White Bone Hell

The surging, abundant Spirit Particles within Liu Chuan gradually settled. Leaning back against the comfortable chair, he savored this unprecedented sense of "fullness," yet his thoughts drifted back to the Seireitei, back to the Research and Development Institute filled with bizarre instruments and the scent of dangerous experiments.

He recalled the deal he had made with that mad scientist captain before departing, as well as the other's awkward yet clear instructions.

Liu Chuan set down the spirit tea that carried a sweet fruit fragrance, raised his eyes to Kirio Hikifune across from him—who had already returned to her slender, sexy figure—and said,

"Come to think of it, before I came to the Soul King Palace, a captain from the Seireitei learned of my trip and specifically asked me to pass along his regards."

"Oh?" Kirio Hikifune put down her teacup, her slender fingers lightly tapping the table as just the right amount of curiosity appeared on her face.

"A captain from the Seireitei? And he specifically asked you to deliver a message to me? It's been years since I left down there. I'm afraid I don't know most of the current captains."

"The captain of Squad 12, and director of the Research and Development Institute," Liu Chuan clearly stated the name. "Mayuri Kurotsuchi."

"Mayuri?" Kirio Hikifune's bright eyes widened slightly, and the lazy, relaxed expression on her face was replaced by unmistakable surprise and reminiscence.

She fell silent for a moment. Then a complex, nostalgic curve slowly formed on her full lips, and her voice softened considerably.

"So it was him... that troublesome little oddball you couldn't help but admit was a genius."

Her gaze seemed to pierce through the warm air of Reclining Boar Palace, reaching toward some distant past filled with clinking test tubes and humming instruments.

"I still remember when he was my subordinate in Squad 12."

Kirio Hikifune spoke slowly, her tone tinged with emotion. "He spent all day locked up in the laboratory, tinkering with things nobody could understand and that made everyone's hearts race. There weren't many members in the squad who weren't afraid of him, and even fewer who could keep up with his bizarrely erratic train of thought."

She shook her head, but there was little reproach in her eyes. Instead, there was a trace of helpless amusement.

"To restrain his overly dangerous—or downright unethical—experimental ideas, I argued with him more times than I could count. I even slammed the table at him."

"The way he looked at me back then was like I was some 'old fossil' obstructing scientific progress. He never said it aloud, but I'm sure he grumbled plenty in his heart."

"But," Kirio Hikifune changed the subject, her expression turning serious and certain,

"there's no denying that he truly is an extraordinary genius."

"His talent is among the very best I've seen in my long years in Soul Society."

"Many ideas that seemed insane, even absurd, would often be realized by him in some unexpected way. Or at the very least, they would open up entirely new avenues of research. Sometimes, even I was amazed."

She lifted her teacup and took another sip, as though calming her slightly stirred emotions.

"When I left Squad 12 and ascended to the Soul King Palace, he was actually the one I worried about most.

"I feared that without anyone to restrain him, he would go to extremes and do something irreversible. I also feared he was too aloof, too incompatible with the entire Seireitei. But now, it seems..."

Kirio Hikifune looked at Liu Chuan, her smile becoming gentle once more.

"He not only succeeded to the position of captain, but also took charge of the Research and Development Institute."

Afterward, Kirio Hikifune enthusiastically escorted Liu Chuan to the food-scented entrance of Reclining Boar Palace and thoughtfully told him that he could come by anytime he was hungry.

Faced with such an overly enthusiastic colleague, Liu Chuan could only thank her once again.

The moment he stepped outside, before he had gone more than a few paces, Liu Chuan's steps paused slightly.

Diagonal to the front of Reclining Boar Palace's entrance, beside a thick pillar connected to the corridor, a tall, lean figure was lazily leaning there.

The man appeared to have been waiting for quite some time. His posture was relaxed, even carrying a hint of boredom.

He had a sharply defined, somewhat thin face, with carefully trimmed stubble on his chin.

What drew the eye most was his distinctive hairstyle—his hair was combed back and formed an exaggerated pompadour atop his head, its tip curling slightly upward.

A long, thin blade of grass, picked from who knew where, hung casually from his mouth, swaying faintly with the movement of his cheek.

He wore a dark, loose outfit similar to a yukata but far more fitted, its sash casually tied around his waist and exposing his defined collarbones and part of his sturdy chest. A pair of wooden clogs hung loosely from his feet.

His entire person exuded a peculiar air that blended defiance and indolence.

It was entirely unlike Kirio Hikifune's openly warm enthusiasm.

He was a member of Zero Division—the "Hot Spring Demon," Tenjirō Kirinji.

Seeing Liu Chuan emerge from Reclining Boar Palace, Tenjirō Kirinji opened his half-lidded, seemingly listless eyes a fraction. A curve appeared at the corner of his mouth, one that could hardly be called a smile.

"Yo, you're out? How was Kirio's cooking? Looking at you, all brimming with spiritual radiance and overflowing vitality, you ate quite a bit, didn't you?"

Liu Chuan stopped and faced Tenjirō Kirinji. "You are... Captain Tenjirō Kirinji?"

"Captain? We don't do that in the Soul King Palace. Just call me Tenjirō. Or you can learn from Kirio and call me Big Brother Tenjirō. I don't mind."

Tenjirō Kirinji waved a hand, finally pushing himself away from the corridor pillar and standing upright.

He was about as tall as Liu Chuan, but his sharp, unruly presence carried an intense pressure.

He looked Liu Chuan up and down, as though assessing an item that needed to be "handled."

"Kirio should've told you everything, right? Next, it's my turn to 'entertain' you."

Tenjirō Kirinji pointed his thumb at himself, then jerked his chin toward the far end of the corridor in the opposite direction from Reclining Boar Palace.

"Come with me. I'll take you to my turf—Kirin Palace."

"Then I'll be troubling you, Senior Tenjirō."

Liu Chuan already had a rough idea of what this "entertainment" from the Hot Spring Demon would involve—most likely treatment and the unlocking of potential.

Tenjirō Kirinji turned and strode toward the distance. His wooden clogs struck the polished floor with crisp, rhythmic clacks that echoed through the silent corridor.

Liu Chuan quickly followed. He could sense that every step taken by the seemingly lazy and uninhibited figure ahead carried a strange rhythm.

It was as though each step faintly aligned with the flow of Spirit Particles throughout the Soul King Palace. His speed was astonishing, yet he appeared utterly unhurried.

Before long, they arrived at Kirin Palace.

Kirin Palace had a rougher appearance, its entirety constructed from enormous dark bluish-black stones. Their surfaces were covered in natural striations that resembled marks carved by flowing water.

Tenjirō Kirinji walked to the palace entrance. Without making any noticeable movement, the two heavy doors of warm jade silently slid inward.

An even denser wave of warm, humid air rushed toward them.

"We're here. Come in." Tenjirō Kirinji entered first, his voice carrying a faint echo through the spacious hall.

Liu Chuan followed him inside.

Several pools of varying sizes and shapes were scattered throughout the hall. Their waters came in different colors—some were clear to the bottom and glimmered with faint milky-white spiritual light; others were a deep crimson, steaming like lava.

Stone pillows, wooden ladles, and various tools Liu Chuan did not recognize—seemingly used for scraping therapy, acupuncture, or massage—were casually placed on the platforms around the pools.

The steam filling the air was not ordinary water vapor. Looking closely, it was a highly concentrated mist of Spirit Particles, carrying healing and nourishing effects.

This was the core of Kirin Palace—the White Bone Hell hot springs, or rather, Tenjirō Kirinji's "treatment workshop."

"Don't just stand there staring. Take your clothes off and get in."

Tenjirō Kirinji casually walked over to a white hot spring pool.

As he spoke, he had already begun deftly untying the sash of his loose yukata-like robe, revealing a lean, muscular upper body covered in fine scars yet brimming with strength. Then, without a care, he stepped into the white pool.

He left only his head above the water, comfortably resting it against a smooth black stone by the pool's edge. He closed his eyes, as though he had truly come only for a soak.

Liu Chuan was silent for a moment before slowly lowering himself into the hot spring as well.

The instant the warm pool water enveloped his body, Liu Chuan felt countless streams of exceptionally pure Spirit Particles—gentle yet intensely penetrating—pierce softly into every pore of his skin like countless tiny needles, following his Spirit Channels deep into his body.

Everywhere they passed brought waves of comfort.

At the same time, the pool water seemed to contain some strange power. He felt as if even his soul was being cleansed by warm currents, becoming exceptionally clear.

"How does it feel? Soak as long as you can if you can handle it. If something feels wrong, shout. Don't force yourself until you pass out—I'll have to fish you out."

Tenjirō Kirinji spoke lazily with his eyes closed, but Liu Chuan could feel that the other man's sharp spiritual senses were firmly locked onto every change in his body like the most precise scanner.

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