Quincy

The white attire, a stark contrast to the black typically worn by Soul Reapers, made it easy to view the newcomers as their opposites.

Such a notion wasn't entirely wrong; they had indeed endured a long, arduous struggle against Soul Reapers. But that was a distant memory. Now, they were friends rather than foes, at least when it came to dealing with Hollows, a cause for which both sides stood together. These people were Quincy, humans who rose to prominence in the living world and took the eradication of Hollows as their personal mission.

Hongjiang had encountered many Quincy over the past few years, and he had developed a decent relationship with several of them, including the young man who had just spoken to him, the leader of the group named Nodt Futz.

Hongjiang knew Futz hadn't been in Soul Society for long, which naturally meant he hadn't been dead for long. According to Futz himself, he was only in his twenties when he died, though Hongjiang had always been skeptical of that claim.

He was half a head taller than Hongjiang and possessed such a burly frame that the white Quincy uniform looked less dashing and more comical on him. With dark skin, a buzz cut, and a sharp, capable air, he also had three deep forehead wrinkles, which led Hongjiang to believe he had to be at least forty before he died!

"Long time no see, Futz. When was the last time we met?" Hongjiang rubbed his forehead, thinking for a moment before adding casually, "A few months ago?"

"What few months? It's been nearly two years!" Futz sighed in exasperation and held up two fingers. "Just how long has it been since you left this place?"

"A while, I suppose. But what are you doing here?"

Futz was about to answer, but upon seeing Tsukikage and the others approaching, he swallowed his words and instead began to eye Hongjiang with a strange look.

"You bastard, Kamisawa! Didn't you say you wouldn't let me off if you saw me again? Come on then, let's see how you're going to make me pay!"

"Let go! Didn't you say you didn't want to see my face again? Is my face that ugly?"

Yamagata and Kamisawa, reunited once more, quickly tangled into a ball and rolled on the ground. Though they traded barbs, everyone present understood they were simply sharing the joy of surviving and reuniting in their own way.

Hongjiang, however, had no time to pay attention to them. He had already noticed Futz's odd behavior; being stared at by a hulking man like that made his back feel cold.

"What's with that look? Let me tell you, I'm very serious and traditional!"

"Don't misunderstand, I'm just relieved." Seeing Hongjiang's blank expression, Futz added, "It's a good thing to see you and your companions mending your relationship..."

"Stop right there!"

Although Futz looked fierce, anyone who spent time with him knew he was actually a warm-hearted guy. If he didn't cut him off now, he'd likely ramble on for half an hour without stopping.

"So, why are you here?" Futz asked, gesturing toward Tsukikage and the others behind Hongjiang. "And them?"

"Just passing by. It's not as complicated as you think."

Hongjiang's explanation was perfunctory, but seeing the awkwardness of Tsukikage and the others, Futz knew Hongjiang wasn't lying—his relationship with the other Soul Reapers hadn't improved at all.

Just because it hadn't improved now didn't mean it wouldn't in the future. Wasn't this the perfect opportunity to clear up misunderstandings? Futz already had a plan in mind.

"That last battle was dangerous! You must have taken quite a few hits!" Futz patted Hongjiang on the shoulder while winking at Tsukikage and the others. "But we don't have a medic here, so you'll have to bear with it for a while!"

Tsukikage was a veteran Soul Reaper who had lived for hundreds of years; how could he not understand the hint?

"Hurry up and treat their wounds!" Tsukikage ordered the woman from the 4th Division beside him, his voice intentionally loud. "Take care of Hongjiang first."

The man was willing and the woman was interested; although Tsukikage hadn't formally apologized to Hongjiang, the friendly intent behind his words was obvious.

Under normal circumstances, even if Hongjiang had a sour look on his face, as long as he accepted the treatment, it would signify he had accepted Tsukikage's goodwill. That would at least settle the grudge between them, and through Tsukikage, it would only be a matter of time before the Soul Reapers of the Zaraki District accepted Hongjiang.

But the "willing man" was Futz, not Hongjiang, and these so-called normal circumstances were merely Futz's own perspective. Hongjiang was about to show him what it meant to have a severe lack of emotional intelligence! Not only did he have a sour face, but he also had a sharp tongue!

"Stinking woman, get lost!"

Shoving the 4th Division girl away as she approached, Hongjiang sneered at her stunned expression: "A dead weight who needs to be carried even while running away, and now you're here to prove you aren't a total failure? Give it a rest! If you want to play medic, go back to the Seireitei!"

Hongjiang ignored the girl, who stood with her head bowed and fists clenched in frustration. He didn't intend to let Tsukikage off the hook either; in fact, this mastermind was the most detestable of them all. Peace? You want peace, so I give you peace, and you think you're entitled to it?

"You were there to watch the show, there to give orders, but where were you when the fighting started? She wants to prove she isn't a failure, but what about you? What are you trying to prove?" Hongjiang cupped his chin, feigning deep thought. "That you were here? Fine, I admit you succeeded. If you hadn't spoken, I wouldn't have even noticed you! The 5th Division's specialty in ventriloquism is as strong as ever!"

Hongjiang's words didn't just point out Tsukikage's lack of action; they also subtly alluded to the way he had stirred up trouble seven years ago. Having lived for centuries, Tsukikage naturally caught the implication, and his face turned the color of liver in an instant.

The atmosphere at the scene dropped to freezing. Even Kamisawa and Yamagata stopped their scuffling, not daring to say a word. Being scolded like this in front of the Quincy was truly humiliating!

In fact, the Quincy present were also bewildered. Scolding one's own people so harshly, especially in front of outsiders—such a ruthless person wasn't exactly common.

As for the instigator, well, Futz didn't consider himself the instigator. He had acted with pure intentions, but he hadn't expected Hongjiang not only to refuse the olive branch but to kick the ladder out from under everyone else.

What a headache! Futz rubbed his temples incessantly. This was nothing like what he had imagined! He turned to look at Hongjiang, who was staring back at him with a dark expression. The two locked eyes.

"Don't you dare talk trash to me! I'll hit you! I swear it!" Futz raised his fist, threatening him quickly.

"Let's go. You're going to compensate me for all this trouble, right?"

"Compensation is fine, but I didn't mean to cause trouble! It was all well-intentioned!"

"Thanks for your 'good intentions'!" Hongjiang rolled his eyes and retorted, "I don't want to spend my days worrying about a bunch of babies."

Once he finished speaking, Hongjiang leaped onto a nearby tree branch, signaled to Futz, and vanished into the dense forest.

Futz sighed with a bitter smile, placed his right hand over his chest, and bowed slightly to Tsukikage and the others. "You Soul Reapers have worked hard as well. It's not entirely safe here, so you should head back and recover. We shall take our leave."

By the time Tsukikage regained his senses, Futz and the others were gone. Hongjiang and the Quincy seemed as if they had never been there at all.