“Lead me to her,” I said.

“I’m sorry sir. I can’t betray the mistress,” the kitty brother said.

“You won’t be betraying her. I already told you I know her. I wouldn’t lie to you.” I connected with my plants again. I frowned. Random people were walking across my yard. Jing had let them, but it still felt uncomfortable. “And you’re doing this to pay me back anyway.”

He seemed to struggle with indecision before saying, “Are you enemies with the mistress?”

“I’m not her enemy, not that I’d tell you if I were.”

He led me to the edge of my estate. We stood on the brick fence surrounding my garden. He pointed across the road at a nearby building. It was five stories tall and circled other shorter buildings. I had never seen it before. I didn’t pay attention to the neighboring buildings. “That’s where she is, sir.”

The city had no official layout. Huge gardens like mine next to compact apartments weren’t uncommon. People could do anything they wanted with the land they owned.

“Thanks.” I decided I could risk leaving my garden for a short time. I already Programed defenses. Although it looked like Jing took down some of them to create paths for her people. I never imagined she would expand to having subordinates in just a couple days. I was expecting a chain of tea houses when I told her to start a business. The size of her base suggested something larger.

I hopped off my fence and headed towards the building he had pointed to.

I had gotten halfway there when the door to the building exploded. Other people on the streets turned to watch. I stopped. A teenage kid walked out with more than twenty people behind him. Despite his young appearance, it was obvious he was the leader.

I felt that I’d seen him somewhere before, but I felt the same for a lot of people. I’d never seen anybody carry themselves with as much dignity. This kid was confident enough to deserve my support. I should send some pills his way. Still, what a waste of a door.

They turned to leave. They turned and I noticed the symbols of eyes that dotted their clothing. I remembered what Hou Tian had said about these people. My eyes narrowed.

After the group left, I went into the building and found a deserted lobby. I climbed spiraling stairs to the next story. Dozens of people were busily running around, many carried boxes identical to the one on the other kitty brother.

They didn’t look like good people. They looked tougher than nails, far more physically powerful than regular people.

A few of them were from the kitty brothers. “Hello?” I tapped him on the shoulder.

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He turned around and gasped. “Grandmaster Jin!” he gasped. Most of the room turned. The ones who were not kitty brothers looked at me with hostility. “Are you looking for your servant?”

So Hui Ming was here as well. It was no surprise. I had told her to go with Jing. “No, I’m looking for Jing. Is she here?”

“Y-yes. She’s in the meeting room on the fifth floor. Do you know the way?” he asked.

“Nope.”

“I’ll show you,” he offered. A minute later, we were in front of a door at the end of a long hallway. He knocked, “Mistress Jing, a man named Grandmaster Jin has come to meet you,” he shouted, trying to get his voice through the door.

The door was flung open so hard it created a gust down the corridor. A body shot out of the room. It tackled me with a hug. I was pushed back, my feet flying off the floor. We flew until my back hit the wall behind me.

The guy who brought me froze, not knowing what to do.

“Ow,” I said in a rather emotionless tone.

Jing pouted. Hui Ming helped me pry her off. Hui Ming waved the kitty brother away and he left. “Father! You’ve come to visit? Who’s protecting the house?”

I stood up, freed from Jing’s grasp. “Nobody, so I need to get back quick. What is this place?” I started walking to the room Jing had flown out of. I turned and saw Hui Ming dragging her by the cheek. Jing wasn’t mad, but was pulling back playfully. I smiled, glad they had gotten closer.

There were only two chairs in the room. I sat on one of them and pat the other chair, “Xiao Li, sit here.”

Hui Ming let go of Jing’s cheek and sat with me. Jing was forced to stand without a chair. “Favoritis-” she started.

I reached up and tapped her forehead, “Shh. What’s going on here? I let you go for three days, and you’re already involved in some robbery group and incense?”

“Weed,” she corrected.

“Weed, whatever. Anyway. Tell me what’s going on.”

“You told me to make money, so I’m earning money,” she said, feeling her head with her fingertips.

“...out with it, Jing. All of it.”

She told me about how she set up an incense ring, how she stole Dao’s symbol, and how she got caught between sixteen cartels. She explained how she was binding her cartel family-style. She spoke of doing things I would never dream of being able to do as if they were easy. I had suspected Jing was smarter than I gave her credit for, but I never expected it was to this degree.

I had one thing to confirm. “How much are paying them?”

“Five hundred shards a day.”

No matter how smart she was, smarts alone wouldn’t be enough for her to do what she had done. But she had an infinite supply of incense and a million shards to start with. It was mind-blowing that she had recruited all these people in so little time. She used everything at her disposal.

She also had great personal power. Nobody under the sixth stage could break her body. She was planty powerful.

She had money and power, and her intelligence tied them together. She had no weaknesses.

“I can handle this on my own. The sixteen cartels won’t be a problem for me,” she said.

She had gotten this far in three days, I could imagine what she could do with three months, or three years. I hid a gigantic smile. I had released a monster into the city. I couldn’t wait to see what sort of splash she would make, but…

“I know I said you could do whatever you wanted, but try not to cause too much destruction on the way,” I said.

She did an army salute, “Yes father!”

“I’ll trust you. Don’t be reckless,” I said. “Also, Hui Ming, assist Jing if necessary”

“Yes master.”

Jing raised her hand. “One more thing. About this guy calling himself Dao, he’s from your home world.”