Awakening Kaien Shiba and His Wife (2)

Kaien Shiba and Shiba Miyako slowly opened their eyes. They looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings blankly, then their gazes fell on the man sitting cross-legged in front of them, his breath weak.

Kaien Shiba blinked, trying to focus his gaze. He recognized the face—though he had only seen it a few times from a distance, he could never mistake that face, which carried a hint of cynicism yet inexplicably reassuring qualities.

"Are you... Liu Ziyun, the Fifth Seat?" Kaien Shiba's voice was hoarse and weak, tinged with disbelief.

Liu Ziyun did not answer. He didn't even glance at them, but simply and laboriously retracted his Bankai. The dark black robe on his body slowly dissipated, the Phoenix Wings on his back turned into specks of light and merged into the air, and the Decide Fate and Slay God in his hands transformed back into Wristguards, which he put back on his wrists. After doing all this, he seemed to have all his strength drained away, and he sat cross-legged on the ground, panting heavily.

His gaze passed over Kaien Shiba and Shiba Miyako, landing on Kisuke Urahara outside the Barrier. His empty eye sockets were now filled with exhaustion.

"Kisuke..." His voice was weak, as if each word consumed immense energy, "Here come to receive the guests. These two will be your guests staying here from now on."

Kisuke Urahara did not respond immediately. He stood quietly outside the Barrier, carefully observing Liu Ziyun's condition. As a top researcher, he could tell that Liu Ziyun's weakness at this moment was not a pretense—it was a typical manifestation of almost exhausted Reiatsu and severely overdrawn soul power.

Kaien Shiba and Shiba Miyako to the conversation between the two men, but found that Liu Ziyun completely ignored them. They exchanged a glance, wisely choosing not to disturb them, and simply sat quietly on the ground, silently observing the surrounding environment and the interaction between the two men in front of them.

Kisuke Urahara dispelled the Barrier and slowly walked to Liu Ziyun's side. He crouched down, carefully examined Liu Ziyun's condition, then adjusted his hat brim, his tone grave. "What kind of ability was that just now? It seems... it took a lot of effort on you."

Liu Ziyun smile, a smile full of exhaustion. He raised his hand with difficulty and pointed to Kaien Shiba and Shiba Miyako: "You two don't need to force yourselves to stand there, sit down and talk."

He took a deep breath, trying to make his voice sound normal, "Here's what happened. They were both supposed to die. I used a little trick to preserve their souls. As for their strength, they'll need some time to recover. However..."

He paused, a hint of helplessness in his voice. "The price is a bit high. I'll probably be in a weakened state for the next few years."

Kisuke Urahara frowned slightly. He looked at Liu Ziyun, his eyes flashing with the curiosity and contemplation characteristic of a researcher. "How did you preserve their souls? As far as I know, once a soul leaves its body, it quickly dissipates. Unless..."

Liu Ziyun slightly, interrupting his speculation. "Before they died, I extracted a wisp of power from my Zanpakuto and injected it into their bodies. When their lives were in danger, that power would seal their souls and a portion of their power into a Life Pearl, hidden within their bodies."

He paused, then continued, "Afterward, I will use my Bankai heal their bodies, break the seal, and awaken their souls."

Kisuke Urahara nodded thoughtfully. But then he raised a new question, "But I didn't see any bodies on them just now. Their spirits should have dissipated after they died."

Liu Ziyun smiled wryly, "That's why I'm so weak."

He took a deep breath and explained, "Because they no longer have spiritual bodies. So using this technique will forcibly plunder Reishi from the surrounding area and from my body, entering their souls and rebuilding their spiritual bodies according to their genes."

Kisuke Urahara's pupils contracted slightly. As a researcher, he understood better than anyone what this meant—creating a spirit from nothing was beyond the realm of ordinary Kidō, touching upon something more essential and forbidden.

"What... terrifying power," Kisuke Urahara murmured, his voice filled with undisguised shock. "So, you can revive everyone using this method?"

Liu Ziyun gently shook his head. "Actually, this isn't resurrection. It's more like Recreate Spiritual Body to carry their original soul. If they don't have their original soul, there's nothing I can do."

He thought for a moment and added, "Of course, if I can grow to full Bankai in the future, I might try to see if I can be resurrected directly through Reishi. However, I feel that's unlikely—after all, I'm not a god."

Kisuke Urahara remained silent.

He looked down at the fan in his hand, his mind racing through Liu Ziyun's words. As the top scientist in Soul Society, his research on souls and spirits far surpassed that of ordinary people. But it was precisely because of this that he could better appreciate the weight of Liu Ziyun's words.

"To be able to do this much is already terrifying," Kisuke Urahara said slowly. "To separate the soul from the spirit body... but the spirit body should be one with the soul, so how can it be separated?"

Liu Ziyun helplessly spread his hands. "I don't understand either. This is the first time I've used this ability. How should I put it... the 'soul' here is actually a small person created by some pure spirits and their consciousness, and then sealed inside."

He looked at Kisuke Urahara, a hint of teasing in his voice. "But you can figure out the principles yourself. I don't understand them right now anyway. I reckon I'll have to wait until my Bankai is fully unleashed before I can figure these things out."

After saying that, he turned his head and looked at Kaien Shiba and Shiba Miyako.

The two men sat on the ground, completely stunned, speechless with shock from the conversation. They looked at Liu Ziyun, then at Kisuke Urahara, their expressions incredibly varied.

Liu Ziyun chuckled and said to Kaien Shiba, "Kaien, you and your wife can stay with Kisuke from now on."

He paused, his tone becoming serious. "Don't worry, he didn't conduct the previous Hollowfication Experiments. The Hollow you encountered before, and the mastermind behind the Hollowfication Experiments, was Aizen. So, you can stay here without worry."

Kaien Shiba's pupils contracted sharply. He almost instinctively exclaimed, "How could it be Captain Aizen?!"

His voice was filled with disbelief and shock. How could Sōsuke Aizen —the ever-gentle, humble, and friendly Fifth Division Captain, the "hero" who succeeded Shinji Hirako after the Hollowfication Incident —be the mastermind?

Liu Ziyun slightly, his expression as calm as if he were stating something perfectly ordinary. "You don't need to be surprised. It's him."

He looked at Kaien Shiba, his tone carrying an indescribable certainty. "Captain Unohana and I are witnesses. However, for certain reasons, we cannot reveal it. Kisuke and those unfortunate fellows are all victims. Once this matter is over, you can show yourselves—probably in a few decades."

Kaien Shiba fell silent.