Going into Seclusion in the World of the Living

The space Garganta was chaotic and distorted, with Reishi flowing like a rushing river through the endless darkness. After entering the Garganta, Liu Hao quickly mobilized his Reiatsu to create a stable Reishi platform under his feet, using it as a springboard to move forward. This technique of creating a foothold in the void requires extremely high Reiatsu control, but it was already second nature to Liu Hao.

The Imperial Princess followed beside him, her figure appearing and disappearing amidst the Reishi, like an elegant shadow. The two traveled one after the other through the dark passage, the surrounding scenery bizarre and surreal—sometimes the white sands of Hueco Mundo flashed by, and sometimes blurry scenes of the World of the Living appeared like mirages.

After about half a day of trekking, a steady light finally appeared ahead. The light was initially just a tiny white dot, but it gradually expanded as it got closer, eventually forming a complete circular exit.

Liu Hao quickened his pace and leaped out of the Garganta. When his feet touched solid ground again, he took a deep breath—the air in the World of the Living was fresh and moist, completely different from the dry and desolate atmosphere of Hueco Mundo.

He looked around and found himself on a quiet street. It was almost dusk, and the afterglow of the setting sun cast long shadows of the buildings. The street was lined with typical Japanese-style residential areas, and occasionally a pedestrian would hurry by. No one noticed this unexpected visitor.

"Where is this..." Liu Hao frowned, observing his surroundings. He noticed the words on the road sign— Wuming City.

The name stirred something within him. Wuming City —wasn't that the very city where Isshin Shiba fought against White? If his memory served him right, this should be the Tenth Division's defense zone, and beyond that zone, Karakura Town was nearby.

"It seems we need to confirm the exact location," Liu Hao said to the Imperial Princess, "And then find the route to Karakura Town."

The Imperial Princess nodded and merged back into the Imperial Sword. Liu Hao Zanpakuto, straightened his slightly disheveled clothes, and began walking along the street.

He disguised himself as an ordinary pedestrian, occasionally stopping to check street signs or shop signs, while secretly sensing the Reiatsu environment around him. The Reiatsu background of Wuming City was relatively calm, with no obvious signs of Hollow or Soul Reaper activity, indicating that no unusual events had occurred here recently.

After confirming the direction to Karakura Town, Liu Hao didn't delay any longer and quickened his pace towards his destination. He chose to avoid the main roads and travel along relatively quiet side streets to minimize the possibility of being noticed.

As dusk gradually turned into night, the city lit up with countless lights. By the time Liu Hao finally arrived at the outskirts of Karakura Town, it was completely dark. He stood on the slope of a small hill, overlooking the city below. The night view of Karakura Town was peaceful and serene, showing no signs of the fact that it was the central stage for many future events.

Instead of entering the city center, Liu Hao began wandering around the outskirts of Karakura Town. He chose a location that was relatively close to Urahara Shop but not too conspicuous, and then consciously began to release a weak Reiatsu.

This release of Reiatsu is extremely precise—just enough for Soul Reaper or Arrancar with keen senses to detect, but without affecting ordinary souls or humans. It's like throwing a pebble into a calm lake, creating subtle ripples that only those who have been observing the lake closely will notice.

Liu Hao waited patiently. He leaned against the shade of a tree, closed his eyes, and extended his senses to the surrounding environment. Time passed by, the number of pedestrians on the street gradually decreased, and the night grew deeper.

About half a day later, in the darkest hour before dawn, a nimble black shadow darted from afar. The shadow leaped between buildings with elegant and swift movements, and in the blink of an eye, it was in front of Liu Hao.

Upon seeing the Black Cat appear, Liu Hao's lips curled up slightly, revealing a sly smile.

However, he was not greeted with a friendly greeting. The Black Cat, Yoruichi Shihōin, had just landed when it unceremoniously stretched out a claw, scratching at Liu Hao's face with a sharp whooshing sound.

Liu Hao reacted extremely quickly, easily dodging the attack with a sidestep, and said with a smile, "Beautiful Yoruichi, you don't need to be so happy to see me!"

"You bastard, what are you doing releasing your Reiatsu here? Don't you know your Reiatsu can affect ordinary souls?" Yoruichi Shihōin said angrily, a dangerous glint in her golden cat eyes.

Liu Hao raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Alright, alright, I understand. So I'll only release Reiatsu in your direction, and I guarantee that the intensity of my release won't affect ordinary souls."

"Speak up, what are you trying to do here? Why don't you just go to Urahara Shop if you have something to say?" Yoruichi questioned, her tail swishing impatiently.

Liu Hao maintained his smile, "Oh, beautiful Yoruichi, I escaped from Aizen, he'll definitely try to find me. And Karakura Town is definitely a place he's closely monitoring."

"How did you know? Why is he focusing on monitoring Karakura Town?" Yoruichi asked, puzzled, her ears perking up warily.

Liu Hao's smile became somewhat meaningful, "Hehe, if it were Manager Urahara, he wouldn't have asked that question."

"You mean I'm an idiot?" Yoruichi's tone became even more dangerous, and her claws extended again.

Liu Hao hurriedly waved his hands. "No, no, absolutely not!"

"Tell me why!" Yoruichi roared.

Liu Hao's smile faded, and his expression turned serious. "Masaki Kurosaki is a key target of Aizen's attention. If I come here, he'll see me as a threat, which could very well provoke him to take action, and then you'll all be affected."

"So you used this method to lure Kisuke and me to you!" Yoruichi deep voice, a hint of understanding flashing in her eyes.

Liu Hao nodded. "That's right. This method is the safest; it allows us to contact you without revealing your location."

"Do you realize that doing this will attract attention?" Yoruichi pointed out.

Liu Hao shrugged. "Oh, those people are insignificant. I'll be careful of the people I really need to watch out for."

"Aren't you afraid that Aizen's people will be watching you?" Yoruichi pressed on.

Liu Hao's expression turned confident. "As long as it's not him coming in person, I have a chance to hide. Besides, isn't that why I came here to ask for your help?"

"Alright," Yoruichi finally relented, "So what do you want from us?"

Liu Hao smiled again, "Oh, beautiful Yoruichi, you're still hiding things from me. Manager Urahara definitely made you bring the things."

"Tch, so cunning." Yoruichi spat, then miraculously produced a neatly folded black cloak from who-knows-where and tossed it to Liu Hao.

Liu Hao took the cloak and examined it curiously. The cloak was made of a special material with fine Reishi particle patterns on its surface, clearly a specially made Reiatsu concealment device from Urahara Shop. He immediately put the cloak on and felt a faint force field envelop his entire body, isolating his Reiatsu from the outside world.

"Beautiful Yoruichi, I'd like to ask you a question, is that alright?" Liu Hao suddenly asked, his eyes sparkling with curiosity.

Yoruichi looked at him warily. "I need to see what the question is before I can answer it. Go ahead."

Liu Hao pointed to Yoruichi's action of taking out the cloak. "I just want to ask, you're in cat form now, where were you hiding this black cloak just now? How did you just throw it out with a wave of your hand?"

This question Yoruichi for a moment, then she swished her tail triumphantly. "Tch, I can't tell you that. It's one of the secret techniques of our Shihoin family."

"Alright, come with me," Yoruichi, not giving him a chance to ask further questions. "Kisuke is waiting for you."

After speaking, she turned and led the way, her black figure darting nimbly through the night. Liu Hao followed closely behind, the two moving quickly through the streets and alleys of Karakura Town. Yoruichi's chosen route was very clever, avoiding all areas that could be monitored, and even passing through the interiors of buildings or underground passages several times.

About twenty minutes later, they arrived at the back door of Urahara Shop. Yoruichi onto the wall, glanced back at Liu Hao, and then leaped into the yard. Liu Hao followed her over the wall and saw Kisuke Urahara already standing in the courtyard waiting.

"Welcome, Lieutenant Liu Hao," Kisuke Urahara said with a smile, gently waving his fan.

Liu Hao shook his head helplessly. "Come on, I'm Liu Hao, a wanted criminal now, and Squad Lieutenant too!"

Kisuke Urahara covered his mouth with his fan, a sly glint in his eyes. "The Captain-Commander and Captain Unohana both know you've been framed, so they'll bring you back sooner or later."

"Tch, be happy about it," Liu Hao rolled his eyes at Kisuke Urahara, "Your past mistakes have been cleared up in this incident."

Kisuke Urahara adjusted his hat, his tone tinged with surprise. "Oh my, oh my, how did Lieutenant Liu Hao know?"

"You think I didn't notice you, Old Man Yama, Captain Unohana standing at a distance watching me confront Aizen?" Liu Hao looked at Kisuke Urahara as if he were an idiot. "I just didn't want to flip the table so soon."

Kisuke Urahara's expression turned somewhat guilty. "How did you find out?"

"Your actions were too obvious," Liu Hao sighed. "I'd rather you hadn't done those things. If Aizen found out, the consequences would be dire."

Kisuke Urahara's smile faded, and he said seriously, "Okay, I was worried that Lieutenant Liu Hao might harbor resentment towards Soul Society later, so I used that method to remind you."

"Alright, am I that untrustworthy to you?" Liu Hao waved his hand. "Give me the Gigai."

Kisuke Urahara nodded and led Liu Hao inside the store. They passed through the storefront displaying various strange goods and arrived at the laboratory at the back. Kisuke Urahara took out a Gigai from a specially made storage cabinet—it was a body that looked no different from an ordinary human, but upon closer inspection, one could see a faint Reishi light flowing beneath the skin.

Without saying a word, Liu Hao immediately began to put on the Gigai. The process went more smoothly than he had imagined. The Gigai seemed to be tailor-made for him, fitting his spirit body perfectly. When the last part was fully integrated, he moved his fingers, feeling the flexibility of his new body.

"What are you going to do next?" Kisuke Urahara asked seriously.

Liu Hao replied matter-of-factly, "What else can we do? Just stay in Karakura Town and wait."

"Aren't you afraid of being discovered by Aizen?" Kisuke Urahara pointed out the potential risk.

Liu Hao pointed to the Gigai on his body. "Didn't I put on your Gigai?"

Kisuke Urahara shook his head. "But your Reiatsu will still give you away. Even with Gigai and a concealment cloak, your unique Reiatsu characteristics can still be detected by someone of Aizen's caliber."

"I see." Liu Hao fell into deep thought. After a while, he closed his eyes, as if adjusting something. When he opened his eyes again, the spiritual pressure emanating from his body suddenly changed—it was no longer the pure and powerful spiritual pressure of a Shinigami, but had become a gentler and more ordinary spiritual pressure.

Kisuke Urahara, Yoruichi Shihōin, and Tessai Tsukabishi had just entered the laboratory, all watched this scene in shock.

"How did you do that?" Kisuke Urahara rarely showed such surprise. "You changed your Reiatsu without using any tools?"

Liu Hao said matter-of-factly, "Is it that difficult? Reiatsu is just the field of spiritual density. The Reiatsu feels different depending on the trajectory of different Reishi within the spiritual body. I just need to slightly change the trajectory of the Reishi within my body."

Kisuke Urahara pulled down his hat brim and said with a wry smile, "I'm afraid only you can do something like this! This level of Reiatsu control is beyond the comprehension of ordinary Soul Reaper."

"Alright, stop worrying about it," Liu Hao said nonchalantly. "I'm planning to stay in Karakura Town. You guys find me a place to stay."

Yoruichi Shihōin pondered for a moment and suggested, "Since you can already manipulate Reiatsu, why don't you go and help Isshin Shiba open his clinic? After all, you're from the Fourth Division, and your medical skills are quite high."

Liu Hao stroked his chin thoughtfully, "Should I just go to the Ishida Family's hospital? They pay more there."

Upon hearing this, Yoruichi Shihōin was speechless. Kisuke Urahara said helplessly, "You went there to protect Masaki Kurosaki, not to make money!"

"Do you think I don't need money in this World of the Living?" Liu Hao glanced sideways at Kisuke Urahara. "Rent, food, daily expenses—which of these doesn't cost money? Do you think I'm one of those rich young masters and ladies with family support?"

Just then, Isshin Shiba's voice came from outside the door. "Mr. Urahara, I'm here. What do you want?"