Era of Mist

Ah D trembled at the doctor’s words, and his raised fist faltered.

The doctor, a man in his fifties, looked utterly exhausted. He showed no surprise or anger, merely pulling his collar free from Ah D’s grasp. He patted his chest, straightened his clothes, and walked away in silence.

He had another surgery waiting for him and no energy to spare for an argument, just as the young receptionist at Xiongan had no energy to spare for a smile. A bone-deep exhaustion had drained him of all spirit.

Xiaowei was moved to a private room.

At a time like this, that was the highest standard of care available.

Seeing Xiaowei in her room, intubated and on oxygen, Ah D suddenly dropped to his knees with a THUD and let out a pained howl. He slammed his fists against his chest, tears streaming down his face.

Shi Tiexin stayed by his side, refusing to leave.

The long night slowly passed. Dawn broke, and the sun began to rise. Shi Tiexin sat on a bench in the hallway, head bowed. He felt his thigh. The spot where he had used Backfire last night was already much better.

In the past, it would take three to four days for the swelling to go down after using Backfire just once. But now, his accumulated Essence was far deeper, his physique was tougher, and his mastery of the technique was more profound, allowing for better control over the backlash. Most importantly, the bonus from completing the Mandate Mission had boosted his recovery rate by half, shortening his healing time significantly.

After one night, the intense pain had faded. Shi Tiexin estimated it would only take about twelve hours for the injury from Backfire to heal completely.

That was probably the only good news at the moment.

Sleepless all night, Shi Tiexin was tired. But weighing on him more heavily than fatigue was a profound pressure. This pressure was unlike anything he had felt before. He had faced great pressure in the past, but ultimately, he had only been responsible for himself. You do the deed, you bear the consequences; you reap the rewards, you enjoy them alone.

But this incident with Ah D, and even the trouble with Ah Fei before it, made him feel uneasy, even though he wasn’t directly involved. As their leader, he felt a sense of responsibility when something like this happened to one of his guys. He couldn’t help but feel the pressure.

In a daze, he felt a suffocating weight.

It was a different kind of suffocation, similar to yet distinct from the one in the Main World Line.

Just then, a splash of burgundy appeared before his eyes.

A completely unexpected splash of burgundy.

“You don’t look too happy.”

A rich voice spoke. Shi Tiexin snapped his head up, his expression one of pure surprise.

Standing before him was none other than Miss Red Skirt!

Shi Tiexin asked in astonishment, “What are you doing here?”

“I heard about what happened and rushed over to check on things.”

“Even you heard about it?”

“Gossip spreads faster than any disease. By now, everyone knows that Hot-headed D from Daxing crashed his car and crippled his own girlfriend.” Miss Red Skirt walked to the door of the room and glanced inside at Xiaowei, and at Ah D by the bedside. A flicker of both pity and derision crossed her eyes.

She shook her head and said bluntly, “He brought this on himself. Poor Xiaowei is the one who suffers.”

Then she turned back to Shi Tiexin. “And why do you, a supposed outsider, look as distraught as one of the patient’s family members?”

“I…” Shi Tiexin didn’t know what to say.

“All right, enough moping. Let’s go.”

“Go where?” Shi Tiexin asked, taken aback.

“Where else at this hour? Breakfast, of course.” Miss Red Skirt patted Shi Tiexin’s shoulder, beckoning with a small smile. “Come on. You’ve given me so much business. Today, I’m giving back to a loyal customer. Breakfast is on me.”

「Fifteen minutes later.」 In a small roadside diner, Shi Tiexin sat across from Miss Red Skirt, eating breakfast.

Sunlight streamed onto the street, marking the start of a new day. The city, which had felt like a desolate, strange, and terrifying cavern by night, seemed to have reverted to its normal, lively self.

Shi Tiexin felt some of the gloom in his heart begin to lift.

Looking across the table, he saw Miss Red Skirt was absorbed in her meal. She ate with a natural elegance, not the put-on, pretentious kind. She was completely at ease, unconcerned whether Shi Tiexin was watching or not. For all her grace, the breakfast disappeared at a surprising speed, and in no small quantity either. Shi Tiexin was a little taken aback.

‘How does she fit so much food in that tiny stomach of hers?’

“What are you staring at? Eat up.” As the host, Miss Red Skirt felt obliged to say something. “If you’re not going to eat it, that egg is mine.”

“Who says I’m not eating? The problem is there isn’t enough.” Shi Tiexin raised his hand. “Waiter, I’d like to order more.”

They ate voraciously.

They exchanged only a few words during the meal, spending the rest of the time in silence. Truth be told, the two of them barely knew each other. But watching Miss Red Skirt across from him, Shi Tiexin felt an inexplicable sense of calm. He didn’t know where it came from, but it was there, surrounding him, silent and serene.

Another piece of the gloom seemed to flake away.

“Finished. Let’s go walk it off.” Miss Red Skirt offered, “I know a nice place. Care to join me for a stroll?”

“Sure.”

The place she had in mind wasn’t far—a park. Groves of cherry trees stood in full bloom, their pink blossoms clustered like clouds, their petals fluttering down in the gentle breeze.

The cherry blossom petals fell at five centimeters per second.

Shi Tiexin felt his spirits lift.

“This is actually a famous park for cherry blossom viewing. It was never this quiet in the old days. Back then, whenever the cherry blossom front reached Tokyo, this place would be packed. Major corporations would send people to claim spots well in advance. To snag the best patch of shade, some people would even pitch tents and camp out. It was always incredibly lively.”

Miss Hong Qu took a few quick steps forward and spread her arms to embrace the breeze. Then she spun around, the hem of her skirt flaring out, her eyes shining like stars. “But now—we have it all to ourselves!”

A smile touched Shi Tiexin’s lips.

“You look like you’ve run into some trouble,” Miss Red Skirt said, tilting her head to look at Shi Tiexin. “Want to talk about it? Of course, I know your line of work is full of secrets. If you can’t talk about it… just tell me what you can.”

Shi Tiexin looked at Miss Red Skirt. “You’re pretty curious, aren’t you?”

“It’s in a woman’s nature to love gossip. Besides, how do you think I’m so well-informed? It all comes from gossip.” Miss Red Skirt looked ahead again. “In any case, talking about it is better than bottling it all up by yourself.”

“You have a point.” Shi Tiexin nodded. “As for what I can talk about…”

‘What can I talk about?’

‘Is there anything I can say?’

“What I can talk about…”

‘The mystery of my identity? The vast web of conspiracy closing in? The vague, ominous premonitions? My dissatisfaction with Wang Dafu and my own men?’

‘I can’t talk about any of it.’

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