Times Have Changed

A black man with a question-mark face.

You're saying that even an old immortal of your sweeping-monk caliber was driven to flee by monsters and ghosts? Doesn't that mean the monsters and ghosts are insanely powerful?

"No, no, it's not what you think."

Li Shuhong said dejectedly, "I told you, times have changed. These days, we live under the rule of law. It's no longer an era when you can just throw punches whenever you want. If this had happened during wartime, I wouldn't have been in such a sorry state. I'd have beaten them so badly their own mothers wouldn't recognize them."

He sighed and cleared his throat. "Since we're on the subject, I'll explain what happened. I don't want you making the same mistake I did."

"It happened two or three weeks ago," Li Shuhong recalled. "I was still back in my hometown. One night, when I went out to hit the bars, I ran into a suspicious-looking man and woman."

He fell into reminiscence, while Shuya struggled not to make a comment.

You're over a hundred and still hitting the bars. You're pretty hip.

But there was no law against old folks going to bars, so Shuya couldn't really say anything.

Besides, Li Shuhong might have been old, but Shuya was certain he could punch him into a little pancake.

Ever since Shuya realized qigong was real, he'd stopped looking down on TV dramas about the Dahua Special Forces.

Maybe those action scenes had been exaggerated for artistic effect, but the actual power couldn't be far off. Otherwise, people would have torn them apart online, like they had in his previous life.

It wasn't hard to understand how Shuya had been feeling lately.

For example, imagine seeing some chūnibyō kid constantly babbling about how his eye held a sealed power, how a demon king was sealed inside his arm, or how there was some imperceptible boundary between worlds.

You didn't know the truth, so you just laughed it off, thinking, How could any of that be possible? He's just an idiot.

And then—

You suddenly discovered that the chūnibyō kid had been telling the truth all along.

Welp, I'm screwed!

That complicated feeling in that moment was probably what Shuya was experiencing.

Shuya figured anyone facing a being capable of ripping a person apart with its bare hands would be on their best behavior. They wouldn't dare make jokes out loud.

Promo: My Scumbag Self Still Wants a Peaceful Life

Synopsis: <It has JoJo elements, but it's mainly a slice-of-life series>

I had a childhood friend named Sakurajima Mai, but she left me before I even started elementary school.

Then I met Yukinoshita and Eriri, but after elementary school ended, I had to leave them behind, too, with only memories to hold on to.

During the summer vacation before middle school, I gave my first kiss to Sora Ginko and got no response.

In middle school, I drifted between Kazusa, Yasuraoka Hanabi, Ogiso, and Minagawa Akane, unwilling to let go of any of them.

By high school, I was already a scumbag, but I still longed for—

For my twisted love to be accepted by someone. And—

Let me say it again: I, Fujiwara Kiyotaka, only want to live a peaceful life. You girls, stay away from me!

The Times Have Changed

Shuya wore an innocent smile and let Li Shuhong continue.

"After I spotted that couple, I kept an eye on them. Half an hour passed, and I saw them leave the bar and sneak into the alley nearby."

"Oh? So what did you do, Master?"

Shuya tossed him the perfect setup.

"Of course I followed them," Li Shuhong said. "The man had blond hair and blue eyes. You could tell at a glance he wasn't from Great Hua. I couldn't let some scoundrel cause trouble on my turf."

So the woman was from Great Hua?

Shuya guessed.

"I followed them, and sure enough, the man showed his true colors. He opened his mouth, revealing a set of sharp fangs, and bit the woman on the neck."

"Was he a vampire?"

"That's right."

"So vampires really exist."

Shuya marveled.

"Just a little runt," Li Shuhong said, waving a hand in utter disdain.

"What happened after that?"

Shuya asked.

"Of course I rushed over to help. I broke more than a dozen of that little runt's bones. I nearly snapped his dick in half, too."

There wasn't a hint of pride on Li Shuhong's face. To him, taking down some little runt like that barely counted as an achievement.

"If that's the case, why did you say you couldn't afford to offend monsters and ghosts? Do they have a huge organization behind them?"

"Something like that... Do you know what the couple did afterward?"

Li Shuhong's expression grew complicated.

"What did they do?"

Shuya was very curious.

"They... They..."

As Li Shuhong spoke, his voice grew more and more dejected, with an indescribable bitterness.

"They... actually called the police. Then I was detained for five days. If the vampire hadn't had such strong regenerative powers and most of his injuries hadn't healed by the time the police arrived, I might have ended up in court."

Li Shuhong wore an expression that was hard to describe.

Shuya was speechless. "..."

That ending was completely beyond his expectations.

"Didn't the woman speak up for you, Master?"

Li Shuhong was just as exasperated. "Heh. After I knocked the man down, I told her to leave. She said she truly loved him and didn't care what he was. Then she slapped me twice and called the police right there."

The old man had only tried to do a good deed, and ended up in a world of trouble.

Shuya struggled not to laugh out loud.

"What happened after that? How did you end up here, hiding out?"

Li Shuhong said bitterly, "The very day after I was released, someone came looking for me."

"Who would be so bold?"

Shuya was extremely curious now.

"The Endangered Monster and Ghost Protection Association, the Minor Monster Protection Association, the Weak Vampire Care and Mutual Aid Organization, the Western Monster Mutual Love Alliance, and so on... All kinds of weird organizations."

He repeated the names without changing expression.

"What did you say?"

Shuya's expression was just as colorful.

???

What the hell were these things?

Li Shuhong said indignantly, "They're the same sort of thing as those animal-rights groups!"

"Then you had no choice but to run. There's no saving you. Just wait to die. I'm out."

Shuya understood immediately. Those people had turned into some kind of cult.

"First, they sat outside my house in protest. Then they held up pictures of that vampire and started singing and crying. The moment I stepped outside, they grilled me about how I could bear to mistreat such a pitiful, weak, helpless little monster."

"It made me so angry! What kind of thought process is that?"

Li Shuhong gritted his teeth. "The worst part was that calling the police didn't help. They'd disperse the crowd, but after a while everyone would gather again. They didn't do anything too outrageous, but they were just so damn annoying! They pulled that stunt outside my house every day. Who could stand it?"

"Master, you could've driven them away."

Shuya suggested offhandedly.

"Drive them away with what? They had a bunch of cameras pointed at me, and the police station was right nearby. The moment I made a move, I'd be locked up again. In the end, I could only run off and lie low for a while just to keep on living."

Even Li Shuhong felt fed up as he finished speaking.

He sighed. "That's why I said the Martial Way has a hard time in this world. There's no soil for it to grow in. It's simple: the rule of law is too firmly established these days, and people have lost their fighting spirit!"

"Even someone at my level has to think twice every time I make a move. As for everyone else, they have it even worse. Back in the day, martial artists would have already gone out and cut off a few heads, leaving their opponents half-dead. After a few more years of training, they'd have produced a real fighter."

"People today don't have the courage or the means for that. The law, family, school, work—layer after layer of shackles. You can't escape them, and you can't break them! All you can do is endure!"

"And the longer you endure, the more your fire and spirit fade away. In the end, you can only meekly live like a turtle hiding its head, a lamb waiting to be slaughtered!"

"The times have changed!"

Li Shuhong spoke with a note of despair.

Shuya fell silent, too.

After a long while, Li Shuhong slowly exhaled.

"Never mind. Better to be a dog in peaceful times than a person in chaotic ones. Maybe this is for the best. Maybe this is for the best..."

The eyes of Li Shuhong, weathered by the years, revealed a deep weariness.

"Too many people have died already... Some traditions, some people—they've had their time. Let them pass."

"The times have changed..."

When Shuya had first heard that phrase, he'd only wanted to laugh. But now he couldn't.

Those words, "The times have changed," held so much sorrow—and buried so much bitterness.

But was that really a bad thing?

Maybe not.

Ordinary people didn't want to spend every day fighting for their lives.

Why learn martial arts or train your body?

Was there something wrong with playing games or reading novels?

Life was hard enough already. Better to be content as a lazy couch potato.

There was always more than one way to look at a problem.

A master of martial arts like Li Shuhong naturally found it tragic. But the government and ordinary people might not feel the same way.

Things had never been simply black and white.

Right and wrong depended on where you stood.

So Shuya both sympathized with Li Shuhong and didn't.

Time would answer every question.

Li Shuhong had stopped agonizing over the issue long ago. Recent events had just gotten to him, making him complain for a bit.

He stopped talking about it and said, "Anyway, remember what happened to me. Don't think we're still living in the old days, when wandering heroes could roam freely and settle every grudge with their fists. No matter how hard you can punch, you can't beat a cannonball."

"Of course, I'm not telling you to put up with everything. I'm just telling you to be careful. If you really have to take someone down, make sure you don't leave any loose ends."

Li Shuhong wasn't some moral guardian who forbade Shuya from hurting anyone.

A martial artist who had fought through wartime didn't care much for such scruples.

"Don't worry. I won't bring shame on you, Master."

Shuya flattered him with a respectful look.

Li Shuhong scoffed. "Hah! What does it matter to me if you bring shame on yourself? Anyway, I'll say this now: if you go and make a mess of things, I won't bail you out. You'll have to face the consequences yourself! If you can take on planes and cannons, I'll admit defeat!"

"Don't worry. I know what I'm doing."