Era of Mist

"Ah Fei, contact Ah D! Tell them to wait for us to regroup!"

"Right!"

Shi Tiexin shouted the order, then sped up, continuing the chase. A moment later, Ah Fei’s yell came back on the wind: "Boss, Hot-Tempered D isn’t picking up! I got ahold of Xiaowu over there. Xiaowu says those three bastards aren’t getting away, Hot-Tempered D’s right on their tail and is about to finish them off!"

’About to finish them off?’

’But why do I get the feeling that it’s a bit too absurd for just three guys to come looking for trouble?’

’There has to be a trap.’

"Keep trying to reach Ah D! Tell him to stay put!" Shi Tiexin twisted the throttle again, and the Black Venerable motorcycle shot forward. "Don’t get separated! I’ll go check it out first!"

VROOOM, VROOOM, VROOOM. The Black Venerable roared as it accelerated madly, quickly leaving the ordinary bikes far behind as it raced toward the commotion ahead.

Shi Tiexin glanced at his bike.

[Harley-Davidson T800 - Black Venerable. Increases cultivation speed of Basic Driving Arts Level 1 by 50%.]

Shi Tiexin glanced at the road ahead. It was getting more and more remote, darker and darker, and seemed to be heading straight for the mountains outside Tokyo City.

’Something’s wrong. There’s definitely a problem.’

’These little pups don’t know how to follow orders. I told them to hold their position and they go off and do whatever they want. I’ll have to teach them a lesson when I get back!’

As he fumed, he gunned the engine, and the Black Venerable reached an even higher speed. The cultivation progress bar suddenly flashed—his ’Good’ level Basic Driving Arts Level 1 had entered the ’Excellent’ level. The information on his driving interface grew richer. Even though it was pitch-black with no streetlights and he couldn’t see a thing, the edges of the road, the roadside signs, and more were all outlined with glowing lines, making everything perfectly clear.

He looked up into the distance again, and Ah D’s group’s bikes were now faintly visible. This information appeared directly in his field of vision. Even with sunglasses on, he could see the outlines without any impairment. It was much clearer and more distinct than the previous highlighting prompts.

’This Basic Driving Arts is pretty good, a real must-have for night riding. Though there seems to be a limit to its range. And it only shows road conditions and vehicles, nothing else. But for a nighttime chase like this, it’s more than convenient enough.’

’Hm?’

A few outlined vehicles suddenly appeared on his driving interface, charging toward him against the flow of traffic, with their headlights completely off. ’They’re not friendly. It really is an ambush!’

He yanked the throttle. The Black Venerable let out a roar, and Shi Tiexin leaned low, charging forward.

Up ahead, Ah D was having a grand time chasing, shouting and cursing wildly the whole way, with zero situational awareness. The three flashy riders in front of them were cursing back in stilted Mandarin. They seemed to have specifically studied for this; their vocabulary was surprisingly rich, and they had Ah D’s underlings hopping mad.

However, the three riders’ bikes didn’t seem all that great. They couldn’t pick up enough speed. Not only did they fail to escape, but the gap was closing.

The phone in his pocket was ringing off the hook, but Ah D ignored it.

"Fucking Jap turtle bastards! Today, Grandpa D is gonna make you kneel, kowtow, and acknowledge your ancestors!" Ah D pulled a thick, long iron pipe from the side of his bike, ready to beat down the three New Rangyi riders he was chasing.

But just then, a string of roars erupted from the dark road ahead.

It was the sound of engines!

’An ambush!’

Ah D was startled, but then he realized it was too late.

CLICK, CLICK, CLICK. In the pitch darkness, a row of headlights flashed on in unison. The modified xenon lamps were so blinding that his crew couldn’t open their eyes. His underlings behind him swerved unsteadily, barely able to control their bikes. Ah D instinctively raised the hand holding the iron pipe to shield his eyes from the light.

The next moment, a flash of a blade shot out from the darkness. Judging by its height, it was aimed right at his neck, but by sheer coincidence, it was blocked by the iron pipe he had raised.

"Tenchu!"

CLANG!

Sparks flew. Ah D couldn’t hold onto his weapon, and the iron pipe was sent flying.

Before Ah D could even feel relieved that he had escaped with his life, he saw more than a dozen motorcycles roaring toward him. In the darkness, over a dozen gleaming Samurai Swords were raised high, and a chorus of "Tenchu!" rang out.

Ah D’s blood ran cold.

’It’s over...’

Just then, a powerful hand suddenly gripped the flying iron pipe. A massive, heavy shadow flashed past Ah D. The man held the pipe like a knight leveling his lance.

Arm clamped tight, grip locked, a forward thrust—

THUD! CRACK!

The lead New Rangyi member didn’t even have time to say a word before he was knocked clean off his bike.

It was Shi Tiexin!

「Two seconds earlier.」

The Black Venerable’s acceleration was truly formidable. Shi Tiexin gunned the engine and closed the distance at a frantic pace. When the enemy’s headlights flashed on, Shi Tiexin, wearing his sunglasses, wasn’t affected too much. Furthermore, thanks to the glowing outlines, he immediately noticed that the riders were all armed, and with deadly blades.

’Holy shit, explosions and sword attacks? Are these guys terrorists?’

CLANG! The first rider zipped past Ah D, sending the pipe flying into the air. Although the rider had been prepared, the force of the impact still made him wobble unsteadily. He immediately spotted Shi Tiexin coming up from behind and tried to raise his sword to strike, but his bike was still swerving sideways.

Before he could even shout "Tenchu!", he lost control, and the bike swerved, presenting his face at the perfect height.

Shi Tiexin’s big boot immediately shot out, kicking the guy off his motorcycle with a THUD. Then, he flicked his left hand up and snatched the falling steel pipe with a SNAP.

He looked up to see a dozen Samurai Swords slashing down with menacing force.

Shi Tiexin’s mind went blank for a second, then a surge of ferocity took over. ’It’s obvious these goddamn bastards set a trap. They came in for the kill from the start, clearly not looking for a peaceful resolution. This is life or death. When paths cross on a narrow road, the brave one wins. Right now, I have to be fiercer, more brutal than them to survive!’

BOOM! The engine roared to life as Shi Tiexin accelerated and charged forward. He flicked his own headlight to its brightest setting to blind the enemy. At the same time, Shi Tiexin leaned low, straightened the steel pipe, and aimed it right at the leader of the opposing group.

THUD! CRACK!

’A direct hit!’

The combined speed was just too fast, making it hard for his eyes to keep up. Shi Tiexin hadn’t actually expected to hit someone. Before he could celebrate, a massive force shot up the pipe. Shi Tiexin could barely hold on, and the bike beneath him shuddered.

Fortunately, his bike was heavy enough that the wobble was minor.

𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Fortunately, Shi Tiexin’s own Basic Driving Arts Level 1 had already reached ’Excellent,’ strengthening his control.

And fortunately, the meal he’d just eaten had refined six wisps of Primal Essence, which now came in handy. This was no time to worry about conserving essence. One wisp immediately dissolved, converting into stamina. The muscles in Shi Tiexin’s right arm tensed, and with a burst of strength, he quickly pulled the bike back into a stable riding line.

Ahead of him, there were still waves of flashing blades.