Chapter 5: "Shendu is Resurrected"

San Francisco, Uncle’s Rare Finds.

A figure was scurrying around the shop, busily packing a duffel bag.

"Jackie! Watch my vase!" Uncle called out, looking up from his newspaper through his reading glasses.

"I’ve got it!" Jackie exclaimed, catching a falling vase with one hand while stuffing his backpack with the other.

"Jade, it’s time for you to go to school," he added, looking toward the young girl curled up on the sofa.

"But Jackie..." Jade groaned, her voice thick with grievance.

"Valmont robbed a bank. Captain Black called me in, and I need to go help out. Jade, you stay right here. No running off this time!" Jackie warned, pointing a stern finger at her.

"Fine!" Jade agreed with suspicious speed.

With a loud creak of the door, Jackie headed out.

"Jade, time for school," Uncle muttered.

"Nope, Uncle! Jackie told me to stay right here and not run off, so that means I don't have to go to school!" Jade chirped, playing her usual word games.

A split second later, a faint red glint flickered deep within her eyes. "I’m just going to stay home and read."

She scanned the antique shop, her gaze sweeping over the nearly ten thousand volumes of ancient texts.

"Aiya! Uncle smells the scent of Demon Chi!" Uncle suddenly stood up, talking to himself. "Has another demon been released?"

"But Shendu is dead," Tohru noted, wiping sweat from his brow as he moved a heavy crate.

"That is exactly the problem!"

Uncle gave him a sharp poke. "The eight Demon Sorcerers want to escape the Netherworld. With Shendu dead, there is a vacuum of Demon Chi. A powerful new demon is bound to emerge. I must go research this. Tohru, watch Jade!"

With that, Uncle locked himself away to begin his study.

Tohru turned to tell Jade to behave, but before he could speak, she stood up with uncharacteristic obedience. "I’m going to read now, Tohru."

"There is much knowledge to be found here," she added, her tone subtle and strange.

"Oh... okay," Tohru replied simply, returning to his heavy lifting.

…

Zoran gazed at the bookshelves within Uncle’s Rare Finds.

All things considered, this was an excellent start.

Though Uncle’s sudden outburst had startled him, he’d almost thought he’d been discovered, it seemed he was safe. Jade’s body was young, and her soul was incredibly naive. Zoran could easily take the lead without alerting her, much like switching between a primary and secondary personality.

He meant what he said about reading.

Unlike the play-loving Jade, Zoran understood the weight of knowledge. In this world, "knowledge is power" was far more than just a cliché.

Shendu was powerful for two reasons: his physical demon form and his ancient wisdom as a master dark wizard. Tso Lan was the same.

Demons possessed an innate advantage in learning magic. Tso Lan, the Moon Demon, had also once been a powerful sorcerer. However, whether it was him or Shendu, thousands of years wasting away in the Netherworld had eroded their wits, causing them to forget their dark spells entirely.

This was exactly why Uncle had been able to defeat Shendu time and again using Chi Magic.

But things were different now.

Shendu’s next move would be traveling to Tibet to retrieve the Pan'ku Box to open the Demon Portals and free the other seven Demon Sorcerers. Normally, Zoran would be expected to possess someone to assist him, fulfilling his duty to the other six demons as their overseer.

However...

He wasn't bound by any restrictive spells.

"As everyone knows, demons don't keep their word," Zoran chuckled softly, immersing himself in the sea of ancient books.

…

As the sun dipped below the horizon, Zoran rose from the mountain of grimoires.

He had spent the entire afternoon absorbing the knowledge within the shop. Even with a demon’s constitution, the speed of his progress surprised him. The Chi Magic recorded here became clear to him at a single glance; it was as if he were using a "cheat code."

He could only imagine how glorious it must have been when the eight demons ruled the world. To them, the magic of later generations was child’s play, easily mastered and even easier to reverse-engineer into Dark Chi Magic.

During this time, Jackie returned with grim news.

Shendu had been resurrected!

He had possessed Valmont’s body and was already on a plane to Tibet, plotting something unknown. Jackie had already booked his flight and warned Jade once more not to move.

Zoran didn’t bother making Jade refuse. He knew Jade would do that herself.

Sure enough, as soon as Jackie and Uncle left, Jade made a call.

Before long, the beautiful thief Viper, the young boy Paco, and his guardian El Toro Fuerte knocked on the door of the shop. Even Tohru had been "recruited" by Jade.

"J-Team, assemble!" Jade shouted with excitement.

"I think it should be the 'El Toro Team.' El Toro is the strongest!" Paco interrupted.

"It's definitely Jackie!"

…

Tibet.

The Dark Hand had, as expected, buckled under Shendu’s terrifying presence.

Inside a lodge, the eleven Talismans were presented respectfully. Shendu (in Valmont's body) indifferently pushed them aside, tossing back the Sheep Talisman he had brought with him.

"The Talismans are not important," he emphasized.

"Not important? But these are your—"

"I said, the Talismans are NOT important!" Shendu roared.

Finn and the others recoiled, waiting silently for him to continue.

"I need you to find the Pan'ku Box. We will open the portals to the Netherworld and welcome my siblings!"

"You have siblings?" Chow whispered.

"Of course. My brothers and sisters have been trapped in the Netherworld for millennia. It is time for their return. However..."

His tone shifted. "One of them has already returned to the mortal realm, just as I have."

Hiss…

The Dark Hand members gasped, silently wondering which poor soul had been possessed this time.

"He will appear soon to aid us. Until then, take these Talismans and stop Jackie Chan!"

"Whatever you say!"

"No! My money! It's all gone!" Valmont suddenly fought back for control, screaming in agony.

"Money is not important!" Shendu snapped back.

"Money is EVERYTHING!" Valmont countered desperately.

"NOT IMPORTANT!"

…

"Do you think I enjoy partnering with you? You useless fool! Open the portals, and you shall have all the gold you desire. Until then, you do as I say!"

After a brief struggle, Shendu forcibly suppressed Valmont. Valmont yielded; he had been manipulated by Shendu too many times to count, and this was no different.

"I feel it. My brother is close," Shendu said suddenly.

His glowing red eyes turned toward the door as a gust of wind blew it open. A sheepish figure appeared behind the frame, scratching his head with an awkward smile. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop!"

"It’s Jackie Chan! Get him!"

The Dark Hand sprang into action, grabbing the Talismans. Only Hak Foo, relying on his formidable martial arts, lunged directly at Jackie.

"Cobra Strikes! Oyster Shuck! And... Black Mamba Elbow!"

Hak Foo led the charge. It seemed he had been practicing some new moves.

But in the next instant, the front door was kicked wide open as several figures emerged.

"J-Team, assemble!"