Era of Mist

"A balance between survival and dignity?" Si Chongtian repeated, looking thoughtful but not fully understanding.

"Yes, balance." Shi Tiexin enunciated every word, his voice heavy and powerful. "In the Orphanage, you don’t defy the rules when you have no strength. It’s best to obey the ones set by the strong, just like how I had to say ’I’m taking my leave’ before I left today. That’s not shameful. That’s for survival, and when it comes to survival, there’s no such thing as shame."

"But silence, forbearance, and obedience don’t mean you can cast aside your dignity. If I can’t beat you, then I’ll endure it for now, cultivate diligently, and work hard in silence. But I must never try to flatter you or ride your coattails. As long as I’m just silently enduring, then no matter how difficult or repressed I am, I haven’t lost my dignity or my backbone. But if I bend the knee just because you’re strong, then that dignity can never be picked back up."

Shi Tiexin recalled scene after scene from his past, let out a long breath, and sighed, "Our childhoods were worlds apart. In an environment like mine, it’s impossible to develop any sort of ’individuality’ or ’express yourself.’ Under the crushing weight of life, those things are just laughable, utterly ridiculous."

"It’s so, so difficult just to hold on to that tiny shred of dignity, that little bit of backbone. Sometimes, surviving on your feet is much harder than groveling on your knees. Even trying to find a little balance is by no means easy."

"Because there are always people who will try to crush you simply because you refuse to kneel."

"But looking back now, no matter how difficult, how oppressive, how painful it was, I have no regrets. Life might be harder when you hold on to your dignity, but it lets you stand tall as you grow stronger, and continue to grow stronger."

Si Chongtian clenched a fist and exclaimed, "Right, right! Exactly! No matter how hard it gets, you can’t give an inch on dignity!"

But Shi Tiexin shook his head. "No. A hard life isn’t the hardest part. The hardest part is having a backbone but being forced to retreat and endure. Silent forbearance might be more suffocating, but it lets you live—and keep on living."

"I’m not afraid of death. Sometimes, life is worse than death, making you wish you could just end it all."

"But I can’t die. Because I’m an orphan, and I know better than anyone how hard it is for an orphan. I’ve been envious, I’ve been resentful, I’ve doubted everything, and I’ve cursed my fate."

"But I later came to understand that you can’t choose your past, only your future. And in the future, no matter what, I will give my children a great tree to shelter them from the storm, a house that the wind and rain cannot breach, and a safe and stable home."

Shi Tiexin stood straight on the sentry platform—head up, neck straight, gaze fixed forward, his posture as imposing as a great mountain range. "This is... my conviction."

Si Chongtian was dumbstruck, listening with his mouth agape. He stared blankly at Shi Tiexin, feeling as though Brother Tie’s words had just struck him with tremendous force.

It wasn’t that he’d never heard such things before; his father often rambled on about how hard he had it back in the day. But perhaps because Shi Tiexin was closer to his age, or perhaps because he was seeing the proof firsthand, Si Chongtian suddenly felt that his former self had been rather... adrift.

This wasn’t a gap in cultivation level; it was a gap in character and perception.

If he had to make a comparison, he felt his old self was like a supercar—powerful engine, full tank, perfectly maintained. It could tear up a racetrack at will, but all that racing was just for fun, just for kicks.

But Shi Tiexin was like an ocean freighter. It carried a heavy burden, weathered the wind and rain, broke through the waves against the gales, and traveled day and night. Its speed could never match a supercar’s, but its profound weight and unwavering resolve were things no supercar could ever compare to.

In ten or twenty years, the supercar might still be gleaming, but it would just be buzzing around the racetrack like a headless fly. The ocean freighter, however, might be covered in rust and full of dents, but it would have already reached a new continent. At that moment, gazing upon a whole new world, the sound of the freighter’s horn would surely be heroic and full of satisfaction.

’Now *that’s* a real man in my book!’

"Big Brother Tie!" Si Chongtian was moved. He decided then and there to change how he addressed him to "Big Brother Tie." The name really was a perfect fit.

"Right. Enough talk. Back to sentry duty." ’Hmph, hmph. Now you know how impressive your Brother Tie is, don’t you? Conquered by my personal charisma, aren’t you? Big Brother Tie is Big Brother Tie, no matter where I go.’

"Oh, right," Si Chongtian seemed to suddenly remember something. "By the way, Big Brother Tie, you said you were working here because you’re in debt, right? How much do you owe? If it’s not a lot—I mean, if it’s less than three million points—I can help you!"

PFFT!

The ever-composed Big Brother Tie nearly coughed up a mouthful of old blood!

’This... this Little Dog really has ill intentions! Bringing up things like "three million points"—to my ears, that’s a straight-up horror story!’

Three million?!

’Holy crap... these damn... these rich young masters are really something else... How long would it take to save that much money?!’

"If it’s more, you’ll have to wait two more months. Dad’s been telling me to settle down lately, so he’s not giving me as much money as he used to. But he’ll give me more next month, so if you’re not in a hurry, I can scrape some together. I can get you ten million points at most."

’Alright, buddy, stop talking...’

’I just barely managed to find my little bit of balance, and here you are, saying all these tempting things. If I hadn’t just been running my mouth off and bragging so much, I’d seriously be thinking about riding your coattails right now!’

’*Phew...* Dignity... Dignity...’

Fortunately, maybe because he’d been a stone-faced stoic for so long, a storm was raging in Shi Tiexin’s mind, but his face remained completely motionless, betraying nothing. To hear of such a vast fortune without batting an eye—truly a man of proud and unbending character. Situ the Bald probably couldn’t have managed it.

After a long internal struggle to fortify his mind, Shi Tiexin finally regained his composure.

"Thanks, but it’s not that much. Only a thousand points. If it comes to it and I really can’t scrape it together, I’ll ask to borrow some from you. But I want to try on my own first, to pay off my debt with my own strength as much as I can. Besides, robbing Peter to pay Paul isn’t my style." Shi Tiexin smiled faintly, appearing calm and collected, giving no hint of how severely he had just been shaken. "But in any case, thank you for the kind offer."

"Oh, oh! Big Brother Tie, you put it so well! I suddenly get it. This must be what you meant by ’dignity’!" Little Dog seemed to have a sudden epiphany. "I think I rely too much on my dad, too. If I didn’t have a rich father, I’d probably be nowhere near as good as you."

Shi Tiexin’s face flushed slightly, and he quickly tried to be modest. "Not at all, not at all."

’If I had a rich dad, I’d probably be the one who’s nowhere near as good as this Little Dog! How many rich young masters are like him? He’s already a rare breed.’

"You are, you are!"

’This damn Gou Danzi has one flaw: he’s incredibly stubborn. Of course, when it comes to admiring me, his stubbornness doesn’t seem like such a bad thing.’

"Big Brother Tie, look at your handwriting! It’s practically art!" Si Chongtian picked up a sheet of paper Shi Tiexin had been using for calligraphy practice and shouted at the top of his lungs, "This is incredible, Big Brother Tie! Your handwriting is out of this world! Among all the young people I know, you’re the number one master of pen calligraphy!"

Si Chongtian had just finished yelling, and his voice was still echoing when a person pushed the door open and walked into the factory workshop, just in time to hear the tail end of it. The person immediately shot a glare in their direction. "Number one young master of pen calligraphy? Who’s spouting such bullshit!"