After he absorbed all the medicinal power this time, Li Shuhong didn't add any more. He'd already used it all up.
Shuya's qi had grown from a tiny wisp into a fist-sized amount, and his body had become several times stronger.
He was still in the early stages of cultivation, when progress came easiest.
"Once you've soaked enough, come out."
Li Shuhong said, turning around to look at the scenery outside the city.
"Okay."
With a splash, Shuya leaped out of the water, sending droplets flying.
His bare feet, white as jade, landed on the ground. His soft, ink-black hair clung wetly to his face and back, while droplets ran down his smooth, tender skin.
Shuya circulated the qi in his body and gave it a shake. The water clinging to his skin and hair fell to the ground.
Only then did he get dressed.
"Hm?"
Shuya frowned, realizing his clothes didn't fit again.
He'd grown taller, and while he was at it, he took a look at himself.
...Why was his skin so much fairer again?
His little face scrunched up as he rubbed his skin all over.
Mm, soft and springy, smooth and fair, too.
What was this supposed to be...?
Skin like ice and bones like jade? So beautiful that nature couldn't bear to hide him away?
Or was he a gentleman as refined as jade?
Should he follow that up with, "A man as lovely as jade beneath the roadside trees, peerless among all others"?
"That's normal. Once you develop qi, it starts transforming your body and making it more perfect. The most obvious change is that you become more handsome or beautiful."
After speaking, Li Shuhong held out both hands for Shuya to see.
They were long, slender, and fair, so tender they seemed as if they might drip with moisture.
They looked nothing like the rough hands of a martial artist.
Shuya studied Li Shuhong's appearance and saw that his skin was fair and smooth too, like warm, lustrous top-grade jade.
...Come to think of it, the old man really was handsome, and his build was incredible, too.
Of course, Shuya wasn't bad himself.
Li Shuhong said, "You should have noticed that a good deal of the medicinal power you absorbed went toward transforming your body. The rest strengthened your qi."
Shuya nodded. Compared with how much his body had strengthened, his qi had grown by far less.
He clenched his fists and kicked his legs. By his own estimate, his body had probably become more than three times stronger.
His eyesight had improved too; he could see farther and more clearly, and his hearing had sharpened.
His entire body had grown stronger, and even the impurities inside him had been purged. Shuya felt utterly refreshed, comfortable from head to toe.
Since he'd been cleansed of toxins, he'd become even more handsome.
His skin was almost translucent, his eyes bright, and his figure even more perfect.
Overall, he looked bright, sunny, and full of energy. His first impression was one of freshness.
Ink-black hair, sword-shaped brows, and starry eyes, paired with an otherworldly air—he was the very picture of a beautiful young boy... Mm, a beautiful little kid?
"Not bad. You've got a bit of Ikeda Ichinosuke's bearing from back in the day. It's just that your clothes are too short, so you look ridiculous."
Li Shuhong gave him a thumbs-up.
Shuya smiled wryly. Lately, Hanazawa Sakura had been going crazy trying to buy him clothes.
She'd learned her lesson by now. She only bought three or four outfits at a time, then waited until he grew taller to buy more.
Shuya was already a meter and forty-five centimeters tall.
But compared to his earlier growth spurt, this time he'd grown at a more reasonable rate. Most of the energy had gone toward strengthening his body; getting taller was just a side effect.
Shuya looked slim in his clothes, but beneath them he had a well-defined build.
No matter how you looked at it, he didn't seem six years old. People would believe he was ten.
Fortunately, martial arts were common knowledge in this world. His height was a little unusual, but not beyond what people could imagine.
Shuya kept looking himself over, prompting Li Shuhong to grow impatient.
"All right, look at yourself when you get home. Now practice all the stances I taught you!"
"Sure thing."
Shuya set aside thoughts about his body for the time being and answered.
Shuya and Li Shuhong finished their training at noon.
After Li Shuhong took Shuya back to his house, he disappeared.
Shuya had no idea where he'd gone.
He was probably off to have some fun. Shuya had seen a mysterious lipstick mark on his clothes before.
There wasn't anything Shuya could do about it.
He rummaged around the room for a while and found the next-size-up clothes Hanazawa Sakura had bought just in case.
After changing into some casual clothes, he went straight to the mirror to check how he looked.
Ha! What a refined young gentleman, what a handsome young boy!
Senior Shu-chan was getting even more handsome!
You could argue about whether martial arts made you stronger.
But being handsome lasted a lifetime!
Shuya tossed his long hair and smiled at his reflection.
Great. Absolutely perfect.
If this were some shady website, people would say he had all the makings of a great cross-dresser.
He didn't dare look too long, afraid he'd fall for his own dazzling beauty.
Shuya bobbed his head and hummed as he walked into the living room. "Let's learn to coo together, coo coo coo coo coo..."
He went to the fridge and took out a bento.
"Hehehe."
He grinned foolishly at it.
This bento wasn't from a convenience store. Rena had made it.
"Love-filled bento~ Love-filled bento~ So yummy~ So pretty~ It's full of~ love!~ Awooh~ Yeah~ Hehehe."
Shuya sang his silly little song.
Rena making a bento for Shuya didn't actually have anything to do with love.
It was thanks to Hanazawa Sakura's assist a few days earlier.
Knowing how intense Shuya's training was, Hanazawa Sakura didn't want him eating unhealthy bento from street stalls. She'd considered cooking for him herself.
But just as Hanazawa Sakura was about to get started, her clever little mind came up with an idea. She went next door and asked Rena for help, using the excuse that she didn't have time to make bento for her son.
Of course, Hanazawa Sakura would pay her.
It killed three birds with one stone.
It helped Shuya, spared her the hard work, and gave Miss Rena, who was struggling financially, a hand.
Hanazawa Sakura thought she was a freaking genius.
Best of all, she was using the advertising money Shuya had earned. She'd lost nothing and earned a huge favor from both Shuya and Rena.
A complete victory.
Rena had agreed without giving it much thought.
Making bento wouldn't take too much time, and she knew Shuya's family well, so it was hard to say no.
Besides, she really did need the money.
Shuya happily polished off the bento his dear wife had made, rested for a while, then headed to the gym.
It wasn't as if he had much reason to go anymore, but he was Mai-chan's good friend—the only one, even.
How could he bear to leave her exercising all by herself?
He could treat it as a chance to have fun. The gym still did him some good; without using qi, his physical abilities weren't anything outrageous, so the exercise equipment was still useful.
Of course, the main reason was that Mai-chan was cute and easy on the eyes.
After spending all day around Li Shuhong, Shuya desperately needed a girl to balance things out.
Shuya took his time getting to the gym by bus and on foot. Mai was already there.
The moment she saw Shuya, she froze.
She stared at him in disbelief. "Shuya, did you get a sex change?"
"???"
Did she even hear herself? Who said something like that?!
Shuya nearly spat out his reply.
"What the hell! Could you use your brain before you speak?"
"No, I mean... Huh? Then why are you so much prettier?"
Mai-chan came over in disbelief and ran her little hand over Shuya's face.
She gave his cheek a pinch.
"Wow, so smooth...! And it feels so nice, so springy...!"
Shuya: "???"
Mai-chan looked dejected. "Damn it, I lose!"
"No, what are you even competing in?"
Shuya pushed her hand away and stepped back.
He said crossly, "I've just gotten good at training. I haven't been to Thailand!"
"That's so nice. I want to learn martial arts too."
Mai looked at Shuya enviously, then touched his arm again.
She murmured, "So smooth and fair..."
As she kept touching him, she suddenly leaned closer and sniffed him.
"And you smell pretty nice, too."
"Shoo, shoo. Are you a puppy?"
Shuya pressed a hand to her forehead and pushed her away.
He shot back, "You don't smell as good as I do."
"...Wh-what? Y-you idiot! Pervert! H!"
Mai-chan's face turned bright red.
She was clearly weak when it came to this sort of topic.
P.S. I've thought of another new title for the book, and this time I really like it. Please go give me some feedback.
P.P.S. In honor of this chapter's 2,700 words... please give me all kinds of support...
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