at her. How was that gonna happen?

"The Ladies Min Baiji Ivory, Jiao Shen Ivory, and Liu Feng Ivory. Wives of the venerable hero of Leandra."

I turned to the doors to see my wives enter the great hall. All three were wearing stunning dresses that hugged their curves but were tasteful. The announcer shouted a few seconds later.

"The Ladies Li Hua Ivory and Li Mei Ivory! Concubines of the venerable hero of Leandra!"

Li Hua and Li Mei were wearing the most scandalous dresses of a gossamer material that gave just a hint of what lay beneath. All my women made their way to me and greeted me with a hug and passionate kisses that made me want to do indecent things with them here and now.

"What are you all doing here?" I asked them. I was glad to see them.

"sect leader Jiutian arranged for us to be escorted her through her gate. We've been here a few days now, getting ready for tonight." Liu Feng told me.

"Lady Jiutian told us about your Ex being here." Jiao Shen said, She took my hand, "We're here for you my love. She's a fool and you have us. Let her stew in regret cause we'll never give you back to her."

I kissed her again, bolstered by her words. "Have I told you how much I love you?" Jiao smiled at me.

"Don't look now, everyone." Li Hua murmured loud enough for us to hear. "But the whore who hurt our man is looking at us and she is incensed."

I covertly looked, and sure enough, Stella was glaring daggers at us. If looks could kill, we'd all be ash. She caught me looking. I smirked at her and her face turned as red as a tomato before she turned away with a huff and walked to her place at the table.

I couldn't resist a snicker, and my women joined me in my minor victory. "Come on, let's sit down. The fun is just about to start."

 

My women were the last guests to arrive. Now came the diplomacy. I had asked the emperor to allow Jiutian Xuan to conduct the negotiations. Jiutian Xuan stood and bowed. "I know that the previous ambassadors have failed to reach an accord with excellency." She bowed to the ambassador from the Barren continent.

He stiffly nodded his head in acknowledgment of her words. I could see that the damage had been done. The ambassador was all too willing to leave. Stella had been busy while I was sulking. That was my fault, but I would fix it.

I caught her eye, and she nodded her head imperceptibly. "Gentlemen. Mighty warriors of the Barren Continent. Why did your journey here?"

The Ambassador scoffed. "What do you mean? Why did we journey here?"

"Your reason for wishing an alliance." She clarified.

"We've already been over this." The ambassador said vexedly.

"Not with me you haven't. Please regale me."

The ambassador looked put out, be he regaled her. "The Great Aigas Khan wishes to unify the Baren Continent. But a steady chain of supplies is scarce. Here in the dragon continent, I was told food is plentiful. Our illustrious Khan wants to form an alliance."

"And what would be the benefit for us?" Jiutian Xuan asked him.

Stella snicked and placed a hand on the ambassador's arm. "See. I told you. There is nothing you can offer them. War is the only way your Khan can achieve his goals."

"It appears to be our only option." The ambassador agreed.

"That's a shame. " I shook my head, a look of regret on my face. I spent hours working on it.

"Why is that a shame, Master Ivory?" Jiutian Xuan asked.

"Well, if he goes to war with us, his Khan will never get to see a revived land." I shook my head again. "Such an utter waste."

The ambassador turned fully to me. "Explain."

I raise an eyebrow at him. He cleared his throat and apologized. "Please explain hero Ivory."

"Your empire doesn't have much to offer. Except for land." I stood up and walked down the length of the table to stand across from him. "My goddess grants me the power to restore the land. If you enter into an alliance with us, we will provide your Knoble Khan with supplies and I will bring the land to life and show your people how to farm so that you never have to go hungry again."

Stella was glaring at me. "Don't listen to him, Jamid. His words are like honey. But they will leave a sour aftertaste."

"The allow me to prove it. Ambassador Jamid, allow me to show you the fruits of our labor and my goddess's blessing."

I clapped my hands and walked back to my seat. "Enjoy the food."

Servants brought in the first course. Traditionally, it was supposed to be a 17-course banquet. I asked the emperor to shorten it to five. I explain a 5-course would truly allow them to absorb the wonder of the food and make our wealth clear. A 17-course meal while extravagant would be too much food. They'd have to throw up most of the food to make room for the rest. No 5-courses would be enough o fill them and let the flavors sink in and seduce them.

Covered bowls were placed before the guest before the lids were removed. "Sharkfin soup. A delicacy from master Ivory's world and reproduced by our chefs here." The palaces head chef told the guests.

I monitored the ambassador Jamid and his entourage during dinner, watching his reactions. They were promising. Try as he might, he simply couldn't hold back his delight at the soup.

The next course was braised tofu with mushrooms. I was skeptical about whether they would get this dish right. But I was relieved when I took the first bite. The tofu and mushrooms were nice and juicy. The sauce was thick, spicy, and bursting with flavor. I'd have to congratulate the chef on a job well done. Maybe I could steal the chef for my restaurant. I'd come back to that at another time.

The ambassador was wolfing down his food with gusto. Another success.

The third course was lobster fried rice drizzled with a ginger butter sauce. This was a particular favorite of mine. Even the bitch Stella couldn't hide how much she enjoyed my cooking. I used to love watching her enjoy my food. Now it just made me wish I could slip a little something into her food.

Maybe later.

The fourth course was a particular favorite of mine. Duck al orange. I actually ignored the delegation and Stella to focus on my food. I cut in the crisp skin and chewed on the succulent meat with its citrus sauce. There was an orgasm in my mouth. I cooked this dish beforehand. To be sure, there was no chance of them messing it up. Duck al orange was a tricky dish to get right.

Last was a simple fruit spread. I thought the head chef and the cooks how to cut and artfully arrange the slices of fruit into a colorful display. Melon, apple, strawberry, some grapes, and even fruits I'd never seen on earth. It was beautiful and everyone around the table was particularly excited about this.

When the last piece of fruit was eaten and the plates cleared, the ambassador stood and addressed Jiutian Xuan. "Lady Jiutian Xuan would you honor me by coming to my manor? I believe we have terms to discuss regarding our new alliance treaty."

Jiutian Xuan stood and bowed low to him. "It would be an honor, ambassador Jamid."

He returned her bow and excused himself for the evening. The emperor who had been silent raised a toast to me and Jiutian on our success. Stella had glared at me with murderous intent. She'd stormed off after Jamid, and I couldn't help the thrill of delight that coursed through me.

The emperor and his wives joined me and my wives for a private celebration that lasted long into the night. For the first time since I came to the palace, I let loose and enjoyed our victory.