The city reacted before it understood.
Zhou Wei felt it in the morning crowd, in the way conversations started with certainty and ended with doubt. The courier guild scandal spread fast, not because it was dramatic, but because it was precise. Deliveries late by minutes. Meetings missed. Promises broken just enough to matter.
People noticed patterns when money did.
Zhou Wei and Mei Lin kept moving.
They did not return to the bathhouse immediately. Visibility came with echoes, and echoes needed time to fade. Instead, they walked the outer streets where shops sold practical things and asked no questions. Rope. Oil. Needles. Small purchases that meant nothing alone.
Mei Lin watched faces more than goods.
"They're looking," she said quietly.
"Yes," Zhou Wei replied. "Not for us. For reasons."
That was worse.
They crossed into a district where the buildings leaned toward one another like conspirators. Here, people pretended not to hear arguments and pretended not to see hands change ownership. Zhou Wei kept his awareness tight. Desire here was muted, overshadowed by caution.
Chen Yue found them near a stall selling cheap knives.
She did not greet them. She fell into step beside Zhou Wei as if she had always been there.
"You're being talked about," she said.
"That was inevitable," Zhou Wei replied.
"Yes," Chen Yue said. "But not this fast."
Mei Lin glanced at her. "Who."
"People who measure usefulness," Chen Yue replied. "And people who hate losing it."
She stopped walking and turned to face them. "You've crossed a line. Quietly. Which is impressive. But it means you don't get to stay half-hidden."
Zhou Wei felt the warmth inside him shift, not flaring, but reorienting. This was the moment where paths narrowed.
"What changes," he asked.
Chen Yue's eyes flicked to Mei Lin, then back. "Your next jobs won't be deniable. Not fully. You'll still have cover, but your names will circulate in rooms that don't forget."
Mei Lin folded her arms. "And if we refuse."
"You go back to being small," Chen Yue said. "Which the city will allow for a while. Until someone decides small is inconvenient."
Zhou Wei nodded. "And if we accept."
Chen Yue smiled faintly. "Then you start choosing which eyes you want on you."
They stood there while the market flowed around them, noise and motion pretending they weren't discussing survival.
"What's the job," Zhou Wei asked.
Chen Yue hesitated.
"That's new," Mei Lin said.
"It is," Chen Yue admitted. "Because this one involves a patron."
The word settled heavily.
Not a client. Not a contact.
A patron meant shelter and scrutiny in equal measure.
"Female," Chen Yue added, as if anticipating the question. "Independent. Wealthy. Dangerous in a way that doesn't announce itself."
Zhou Wei felt the warmth inside him test the word and go still. Not hunger. Recognition.
"What does she want," he asked.
Chen Yue's smile faded. "She wants something she can't buy outright. And she doesn't like being told no."
Mei Lin's gaze sharpened. "And you're sending us because."
"Because she asked about you," Chen Yue said.
Silence pressed in.
"Both of us," Mei Lin said.
"Yes."
Zhou Wei exhaled slowly. "That was fast."
"The city doesn't waste time once it smells leverage," Chen Yue replied.
Mei Lin looked at Zhou Wei. Not for permission. For alignment.
He met her gaze. The connection between them was steady, grounded in shared choice rather than urgency.
"We listen," Zhou Wei said. "We don't promise."
Chen Yue nodded. "That's wise. It may not be enough."
She gave them directions and a time. Not a name.
"Dress like you belong," she added. "And don't look impressed."
They parted without ceremony.
That afternoon, Zhou Wei felt the city watching in a different way. Not curious glances. Not idle interest. Intentional attention, light but persistent. He did not react to it. Reaction fed it.
Mei Lin changed first.
Not into finery. Into clean lines and muted color that suggested competence rather than availability. She tied her hair back and adjusted her posture until it spoke without shouting.
Zhou Wei noticed.
"You look like someone people listen to," he said.
She nodded. "So do you."
They left as the sun dipped low, the city softening around the edges. Lanterns lit. Music started again, tuned to different appetites.
The address Chen Yue gave led them to a quiet compound set back from the main roads. Not hidden. Simply unadvertised. The gate opened without them knocking.
Inside, the air was still.
A woman waited in a courtyard garden, kneeling beside a shallow pool. She wore plain robes of excellent quality and no jewelry at all. Her hair was bound simply. Her attention was on the water, not on them.
"Come closer," she said without turning.
They did.
She rose smoothly and faced them. Her eyes were dark and steady, assessing without hurry.
"You disrupted the courier guild," she said. "And survived."
"Yes," Zhou Wei replied.
"And you," she said to Mei Lin, "did not vanish into his shadow."
Mei Lin held her gaze. "I don't intend to."
The woman smiled slightly. Not pleased. Interested.
"My name will come later," she said. "For now, you may call me Lady Shen."
Zhou Wei felt the weight of the title settle.
"I collect people who choose," Lady Shen continued. "Not because they are loyal. Because they are honest about cost."
She gestured toward the pool. "I want something done. Not cleanly. Not quietly. But correctly."
"And the price," Zhou Wei asked.
Lady Shen's eyes flicked to him. "Visibility."
Mei Lin's breath stilled.
"You will be seen," Lady Shen said. "Not as criminals. Not as servants. As actors. People whose decisions move other people."
She stepped closer, presence calm and heavy. "In return, you will have protection. Resources. And time."
Zhou Wei did not answer immediately.
He felt the warmth inside him align, not surge. This was not hunger calling. It was scale.
"What happens if we say no," Mei Lin asked.
Lady Shen smiled again. "Then you leave my garden and remain interesting for perhaps a month. After that, someone less patient will decide what you are worth."
Zhou Wei met Mei Lin's gaze.
This was the moment Chen Yue had warned about. The line you crossed when you stopped being invisible and started being useful to people who counted power carefully.
"We will hear the task," Zhou Wei said.
Lady Shen inclined her head. "Good."
She turned back to the pool. "Then listen."
As the lanterns reflected in the water and the city hummed beyond the walls, Zhou Wei understood something with absolute clarity.
The sect had tried to control him by shrinking his world.
The city was doing the opposite.
And Lady Shen was offering to make that expansion permanent.