Have You Heard the Story of Tian Ji's Horse Race? / Stealing Penglai Under Everyone's Noses

Everything is ready, except for the east wind.

Yamabuki Chidori was in charge of arranging all sorts of things, big and small, and didn't get home until the early hours of the morning, dragging his tired body. Unohana was still awake and waiting for him at home.

Yamabuki Chidori recalled the Soul King's prophecy that she would die at Yhwach's hands in this great battle, and wondered if she could defy fate.

Death! What a heavy topic.

Yamabuki Chidori originally thought he could face it calmly, but when the day actually came, he realized how heavy fate was.

Who would want to die if they could live a good life in this world?

Just then, Unohana gently took his hand.

"It's okay! Don't be afraid. Whatever decision you make, we will support you. The Gotei 13 has gotten to where we are today because of you," Unohana said in a very gentle tone.

Looking at the beautiful Unohana under the candlelight, Yamabuki Chidori suddenly felt an indescribable flutter in her heart.

He gripped Unohana's hand even tighter.

"Unohana... you... do you want to take our relationship to the next level?" It took a lot of courage for Yamabuki Chidori to say those words.

Although to outsiders their relationship appears very close, only the two of them know that their relationship is rather complicated.

More than friends, but the lover is dissatisfied.

"What... what do you want to say?" Unohana's fingers trembled slightly.

Yamabuki Chidori held Unohana's hand tightly. "If... if we're both still alive after this great battle, let's get married."

A perfect straight shot.

What kind of fancy confession is that?

I came here specifically to get married.

Yamabuki Chidori noticed that Unohana's already trembling fingers were shaking even more violently, and she couldn't tell if it was from fear or excitement.

"Well, if we both survive this fierce battle, let's get married." Unohana smiled and agreed to Yamabuki Chidori's proposal.

This is the fusion of two souls, without any complicated formalities or arranged marriages.

This is the collision of two lonely souls, and also a vow that will never be broken.

That's right, if we're going to plant flags, let's plant them all!

I'll come back and get married after this battle!

People gently lean against each other, watching the snow falling outside the window by the light of this lamp, as if time has stood still at this moment.

"Next is our battle plan."

The next day, Yamabuki Chidori arrived at the command center full of energy. Once the blade has something to protect, its meaning is completely different.

"If I were the enemy commander, I would definitely send people to attack here first!" Yamabuki Chidori had a map of Seireitei in front of him, and his finger was pointing at the Central 46.

"No matter what, the Central 46 are the core of the Seireitei's command, at least that's how it appears to outsiders. So, we're going to ambush a bunch of troops here, using a long line to catch big fish. It's time for those high and Great Sage to make some contributions to Soul Society. They're the bait this time." Yamabuki Chidori didn't hesitate to directly choose to sacrifice these Sage of the Central 46.

No one in the Gotei 13 opposed the plan.

"Katoru Hatsunoya, Shunshun Shidō. You two are of noble birth, so I don't think those noisy Old Man will object to you taking on the role of Guard for the Central 46. By the way, my mission for you is to ignore the lives of those Sage. The first priority of your mission is to ensure your own safety at all costs. The second is to kill the enemy. Remember, no matter how severe your injuries, do not give up. Even if your internal organs are ripped out, your bones are crushed, and your skin is peeled off, do not give up. As long as you have a breath left, Tenjirō Kirinji and I can save everyone. That is my promise to you."

Tenjirō Kirinji was not far away, nodded vigorously to indicate that he was fine.

The Bone Hell and the Blood Pool Hell are practically bugs in the healing world; as long as a person isn't dead, as long as they have a breath left, any injury, no matter how severe, can be healed.

With the promise from Yamabuki Chidori, everyone's eyes lit up.

As Captain-level experts, it's not easy for them to die, especially since they are equipped with the latest Shinigami Uniform, which can withstand three attacks from enemies of the same level. Even if the Shinigami Uniform is damaged, they can quickly repair it with their Reiatsu.

This is one of the reasons for their confidence.

"Next is the Seireitei East District. As the main gate, the East District is very likely to be subjected to a direct assault by the enemy, and the enemy may deploy the largest force there. Therefore, Saitō Fubōfu and Shikkōgai Musashi, you two will take your respective teams and be responsible for guarding the East District. If you find any suspicious persons, kill them on sight. Although the Quincy's policy towards Shinigami is definitely to exterminate them, we cannot rule out the possibility that some nobles may voluntarily defect to the enemy in order to survive. If discovered, exterminate their entire clan! Everyone, any objections?"

If none of the Captain of the Gotei 13 spoke, it meant the vote was unanimously passed.

I acknowledge that protecting the Seireitei is the responsibility of our Gotei 13, and I understand that even if some nobles want to preserve their strength and not go to the battlefield.

But if anyone dares to stab me in the back, don't blame me for being impolite, right, Tsunayashiro Clan?

In the Blood War a thousand years later, while all the powerful warriors were fighting on the front lines, Tsunayashiro Tokinada secretly sneaked into the Soul King Palace and stole the Zanpakuto forged by the Ancient Menos Grande. He also wanted to have a Ise-Ise-Iseba replace the Soul King.

If the Tsunayashiro Clan Tsunayashiro Clan to pull this stunt right under my nose, I'll wipe them out first.

As she spoke, Yamabuki Chidori glanced at Tsunayashiro Fūka not far away.

Tsunayashiro Fūka lowered her head, not daring to meet Yamabuki Chidori's gaze.

"Next, I need to arrange the South District. Gen'en Kinra and Obana Danjirou, you two will be responsible for guarding the South District. The rules are the same as before: if any suspicious targets are found, act first and report later," said Yamabuki Chidori.

Gen'en Kinra.

"The West District is the territory of the 11th Division, and it's not far from the 12th Division. Unohana Yachiru and Zendouji Yuuhin both here. I'm leaving the West District to you two. Be careful."

The last sentence was spoken by Yamabuki Chidori to Unohana.

Unohana smiled slightly.

"Finally, it's the North District. You two will be chosen from among Kumen'i Entetsu and Sakurane Saizo."

"Leave it to me," Sakurane Saizo said with a chuckle. "It's been a long time since I've gone on a killing spree."

"Finally, Shijima Chiru and Ōtōgawa Utsugi, you two are both assassins by trade, and you are not suited for direct confrontation with the enemy. Once the war begins, your mission will be to assassinate enemy soldiers at will. At the same time, you must ensure your own safety," Yamabuki Chidori said.

Shijima Chiru laughed and said, "Don't worry, I'm actually very afraid of dying."

Chapter 252: Have you all heard the story of Tian Ji's Horse Racing?

"Then there's the Quincy King, Yhwach. Let me tell you about his ability. It's called All-Knowing All-Powerful and Omnipotence, but not in the traditional sense of being omniscient and omnipotent. His ability is to foresee the future and Changing the Future. There are countless future timelines, and everyone's different choices will lead to different future worlds. Yhwach can choose the future timeline that is most advantageous to him. And he can launch attacks from the future, leaving us defenseless." Yamabuki Chidori's voice was very deep.

The Captain of the Gotei 13 were all shocked upon hearing about this ability. How could such an outrageous power exist in the world?

An attack from the future?

Changing the Future?

In some ways, this is no different from being "omniscient and All-Knowing All-Powerful".

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him a god.

Yamabuki Chidori also tried many ways to counter All-Knowing All-Powerful, but apart from her own Scarlet Angel, no Zanpakuto could resist the ability to Changing the Future.

While Hane Hane Chiyo's "Kiri ni Kagami" can indeed temporarily affect vision, Kiri ni Kagami true power lies in using mist to create the Visionary, whereas "Hide the Sky" is simply a forced substitution of two objects.

These two abilities are indeed very powerful if used well, but if the opponent is Yhwach, there's no chance at all.

Furthermore, Aizen's Kyōka Suigetsu could affect All-Knowing All-Powerful because Aizen's Reiatsu at the time was similar to, or at least on the same level as, Soul King Hassan.

Hane Hane Chiyo's Reiatsu is at most at the Lieutenant-level, while Yhwach's strength is conservatively estimated to be stronger than hers.

A Lieutenant wanted to use his Shikai to influence himself...

You must be kidding.

"At the same time, Yhwach has four of his most difficult subordinates, known as his Sternritter. I only know the abilities of one of them; her name is Alice. Her Schrift ability is the Book of Creation. She can create a barrier and then freely control the rules within it, making her very difficult to deal with. When I fought her before, she wrote the rule 'No force can be used' in the barrier, and I barely managed to defeat her after a great deal of effort, but she still managed to escape."

Hearing what Yamabuki Chidori said, people's expressions turned even more grim.

How come these Quincy's abilities are all so disgusting?

Can't we just have a proper, clean fight?

"There are three more people with this disgusting ability. Conservatively speaking, the Captain would have a hard time defeating them one-on-one. Add to that the other dozen or so Knight, and this war is going to be quite difficult," Yamabuki Chidori said.

Captain Commander Yamamoto didn't say anything. Since Yamabuki Chidori had already brought up the matter, it meant that he already had a solution.

"Has anyone heard the story of Tian Ji's Horse Racing?" Yamabuki Chidori suddenly asked.

The Captain, of course, were unfamiliar with this story that took place in ancient China over a thousand years ago. Yamabuki Chidori chuckled and said, "In ancient times, there were two nobles who raced horses: top-class against top-class, medium-class against medium-class, and bottom-class against bottom-class. The first nobleman's horse was slightly slower than the second nobleman's in each category, resulting in a complete defeat. Then a strategist named Sun Bin appeared. He said to his lord, 'If we slightly change the order of the three horses, we can achieve a great victory. Use the bottom-class horse against the enemy's top-class horse, the top-class horse against the enemy's medium-class horse, and the medium-class horse against the enemy's bottom-class horse...'"

Upon hearing what Yamabuki Chidori said, all the Captain looked surprised. Could it really be done like that?

Yamabuki Chidori slammed her hand on the table.

The strength of the Captain of the Gotei 13 is divided into levels. Captain Commander Yamamoto, Yamabuki Chidori, Unohana can be roughly divided into one level, the remaining Captain are in another level, and then the two regular Lieutenant are in a third level.

"If Yhwach attacks, we only need to send one suicide squad member to hold him off. While he's occupied, the three of us—me, the Captain Commander, Unohana —will take care of eliminating the Sternritter members. The rest of you Captain will deal with the other Sternritter members."

"I have fought against the members of the Sternritter many times. They are indeed very strong, and some of their abilities are quite strange. However, on average, it takes two members of their Knight orders to fight against one of our Captain. Overall, we still have the advantage."

"Once the Captain Commander and I have dealt with all the Sternritter members, and you have taken care of all the Knight, we'll go straight to surround and kill Yhwach. My Zanpakuto's ability can slightly control time. I wouldn't say it's a counter to All-Knowing All-Powerful, but it can at least have a slight restraining effect. The final success or failure depends on whether we can successfully kill Yhwach."

"I have a question. Who should we send to stop Yhwach? We only have one Lieutenant, Chōjirō Sasakibe, but his strength is worlds apart from Yhwach's, and he can't possibly stop him," Yamamoto said solemnly.

"Relying on Chōjirō Sasakibe is impossible, but don't forget, we also have a Lieutenant of the Kidō Corps, Hane Hane Chiyo. She has Bankai, and I suffered at her hands not long ago. If her abilities can be used properly... she might be able to hold off Yhwach for a little while," Yamabuki Chidori said solemnly.

Using a teenage girl to hold off the strongest enemy sounds incredibly insidious, but the Captain Commander didn't object. What's a little trickery if victory is assured?

"Will he agree?" the Captain Commander asked.

"She will agree," Yamabuki Chidori said solemnly. "This is a military order, and military orders are absolute. From the moment she joined the Gotei 13, her fate was no longer in her own hands."

Yamabuki Chidori's voice turned extremely cold.

It sends chills down your spine.

None of the Captain objected, and they tacitly approved of Yamabuki Chidori's actions.

As the saying goes, when the nest is overturned, no egg remains unbroken.

If the Gotei 13 loses, they will face the apocalypse of the Three Realms collapsing, and no one will be able to survive.

No one has a way out, not even the Yamabuki Chidori or the Hane Hane Chiyo.

"Alright, that concludes the plan. If anyone has any questions, please ask me now," said Yamabuki Chidori.

If no one speaks, it means that everyone has no objections.

"Meeting adjourned," said Yamabuki Chidori, and everyone returned to their posts.

Yamabuki Chidori went to the Kidō Corps and went directly to Hane Hane Chiyo.

Upon seeing Hane Hane Chiyo, Yamabuki Chidori immediately said, "I've arranged a very good job for you. The outcome of this upcoming battle rests entirely on your shoulders."

P. S.: Yhwach's three-second kill of Monk monk after activating his Sharingan is truly baffling. I can't imagine how Yhwach lost to the Captain Commander a thousand years ago, so I had to play it safe.

P. S.: Yhwach was All-Knowing All-Powerful a thousand years ago, according to Baidu Baike.

Chapter 253: Hide the Sky the Pirates of Penglai

Hane Hane Chiyo reached out her little hand and pressed it against Yamabuki Chidori's forehead.

"Are you sick or have you lost your mind? This is a great war concerning the Three Realms, how could the outcome have anything to do with me?" Hane Hane Chiyo was very self-aware. She did have some fighting ability, but not much, and at least she couldn't influence the outcome of this war.

Yamabuki Chidori gave a rather cruel smile, "Have you heard the story of Tian Ji's Horse Racing?"

Never heard of it.

"Then I'll tell you."

After hearing this story, Hane Hane Chiyo's expression became quite interesting. "You don't mean for me to go and stop that Yhwach, do you?!"

"Hahahaha! It's so easy to talk to smart people. You actually guessed it. Impressive!" Yamabuki Chidori laughed. He was prepared to be scolded by this little girl, but he didn't expect Yamabuki Chidori to not lose her temper. She just quietly thought about it.

"What are you thinking about?" Yamabuki Chidori asked.

Hane Hane Chiyo quietly said, "Since you were able to come up with this method, it means that Soul Society has no other trump cards left, right? Don't worry, although I may seem carefree, when the nest is overturned, no egg remains unbroken. If you all lose, I certainly won't survive either. However, you know very well how capable I am. What do I have to stop Yhwach? This isn't a horse race."

"Isn't your ability to switch perceptions between two objects? Listen to me!" Yamabuki Chidori whispered her plan into Hane Hane Chiyo's ear, Hane Hane Chiyo's face showed a look of surprise and uncertainty.

"Are you sure you can fool the All-Knowing All-Powerful by doing this? That's a god-like ability," Hane Hane Chiyo asked.

Yamabuki Chidori reached out and tapped her head with her index finger.

"All-Knowing All-Powerful are indeed impressive, but there is one major flaw: you must first 'see' with your eyes. Whether it's Kiri ni Kagami or Hide the Sky, in a sense, both can affect vision. Especially Hide the Sky, even if you can only buy yourself a minute, you can give the Gotei 13 a better chance of winning," Yamabuki Chidori said.

"What if I die?" Hane Hane Chiyo asked.

Yamabuki Chidori took out a Hell Butterfly and handed it to Hane Hane Chiyo.

"If you can't hold on any longer, you can summon me immediately using the Hell Butterfly. You know my abilities; I can appear by your side in an instant. I will protect your safety to the best of my ability, trust me," said Yamabuki Chidori.

"I don't believe you just because you're the one protecting me! Don't think I don't know how despicable you are! Besides... since you've resorted to such methods, it means you can't beat Yhwach, right? Even if you go... what will you do?" Hane Hane Chiyo asked.