Era of Mist

Chapter 232 -231: Smug Satisfaction, and a Sudden Sobering (Part 2)

He jabbed, then pulled back.

He jabbed again, and pulled back again.

The greasy-haired man’s finger was still jabbing at the air. The force behind it diminished with each poke, his brutish movement growing increasingly flamboyant. His arm bounced back and forth like a spring, never once actually landing on Shi Tiexin’s chest.

The greasy-haired man looked up at Shi Tiexin, his expression growing more and more ferocious. His face was red and his neck was thick, veins bulging. Finally, he squeezed out a few words from his throat, “Don’t think just because you’re—tall, strong, and handsome, that I can’t make you… in just ten seconds… pull out your phone… and call an ambulance for me… By the way, are you perhaps the Black Venerable?”

His underlings behind him exchanged a look. They silently tucked away the tattoos they had just been showing off and prepared to become unremarkable background characters.

The greasy-haired man gazed up at Shi Tiexin. Shi Tiexin, in turn, didn’t speak. He simply looked down at him, his face impassive, partially cast in shadow.

The scene was, for a moment, a bit awkward.

A moment later, one of the underlings broke the silence. “That’s him.”

A smile like Yao Ming’s suddenly blossomed on the man’s vein-popped face.

“Aiyo, if it isn’t Brother Zun! Bro-ther~~ Zun~~! How~~ are~~ you~~!” The greasy-haired man’s face was dripping with sycophancy, his expression like he was about to wish an elder a happy New Year. “Brother Zun, you’re here! Heh, I’m really… Yo, yo! Look at me, what an idiot. This must be our sister-in-law!”

The greasy-haired man forgot all about his own status and his explosive temper. He spun around, gave Miss Red Skirt a deep bow, and roared, “Greetings, Sister-in-law!”

His underlings also bowed in unison, shouting, “Greetings, Sister-in-law!”

The greasy-haired man straightened up with a SWISH, then, with a cheeky grin, tried to slip away. “Big Brother, Sister-in-law, you two chat. I’ll take my leave, I’ll take my leave…”

Shi Tiexin finally spoke. “Just now, I believe you wanted to give her flowers?”

Without a second thought, the greasy-haired man shoved the heads of the roses into his mouth, chewed with a CRUNCH, CRUNCH, and gulped them down. The large bouquet of roses was gone in the blink of an eye. Wiping his mouth with his hand, juice splattering everywhere and staining his face crimson, the greasy-haired man said with deadpan seriousness, “That never happened.”

Even Shi Tiexin was almost amused by this guy.

He then looked at the greasy-haired man’s diamond ring box.

“No, no, it’s fake! Just a glass fake, just a joke, hahaha!” The greasy-haired man took out the diamond ring, smacked his lips, and opened his mouth hesitantly, looking like he was about to stuff the ring in there too.

‘Forget it. No need to force the guy to eat a diamond ring. Don’t want him to get hemorrhoids from it.’ Shi Tiexin thought. He waved his hand, and the man, as if granted a full pardon, scurried away gleefully.

Miss Red Skirt had stopped playing and was watching with an amused expression. She said to Shi Tiexin, “You know him?”

“Not at all.” Shi Tiexin walked over and picked up a pool cue. “He probably just didn’t want to trouble me with calling an ambulance for him.”

Shi Tiexin genuinely didn’t know who the greasy-haired man was, but that bit of posturing had been quite satisfying. ‘Most people have to reveal their identity to pull off a good face-slapping flex,’ he thought, ‘but I don’t even need to show my cards. I just stand there without a word, and people automatically scramble away.’

‘This level of cool is instantly in a whole different price range than the kind that needs to be hyped up.’

Sure enough, Miss Red Skirt also seemed to be growing interested in Shi Tiexin. “To subdue the enemy without fighting… It seems the name ‘Black Venerable’ is quite renowned.”

“Whether it’s renowned or not, we can talk about that later. But what about you diverting that trouble onto me?” Shi Tiexin was happy to joke with Miss Red Skirt. “Using me as your shield… I’m the one who has to bear the risks afterward.”

“For borrowing the Black Venerable’s name to deter a scoundrel, this humble little lady is endlessly grateful. The only way I can express my gratitude is to treat you to a game.” Miss Red Skirt snapped her fingers at the bartender. “It’s on the house.”

Shi Tiexin looked at the bartender. From a distance, the bartender gave a slight bow. “We wouldn’t have dared to ask for money anyway.”

Shi Tiexin turned back, a smile on his face. “See? That doesn’t count as repaying the favor.”

“Then…” A glimmer seemed to appear in Miss Red Skirt’s eyes. She smiled, full of charm. “I’ll let you cut in line. How about that?”

“Now that’s a fair deal.” Shi Tiexin picked up a cue, walked to the table, and broke the balls with a CRACK. Watching the balls clatter around the table, bumping into everything without a single one going in, Shi Tiexin remembered something else. “But… I’d much rather you teach me how to play pool.”

“You want to learn?” Miss Red Skirt assumed Shi Tiexin was just using it as a way to hit on her and didn’t pay it much mind.

“I want to learn. From the fundamentals.” Shi Tiexin tried taking a shot. He hit a ball that was right at the edge of a pocket, sending it spinning perfectly away from the danger zone. He then straightened up and said seriously, “Coach, I want to learn to play pool.”

Seeing Shi Tiexin’s expression, which didn’t seem fake, Miss Red Skirt looked surprised. “Why do you want to learn this?”

“Because—” CRACK. He once again sent a perfectly positioned ball flying all over the place. “I want to enter a pool tournament.”

Shi Tiexin looked at the ball, which had practically bounced out from the bottom of the pocket to stop in a tricky position. He then looked up at Miss Red Skirt, his face completely shameless. “Believe me. I can practice diligently, and I have a lot of talent.”

“With those last two shots, you’re practically a pool-playing anti-genius!” Miss Red Skirt laughed. It was a beautiful laugh, an enchanting laugh, and also a trembling laugh. After a while, she composed herself. “You’re a perfectly good street boss. You can find the time to train for and compete in a pool tournament?”

“Honestly, if I had a choice, I wouldn’t want to be a street boss at all.” Shi Tiexin leaned over again, recalling Miss Red Skirt’s technique in his mind. “What I really want to do is master a skill and sweep all the major competitions.”

CRACK. He took the shot. His aim was much better this time, though the ball still didn’t go in.

“Oh?” Miss Red Skirt was genuinely surprised now.

“Big Brother! Big Brother!” Just then, Ah D came running back, pulling Xiaowei along with him, looking overjoyed. “It’s done! It’s done! The proprietress agreed!”

“It’s a good thing, how could I not agree?” The proprietress came over, swaying her hips, a coquettish smile on her face. “Brother Zun wants someone, how would I dare to stand in his way? Besides, for Xiaowei, this is a good way out.”

The proprietress looked at Xiaowei and said, deliberately in Chinese, “Brother Zun is pulling you from the Sea of Suffering. You must not forget this great kindness. Work hard in the future. I’ll be here cheering you on.”

“Hai!” Xiaowei gave Shi Tiexin a deep bow. “I will work hard, Black Venerable Samma!”

After another round of pleasantries, Xiaowei wanted to say goodbye to some of her close friends, and Ah D wanted to go celebrate, so the boisterous group left again. From beginning to end, Miss Red Skirt stood watching from the side without a word, a thoughtful look in her eyes.

When things quieted down again and Shi Tiexin walked back to the pool table, Miss Red Skirt suddenly spoke. “I know that girl, Xiaowei. You want her to work for you?”

“Yes. Her talent is being wasted here, and it’s too dangerous.” Shi Tiexin prepared to continue his practice.

“A street boss, a gang leader, is actually thinking about doing good deeds?”

“Someone asked me a similar question before, and my answer is the same—I may be involved in the underworld, but I’m not a bad person.” Shi Tiexin continued to aim, feeling like he was starting to get the hang of it.

“If you’re really not a bad person…” Miss Red Skirt’s voice drifted over, her tone seeming a little strange. “Then let me give you a piece of advice—don’t get too complacent.”