Era of Mist

The strokes were powerful, penetrating the paper, the brush dancing across it like dragons and snakes. Shi Tiexin felt an incredible sense of satisfaction writing with this Ink Dragon Heavy Brush; it was a perfect fit for his large hands. He finished in one smooth motion, his strokes like iron hooks and silver etchings. Shi Tiexin set down the brush and examined the calligraphy before him. He was exceptionally pleased—it was better than anything he had ever written before.

If he had entered the Tumu Castle calligraphy competition with this piece, he might have... well, he might have gone from a precarious third-place prize to a solid third-place prize. It didn’t sound like much progress, but Shi Tiexin himself knew just how different that was.

"Excellent!" Brother Fa, who was standing to the side, suddenly exclaimed. He stared at the calligraphy, his voice thick with emotion. "Truly excellent calligraphy! Absolutely magnificent!"

He looked at Shi Tiexin with a complex expression. "Such full wrist strength, such masterful control... To achieve this level of calligraphy, even someone who started training in childhood would need five or six years of arduous practice. I never imagined... I truly never imagined you possessed such talent, such perseverance, such dedication!"

Shi Tiexin felt a little embarrassed.

’Sorry, Brother Fa, I haven’t practiced for nearly that long. It was mainly through level-capping and grinding copybooks to get this master’s style.’

"An expert’s touch is obvious from the start. I can’t even wield this Ink Dragon Heavy Brush with such fluid grace myself, yet you use it as if it were an extension of your will. It seems your fundamentals are even more solid than mine. Such solid fundamentals are a rare sight these days." Brother Fa was all smiles, looking extremely pleased. Then, as if it were a casual question, he asked, "By the way, I notice your brushwork seems to be in the exact same style as this calligraphy scroll. Don’t suppose you have some connection to the old master, Wang Lingbo?"

Hearing this, Shi Tiexin glanced at the collection covering the walls. He figured this Brother Fa must be a particular fan of the Wang Clan’s calligraphy, especially the works of Master Wang Lingbo. ’If I could claim some connection,’ he thought, ’it would surely make Brother Fa see me in a more favorable light.’

However, Shi Tiexin decided to tell the truth.

"No. I’ve never met the old master, nor have I had any interaction with him."

"Then your calligraphy..."

"I once bought a copybook and practiced by poorly imitating it for a while."

"A copybook?" Brother Fa seemed to recall something and pressed on, "Who was the author of that copybook?"

’It was the Scholar Union Sacrificial Officer from back home...’

"The author’s name was Wang Xingshun."

The moment the words left his mouth, Shi Tiexin noticed Brother Fa’s expression turn strange. Although odd looks had occasionally flashed across Brother Fa’s face ever since he’d first seen the scroll, his expression now was particularly strange—and he made no effort to hide it.

It seemed to be a complex mix of amusement and exasperation, disbelief, fond reminiscence, and an unnameable feeling that made it impossible to guess what he was thinking.

After a long moment, Brother Fa suddenly let out a long sigh. He composed himself, a smile returning to his face. "What a coincidence. Too much of a coincidence. No wonder. Did you know that the old master, Wang Lingbo, is Wang Xingshun’s father?"

"I didn’t know, but I had my suspicions."

’Calligraphy styles inherited like this are usually passed down with meticulous guidance only from parent to child.’

But—wait a minute, how does this Brother Fa know all this so clearly?

Brother Fa picked up Shi Tiexin’s calligraphy, studying it carefully as if lost in memory. Then he looked at the collection on his walls and sighed again. "Alas... just as you said. The details are still unrefined. I’ve let my skills go to waste. Completely wasted."

’Wasted?’

Shi Tiexin looked at Brother Fa, then back at the collection on the wall. A wild thought suddenly struck him. "Brother Fa, you... could it be... that you wrote the pieces in this collection?"

"They are indeed my humble works."

?!!

Shi Tiexin was suddenly struck by an even crazier idea, and his usually composed face couldn’t hide his shock. "Brother Fa, don’t tell me you’re..."

𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Brother Fa nodded deeply, his eyes clear. "Heh, very few of the brothers in the gang know this. Although the Big Dragon Head gave me the underworld name Ah Fa, my real name... is Wang... Xing... Shun."

?!!!!

Shi Tiexin was utterly stunned.

’I’ve run into way too many acquaintances from other worlds today! The taxi driver was Old Jia, those thugs I kept running into were Zhou Xiong and Zhou Nan, and now my new boss, the Hall Master of Daxing, is actually Wang Xingshun?!’

’Speaking of which, since I’ve accidentally connected with Wang Xingshun, does this mean I’m about to hit the big time?’

Wang Xingshun watched Shi Tiexin’s expression carefully, then suddenly spoke. "A moment ago, I was wondering if you were a spy sent specifically to get close to me, intentionally using my father’s calligraphy to do so because you knew my background. Now, it seems I was being too suspicious."

Hearing this, a chill shot through Shi Tiexin’s heart, and his daydreams of success instantly vanished.

’This Brother Fa, this Wang Xingshun, was just testing me? So all my actions had just made him suspicious!’

’If I can’t eliminate this suspicion, forget about hitting the big time—my life here will become incredibly difficult. And that wouldn’t even be the worst part. The worst would be everything seeming fine on the surface, only to be ambushed and killed with no one ever knowing what happened.’

Shi Tiexin grew vigilant, but his face remained calm and open. "How does Brother Fa know I’m not a spy now?"

"Because no one would spend six or seven years practicing calligraphy just to get close to me. I don’t have that kind of status or value. Besides, until three years ago, I was just a lowly intellectual scraping by selling copybooks. How could anyone have noticed a nobody like me that far back? You’ve only known me for a short time; the timeline doesn’t add up."

The sharp glint of suspicion in Wang Xingshun’s eyes vanished completely, his expression becoming as gentle as a spring breeze. "It seems you and I are truly brought together by fate!"

"We certainly are." ’To meet you after crossing three different world lines...’ The emotion on Shi Tiexin’s face was entirely genuine. "Fate truly works in mysterious ways."

Looking at this charismatic underworld leader, Shi Tiexin was suddenly overcome with curiosity.

"Brother Fa, how did you end up here, becoming a Hall Master for Daxing?"

’Why would a proper heir to a calligraphy tradition come to Japan to be a gangster?’

"I came here because I have ambitions of my own." Wang Xingshun spoke at a calm, unhurried pace, but his words carried a natural gravitas. "Our motherland is prosperous and powerful, its influence felt across the seas, but its class structure is rigid. It’s hard for those at the top to fall, and it’s hard for those at the bottom to rise. But it’s different here. There are countless opportunities. Though society is chaotic, it’s also brimming with vitality. If you can seize an opportunity, you can ride the wind and soar to the top!"

Shi Tiexin was suddenly struck by how much sense Wang Xingshun’s words made.

His own world line was just as described—prosperous and powerful, but with a rigid class structure that had created a suffocating generation. But here, in the street underworld of Tokyo, Japan, despite the chaos, there truly were many opportunities and the freedom to tear through class barriers.

Wang Xingshun seemed to read Shi Tiexin’s thoughts in his eyes.

"A man who doesn’t strive for greatness is wasting his god-given form! With Japan in such turbulent times, isn’t this the perfect moment for a hero to make his mark?" Wang Xingshun’s eyes shone. "Today, I’ll tell you something from the bottom of my heart: I, Wang Xingshun, will not be a Hall Master forever. A man must have greater ambitions, a wilder spirit!"