The Title Ran Away from Home

"As for your so-called bewitching..." Musashi chuckled, his eyes becoming incredibly sharp.

"If you don't even have the belief to hold onto your principles, then you might as well just be the Grim Reaper forever."

Upon hearing this, Xuanxin's eyes remained calm and unwavering; he simply nodded slightly.

Seeing this, Musashi raised an eyebrow, and his tone suddenly became unusually relaxed as he said:

"Of course, besides that, with this advanced 'energy source,' I can wander around here more freely from now on. Although Soul Society is a backward and old-fashioned place, in a sense... the scenery here is not bad."

Chapter 72 Title: Runaway

In the dimly lit basement, the aftershocks of Reiatsu still lingered in the air.

After hearing Musashi's explanation, Xuanxin remained silent for a moment. He knew that although Musashi usually appeared carefree, her insight was sharper than anyone else's.

Since Musashi was certain that the "Hōgyoku" could become the perfect foundation for his next step, there must be some kind of opportunity that ordinary people could not reach.

As for that insignificant temptation, as Musashi said—if he couldn't even resist such a small external lure, then he should just stick to his current ways.

[To use this huge problem as the foundation of my future... that's a crazy idea.]

Thinking of this, Xuanxin chuckled inwardly, then took a deep breath and said nothing more.

Seeing Musashi 'Xuanxin knowing look, Musashi chuckled and transformed into specks of Reishi, returning to Xuanxin's spiritual world.

The vast underground base finally fell completely silent.

Xuanxin turned his head and looked around.

The once spacious and tidy secret base was now a complete mess, and Xuanxin couldn't even find a place to rest.

"What a terrible thing..." Xuanxin sighed helplessly.

Although Kisuke Urahara in creating this mess, I did contribute quite a bit just now.

So Xuanxin had no choice but to resign himself to his fate, roll up the sleeves of his night clothes, find a broom in the corner, and begin to clean up the mess around him.

In this sunless underground world, time seems to lose its meaning.

Even with his Captain-level stamina and speed, Xuanxin spent most of the night tidying up the room that he and Kisuke Urahara had made a complete mess of.

At least, there are no more sharp glass shards on the ground, and all sorts of broken instruments have been piled up in the corner.

After finishing all this, Xuanxin dusted off his hands and looked at the now empty room and the isolation chamber in the deepest part of the room. He felt a long-lost sense of weariness.

Xuanxin yawned and walked to the large, intact desk in the center of the room.

He was too lazy to maintain his human form any longer, and with a soft "bang," Xuanxin once again used the Shihoin Clan's transformation technique.

A large cat with a slender body and pure white fur landed lightly on the table.

The white cat stretched gracefully, then buried its head in its fluffy front paws, curling up into a round "white dough ball" on the table, and closed its eyes contentedly.

Perhaps because he had transformed into cat form, Xuanxin slept exceptionally soundly, almost to the point of being completely oblivious.

When he regained consciousness, he was awakened by an enticing aroma of food.

"Wake up, wake up. Do you really think this is our cat's bed?"

Accompanied by a familiar voice, a pair of slender hands grabbed the white cat by the scruff of its neck without hesitation and lifted it up.

The white cat groggily opened its golden vertical pupils, and what came into view was Yoruichi Shihōin's face, which it could never get enough of looking at.

Yoruichi had changed into casual clothes and was carrying a steaming food box.

Xuanxin snapped out of his daze, instantly de-transformed, and returned to human form.

He rubbed his slightly messy hair, glanced at the Reishi on the wall, and was surprised to find that he had slept straight from last night until the evening of the next day!

"You've got some nerve. Guarding such a forbidden thing that could destroy the world, you can sleep like a log."

Yoruichi grumbled irritably as she took the food out of the lunchbox and placed it on the table.

"Alright, hurry up and eat. I'll take your place after you're done. You go back to the Shihoin Clan and get some rest for the night."

Looking at the sumptuous meal on the table, Xuanxin did indeed feel a sudden pang of hunger.

Without any hesitation, he picked up his chopsticks and sat down opposite Yoruichi in the basement to enjoy their meal.

In the dim light, the two sat facing each other. Although a trace of tension still lingered in the air, at this moment, their hearts were closer than ever before.

Over the next few days, Xuanxin and Yoruichi began this stable "shift system".

During the day, Xuanxin guards the place, taking the opportunity to quietly experience the subtle changes in his Reiatsu after its transformation; in the evening, Yoruichi will appear on time with a food box to take over Xuanxin's guard duties.

The two were like giant dragons guarding a treasure, keeping a close watch on the isolation pod.

As for Kisuke Urahara, the "culprit," he has completely disappeared from everyone's sight in the past few days.

He plunged headlong into the workshop of the Shinigami Research and Development Institute, working day and night to overcome the problem that Xuanxin had given him: to create an isolation container that could absolutely shield the Reiatsu of the Hōgyoku, while also being small enough, ordinary enough, and suitable for carrying around.

For any researcher, this would be a contradictory and almost impossible task, but fortunately, Kisuke Urahara is an absolute genius.

Late at night three days later.

As Xuanxin and Yoruichi sat idly in the basement, rehearsing tactics, the door to the secret passage was pushed open with a series of heavy footsteps.

Kisuke Urahara drifted in like a ghost. His eyes were sunken, and his two huge dark circles were more noticeable than a panda's. He exuded an aura of withering.

He then strode to the table and, without saying a word, simply spread his hands.

"Clang~" Soon, several exquisite, small black metal cubes landed on the table.

These cubes are only the size of a fingernail, with micro-carved incantations resembling decorative patterns engraved on their surfaces. They are made of neither gold nor wood, and have a restrained matte texture, making them look like some kind of understated luxury accessory.

Yoruichi picked up one of the small cubes and examined it suspiciously. "This is the isolation chamber you stayed up all night to make? Can such a small thing really shield that thing's Reiatsu?"

Kisuke Urahara a weary smile, then flashed a confident one. "Anything made by Urahara is guaranteed to be top-notch. Why don't you try it and see?"

Under the watchful eyes of Xuanxin and Yoruichi, Kisuke Urahara walked to the isolation chamber and once again took out the Hōgyoku, which was emitting a mesmerizing light.

Yoruichi deep breath and carefully brought the small black cube close to the Hōgyoku.

The moment the two came into contact, a faint blue light suddenly appeared on the surface of the small cube.

Immediately afterwards, the cube, like a miniature black hole with its mouth wide open, instantly swallowed the longan-sized Hōgyoku completely!

Click.

The cube closed again, fitting perfectly, and became an ordinary black ornament.

Xuanxin and Yoruichi immediately closed their eyes and heightened their senses to the limit, scanning the cube in Yoruichi's hand inch by inch like radar.

One second, two seconds... ten seconds passed.

The two opened their eyes at the same time, their eyes filled with amazement.

Absolutely no leakage! Not even the slightest bit of Reiatsu leaked out!

Even the Hōgyoku, a product that shouldn't exist in the Soul Society, was perfectly sealed inside by this small cube!

Kisuke Urahara's works never disappoint.

Xuanxin nodded in satisfaction and took the black cube containing the Hōgyoku from Yoruichi's hand. Then, as if he had been prepared, he pulled out a tough silver chain from his pocket.

The Xuanxin then cut off a small section of the chain, deftly threaded it through the black cube, and made it into a simple bracelet, which he then wore directly on his right wrist.

Seeing this, Yoruichi and Kisuke Urahara's eyes lit up at Xuanxin's action. Who would have thought that this seemingly ordinary bracelet contained a creation powerful enough to drive the entire Three Realms mad?

Seeing this, Yoruichi glanced around and took the remaining chains from Xuanxin's hand. She also picked up an empty cube from the table, threaded it, and naturally put it around her slender neck.

"In that case, I'll wear one too, just as a distraction." Yoruichi raised an eyebrow and said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Xuanxin smiled and nodded. Thus, the two of them each wore an ornament made of the same material.

To an uninformed outsider, this would undoubtedly be mistaken for a token of ownership between a couple.

Then, Kisuke Urahara casually picked up a small cube and proudly introduced it...

"Actually, I also engraved a 'Kakushitsuijaku' magic circle inside these blocks. If needed, these small blocks can also be used as communication devices."

"Oh, it can also be used as a communication device? That's great!" Upon hearing this, Yoruichi's eyes lit up immediately.

Without any hesitation, she stretched out her hand and swept all the remaining small cubes on the table into her arms.

Seeing his hard-earned harvest instantly wiped out, Kisuke Urahara's lips twitched violently a few times. In the end, he could only sheepishly put away the last remaining seedling in his arms.

The next morning.

As his vacation came to an end, Xuanxin put on his pristine white 11th Division Captain's Haori once more and appeared spiritedly at the Captains' Meeting in the First Division's Grand Assembly Hall.

Everything seemed so calm and ordinary.

The Captain-Commander remained in charge, maintaining an imposing presence, while the squad leaders reported on recent developments in an orderly manner.

No one noticed that an inconspicuous black bracelet had appeared on the wrist of the 11th Division Captain, who was known for his strength.

After the meeting, Xuanxin returned to the 11th Division's barracks as usual, sat behind his large desk, and began to deal with the team's affairs that had piled up over the past few days.

Just as he finished reviewing several documents regarding the Rukongai campaign, there was a gentle knock on the captain's office door.

"Please come in."

The door was pushed open. Aizen, wearing his signature black-rimmed glasses and carrying a thick stack of documents, walked into the office.

"Teacher Shihoin, excuse me. Here are some official documents that require the assistance of the 11th Division. Please take a look, and if there are no problems, I will need your signature."

Aizen bowed slightly, his tone conveying just the right amount of respect and politeness.

"Okay, put it here. Thanks for your trouble."

Xuanxin nodded without saying anything more. Then, he naturally reached out to take the stack of documents that Aizen handed him.

Just as Xuanxin reached out his hand, the wide sleeve of his haori slipped down slightly, revealing the black square bracelet on his right wrist.

To the average person, this might just be an ordinary accessory that they glance at and then forget. But to Aizen's sensitive nerves, this suddenly appearing accessory instantly piqued his curiosity.

Aizen's gaze lingered on the bracelet for less than a tenth of a second, yet his smile remained perfectly natural.

"Teacher Shihoin recently..." Aizen was about to tentatively inquire about the origin of the accessory.

However, he had barely begun to speak when the window of the captain's room was suddenly pushed open from the outside.

"Hey! Xuanxin, finished your work? I brought some pastries from a time-honored shop in the south of the city!"

Accompanied by a clear female voice, Yoruichi Shihōin, like a light bird, leaped in through the window and naturally sat on the edge of Xuanxin's desk.

Upon seeing this, Aizen's voice abruptly stopped. He turned around, bowed respectfully to Yoruichi, and said, "So Captain Yoruichi is here too."

The instant Aizen looked at Yoruichi, he also precisely caught sight of the black cube pendant hanging from Yoruichi's collarbone.

The material, craftsmanship, and even the surface pattern... are exactly the same as the bracelet on Xuanxin's wrist!

Aizen's first thought was: Could they just be ordinary couple accessories?

For this couple who were already engaged, it was perfectly reasonable for them to flaunt such a pair of jewelry in public.

This also perfectly explains why Xuanxin, who has always disliked wearing fussy jewelry, would suddenly wear a bracelet.