Chapter 589: A Way to Heal Hinamori
Chapter 589: A Way to Heal Hinamori
In the Second Division barracks, Feng Ye returned after his visit to the First Division, making his way back to his residence within the compound. Lilys followed quietly behind him.
As he stepped inside and removed his sandals, Hinamori Momo, dressed in a light-colored kimono, greeted him from the hall. "Welcome back, Feng Ye-san."
Having been away on an expedition for over a week, Hinamori was relieved to see Feng Ye return safely, dispelling the worries that had lingered in her heart.
"Big brother is back!"
Rukia, barefoot, ran towards Feng Ye with open arms and leaped into his embrace. Smiling gently, Feng Ye caught her and walked forward, asking, "Have you been upsetting your sister again these past few days?"
Rukia giggled. "No way, I've been a good girl."
Feng Ye sat down by the short tea table in the room, still holding Rukia. Hinamori followed and gracefully extended her hand to help Feng Ye remove his outer robe, carefully taking off the black shihakusho and vice-captain's haori. She then hung them on a rack, walking gracefully.
Knowing of Feng Ye's return, a simple yet exquisite meal was already prepared on the table—four side dishes, two kinds of snacks, and a soup.
Lilys sat down nearby, poured herself a cup of tea, and drank it daintily, holding the cup with both hands. A wisp of steam rose from the cup.
"Has anything happened while I was away these past few days?" Feng Ye asked casually as he put Rukia down. Rukia, full of energy, poured him a cup of tea as well.
Hinamori pondered for a moment. "There seemed to be quite a ruckus a couple of days ago, but I'm not sure what happened exactly. It didn't affect us here, though."
"I see. That's good," Feng Ye replied with a relaxed smile.
Hinamori, unlike the other girls he had encountered, didn't tend to overstep boundaries with excessive behavior. Instead, she had a gentle and understanding nature, reminiscent of the more mature Lin and Kurenai.
Hinamori sat down across from Feng Ye, intending to say something, when she suddenly furrowed her brows slightly and covered her mouth with her hand, turning her head to the side to cough lightly.
Noticing her action, Feng Ye asked, "Are you alright?"
Hinamori turned back to face him, offering a gentle smile that couldn't quite hide her discomfort. "It's nothing, just a slight discomfort..."
"Hmm..." Feng Ye's expression turned thoughtful as he studied her.
Even though Hinamori now lived a more secure life under his care, it seemed her physical condition hadn't improved much, and she remained frail and sickly.
As Hinamori hadn't shown any signs of weakness or illness before, Feng Ye hadn't examined her closely, assuming that a normal life would be enough to keep her from deteriorating. However, it appeared the issue wasn't so simple.
The weakness and sickness of the soul were not related to its strength. Even Jushiro Ukitake, the captain of the Thirteenth Division and a powerful captain-level soul reaper, suffered from the same condition, often missing captain meetings due to his frailty and the need to recuperate.
Moreover, this condition was a fundamental problem with the soul, making it difficult to treat.
Just look at how, in the original storyline, Byakuya Kuchiki, as the head of one of the Four Great Noble Houses, was unable to improve Hinamori's health after she married into the Kuchiki family. Ultimately, he could only watch helplessly as she passed away.
However...
Just because Ukitake and Byakuya had been unable to find a solution didn't mean Feng Ye would also be powerless.
"Hinamori, come here. I want to examine your body," Feng Ye said after a moment's thought, gesturing for her to come closer.
Hearing his words, Hinamori's eyes darted away, and she said, "Ah... Feng Ye-san, I'm fine, really."
Being taken in by Feng Ye was already a debt of gratitude she couldn't hope to repay. She didn't want to trouble him with her minor discomfort.
But Rukia, seeing this exchange, immediately spoke up. "Sister, let big brother examine you. You haven't been feeling well lately."
Hearing Rukia's concern, Feng Ye extended his hand towards Hinamori once more. Though she felt a bit embarrassed, Hinamori stood up and walked to his side. In a soft voice, she asked, "Feng Ye-san, what... what should I do?"
"Lie down," Feng Ye instructed, motioning for her to lie on the clean floor in front of him. He then flicked his finger, infusing a strand of spiritual energy into her body.
At the same time, he activated his Godly Eye, his irises glowing with a faint golden light. His gaze penetrated Hinamori's clothing, allowing him to see her internal condition.
A moment later, Feng Ye retracted his gaze, a thoughtful expression on his face.
Seeing Feng Ye lost in thought, Rukia, sitting beside Hinamori, couldn't help but feel worried. She held Hinamori's hand and looked at Feng Ye, asking, "Big brother, what about my sister?"
To address this issue, one would need to perform a transformation on the soul itself, requiring extremely precise manipulation, and the entire process must be executed without any errors. Otherwise, even the slightest disruption could lead to the soul's disintegration.
Most likely, Jushiro Ukitake was facing a similar situation.
The intricacies of the soul far exceeded those of the physical body, and healing such a soul was exponentially more challenging than Tsunade healing Rock Lee's injuries.
If one were to equate medical skills with swordsmanship, then curing this kind of fundamental weakness in the soul would require medical prowess equivalent to that of a 'Grand Sword Master' in the realm of swordsmanship.
No wonder Retsu Unohana couldn't solve it. Unohana may have appeared as a gentle nanny, but in reality, she was a berserker. Her swordsmanship had only recently reached the Grand Sword Master level, and her medical skills were merely a means to better enjoy the thrill of battle. It was almost impossible for her to attain such a level of medical expertise.
Hinamori sat up and looked at Feng Ye, saying, "I'm fine, Mr. Feng Ye. There's no need to worry about me. I just caught a little cold..."
"Nonsense," Feng Ye said, giving her a sidelong glance as he tapped her forehead with his finger. "I can't solve it right now, but it's not a big problem. I'll be able to cure you soon enough."
Hinamori's condition was a fundamental issue with her body. Using time regression on her could only restore her to a slightly better state, not a complete cure.
After all, he couldn't have her living as a little girl forever, even though that idea had its merits.
There were actually three ways to completely cure her condition.
One was to completely separate her consciousness from her soul and create an entirely new soul for her. However, doing so would turn her into an existence similar to Lilys, making her his daughter, which felt a bit odd.
The second method was to provide her with foundational treatment.
While he might not be able to achieve the utmost precision in controlling spiritual energy and attain the level of a 'Grand Sword Master' in medical skills, he possessed the ability to turn back time. He didn't have to worry about making mistakes during the procedure because he could always rewind time and go back to a previous point. This allowed him to attempt various treatments on Hinamori's body without fear of failure.
Alternatively, he could let Unohana try, and whenever she made a mistake, he could simply rewind time. This way, they could make gradual progress together.
Feng Ye had considered this option before but ultimately rejected it. Although there wouldn't be any unforeseen accidents, every time a mistake was made, Hinamori's soul would disintegrate once. Even if he could restore it using time regression, the process would undoubtedly be extremely painful for her.
It would be like a nurse repeatedly missing the vein while trying to draw blood, causing pain ten times worse with each attempt. Hinamori's mental fortitude might not be able to withstand such an ordeal.
Therefore, the best option was the third method—to reshape her soul with the power of the Soul King.
The bones of the Zero Squad members were formed by the power of the Soul King, also known as the Royal Key, which served as the key to the Soul King Palace. It was also the reason why the members of the Zero Squad could remain immortal and ageless.
With his current level of adaptation to spirit particles and soul strength, it would take him no more than a year to master the power of the Soul King. Thus, there was no need to resort to the first or second methods.
"Mr. Feng Ye..." Hinamori lowered her head slightly, biting her lip gently. "Being taken in by you and saved from starvation was already the greatest fortune for Hinamori. I don't know how to repay your kindness, and now I'm troubling you further with my minor health issue..."
Feng Ye snapped out of his thoughts at the sound of Hinamori's voice, and a casual smile appeared on his face as he heard her words. "It's because I took you in that I can't just stand by and do nothing. Besides, I've already taken in Rukia as my adopted sister, so I certainly can't ignore you."
As he finished speaking, Feng Ye reached out and said, "Alright, don't overthink it. Let me help you feel more comfortable first."
Silence.
Feng Ye's finger touched Hinamori's forehead, and his ability to turn back time silently activated, reverting her soul to its state from over two years ago.
Hinamori felt her body change, and the previous feelings of fatigue and weakness disappeared without a trace. She looked at Feng Ye with grateful eyes and said, "Thank you, Mr. Feng Ye."
"Alright, let's continue with our meal." Feng Ye retracted his hand and resumed his seat by the tea table.
Hinamori nodded, her eyes shining as she looked at Feng Ye. She suppressed the turbulent emotions within her and sat down across from him.
However, after sitting down, she hesitated slightly and lowered her head to glance down. She wasn't sure if it was her imagination, but she felt like she had shrunk a little.
(End of Chapter)
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