The moon, a silver sickle slicing through the inky canvas of the night sky, cast long, distorted shadows that danced and writhed in the narrow alleyways of Skyveil City.

Tian Hao and Lin Mei moved with a cautious grace, their footsteps silent on the cobblestones.

Fatty Wu had stayed back, insisting he was especially unsuited for sneaky work. "Subtlety and I have never been on speaking terms," he had declared, waving them off with a grin.

Tian Hao couldn't argue. He remembered when Fatty Wu had tried to chase Jiuwei through the bustling market streets, only to knock over an entire fruit stand. Tian Hao still vividly remembered the sight of Fatty Wu floundering in a sea of rolling mangoes, trying to collect them while apologizing profusely.

The air was thick with the mingled scents of incense, street food, and the faint metallic tang of the city's hidden currents.

Jiuwei, her small form a blur of silver fur, darted ahead. Her senses were sharp, her tiny paws padding softly on the uneven ground.

“This way,” she whispered, her voice barely audible above the city’s muffled hum, her golden eyes glinting in the darkness as she led them through a labyrinthine network of narrow passageways and hidden courtyards. “A senior’s intuition never fails.”

They moved like shadows, their presence unnoticed amidst the city’s nocturnal symphony. Every corner they turned, every darkened doorway, seemed to hold the potential for danger, the Iron Talon Sect’s unseen eyes lurking just beyond their perception.

“Are you sure this is the right way?” Lin Mei whispered. “We’ve been wandering these alleys for hours, and all we’ve found are stray cats and questionable street dumplings.”

Tian Hao chuckled softly, but his fingers tapped lightly against his thigh, betraying the unease settling in his gut. His usual playful demeanor felt strained. The weight of their mission pressed against his shoulders, heavier than he wanted to admit. “Patience, Mei Mei. Great discoveries often require unconventional detours. Besides, what’s an adventure without a little uncertainty? Though, I will admit that those dumplings did look a bit suspicious.”

He shuddered dramatically, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “They had that… otherworldly sheen that usually means ‘avoid at all costs’ unless you enjoy having nightmares about demonic spirit beasts, or perhaps spending a few hours in close proximity to a latrine.”

“Less chatter, more focus,” Jiuwei hissed from up ahead. “There is something… amiss… in this place. We need to be cautious. Do try to avoid getting us noticed.”

They entered a dimly lit teahouse, its entrance shrouded in a veil of fragrant steam. Jiuwei sniffed the air, her nose twitching. “Nothing here but stale tea and staler gossip. Let’s move on.”

Next, they tried a moonlit music pagoda, its ethereal melodies drifting into the night air. Tian Hao could feel his cultivation stir in response to the beauty of the music, each note resonating with his spirit. For a brief moment, he was tempted to linger, letting the profound harmony draw him deeper, but Jiuwei shook her head, her expression resolute. "This isn't the place we're looking for. We must keep moving."

The reluctance in Tian Hao's eyes was clear as he turned away, feeling the connection fade as they stepped back into the shadows.

They pushed through the depths of the city, each stop more dubious than the last. The air thickened with the stink of stale sweat and spilled liquor, and the faces they passed grew harder, more guarded.

"This is getting worse," Lin Mei muttered. "We're walking deeper into a pit."

Tian Hao, normally quick with a jest, remained quiet, his expression unreadable. He glanced at a group of men nursing drinks in silence, their eyes flicking toward any newcomers with wary suspicion.

With each failed attempt, the tension coiled tighter. The Iron Talon Sect was a shadow in the alleys, and they were grasping at smoke.

One stop was a merchant's warehouse, its massive wooden doors barely holding back the din of hushed negotiations. Inside, dim lanterns flickered over rows of crates, each packed with goods that would never be taxed. A few figures glanced their way, assessing, but quickly dismissed them as unimportant.

Jiuwei sniffed, her tail flicking in distaste. "Nothing but smugglers here. Move on."

Next, they stepped into a fortune teller's parlor, its entrance draped in thick velvet curtains. The scent of incense clung to the air, and the woman inside—draped in shimmering silks—gave them a knowing smile before they'd even spoken. "Seek not the shadows that wish to be found," she intoned cryptically.

Tian Hao raised a brow. "Well, that was vague enough to be useless. Let's go."

Their third attempt led them to a secluded herbalist’s cellar, the scent of rare herbs barely masking the underlying acrid tang of something else.

Jiuwei wrinkled her nose. "Illicit alchemy. Some of these substances are banned for a reason."

Lin Mei exhaled, frustration mounting. "We're wasting time."

As they stepped into the night once more, Tian Hao shot Jiuwei a look. "Alright, I have to ask—how exactly do you know about all these places?"

Jiuwei's golden eyes glinted with amusement. "Unlike you two, I actually pay attention when we wander the markets. And," she added with a flick of her tail, "I've done my own exploring at night. Unlike you fragile mortals, I don’t need sleep nearly as much."

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Lin Mei sighed, rubbing her temples. "Of course you have."

Tian Hao grinned, though a part of him couldn't help but recall how often Jiuwei simply curled up on her luxurious fur bed, basking in the sun like the most spoiled of house pets. "And here I thought you did nothing but nap and snap. You really are full of surprises."

Jiuwei narrowed her eyes at the barb, but still allowed a foxy little smirk to cross her muzzle. "You have no idea."

They stopped at a weaponsmith's forge tucked between two crumbling buildings, its anvil ringing with the steady clang of hammer on steel. The blacksmith barely spared them a glance before grunting, "If you ain't buying, you ain't staying."

Further into the night, they found themselves in a quiet courtyard houssing an old scribe selling "forbidden texts"—most of which turned out to be romantic poetry disguised as ancient techniques.

Tian Hao flipped through a scroll before sighing. "Unless the Iron Talons are plotting with heartbroken scholars, we're out of luck."

With each failed attempt, Tian Hao's frustration grew, though he masked it behind his usual humor.

"I thought a senior's intuition never fails, Jiuwei," Tian Hao teased, his voice light despite the exhaustion creeping into his tone.

Jiuwei shot him a sharp look, her tail flicking in irritation.

"Even seniors have off days," she replied tersely. "Now focus, or we'll be wandering these alleys until dawn."

Finally, as they entered a shady drinking pavilion tucked away in a quiet corner of the market district, Jiuwei paused, her ears perking up.

The air within the pavilion was thick with the aroma of cheap wine and desperation. The lighting dim, casting flickering shadows that danced with the whispers of rumors and hushed conspiracies. The walls were stained with the residue of countless spilled drinks and fights. The tables, worn smooth by time and neglect, bore the marks of countless hands that had clutched at them in anger, desperation or celebration.

Jiuwei's gaze swept across the room, her senses heightened. The placement of the drinkers, the subtle shifts in body language, the almost imperceptible flickers of spiritual energy—all these details painted a emergant picture. She spotted a group of Iron Talon disciples, their dark robes blending with the shadows. One among them, a wiry man with a shifty gaze and an aura that hummed with a dark energy that felt familiar—she recognized him from the shadows of the hidden market.

“There,” she whispered, pointing with her nose. “Our… informants.”

Tian Hao and Lin Mei took a seat at a nearby table, pretending to be engrossed in a casual conversation as they ordered a bland herbal tea, hoping to blend in, their earlier tension now a quiet hum beneath the surface.

“Don’t stare,” Lin Mei warned, glancing at the group of Iron Talon disciples. “We don’t want to draw attention to ourselves.” She sipped her tea, her gaze darting around the room. She lowered her voice. “I still don’t like this, Tian Hao.”

“Relax, Mei Mei. We’re just… observing. Besides,” he added, grimacing at the bitter taste of the tea, “who knows what secrets we might uncover in a place like this?”

Jiuwei slipped into the shadows with a quiet grace Tian Hao hadn't seen before. The shimmer of her silver fur, usually a beacon in the darkness, seemed to dull as she melted into the dim light, her form vanishing like mist in the night. He couldn't help but admire her, realizing how much more there was to Jiuwei than met the eye.

She moved like a wraith, each step light and deliberate, her tiny paws making no sound on the worn floorboards. Slipping between the tables, she wove through the drunken revelry unnoticed. A heavy-lidded man at the bar slurred something incoherent, his head lolling onto the counter as a few nearby patrons chuckled at his expense. No one paid attention to the small shadow that crept closer to the Iron Talon disciples.

Jiuwei stilled, her ears twitching as she honed in on the conversation. Her tail lowered, muscles coiling with tension as she flattened herself further against the shadows. She forced herself to remain motionless, her breath slowing to an imperceptible rhythm. Their voices were low, but distinct, their words sharp like daggers drawn in secrecy.

"...The Jade Wager is where the next phase begins," one of the men muttered. His low voice carried the weight of suppressed excitement, but there was tension beneath it. "The elder think the smaller factions will fall in line. If they don’t... well, we’ll give them incentive."

A second voice, older, raspier, snorted. "Always the same. Stir the waters, make them desperate, then throw them a lifeline. But we need to be careful. Word is spreading about what happened in the southern district. If the wrong ears catch wind—"

"Then we silence them," the first man interrupted, his tone cold. "The sect doesn’t tolerate loose ends. You saw what happened to that merchant."

Jiuwei resisted the urge to growl. Instead, she sank deeper into the shadows, memorizing their faces, their mannerisms. This wasn’t just posturing—this was a calculated plan, a slow poisoning of the city’s stability to push the weaker sects into submission.

She slipped away as easily as she had arrived, padding silently back toward Tian Hao and Lin Mei. With a final glance over her shoulder to ensure she hadn’t been noticed, she leapt onto Tian Hao’s shoulder, her tiny claws digging into his robe.

“The Iron Talons are planning something big,” she whispered urgently in his ear. “Something involving other sects here within Skyveil City, gathering allies, exerting influence over smaller factions. Creating chaos. They mentioned a meeting place—a gambling den called The Jade Wager.”

Tian Hao and Lin Mei exchanged a glance, their quiet understanding passing between them like a current. Without a word, they finished their tea, leaving a few coins on the table before rising to their feet. The smoky air of the pavilion clung to them as they stepped back into the cool night, the city’s lantern-lit streets stretching before them.

"The Jade Wager," Lin Mei murmured. "That place will be crawling with the worst kind of people."

Tian Hao hesitated, his usual smirk absent. He exhaled slowly, his gaze flickering toward the darkened streets ahead. "Let's just get this over with."

Jiuwei flicked her tail, leaping from Tian Hao onto Lin Mei’s shoulders with effortless grace. Lin Mei nearly stumbled, her entire body stiffening as the unexpected weight of the small fox settled onto her.

"What in the—?" she hissed, grabbing at Jiuwei’s tiny legs as if unsure whether to steady her or fling her off. "Since when am I a perch?"

Jiuwei, entirely unbothered, curled her tail around Lin Mei’s neck like a snug scarf. "Since now. You’re surprisingly stable for someone so tense. I approve."

Tian Hao, despite the heaviness of their mission, let out a chuckle. "Congratulations, Mei Mei. You’ve been promoted to mount status."

Lin Mei shot him a glare before sighing in resignation, rolling her shoulders as if to shake Jiuwei off. When the fox remained firmly in place, she muttered under her breath, "At least you're warm. Just don’t expect me to start feeding you treats."

Jiuwei fixed her golden eyes on Tian Hao, curiosity flickering beneath her usual sharpness. "No bravado, Tian Hao? A place like that usually excites you."

He shrugged, his fingers twitching slightly before he tucked them into his sleeves. "Not every fight is worth picking. The Jade Wager... it attracts a certain kind of trouble."

Lin Mei tilted her head, frowning. "You’ve been there before?"

Tian Hao didn't answer immediately, his expression unreadable. Then, with a forced chuckle, he waved a hand dismissively. "Let’s just say I know the type who frequent those places. I’d rather not have to deal with them if I can help it."