The moment Ting stepped outside, her pace quickened.
She moved swiftly through the night streets of the Phoenix Clan territory, weaving through crowds, past lantern-lit stalls and drunken laughter. Until she reached it. A pleasure house.
Music thundered through the air. Laughter. Moans. Shouted bets.
Bodies pressed together in a haze of heat and indulgence. Beastmen and beastwomen, half-dressed or completely bare, moving without restraint.
Ting swallowed. But she didn't stop.
She pushed her way inside and climbed the stairs, ignoring the hands that brushed too close, the eyes that lingered too long.
Finally, she stopped in front of a curtained chamber.
A guard stood outside. His serpent eyes locked onto her instantly. Red veins pulsed faintly beneath his skin.
"You're back," he said.
Ting's throat tightened. "I… I need to see His Highness. I have something for him."
The guard studied her for a moment. Then pulled the curtain aside. "Go in."
Ting stepped inside. And froze.
