Era of Mist

"Brother Shi, Brother Shi—"

"None of that ’Brother Shi’ business." Since the young master was already on board, Shi Tiexin didn’t stand on ceremony. He plopped down on the sofa with the full aura of a big shot. "My friends call me Big Brother Tie, or Brother Tie. You can just call me Old Tie."

"Oh, oh!" Si Chongtian’s eyes practically lit up. "Brother Tie, you’ve got this whole martial world vibe going on, just like in the TV dramas! I’ve never met anyone like you in my entire life! Oh, right, according to martial world tradition, what should I be called?"

’What the hell is this "martial world tradition"? Seriously, what kind of stuff have you been feeding your brain? No wonder your dad threw you over to Liu Qigang to get your values straightened out.’

Of course, none of this had to get in the way of a good chat.

"What should you be called?"

’This young master’s personal traits were so obvious, wasn’t his nickname a no-brainer?’

"Xiaosi."

Si Chongtian fell silent, his eyes wide as he stared without a word.

’Crap!’ Shi Tiexin thought. ’My mouth slipped and I said the quiet part out loud! Gotta say something to save this!’

"Wow, Brother Tie, do you really see me as that mighty?" Before Shi Tiexin could even speak, Si Chongtian himself suddenly grew excited. "A little lion! You called me a little lion! Lions are the king of beasts on Central Star! So you think I can become that fierce in the future!"

Uh...

’Was my pronunciation that bad?’

’I wasn’t trying to say ’little lion’!’

’What I meant was... a little shih tzu...’

"That’s right." Shi Tiexin looked at Si Chongtian with a serious gaze. "I believe you’ll definitely be a man of great promise. You’re just young right now. When you grow up, you’ll surely let out a wild roar of your own."

’Something like "WOOF WOOF WOOF!" for example. That’s pretty wild.’

’Phew, that was close. Luckily, my slip of the tongue wasn’t a total disaster. It would have been real trouble if those two words, "Little Dog," had come out.’

’How would I have explained that one away?’

’Like this? "Look at this kid, what a great name! Little Dog! A humble name makes for a hardy child!"’

’Heh, I’m breaking out in a cold sweat... Speaking of which, I’m only fifteen myself, so why do I always put myself in the role of a parent? I guess it’s from looking after kids at the Orphanage so much. It’s definitely not because I look too old for my age. Absolutely not.’

"All right, stop looking around." Unconsciously, his "big boss" aura resurfaced. "No matter how unpleasant Liu Qigang’s words are, the act of sending you here to experience the hardships of life is not wrong in itself. If you really want to get stronger, then don’t abuse your privileges. Since you’re here to be a security guard, don’t be lazy. Do what you’re supposed to do. Even if it’s a double shift, at least one person has to be on watch."

"Oh, okay, I’ll go first!" Si Chongtian proactively stepped onto the guard platform, looking full of confidence. "Don’t worry, Brother Tie, this is nothing! I once held a horse stance for ten hours straight during practice!"

’Holy crap!’

Shi Tiexin was deeply shocked. ’Damn it, is this Gou Danzi some kind of martial arts fanatic? Holding a horse stance for ten hours... that’s not something an ordinary person can do. Of course, even if someone from a normal family had the willpower, without sufficient nutrition and medical support, they’d probably end up with rhabdomyolysis. So even if you want to be a martial arts fanatic, it’s not a path an ordinary family can afford.’

’Of course, as Big Brother Tie, I can’t let myself be intimidated by this little puppy’s words. I have to project the authority of a big brother.’

"Practicing horse stance is training to become stronger. Strengthening yourself bit by bit is inherently interesting. But standing guard for duty, for money—especially when you don’t even need the paycheck—that’s a completely different matter. It’s tedious, uninteresting, and you’re forced to do it."

Shi Tiexin shot him a glance and barked like a drill instructor, "Don’t treat this like your horse stance practice. You’re not freely cultivating right now, you’re working! Head up, neck straight, eyes forward, chin slightly tucked, legs straight, heels together, toes pointed out at a sixty-degree angle, arms hanging naturally at your sides, middle fingers pressed against the seams of your pants! Your posture must be perfect, the standards must be strict! If you’re going to do a job, do it right. Otherwise, go back to your life of luxury!"

"Sir!"

The young master was like a little puppy that had just received a clear command. He puffed out his chest, widened his eyes, and seemed quite energized by it all.

’Mm, very good.’

’Since you’re standing so perfectly, I can’t let your good intentions for this double-shift rotation go to waste—so you go ahead and stand watch. I’m going to practice my calligraphy!’

’Only the last mark on the scale is left, but it gets harder the closer you get to the end. And with no expert to help me level up, I have to use every available moment to practice for this final mark.’

SWISH SWISH SWISH. Shi Tiexin took out a pen and paper and once again bent over the desk, writing furiously.

Standing guard was tedious, dull, and boring, yet one could never relax. Shi Tiexin wrote furiously, losing all track of time. When he came to his senses and looked up to rub his wrist, it was already eight o’clock at night. A full four hours, from four to eight. Shi Tiexin turned his head and saw that Little Dog hadn’t moved an inch.

The crucial thing was that this chatterbox hadn’t made a single sound. That really wasn’t easy!

Shi Tiexin couldn’t help but feel a little impressed. He had assumed that a young master like this, no matter how high his cultivation level, wouldn’t be able to endure hardship. Four hours was nothing to him, but for Little Dog to also complete it while strictly following the standards—that made him see the kid in a new light.

It seemed this Gou Danzi wasn’t just some arrogant fool who talked a big game about grand principles but couldn’t actually handle any hardship.

"Alright, time’s up. I’ll take over, you rest."

"Brother Tie, I’m fine! I can keep going!"

"Mm, I believe you can, but there’s no need. Since it’s a double shift, we take turns. Come on down, I’ll stand."

’My training time is tight, but since we agreed to rotate on this double shift, we have to rotate. I can’t just keep exploiting Little Dog.’

"Oh." Si Chongtian stepped down from the guard platform, and his chatterbox nature flared up again. "Brother Tie, you’re from the Orphanage. Can you tell me about it? I’m not trying to pry into your private life, I’ve just never been exposed to anything like it, so I don’t know how you all live."

"There’s nothing that can’t be said." Little Dog had helped him get an extra four hours of training time, which was no small favor, so Shi Tiexin naturally wasn’t going to be stingy with his story. If his experiences of a hard life could really help this little guy out, he didn’t mind giving him a push.

But as the words reached his lips, Shi Tiexin fell silent again.

He didn’t know how to say it.

He didn’t know how much to say.

What was life at the Orphanage like? Scene after scene flooded his mind, a thousand threads with no clear place to start. Shi Tiexin wasn’t a talkative person to begin with. He was silent, silent, silent, and in the end, decided to talk about the one thing he felt was most crucial.

"Life at the Orphanage... it taught me one thing."

"What’s that?"

"How to find the balance between survival and dignity."