I Thought This Was a Slice of Life

Muscle Man ABC, who had already grown familiar with Shuya, also asked with concern.

Jackie Chan asked in confusion, "I don't feel like there's a problem? My body is very healthy, even much better than most people my age."

He said to Shuya, "Shu, you're at an age where you'll grow very quickly, so there's no need to be too surprised... Hmm, speaking of which, how old are you this year? You should be about ten, judging by your physical development."

"..."

Shuya's expression turned strange.

"I... I'm almost six."

"...What?"

Jackie Chan and Muscle Man ABC were dumbfounded.

They looked at Shuya's height; he was already 1.4 meters tall.

You're telling me he's only six?

"???"

They wore expressions of utter bewilderment.

The scene fell into an incredibly awkward silence.

"Huh?"

But at this moment, Shuya faintly heard a voice he had heard before, and this time he could say with certainty that this voice definitely did not belong to anyone present.

"...?"

Shuya quickly turned his head to look at the source of the sound, but he didn't see anything.

...Oh my god! I hope it's not a ghost!

Shuya panicked inwardly; since this world could have qigong, it could also have demons and ghosts!

This television station had plenty of reasons to be haunted, and by a super fierce female ghost at that.

Like a starlet who committed suicide after being coerced, a female reporter who committed suicide after being coerced, or a female Staff Member who committed suicide after being coerced...

Shuya figured that with his magnificent, youthful face, it was highly likely, logical, and a perfectly reasonable deduction that a female ghost would take a liking to him and latch on!

Being this good-looking is just so dangerous!

Jackie Chan didn't know where Shuya's thoughts had wandered, so he could only offer a dry laugh: "Hahaha, that really is... unusual."

He scratched the back of his head: "To be honest, I've never encountered anything like this... Hmm? No, wait, that doesn't seem right... Where have I heard of this? Or maybe I haven't..."

With Jackie Chan's memory, he rarely forgot most things, unless they were truly insignificant.

Or perhaps it was some knowledge he had never paid attention to.

"This is Natural Martial Bone; you still lack sufficient study."

As Jackie Chan struggled to recall, a clear, magnetic voice rang out behind him.

"Who!"

"You scared the hell out of me!"

"Damn!"

Muscle Man ABC jumped away instantly.

Their over-the-top reactions caused everyone else to step back a few paces as well.

"Wh-who is it?"

"Was this person here before?"

"Didn't notice..."

The crowd whispered among themselves.

Shuya and Jackie Chan also looked toward the source of the voice.

Jackie Chan was confused at first, but then he remembered something, and his expression changed drastically.

Shuya looked at the man.

His hair was half-black and half-white, though it was unclear if it was natural or dyed.

Judging by his features, he was definitely a handsome man, especially his black eyes, which were like bottomless abysses, as if they wanted to suck a person's soul right in.

Shuya didn't dare to underestimate this person; in his eyes, this man's aura was many times greater than Jackie Chan's.

"Senior, why are you here?"

Jackie Chan, who had always been casual, spoke respectfully at this moment.

Muscle Man ABC clearly recognized who he was as well; their legs were shaking, and they were on the verge of kneeling before him.

"Shu-chan, who is he?"

Aoki Shin whispered curiously.

"I don't know."

Shuya shrugged his shoulders.

The man whom Jackie Chan called senior smiled and said, "Don't mention it. Something came up, so I'm out here to lay low for a while. Since I had nothing better to do, I happened to receive some news, so I came along to see who the actor playing Ikeda Ichinosuke is. If he can't satisfy me, I won't let him play the role."

"?"

Shuya tilted his head, not understanding what this meant.

Could he be a descendant of Asagami Miin?

But how could he know Jackie Chan, and even be addressed as a senior?

Jackie Chan laughed, "Then what does senior think of Shu?"

"Excellent. There is no one more suitable than him."

The man paused slightly.

A look of reminiscence flashed in his eyes: "I can still remember how incredibly handsome Ikeda Ichinosuke was back in the day. Although this kid doesn't quite compare to him, he isn't bad either, though his hair isn't long enough yet."

"The most important point is..."

He looked deeply at Shuya: "Ikeda Ichinosuke was also born with a Natural Martial Bone."

Shuya felt a jolt in his heart; it sounded as if this man had seen Ikeda Ichinosuke with his own eyes.

But... how could that be possible?

Shuya wasn't entirely sure, but Ikeda Ichinosuke should have been a figure from seventy or eighty years ago.

Anyone who had met him would either be dead or an old person by now.

This man was so young, handsome, and full of vitality.

Could he be talking about photographs? Shuya speculated.

As he thought this, the man continued speaking, saying with great interest:

"The so-called Natural Martial Bone is the most suitable constitution for practicing martial arts. One can achieve success with only a little practice; they are truly the darlings of heaven. Rapid physical development is merely one of its characteristics."

"But in my view, this child's wonder goes beyond that."

"He was actually able to discover me while I was hiding."

"I can sense that his mental power is highly unusual. Hidden within the child's mind is a level of consciousness equivalent to an adult's."

"I once traveled through Tibet and witnessed a type of existence that is very similar to him."

"They call them—"

The man smiled lightly, his gaze flashing as he slowly spat out four words:

"—Reincarnated Living Buddha."

Section 55 49 The One-Month Promise

Shuya was incredibly grateful for the acting training he had received during this period. He did not show any particular panic in the face of this man's words, even though he was indeed quite panicked on the inside.

"That really is amazing."

Shuya brushed it off and put on a perfect smile: "By the way, may I ask how to address you, senior?"

"Oh, I am Li Shuhong, just an ordinary old man."

"Li Shuhong..."

Even though Shuya had already guessed it, he was still stunned when he heard the name.

Li Shuhong was the very name of the character played by Jackie Chan...

The young-looking man before him was the Dahua Special Forces soldier who had participated in the brutal world war and fought side-by-side with Ikeda Ichinosuke...

After hearing the translation, Aoki Shin and the others also widened their eyes in disbelief.

A wave of discussion suddenly surged up.

Li Shuhong glanced at them, shook his head, and smiled: "I'm done here. You little ones go play on your own; I'm off."

In the eyes of the crowd, he vanished like a ghost, as if scattered by the wind.

But Shuya could see a corner of his clothing disappearing at the doorway.

...I can't just watch him leave!

A strong impulse flashed through his heart; his intuition told him not to let this opportunity to cling to a powerful figure slip away.

In that moment, Shuya understood.

Before his heart could even finish its thought, he had already acted.

"I'm leaving first!"

Shuya rushed out, running with all his might.

"Shu-chan?"

"What's wrong?!"

"Shuya?!"

The crowd gasped in surprise. Mai, watching from behind, was also startled by his actions.

"It's alright, you can rest easy."

Only Jackie Chan watched his back with a hint of envy.

An expert like Li Shuhong was rarely seen by ordinary people; his appearance alone was already a rarity, let alone his intention to offer guidance to Shuya, which made him incredibly envious.

As for why he felt Li Shuhong intended to teach Shuya...

Jackie Chan knew clearly in his heart that if Li Shuhong had no interest in Shuya, even with Shuya's naturally powerful intent, it would have been impossible for him to catch a glimpse of Li Shuhong's movements.

This was a heaven-sent opportunity.

Shuya had a flash of inspiration and decisively seized this chance.

Jackie Chan felt that Li Shuhong would look at Shuya differently, likely due to the character Shuya was portraying.

Before accepting the role, Jackie Chan had specifically sought out the autobiography of Asagami Miin to read.

He knew that back in the day, although Li Shuhong and Ikeda Ichinosuke had a significant age gap, they were comrades with an excellent relationship.

Jackie Chan guessed that it must be because Shuya was as handsome as Ikeda Ichinosuke, and combined with his Natural Martial Bone, these various reasons had stirred Li Shuhong's memories.

Although Li Shuhong might not necessarily take Shuya as a disciple, some guidance could certainly be expected.

With the aptitude of a Natural Martial Bone, perhaps this Far East Land would produce an extraordinary martial artist in the future.

The reality was not much different from what Jackie Chan had imagined.

Li Shuhong had indeed seen the shadow of Ikeda Ichinosuke in Shuya, and he could not help but fall into his memories.