Muscle Man ABC, who had grown close to Shuya, also asked with concern.
Jackie Chan said, puzzled, "I don't feel like there's anything wrong. He's healthy, too—much healthier than most kids his age, in fact."
He said to Shuya, "Ah Shu, you're at the age when you grow really fast. There's no need to be so surprised... By the way, how old are you this year? You should be around ten, judging by your development."
"..."
Shuya's expression turned strange.
"I... I'm almost six."
"...What?"
Jackie Chan and Muscle Man ABC were speechless.
They looked at Shuya's height. He was already 1.4 meters tall.
And he was telling them he was only six?
"???"
Their faces were full of question marks.
The scene fell into an awkward silence.
"Huh?"
But then Shuya faintly heard a voice he'd heard before. This time, he was certain it didn't belong to anyone present.
"...?"
Shuya quickly turned toward where the voice had come from, but didn't see anything.
...Oh, crap! Could this place be haunted?!
Shuya panicked. If qi cultivation existed in this world, then demons and ghosts could exist, too!
This TV station had plenty of reason to be haunted, too—and by a really vicious female ghost at that.
There were all kinds of stories: an actress who'd killed herself after being forced into a casting couch, a female reporter who'd killed herself after being forced into a casting couch, a female doctor who'd killed herself after being forced into a casting couch...
Shuya judged that with his peerless childlike looks, it was entirely possible a female ghost would take a liking to him and latch on. It was also a perfectly logical, flawless, and utterly reasonable conclusion!
Being good-looking was dangerous!
Jackie Chan had no idea what Shuya was thinking. All he could do was laugh awkwardly. "Hahaha, well, that really is... unusual."
He scratched the back of his head. "Honestly, I've never encountered anything like this... Hm? No, wait, maybe I have... Where did I hear about it? Or maybe I didn't..."
With Jackie Chan's memory, he forgot very little—unless it was something completely unimportant.
Or some bit of knowledge he'd never paid attention to.
"This is Natural Martial Bone. You still have a lot to learn."
As Jackie Chan was pondering, a clear, resonant voice rang out behind him.
"Who!"
"You scared the hell out of me!"
"Shit!"
Muscle Man ABC sprang away in an instant.
Their over-the-top reaction startled everyone, and they all backed away a few steps.
"W-who is that?"
"Was he here before?"
"I didn't notice him..."
The crowd murmured among themselves.
Shuya and Jackie Chan also looked toward the voice.
Jackie Chan first looked puzzled, then suddenly remembered something. His expression changed dramatically.
Shuya studied the man.
His hair was half black and half white. Shuya couldn't tell whether it was natural or dyed.
Judging by his face, he was undeniably handsome—especially his black eyes, which were like bottomless abysses, as if they could suck in a person's soul.
Shuya didn't dare underestimate him. The man's presence was many times stronger than Jackie Chan's.
"Senior, what brings you here?"
Jackie Chan, who'd been so casual until now, addressed him with the utmost respect.
Muscle Man ABC had clearly recognized him as well. Their legs trembled, and they were barely stopping themselves from kneeling.
"Shu-chan, who is he?" Aoki Shin asked curiously in a low voice.
"I don't know."
Shuya shrugged.
The man Jackie Chan had called Senior smiled. "Let's not get into it. Something came up, so I came out to lie low for a while. I had nothing else to do, and I happened to receive some news, so I came along to see who was playing Ikeda Ichinosuke. If he doesn't satisfy me, I won't let him play the role."
"?"
Shuya tilted his head, not understanding what he meant.
Could he be a descendant of Asagami Miin?
But how did he know Jackie Chan, and why did Jackie call him Senior?
Jackie Chan smiled. "Then what do you think of Ah Shu, Senior?"
"Excellent. No one could be better suited to the role."
The man paused slightly.
A look of reminiscence passed through his eyes. "I can still remember how handsome Ikeda Ichinosuke was back then. This kid doesn't quite measure up to him, but he's not bad. His hair just isn't long enough."
"Most importantly..."
He gave Shuya a long look. "Ikeda Ichinosuke had Natural Martial Bone, too."
Shuya's heart gave a jolt. It sounded like the man had met Ikeda Ichinosuke in person.
But... how was that possible?
Shuya wasn't sure, but Ikeda Ichinosuke should have lived some seventy or eighty years ago.
Anyone who'd met him would either be dead or elderly by now.
Yet this man was so young, handsome, and full of vitality.
Could he mean he'd seen a photograph? Shuya speculated.
As he thought this, the man continued, sounding intrigued:
"Natural Martial Bone means someone is ideally suited to martial arts. A little practice is all it takes for them to make progress. They're the darlings of heaven and earth. Rapid physical development is only one of their traits."
"But I think there's more to this child than that."
"He was able to sense me even though I was hiding."
"I can feel that his Power of Will is highly unusual. There's an adult-level will hidden inside the mind of this child."
"I once traveled through Tibet and encountered someone rather like him."
"They're known as—"
The man smiled faintly, his gaze flashing as he slowly spoke four words:
"—Reincarnated Living Buddha."
Section 55: 49 A Month-Long Agreement
Shuya was immensely grateful for all the acting practice he'd done lately. He didn't show any particular alarm at the man's words, even though he was indeed quite panicked inside.
"That's really impressive."
Shuya managed to bluff his way through and put on a perfect smile. "By the way, may I ask your name, Senior?"
"Oh, I'm Li Shuhong, just an ordinary old man."
"Li Shuhong..."
Even though Shuya had already guessed as much, he was still stunned when he heard the name.
Li Shuhong was the name of the character Jackie Chan played...
The young-looking man in front of him was the Dahua Special Forces soldier who'd taken part in a brutal world war and fought alongside Ikeda Ichinosuke...
After hearing the translation, Aoki Shin and the others also stared in disbelief.
A wave of chatter rose around them.
Li Shuhong glanced at them and shook his head with a smile. "I'm done here. You little ones can go play by yourselves. I'm off."
In everyone's eyes, he seemed to vanish like a phantom blown away by the wind.
But Shuya could see the edge of his clothes disappear through the doorway.
...I can't just stand here and let him leave!
A powerful urge flashed through Shuya. His instincts told him he couldn't let this chance to cling to a powerful ally slip away.
At that moment, Shuya understood.
Before he could even think twice, he was already moving.
"I'm heading out first!"
Shuya dashed off, running with all his might.
"Shu-chan?"
"What's wrong?!"
"Shuya?!"
Everyone cried out in alarm. Mai-chan, watching from behind, was startled by his sudden move, too.
"It's fine. Don't worry."
Only Jackie Chan watched him go with a hint of envy.
A master like Li Shuhong was rarely seen. It was already rare for him to appear at all, let alone take an interest in guiding Shuya. Jackie Chan was incredibly envious.
As for why he thought Li Shuhong meant to teach Shuya...
Jackie Chan knew full well that if Li Shuhong had no interest in Shuya, then no matter how powerful Shuya's innate will was, he'd never have been able to catch sight of him.
This was an incredible opportunity.
Shuya had been blessed with a flash of inspiration and had seized it decisively.
Jackie Chan thought Li Shuhong had taken a special interest in Shuya partly because of the role Shuya was playing.
Before accepting the role, Jackie Chan had gone out of his way to read Asagami Miin's autobiography.
He knew that although Li Shuhong and Ikeda Ichinosuke had been far apart in age, they'd been very close comrades back then.
Jackie Chan guessed that Shuya's handsome looks, which resembled Ikeda Ichinosuke's, along with his Natural Martial Bone, had stirred Li Shuhong's memories.
Li Shuhong might not take Shuya as his disciple, but it was easy to imagine him offering some guidance.
With Natural Martial Bone, perhaps the Far East Land would one day produce a remarkable martial artist.
Things weren't all that different from what Jackie Chan had imagined.
Li Shuhong had indeed seen a shadow of Ikeda Ichinosuke in Shuya, and had fallen into reminiscence.
Before you continue