Chapter 560: Seeking Instruction
Chapter 560: Seeking Instruction
In the Southern Rukongai, District 78, Hanging Dog District, a group of over ten souls gathered in a mountainous area several dozen miles away from Street 2200. They exuded an air of fierceness and thuggery.
Recently, Ito Makoto, who had begged for a pot of water from the Fengye household, found himself surrounded by these individuals. One of them kicked him, sending him tumbling to the ground.
Two souls brought over a stone and placed it in front of Ito Makoto.
A man with glasses strolled over, holding Ito's water pot, and sat down by the stone, crossing his legs.
He was the leader of a band of robbers roaming between Streets 2180 and 2200, named Susato Nobuyuki. After appraising the water pot in his hand, he nudged Ito's shoulder with his foot and asked, "Is this all you have?"
"That's... that's all... I have nothing else..." Ito Makoto replied, trembling.
Susato snorted dismissively. "Where did you get this spirit water?"
"I... I..." Ito hesitated, unsure if he should reveal the source.
But before he could decide, one of the robbers behind him kicked him viciously in the waist, demanding, "Speak up!"
Ito Makoto cried out in pain as he was kicked and rolled to the side. After a few tumbles, he replied, drenched in sweat, "It... it was given to me by someone..."
"Oh?" Susato Nobuyuki showed a hint of interest and sat up straighter. "There's someone so kindhearted in this area? Interesting... Hey, where's the person who gave you the water?"
Ito Makoto's eyes fell on the person next to him, who brandished a shining long sword, and he answered fearfully, "At the eastern end of Street 2200, in the corner house. They dug a spirit well..."
Upon hearing this, Susato and the other robbers nearby lit up with excitement. One of them grabbed Ito by his collar and lifted him up, demanding, "Are you telling the truth?!"
"Yes... yes, it's true," Ito stuttered, trembling as he looked at Susato. "I've told you everything. Can you let me go now?"
Susato Nobuyuki licked the corner of his mouth, stood up, and gave Ito a contemptuous glance. "Scram!"
"Th... thank you," Ito stammered, scrambling to his feet and hurrying away.
However, just as he had walked out a dozen or so meters, the closest robber to him grinned and suddenly raised his hand, slashing with his knife. A flash of white light streaked through the air.
Whoosh!!
A fountain of blood sprayed, and a head went flying.
Ito Makoto's eyes widened in disbelief. He tried to say something, but no sound came out. His head spun in the air a few times before finally falling to the ground.
"Let's go." Susato tossed the water pot to one of his underlings and strode forward, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "This time... we're going to strike it rich!"
...
Street 2200.
In the living room of the Fengye household, a stone table took center stage, with neatly arranged mahjong tiles spread across its surface. Fengye and Hizaki faced each other, with Lislis to their left, as they played a game of three-player mahjong.
Seireitei had a vibrant entertainment culture, and activities like chess and mahjong were commonplace for many, provided they didn't have to worry about survival. However, in areas like District 78, finding time to relax and play cards was a luxury for most families.
Hizaki reached out with her small hand and picked up a mahjong tile, considering the discarded tiles on the table before hesitantly discarding the one she had drawn.
Without changing her expression, Lislis pushed the mahjong set aside and declared, "Mahjong! No terminals, 1000 points."
"Ah... my green suit and four concealed pungs..." Hizaki opened her mouth in dismay, placing a hand on her forehead.
Fengye covered his mahjong tiles and glanced down at the sleeping Lucia in his arms with a soft smile. He stood up and handed the baby to Hizaki.
Hizaki stood to take Lucia and asked, "Are you done playing, Mr. Fengye?"
"Yes, our guest will be arriving soon," Fengye replied with a gentle smile, his eyes drifting towards the window.
Hizaki paused, a hint of confusion crossing her face. Just as she was about to inquire further, a loud crash reverberated from the backyard, sounding like the collapse of the courtyard wall.
Her expression changed as she turned towards the backyard, and through the window, she spotted dozens of figures. They had smashed through the wall and rushed into the yard, brandishing weapons like swords, spears, and clubs.
"It's the local robbers!" Hizaki exclaimed, her eyes widening in alarm. She had anticipated that robbers might target their home, but she hadn't expected them to arrive so soon—it had been less than a week.
Lislis silently rose and started moving towards the backyard, but Fengye was already a step ahead of her, positioning himself in front of her.
About a thousand meters away from Fengye's courtyard.
On a slightly elevated hilltop, Captain Unohana stood, having arrived at some point without anyone noticing. From this distance, she had a clear view of the dozens of bandits, led by Izukyo Shinishi, as they rushed into the compound.
Vice-Captain Yuki stood behind Unohana, a cold glint in his eyes as he watched the scene unfold. He had no love for the bandits that plagued the outskirts of Rukongai, and he doubted that any of these scumbags would be strong enough to satisfy Unohana's standards.
Because Unohana was present, Yuki held back from taking immediate action, quietly waiting for her to make the first move.
It was around this time.
The back door, leading from the house to the courtyard, opened, and Fengye stepped out into the ruined yard.
Unohana's hand rested lightly on the hilt of her zanpakuto as she noticed Fengye, but her movement abruptly halted in the next moment.
A flicker of interest crossed her eyes, and she murmured, "Now this is interesting..."
In the distance!
Fengye, standing in the courtyard, did not immediately turn his attention to the intruders. Instead, he looked in her direction and locked eyes with her for a moment!
This was no accidental glance; he had indeed spotted her, and despite the proximity of the bandits, his first instinct was to focus on her!
Yuki furrowed his brows slightly. "I think he noticed us."
Although they hadn't intentionally hidden their presence, they also hadn't released their spiritual pressure. It was unusual for someone in this situation to look past the nearby bandits and focus on them, who were standing a thousand meters away.
However, Yuki wasn't overly surprised. The outskirts of Rukongai were chaotic, with bandits running rampant. It was common for some of these souls to possess strong spiritual pressure and considerable power.
Once they acquired a zanpakuto, their strength became formidable, and some of the more exceptional ones could even rival the lowest-ranked seated officers of the Gotei 13.
In the courtyard.
The numerous bandits who had rushed in were oblivious to Unohana and Vice-Captain Yuki, standing a thousand meters away, and they didn't seem to notice that Fengye's initial glance had been directed elsewhere.
They smashed through the coverings in the yard, exposing the spiritual well, and their faces lit up with excitement. Their eyes gleamed with greed at the sight.
A spiritual well!
In District 78, even spiritual water was valuable, let alone a whole well.
Many large bandit groups occupied spiritual wells, which allowed them to grow and expand their numbers into the hundreds or even thousands. Without a spiritual well, life was a constant struggle for survival, relying on looting and pillaging. To possess a spiritual well meant an end to that harsh existence!
"Well, well, it looks like you're the resident here. Digging up a spiritual well is quite a lucky break. I'm buying this well and your house. Now scram!" Izukyo Shinishi eyed the well with satisfaction, then turned to Fengye and casually tossed a small coin in his direction.
Hearing Izukyo's words, Fengye finally withdrew his gaze from Unohana and turned to face him and the other bandits in the courtyard. He had no intention of responding and instead slowly raised his right hand.
Just as he was about to wave his hand, a hurried voice called out from beside him.
"Mr. Fengye!"
Hime, clutching a small knife, stepped into the courtyard. Her hands trembled as she gripped the handle, though she knew her meager strength would make little difference.
Fengye couldn't help but chuckle at her bravery. Despite her physical frailty, she had taken up a weapon to stand by his side, even though it was a futile gesture. Her courage was admirable.
"What's the matter? Not happy with my offer?" Izukyo narrowed his eyes dangerously, his hand tightening around the hilt of his knife as he sensed her defiance. "Trade your lives for this well. That's more than a fair deal."
"It is quite fair..." Fengye agreed, his expression calm as he took the fruit knife from Hime's hands. He turned to face Izukyo and the others, adding, "But I refuse."
A cold light flashed in Izukyo's eyes, and without hesitation, he swung his knife down. Having taken countless lives in District 78, he felt no compassion for his victims.
But,
Just then, Feng Ye remained calm and collected. With his right hand holding the fruit knife, he casually swung it from left to right, slicing through the air.
In that instant, Suzukuni Nobuyuki and the attacking bandits, along with the dozens of others behind them, all froze as if someone had pressed the pause button.
Whoosh!!!
There was no splatter of blood.
All that could be seen was in front of Feng Ye; the bodies of the dozens of bandits seemed to shatter like bubbles, turning into countless fragments that curled and flew towards the distance, sweeping the entire courtyard clean as if brushing away dust.
"..."
Hiromaru, with her eyes tightly shut, didn't feel the expected strike of blades. She slowly opened her eyes and saw that the entire courtyard was now empty.
She stood there, dumbfounded.
What,
just happened?!
She couldn't help but glance at Feng Ye beside her.
Even the dullest person, after witnessing the previous incident with Iwatsuki Ichiro's terrified escape and this bizarre display, would clearly realize that Feng Ye was no ordinary soul!
Feng Ye's effortless swing of the fruit knife, reducing dozens of bandits to ashes, did not go unnoticed by Captain Unohana and Vice-Captain Yuki, who were observing from a distance.
"As expected, he's no ordinary soul."
A peculiar glint flashed in Yuki's eyes.
He barely sensed any spiritual pressure from Feng Ye, but that single move, capable of turning dozens of bandits into ashes instead of slicing them in half, must have been the result of immense spiritual pressure!
"Captain..."
Yuki retracted his gaze and turned to Unohana, intending to say something, but he paused as he noticed that she had already vanished from his left side.
In that fleeting moment, Unohana had crossed the thousand-meter distance and arrived near Feng Ye's courtyard. With a swift gesture, she unleashed a gust of wind that swept away the incoming soul fragments of Suzukuni Nobuyuki and the others, sending them flying into the sky.
Feng Ye watched this unfold, his expression unchanged. He slowly lowered the fruit knife in his hand and spoke in a calm tone:
"Nice to meet you, Captain Unohana."
The guest he had mentioned earlier to Hiromaru was not referring to Suzukuni Nobuyuki and his band of thieves but to the approaching Captain Unohana.
In this world, only someone of Captain Unohana's caliber, a top-tier figure among the captains, would be worthy of his acknowledgment as a guest.
"Captain... Unohana?"
Hiromaru, standing next to Feng Ye, was momentarily stunned.
She recognized the haori that Unohana was wearing, similar to the ones worn by Shinigami, but with distinct differences in color and style.
"Are you an outsider?"
Unohana approached Feng Ye and asked gently, her voice carrying a soothing warmth like a gentle neighbor.
Judging by her current appearance and tone, one would never imagine that she was the first captain of the 11th Division's combat unit and one of the most formidable beings in the history of Soul Society!
"You could say that."
Feng Ye replied nonchalantly.
"Outsider" was a term used by Shinigami to refer to unusual beings. Unohana, despite being so close, couldn't sense any spiritual pressure from Feng Ye, which naturally led her to classify him as an outsider.
In fact, she wasn't wrong. Feng Ye was indeed an outsider, and he was the progenitor of outsiders, the creator of this unique race.
"You seem quite strong."
"So, would you be willing to spar with me and share some of your skills?"
Unohana directed her gaze at Feng Ye, her voice calm and relaxed.
At this point in the story, she had not yet encountered the young Kenpachi Zaraki, nor had she met anyone who could satisfy her craving for a formidable opponent. She was not the gentle captain of the Fourth Division but a warrior with an insatiable thirst for battle, and fighting was the very essence of her existence.
"Sure."
Feng Ye nodded calmly.
Unohana turned to Vice-Captain Yuki, who had caught up with her, and instructed, "Yuki, go and get a suitable sword..."
Yuki glanced at Feng Ye and then back at Unohana. He nodded and prepared to retrieve a sword, but Feng Ye's voice stopped him.
"There's no need for that."
Feng Ye held up the fruit knife in his hand and continued in a gentle tone, "This will do just fine."
(End of Chapter)
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