Sitting on his golden throne, the Northern Sky Breaker observed an image of a goofy-looking boy with golden eyes. Little Snow Flower had claimed that this boy was one of his. He was shocked at the news and headed straight to the South. Until one of his pesky watchers ratted him out, he was immediately bombarded with mental messages. Every sect leader of the Martial Alliance reminded him politely but firmly that they had an agreement.

  Old farts, always ruining his fun. He should have never agreed to that stupid pact. The north was fine, plenty of demons to kill and hardy barbarian women to fuck. He missed the hustle and bustle of the South, though. The South was where he initially made his name. One of his kids felt the same.

  He had many children spread far across the north. They lived well off his name. They wanted for nothing, and the mortals and cultivators gave them proper respect. He lived by a zero-interference policy. He never meddled with his kids unless their lives were in danger.

  So why was this boy running around in the South, of all places? Why was he in Crucible City? From what he gathered, this boy wanted to join the sects.

  It was preposterous as if those bumbling idiots could be a better teacher than him.

  He was curious about this child, this Hen Ri. All his children were skilled in cultivation, that was to be assumed, but none had ever manifested the eyes. He gripped his throne and let his senses wander. His spirit went south past the ki wards and spirit shields. The sects have always been so proud of their protections. He cut them like a hot knife through butter.

  He found Hen Ri almost immediately; the child stood out with his tourist shirt and big frame. Haa, the kid was so out of place amongst the southern cultivators. The boy looked so sad, absolutely clueless to the shadows tailing him.

  The shadows noticed his presence right away. They stopped and bowed deeply."

  "We mean no disrespect to you, Elder, but we can not allow you to harm the young master. We beg your forgiveness, but he is under the protection of Yinlong of The Dragon's Horde"."

  This made him pause; he had not heard that name for long. With a thought, he was back in his body. He dressed quickly and fished a gold bracelet out of his spatial storage. He fed it a little of his Ki, and a door materialized before him.

  ****

  Yinglong was counting his take for the day when he felt it. A strong ki signature had entered his casino, putting all his patrons on edge. Well, couldn't have that."

  "Isabelle, please bring our guest to my suite before he starts anything," he said into the ring on his finger.

  Shortly after, there was a knock on his door, and in strode Isabelle, with someone he had never expected to see."

  "Well, look what the cat dragged in if it isn't little Fei," Yinglong said with genuine joy.

  "Hello, uncle, please don't call me that."

  The two men embraced, slapping each other on the back. "It's good to see you, nephew. It's been too long. Come have a seat, and let me pour you a drink."

  Fei sat down on a cushioned chair. His uncle had not aged a day since their last meeting, a thousand years ago. He still moved like a jungle cat. Yinlong had been lecturing him about his temper the previous time he was in this room. His uncle had always been such a nag. More like a mother hen, really, than a dragon."

  "Here you go," Yinlong said, handing him a drink. The two clinked glasses and drank deeply. With a sigh, he sat back down and steepled his fingers.

  "So, nephew, it's been a thousand years since we last met, and now you come here unannounced."

  Fei rubbed his head bashfully, which was odd for someone his age."

  "Well, Uncle, I was watching one of my kids when I was stopped by two of your shadows." Yinglong's face was a granite mask, not betraying an ounce of emotion."

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  "They informed me that he was under your protection, and well, here I am."

  Yinglong finished his drink and poured himself another."

  "That boy made a nuisance at my casino; he tried to cheat and got caught."

  "So you had him tailed; that doesn't make sense, uncle."

  "He also did not know his heritage nephew," Yinglong said patronizingly."

  "Well, you see, uncle, I have a lot of kids, and I, umm, kinda lose track of them," Fei said apologetically.

  "Always the manwhore, worry not nephew, he is not your son, but he is blood."

  "What do you mean by that, uncle? Why do you always have to be so cryptic? It's honestly exhausting."

  "He is always so impatient. Like I said, he is not your son; he's more like your brother."

  Fei stared at Yinlong with his mouth wide open. He had a brother? How did this even happen? He was thousands of years old, and this boy couldn't be more than eighteen."

  "I know, I know, pretty shocking, right? Well, you can blame your damn father for that"."

  Thoughts of his father brought a red-hot flash of rage upon him. Sparks of electricity leaked from his head. Tiny little clouds formed over him."

  "Reign it in Fei; I just remodeled this place.""

  Fei took a deep breath and let his rage dissipate."

  "So my dear father sired another so"?"

  "Not quite; your father gave this boy his core and spiritual root."

  An explosion of force vaporized the whole penthouse floor. "I'll have Isabelle invoice you, Fei. You have a serious anger problem. Consider getting some professional help."

  Fei was fuming with rage; that deadbeat fuck of a parent gave his legacy to a damn child. If he ever got his hands on that stupid dragon's neck, he'd smother the life out of him."

  "Uncle, I must go, and I'm sorry for losing my temper."

  "Whatever, just don't do anything crazy, please. I don't want another war," Yinglong said as he lazily waved his hand.

  A door appeared before Fei, and he was halfway through when Yinglong spoke."

  "Remember, nephew, mind your temper."

  The door slammed with a sickening thud.

  Yinglong picked up a melted mass of coins and just sighed.

  ****

  Fei was beside himself. He had been pacing repeatedly, staring at the real-time crystal projection of the Rising Star pit fights. He had been watching that idiot boy fight. He was raw, undisciplined, and without any technique. He stumbled through his first fight, winning through surprise. The second was a wash; the idiot had talked more than he fought. So why was he so worried now?

  Hen Ri was fighting a clan cultivator of passable skill and wasn't doing well. It started decently enough, with brief exchanges, but he could see the boy getting desperate. He had no techniques to defend the Wu clan's sword. That is until the kid surprised him. Hen Ri had brought out some strange-looking water whips and countered superbly. Fei had never seen that technique used like that before. What happened next was the real reason that he was pacing.

  He watched as Hen Ri channeled his golden ki into his fist, preparing for his final strike. The ki was potent and dense, just like his father. Stay calm, Fei. Mind your temper. Deep down, he did not want to admit it, but his uncle had not been lying. The boy had his father's spiritual root and core, and he was going to die.

  No, that must not happen. That legacy was not his father's to give. That legacy belonged to the family, and now it was about to be snuffed out. Treaty be damned, Fei had to do something.

  He let his cultivation rise and fall just like the clouds. Fei did not have his father's’s legacy, instead he had to make his own path. That is not to say that his father did not give him anything. The blood of dragons ran through his veins, and right now, they were roaring. He would save this boy, and then he would get some answers.

  With a crash of lightning and the roar of thunder, the Northern Sky Breaker flew southwards. The alarms went off the moment he crossed the invisible divide. Elders from all the sects rallied and flew to meet this impending disaster.

  At least, that is what would have happened.

  Instead, all the Elders received a very polite ki message from an even more terrifying presence than the Northern Sky Breaker. The message was simple."

  "This is a family matter, not an act of war. He will leave when it is resolved, so please keep everything civil."

  The secelder's’s collectively paled. She had never spoken so politely to them before. They all promptly retreated into secluded cultivation, adamant that they should not be disturbed until after the Northern Sky Breaker was gone.

  Fei crashed through the roof of the Rising Star Inn just in time to see Pale Moon hoisting Hen Ri's hand into the air. Once again, his temper and brashness got him into a sticky situation. It seemed that his rushing here was not necessary at all. Little Pale Moon had stepped in just before the two idiots could murder each other. Now he was here, looking like an idiot, staring at Hen Ri surrounded by a gaggle of spectators."

  "This useless disciple greets Maste," Henry said sheepishly.

  Fei was confused, why did this boy call him master.

  Help a Bro Out!