Following his victory with Master Monkey against Fai Suan and the retrieval of the Mystical Coin, things started going better than ever for Po. The very same night, even though he was beyond exhausted by the hundred push-ups Master Shifu forced him to do, Po shared a good dinner with his fellow comrades. While they seemed like anti-social warriors, they were of pretty good company once he got to know them better. Master Viper made everyone some excellent vegetable soup. Not better than his mother's noodle soup, but it wasn't a competition.

Master Monkey boasted everything that he did during the fight against Fai Suan, sometime giving praise to Po which made him blush a bit. It wasn't every day that he got to receive compliments from masters of the art he idolized. However, much to his dismay, Master Tigress remained silent throughout the whole dinner, only giving the occasional nod and stare at her comrades. Though for Po, it was more like a glare.

During the next few days, Po actually managed to get both his quick and strong attacks at their top level of five. While he was glad to have reached his full strength in terms of physical attacks, there was something else that bothered him: the technique called Panda Quake that appeared in his technique repertoire. He still didn't understand how he unlocked it as all he did was slam his belly over Fai Suan during the battle.

But then, things got even weirder. About two days following the arrest of Fai Suan, Master Shifu asked to speak with Po before he could join the Furious Five in training. "If it's about the cookies in the kitchen, it wasn't me!" he assured. "I just ate one... Or two... Or maybe twelve. But not all of them!"

"This is not what I wanted to talk about, panda," Master Shifu deadpanned, though this last statement caused him to give a suspicious look. "Actually, I wanted to aboard the subject of your next training step."

"Really? What is it?" Po gasped and then started jumping on the spot. "Are you gonna teach me some super-cool Kung Fu technique? Like the Wu Xi Finger Hold?! Or maybe the Dragon-"

The red panda interrupted his student by pulling a basket filled with scrolls out of seemingly nowhere. "You probably know it by now, but Grandmaster Oogway left all his knowledge about Kung Fu in the form of a thousand scrolls that are all gathered here at the Jade Palace. While they are entirely optional, I would like you to at least read the first few ones. After all, a Kung Fu warrior can never have too much knowledge."

So, after that day's training in the Training Hall, Po set up on his bed and pulled out the scroll number one - the first ever recorded by Grandmaster Oogway. His anticipation reached sky-high as his mind started thinking about all the possible techniques it could hold. Finally, after building up the suspence, he unrolled the scroll, proceeded to read its content...

Chamomile tea. This scroll contained a recipe for chamomile tea. Saying that Po's expectations had not been reached would've been an understanding. Sure, he knew how much Oogway loved tea - he made that clear after drinking the sweet beverage all the time during his time in Gongmen City when Po was just a cub. But the idea that the first knowledge about Kung Fu he ever recorded was a tea recipe felt... odd.

Nonetheless, Po still proceeded to read the recipe multiple times. He wanted to be sure to getting it marked in his little mind. After reading it over and over again for a total of eight times, a window popped up in front of his face: "Chamomile Tea Recipe level 1 has been unlocked!"

This window caused Po's curiosity toward his Chi power to reach new heights. First, he unlocked a technique he didn't even know existed by randomly hitting a bad guy with his belly, and now, this? Relying on his knowledge of RPG video games, the young panda theorized that maybe he had a preset skill tree designed by his Chi that he was to unlock by gaining experience like in a game... In this case, probably by defeating villains and criminals like Fai Suan.

As for how he unlocked the chamomile tea recipe, maybe it was like in those RPGs where the party members could learn new tricks or how to craft certain items by reading instructions. But then, did this meant he had all the recipes for meals that he learned from his mom? Upon checking his technique screen, he discovered that they were indeed all stocked in there - and even at their highest levels! So, even before he unlocked it, his Chi took all the knowledge he had into consideration and added it to his skills, techniques and attributes? That was pretty cool!

The day after, Po managed to wake up in time, though maybe a few seconds too late, as the Furious Five to greet Master Shifu. Even though he was getting used to the wake-up time, it was still hard for him to get up precisely at the same time as everyone else. He wondered how they managed to wake up exactly at the same time at the right second. Maybe he would be able to do the same one day...

"You may all go take breakfast, students. Once you are done, join me in the training courtyard for today's training," Master Shifu instructed. Po followed the Five as they all headed toward the kitchen. He couldn't wait to level up his Panda Quake technique and chamomile tea while also potentially unlocking new ones. "Not you, Po. I have a special task for you."

Po stopped dead in his tracks. Looks like he would have to contain his excitement for another time. "What is it, Master?" he asked with joylessly turning around.

The red panda approached his student with a solemn expression. "In the last few days, the village at the bottom of the stairs as well as those everywhere across the valley have been experiencing problems with mysterious attacks. All the reported clues lead us to believe that the attacker was a Yokai."

Po blinked his green eyes multiple times, tilting his head to the side. "A Yokai? What's that?"

"A monster type that is very common in Japan. I'm not sure how it ended up in the Valley of Peace, but it needs to be taken care of as soon as possible before anyone can be killed," Shifu explained with a rather grim expression. "This is why I called an expert in the supernatural domain to come and help us. He should be about to arrive by now."

"Really? But why calling anyone, Master?" Po asked. "We've got some of the best Kung Fu masters in all of China here; surely the Five or yourself can take care of this monster, right?"

"Indeed, Po," Master Shifu confirmed, his serious expression remaining unchanged by the panda's praise. "However, despite our many years of Kung Fu experience, Yokai and other supernatural monsters still remain a subject that exceeds our knowledge. Luckily for us, a warrior known as a Yokai Hunter happened to pass through the region when the reports arrived. I managed to contact him in time, and he accepted to come and help us with this situation." Reaching into his robe, Shifu pulled out a coin bag which he held toward Po. "Here is the money I promised in return for his service. I want you to go down and give it to him while I overwatch the Five's training."

"Okay, Master," the panda replied, taking the little bag in his coin and pulling it in his pocket. However, before leaving, a detail popped in his mind. "Just a second, how am I supposed to recognize him?"

A chuckle escaped Master Shifu's lips. "Believe me, panda, you will know who it is when you see him. Yokai Hunters are very different from common animals. Now, go."

For safety measures, Po decided to pull the bag of coin away into his inventory. He didn't want to drop it by accident while going down to the village. Speaking of which, his descent of the hundred steps was just like his one with Master Monkey: long and tiring. A small part of him was tempted to just jump down, let gravity do its job, and hope his chubby belly would break the fall.

By the time he arrived in the village, his poor muscles were burning-hot and his fur was drenched in sweat. "I hope one of Oogway's scrolls have a flying technique," he mumbled to himself, resting on his knees and wiping some sweat off his forehead. Once he regained his composure, the young panda proceeded to advance further into the village.

Everything seemed normal from Po's point of view. The sky was clear, the sun was shining, the villagers were either chatting with friends, cleaning their house, or trying to sell products behind their shop. On his way, he noticed a shop displaying some delicious-looking apples with a black goose standing behind all of it. He made himself a mental note to come back and buy some of it after his business with the supernatural expert was done.

"Master Shifu said I'd recognize him on sight. Still, a little description would've been nice," Po remarked while staring at everybody he came across, nobody looking very supernatural expert-like to him. But then, just as he was about to finish crossing the entire village, something caught his attention. Many villagers were gathered near the village's entrance - it looked like there was a big show going on. Led by his curiosity, Po made his way up to the crowd and proceeded to walk through everybody. It was no hard task as the villagers mostly consisted of pigs, sheep and goats, making it easy for a panda to move. Having reaching the end, Po was able to see what everyone was staring at... and it caused his eyes to blink many times.

A lonely figure crossed the village's entrance. A male canine. If someone told Po that his white fur was made of snow, he probably would've believed it. His red jacket was left open, allowing his solid-looking abdomen to be seen by all. A Chinese symbol was tattooed in black on the left part of his chest, but the jacket covered most of it, so it was impossible to read. Around his red pants was tied a leather belt that also held a scabbard. This scabbard contained a sword whose handle was peeking out beside his hip. This canine's gloved paw rested on the very top of this handle in a rather cool pose. Yet, this sword wasn't the most intimidating part of this guy. No, that would be the golden irises serving as his eyes. While not particularly threatening, one would need a single stare into these eyes to know it was better not to piss him off...

"Wow!" Po mumbled to no one in particular, watching as the villagers stepped away to make space for this wolf, his puffy tail swinging behind him with every step he took. "That guy looks so coool! I wouldn't be surprised if that was the guy Master Shifu called..." Po suddenly widened his eyes and slapped himself on top of the head. "Of course, it's him! Scary looks, cool sword, there's no doubt!"

Po started running toward the white wolf, taking the money bag out of his inventory in the process. "Hey, dude! I-" In a split-second, the canine stopped walking, swiftly pulled his sword out and swung it at Po's head. The silver blade upon which the rays of the sun reflected stopped inches away from his neck, halting him dead in his tracks. A dead silence fell on the street, nobody saying anything. Po's jade-green locked with the canine's golden-yellow ones, his body trembling a bit at the possibility of getting his neck cut.

"... I-I just wanted to talk, nothing else!" Po quickly explained without moving a muscle.

The wolf said nothing, just staring at the panda. After what felt like an eternity, but was actually a few seconds, he retracted his arm, plunging his sword back into its scabbard. "You shouldn't run at me like this. I could've thought you were an enemy and injured you... or worse."

"Yeah, I can see that," Po chuckled nervously. Quickly regaining his composure, he cleared his throat. "Say, are you the supernatural expert guy who came to take care of the monster attacking the people around?"

"Yes, that would be me," the wolf confirmed.

"Awesome! Master Shifu sent me to welcome you." Reaching into his pocket, Po pulled out the bag of coin. "Here's the money he promised you; there should be just enough to honor your accord."

"It won't be necessary."

"Huh?"

"You'll only have to give me money if I succeed in finding and taking down the Yokai haunting your village," the canine explained, his expression remaining neutral. "However, should I get killed or just fail to take down the Yokai, then you won't own me anything."

"Oh? Hum, okay," Po replied, pulling the money bag back into his inventory. "So? Do you have an idea where this Yokai could be?"

"Not yet, but I know how to find it." Turning around, the wolf proceeded to walk away, keeping his back straight and a composure filled with dignity. As he crossed the village, Po couldn't help but notice that the villagers were giving scared glances or hostile glares toward his direction, some even mumbling things among themselves. He couldn't tell what though.

"Hey, wait for me!" Po called for the mysterious warrior, running up to him once again. "You said you were some sort of... demon hunter, right?"

"A Yokai Hunter, yes," the wolf confirmed, still walking and not bothering to turn and look at the panda. "That's my job in life."

"You know, when Master Shifu said we were gonna receive a supernatural expert, I was expecting to see some sort of badass-looking animal covered in armor and carrying all sorts of weapons," Po pointed out with a chuckle.

At this, the wolf turned his head to look at the panda, an eyebrow raised. "Why? You don't think I look badass?"

"Well, to be honest, you look a lot like the wolves I saw back in my hometown," Po explained, scratching the side of his head. "The only difference is the color of your fur; I never met any white wolf back home."

"Yes," the canine nodded, brushing some of the fur on top of his head. "That's because I come from the far north of China where most animals are arctic. Almost all the animals there have fur as white as the snow itself."

"Really? That must be really cool! I'm from Gongmen City - the giant town directed by the Peacock Royal Family. I can tell you that at least a hundred different species are living there: pandas, wolves, crocodiles, birds-" Po started counting on his fingers, only to get interrupted by a frown from the Yokai Hunter.

"You really like to talk a lot, don't you? Would you mind keeping it down a bit? I have to focus if I want to find the Yokai."

"Oh, sure, sorry..."

For the rest of the walk, Po did his best to remain silent, only talking to provide useful information about the village to the Yokai Hunter. Of course, he couldn't do much since he had been in the Valley of Peace for only a few days. He started sharing his story of why he moved on in here when the Yokai Hunter addressed him the polite glare reminding him to stop talking.

A few minutes later, they arrived at the end of the main road and before the steps leading up to the Jade Palace. "There we are, it's the end of the village," Po informed.

"What's up there?" the Yokai Hunter asked, looking up at the building proudly standing on top of the mountain.

"The Jade Palace; this is where I currently reside. It was built by Grandmaster Oogway and is under the control of Master Shifu," Po explained.

"I see." Without saying anything, the arctic canine walked over to one of the pillars holding the portal before the steps, sitting down and resting against it. He closed his golden eyes, crossing his arms across his chest and pulling his head backward. It seemed as if he was either meditating or taking a nap.

"What are you doing?" Po asked, tilting his head to the side.

"I'm waiting," the hunter replied. "The Yokai will expose his evil energy at any moment; I just have to focus in order to sense it. As soon as I sense something, I will jump into action."

"Oh, okay." An awkward silence settled between the two animals, leading Po to decide to sit down close enough to the wolf to talk, but far enough as to not invade his personal space. "So... How are you supposed to sense that Yokai thing? Can you do it thanks to your Chi or something?"

"No," he replied, not opening his eyes. "If I can sense them, it's because I, myself, am half-Yokai."

This response caused Po's eyes to widen and blink multiple times. "You're... what?"

"Half-Yokai. You don't know it, but Yokai Hunters like me are also half-demon; that's why we are so good at hunting them. Because we can understand them and also have similar powers," the hunter explained, still with his eyes closed. "I don't know if you have noticed, but ever since I entered this village, everyone has been giving me untrusting glares. There's a reason why: they all know that I am in part monster too."

"Oh..." Po rubbed the back of his head with a look of sympathy. "Sorry about that. If it can make you feel better, I don't think you're a monster."

"Really? Why's that?"

"Well, we wouldn't be having this conversation if you were a monster, right?" the panda mused. "Plus, you seem like a rather sympathetic guy to me." When the wolf did not respond, Po understood he was trying to focus and that it would probably better to leave him alone. So, he stood up and proceeded to walk away, but not without asking one final question. "Say, what's your name by the way?"

"Why would you want to know it? You'll probably forget it by the end of the day."

"It'd still be cool to know the name of the first Yokai Hunter I've met," Po replied with an enthusiastic smile.

Letting out a long sigh, the wolf opened his eyes again, staring at Po. "My name's Shi Xin."

"Shi Xin? Cool!" Po grabbed the edge of his rice hat and adjusted it in a way that made him look cool, giving Shi Xin a grin. "Mine's Po. Remember it, cause one day, it's gonna be the name of the greatest kung Fu master in all of China! See ya later!"

As the panda turned around and walked away in the village, Shi Xin couldn't help but blink his eyes multiple times at the distancing round figure. "What a strange guy..."

Po's encounter with the Yokai Hunter known as Shi Xin had been rather... special. At least, from the panda's point of view. While the white wolf did have a rather imposing presence and wasn't the most social animal around, he was at the very least open to have a conversation. Unlike Master Tigress who flat out refused to have a conversation with him, not even at dinner. Maybe he would get the chance to see him in action against that Yokai?

"Alright, now, where's that apple shop?" the panda asked himself, rubbing his paws in anticipation.

He returned down the village's main road, searching for the little shop that displayed plenty of delicious apples. About one minute after searching, Po located the shop at the exact same location he saw it... but there wasn't any apple left on display. The black goose offered probably the last one to a lady pig who gave him some yuan before walking away. This disappointed the young panda; he would have to come back tomorrow if he wanted to get any apple from this shop... which meant going down the thousand steps again.

Or maybe not. After pulling the yuan away into his pocket, the merchant turned around and walked off into an alley right behind the stand that served as his shop. Maybe he was going to get some more apples inside a stock or something? That would be great! He was about to approach the stand and politely wait for the merchant to return when something strange happened.

Just as the goose disappeared in the alley, a male pig who happened to be resting against a building's wall grinned, moving from his spot, and decided to follow up. He gave a quick glance around to make sure no one saw him, forcing Po to take cover behind the stand, and then stepped in the alley too. Curiosity getting too strong, Po made his way up to the alley and watched from around the corner to see what would happen.

As Po thought, the apple merchant went to a giant bag containing delicious-looking apples at the far end of the alley and picked a few ones in his wings. He then turned around to leave the alley when the strange pig blocked his way. "Oh, excuse me, sir, can I help you?" he asked.

"Of course you can, my friend. I just happen to be very hungry, and I was hoping you could help me," the pink animal replied in a somewhat threatening tone.

"With the greatest of pleasures! If you can follow me back to my shop, I can sell you some delicious apples that you can have for a snack or make a good quality pie with," the apple merchant said with a bright smile, trying to walk past the pig who blocked his way again for some reason.

"Actually... I wasn't talking about apples when I said I was angry..." His lips pulling up into a full smirk, the pig jumped up and suddenly disappeared into a puff of green smoke. Once this smoke faded away, the pig's appearance completely changed. He now looked more like some sort of green-furred monkey whose face was covered by a paper sheet onto which was marked a red kanji. With his two feet, he was standing in perfect balance on the tip of a very long flute. "I was talking about your soul!"

The merchant dropped his apples to the ground, a look of pure terror appearing on his face. "A-A-A Yokai...!" Sweat drenched his feathers as he backed off against the end of the alley. "S-SOMEBODY! HELP!"

Crap! There was the Yokai who had been attacking the villagers! Po had to do something: his first thought was to run back to where he came from and go warn Shi Xin. However, that would leave the poor villager defenseless against that thing. He certainly would get killed! What to do? What to do? Upon seeing the Yokai getting down from his flute and approaching the goose, rising his wooden weapon to deliver a fatal strike, the young panda realized there was no time to think. He had to act now!

"... Argh, screw this!" Leaping out of his hiding spot, the panda charged forward, taking as much momentum as he could, and hitting the green monster in the back with his belly, slamming him flat into the alley's wall. "Get out of here, quick!" he ordered the goose.

Giving a quick nod, the avian ran past the panda and left the alley to avoid getting involved in the struggle. The Yokai, meanwhile, quickly recovered from the hit and turned around to face Po. He gave him an inspecting look (at least, Po thought he did; not easy to tell when your face is covered by a paper sheet), tilting his head to the side after.

"You just ruined my dinner!" the Yokai exclaimed. "I could be VERY mad right now... if you weren't the perfect replacement..."

"The perfect replacement? What are you talking about?" Po asked, getting into his fighting stance.

"That little feathered meal you allowed to escape looked particularly delicious... but you look even better. Look at all this fat, and this special Chi coursing through your body... Just the smell is enough to make my mouth water...," the green creature cooed, advancing toward the panda in a rather... unsettling way.

Po cracked his neck and grinned. "If you think that I, Po the Kung Fu warrior, will let you eat my soul... Chi, or something, then you got another thing coming for you. GET READY TO FEEL THE THUNDA!"

The young panda charged forward, looking to deliver a devastating level 5 strong attack to the monster. However, this last one easily ducked his fist at the last second, then used his long flute to sweep him off his legs, hitting a strong kick into his tummy before he could hit the ground, pushing him a few feet away. Okay, maybe attacking directly like this wasn't that good an idea.

"And now, time to eat!" the Yokai exclaimed, using his flute like a javelin and hopping toward Po. This last one rose one arm to defend himself against his incoming doom.

SLASH!

Just before the wooden weapon could come in contact with Po, the Yokai froze dead in his movement. Everyone remained still for many seconds before both of his arms collapsed to the ground, purple blood coming out to form a puddle at the Yokai's feet. "M-My arms... W-What happened...?!" this last one asked in shock at getting his limbs cut off like this.

Both Po and the green-furred monster got their answer upon noticing another presence with them in the alley. A figure covered in white fur holding a long sword in one paw. A sword whose blade was covered in a purple liquid... just like the Yokai's blood. Po widened his eyes as he immediately recognized this figure. Shi Xin!

"Bet you didn't see that coming, did ya?" the wolf silently asked, slowly turning his head to reveal his golden eyes glowing with malice in the alley's darkness.

"A-A Yokai Hunter?!" the creature exclaimed in pure shock. Even though his face wasn't visible, the terror in his voice revealed his state of panic. "C-Crap! I didn't know there was a Yokai Hunter in this village! Please, just let me go! I promise I won't hurt or kill another villager again!"

While he pleaded for his life, Shi Xin once again dashed past the Yokai into a white blur. This time, it was his head that fell to the ground instead of his arms. Shi Xin remained still for a few brief seconds before pulling his blade back into its scabbard. And, just like that, the Yokai had been killed...

Po couldn't find any word to say. He was utterly speechless at the situation. That creature almost devoured that merchant and his souls... but that white wolf managed to get rid of it in a matter of seconds. Fai Suan and Master Monkey did display incredible skills during their battle... but that was on a whole other level.

Regaining his composure, Shi Xin turned to look at Po and went to offer him a paw. "You're alright? He didn't hurt you?"

"Huh... No, don't worry, I'm fine." Po accepted the paw, using the help to get back up. "Dude, I don't know what you did just now, but that was incredible! You took down that guy in, like, two hits - and I didn't even have the time to see you act!"

"Yeah, that's because this Yokai wasn't really that much of a threat; it was just a Joker Yokai. They are amongst the weakest of Yokai known of my organization, but they can cause some trouble if you don't know how to deal with them," Shi Xin explained.

These words gave a huge punch into Po's self-confidence. That monster was the weakest of his kind and he almost got killed by him? After his victory against Fai Suan, Po thought that he had become a great warrior, but it seemed like he still had a long way to go...

"Hey, I almost forgot to give you this," Po remembered, pulling the money bag out of his inventory and handing it to Shi Xin.

"Thanks," the canine gratefully said with accepting the reward and pulling it inside his jacket. He then seemed ready to leave the alley when he decided to stop and say something else. "Congratulations...

"Huh? Congratulations for what?" Po asked in confusion.

"For standing up against that Yokai. In any normal case, animals try to avoid Yokai at any cost and run away as soon as they come across any of them. You, on the other hand, decided to stay and fight to protect that merchant. If you hadn't done so, I probably wouldn't have been able to arrive in time to save his life. So congratulations." He turned his head and gave a little grin to the panda. "You said you wanted to become the greatest Kung Fu master in China, right? Then keep doing this; you're on the right path."

Po's jade-green eyes blinked over and over again for at least five times. Then, a big grin formed on his lips and he started jumping in place. "Thanks a lot! That's very nice! And don't worry, I'm gonna keep working harder and harder until I reach my goal!"