Era of Mist

"I’ll take the loan!"

Paying for medical treatment and settling the bill to be discharged was just the way things were. Logically, Shi Tiexin couldn’t argue with that.

Besides, even if he wanted to be unreasonable, he definitely couldn’t win against this Nurse Sister with her astonishing aura.

"Excellent, I’ll process it for you right away~" Her fluttering clothes settled, and the smiling Angel reappeared. With a dazzling SWISH-SWISH of her hands, Shi Yu Hui took care of everything at a dizzying speed while expertly explaining, "The monthly interest is two percent. Your repayment date is the fourth of every month, with a minimum payment of ten percent of the initial principal, until the entire principal and interest are paid off. If you fail to make the minimum payment, the total interest rate will increase by two percent. If you fail again, it will continue to accumulate, with no upper limit. Understand?"

"Yes, yes!"

’Whatever you say goes right now.’

"Right, how much are you borrowing? 1,246?" The Nurse Sister’s face was full of temptation. "Why don’t you just borrow 10,000 points and let the hospital give you a couple more days of proper treatment?"

"Thanks, but no thanks." Shi Tiexin did a quick calculation and said in a low voice, "I’ll borrow 1,000 points even. I’ll pay the other 246 myself."

Shi Yu Hui glanced at him. "Then you’ll only have 52 points left."

’Tsk, she’s so fast at mental math. My old self could never have calculated that so quickly; I would’ve had to count on my fingers for ages! But now... I don’t have to be jealous of others anymore.’

"That’s right. That’s all."

"Look over the contract. If there are no problems, press your thumbprint here to confirm."

"Okay."

After skimming ten lines at a glance, Shi Tiexin quickly confirmed and pressed his fingerprint onto the sensor screen. The loan transfer was incredibly fast. With a pleasant DING-DONG, a thousand points appeared in his account. Of course, the hospital collected the medical fees even faster. The Nurse Sister just scanned it with her watch, and with a dull, disheartening BUZZ, the 1,246 points were gone again.

All that remained in his account was fifty-two points and a debt of one thousand. It was a truly heartbreaking sight.

"Alright, the medical bill is settled. Please mind the repayment date. Oh, right, a friendly reminder: it’s already the end of the month. The fourth of next month isn’t far off, so don’t be late." The Nurse Sister placed her hand on the bedsheet beneath Shi Tiexin. "So, ready to be discharged?"

Shi Tiexin nodded. "Discharged."

SWOOSH!

The moment Shi Tiexin nodded, he felt an unstoppable force erupt from beneath him as the bedsheet sent him flying. His 100-kilogram body was like a small piece of meat tossed by a chef flipping a wok, flung into the air with a SWISH. His entire body spun horizontally in mid-air like a giant top for three and a half rotations before he landed with a STUMBLE and a THUD, barely managing to stay on his feet.

Dizzy and disoriented, Shi Tiexin could only watch as the Nurse Sister, brandishing the bedsheet like a great banner, snapped it taut with a single hand. It was already as flat as paper in mid-air. With another flick of her wrist, the sheet began to fold on its own in the air. She didn’t even need her other arm. With just a single arm waving, the sheet swept through the air twice like a dazzling flag, shrinking layer by layer faster than his eyes could follow.

SLAP. By the time the Nurse Sister slapped the sheet onto the worktable beside her, it was already folded to the standard size, not a millimeter off.

Shi Tiexin was utterly dumbfounded.

’This Nurse Sister’s Combat Power is a bit too high, isn’t it?! So that iron coffin I was just lying in wasn’t electronically ejected—this woman ripped it out with her bare hands!’

’Beating up those kids in that other worldline felt so satisfying, I thought I was getting pretty decent. But back in Tumu Castle, the very first Nurse Sister I meet has this kind of fighting strength. Compared to this Shi Yu Hui, I’m the real weakling, through and through. If we fought, there’s no question about it—I wouldn’t be able to block a single move!’

’Could this woman have already entered the second stage of Power Technique cultivation—the Sharp Qi level?’

’It must be. That imminent, sharp aura from before is something a person in the Essence Qi Realm could never possess.’

Speaking of which, this was the first time Shi Tiexin had ever been this close to a Sharp Qi-level master. He looked at this young, beautiful woman, who was as lovely as a flower. She was the strongest expert Shi Tiexin had ever spoken to, and the thought left him a little dazed.

’If I couldn’t cross worldlines, would I be able to reach her level of cultivation by the time I’m her age?’

’Definitely not.’

’Without passing the minor county exam, without an officially recognized degree, and unable to join a good guild or corporation, I’d have absolutely no resources to practice Heart and Power Techniques. After wasting away for a few years, I probably wouldn’t have made any progress at all. If I’d met this Shi Yu Hui when I was her age, I wonder if I would have been too ashamed to even show my face?’

’Of course, things are different now.’

"What are you still standing there for?" The Nurse Sister pointed outside. "Go! Go earn money and pay back your debt to me! If you try to welsh on it, believe me, I’ll smash your head in!"

’I believe you, I believe you.’

’Oh right, one more thing.’

"Where’s my gift?" ’Didn’t you say there was a free little gift?’

"You want a gift when you haven’t even paid me back? We’ll talk after you make a payment!"

’Alright then, I’m off to make some money!’

「Ten minutes later.」

Shi Tiexin walked out of the main entrance of the Tumu Castle Upper City Central Hospital. Before him unfolded the Upper City District of Tumu Fortress Space City. Shi Tiexin moved through the streets, surrounded by an endless stream of pedestrians. Despite being over two meters tall, he didn’t attract much attention.

Height wasn’t considered a big deal in this world.

The reason was simple. First, Martial Artists were widespread in this world, so height was no longer a particularly special quality. Take Nurse Sister Shi Yu Hui, for example. She was only about 1.63 meters tall, more than forty centimeters shorter than Shi Tiexin. But if they really fought, she could smash him to the ground in a second. Would she care about height?

Second, this world was rich in resources and had advanced medical technology. Starting from about twenty years into the Mist Era, or around 1940 in the old calendar, the entire world had rapidly escaped poverty. With good food, drink, and healthcare, the physical development of humanity naturally improved with each generation, and people’s appearances became more and more pleasant to look at.

Furthermore, with the entire population practicing martial arts, the parents of newborns were also practitioners. When the previous generation cultivated to transcend the mundane, the Innate constitution of their children grew stronger with each generation. Coupled with the fact that life in space involved more or less some exposure to zero-gravity environments, the overall height of humanity was on the rise.

By Shi Tiexin’s generation, according to a census of the Jupiter system, the average height for young men had risen to 1.87 meters, and for young women, it had risen to 1.74 meters. And remember, that was just the average. Young men over 1.9 meters tall were a dime a dozen on the streets, and it wasn’t uncommon to see women over 1.8 meters tall.

Every now and then, a man taller than Shi Tiexin would pop up on the main road. His height advantage wasn’t that significant here.

Speaking of which, Shi Yu Hui’s height of 1.63 meters made her a pitiable shorty in this day and age.

But as Shi Tiexin thought about it, he found her exquisitely proportioned figure quite attractive. Being a bit shorter made her seem more... how to put it... to put it delicately... stacked—ACK, PTUI PTUI PTUI, I’m not that kind of person! My biology textbook has corrupted my character, ahhh!

Before long, Shi Tiexin arrived at a bus stop.

The public transportation here was all done via sky-rail—a suspended track built about ten meters off the ground, with trains hanging beneath it as they traveled. The bus stops were also in mid-air, usually located on the second floor of bustling buildings.

He boarded the sky-rail train. His watch let out another depressing BUZZ as one more point was deducted, leaving his total assets at 51 points. ’Annoying, but there’s nothing to be done about it.’ After all, Shi Tiexin didn’t live in the Upper City District, but in the Mu Yuan District. He found an empty window seat and sat down. The sky-rail quickly started up, and a myriad of sights flashed past his eyes.