Dead Willow Street looked exactly as I remembered it: abandoned in appearance, strategically forgotten by the authorities. Xiu Mei's building remained a masterpiece of urban camouflage—deteriorated enough to look uninhabitable, but not so much that it attracted official demolition.
I knocked on the back door with the agreed-upon pattern: three knocks, a pause, then two more.
The silence stretched into an uncomfortable moment. Liling squeezed my hand harder than necessary.
The door opened just a crack. A golden eye observed us from the darkness.
"Kenji?" Xiu Mei's voice sounded cautious. "I thought you were dead or that you'd decided working with me was too risky after all."
"I had unexpected medical complications. Liling sent you a message."
"I know. But a message isn't the same as seeing you in person." Her eye shifted toward my companions. "And you've brought another friend. Interesting."
The door opened fully.
Xiu Mei was exactly as I remembered: silver hair that glowed with its own light, golden eyes with vertical pupils, and two fox tails twitching with curiosity behind her. She wore work clothes stained with multi-colored alchemical residues.
And then there was that effect. That quality in her presence that made my body react in completely involuntary ways. My heart sped up slightly. My skin felt more sensitive.
Damn Kitsune biology.
I heard Xiao Yue inhale sharply behind her veil.
"You should be used to it by now; you know I can't control it," Xiu Mei said with a weary tone. "Come in before someone sees you standing at my door like statues."
We entered the laboratory. The layout of the space reflected a mind that understood workflow optimization. Xiu Mei closed the door and activated what was clearly a privacy formation. Small runes glowed around the frame before fading away.
"Alright." She crossed her arms, her tails flicking with agitation. "Who is she and why did you bring her to my secret hideout?"
"Pardon the lack of formal introductions," I said. "This is Xiao Yue, the young Lady of the Silver Cloud Clan. And you already know Liling."
Xiu Mei's eyes widened significantly. She turned toward Xiao Yue with an expression of controlled panic.
"The Clan Master's daughter? You brought her here?" Her gaze snapped back to me. "Kenji, are you trying to get me executed? Because bringing someone of her status to an illegal lab is basically signing my death warrant."
Xiao Yue stepped forward. Her voice was calm and clear despite the veil.
"I am here because Kenji told me about your situation and your talent. I want to hear what you have to propose."
Xiu Mei studied her in silence for a long moment. Her golden eyes narrowed slightly.
"I can feel your cultivation. I sense a certain danger in you." Then she looked at Liling. "You are dangerous too. You are both real cultivators, while Kenji is..." She paused, searching for diplomatic words.
"A complete useless mess in terms of cultivation," I finished for her. "Blocked meridians from birth. The body of a common mortal. We already know."
"I was going to say 'strategically limited,' but your version works too." Xiu Mei moved toward a workbench and began cleaning instruments with nervous movements. "So, are you going to explain what's really going on, or do I have to guess?"
I cleared my throat. I had rehearsed this mentally on the way here, but now that we were on site, the words needed adjustment.
"The resource market for cultivation in Golden Carp City is controlled by the Alchemists' Guild. They maintain an effective monopoly over production and distribution."
Xiu Mei nodded. "Obviously. That's why my prices can be so competitive. I charge a third of what they do."
"Exactly. There is a massive price differential created artificially by the lack of real competition. The Guild can charge whatever they want because no legitimate alternatives exist."
Xiu Mei smiled with genuine sympathy at the look of confusion on Liling's face.
"Let me translate what your friend is saying into a language that makes sense." She leaned against her workbench. "Kenji wants us to collaborate. He would be the brain planning everything. Lady Xiao Yue would be the face of the operation. And I would be the one creating the actual products—the alchemy resources we'd sell."
"Oh." Liling's eyes lit up with understanding. "That makes much more sense. See, Kenji? It's not that hard to talk like a normal person every once in a while."
"Thank you," I said dryly. "I appreciate that my explanation required translation."
"You talk like a ledger," Xiu Mei shrugged. "Not everyone processes information the way you do."
Xiao Yue had remained silent, observing the interaction. Now she spoke with a measured tone.
"I would like to add that my participation wouldn't just be as the 'face.' I have access to the clan's technical library and can provide knowledge of cultivation techniques that could help accelerate alchemy formulas."
Xiu Mei evaluated her with renewed interest.
"Actual technical knowledge?"
"I am a fire element cultivator. I've studied Qi refinement theory for years. I might not be an alchemist, but I understand the fundamental principles."
"This is great." Xiu Mei straightened up, her posture shifting from defensive to genuinely engaged. "Most wealthy cultivators I've met only want to buy finished products. They're never interested in the actual process."
"I am not most cultivators," Xiao Yue replied simply.
There was a moment of silence as the two women studied each other. Liling let go of my hand and took a step back. Her expression had changed subtly. She was still smiling, but it looked forced.
"So the three of you would be the main team," she said quietly. "The brain, the face, and the creator."
I noticed the problem immediately. I placed a hand on her shoulder. She started slightly.
"Liling."
"Yes?"
"You also have a role. A critical role that no one else can fulfill."
Her eyes lifted to mine. There was a vulnerability there she rarely showed.
"Which one?"
"Security. This operation is going to be clandestine by necessity. We will be operating outside the official system, which means we'll be exposed to multiple threats—from the Guild to other groups who might want to eliminate us or rob us. We need someone who can protect both the people and the operations."
Xiu Mei chimed in before I could continue.
"He's right. I've been hiding for two years precisely because I don't have the capacity to protect myself properly from the Guild. If I had a competent cultivator watching my back, my life would be considerably less stressful."
"Besides," I continued, "from what I know, there is no one who knows this city better than you. You know the routes, the contacts, the safe spots, and the dangerous ones. That knowledge is invaluable for establishing a company that needs to operate in the shadows."
Liling's eyes began to shine with renewed excitement. I could see the shift in her posture, the way her back straightened.
"Security and urban logistics," she whispered. "It would be... like being the guardian of everything."
"Exactly. Without you, this all falls apart at the first real problem."
Liling approached me with a fluid movement I didn't anticipate. Her face was inches from mine, close enough that I could feel her breath.
"It makes me want to give you another little kiss on the cheek," she whispered in a seductive, barely audible voice.
Before I could respond, I heard Xiao Yue cough deliberately.
"Liling."
Xiao Yue's voice wasn't loud, yet Liling backed away with a mischievous smile, clearly enjoying the reaction. Xiu Mei watched us with an amused expression.
"Is it always like this with you three, or am I witnessing something special?"
"It's always like this," I said tiredly. "You get used to it eventually."
"Fascinating." Her tails flicked with what seemed to be genuine amusement. "Alright, now that we've established roles and apparently resolved some sort of subtle romantic drama, let's talk practical details."
She moved toward a section of the lab where she had a small desk covered in papers and empty vials. She began clearing space with efficient movements.
"First: production. Currently, I can make approximately fifty low-to-mid level pills per week working alone. If we're going to compete seriously with the Guild, I need to increase that capacity significantly."
"What do you need?" Xiao Yue asked.
"Reliable ingredients in larger quantities. Additional equipment. Possibly a larger space, though this place has the advantage of being secret." Xiu Mei paused. "And eventually, assistants. The kids who help me with distribution are good at what they do, but I can't train them as alchemists without exposing them to greater danger."
"The space is solvable in the long term," I said, processing the information. "We could look for properties under fake names or through intermediaries. The ingredients are more complicated. We can't just buy them from the Guild because that would raise suspicions."
"There are black markets," Liling contributed. "The quality can be surprisingly good if you know the right sellers."
"Do you know them?" Xiu Mei asked.
"I know people who know them. I can make connections."
Xiao Yue had been thinking in silence. Now she spoke with a carefully neutral tone.
"The clan has medicinal herb gardens. I could... divert small amounts without anyone noticing. Not large volumes, but enough to supplement other sources."
The three of us looked at her.
"You'd be willing to steal from your own clan?" Xiu Mei asked with genuine surprise.
"It wouldn't be theft. Technically, I have a resource allocation as a member of the main family. I would just be... redirecting part of my allocation for purposes no one else knows about." Her voice had a hint of dry humor. "Besides, the clan wastes resources regularly. What I would take wouldn't even be noticed in the general inventories."
Xiu Mei let out a laugh.
"I like you. Anyone willing to play that game has my respect."
"It's not a game," Xiao Yue corrected softly. "It's possibly the only way I'm going to regain some control over my own life."
There was weight in those words. Xiu Mei studied her for a moment longer and then nodded slowly.
"I understand that more than you think."
I moved toward the makeshift desk, my mind already working on projections and possibilities.
"We need a clear operational structure. Production, distribution, security, finances. Everything has to be separate but coordinated."
"Finances?" Xiu Mei raised an eyebrow. "Are we going to have formal accounting for an illegal operation?"
"Especially for an illegal operation. If we don't know exactly how much is coming in, how much is going out, and where every coin goes, we'll accidentally rob ourselves or lose money without knowing how."
"I never thought of it that way," she admitted. "Until now I've just been... making things and charging prices that seemed reasonable."
"That worked when you were a one-person operation. We aren't anymore." I looked at the three women. "If we do this correctly, we could build something that truly competes with the Guild. Not immediately, but eventually."
"And if we do it incorrectly," Liling added pragmatically, "we'll probably end up dead or worse."
"That is the risk," I agreed. "That's why we need to be smart."
Xiao Yue removed her veil, revealing her face fully for the first time since we entered. It was a sign of trust. Her expression was serious, but there was determination in her golden eyes.
"I want to do this. But I need to fully understand the risks before I commit."
"The risks are substantial," I said honestly. "The Guild has resources we don't. They have powerful cultivators, political connections, and basically the backing of every important family in the city. If they discover us prematurely, they could eliminate us before we can defend ourselves."
"So the key is not to be discovered prematurely," Xiu Mei said.
"Exactly. Slow and controlled growth. Nothing that attracts unnecessary attention. Build a reputation for quality without building a reputation for scale."
"How long?" Xiao Yue asked.
"For what?"
"To be real competition. For this to matter."
I considered the question carefully. There were too many variables, too many things that could go wrong.
"One year to establish stable basic operations. Two years to have a significant market presence. Three years to be a real threat to the Guild's monopoly." I paused. "That's assuming everything goes relatively well and we don't make catastrophic mistakes."
"Three years," Xiu Mei repeated. "That's... actual long-term planning."
"Building something that lasts takes time. Quick schemes collapse quickly."
Liling had been listening to everything with unusual attention. Now she asked something she had clearly been thinking about.
"And what about the money? How do we split the profits?"
It was a legitimate and practical question.
"I propose an equitable distribution adjusted by contribution. Xiu Mei carries the heaviest direct workload, so she gets the largest share. The rest is split between us based on what we bring to the table."
"Specific numbers?" Liling insisted.
"Xiu Mei: forty percent. Xiao Yue: twenty-five percent for resources and access. Liling: twenty percent for security and logistics. Me: fifteen percent for planning and management."
Xiu Mei looked at me in surprise.
"You're giving yourself the smallest share while being the brain behind all this?"
"My value is in making the system work, not in doing the hardest labor. Besides, I need everyone to see that this is genuinely collaborative and not just me exploiting your work."
There was silence as they processed this. Xiao Yue was the first to respond.
"It's more generous than I expected. Most plans I've heard from businessmen put the majority of the money in their own pockets."
"Most businessmen are greedy idiots who don't understand that happy, well-compensated employees work better and are less likely to betray you."
Xiu Mei let out a genuine laugh.
"I definitely like you. Alright, Kenji. I'm in."
Xiao Yue extended her hand toward Xiu Mei. The gesture was formal but sincere.
"Then we are partners."
Xiu Mei looked at the hand for a moment, then took it firmly.
"Partners. This is going to be fun."
Liling watched us all with a complicated expression that mixed excitement, nervousness, and amusement.
"This is real," she whispered. "We're really going to do this."
"We're really going to try," I corrected. "There's a difference."
"Are you always such a pessimistic-optimist?" Xiu Mei asked with genuine curiosity.
"Pragmatic realist is the term I prefer."
"Call it whatever you want. The point is, we just officially formed the most illegal and probably stupidest company in Golden Carp City."
"I prefer to think of it as the most innovative and potentially revolutionary company," I said.
"That's a very elegant way of saying we'll probably all die."
"Optimism was never my strong suit."
Xiao Yue interrupted us before the conversation could derail further.
"We need concrete next steps. We can't just agree to do this and then do nothing."
She was right. The time for abstract planning had passed.
"First priority: Xiu Mei needs more ingredients immediately to increase production. Liling, can you start making contacts in the black market this week?"
"I can have information by tomorrow."
"Good. Second priority: Xiao Yue, how much time do you need to start diverting clan resources without raising suspicion?"
"A week, maybe two. I need to establish a pattern of behavior that justifies more frequent access to the warehouses."
"Perfect. Third priority: Xiu Mei, I need you to document exactly what you can produce, in what quantities, and what you need for each formula. Complete and detailed information."
"When?"
"As soon as possible. Preferably in the next few days."
Xiu Mei nodded, clearly taking this seriously.
"I can have it ready by the day after tomorrow."
"Excellent. That gives us a base for actual planning." I looked at the three of them. "This is the beginning. It's going to be complicated, dangerous, and probably stressful. Does anyone want to back out now before things get truly serious?"
No one spoke. Xiao Yue, Liling, and Xiu Mei looked at me with expressions ranging from determination to excitement and quiet acceptance of what was coming.
"Good," I said simply. "Then we are officially in this together."
Xiu Mei picked up an empty vial from the desk with a theatrical gesture.
"Does anyone want to toast with something, or are we going to keep this pragmatically boring?"
*******
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