Clan Head

Ye Yang and Soi Fon walked out of Central 46 together, leaving behind only a group of old men who were still filled with lingering fear, afraid that Ye Yang would come in again and take their lives.

Yamamoto could only smile wryly. Although he had expected Ye Yang to have a plan, he hadn't anticipated that Ye Yang would use such forceful methods to directly compel the Central 46 to compromise. What surprised him most was that he actually saw the Pardon Writ Token. He had only ever heard of such a thing before, but today he had actually seen it.

Actually, he was startled when Ye Yang said he would kill all the members of the Central 46. Although he realized that Ye Yang was threatening them, what would he do if it really happened? The answer was definitely yes, he would definitely take action. Killing the Central 46 would be detrimental to Soul Society, and he would not allow anything that harmed Soul Society to happen.

I wonder what will become of you in the future? Yamamoto thought to himself.

Looking at the azure sky outside Ye Yang took deep breaths of fresh air. It was too oppressive inside; Ye Yang never wanted to come into such a place again.

"Brother Ye Yang, does your token really have that much power?" Soi Fon couldn't help but ask. Although His Majesty the Soul King was the nominal leader of Soul Society, no one had ever seen Soul King in all these years, and no one knew whether Soul King actually existed or not. Even so, they were still afraid.

"So-called power is nothing but fleeting clouds. In the end, it is nothing but a drop in the ocean in the face of absolute strength. They have Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai, who is known as the strongest Grim Reaper in a thousand years, by their side. Therefore, they interrogated me without restraint and wanted to put me to death because they had to obey the decision of the Central 46."

Ye Yang paused here, took out the Pardon Writ from his pocket and held it in his palm, slowly saying, "But this token is the symbol of the Supreme Right of Pardon in Soul Society. No matter what, the power it represents is here. Captain-Commander Yamamoto originally didn't want to take action, and now he has a reason not to, which is equivalent to shattering their trump card. From now on, they can do whatever they want."

"I see, but won't this cause problems later?" Soi Fon was still a little worried. After all, she still felt that the Central 46 was her superior, so it was understandable that she had some concerns.

Ye Yang smiled and said, "It's alright. As long as the Pardon Writ is still in my hands, they will definitely not bother me again. Don't worry."

Soi Fon asked curiously, "How did you get this Pardon Writ?"

A look of melancholy crossed Ye Yang's face as he spoke of this. He thought of the deceased old man, sighed softly, and said slowly, "It was left to me by my grandfather before he passed away."

"Oh? I'm sorry."

"It's alright. Actually, I didn't know it had such power before. Grandpa only told me it could pardon all crimes. I thought it could only pardon one person. Otherwise, things wouldn't have come to this." Ye Yang suddenly remembered that night fifty years ago. If he had used it then, he wondered if he could have made amends...

"By the way, I wonder how my parents are doing, and how the Shihoin Clan is doing now?"

Soi Fon replied, "Uncle and Aunt are well now, but the situation in the clan is not good. If Byakuya Kuchiki hadn't become the head of the clan, it might have been even more critical. I will still take care of the clan from time to time."

Ye Yang sighed, "You've had a tough time all these years."

Soi Fon smiled, her expression as innocent and pure as ever. "It's good to see you back."

"Let's go, come with me to the Shihoin Clan to take care of some matters."

"But... wouldn't it be inappropriate for me to handle the household affairs of the Shihoin Clan?" Soi Fon looked troubled.

Ye Yang smiled, "You're not an outsider, let's go."

Soi Fon blushed slightly and had no choice but to follow Ye Yang.

Standing before the gates of the Shihoin Clan, fifty years had passed, and he had finally truly returned home. When he left, he was a reckless young man, and now he was back. But he wondered what had become of his family.

Ye Yang had just reached the door when he was stopped. "Who are you? Don't you know this is the Shihoin Clan? Leave immediately!"

Ye Yang chuckled, not expecting his master to be stopped at the door. Soi Fon stepped forward and said, "I've come to see the acting head of the family, aren't you going to let me through?"

The gatekeeper immediately saluted. "Captain Soi Fon, you've come again? You may come in, but he..." The gatekeeper looked hesitant; letting someone of unknown identity in was against the rules. He couldn't afford to take responsibility if something went wrong.

"Who is it? Why is it so noisy?" Suddenly, an old man's voice came, and the door slowly opened, revealing an old but familiar face. It was Nakamura Kei, the old butler of the Shihoin Clan. This old butler had been the butler since Ye Yang's grandfather's time, and he still was. He could be said to be a veteran of the Shihoin Clan. Although he was just a butler, no one dared to underestimate him.

His hunched figure came into Ye Yang's sight, and Ye Yang couldn't help but tremble. This old man had dedicated his life to the Shihoin Clan. The old man's gaze swept over everyone present, but when his eyes fell on Ye Yang, his body couldn't help but tremble. "You are... Young Master Ye Yang?" His tone was full of excitement.

Ye Yang nodded slowly, his tone calm. "Yes, Grandpa Butler, I'm back."

The old man trembled, unable to contain his excitement any longer, and raised his hands to the sky, shouting, "Young Master Ye Yang is back! There is hope for the Shihoin Clan! The head of the family is back!"

He then ran into the mansion and shouted, "The patriarch is back! There is hope for the family!"

Ye Yang smiled and slowly walked through the gate. The gatekeeper was still stunned. Who would have thought that the person who came in was the head of the Shihoin Clan? Thinking that he had actually stopped the head of the family from entering, he wondered what awaited him.

Suddenly, Ye Yang turned around and asked, "What's your name?"

The gatekeeper had a bad feeling, but since Ye Yang had already asked, he couldn't refuse. So he said, "Master, my name is Miyamoto Fujishiro."

"Very good, you did a good job. I'll have them promote you."

"Ah? Thank you, Patriarch!"

"Work hard"

"Yes!"

Ye Yang then went inside, leaving Miyamoto Fujishiro still in a daze. What was going on? Not only had he not been punished, but he had also been promoted and praised by the head of the family. Happiness had come too suddenly. He was still marveling at the head of the family's understanding and righteousness and swearing to be loyal to the Shihoin Clan to the death. Ye Yang's unintentional actions had made him devoted to the family.

Walking slowly through the familiar courtyard, Ye Yang took in everything around the family, while Soi Fon Ye Yang followed behind him, knowing that Ye Yang needed peace and quiet.

Ye Yang spotted a familiar figure in the distance. Upon hearing the news from the old steward, Shihoin Seigen quickly pulled his wife outside. Their son, whom they hadn't seen for fifty years, had finally returned home.

As they drew closer, Ye Yang quickened his pace. Looking at his somewhat aged parents, Ye Yang's body trembled imperceptibly. Only Soi Fon noticed. It was as if Yuzu had finally returned home. His father had more gray hair, and his mother's face bore the marks of time.

"Dad, Mom, I'm home." A thousand words were condensed into one sentence, because he had so much to say, but he didn't know where to begin.

Ye Yang's father was alright, but he said in a trembling voice, "It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back."

Ye Yang's mother couldn't hold back her tears, sobbing and unsure what to say. Ye Yang walked over and gently hugged his parents, whispering, "Mom and Dad, you've suffered so much. I won't leave again."

Soi Fon silently watched the family reunion without disturbing them. But Lady Yoruichi, where are you? If only you were here...

Gradually, more and more members of the Shihoin Clan gathered behind Ye Yang, but they all tacitly refrained from disturbing the peaceful scene.

Ye Yang slowly released his parents and turned to look at the clansmen behind him. He saw that not only the clansmen, but also all the Council of Elders had returned. They all looked at Ye Yang respectfully and silently. When Ye Yang turned around, they shouted in unison, "Welcome back in triumph, Clan Head!" They knelt on one knee as they shouted.

This is actually quite understandable. Although the Council of Elders were very dissatisfied with Ye Yang as the head of the family, and they would have preferred a head like Yoruichi who wouldn't suppress them, at this critical juncture, with the Shihoin Clan facing decline, they had no choice but to acknowledge Ye Yang as the head of the family. They all understood that as long as Ye Yang was still around, the Shihoin Clan would never fall.

The Council of Elders shrewd. If the Shihoin Clan fell, those who depended on the family would also be destroyed. When the nest is overturned, how can the eggs remain intact? The only thing to do now is to preserve the foundation of the Shihoin Clan.

Ye Yang scanned the people present. Although they had all submitted to him for various reasons, that was enough. At this moment, Ye Yang was not worried about what tricks they might pull. As for what would happen next, Ye Yang was absolutely confident that he could take control of the family within this time. Strength was everything. Besides, Xing Punishment Force was still in Soi Fon's hands, so no matter what, they couldn't cause any major trouble.

Ye Yang spoke up, "Everyone, please stand up. Rest assured, the Shihoin Clan will never decline. Throughout history, our Shihoin Clan has endured countless hardships, but we have always stood strong! This time will be no different. With me here, I will surely make the family stronger than ever before!"

His tone was full of confidence, and his confident voice resonated with all the clansmen present. They shouted in unison, "Long live the patriarch! May the Shihoin Clan prosper forever!"

"Alright, everyone, please disperse. Butler, please hand over all the family affairs from these past years to me. I want to review them." Ye Yang then dismissed everyone.

"Yes, Master."

Although Ye Yang's actions weren't enough to secure the complete loyalty of the Council of Elders, they did give some clan members hope. They were all discussing it, and after Ye Yang's words, they all had confidence in the clan. With such a powerful patriarch, what was there to worry about? Besides, Soi Fon's constant support meant that the Shihoin Clan Punishment Force. With this assurance of strength, they naturally had confidence in Ye Yang.