Explaining the Causes and Consequences (1)
"Be good, don't move around." Liu Ziyun's voice was tinged with laughter. "Miss Yoruichi has turned into a cat, what's wrong with letting me pet her a couple of times? She's not in human form, what's there to be afraid of? Manager Urahara won't be jealous."
The moment those words were spoken, the atmosphere in the room instantly became eerie.
Kisuke Urahara and Tessai Tsukabishi's expressions froze, their eyes twitching slightly. The black cat's struggle intensified, its sharp claws extending and leaving several shallow white marks on Liu Ziyun's arm—if it weren't for the Black Cloak's defensive effect, it would probably have drawn blood.
"You... bastard! Let me go!" the black cat spoke in a human voice, filled with shame, indignation, and anger. "How do you know who I am?!"
Liu Ziyun finally stopped what he was doing, but still didn't let go of the black cat. He just looked down at it, his empty eyes seeming to actually see. "Miss Yoruichi, you don't really think I don't even have this much insight, do you? Although I'm blind, my other senses are still there. And... the Reiatsu fluctuations you have after turning into a cat are different from when you were in human form, but the essence is the same."
The black cat—or rather, Yoruichi Shihōin —stopped struggling, but a dangerous glint still shone in her cat-like eyes. "You can't... do this!"
"Alright, alright, calm down, everyone." Kisuke Urahara finally snapped out of his shock and tried to smooth things over with a wry smile. "Mr. Liu, you didn't come to the World of the Living just to 'pet cats,' did you?"
Liu Ziyun finally released his grip. Yoruichi Shihōin jumped away, landing on the table, staring at him warily, her fur still standing on end, her tail swishing unhappily.
"Of course, it's not just for that." Liu Ziyun sat up straight in his chair, his expression becoming serious. "I have two purposes for coming here this time."
First, I want to clarify what I promised you before—explain why I did what I did and why I let you escape to this World of the Living.
Secondly, I want to cultivate my Bankai in the World of the Living. To keep a low profile, I've chosen to do it at the base of that Unlucky Bastards Legion, which will also allow me to test their strength. Otherwise, all the effort I put into saving them would have been for nothing."
Kisuke Urahara's expression became subtle. "Oh dear, Mr. Liu, it seems you didn't put in much effort. We did the work; you just... offered some advice and warnings."
The subtext in that tone was clear: When have you ever really contributed? We're the ones doing all the dangerous work; you've just been standing by and watching.
Liu Ziyun naturally understood this implication. He smiled, not angry at all. "Alright, who are you trying to impress with that look? If I hadn't given Captain Yoruichi a heads-up and hadn't helped you hold off the Captain-Commander, do you think your escape would have been so easy? Do you think those old fogies in the Central 46, and those covetous nobles, would have let you off so easily?"
He paused, then continued, "Moreover, if I hadn't been secretly securing certain key points, you'd probably be dead on the execution ground by now. Don't forget, Aizen's plan isn't just about the Hollowfication Experiment. He has spies within the Central 46 and among the nobles. If it weren't for me and Captain Unohana working behind the scenes, you wouldn't even have had a chance to escape."
These words made the atmosphere in the room heavy again.
Yoruichi Shihōin transformed back into human form—a black bodysuit accentuated her perfect figure, and her long purple hair flowed behind her. The shame and anger from before were gone from her face, replaced by seriousness and contemplation.
"Alright, enough of the chit-chat." Liu Ziyun clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention. "Next, I'll explain why I did what I did before, and my future plans. But before that..."
He turned to Kisuke Urahara: "I need your guarantee that everything you heard today will not be recorded, disseminated, or even told to those eight people in the base. Unless I give permission, this information must remain buried in your hearts."
Kisuke Urahara's expression also turned serious. "I understand. Great Kidō Chief Wakabishi, please set up a top-level soundproof and anti-spy Barrier."
Tessai Tsukabishi nodded, stood up, and began to form hand seals. Complex Kidō Runes appeared around him, then spread outwards, eventually forming a transparent barrier that completely enveloped the entire room. Inside the barrier, even the flow of air slowed down, and no sound could escape.
"Alright, you can speak now." Kisuke Urahara sat down again, his expression serious.
Liu Ziyun a deep breath and began the explanation he had prepared for decades.
"This story begins A Hundred Years Ago, when I first entered the Soul Society." His voice was calm, but every word carried a heavy weight. "Back then, I had just obtained my Zanpakuto, and when I completed my first Shikai... I saw the future."
He paused, as if organizing his thoughts. "Not the complete future, but fragments—fragments about the fate and development of Soul Society. Most importantly, in that 'future,' I don't exist."
"Without your existence?" Yoruichi Shihōin frowned. "What do you mean?"
"It means that in the future fragment that the Zanpakuto showed me, I was a 'non-existent' variable," Liu Ziyun explained. "I couldn't see my own figure, hear my own voice, or feel my own existence. It was as if... I was already dead, or had never existed at all."
The room fell silent. Everyone could sense the terror lurking behind those words.
"I was terrified then," Liu Ziyun continued, his voice heavy with the weight of memory. "I was afraid that future was real, afraid that I would really die or disappear at some point. So I asked my Zanpakuto —if I really exist, if I really survive, what will the future be like?"
He raised his head, his empty eyes "looking" at the ceiling. "My Zanpakuto tells me that this is the meaning of my existence and its existence—'to change fate.' To change the predetermined future I see, a future without me."