"Come on, we should find what you need before it gets dark."

  I nodded and followed her as we headed south. The change from the East District to the Lower District was gradual but unmistakable. The buildings became more weathered, the streets narrower, and the air heavier, laden with the scent of too many people living in a confined space.

  "Stay close," Liling whispered. "Things can get complicated quickly here."

  "Do you come here often?"

  "Often enough to know the safe zones." She turned down an alleyway I never would have noticed. "And the ones that aren't."

  I observed as we walked. The Lower District was a completely different ecosystem: street vendors with merchandise of dubious origin, children running barefoot between the legs of adults, and buildings that seemed to stand more by habit than by structural engineering.

  Then I found something interesting. A boy of about ten years old, thin as a reed, with eyes that constantly scanned his surroundings. He carried a cloth bag slung over his shoulder and followed a specific pattern in his movements.

  "Liling," I said in a low voice, "that kid has better delivery logistics than half the merchants we saw today."

  She followed my gaze.

  "The one with the bag? That is one of the kids from the network."

  "What network?"

  "There is an... operation here. Orphaned children who sell products, mainly low-cost pills and remedies." Liling looked at me out of the corner of her eye. "Variable quality, but the prices are good."

  "Have you bought from them?"

  "I have never needed to; however, it is not dangerous." She shrugged. "The children are honest about what they sell. That is more than you can say for many legitimate sellers."

  The boy completed another quick transaction with a fruit vendor. Money for a small package, all in less than five seconds.

  "I want to talk to him," I said.

  "What for?"

  "Professional curiosity."

  Liling sighed.

  "Of course you do. Fine, but let me handle the approach. Street kids are cautious."

  We approached as the boy stopped in an alley to reorganize his bag. Liling stepped forward with her hands visible.

  "Hello," she said in a kind voice. "We don't want any trouble. We just want to ask you something."

  The boy evaluated us quickly. Seeing that Liling did not represent a threat, he began to relax.

  "Who are you?"

  "Liling," she replied. "And he is Kenji. He works with me."

  The boy studied me with obvious distrust.

  "What do you want?"

  "Information," I said, keeping my voice neutral. "And I am willing to pay for it."

  The boy’s eyes sharpened.

  "What kind of information?"

  "I need body strengthening pills. I wanted to see if you could help me buy some."

  "I don't know what you are talking about."

  "Of course you don't." I pulled out three copper coins. "But if you knew someone who sold good quality pills at reasonable prices, I would pay for that information. And if the quality is good, I will become a regular customer."

  The boy looked at the coins, then at me, and then at Liling.

  "Why is she here?"

  "Because I am his guide," Liling replied. "And because I am not going to let my friend come to the Lower District alone."

  "Friend..." The boy tested the word. "Fine. Four coins now. If you like the product, two more as a tip later."

  A natural negotiator.

  "Deal."

  I handed him the coins. The boy examined them carefully before tucking them away.

  "Dead Willow Street. Three blocks south, two blocks east. A two-story building with a dried-up willow in the courtyard. Back door, knock three times, pause, then two more times. Ask for Mei."

  "Mei?"

  "That is all you need to know." The boy looked at Liling. "And miss, take care of him. He is too innocent for the Lower District."

  "Hey..." I protested, but the boy was already gone.

  Liling began to laugh.

  "Even ten-year-olds notice you are ill-suited for this."

  "I have skills. They just aren't applicable to... this."

  "Sure. Let's go before something actually happens that requires my bodyguard skills."

  Dead Willow Street had no official name but, after asking around and giving a strategic bribe to a vendor, we found the place. The building was exactly as the boy described: two stories of weathered wood, windows covered with planks, and a completely dead willow tree in the front yard.

  "This looks like the perfect place for a murder," I muttered.

  "Or for an illegal lab," Liling added, touching her knife. "I go in first."

  "Liling..."

  "Not negotiable."

  We went around the building to the back door. Liling knocked as we were instructed: three times, pause, two more times.

  Silence.

  Liling knocked again. This time we heard light footsteps approaching. The door opened just a crack and a golden eye watched us from the darkness.

  "Who are you?" A female voice came from inside, sounding cautious.

  "Potential customers," Liling replied. "A boy sent us. He said to ask for Mei."

  "Which boy?"

  "About this tall," I gestured, "thin, excellent negotiator, probably carries a hidden knife."

  A pause.

  "Fen. What do you want?"

  "Body strengthening pills," I said. "Decent quality, reasonable price."

  "Are you from the guild?"

  "I am a servant of the Silver Cloud Clan. She is my friend." I pulled out my coin pouch and shook it lightly. "We have no affiliation with any guild and we bring honest payment."

  I could feel them evaluating us carefully. Shortly after, the door opened completely.

  The woman on the other side was... impactful was not a strong enough word. Silver hair fell in waves to her waist, with strands that glowed with their own light even in the gloom. Golden eyes with slit pupils like a fox's. Perfect pale skin. And behind her, moving softly, were two silver fox tails.

  But what really hit me was something more subtle. There was a quality to her presence that made my skin feel more sensitive, made my heart beat faster, and caused my body to react in completely involuntary ways.

  I heard Liling inhale sharply beside me.

  "Kitsune," she whispered.

  "Guilty," the woman smiled, and there was something mischievous in that smile. "And before you ask, yes, the effect is involuntary. Part of the racial package, so to speak."

  "That is... good to know," I managed to say.

  At least now I know I am not turning into a pervert.

  "Are you going to stand there feeling uncomfortable things or are you coming in?" Her voice held genuine amusement. "I am Xiu Mei."

  "Kenji Tanaka," I forced my brain to function professionally. "And she is Liling."

  "A pleasure." Xiu Mei stepped aside. "Come in. And don't worry, the effect diminishes after a few minutes. Or you learn to ignore it; most people opt for the latter."

  The interior of the building made me momentarily forget the hormonal distraction. The first floor had been converted into an extremely professional alchemy laboratory, even by the standards of an established guild.

  Cauldrons of different sizes bubbled over perfectly controlled fires. Herbs hung from the ceiling in organized patterns. Glass jars filled with colorful liquids were arranged on shelves with meticulous labels. In a corner, bags of ingredients were stacked with precision.

  But the most impressive thing was the design. Each workstation was positioned to minimize wasted movement. The most common ingredients were within immediate reach. The cauldrons were arranged by the required temperature.

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  "This is..." I looked around, genuinely impressed, "better than the clan's kitchen."

  Xiu Mei turned, surprised.

  "Do you really think so?"

  "The design is optimal. Efficient workflow, logical organization, clever use of limited space." I pointed to a section. "You even have an improvised ventilation system. This is professional work."

  "Most people only see an abandoned building turned into an illegal lab."

  "I see resource optimization and excellent operational management."

  Liling looked at me as if I had grown a second head.

  "Are you flirting using your weird language?"

  "It's not that, I am simply observing the place."

  "Of course you are." Liling shook her head with a smile while Xiu Mei studied us with a curious expression.

  "You are weird. I like you." She moved toward one of the cauldrons. "Body strengthening pills, you said?"

  "Yes. I am in the early stages of body cultivation... Well, I practically have no cultivation yet, which is why I am here."

  "I can feel it." She closed her eyes briefly. "You are too weak."

  "Story of my life in this world."

  Xiu Mei began to work. And this was where she truly fascinated me. She moved as if she were dancing. Each action flowed into the next with natural grace. She added ingredients with perfect precision while spinning in place. She adjusted the fire with a flick of her hand while taking a side step. Everything followed the rhythm of some melody that only she could hear.

  "Do you dance while you work?" I asked, fascinated.

  "Alchemy is an art." She didn't stop moving. "Qi responds better when you are in harmony with the process. For me, harmony is movement."

  Completely opposite to my approach. I optimized looking for efficiency while she danced to find the connection.

  "Interesting philosophy."

  "Philosophy?" Xiu Mei began to laugh in a way that was pleasant to my ears. "It is instinct. We Kitsune are creatures full of passion. Standing still while I work would be like asking a flame not to dance."

  Liling leaned against the wall, watching with obvious interest.

  "How long have you been doing this?"

  "Alchemy? For as long as I can remember." Xiu Mei added an ingredient that made the cauldron glow green. "This specific operation? Two years."

  "And the children?"

  Xiu Mei's expression softened.

  "The children found me. I was hiding here, making basic pills to survive." She smiled with genuine tenderness. "Fen arrived first, then he brought others, and now we are a family."

  "A distribution network is a family?" I asked.

  "For me, yes." Her voice sounded serious. "These children have no one else. And I have no one else. We take care of each other. That is what you call a family."

  Liling nodded with approval.

  "I respect that."

  The liquid in the cauldron changed from green to a brilliant gold. Xiu Mei executed a final turn and poured the contents into small molds with expert movements.

  "Iron Bone Pills. They will be ready in twenty minutes." She turned toward us, wiping her hands on a cloth. "While we wait, I am curious. What is a servant of the Silver Cloud Clan doing looking for pills on the black market?"

  "Because the clan's resources are reserved for disciples," I answered honestly. "And because I find your operation more interesting than most official guilds."

  That made her stop completely.

  "What did you say?"

  "Your design minimizes wasted movement. Your distribution network is brilliant: low profile, mobile, generates sympathy in customers. And you train your sellers in negotiation and security. It is a solid business model."

  Xiu Mei studied me with an intensity that rivaled Xiao Yue's.

  "You don't talk like an ordinary servant."

  "I have had previous experience in operations management."

  "Operations management?" Her laughter filled the lab. "You are definitely weird. And I definitely like you."

  She sat on a high stool by a covered window. Her tails moved lazily behind her.

  "So, operations manager, how did you end up as a servant?"

  Quick decision: how much truth to share?

  "I arrived at the clan without resources or connections. Domestic service was the most efficient entry point."

  "And your long-term plan?"

  "I would like to establish something of my own eventually, perhaps in the future."

  "Ambitious." It didn't sound like a criticism. "I like people with dreams."

  Liling, who had been watching silently, spoke up:

  "And you? A clearly talented alchemist operating from an abandoned building. There is a story there."

  Xiu Mei's expression darkened.

  "Do you want the short version or the long one?"

  "We have twenty minutes," I said.

  "Fine." She stood up and began to pace, her tails twitching with suppressed emotion. "I come from a Kitsune tribe in the northern mountains. Good family, ancient traditions, all that conservative crap."

  "But?" Liling pressed.

  "But my appearance is... problematic for my species." She gestured toward herself. "We Kitsune have this natural quality of attracting attention. For most, it is manageable. However, in me, the effect is more intense..." She began to laugh sarcastically. "It's like walking around with a neon sign shouting look at me."

  "The effect we felt when we walked in," I said.

  "Exactly. The elders said it would cause trouble, that it would attract unwanted attention. That I should stay hidden in the mountains, weaving or making crafts, and marry someone appropriate." Her voice hardened. "Basically, wasting my life."

  "I assume you didn't agree," Liling commented.

  "Not at all. I wanted to study alchemy. I wanted to be the best." Her eyes shone with fierce passion. "The Dao of Alchemy called to me. I could feel it here." She touched her chest. "I knew this was my path."

  "So you left."

  "Two years ago. I arrived in the city and joined the Alchemists Guild." Her expression twisted into something bitter. "I was too good."

  "How can you be too good and end up in this place?" I asked.

  "When your talent attracts the wrong kind of attention." Xiu Mei stopped in front of one of the cauldrons, staring at the bubbles. "The Guild Master's son, Feng Hao, decided I was his destiny. That together we would be the most powerful alchemist couple in the region."

  The tone of her voice made it clear what she thought of that idea.

  "And you weren't interested?" Liling asked.

  "Not at all!" The anger in her voice was palpable. "I didn't come here to be anyone's girlfriend. I came to pursue my Dao. But Feng Hao wouldn't take no for an answer. He constantly invited me out. He brought me gifts. He wrote me terrible poetry."

  "Sounds... persistent," I said.

  "Sounds like a stalker," Liling corrected.

  "Exactly." Xiu Mei turned toward us. "And when I finally told him directly that I would rather date a swamp demon than him, things got... ugly."

  "What did he do?" Liling's voice had a dangerous edge.

  "He mocked my dreams. He said they were too big for a provincial woman. That I should be grateful for his attention." Her hands clenched into fists. "That a beautiful woman like me was wasted on alchemy when I could be an appropriate trophy."

  I looked at Liling and saw my own disgust reflected in her expression.

  "That idiot..." Liling murmured.

  "Wait, it gets better." The sarcasm in Xiu Mei's voice was cutting. "When it became clear I wouldn't change my mind, Feng Hao decided to destroy me."

  "How?"

  "He stole rare ingredients from his father's lab. Valuable things the Guild Master was holding in custody for other sects. Then he manipulated everything to make it look like I was the thief."

  "Son of a bitch," I said, the words coming out before I could filter them.

  Xiu Mei blinked, surprised, then smiled genuinely for the first time since she began the story.

  "Thank you. It is comforting to hear that." Her smile faded. "The Guild Master lost face before the sects. He lost important contracts. He lost a lot of money. And I became the most wanted fugitive in the Commercial District."

  "That is why you are hiding here."

  "I am not hiding." Her voice hardened. "I am rebuilding my image. The children help me sell products. I take care of them and teach them what I can."

  I looked around the lab with new appreciation. This was active resistance.

  "And your long-term plan?" I asked.

  Her eyes shone with fierce determination.

  "To become so good they can't ignore me. So strong they can't touch me. To clear my name." A dangerous smile crossed her face. "And eventually, to give Feng Hao the beating he deserves."

  Ambitious, talented, with a legitimate grievance and the will to do something about it. Trapped in a situation that wasted her massive potential.

  An undervalued asset with an extremely high potential return if invested in correctly.

  "The pills are ready," Xiu Mei announced, moving toward the molds. Carefully, she extracted six perfectly formed pills the color of polished bronze. "Iron Bone Pills, mid-grade. Take one every three days after training. They will strengthen your bone structure and accelerate muscle recovery."

  She handed me a small jade bottle with the six pills.

  "What is the price?"

  "For a new customer that Fen recommends, ten copper coins per bottle."

  I did some mental math. The clan’s prices started at thirty copper coins for cultivation resources. This was a third of the price.

  "Deal." I handed her the coins plus two extra. "The extras are for Fen. Excellent customer service."

  Xiu Mei smiled.

  "He will like that. That boy is proud of his work."

  I stowed the bottle carefully. Then I made a decision.

  "I have a question."

  "What is it?"

  "Have you considered expanding your operation?"

  "Expand how?"

  "A full product line for low-level cultivators. Not just body strengthening, but recovery, Qi enhancement, even specialized pills."

  Xiu Mei looked at me with growing curiosity.

  "There is demand. But getting ingredients without raising suspicion is hard. And I would need more space, plus more resources..."

  "And if you had access to ingredients legitimately?"

  She went completely still.

  "What exactly are you suggesting?"

  "A future, long-term business proposal. You have talent and an established distribution system. I have potential access to resources and an understanding of operational management. Together, we could build something significant."

  "Kenji," Liling warned, "are you sure about this?"

  "Completely."

  Xiu Mei crossed her arms, studying me intensely. Her tails moved with agitation.

  "Why would you do that? You don't know me."

  "Because wasting talent is inefficient. And because I see a mutual opportunity."

  "What do you gain?"

  "It would depend on me moving past my status as a servant and gaining my own capital. In the short term, access to quality pills at a good price. In the long term, I would like to build something in the future, and for that, I need competent people."

  "Build what?"

  "That depends on me someday managing to be something more than a servant; for now, it's all just expectations. Are you interested?"

  I could see her mind working, weighing risks against benefits. Her eyes studied me as if she could read my intentions on my face.

  "I don't trust easily," she said finally. "Especially men who make big promises."

  "I am not making a promise; there is a difference."

  "What is it?"

  "A promise is a guarantee of a result. A proposal is an offer of collaboration with shared risks."

  Xiu Mei walked to the window, looking out at the street through a crack in the planks. Finally, she turned around. For the first time, I saw something like hope in her golden eyes.

  "All right. But with conditions."

  "I'm listening."

  "First, the children are non-negotiable. They are not resources or assets. They are family. If you work with me, they come with the package."

  "Understood and agreed."

  "Second, no romantic bullshit. I am not here to be conquered. I am here to be the best alchemist in the world; my goal is clear, and that is to pursue the Dao of Alchemy."

  "I have no interest in romantic complications," I replied, very aware that Xiao Yue and Liling had already complicated my life considerably. "Only in professional collaboration."

  Liling coughed discreetly; I decided the smartest thing was to ignore her momentarily.

  "Third, if this goes wrong, if you betray me or put the children in danger, I vanish. And I take all my formulas with me."

  "Fair."

  Xiu Mei extended her hand in an obvious gesture of approval.

  "Then we have a deal, operations manager."

  I shook her hand. Her skin was warm, almost feverish. Fire energy running beneath the surface.

  "Kenji. My name is Kenji Tanaka."

  "Kenji." She tested the name again despite me having already introduced myself; her accent made it sound exotic. "It is a strange name. I like it." She let go of my hand and smiled mischievously. "Now, go. I have work and you have pills to take. Look for me when you need more products."

  "And to discuss the proposal?"

  "Give me a week. I need to think about the details." Her smile widened. "And maybe investigate you a bit. Currently, you are just a servant making bold proposals, and nothing guarantees that you will succeed in whatever you plan. You are asking me to reserve my services exclusively for you in the future, so yes... I am definitely going to put you to the test. Just because I like you doesn't mean I am stupid."

  "Wise."

  "I always am."

  Liling and I left the abandoned building. The sun was already low on the horizon, painting the sky with shades of orange and purple.

  "So," Liling said as we walked back, "you just recruited a fugitive alchemist from the guild for your growing... what is this exactly? An organization? A company? A criminal network?"

  "A mutual resource network," I replied. "Definitely not criminal."

  "Mmm-hmm. And does the young lady know about this?"

  "Not yet. It all happened so fast; I had no idea we would find an alchemist with such great potential in this place."

  "Kenji."

  "Yes?"

  "She is going to have opinions. Especially about the extremely attractive Kitsune alchemist who makes people feel involuntary things."

  "That is irrelevant to her professional competence."

  "Of course it is." Liling laughed. "Just keep in mind that you must be more careful in the future. What if I had been a girl extremely loyal to the clan and not to the young lady Xiao Yue? I might consider this treason and eliminate you for doing strange things in the slums."

  "Thank you very much, Liling... You're right, I messed up. Although, on the other hand... I would like you to be part of this."

  As we walked back to the clan, my mind was already processing possibilities. Xiao Yue with her cultivation potential. Liling with her combat skills and knowledge of the city. Xiu Mei with her alchemy and established network.

  Three completely different girls who, combined correctly, could build something significant.

  ******

  Author's Note:

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