Guiding Ichigo

The next day after school, Ichigo Kurosaki, carrying his schoolbag, hurriedly ran into the Isshin Dojo. His face showed a hint of hesitation, as well as an undisguised longing.

Liu Ziyun was sitting in the courtyard drinking tea. When he saw him come in, he slowly put down his teacup and looked at him with a knowing gaze. "What happened to your house yesterday? It was all messed up like that."

Ichigo Kurosaki scratched his head, a hint of guilt flashing across his face. "Last night... a truck hit me."

Liu Ziyun glanced at him, his eyes conveying a "Do you think I'm stupid?" look. "Then what are you doing here today? You've never been interested in coming here to learn before."

Ichigo Kurosaki a deep breath and looked at him earnestly. "I want to learn kendo."

Liu Ziyun laughed mockingly, a smile tinged with helplessness and disappointment, "Didn't I teach you? Fist techniques, swordsmanship. Last night, you didn't use a single one."

Upon hearing this, Ichigo Kurosaki's eyes widened in shock. "You... you... saw it yesterday?!"

Liu Ziyun an expression as if he were an idiot. "Have you forgotten what I do? With such a commotion at your house, how could I not know?"

Ichigo Kurosaki scratched his head, a gesture tinged with embarrassment. "Did you see me fighting that monster?"

Liu Ziyun nodded, his tone tinged with disappointment. "Nonsense. Otherwise, how would I know you've forgotten everything I taught you?"

Ichigo Kurosaki was silent for a moment, then looked up, his eyes filled with confusion. "Then... why didn't you intervene back then?"

Liu Ziyun looked at him, his eyes serious and meaningful. "Why should we intervene? We've taught you everything we could, and you still can't handle it. Are we supposed to protect you for the rest of our lives?"

Ichigo Kurosaki was stunned.

Liu Ziyun stood up, walked to the sword rack, picked up a wooden sword, and tossed it to Ichigo Kurosaki. Then, he took one for himself. "Come on. Let's have a sparring match."

Ichigo Kurosaki took the wooden sword and stood opposite Liu Ziyun. The two held their swords in both hands and stood facing each other.

The momentum began to rise.

Ichigo Kurosaki's aura was like the rising sun, vigorous and fiery. But Liu Ziyun's aura was like the deep sea, calm and profound, yet containing boundless power.

Ichigo Kurosaki quickly realized that his aura was no match for Liu Ziyun's. The oppressive feeling made it almost impossible for him to breathe.

He gritted his teeth and charged at Liu Ziyun —since he couldn't match his momentum, he would disrupt his rhythm!

Liu Ziyun raised his wooden sword and gently blocked the attack. The movement was understated, yet it precisely blocked Ichigo Kurosaki's full-force strike.

"A wise choice," Liu Ziyun said calmly, "However, it has too many flaws."

As soon as he finished speaking, he flipped his wooden sword, deflecting Ichigo Kurosaki's attack. Then, he pointed the tip of his sword forward and lightly touched Ichigo Kurosaki's chest. "You died once. Continue."

Ichigo Kurosaki a deep breath and charged at Liu Ziyun again with his sword drawn.

Liu Ziyun her wooden sword to wrap around the opponent's blade and flicked it to the side. Ichigo Kurosaki felt an irresistible force, and the sword instantly flew out of his hand.

Then, the blade touched his chest again. "You can't even hold the knife properly, who can you cut? You've died again. Keep going."

Ichigo Kurosaki picked up the wooden sword and charged forward again.

This time, he moved more cautiously. But Liu Ziyun simply blocked lightly, dodged the attack by turning to the side, and then pointed his knife at the side of Liu Ziyun's neck.

"You're dead again." Liu Ziyun's voice carried a hint of disappointment. "Honestly, I don't even want to teach you anymore. Look at all the mistakes you've made. Have you forgotten every single one of them?"

Ichigo Kurosaki remained silent.

He stood there, countless images flashing through his mind—the images of Liu Ziyun teaching him Tai Chi; the images of Liu Ziyun teaching him to control "qi"; the images of Liu Ziyun correcting his movements again and again...

He took a deep breath, gripped the wooden knife tightly again, and stood opposite Liu Ziyun.

This time, his eyes changed.

The restlessness and impatience of before were gone from his eyes; only a deep focus remained.

He charged forward again.

This time, his movements were no longer reckless. He remembered every word Liu Ziyun had said before, and every detail he had been taught over the years. His knife was no longer easily deflected, his footwork was no longer chaotic, and his attacks began to have a structured rhythm.

The two exchanged blows, their swords flashing and clashing in the courtyard.

Finally, Liu Ziyun his sword and stood up, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes. "Hmm, not bad. You've improved quite a bit. You should practice more in the future."

Ichigo Kurosaki bowed deeply to him. "Thank you, teacher."

Liu Ziyun his hand. "Remember, you also need to practice Tai Chi more. What is that sword of yours? The control of power and 'qi' that I taught you is interconnected with Reiatsu. Don't let your power go out of control and spread recklessly. Power that cannot be concentrated is powerless."

Ichigo Kurosaki nodded solemnly. "Yes, teacher. I know, I will learn to control myself."

Liu Ziyun looked at him, his eyes filled with meaning. "Let's go. I know you're busy. You'll find out about my affairs later. There's no need to rush."

Ichigo Kurosaki paused for a moment, then nodded. "Okay, teacher. I'll be going now."

He turned and left the Martial Arts Hall, his steps firm and powerful.

After Ichigo Kurosaki left, a figure emerged from behind the screen.

Isshin Kurosaki walked up to Liu Ziyun with a smile, "Oh dear, thank you so much, Mr. Liu."

Liu Ziyun glanced at him. "Doesn't your son look a lot like you?"

Isshin Kurosaki smiled even more broadly, "Yeah, it really does look quite similar."

Liu Ziyun nodded, a hint of helplessness in his voice. "Yes, just as dull-witted and slow-witted as ever, it's frustrating."

Isshin Kurosaki's smile froze on his face, "Um... are you alright? Not that stupid..."

Liu Ziyun looked at him. "Hmm, you can't learn without getting beaten up. It seems your strength was acquired after being beaten up many times."

Isshin Kurosaki smiled awkwardly, "It's alright, it's alright."

Liu Ziyun to the sword rack, picked up a wooden sword, and tossed it to him. Then, he took two more swords for himself, wielding them, and stood opposite Isshin Kurosaki.

"Come on, let's have a game. Let's see if your skills have declined over the years."

Isshin Kurosaki took the wooden sword, and looking at the two swords in his hands, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. "Mr. Liu is Two-Sword Style?"

Liu Ziyun nodded. "You can switch anytime. Let's go."

As soon as he finished speaking, he stepped forward and slashed at Isshin Kurosaki with the sword in his left hand.

Isshin Kurosaki raised his sword to block. But the next second, Liu Ziyun's right-hand sword stabbed directly into his abdomen.

Isshin Kurosaki's pupils contracted slightly, and he quickly retreated to dodge the attack. Then, he parried Liu Ziyun's blade, lunged forward, and brought it down on his head.

Liu Ziyun his right-hand sword and slashed diagonally with his left-hand sword.

Isshin Kurosaki retreated again.

The two exchanged blows, their swords flashing and clashing in the courtyard. Isshin Kurosaki's swordsmanship was sharp and precise, while Liu Ziyun's twin swords were unpredictable and varied. The two fought fiercely, neither gaining the upper hand.

Finally, the two sheathed their swords and stood still.

Isshin Kurosaki exclaimed sincerely, "Mr. Liu's Zanjutsu is truly superb."

Liu Ziyun looked at him, a hint of teasing in his eyes. "I think you're praising yourself. After all, we're evenly matched."

Isshin Kurosaki laughed, "The Zanjutsu that Mr. Liu used on Ichigo weren't used on me. If it were the same fighting style, I probably wouldn't have been able to hold on much longer."

Liu Ziyun shook his head. "I'm not Ichigo. Your ability to fool people won't work on me. You've seen the same moves before, how could they possibly work?"

Isshin Kurosaki scratched his head. "Mr. Liu overestimates me."

Liu Ziyun put the knife back on the knife rack. "Alright, hurry home and go fool your precious son."

Isshin Kurosaki put the sword back on the sword rack and bowed slightly to him. "Well then, Mr. Liu, I'll be heading back now."

He turned and left the Martial Arts Hall, his steps light and quick.

After Isshin Kurosaki left, Isane Kotetsu came out of the house. She walked up to Liu Ziyun, a mischievous smile in her eyes, "Ziyun, you've even been teaching Captain Isshin along with everyone else. You're really something."

Liu Ziyun looked at her, his eyes filled with doting affection and a hint of threat. "Isane, you're teasing me again. It seems I'll have to teach you a lesson about 'family discipline'."

Isane Kotetsu blushed slightly and retorted angrily, "Pah, you womanizer!"

Liu Ziyun smiled and gently pulled her into his arms.

The afterglow of the setting sun shone on the two of them, creating a heartwarming scene.

In the days that followed, Ichigo Kurosaki continued to act as his Substitute Soul Reaper, occasionally returning to spar with Liu Ziyun and practice his kendo. He improved rapidly, and each sparring session allowed Liu Ziyun witness new changes.

On this day, the number of Hollows in Karakura Town suddenly surged.

Liu Ziyun stood at the entrance of the Martial Arts Hall, gazing at the ever-surging darkness in the distance, a hint of seriousness flashing in his eyes. He said to Isane Kotetsu beside him, "Isane, let's go out and watch today. Let's see the duel between our two students."

The two donned Black Cloaks and silently arrived at a park.

Above the park, the Void Horde was frantically converging on a certain spot. They hissed and the Roar, as if welcoming some terrifying being. Then, a gigantic Gillian tore through space and slowly emerged.

Isane Kotetsu's pupils contracted slightly. "Menos Grande... can Ichigo and the others handle it?"

Liu Ziyun's gaze was fixed on the Menos Grande, his eyes filled with profound meaning. "We'll just watch. This is a necessary experience for his growth."

He paused, a hint of coldness in his voice. "Moreover, the bait released by Uryū didn't have this effect. This is someone else's doing."