Doctor Chen closed his medical bag with a sharp click.
"Surprisingly," he murmured as he straightened up. "Your recovery has been faster than I expected. Your meridians are still blocked, of course; that is not going to change. But the damage from Qi exposure has healed completely."
"So I can resume my normal activities?" I asked.
"Normal activities, yes. Walking, working, basic household chores, all of that is permitted." He made a deliberate pause. "What is not permitted is exposing yourself to combat between cultivators or intensive Qi practices. Keep that ten step distance I mentioned before."
"Understood."
"Young Kenji," his voice softened slightly. "Your body has permanent limitations. Do not challenge them out of pride or a misunderstood sense of duty. The next time you collapse, you might not wake up."
The words fell with the weight of a sentence.
"I will keep it in mind, Doctor Chen."
He nodded, apparently satisfied with my response. He turned toward Xiao Yue, who had been observing the consultation from her position by the window. The morning light created a golden halo around her figure.
"Young Mistress Xiao Yue, your servant is fully recovered. However, I recommend that you continue to monitor his condition. Any unusual symptoms, chest pain, persistent dizziness, or difficulty breathing must be reported immediately."
"Understood, Doctor Chen," Xiao Yue replied. "I appreciate your dedication during these weeks."
The doctor bowed respectfully.
"It is my duty to serve the Xiao family. Now, if you will excuse me, I have other patients to attend to."
Liling, who had been waiting by the door, stepped forward to escort him out of the pavilion. Their footsteps faded down the corridor, leaving us alone.
"Finally free," I commented as I stood up. "I have to admit I was starting to go crazy being locked in here."
"I know. I have seen you looking out the window like a caged bird."
"Was it that obvious?"
"Completely obvious." A small smile appeared on her lips. "Although I appreciate that you followed the doctor's orders without protesting too much; you are a good patient."
I shrugged my shoulders.
"Protesting against medical logic would be foolish on my part. Besides, Liling threatened to tie me to the bed if I tried to escape."
"And she would have done it."
"I do not doubt it."
I approached the small wardrobe where they kept my limited clothing. I needed something appropriate for leaving the clan grounds.
"I am going to the Lower District," I announced while checking my options. "I have had a meeting pending with Xiu Mei for weeks. I have kept her waiting too long already."
Xiao Yue began to look at me closely. Her hands moved slightly, a nervous gesture she rarely showed.
"Kenji."
"Yes?"
She approached slowly. When she reached me, she extended her hand and wrapped mine with an unexpected softness. Her skin was warmer than I expected.
"I am going too," she said with a voice that was quiet but firm.
I blinked.
"What?"
"I want to meet this alchemist you talk about so much." Her golden eyes held my gaze without blinking. "The fugitive from the guild who impressed you enough to offer her an alliance."
"Xiao Yue, the Lower District is not..."
"Dangerous? I know. That is why Liling is coming with us." Her grip on my hand tightened slightly. "Besides, you just recovered. I am not going to let you go alone."
"What is the real reason?"
She hesitated momentarily before speaking.
"Because if you are going to build something with this alchemist, I want to meet her. I want to know who the person is that you are placing your trust in." She paused. "And I want to know if I can trust her too. Anyway, I had already told you that I wanted to meet her."
Ah. That makes sense.
"All right," I accepted. "Although we will have to be careful. The alchemist guild is actively looking for Xiu Mei. If we arrive in a carriage from the Silver Cloud Clan, we might attract exactly the kind of attention she is trying to avoid."
Xiao Yue nodded; she had clearly already thought of that.
"We will go on foot. And I will go in disguise."
"Disguised?"
"Simple clothes that hide my face. Nothing that identifies my position in the clan." Her tone was pragmatic. "I cannot risk being recognized in the Lower District. If someone discovers that the daughter of the Xiao family is visiting a fugitive from the guild, the political complications would be significant."
Clan politics. Of course.
"Then we will need to prepare properly."
"I already have it planned."
Of course you do.
Half an hour later, we were ready to leave.
Xiao Yue had transformed her appearance completely. She wore a simple dark gray hanfu, the kind that modest merchants or low ranking officials would wear. A light silk veil covered her face from the bridge of her nose down, leaving only her eyes visible. She had wrapped her hair in a scarf that hid her long and characteristic red hair.
Liling had also disguised herself in a similar way. Her clothes were just as modest, with a veil that hid her recognizable face. The disguise was necessary for both of them; now that they knew Xiu Mei's situation, they could not risk exposing their positions.
I, on the other hand, wore my usual servant clothes. I was not a notable figure. No one would recognize me anyway.
"Ready?" Xiao Yue asked.
"Ready," Liling and I confirmed in unison.
We left the Pavilion of Silent Bamboo. The morning sun was already high, bathing the clan gardens in golden light. We took the main path leading toward the entrance of the complex, passing by disciples practicing in the training courtyards and servants performing their morning tasks.
Some disciples looked up as we passed. They recognized Xiao Yue and Liling despite their disguises; it was impossible not to when they had served in the clan for years. But no one said anything. The message of the attire was clear enough: they wanted to pass unnoticed outside the clan, and only an idiot would interrupt that with unnecessary comments.
Perfect.
We were halfway to the main gate when a voice stopped us.
"Xiao Yue?"
Xiao Zhen. Xiao Yue's older brother was approaching from a side path. He was tall, with a perfect posture that spoke of years of martial training. His face had sharp features that could be considered attractive if it were not for the expression of perpetual evaluation he wore, as if he were constantly calculating the value of everything he saw.
His gaze passed over me briefly before fixing on the covered figure of Xiao Yue.
"Sister," he said with a voice that tried to sound casual but clearly had an uncomfortable undertone. "I did not expect to see you... going out."
Xiao Yue responded with a neutral tone, completely devoid of family warmth.
"Xiao Zhen. Good morning."
"Good morning." He shifted his attention then, and his expression transformed completely. His eyes lit up, his posture straightened even more, and a smile appeared on his face. "Liling. What a pleasant surprise to see you."
Liling maintained her carefully neutral expression, the same professional mask she used when dealing with people she did not like.
"Young Master Xiao Zhen," she replied with mechanical courtesy.
"You look beautiful this morning."
"Thank you."
The response was so dry that it could have practically been a desert. Xiao Zhen, apparently immune or blind to obvious social cues, continued smiling.
"Where are you headed?"
"Personal matters," Xiao Yue answered before Liling could speak.
"I see." Xiao Zhen nodded as if he understood perfectly when he clearly did not. "The outside world can be dangerous, especially for ladies of high standing. Do you want me to accompany you? It would be my pleasure to ensure your safety."
"It is not necessary," Xiao Yue replied immediately.
"I insist." His tone became firmer. "As your older brother, it is my responsibility to make sure you are protected."
It was then that his gaze finally landed on me directly. I could see his eyes scan me from top to bottom.
So this is the famous servant.
I could see exactly what he was thinking. It was obvious in the way his eyes narrowed slightly, in how his mouth twisted just a bit into what could have been disdain or confusion.
I was not physically impressive. My recovery had been complete, but I was still thinner than usual. My clothes were simple, those of a common servant. I had no cultivation. I had no marker of power or status.
Why is this man important?
The question was so obvious in his expression that I could almost hear it out loud. Why does Liling take such care of him? Why does Xiao Yue keep him in her pavilion? What does this common servant have that makes him so special?
The irony was delicious.
"As I said," Xiao Yue repeated with forced patience, "it is not necessary. Liling is more than enough protection."
"Sister, I understand that you trust your bodyguard, but the Lower District can be unpredictable. Allow me to at least send an escort with you. Two or three additional guards to..."
"Or is it that Young Master Zhen has no confidence in me?"
Liling's voice cut through the conversation. Her tone was perfectly polite, with that poisonous sweetness that women could use as a weapon when they wanted to. Xiao Zhen froze. His mouth opened slightly, his eyes widened a fraction.
"What? No, of course it is not that. I only..."
"Because if the Young Master believes that I am not capable of protecting my young Mistress," Liling continued with that same soft and dangerous voice, "then perhaps he should reconsider his opinion of my competence. After all, I have been personally trained by the clan's weapon masters. My cultivation, although modest, is more than adequate to handle common threats."
"Liling, I did not mean to suggest..."
"Or perhaps Young Master Zhen thinks that a woman cannot properly protect another woman?" Her eyebrow arched with elegant defiance. "Because that would be a rather antiquated perspective for someone of your position."
Xiao Zhen was visibly uncomfortable now. His posture had lost its calculated confidence, replaced by genuine nervousness.
"Of course not. Your competence has never been in doubt. You are... you are exceptional in your field. I only..." He cleared his throat. "I was only concerned for my sister's safety. But if you feel that you do not need an additional escort, then I will respect that decision."
"How considerate of you, brother," Xiao Yue said. "Now, if you will excuse us, we have matters to attend to."
She did not wait for an answer. She simply turned and continued walking toward the main gate. Liling and I followed her immediately.
The main gate of the Silver Cloud Clan was an imposing structure of carved wood and metal reinforcements that glowed with subtle protective formations. Two guards flanked it, both in the Foundation Establishment stage, with professionally indifferent expressions.
They saw us approaching. One of them immediately recognized the two covered figures. His eyes lingered briefly on Xiao Yue, then on Liling, and finally on me.
"Young Mistress," he greeted with a respectful nod toward Xiao Yue, then turned toward Liling. "Miss Liling."
There was no need to ask questions. The disguise was obvious enough in its intent. If the daughter of the Xiao family went out dressed to go unnoticed, she clearly did not want to be recognized outside the clan. A smart guard did not ask stupid questions about something so evident.
"We will be back before nightfall," Liling informed them in a professional tone.
"Understood. Have a safe journey, Young Mistress."
We passed through the gates. The sound of the city grew louder immediately. Voices, the rattling of carts, the occasional barking of stray dogs. The world outside the clan was bustling and chaotic compared to the quiet gardens we had just left.
Xiao Yue stopped briefly once we were far enough from the guards. She adjusted her veil, making sure her face remained hidden.
"Are you okay?" I asked her.
"Perfectly fine. I am just making sure the disguise stays in place."
Liling, who had been walking half a step ahead of us, suddenly turned and took my hand with a fluid and natural movement.
"Liling, what are you...?"
"You are still weak from your recovery," she declared with a cheerful tone that contrasted with her firm grip. "I do not want you to get lost in the crowd. It is better if you stay close."
"I can walk by myself perfectly well."
"Probably. But this is safer."
Xiao Yue watched our intertwined hands. Her expression was impossible to read behind the veil, but I saw how her eyes moved from our joined hands to her own, which hung freely at her side.
There was a strange moment. As if she were processing something internally. Then she simply continued walking, saying nothing.
"Where exactly are we going?" Xiao Yue asked as we moved deeper into the streets.
"Dead Willow Street," I replied. "Xiu Mei's lab is in an apparently abandoned building."
"Sounds lovely," Xiao Yue commented with dry irony.
"It is functional," I defended. "Besides, Xiu Mei designed the place specifically to look unimportant. It is clever camouflage."
"If you say so."
Liling squeezed my hand slightly, catching my attention.
"Are you nervous?" she asked in a low voice.
"Why would I be nervous?"
"Because you are introducing two important people. And because Xiu Mei has expectations about your business proposal." Her eyes sparkled with amusement. "Besides, there is all that tension about whether they will get along or not."
"There is no tension."
"There is a lot of tension."
Xiao Yue let out a small laugh behind her veil.
"Liling is right. There is tension. Although mainly yours, Kenji."
"I am not tense."
"You are walking more stiffly than usual," Liling observed.
"That is a residue of my recovery."
"Of course it is."
We continued moving forward. The East District gradually gave way to more modest areas. The buildings became less ornate, the streets narrower. Street vendors replaced permanent shops.
Xiao Yue watched the streets with renewed attention. When her mother was alive, they used to go out together frequently. But it had been a long time since then. Too much time locked in her pavilion.
"I forgot how much movement there is here," she commented as we dodged a vendor pushing a cart loaded with vegetables.
"Did you miss going out?" Liling asked.
"More than I thought."
Finally, the last structures of the East District disappeared completely. In front of us, separated by a street wider than normal, was the Lower District.
The buildings were clearly more dilapidated. Walls with peeling paint. Roofs with missing tiles. Windows covered with planks instead of proper shutters. But there was life here too. Children running between the legs of adults. Women washing clothes in communal vats. Men sitting on corners, smoking pipes and discussing in loud voices.
This was Xiu Mei's world. The place where she had rebuilt her life after losing everything.
******
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