Heading to the World of the Living

After his brief, dangerously suggestive conversation with Unohana, Liu Ziyun did not linger in Seireitei. He left the Fourth Division Barracks silently, like a ghost, wearing Black Cloak that could completely conceal his Reiatsu, and traversed the intricate streets of Seireitei, heading towards Rukongai.

He chose an extremely secretive route, avoiding all patrols and surveillance Kidō, specifically those paths and secret passages not even marked on maps. These were "safe passages" he had secretly explored countless times over the past few decades, enough to allow him to leave Seireitei without alerting anyone.

As the shadow of the city wall receded into the distance behind him, Liu Ziyun entered the territory of the Rukongai. He did not stop, but continued to move north, passing through one block after another, from the relatively prosperous southern section all the way to the chaotic and dilapidated northern section.

The North District 80 —this is one of the most chaotic and dangerous areas in the entire Soul Society. Here, order is almost non-existent, and the law of the jungle prevails. The souls of Rukongai struggle to survive here, while the Soul Reaper) will never set foot on this land unless absolutely necessary.

But it was precisely this chaos that provided Liu Ziyun with perfect cover.

He stopped in the ruins of an abandoned warehouse. It had once been the Base of a small soul organization, but it had been completely destroyed in a battle, leaving only Broken Wall and dried, blackened bloodstains.

After carefully examining the surrounding environment and confirming that no other souls were present, Liu Ziyun took out the special Senkaimon key that Unohana had prepared for him from his bosom.

It was a palm-sized, silver-white badge, its surface covered with intricate Kidō Runes. When Liu Ziyun infused it with his Reiatsu, the badge began to glow, and the Runes seemed to come alive, flowing and reorganizing until they finally formed a swirling vortex with a ghostly blue light in front of him.

Liu Ziyun a deep breath, stepped into the vortex, Liu Ziyun in the Dangai. Then, Liu Ziyun began to use Shunpo to quickly move to the World of the Living exit.

Liu Ziyun stood in a dark alley, surrounded by towering buildings, with the distant sounds of car horns and the hustle and bustle of the city. A complex atmosphere permeated the air—a mixture of the pungent smell of exhaust fumes, the aroma of food, and the faint fluctuations emanating from countless human souls.

He concealed the light emanating from his Black Cloak, allowing himself to re-enter the shadows. Although he had arrived in the World of the Living, caution remained essential. While Kisuke Urahara and Yoruichi Shihōin had established Base here, no one could guarantee that Aizen or other forces hadn't planted spies here.

Liu Ziyun didn't rush to find Urahara Shop, but instead chose to walk slowly through the streets. He believed that as long as he moved around in the World of the Living world wearing this Black Cloak, Kisuke Urahara, that genius scientist, would definitely be able to sense his arrival in some way. After all, that guy had been in the position of director of the Technology Development Bureau for so many years, it was impossible for him not to have set up a surveillance network in the World of the Living.

He wandered aimlessly through the streets of Karakura Town like an ordinary tourist—although a "tourist" dressed in Shihakusho and Black Cloak was too conspicuous, the Black Cloak's concealment made him almost unnoticed by ordinary people.

Time ticked by. Liu Ziyun through the bustling commercial street, passed through the quiet residential area, crossed the wide river, and even paused for a moment in front of a convenience store, seemingly hesitating whether to go in and buy something.

Just as he was about to give up waiting and head straight to the location of Urahara Shop that he remembered, a figure suddenly appeared in front of him.

He was a man wearing a straw hat and a green and white striped jacket. He had a gentle and harmless smile on his face, but his eyes, hidden in the shadow of the hat brim, gleamed with a sharp and wary light.

"Oh my, isn't this Mr. Liu?" Kisuke Urahara's voice was as cheerful as ever. "What a rare guest! What brings you to this World of the Living?"

Liu Ziyun stopped in his tracks, a smile playing on his lips beneath the hood of his Black Cloak. "You've finally arrived. I'm so tired of wandering around, I'm starting to think your Soul Society Base has gone out of World of the Living."

Kisuke Urahara blinked innocently, "Oh dear, don't say that. I rushed over as soon as I sensed your Reiatsu fluctuations. You know, it's not a short trip from Urahara Shop to here, and I had to avoid any potential surveillance cameras..."

"Alright, alright, enough nonsense." Liu Ziyun interrupted his performance. "Hurry up and lead the way. Let me see how your business is doing, Uncle Manager. And how are your 'tenants' doing?"

Kisuke Urahara's expression instantly fell. "Oh dear... why are you calling me 'uncle'? I'm probably not even as old as you. Besides, I'm a proper shop owner now, not some 'shopkeeper uncle'..."

"Enough talk, lead the way." Liu Ziyun without any politeness.

The two continued to tease and banter with each other as they walked toward the Urahara Shop. This seemingly relaxed conversation was actually a form of probing and confirmation—judging each other's true identity and state through tone of voice, word choice, and even the rhythm of their breathing.

After all, in the face of the ability to Kyouka Suigetsu, any visual confirmation is unreliable.

Urahara Shop is located on a relatively secluded street in Karakura Town. From the outside, it looks like an ordinary general store. The storefront has a sign that reads "Urahara Shop," and the window displays a variety of daily necessities, from snacks and drinks to cleaning supplies.

But Liu Ziyun knew that this was just an appearance.

As he followed Kisuke Urahara into the store, he immediately sensed a subtle sense of unease—a faint Reishi fluctuation permeated the air, the effect of multiple overlapping Kidō Barriers. The store was also much larger than it appeared from the outside, clearly due to the use of some kind of spatial expansion technology.

In the back room of the shop, Liu Ziyun saw two "people".

One was the tall, serious-looking Tessai Tsukabishi, sitting at a table with a thick ancient book open in front of him. The other was a black cat, lazily lying on the windowsill, basking in the afternoon sun.

Upon seeing Liu Ziyun enter, the black cat's ears twitched slightly, but it made no other reaction. Tessai Tsukabishi stood up and bowed respectfully. "Mr. Liu, you've arrived."

Liu Ziyun sat down at the table casually, and then did something that surprised everyone—he reached out and picked up the black cat on the windowsill, placed it on his lap, and began to skillfully stroke its back.

"Meow--!" The black cat let out a sharp cry, its fur standing on end as it began to struggle violently.

But Liu Ziyun's hand held it firmly like an iron clamp, while his other hand continued to stroke its back, the movements gentle and skillful, as if he were comforting a real kitten.