[The massive gap in strength lay before it—Cirrus could only choose to concede, and what awaited it was eternal punishment.]
[Though its fighting spirit had crumbled for now, Cirrus still thought of future chances to rise again. Heliobi were immortal; they would always have opportunities later.]
[With Cirrus dealt with, the ghost-hunting squad's operation came to an end. After this heliobus incident, Huohuo's Tail returned to sealing, Sushang gained bragging rights about going five-five with Yanqing, Little Guinaifen got a high-follower account, and Stelle collected some Stellar Jade from Jing Yuan… Everyone had a bright future ahead.]
——
Bleach.
Byakuya Kuchiki sat upright in the Sixth Division barracks' tearoom, watching the heliobus incident on the Celestial Screen reach a peaceful conclusion. The corners of his mouth lifted almost imperceptibly.
Suddenly, cherry blossoms drifting outside the window were disturbed by a burst of reiatsu. Shinji Hirako hung upside-down from the window frame, golden bangs dangling.
"Oh? Rare to see you smile. So interested in the Xianzhou Luofu stuff?" Shinji flipped inside the tearoom and casually snatched the tea snack in front of Byakuya.
Byakuya closed his eyes, calmly sipping his thick tea without reaction: "Barging into someone else's tearoom uninvited—is this how the Fifth Division shows courtesy?"
"Don't be so stiff~" Shinji sat cross-legged, twirling the empty teacup on his fingertip. "In this incident, aren't you curious about one organization on the Xianzhou?"
Byakuya set down his cup, eyes narrowing slightly: "Which?"
"The Ten-Lords Commission."
"From current intel, the Ten-Lords Commission is completely independent from the Xianzhou. If I had to compare it… it feels a lot like the relationship between the living world and Soul Society—at least in terms of function."
"Those from the Ten-Lords Commission are called 'Netherworld Envoys' and 'Judges'… Doesn't that sound a lot like 'Shinigami'? Think there's some deep connection between our Soul Society and the Xianzhou's Ten-Lords Commission?"
Byakuya glanced sideways at him, tone calm: "Shallow speculation. Soul Society has existed far longer than a few millennia. And another issue—the Ten-Lords Commission's location seems extremely secretive. Ordinary people have no chance of seeing it."
"As for the connection you mentioned… only if we could see the Ten-Lords Commission with our own eyes would it be worth—"
"Wait, Byakuya, the picture on the Celestial Screen seems to be changing." Shinji suddenly interrupted, pointing upward. "This time the scene is… on Huohuo?"
——
["Xianzhou natives roam beyond the skies and inevitably encounter strange and supernatural beings, giving rise to countless eerie tales."]
[On the Celestial Screen, Huohuo was hugging a compass, walking in the direction it pointed.]
[Her destination was a distant mountain shrouded year-round in gray mist that never dispersed. Jagged strange rocks protruded from the cliffs like gaunt ghostly claws. Ancient trees on the mountain twisted and coiled, their dry branches creaking in the wind like grinding bones.]
["It is said that one day, a novice Judge from the Ten-Lords Commission received an official decree to subjugate a demon…"]
[Huohuo finally climbed the mountain. The gate ahead exuded chilling yin energy; the two lanterns hanging at the entrance looked like vivid fangs, eager to swallow her whole. Terrified, she closed her eyes and ran forward in small steps. Along the way she heard faint footsteps. Opening her eyes, she saw two child figures standing by the roadside.]
——
Dragon Raja.
"That narrator voice… has to be Tail, right?"
"Remove the 'has to be'—it's Tail." Chu Zihang sighed softly. "Though I'm not sure what game they're playing, the scene seems to show Huohuo shortly after joining the Ten-Lords Commission, subduing demons and exorcising ghosts."
"Also, I noticed just now… the directional markers on Huohuo's compass are the Bagua diagram, right? Isn't that something only from your country?" Caesar frowned. Though his history grades were poor, he could still recognize such an iconic cultural symbol. "Why does the Xianzhou have the Bagua too?"
The Bagua had thousands of years of history, said to originate from Fuxi—"foremost of the hundred kings"—in Chinese civilization. Though Caesar wasn't particularly interested in the Bagua, he vaguely knew it was something impressive.
"Perhaps… 'the Way of Heaven is not monopolized'?" Chu Zihang judged.
"…Not monopolized what?" Caesar felt his brain swelling.
"Have you ever looked into Bagua Palm?" Chu Zihang simply changed the question.
"I've heard of it." Caesar had shown combat talent far beyond his peers since childhood; his family had always nurtured his fighting skills. He hadn't mastered every famous martial art, but he'd heard of most from teachers.
"The footwork in Russian Georgian dance and the thigh muscle movements are similar in principle to the 'Bagua circle walking' of Bagua Palm." Chu Zihang explained calmly. "Though the cultures differ, things comprehended on one's own might have been comprehended elsewhere in the world, just applied differently."
"Oh…" Caesar seemed to understand, yet also not, but his focus shifted elsewhere. "You even know Russian Georgian dance?"
"The Lionheart Society once had a female member who invited me to a dance performance."
"So? Then what?"
"…Afterward we had dinner together. During it I noticed her face was very red and hot when looking at me, so I concluded she must have had a fever and sent her to the nearby hospital." Chu Zihang's expression suddenly grew grave. "Why? Is there a problem?"
"No problem… just that your handling is very much your style."
——
[Huohuo approached the two children: "Excuse me…"]
[The two children slowly turned. Their pale faces gleamed bluish-gray in the dim light. Their mouths slowly split open; long, thin tongues like scarlet snake flickers nearly reached the ground.]
["The newcomer…"]
["Must be properly welcomed…"]
[Their voices overlapped, echoing like sounds squeezed from rotting coffins.]
["Uwaaaaaahhh—!!"]
[Huohuo finally couldn't hold back and ran away, fleeing behind a dilapidated wall, panting with lingering fear. The two children hopped after her like zombies, endlessly repeating "Welcome."]
[At that moment, the compass pointer changed again. From a nearby coffin, a hand slowly emerged and lifted the lid just a crack.]
["N-No way…"]
[Huohuo drew her copper coin sword from behind, trembling as she walked to the coffin. Cautiously poking her head out, she peered inside.]
[The coffin was empty. But behind her, a black shadow had appeared at some point. Heart pounding, Huohuo turned back. She heard the neck behind her creak "kaka," the head twisting at an eerie angle, a pair of scarlet eyeballs staring fixedly at her.]
["You… are the newcomer?"]