Monsters and Demons

He had deliberately exposed an opening to test Shuya.

If Shuya seized the opportunity, he would give him some pointers.

But taking him on as a disciple was out of the question. At Li Shuhong's age, he had little interest in teaching students.

He had seen firsthand how broken Natural Martial Bone was, and Li Shuhong figured Shuya didn't really need him to teach him anyway.

So, in a tacit agreement where one was willing to chase and the other was willing to be caught, Shuya caught up with Li Shuhong in a quiet park.

Shuya had no idea how far he'd run in this round of his drama-style sprint, but he was practically about to collapse.

He bent over, hands braced on his knees, panting hard.

Li Shuhong leaned against a tree, idly twirling a leaf. He was completely dry—not only wasn't he panting, he hadn't even broken a sweat.

Shuya wasn't surprised.

Li Shuhong looked young, but, come to think of it, he was probably over a hundred years old.

At his age and level of strength, he'd have been called an old immortal in ancient times. It would've been strange if a little running had made him sweat.

Seeing that Shuya had arrived, Li Shuhong dropped the leaf and said, "You've been chasing me this whole time. What do you want? This old man doesn't have any money."

"Ha, haha... ha! Coach, I want to... play, play, play bask—cough, cough... I want to learn martial arts!"

Shuya was panting like a dead dog, but he still managed to shout it out.

"Why? These days, practicing martial arts is all effort for no reward."

Li Shuhong pursed his lips. "Just work out. That's enough to handle everyday life. No matter how skilled you are, you can stop bullets, but you can't stop artillery shells."

He sighed. "Times have changed, kid. Go home and study hard. Get into a good school."

"I, ha, ha... ha! I'm good at studying!"

"Sure."

Li Shuhong neither agreed nor disagreed.

"After I found out you'd play Ikeda Ichinosuke, I looked into your background. Your knowledge is indeed pretty solid."

"But martial arts... I can't see why you'd need to learn them. For ordinary people, mastering martial arts can mean opening a school or entering fighting competitions. The real goal is fame and fortune. But you're already famous, and you don't need money."

He spoke calmly. "Some people learn martial arts to keep fit, but from what I can see, you're already in good health."

"Others learn to attract the opposite sex, but you've already got a face that's more than enough to attract women. Why go out of your way?"

Li Shuhong ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "That leaves looking cool. Once your qigong reaches a high level, you can lock in your essence and stay youthful, like me. You're not going to tell me you want to learn martial arts over something so trivial, are you?"

By now, Shuya had finally recovered. He wasn't panting anymore.

Hearing that, he puffed out his chest. "I don't know whether martial arts are impressive, but looking cool is for life! That's not trivial!"

Li Shuhong: "..."

"Hahahaha!"

He burst out laughing.

He shrugged. "What an interesting kid. Fine, I'll teach you."

"...Really?"

Shuya was trying to contain his excitement and exhaustion.

If he hadn't been working out for a while, he probably would've dropped dead after running like that.

He wasn't joking; he was stating a fact.

"Anyway, I'd already planned to. I was just going through the motions when I tested you earlier."

Li Shuhong spoke lazily. "You have top-tier talent, and when I gave you a chance, you made a decisive choice without hesitation. You also showed remarkable perseverance with that run."

"But the main reason is..."

"Fate brought us together."

"Or, more accurately, fate brought you and Ikeda Ichinosuke together."

Li Shuhong began to stroll slowly. "Before Ikeda Ichinosuke died, he entrusted his weapon and his legacy to me, hoping I'd help pass them on."

"But I never found anyone suitable. I couldn't let some mediocre talent tarnish the legacy of my little brother."

"Th-then...?"

Shuya trailed off.

"But you're different. You're a lot like him, and you have the same Natural Martial Bone. On top of that, you're playing him. You're practically the perfect successor."

A gleam of anticipation flickered in Li Shuhong's eyes. "I hope more people will learn of Ikeda Ichinosuke's name. That way, his heroic deeds won't be forgotten."

He looked at Shuya and spoke solemnly. "One month!"

"I'll teach you for one month. How much you learn is up to you... That's what I'd like to say, but from what I understand about Natural Martial Bone, learning martial arts won't be difficult for you. One month should be enough."

"But knowing the theory and putting it into practice are two different things. I can teach you all the theory in a month. But as they say, a master can show you the door, while your own cultivation is up to you. If you want to achieve anything, you'll still need to train hard."

"No matter what, I'll teach you Ikeda Ichinosuke's sword art."

"Ikeda Ichinosuke's sword art...?"

"That's right. It's called—"

As you've probably figured out by now, I'm a very bashful person. I've never insisted on things like tips. I only ever ask for votes and follows.

But without any rewards, where's the motivation? What do you think? (Sips tea.)

Anyway... I'm posting two chapters today.

Consider it a thank-you to the fine folks who voted and tipped. A friend said he wanted me to push for the rankings and asked me to do a promo swap at midnight, but I wanted to post now, so I thought it over and decided to put out two chapters today.

That's it. Don't get the wrong idea and think I'll post two chapters every day. (Hinting very loudly.)

Northland New Snow Thousand-Fold Style.

That was the name of the sword art Ikeda Ichinosuke had learned. It had originally been an ordinary sword art, but after he modified it, it had become an Shangcheng Sword Art.

"How can you tell whether a martial art is Shangcheng?"

Shuya was curious.

"It's simple. All Shangcheng martial arts involve controlling and using qi."

Li Shuhong's answer was brief.

"Then how do you cultivate qi?"

Shuya asked about something he was very curious about.

Li Shuhong didn't hide it. "Generally speaking, if you train your body to a certain level and combine that with a strong heart, will, and intent, qi will emerge."

Shuya was dumbfounded. "The heart? Will? Intent? That sounds so mystical."

"That's why the Martial Way has declined."

Li Shuhong was quite matter-of-fact. "People like us are relics of a bygone era. A world this peaceful simply isn't suited to martial artists."

"This might sound wrong, but the best times for martial artists were times of war."

"As the saying goes, 'When a nation suffers, poets thrive; poems born of hardship are the finest.' The same applies to martial artists."

"When disaster strikes, people's hearts are unsettled and the world is in turmoil. The world becomes a purgatory, but that's precisely when people like us can rise to prominence. Take the world wars, for example. People like us naturally threw ourselves into the fight, risking our lives with our spirits ablaze."

"For ordinary people, those days were unimaginably miserable. But they were the most glorious times for martial artists like us."

"Countless people broke through their limits in those days... and countless others died."

Li Shuhong smiled. "Don't misunderstand. I'm not glorifying war. I'm just stating an objective fact."

He continued, "We don't have those conditions anymore. Breaking through is incredibly difficult, but that doesn't concern you."

"Why not?"

"You have Natural Martial Bone. Just train your body appropriately, and qi will emerge on its own. No need to worry."

Great!

The look in his eyes confirmed it: this was his real cheat, his real transmigration perk!

"And your willpower is also unusually strong. You'll take to practicing Strange Arts like a fish to water. With your talent, you're a true all-rounder in both the scholarly and martial fields. As long as you don't die, you're certain to surpass me one day."

Li Shuhong had brought up something new, but when Shuya tried to ask more, he just said he'd tell him later and not to rush.

Shuya asked another question. "Um, teacher."

"Don't call me master. Call me teacher."

Li Shuhong shook his head.

"Okay, teacher."

Shuya immediately changed how he addressed him. Whatever Li Shuhong said went.

He thought that even if Li Shuhong only taught him for a month, they'd still have the relationship of master and disciple without the formal title.

He was determined to cling to this powerful backer.

But Shuya wasn't going to do anything just yet. Their relationship was still too new. He'd get closer to him before trying to build a bond.

For now, he just wanted to satisfy his curiosity.

"Teacher, since qi exists in this world, do the demons and monsters from myths and legends exist too?"

This time, Li Shuhong didn't dodge the question. He answered directly, "They probably aren't what you imagine, but I can tell you that they do exist."

"Seriously...?"

Shuya's expression grew complicated. Images from countless movies and animations flooded his mind. He eyed his surroundings suspiciously, as if nothing was safe anymore.

...Oh no, Senior Shu-chan is so adorable, handsome, and cute, with such graceful manners and unmatched talent. It's entirely possible some demon or monster might take a liking to him and snatch him away!

Could beautiful, bewitching, incredibly sexy demon girls take a liking to him and carry him off, only to subject him to inhuman acts like ooo and xxx?

That was so excit—no, so terrifying!

Miss Rena, I might have to let you down!

As he thought, Shuya casually wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth, successfully destroying the evidence.

Li Shuhong didn't guess at his wild imagination. He just sneered. "What's there to fear about demons and monsters? They're nothing but weaklings."

"Maybe that's how it seems to you."

Shuya replied.

Li Shuhong said, "Let me give you a simple picture of how things stand. Demons and monsters can't beat us, and we can't beat the government. So why do you think demons and monsters could throw the world into chaos? You've been reading too many novels, kid."

"From ancient times to the present, we've kept demons and monsters under our heel. At most, they dare bully ordinary people. They couldn't even beat the governments of ancient times. What chance do they have against modern technology?"

Li Shuhong spoke with swagger. "They're just rats hiding in the gutters! How dare they claim to be brave!"

Shuya's blood surged. "So, teacher, you kill them on sight?"

"Idiot!"

Li Shuhong held his head high. "This old man wouldn't dare provoke them!"

"I knew it!... Wait, what? Teacher, what did you just say?"

Shuya wondered if his ears were playing tricks on him.

"I said this old man doesn't dare provoke those demons and monsters!"

Li Shuhong's voice rang out loud and clear. "In fact, I came to the Far East this time because they drove me from home and forced me to seek refuge!"

Shuya: "..."

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