Era of Mist

Why would the Hall Master up top suddenly throw a party for no reason?

Soon, Shi Tiexin received a message from Ah Fei—it was Brother Fa’s birthday, and he was hosting a birthday dinner. Shi Tiexin was glad he’d bothered to ask. Otherwise, he would have just shown up empty-handed thinking it was a regular party. Wouldn’t that have been awkward?

Even if he really were to wash his hands of this life later, there was no need to be too rebellious or antisocial right now. So, Shi Tiexin decided to arrange for a gift and use the opportunity to get to know this so-called Brother Fa, and to see what his position in the gang really was.

Then, based on what he observed and the status of his Mandate of Heaven mission, he would decide whether to stay or go in the future.

And since it was their first meeting, not to mention a birthday party, the gift naturally had to be chosen with care.

"Brother Fa must be in his forties. Seems like he’s from the northern part of the mainland, but I’m not too clear on the specifics. As for what he likes, he doesn’t seem to have any particular preferences. It’s like he’s fine with anything, but also not particularly fond of anything."

"Got it."

BEEP. He hung up on Ah Fei. Shi Tiexin strolled alone through the streets of Tokyo, preparing to pick out a suitable gift for the leader above him.

’In his forties, from the northern mainland, and no particular preference for gifts. No preference... that makes things difficult. But Brother Fa is a gang boss. What would a guy in a gang even like?’

Shi Tiexin pictured it in his mind, constructing an image of a man with a thick gold chain and a fat cigar, covered in tattoos, hanging out in clubs to a BOOM-CH-BOOM-CH beat, with a busty bombshell on his arm. ’As a gang boss, and a Hall Master at that, he must fit that image, right?’

’So what would a man like that want? The options probably fall within a narrow range.’

’How about a box of fine cigars?’

’He wouldn’t care for the ordinary kind, but the extraordinary kind is impossible to find at a moment’s notice.’

’So what’s the plan?’

Shi Tiexin wandered back and forth through the streets of Ginza, from morning till afternoon. He’d eaten two meals, substantially increasing his Essence and Qi, and the false core in his lower abdomen had expanded another size, reaching an unprecedented volume. Yet, he still hadn’t found a suitable gift. After roaming in circles, Shi Tiexin finally ducked into a shop that sold curios, calligraphy, and paintings.

"Looking for some curios, boss?" The shop owner was very enthusiastic, speaking Chinese from the get-go.

Shi Tiexin browsed around and was surprised to find that the items in this shop were quite good. He didn’t know a thing about curios, and his Vision System didn’t display any information on them. However, many of the calligraphy scrolls and hanging scrolls showed attributes. Most were of Fine quality, with a few even reaching Superb quality.

Shi Tiexin looked down the line, seeing all sorts of script styles. Semi-cursive, clerical, regular, cursive—it was a dazzling and endless display.

"Hm?" He stopped in his tracks. Shi Tiexin stood before a piece of calligraphy, examining it closely.

"You have a great eye, boss! This is a fine piece I brought over from the mainland, an authentic work of the Wang Clan!" the owner explained in detail. "The Wang Clan are descendants of Wang Xizhi, and this piece was personally written by the venerable Mr. Wang Lingbo, who is in his eighties!"

’Wang Clan calligraphy, huh?’

Shi Tiexin looked at the steady and balanced regular script and felt the owner probably wasn’t lying. He couldn’t be sure if it was personally written by the "Mr. Wang Lingbo" the owner mentioned, but the work itself was definitely in the Wang Clan’s style.

The regular script didn’t look particularly remarkable, but hidden within the brushstrokes was a feeling Shi Tiexin knew very well—the feeling passed down from the "Legacy of the Greats." If he were to pick up a brush and write something himself, then magically elevate its quality by several levels, the result would be a twin to the piece before him.

His Vision System marked it as "Superb" quality, a label that indeed matched the work’s actual skill level.

"How much for this?"

"This one..." The owner’s eyes darted around before he quoted a price. "Fifty thousand."

Shi Tiexin turned and walked away.

’Why don’t you just go rob someone, for fuck’s sake!’

"Forty thousand... Thirty thousand! Let’s say thirty thousand!" The price from the owner’s mouth collapsed quickly. "Twenty-five thousand! Twenty-five thousand is the lowest I can go, absolutely no lower!"

’Twenty-five thousand?’

’If I practice for a little while longer, I’ll be able to write a piece just like this myself. When that time comes, I’ll sell you mine for twenty thousand.’

’Forget this guy,’ he thought. ’I should go find a gift for Brother Fa. It’s getting late; if I don’t buy something soon, I’ll run out of time.’ With that, Shi Tiexin started for the door.

"Eighteen thousand—thirteen thousand—ten thousand! Ten thousand, even!" the owner blurted out, his speech incredibly fast. "This is an authentic work by a descendant of the Calligraphy Saint! It’s an excellent collector’s item, perfect for gifting to an elder or hanging in your home!"

Shi Tiexin paused and turned his head back.

"If it were an authentic work of the Calligraphy Saint himself, I’d give you eight hundred thousand. But for a descendant? Forget it. Besides, it’s ’antiques in peacetime, gold in turmoil.’ Times are tough right now; curios and calligraphy aren’t worth much." Shi Tiexin assessed the scroll’s value, then let the aura of his rhetoric skill surge in his mind before giving a very persuasive price.

"Five hundred. I’ll take it."

From fifty thousand to five hundred... what a price collapse...

The shop owner was completely stunned. He stared blankly at Shi Tiexin for a long moment before cautiously countering, "How about eight hundred? For good luck."

Shi Tiexin thought about it. It wasn’t easy to run a business in a foreign country; he should let the man earn a little something. "Six hundred. Take it or leave it. Oh, and wrap it up nicely for me. It’s a gift."

"You got it!" The owner immediately got to work, as if his previous price quotes had never existed.

As he stood in the shop and glanced around, Shi Tiexin suddenly felt that these calligraphy and painting stores were truly great places. ’If I buy a few Superb-quality scrolls, hang them up, and look at them every day, couldn’t I get a steady stream of little stars?’

Taking that thought a step further, Shi Tiexin realized his money could actually be used in many more ways.

"All wrapped up. Would you like to take a look?" The owner brought over a tube that looked exquisite in quality.

"It’s fine."

Taking the tube, Shi Tiexin walked out of the shop.

’No more thinking about it. I’ll just give him this,’ he decided. Giving a piece of calligraphy to a gang boss seemed a bit eccentric, but Shi Tiexin suddenly felt it might be a good option. ’A man in his forties might want something to keep up appearances. Giving him a calligraphy scroll to help him seem more refined couldn’t be more perfect, right?’

’Perfect or not, I’m done looking, anyway.’

"Need a ride, young man?" A taxi stopped in front of Shi Tiexin. The voice, speaking Chinese, drifted out from the car. It seemed people from the Eastern Realm had already permeated every industry in Tokyo.

Shi Tiexin checked the time, considered the distance, and decided taking a taxi wasn’t a bad idea. He subconsciously glanced at the car’s interior, noting there were no iron bars or bulletproof glass; he could interact directly with the driver. He then looked at the taxi’s model. The high, raised roof seemed to offer enough headroom, so he relaxed, opened the door, and got into the back seat.

"Where to, young man?" The driver’s voice didn’t sound young.

"Shinjuku," Shi Tiexin answered. Then, he suddenly felt something was off. Why did this taxi driver’s voice sound so familiar?

Shi Tiexin’s head shot up. In the rearview mirror, he saw a familiar face.

"Old Jia?"𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺