The Squad Members of Sixth Division were the first to withdraw. As soon as the battle ended, they found Saito who had been rushed away by Torrent and fell on the gravel ground in the wasteland, and then escorted her back to Seireitei as quickly as possible.
When Saito was admitted to Shin'ō Medical Institute, Sixth Division and Squad Member all had complicated expressions. I heard that she repeatedly chanted "It's a shame" in the ward.
In Shin'ō Medical Institute, Saito was arranged into a single ward, and her Zanpakutō was broken into two pieces. This was a heavy blow to any Soul Reaper, but compared to this, Saito was more concerned about another thing.
She was resting in the ward, and there was a sign hanging outside the door that read "Visits Rejected." It was said that Squad Member tried to send fruit in, but was hit accurately by a pillow.
Ise Chiyo remained silent on the way back, guarding Ichigo outside the sedan. She didn't need to deliberately perceive it, but she could clearly detect that her Reiatsu was fading a little bit.
The flame of spiritual power is extinguished, but the soul is still there. This is the current state of Qian Lida. She has lost all the spiritual power as a priest, but her soul still exists intact.
Eight-Mirror Sword has returned to the state of being wrapped in gorgeous cloth and placed horizontally on the long box in the sedan. Qian Lida is leaning on the sedan wall with his eyes closed and breathing steadily, as if he is sleeping. Ichigo is guarding the sedan without asking any questions and no one is disturbing him.
First Division
Shuichi and Qianri went back to First Division first and made a simple mission report.
Yamamoto listened to the whole process without asking for any details or commenting on anyone's performance. He just nodded and confirmed. "Remember to submit the document report to the archives office."
"Yes"
Shuichi responded, Qianri nodded, and then the two of them retreated.
After leaving the office door, Shuichi walked in front, and Qianri was half a step behind. The two walked in silence for a while, and Qianri suddenly spoke.
"Kurohitsugi and Kidō are pretty good"
His tone was very casual. Shuichi turned his head and glanced at him. Qianri did not look at him and continued to walk forward, "But you Danku, practice more."
Shuichi was stunned for a moment, and before he could respond, Qianri had Shunpo disappeared, leaving Shuichi alone in the corridor.
Shuichi stood there, thought about it, and felt that what Qianri said made sense. Danku really should be polished again.
Seireitei Central Ring, Ise Clan Mansion
Qian Lida has been back for a while
Eight-Mirror Sword was put back into the worship room with her own hands, a quiet room located at the deepest part of the mansion that only past family heads and priests could enter. The door of the worship room was gently closed behind her, and she did not look back.
She walked slowly along the corridor and passed through the courtyard. The leaves of the trees in the courtyard were gently swaying in the wind. The sunlight filtered through the branches and leaves, casting mottled light and shadow on the ground.
She walked very slowly, as if counting the stone slabs she stepped on with each step. After the spiritual power dissipated, she could feel that her body became lighter and hollow, and she could feel that her body became tired, and she was deeply tired.
She knew that this was not temporary. After the third sacrifice, her spiritual power would not be restored. From today on, there would be no difference between her and Rukongai, the wandering souls without spiritual power.
She sat down on the porch. The wooden floor was warmed by the sun. She put her hands on her knees and looked at the trees in the courtyard. She looked at the smooth stones under the trees and looked at a cat that didn't know where it came from squatting on the stones. Qian Lida didn't know this cat. It was probably raised by a nearby family and passed by occasionally. She felt that the courtyard was very comfortable to bask in the sun, so she stayed.
Qian Lida Suddenly thought of his mother Mikako
Did she sit on the porch like this on the day she came back from the sacrifice, looked at the trees in the courtyard like this, and felt the void after the spiritual power dissipated?
What was my mother thinking at that time? Did she, like myself, suddenly feel that the world had become strange at a certain moment?
Qian Lida found that he already knew the answer
Her eyes were half-open, and her pupils were unfocused, as if she were looking at something very far away.
Footsteps came from the other end of the corridor, rapid, brisk, pattering. Qian Lida did not turn around, but she knew whose footsteps those were.
"Mother!"
Yi Liang ran over from the other end of the corridor. The hem of her light cyan kimono floated up as she ran. Her belt was tied neatly. Her hair was spread over her shoulders, with slightly curled ends and moisture that had not completely dried. She had probably just taken a shower. When she heard her mother was back, she ran out without even having time to dry her hair.
Qian Lida turned around, opened his arms, and caught her
Yi Liang put his hands around Qian Lida's waist and buried his face into her chest. Her hair rubbed against her chin, wet with the fragrance of soap locust. Water droplets dripped from the ends of her hair, spreading a small dark water stain on Qian Lida's clothes, which was cool.
she cried
But Yi Liang was very restrained. Only her shoulders were shaking, her fingers were clenching tighter and tighter on the clothes on Qian Lida's back, and her breathing was getting faster and more uneven. But she was trying her best to control herself and didn't want her mother to hear her voice.
She is afraid that her mother will feel guilty. She knows what her mother is going to do, and she also knows that her mother will be different after she comes back. She knows everything, Qian Lida has never hidden it from her, and has told her Ise Clan's fate sentence by sentence since she was very young. Each time, he spoke very softly and slowly, as if telling her a long story, but Yi Liang would remain silent for a long time after listening to it.
She knew her mother might never come back, she knew it.
Qian Lida didn't persuade her not to cry
She just put her hands on the top of Yi Liang's head, ran her fingers through the wet, slightly curly hair, and slowly combed it from the root to the tip. Once, and again, she could feel the touch of Yi Liang's hair sliding between her fingers, which was moist, cool, and scented with soap.
Her movements were slow and light, as if she were caressing something precious, and in this way she was telling Yi Liang: I am here, I am really back, and the person you touch, hold and lean against is real, not an illusion or a dream.
The cat in the courtyard jumped off the stone, landed silently on the grass, walked to the roots of the tree and curled up in a ball. The sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting tiny spots of light on the mother and daughter, swaying gently with the wind.
After a long time, Yi Liang's shoulders finally stopped shaking, her breathing gradually calmed down, and her fingers slowly loosened their grip on the clothes on Qian Lida's back, but her face was still buried in her mother's chest without lifting her head. Her voice was muffled and mostly blocked by the fabric and hair, but Qian Lida heard it clearly.
"Mother, you are back."
"Well, I'm back."