Auswählen, Rescue

Time flows like water, and four years have passed silently.

During these four years, Liu Ziyun's life became simple and regular. Every morning, he would open the door of "Isshin Dojo" on time to welcome the two small figures, Ichigo Kurosaki with orange hair and Uryū Ishida with glasses. He taught them Tai Chi, Radio Calisthenics, and those seemingly simple but profound martial arts moves.

As the two little ones grew up day by day, their moves became increasingly impressive. Ichigo Kurosaki, naturally lively and active, learned to punch with great force; Uryū Ishida, on the other hand, was calm and reserved, striving for precision in every movement. Looking at them, Liu Ziyun often felt an indescribable sense of joy. These two children were the hope for the future.

During this time, Liu Ziyun also returned to Soul Society several times. He told Unohana about the Soul Reaper monitoring the Ishida Family and asked her to discuss with Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto whether Mayuri Kurotsuchi should not be sent to deal with the Ishida Family. After all, Uryū Ishida is an important helper in the future fight against the boss.

After hearing Unohana simply nodded and said she would take care of it.

Sure enough, when Liu Ziyun returned to the World of the Living, the Soul Reapers around the Ishida Family had all withdrawn. Ryūken Ishida specifically sought out Liu Ziyun to express his sincere gratitude. Liu Ziyun waved his hand, saying it was nothing and there was no need to take it to heart.

Life went on peacefully until that day.

It was an evening four years later.

As the sun set, golden rays bathed the courtyard of the Martial Arts Hall school. As usual, Liu Ziyun handed over Masaki Kurosaki Ichigo Kurosaki and Uryū Ishida to Kurosaki Masaki and Kanae Ishida, who had come to pick them up. The two little ones waved goodbye reluctantly, then disappeared into the end of the street with their respective mothers.

Liu Ziyun stood at the entrance of the Martial Arts Hall, watching them walk away, then turned around and went back inside to rest.

He had just lain down on the bed when suddenly, an unusual feeling welled up inside him.

That was a surge of Reiatsu, intense, dense, and surging like a tidal wave.

Liu Ziyun sat up abruptly, threw on his clothes, and rushed out the door. Standing at the entrance of the Martial Arts Hall, he looked into the distance and saw beams of blue Reishi rising from every corner of the city, soaring straight into the sky. The light was dazzling and blinding, appearing particularly eerie in the twilight.

[This Reiatsu... it feels Quincy.] Liu Ziyun's brows furrowed deeply. [How can so many people release their Reiatsu at the same time?]

The next second, a thought flashed through his mind like lightning: [No! This is Auswählen!]

Liu Ziyun's heart skipped a beat. He didn't have time to think, and didn't even have time to take off his Gigai. He shot into the sky in his Gigai body form and sped off in the direction where Masaki Kurosaki had left. His speed was astonishing, leaving a blurry afterimage in the twilight.

He knew that time was life.

When Liu Ziyun arrived at the scene, the sight before him caused his pupils to contract sharply.

Masaki Kurosaki was crouching on the ground, tightly holding the unconscious Ichigo Kurosaki. There was no longer any Reiatsu fluctuation from her body, a typical symptom of having her power drained by Auswählen. Behind her, a huge Hollow was extending its tentacles, aiming straight for her back.

That was Grand Fisher, the one who could only conjure up little dolls to seduce humans.

Having lost her powers, Masaki Kurosaki could only helplessly hold her child, using her own body to shield herself from the impending fatal blow.

Just at this critical moment, Liu Ziyun arrived.

Without the slightest hesitation, he threw a punch, smashing Grand Fisher's tentacle in two. Black blood gushed from the severed end, emitting a foul stench in the air.

Grand Fisher let out a shrill cry, and before it could react, Liu Ziyun had already rushed forward again and kicked it hard in the mask.

"Snap!"

The sound of the mask shattering was clearly audible. A deep crack appeared on Grand Fisher's mask, and his entire body was sent flying backward by the kick, crashing heavily to the ground.

The intense pain caused Grand Fisher to let out an even more piercing howl. It knew that the person before it was far more powerful than it could possibly defeat. It struggled to its feet, opened the Garganta, and fled in panic, disappearing into the dark crack.

Liu Ziyun did not give chase. He turned back to Masaki Kurosaki's side, squatted down, and asked with concern, "Are you alright? Where's Kaien? Didn't we agree that he would follow you?"

Masaki Kurosaki held the unconscious Ichigo Kurosaki, her face filled with guilt and lingering fear. She said softly, "There were some things I needed Kaien to take care of today. I figured it wasn't far, so I didn't let him come along."

Liu Ziyun's brows furrowed even more. He took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and asked, "Which direction did Kanae Ishida leave in? Let's go take a look."

Masaki Kurosaki quickly replied, "Ye Hui's house is quite far from here, so we arranged for someone to pick her up by car. The driver is an ordinary person, so there shouldn't be any problem."

Liu Ziyun nodded. "Then let's make a call and ask about the situation, just in case anything else unexpected happens."

Masaki Kurosaki responded and quickly took out her phone to dial the number of Kanae Ishida.

A moment later, she hung up the phone, a hint of relief on her face, but more worry. "Ye Hui is alright. However... Uryū is unconscious."

A look of seriousness flashed in Liu Ziyun's eyes. He immediately took out the Mod Soul Candy, swallowed it, and emerged from the Gigai.

The Mod Soul asked, "Master, what are your orders?"

Liu Ziyun quickly said, "Give me a direction."

Then, he said to the Mod Soul that had entered his body, "Take them home. Take Isshin and his family with you, and wait for me at Kisuke's general store."

The Mod Soul responded, crouched down, and took the unconscious Ichigo Kurosaki from Masaki Kurosaki's arms. He gently lifted Ichigo with one hand while supporting Masaki Kurosaki with the other. "Madam, let me take the child. Your body is a little weak and it's not suitable for you to hold the child."

Masaki Kurosaki nodded and, supported by the Mod Soul, slowly walked towards the Kurosaki Family.

Following the direction pointed out by Masaki Kurosaki, Liu Ziyun soared into the sky and sped towards the vehicle carrying Kanae Ishida.

In the night sky, Liu Ziyun's figure moved like a true ghost, weaving through the city lights. He was so fast that even his afterimage was too fleeting to leave a trace.

Soon, his spiritual sense detected Kanae Ishida's faint, almost imperceptible Reiatsu. He flew in the direction of that Reiatsu and soon spotted a black sedan driving by.

Liu Ziyun gently landed on the roof of the car, then leaned out of the window to look inside.

Kanae Ishida was leaning weakly against the chair, her face as pale as paper. In her arms, Uryū Ishida had his eyes closed, his small face showing an expression of pain.

"Ye Hui," Liu Ziyun called softly.

Kanae Ishida suddenly looked up, saw Liu Ziyun, and a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes. "Mr. Liu?"

Liu Ziyun lowered his voice and said, "Have the driver stop the car and get him out of the way. I need to give you all a medical check-up."

Kanae Ishida nodded in understanding. She weakly said to the driver, "Uryū is sick. Could you stop the car for a moment and go buy me some cold medicine nearby?"

The driver quickly replied, "Yes, madam."

He pulled over and jogged toward the nearby pharmacy.

Taking advantage of the opportunity Liu Ziyun opened the car door and entered the vehicle. He placed his hand on Uryū Ishida's wrist, closed his eyes, and carefully examined the child's physical condition with his Spiritual Power.

A moment later, he opened his eyes, a hint of relief in them. "The child is alright. He seems to have overexerted himself with some kind of power and has fallen into a deep sleep. He'll be fine after a rest."

Upon hearing this, Kanae Ishida felt all her strength drain away, slumping into her chair. She gasped for breath, her eyes filled with a relieved sense of relief. "That's good... that's good..."

Liu Ziyun then said, "Give me your hand, let me see your condition."

Kanae Ishida weakly raised her hand. Liu Ziyun gently grasped her wrist, also using his Spiritual Power to probe her body.

After a moment, his brow furrowed slightly, but then relaxed. "Better than I expected. The power in your body hasn't been completely drained."

He looked up at Kanae Ishida and asked, "What just happened? Tell me in detail."

Kanae Ishida a deep breath, trying to calm herself, and then slowly said, "Just now, a beam of Reishi suddenly enveloped me and Uryū. I felt as if the power and soul in my body were being drained away. At that moment, I really thought... I thought I was going to die."

Her voice trembled, her eyes filled with lingering fear. "Just then, a Reishi barrier suddenly appeared on Uryū's body, reflecting the beam of light back. After that, I felt extremely weak, and Uryū also fainted."

Liu Ziyun nodded thoughtfully. "Okay."

He looked at Kanae Ishida and said seriously, "Take Uryū home now, then call Ryūken and go to Kisuke's general store to find me. We'll meet there."

Kanae Ishida nodded. "Okay, thank you, Mr. Liu."

Liu Ziyun waved his hand. "It's nothing. I'll be going now."

After saying that, he opened the car door and disappeared into the night.

A moment later, the driver returned with the medicine he had bought. He opened the car door and saw Kanae Ishida still leaning weakly against the seat. He asked with concern, "Madam, the medicine is here. Are you alright?"

Kanae Ishida forced a smile, "Okay, thank you. Let's go home quickly; Uryū's health can't be delayed."

The driver nodded, started the car, and drove towards the Ishida Family's house.

Urahara Shop.

When Liu Ziyun opened the door, Isshin Kurosaki and his family had already arrived. Isshin Kurosaki was pacing anxiously in the room, while Masaki Kurosaki was sitting in a chair, holding the still unconscious Ichigo Kurosaki.

Upon seeing Liu Ziyun enter, Isshin Kurosaki stepped forward to greet him, "Mr. Liu! Masaki, she..."

Liu Ziyun his hand and walked up to Masaki Kurosaki: "Masaki, put your hand out. I'll take your pulse and check your health."

Masaki Kurosaki shook her head, her eyes filled with worry. "Mr. Liu, please check on Ichigo first. The Reiatsu light just now also shone on Ichigo. However, the moment it touched him, a Spiritual Power of intertwined blue and black rose up around Ichigo, blocking it. After that, Ichigo fainted."

Liu Ziyun nodded and walked to Ichigo Kurosaki, who was lying to the side. He squatted down, placed his hand on the little guy's wrist, closed his eyes, and carefully examined his body with his Spiritual Power.

A moment later, he opened his eyes, a hint of relief in them. "I'm fine. Just exhausted."

He explained, "It must have been the power within his body that automatically blocked Auswählen. But he's still young, and using that level of power is still exhausting. So, as his body instinctively protected him, he fainted."

He stood up and looked at Masaki Kurosaki: "Come on, put your hand out. Let me check it."

Upon hearing this, Masaki Kurosaki reached out her hand.

Liu Ziyun placed his hand on her wrist and used his Spiritual Power to probe her body.

A moment later, his brow furrowed slightly. "Hmm, the power has disappeared. However, I haven't detected any 'Still Silver' in the blood vessels. It's possible that it's too small and dissolved in the blood, so it can't be detected for the time being."

He paused, then continued, "I checked Ye Hui's pulse before, and it was the same. We'll discuss a solution when Long Ryūken and the others arrive."

Isshin Kurosaki nodded. "Okay."

Liu Ziyun looked at him and suddenly asked, "By the way, why didn't Kaien come along for the escort today?"

A hint of guilt flashed across Isshin Kurosaki's face. He scratched his head and stammered, "I've been getting more Hollows lately, so..."

Liu Ziyun interrupted him, his tone stern. "Eliminate the Void Guardian Soul Reaper. Kaien's identity can't be exposed. And you want him to abandon protecting Masaki and go meddle in other people's business?"

His voice grew louder and louder. "Aren't you afraid his aunt will be attacked? Especially since I told you before about the time of the Auswählen, how could you still be so careless?!"

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "If I hadn't gone to check on things today, I would have made a huge mistake!"

Masaki Kurosaki quickly said, "I'm sorry, actually I was the one who made him leave. It's not Kaien's fault."

Liu Ziyun looked at her, his eyes filled with helplessness, heartache, and an indescribable complexity. He finally sighed, "You two... sigh, never mind. Just be more careful next time."