Layers of bridges and walkways crisscrossed the sky above, their shadows weaving together like a tattered blanket. Where gaps appeared, pale morning light filtered through arrays of glowing symbols, casting everything below in shades of blue and gray. Ming watched the play of light and shadow from her spot between the vendor stalls, counting the minutes.

The noodle seller would discard his first batch soon. She could smell the steam rising from his cart, carrying hints of green onion and ginger. Her stomach cramped at the scent. The old man always claimed the first batch wasn't good enough to sell, but Ming had seen him glance her way while tossing the perfectly good noodles into the waste bin.

"Girl." A voice behind her, thick with wine and stale incense. Ming's shoulders tensed. Her father's newest friend. "Your father's looking for you."

Ming pressed her fingers against the rough wall, feeling the dampness of the stone. "I'll be home later," she mumbled, already planning her escape.

"Now, girl. He needs-"

Ming slipped between two merchants haggling over the price of rice, their argument swallowing the rest of his words. She'd learned to make herself small, to find the gaps between people and disappear into them. His voice called after her once, then faded into the market's noise.

She didn't stop until she reached a covered walkway where the shadows ran deeper. A patrol of guards passed by, led by Captain Chen in his crisp uniform. Other street children said he was strict but fair. He'd caught her stealing once, months ago, but had only confiscated the food and warned her about getting caught by someone less forgiving.

A gray cat watched from a nearby windowsill, its eyes catching the blue light of the arrays above. Ming had seen it before, usually near the noodle cart. Sometimes she thought it watched her, but that was silly. Cats didn't care about human children.

Her stomach twisted again, harder this time. The noodle seller would be throwing out his first batch soon, but with her father's new “friend” around, she didn't dare go back. She'd have to find another way to eat today.

The fruit vendor's moon peaches seemed to glow in the market's dim light, their surfaces gathering what little illumination reached this far down. Ming couldn't remember when she'd last eaten. Yesterday? The day before? The days had started blurring together.

She knew better than to steal from the same stall twice in one week, but hunger made her sloppy. The fruit vendor was turned away, arguing prices with a merchant whose green-trimmed robes marked him as someone important from the upper levels.

Just one peach. Just enough to quiet her stomach until she could find something safer.

The peach was cool and smooth in her palm, then tucked away in her pocket. She took two careful steps backward, then three. No shouts. No-

"Stop! Thief!"

Ming's heart leaped into her throat. She ran, ducking under a startled porter's arm and darting between market stalls. Behind her, she heard the fruit vendor's continued shouts mixing with a more dreaded sound - the sharp whistle of city guards.

"It's the skinny one! Cut her off at the corner!"

Captain Chen's voice. Of course it would be him today. Ming pushed herself faster, ignoring the stitch forming in her side. She knew these streets, knew every crack and corner. The guards might know their patrol routes, but she knew the spaces in between.

A flash of gray caught her eye - the cat from earlier, perched on a stack of crates. As Ming passed, she could have sworn she heard a voice: "This way, little sister. Quick now."

Ming stumbled, her feet tangling beneath her. The voice had been clear as temple bells, but the only thing nearby was the cat. Its gray form darted down the crates and into a narrow gap between buildings.

Heavy boots pounded the stones behind her. "Left side! Don't let her reach the foundry district!"

The cat paused in the shadows of the alley, looking back at her. Ming glanced between it and the main street. She knew a dozen hiding spots in the market, but Captain Chen knew them too. He'd caught other children there before.

The cat's tail twitched. "Trust me or don't, but choose quickly."

Ming dove into the alley. The walls pressed close on either side, clothes lines and pipes crisscrossing overhead. The cat led her through turns she'd never noticed before, beneath loose boards and through gaps that seemed to widen just enough to let her pass.

The guards' shouts grew fainter. The cat moved like flowing water, always just far enough ahead that Ming could follow its tail in the dimness. Left, right, through a broken window, under a forgotten cart. Ming's lungs burned, but she didn't dare slow down.

They emerged into a small courtyard. Ancient trees stretched toward the distant ceiling of bridges and arrays, their branches tangling with forgotten pipes and support beams. The cat stopped beside a pile of wooden planks leaning against a wall.

"Behind these," it said, nosing at a dark space beneath the wood. "They won't look here."

Ming hesitated. The gap seemed too small, and what if the planks fell? But the sound of boots was growing louder again. She dropped to her hands and knees, crawling into the space. It was larger than it had looked, as if the wall behind the planks curved away to make room.

The cat squeezed in after her, its warm presence settling against her side. "Quiet now," it whispered. "Let your breath slow. Feel the shadows around you."

Ming wanted to ask how a cat could talk, wanted to ask where they were, wanted to ask a hundred other questions that pressed against her teeth. But the sound of the guards was very close now, and she forced herself to breathe slowly, just like the cat said.

The shadows seemed to deepen around them. Ming felt something soft and cool brush against her skin, like silk made of darkness. Her racing heart began to calm.

Boots stepped into the courtyard. Ming held her breath.

"Check behind those crates," Captain Chen ordered. "Liu, check if any of these doors are unlocked."

Ming could see fragments of movement through gaps in the planks. Armored legs moved past their hiding spot. Hinges creeked as someone tried a rusty door. 

The wood pressed close around her, but the strange coolness of the shadows made it feel less suffocating.

"Sir!" Heavy footsteps approached the planks. Ming felt the cat press closer against her side. "These look loose enough to-"

A clatter of falling metal echoed from a nearby alley, followed by a child's laugh and a cat's yowl.

"Over there!" someone shouted. "I saw her!"

A pause. Ming's chest ached from holding her breath.

"Could be a different one," a guard said.

"No," Captain Chen's voice was firm. "That's our thief. The other kids don't come to this district. Move!"

The boots thundered away, following the sounds of running feet and knocked over crates. Ming watched through the gaps as guards rushed past the courtyard entrance. A small orange cat darted across their path, followed by a flash of ragged clothes disappearing around a corner.

The gray cat waited until the last echoes faded before speaking. "Little Whiskers always did have a talent for distractions," it said, a hint of amusement in its voice. "And Rat knows these alleys better than any of them. They'll lead the guards on a fine chase."

Ming finally let out her breath. "Rat?"

"A friend. Like you might be, if you're interested." The cat stretched, then turned to face her in the dim space. Its eyes caught what little light filtered through the planks. "But first, let's talk about that peach you stole."

The words broke something in Ming. All the fear from the chase, the hunger, the exhaustion of always running - it welled up at once. She pulled the peach from her pocket with trembling hands, tears blurring her vision.

"I'm sorry," she choked out. "I haven't... I can't..." She tried to wipe her eyes with her sleeve, but the tears wouldn't stop. "I can't go home. And I'm so hungry."

The cat's voice softened. "I know, little sister. I've seen you at the noodle cart these past weeks. Seen you sleeping in the temple alcove when home is too dangerous." It shifted closer, its fur brushing against her arm. "Seen you sharing your food with the younger ones, too, even when you had almost nothing."

Ming stared at the cat through her tears. "You've been watching me?"

"We watch. We notice." The cat's tail curled around itself. "There are others like you, you know. Children who need a safer place. And there are more of us, cats who help them learn to survive here." It tilted its head. "Would you like to meet them?"

Ming looked down at the peach in her hands, then back at the cat. "There are... others? Like me?"

"Like you. And not like you. Each with their own story." The cat stood, stretching. "But stories are better shared with full stomachs. Eat your peach - you've certainly earned it after that chase. Then I can show you where a baker puts out fresh bread for cooling." Its whiskers twitched. "And perhaps teach you how to get it without being seen. Properly, this time."

Ming wiped her eyes again. "Why are you helping me?"

"Because someone once helped me, when I was a hungry kitten in these same shadows." The cat moved toward the edge of their hiding space. "I'm Shadow Paw, by the way. And you're Ming."

Ming took a small bite of the peach. It was the sweetest thing she'd ever tasted.

…

Captain Chen felt the shadow technique before he entered the courtyard. It was subtle - a whisper of qi that made the darkness pool slightly deeper behind a rough stack of planks. His men wouldn't notice it. Most cultivators wouldn't, unless they'd spent years learning the particular way spirit cats bent light and shadow.

"Check behind those crates," he ordered, deliberately directing attention away from the planks. "Liu, check if any of these doors are unlocked."

He watched his men search, their movements efficient but ultimately futile. The girl was right there, wrapped in shadow-craft that felt like Shadow Paw's work. The gray cat had been getting sloppy lately, letting him detect its techniques more easily. Or perhaps it was intentional - a way of letting him know which children were under their protection.

"Sir!" Guard Wei approached the planks. Chen tensed slightly, but kept his face neutral. "These look loose enough to-"

A clatter of metal echoed from a nearby alley, followed by a child's laugh and a cat's yowl. Chen almost smiled. Little Whiskers, making an entrance. The orange cat was young for a spirit beast, barely fifty years old, and always eager to play its part in these elaborate dances between guards and street children.

"Over there!" someone shouted. "I saw her!"

Chen studied his men's faces. None of them seemed to notice that the orange cat darting across their path looked nothing like the gray one they'd been chasing earlier. Or that the shadows in this courtyard felt just a little too deep, too alive.

"Could be a different one," Guard Wei said uncertainly.

"No," Chen said firmly, playing his own part. "That's our thief. The other kids don't come to this district. Move!"

He waited until his men thundered off after Little Whiskers' distraction before allowing himself a small sigh. There would be paperwork, of course. Questions about how they'd lost the girl. But better that than disrupting the delicate balance that kept peace in these lower districts.

The chase led them on a winding path through the market district. Little Whiskers was playing with them now, leading them past fruit stalls and noodle carts, through narrow gaps between buildings, and finally back to where they'd started. His men were breathing hard, frustration evident on their faces.

"Lost her," Guard Wei reported between breaths. "She must know these alleys better than we do."

Chen nodded. "Return to your posts. I'll handle the report." He watched them disperse, their shoulders slumped with familiar disappointment.

The air shifted behind him, taking on the particular stillness that preceded a senior cultivator's arrival. Chen turned and bowed deeply.

"Elder Xu," he said, keeping his eyes lowered. The Shadowed Moon elder's robes seemed to drink in the morning light, the sect's insignia gleaming darkly at his collar.

"Captain." Elder Xu's voice was soft, but it carried weight. "I heard there was a disturbance. A theft?"

Chen straightened but kept his posture respectful. "A minor incident, Elder. A street child took a peach from Merchant Lin's stall. We pursued but lost them in the alleys."

"Lost them?" The elder's eyebrow rose slightly. "In territory under your watch?"

A delicate moment. Too much competence would raise questions about why street children still operated freely. Too little would suggest he wasn't fit for his post.

"The lower districts have their own rhythms, Elder. Their own..." He paused, choosing his words carefully. "Their own ways of maintaining balance."

This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

A knowing smile touched Elder Xu's lips. "Indeed. I've noticed these pursuits tend to end in disappointment only when the stakes are... appropriately modest."

Chen kept his face carefully neutral, even as his shoulders tensed. It was true - when real criminals struck, when valuable cultivation resources went missing, the spirit beasts often led the guards right to the culprits. But having an elder acknowledge this unspoken arrangement, even obliquely...

"The lower districts are peaceful, Elder," he said carefully. "Major crimes are rare."

"Yes," Elder Xu's smile remained. "How fortunate for everyone." He glanced at the morning sun filtering through the layers above. "Join me for tea, Captain? The Golden Leaf should be opening about now."

Chen had never been invited to tea by an elder before. "I would be honored, Elder Xu."

The Golden Leaf sat in the junction between the market district and the cultivators' quarter, occupying the corner of an ancient stone building. Inside, the air was thick with the scent of aged oolong and jasmine. The proprietor guided them to a private room overlooking a small courtyard where shadows danced beneath a gnarled maple tree.

A gray and white cat sat in the windowsill, its tail curled neatly around its paws. Chen noticed how Elder Xu's eyes crinkled slightly at its presence, though he made no comment about their unexpected companion.

"My mother ran a noodle cart in these streets," Elder Xu said as he poured the tea with practiced grace. "Just there, where the silk merchant's shop now stands. I spent my childhood learning every alley, every shortcut." He smiled at some distant memory. "Every shadow."

Chen watched the steam rise from his cup, acutely aware of both the elder and the cat. "The lower districts have changed much since then, I imagine."

"Have they?" Elder Xu's eyes glinted with amusement. "The buildings, perhaps. The faces, certainly. But the rhythms..." He sipped his tea. "A hungry child still steals a peach. A guard still gives chase. A cat still watches from the shadows." His gaze shifted briefly to their feline observer. "Though in my day, I never heard them speak."

The cat's tail swished sharply against the windowsill, sending motes of dust dancing in the morning light. Elder Xu's smile widened slightly at the reaction.

"But we're not here to discuss the past." He set his cup down with careful precision. "The tournament approaches. Three years seems like a long time to those who've never prepared for one, but you and I know better."

Chen nodded. Already the lower districts were feeling the pressure. More visitors arriving each week, more merchants establishing early positions, more eyes watching the streets.

"The other peaks have begun sending observers," Elder Xu continued. "They always claim it's too early, yet they always come. Watching our preparations as much as our people." He refilled their cups with practiced grace. "The construction teams start night shifts next week. We must have the tournament grounds complete within the year."

Chen thought of the massive scaffolding already rising in the eastern quarter. “It grows more grand with every cycle, I'm told."

"Indeed. The last tournament brought nearly ninety million visitors to our territory alone." Elder Xu's fingers traced the rim of his cup. "This time we expect more. Many more. The granaries in the lower districts will need to triple their capacity. The formation arrays that power the water systems must be strengthened. And of course," he glanced meaningfully at Chen, "we'll need to expand the guard force considerably."

"How many new guards?"

"Twenty thousand, at minimum. All trained in crowd control, basic formation theory, and..." He paused, eyes flickering to the cat. "Cultural sensitivity. The other Peaks will expand their own security forces, of course, but our guards must know every shadow of this city.”

The cat's ears twitched forward with interest.

"The merchant guilds are already reserving warehouse space," Elder Xu continued. "Converting them to temporary lodging. But the real challenge will be the unofficial visitors - those who come without reservations or connections, hoping to witness a once-in-a-decade spectacle."

"They'll flood the lower districts first," Chen said, thinking of the already crowded streets.

"As they always do. The clever ones are arriving now, establishing themselves while space remains." Elder Xu's smile had a sharp edge. "Though I hear some of our more... resourceful residents have already begun cataloging suitable properties. Empty buildings, abandoned warehouses, spaces that might be converted with the right investments."

The cat's tail curled with what might have been satisfaction.

"Tourism brings prosperity," Elder Xu said, "but it also brings opportunities for... misunderstandings. We must ensure our expanded guard force understands the difference between real threats and mere cultural differences. Between those who would harm our district and those who simply operate by different rules."

Chen understood the layers in that instruction. The new guards would need to learn the delicate dance between enforcement and acceptance, between maintaining order and preserving the district's unique systems.

"The other peaks watch us closely," Elder Xu said. "They see our shadows, our perpetual twilight, and wonder how we maintain such order in what they consider darkness." He smiled at the cat. "They never quite understand that darkness itself can be a kind of order."

The gray and white cat rose gracefully, stretching in a shaft of filtered sunlight. It regarded them both with ancient eyes before slipping from the windowsill and disappearing into the shadows of the maple tree.

Chen watched it go, wondering how many such conversations the spirit beast had witnessed over its centuries of life.

"More tea, Captain?"

…

Moon Shadow moved through the spaces between shadows, the kind of paths only the oldest spirit beasts remembered. Elder Xu's words settled in his mind like stones in a pond, each ripple carrying implications that would need to be addressed. Grand Whiskers would want to know everything - the elder's tone, his careful phrasings, even the steam patterns rising from the tea.

The tournament preparations weren't just about building grand arenas and storing food. The spirit beasts had their own preparations to make, their own networks to strengthen. Twenty thousand new guards meant twenty thousand new sets of eyes that needed to learn when to look away. The flood of visitors meant countless new shadows to map, and new territories to negotiate with the other spirit beasts who would inevitably arrive.

And then there was the girl, Ming. Her talent for hearing them was promising, but more importantly, she had good instincts. She'd trusted Shadow Paw quickly, adapted to the situation. Such adaptability was a valuable skill.

The path took him deeper, down through layers of the city that even most spirit beasts forgot existed. Here, in the true shadows beneath the marketplace, Grand Whiskers maintained the heart of their operation. The ancient cat would already be meeting with representatives from other spirit beast communities, negotiating the delicate boundaries that kept peace in their hidden world.

Moon Shadow smiled to himself. Let the sects build their arenas and count their grain. The real work of preparing for the tournament would happen here, in whispers and shadows, in the spaces between what the cultivators thought they understood.

The deeper paths grew older as he descended, passing formation arrays so ancient their symbols had begun to fade into the stone. Few remembered when these tunnels were carved - perhaps not even Grand Whiskers, though the old cat claimed to remember the founding of the Nine Peaks themselves.

He emerged into a vast chamber that had once been a warehouse, back when this level had still seen sunlight. Now ancient support pillars rose into darkness, their surfaces carved with spiraling formation marks that caught what little light remained and multiplied it. Cats lounged on fallen columns and crumbling ledges, their eyes gleaming in the dim light. Not ordinary cats - even the youngest here had achieved some measure of cultivation.

Grand Whiskers sat atop the highest perch, his silver fur seeming to glow with its own inner light. The ancient cat had grown larger over his centuries of cultivation, closer to the size of a mountain lion than a house cat. Beside him, Night River's sleek black form was barely visible against the shadows. The female cat led the largest spirit beast faction in the merchant's quarter, and her presence suggested this meeting was more significant than usual.

…

"This isn't about a stolen trinket," Night River said, her black fur almost invisible against the darkness of the chamber. Only her eyes caught the light, green-gold and intent. "Azure Sky doesn't send hawk messengers over missing jewelry."

Grand Whiskers' tail curled thoughtfully around his massive paws. The ancient cat's silver fur rippled with shadows even in stillness, a sign of how deeply cultivation had changed him over the centuries. "Tell me again.  Exactly what Wind Talon said."

"Three nights ago, someone breached Azure Sky’s vaults. Not the public ones where they store cultivation resources, but the sealed archives." Night River's ears flicked forward. "They're missing scrolls. Old ones."

"Scrolls about what?"

"Wind Talon wouldn't say. Claimed he didn't know." Night River's whiskers twitched with skepticism. "But he did say the human cultivators are trying to keep it quiet. No official reports, no formal investigations. Just this… discrete inquiry through spirit beast channels."

"Interesting." Grand Whiskers shifted, and the shadows around him deepened. "Azure Sky Peak doesn't often admit they need help from the shadows. Especially not with the tournament approaching."

"They're proud, not stupid. Their wind techniques can spot a sparrow's breath from across the city, but they know who really watches the spaces between territories." Night River's tail lashed once. "Though I suspect they hope we'll be discrete about helping them too. Wouldn't want the other peaks knowing they lost something important enough to ask for our aid."

A young hawk spirit beast perched in one of the high windows, trying to look comfortable despite being so far underground. Wind Talon's messenger, waiting for their response. The hawk's presence alone spoke volumes about Azure Sky's desperation - birds rarely ventured this deep into the shadows.

Grand Whiskers made a sound somewhere between a purr and a growl. “And they want our help? After their guards chased Shadow Paw's youngest out of their market district last week?" His claws extended slightly, digging into stone. "Their humans leave no food out, set their dogs on our kind, and complain when we're forced to hunt their precious messenger birds for survival."

"It's worse in the residential districts," Night River agreed. "They've been putting out those new formation arrays - the ones that make our ears ring if we cross their threshold. As if we're common strays." Her tail curled with disdain. "Yet they expect us to maintain the rat population, keep their granaries safe. They want our service without our presence."

The hawk shuffled uncomfortably on its perch.

"And now they lose something precious," Grand Whiskers continued, his voice heavy with centuries of accumulated grievance. "Something their wind-watching and high perches couldn't protect. So they turn to those they usually shun, hoping we'll slip through the shadows they fear, find what their bright eyes missed."

"Grand Whiskers." A sleek tortoiseshell materialized from the shadows near the chamber's entrance. Court Cat, as the others called her, spent her days watching the peak's political maneuverings. "Moon Shadow approaches. He brings news from the elders' meeting."

The massive silver cat's ears pivoted forward with interest. "Does he now? Well then." His gaze swept the chamber, taking in the gathered spirit beasts, lingering for a moment on the uncomfortable hawk. "Let us see what our more... enlightened neighbors are planning."

The chamber filled quickly as word spread of Moon Shadow's approach. Night River kept her position near Grand Whiskers, but other spirit beasts found perches along the fallen columns and ancient ledges. The hawk spirit beast shifted on its window ledge, clearly torn between diplomatic duty and a desire to escape the growing concentration of cats.

"The elders are preparing," Moon Shadow announced, leaping to a middle perch. Protocol would be observed, even among old friends. "They speak openly of numbers now. Ninety million visitors to our territory alone, they expect. More, likely."

"Ninety million heartbeats," Night River said softly. "Ninety million shadows to watch."

A rustle of whispers passed through the gathered spirit beasts. Even for creatures who thought in decades and centuries, such numbers were daunting.

Grand Whiskers' tail twitched once. "And the new guards?"

"Twenty thousand. To be trained in... cultural sensitivity." Moon Shadow let his whiskers curl in amusement.

"Ah," the ancient cat rumbled, his voice carrying just enough to reach the window ledge, "So they finally admit we exist? How generous of them."

…

Ming wiped peach juice from her chin as they walked, her feet following Shadow Paw's silent steps through narrow alleyways. The fruit had helped calm her shaking hands, but her mind raced with questions.

"How can I understand you?" she finally asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "You're... you're a cat."

Shadow Paw glanced back at her, whiskers twitching with what might have been amusement. "Am I? Are you sure?"

Ming watched the cat's graceful movement through the shadows. Each step seemed to land in exactly the right spot, avoiding loose stones and puddles without looking. "You look like a cat."

"And you look like a scrawny street child, yet you're the first to hear my voice in months." Shadow Paw paused at a corner, ears swiveling. "Sometimes looking isn't enough."

They turned down an alley Ming had never noticed before, though she thought she knew every path in this part of the market district. The walls pressed close here, but strange symbols glowed faintly in the cracks between stones. Shadow Paw seemed to grow more solid in their light, less like a normal cat and more like... something else.

"There are many kinds of cats in this city," Shadow Paw continued. "Some catch mice. Some beg for scraps. And some of us..." The cat stepped through a patch of shadow, and for a moment its form rippled like water. "Some of us learn other ways to survive."

A quiet scuff of feet on stone made Ming spin around. A figure detached itself from the shadows - the ragged child she'd glimpsed during the chase. Close up, Ming could see it was a boy about her age, with sharp features and quick eyes. He moved with the same careful grace as Shadow Paw.

"This is Rat," Shadow Paw said. "He helped lead the guards away."

Rat grinned, showing a gap between his front teeth. "Nice running back there. Most new ones panic when Little Whiskers starts the distraction."

A small orange cat dropped from somewhere above, landing silently beside Shadow Paw. Unlike the gray cat's fluid grace, this one seemed to vibrate with barely contained energy.

"Most new ones don't hear us at all," the orange cat said, its voice higher and younger than Shadow Paw's. "Grand Whiskers will want to meet this one."

Ming's eyes widened as understanding struck her. She'd heard the older kids talk about spirit beasts before - creatures that lived so long in places of power that they learned to cultivate, becoming something more than animal but not quite human. They were supposed to be rare, dwelling in mountain peaks or ancient forests. Not here in the shadows of the market district.

But the way Shadow Paw moved through darkness, the strange rippling of its form, the glowing symbols that seemed to respond to its presence...

"You're spirit beasts," she whispered. "All of you?"

Little Whiskers puffed up proudly. "Smart one, isn't she? And she can hear us without any training at all."

"Which raises interesting questions," Shadow Paw said softly, those knowing eyes fixed on Ming.

"Questions for Grand Whiskers," Little Whiskers interrupted, tail twitching with impatience. "Weren't we headed to Yuan's bakery? The morning batch should be cooling by now." The orange cat was already moving, practically bouncing between shadows. Shadow Paw followed with a slight shake of its head, leaving Ming with Rat.

"They're always like that," Rat said, falling into step beside her. "Little Whiskers can't stay still, and Shadow Paw thinks everything's a lesson waiting to happen." He spoke with the fond exasperation of someone describing family.

"You live with them?" Ming asked, watching the two cats navigate the twisting alley ahead.

"Sort of. We're the Alley Whispers - the cats and the kids they look after. We help each other survive down here in the shadows." He gestured at their surroundings. "Some of us couldn't stay home, like you. Others never had homes to begin with. But the cats..." He grinned. "They teach us things. Important things. Shadow stepping, night seeing, whisker sensing - ways to survive down here that most people never learn. Even some of the fancy cultivators up in their towers don't know our tricks." His voice dropped lower. "Grand Whiskers says these skills matter more than most people think."

Ming looked at him curiously. "What do you mean?"

"Well, take Pearl. She went from picking pockets in our territory to joining Flowing River Peak in the last tournament. And Cricket, she made it into Verdant Inscription." He paused, kicking a loose stone. "The tournament's still years away, but the cats, they're already watching. They say it takes time to really learn, not just to cultivate, but to understand what it means."

Ming nearly stumbled. The tournament. Even in the lowest markets, people had been talking more about it lately. Merchants arguing about when to raise their prices for the crowds. Workers building new stands and platforms. She'd seen a family from somewhere far away last week, their accent strange and their clothes dusty from travel. They'd said they came early to establish themselves before the real crowds arrived.

But she'd only ever thought about watching it. Maybe finding good spots to beg from the excited crowds, or safe places to hide from the increased guard patrols. The idea of actually participating...

"But that's..." She swallowed. "That's for other people. Important people. Not..." She gestured at her ragged clothes, her bare feet.

Rat snorted. "Important? Cricket was sleeping in a barrel behind the fish market when Shadow Paw found her. Now she's growing trees with a touch." He glanced at her. "Besides, haven't you noticed? More spirit beasts around lately, not just cats. More people in the streets talking about cultivation. The whole city's getting ready, even down here in the shadows. The cats say it's like this every time - a pulse that runs through everything as the tournament gets closer."

Ming thought about the strange whispers she'd been hearing more often lately, the movements in the shadows she'd blamed on hunger or tiredness. Had that been real? Had she been feeling that pulse without knowing it?

"I just thought..." She hesitated. "I just thought it would be something to watch."

They emerged from the alley into a small courtyard Ming had never seen before. The smell of fresh bread filled the air, warm and rich. A neat row of windows lined the back wall of a building, and through them she could see loaves cooling on racks. Little Whiskers sat beneath one of the windows, whiskers twitching at the scent. Shadow Paw stood nearby, watching Ming with those knowing eyes.

"First lesson," Rat said quietly. "Learning to get food without stealing isn't just about eating. It's about building connections. Yuan the baker leaves these windows open for a reason. He knows about us." He grinned. "And sometimes, when spirit beasts and humans work together, a simple loaf of bread can become something more than just breakfast."

Ming looked at the cooling bread, then at the cats, then back at Rat. For the first time that morning, she felt something beyond hunger and fear. Something like hope.