"You kind of remind me of someone I know."
Seeing Jackie Chan's appearance, Arata immediately thought of Uncle Jackie from Jackie Adventures.
"You aren't the first person to say that." Hak Foo stood behind Jackie with his arms crossed. Though he didn't look angry, his expression always gave off the vibe that he was about to lose his temper any second. Who knew? Maybe the next second Arata would find himself on the receiving end of a Crow Takes Flight.
"Is that so? Then who do you think I look like?" Jackie chuckled. That smile made him look even more like the Uncle Jackie Arata knew—warm, approachable, and radiating a sunny, righteous aura.
"Like a movie star," Arata said, popping a dumpling into his mouth.
"Haha, you've got a good eye. You must have watched plenty of the movies I've starred in, right?" Jackie was used to it by now, but then added, "Compared to a movie star, you—as a hunter star—seem a lot more influential."
"I'm no star."
"Boss, bring us two more steamers of dumplings!"
Jackie pulled out a chair and sat across from Arata.
The previously sluggish-looking dumpling shop owner instantly sprang to life the moment he laid eyes on Jackie. At first, he didn't believe it, so he rubbed his eyes hard. Once he confirmed that the person wanting dumplings was none other than the mega-star Jackie Chan, he frantically yelled, "Wife, get out here! Long-ge is here!"
"What Long-ge?" a woman's impatient voice called out from the back room.
"Jackie Chan! The big star! Your favorite idol!"
The shop owner rushed into the back room and dragged a plump woman outside.
"What?!"
When she came out, the plump woman was still holding a handful of sunflower seeds, her eyes filled with annoyance.
"Look over there."
The owner forcefully twisted his wife's head, making her look toward the table where Arata was sitting.
In the next second, sunflower seeds scattered all over the floor. The plump woman's mouth began to tremble.
"Jackie... Chan!!" The moment she blurted out the name, her eyes widened to the size of saucers.
"Hello," Jackie greeted her politely.
"Jackie Chan!!!" The plump woman immediately lunged forward. "I'm... I'm... your die-hard fan!"
"Hey, stay away from Long-ge!" Hak Foo tried to block the over-enthusiastic fan from getting too close, but Jackie stopped him with a wave of his hand.
"It's fine, Hak Foo."
"C-can I take a picture with you? Please, I'm begging you!"
"Of course you can, on the condition that you bring our dumplings to the table first."
"What are you standing around for?! Hurry up and grab the dumplings! Bring my Long-ge the premium beef dumplings from the back!" the woman roared at her husband.
Receiving her orders, the store owner scrambled to place the best dumplings in the shop right onto Arata's table. Just a moment ago, when Arata had first arrived, they claimed they only had pork dumplings left. Now that Jackie had shown up, beef dumplings magically materialized on the table.
"Long-ge, eat up. If it's not enough, I'll go make some more," the plump woman stood not far away, gazing at Jackie like a starry-eyed fangirl.
"No need, one steamer is enough."
"T-then... can we take the picture now, Long-ge?" the woman asked gently and timidly.
"Of course!"
The plump woman immediately whipped out her phone. The closer she stood to Jackie, the heavier and faster her breathing became.
Click!!
The most irreplaceable photo of her life was safely stored on her phone. After taking the picture, she didn't continue to bother Jackie; she understood that as a fan, she shouldn't overly disrupt her idol's meal.
"Arata, how old are you?" Jackie asked, biting into a dumpling. "Mmm! These dumplings are good, Arata, you should try one."
He then used his chopsticks to place two beef dumplings onto Arata's plate.
"Thanks, I'm 25."
"I'm 29 this year. You don't mind calling me Long-ge, do you?"
"Of course not."
"I don't mean Long-ge just as a fan's title for me. I genuinely want to be your older brother."
"If you want to be my big brother, you've gotta have the strength to back it up," Arata smiled.
"In terms of raw strength, I really can't compare to you. But here in China, whenever you have trouble, I've got your back."
"Long-ge's influence must be huge. Since you put it like that, if I said no, it'd look like I'm not giving you face."
"I'll take that as a yes," Jackie laughed heartily, his eyes crinkling into happy crescents. "Let's toast with tea instead of alcohol. Hak Foo, pour the tea."
Hak Foo swiftly filled three teacups to the brim. The three of them clinked their cups in a symbolic toast.
Watching her beloved idol acting like sworn brothers with a man she had never met before, the plump woman looked utterly bewildered. She nudged her husband and asked, "Who's that guy? Have you ever seen him?"
The husband scratched his head, completely drawing a blank on Arata. "Never seen him. Probably some trendy idol who's popular right now."
Running their dumpling shop from dawn till dusk, the couple barely had any time to watch the news. But the woman watched Jackie's movies every single day—the very first thing she did in the morning was turn on a Jackie Chan movie, watching it while she prepped and wrapped dumplings.
After finishing their meal, Jackie pulled out his wallet to pay.
The plump woman suddenly rushed over to stop him. "You don't need to pay, Long-ge! Just having you visit our shop has made me so happy."
"Yeah, Long-ge, no need to pay. My wife is your loyal fan. If I charged you money, she'd probably beat me to death."
"I don't eat free meals on other people's dime. How about this? I'll take one more picture with you guys. You can wash and print this photo to hang in the shop as a promotion."
"Really?! That's amazing!" The couple shook hands excitedly, thrilled beyond words.
Bidding farewell to the fans, Arata got into Jackie's Jeep.
"I'll take you around the neighborhood first. Quanxi mentioned you haven't been back in a long time."
"True. The only reason I came back this time is because Quanxi promised me something."
"Quanxi has been busy lately, dispatched to somewhere else. While she's gone, I'll fill you in on the stuff regarding the Terracotta Army."
"No problem," Arata agreed. "By the way, Long-ge, do you mind sharing what devils you guys contracted with?"
"Of course I don't mind. I contracted with the Monster Devil. When I activate my ability, I randomly transform into a monster. The cost is that the devil sucks my blood every time I transform, and the longer I stay transformed, the harder it takes a toll on my body."
Jackie didn't hold back at all, openly laying out his devil and its associated cost. After all, trying to hide one's strength in front of an apex powerhouse like Arata was completely pointless. Being completely transparent actually earned him more favorable impressions.
"I contracted with the Kung Fu Devil," Hak Foo chimed in from the driver's seat before anyone even asked. "Proficient in all kinds of martial arts, but every fight consumes a massive amount of calories. If I don't rapidly replenish my energy after a battle, I might actually pass out."
"I've contracted with the Dream Devil, the Leopard Devil, the Necrophilia Devil (Corpse-Lover Devil), and the Bat Devil."
"You contracted with that many?!" Jackie and Hak Foo gasped in unison, utterly shocked.
"Yeah, there's a reason why I'm this strong."
"Contracting with so many devils... the price must be astronomical," Jackie couldn't help but worry for Arata. The cost demanded by a single devil was usually enough to completely cripple a normal human. For Arata to have contracted four at once... the toll was unimaginable.
"Yeah. Take the Necrophilia (Corpse-Lover) Devil for instance: whenever I see a devil's corpse, I involuntarily feel the urge to take it away. If you ever see me taking devil corpses after a fight, don't find it weird and don't try to stop me—because that's definitely just the Corpse-Lover Devil controlling me."
Want to read more??
Checkout my P@treon: AfrikaanPolarBear Here you can read 50 chapters ahead everyone and also support this fic. Consider subscribing as it'll motivate me and also help this fic.
: )
Thanks you!!!