Era of Mist

"Sis, what are you doing?" A panicked voice came through the headset. "Sis, calm down! Don’t do something stupid! You can’t use it consecutively—"

Lady Pe threw off her helmet and yanked out her earpiece. For what she was about to do, a helmet was irrelevant.

Lady Pe glanced at her speedometer, then at the small button beside it. ’Good, the booster pump is full again.’

’I’ll show that guy!’

CLICK. She pressed the button, and flames shot from the exhaust pipe once more. Lady Pe’s speed skyrocketed on the mountain road. At the same time, the entire system, from the cylinders to the exhaust pipe, began to slowly glow red, radiating scorching heat.

’Racing is all about reaching the limit, and then—surpassing it!’

CRACK! Something on the bike’s frame seemed to break. Lady Pe heard a sharp snap but couldn’t immediately tell what part had been damaged. A turn was coming up fast, and she had no time to worry about anything but how to take the corner at the absolute limit of her speed.

She shifted her center of gravity. The fully heated tires would provide better grip. Lady Pe took a deep breath, decelerated, and entered the turn—’Slow down, slow down, slow down, slow down NOW!’

SCREEECH—!

Amid the brutal screech of friction, Lady Pe’s speed didn’t drop to the level she’d anticipated. The entire bike screamed as it slid through the turn, then began to swing uncontrollably outward. Despite using every trick she knew, she couldn’t correct the bike’s momentum. She could only watch helplessly as she slid forward, the guardrail rushing to meet her.

The crowd waiting on the turn scattered in panic, revealing the cliff face behind them.

Lady Pe’s heart clenched. ’It’s over...’

CRASH! With a deafening bang, the motorcycle slammed into the mountain guardrail, tearing a huge gap in it. It then tumbled over the edge of the cliff, crashing down with heavy thuds before erupting into a roaring ball of fire that echoed through the mountains.

CAW, CAW, CAW! Flocks of birds took to the sky in terror. Crows screeched a desolate tune.

But Lady Pe did not die.

"Oh my god!" The audience watching on screen went wild. "Black Venerable is invincible!!" "Black Venerable is fucking awesome!!"

The legendary rescue maneuver had appeared once again!

Just in the nick of time, Shi Tiexin had surged up from behind. In a nearly impossible move, he took a wide outer turn alongside Lady Pe’s out-of-control motorcycle, simultaneously reaching out and snatching her off it.

The entire maneuver was incredibly dangerous, even more so than his last rescue on a straightaway. Because he was also in a high-speed turn, Shi Tiexin faced the same risk of his own bike losing control, sliding out, and sending him to his death. It was like walking a tightrope between cliffs in a gale-force wind while also trying to dance ballet—a nearly impossible feat.

But Shi Tiexin had done it.

He had the guts to do it, the skill to do it, and he actually did it.

Once out of the turn, Shi Tiexin let out a long breath. That was far too close; he was drenched in a cold sweat himself. But for some reason, even as his mind hesitated, his body had already acted. Just like last time, the moment he saw a life about to be extinguished, he had subconsciously moved to save it. Without regard for success, failure, or personal cost, it was all as if by instinct.

’Is this an instinct left behind by the ’me’ from this side?’

’Whew, that was dangerous, really dangerous. I almost got myself killed. I really can’t say if this instinct is a good or a bad thing.’

’But... as long as I have the ability, I don’t mind it.’

Lady Pe was still in shock. Then she realized she was being held in Shi Tiexin’s hand like a little chick. Her thoughts were a jumbled mess, and she couldn’t make sense of the situation. She instinctively started to struggle. "Y-You! Let me go!"

Shi Tiexin barked, "Stay still!"

Lady Pe suddenly shuddered and went still. Shi Tiexin shoved her onto the seat behind him, and she obediently and quietly sat down without a word.

’A glance at Tokyo Wolf in hot pursuit behind me... I don’t have time to drop this silly woman off now. This race probably won’t give me any more Celestial Golden Light, but what if it does? I think it’s still worth a shot.’

So, without turning his head, Shi Tiexin shouted, "Hold on tight!"

Lady Pe didn’t say a word, just sat there quietly like a timid, browbeaten wife. Her hands gripped the sides of the motorcycle, her knuckles white, as if she didn’t want to touch Shi Tiexin in the slightest.

𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

But then Shi Tiexin accelerated. And accelerated again. And a third time. He sped through turns, the centrifugal force pulling them outward as he accelerated out of the corners. Lady Pe’s hands moved from the bike to Shi Tiexin’s pant leg, then from his pant leg to his waist, her grip growing tighter and tighter.

Finally, the two mounds on her chest were pressed firmly against Shi Tiexin’s back.

’Hm, pretty bouncy.’

Not that Shi Tiexin was paying any attention to that right now.

He was seething with anger, pushing the bike to the absolute maximum speed his skills would allow. He’d finally gotten into a decent race, only for it to be ruined by Death Fire. How could he not be pissed? He wished he could resurrect Death Fire just to kill him all over again.

As fire raged in his heart, the exhaust pipe itself was nearly spitting flames. Behind him, Tokyo Wolf, frustrated and roaring, gave desperate chase but was still quickly left in the dust.

Moving like a bolt of lightning, he reached the end of the road. Ahead lay the starting point, which was also the final finish line.

VROOOM!

A final roar.

Though it was just a gentle little slope, the heavy motorcycle shot forward as if launching off a bridge, going airborne. The crowd erupted in astonished gasps and shrieks as the bike slammed back to the ground, then decelerated like a ghost and came to a quick stop.

"WOOOOW—!"

"Black Venerable! Black Venerable is the first to arrive!"

Countless spectators swarmed forward, their faces full of passion and adoration—adoration for the hardcore bike, and for the even more hardcore rider on it.

"Sis!" A group of young women rushed over. Lady Pe, who had been sitting on the back seat in a daze, snapped back to her senses when they called out. She got off the bike, but her legs gave way, and she nearly fell.

"Sis, are you okay?!" The young women hurried forward in alarm and steadied her.

A flustered and inexplicable look flashed across Lady Pe’s beautiful face. She hastily waved her hands. "I’m fine, I’m fine, I’m okay." But as she waved, she saw that her hands were covered in blood. Looking up, she then noticed that Shi Tiexin’s shoulder was bleeding profusely.

Lady Pe reached out a hand and opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end, she just bit her lip, her gaze flickering as she lowered her head, saying nothing at all.

Amid the sound of an engine, the second-place rider arrived. It was Tokyo Wolf.

"He beat second place by 11.57 seconds!" "To get a lead of over ten seconds under these circumstances... that’s too damn good!" "Black Venerable truly is the Black Venerable!"

Just then, someone came forward carrying a large, heavy flag. It had a black background with bright red characters, looking both a bit menacing and a bit domineering.

The flag bore a single, enormous character: "Venerable."

And the one carrying the flag was none other than the rider Shi Tiexin had saved earlier. He had returned to the starting point ahead of time and now came bearing the flag.

"Black Venerable!" the man shouted. "From this day on, you have my respect!"

Tokyo Wolf nodded sheepishly. "You have my respect, too."

Lady Pe, no longer her previous fiery self, murmured with her head bowed, "Yes, me too."

The other riders came over one by one, all of them convinced of his superiority.

The black flag unfurled, fluttering in the wind.

"Black Venerable!"

"Black Venerable!"

"Black Venerable!"

The crowd was a boiling, cheering, surging mass.

At the very center of the crowd, a beam of Celestial Golden Light burst forth from the void, pouring down over Shi Tiexin in a torrent. It was a substantial amount.